Auxentius, monk of Bithynia (Menologion of Basil II)

Auxentius of Bithynia ( el, Αὐξέντιος Βιθυνίας) was a

hermit A hermit, also known as an eremite (adjectival form: hermitic or eremitic) or solitary, is a person who lives in seclusion. Eremitism plays a role in a variety of religions. Description In Christianity, the term was originally applied to a Ch ...

born circa AD 400 in Syria, and died February 14, 473, on Mount Scopas (also known as '' Mount Auxentius''; currently known in Turkish as ''Kayış Dağı'').

Life

Born in Syria of Persian ancestry, Auxentius served in the Equestrian Guard of

Byzantine Emperor This is a list of the Byzantine emperors from the foundation of Constantinople in 330 AD, which marks the conventional start of the Byzantine Empire, Eastern Roman Empire, to Fall of Constantinople, its fall to the Ottoman Empire in 1453 AD. On ...

Theodosius II Theodosius II ( grc-gre, Θεοδόσιος, Theodosios; 10 April 401 – 28 July 450) was Roman emperor for most of his life, proclaimed ''augustus'' as an infant in 402 and ruling as the eastern Empire's sole emperor after the death of his ...

, but left to become a solitary

monk A monk (, from el, μοναχός, ''monachos'', "single, solitary" via Latin ) is a person who practices religious asceticism by monastic living, either alone or with any number of other monks. A monk may be a person who decides to dedica ...

on Mount Oxia near

Constantinople la, Constantinopolis ota, قسطنطينيه , alternate_name = Byzantion (earlier Greek name), Nova Roma ("New Rome"), Miklagard/Miklagarth (Old Norse), Tsargrad ( Slavic), Qustantiniya ( Arabic), Basileuousa ("Queen of Cities"), Megalopolis ( ...

. His isolated hermitage was discovered by shepherds seeking their sheep, and people who were ill began to come to Auxentius for healing."Venerable Auxentius of Bithynia", Orthodox Church in America
/ref> In 451 he attended the

Council of Chalcedon The Council of Chalcedon (; la, Concilium Chalcedonense), ''Synodos tēs Chalkēdonos'' was the fourth ecumenical council of the Christian Church. It was convoked by the Roman emperor Marcian. The council convened in the city of Chalcedon, Bi ...

. Afterward he established a new hermitage atop Mount Scopas, in Bithynia, not far from

Chalcedon Chalcedon ( or ; , sometimes transliterated as ''Chalkedon'') was an ancient maritime town of Bithynia, in Asia Minor. It was located almost directly opposite Byzantium, south of Scutari (modern Üsküdar) and it is now a district of the cit ...

where many resorted to him for advice. There he devoted the rest of his life to the practice of mortification and the instruction of his growing number of disciples. Auxentius died about the year 470. Roman Martyrology: "On Mount Scopa in Bithynia, in present-day Turkey, Saint Aussentius, priest and archimandrite, who, living on a hill as if on a cathedra, defended the Chalcedonian faith with a powerful voice." He is not to be confused with Saint Auxentius of Mopsuestia (d. 360), bishop and martyr, and an Eastern Orthodox and Roman Catholic saint,

Auxentius of Milan Auxentius of Milan or of Cappadocia" (fl. – 374), was an Arian theologian and bishop of Milan. Because of his Arian faith, Auxentius is considered by the Catholic Church as an intruder and he is not included in the Catholic lists of the ...

(d. 374), bishop of

Milan Milan ( , , Lombard: ; it, Milano ) is a city in northern Italy, capital of Lombardy, and the second-most populous city proper in Italy after Rome. The city proper has a population of about 1.4 million, while its metropolitan city h ...

, or

Auxentius of Durostorum Auxentius of Durostorum also probably known as Mercurinus was a deacon in Alexandria and later bishop of Durostorum. An Arian, he was prominent in conflict with St Ambrose. Identity Auxentius was the foster-son of Wulfila, the "apostle to the ...

. Auxentius of Bithynia is venerated as a saint in the

Eastern Orthodox Church The Eastern Orthodox Church, also called the Orthodox Church, is the second-largest Christian church, with approximately 220 million baptized members. It operates as a communion of autocephalous churches, each governed by its bishops vi ...

Byzantine Catholic The term Greek Catholic Church can refer to a number of Eastern Catholic Churches following the Byzantine (Greek) liturgy, considered collectively or individually. The terms Greek Catholic, Greek Catholic church or Byzantine Catholic, Byzantine Ca ...

, and

Roman Catholic Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy * Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD * Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *'' Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a let ...

Churches. His feast day is February 14. "Saint Auxentius". ''New Catholic Dictionary''
CatholicSaints.Info. 30 July 2012

References

External links

Patron Saints Index at Catholic Forum
* http://www.catholic.org/saints/saint.php?saint_id=1639 * http://saints.sqpn.com/saint-auxentius-of-bithynia/ {{DEFAULTSORT:Auxentius Of Bithynia 400 births 473 deaths Byzantine saints Saints from Roman Anatolia 5th-century Byzantine monks 5th-century Christian saints People from Bithynia

Life

See also

References

External links