Barsanuphius ( gr, Βαρσανούφιος, Barsanouphios, it, Barsonofio, Barsanofrio, Barsanorio; died c. 545), also known as Barsanuphius of Palestine or Barsanuphius of Gaza, was a Christian
hermit and writer of the sixth century.
Born in
Egypt, he lived in absolute seclusion for fifty years, and then near the monastery of Saint
Seridon of Gaza in
Palestine
__NOTOC__
Palestine may refer to:
* State of Palestine, a state in Western Asia
* Palestine (region), a geographic region in Western Asia
* Palestinian territories, territories occupied by Israel since 1967, namely the West Bank (including East ...
. He wrote many letters, 800 of which have survived. He corresponded mainly with
John the Prophet
John the Prophet, known also as Venerable John, was the hermit of the monastery of Seridus and teacher of Dorotheus of Gaza.Barnasuphius and John ''Letters'', translated by John Chryssavgis Catholic University of America Press (2002)
Life
He pr ...
, abbot of the monastery of
Merosala and teacher of
Dorotheus of Gaza.
[ Barsanuphius and John ''Letters'', translated by John Chryssavgis Catholic University of America Press (2002) ]
At the old age he convinced the emperor to renew the concordant relationship with the Church of Jerusalem.
Veneration
His relics arrived in
Oria, in
Italy, with a Palestinian
monk in 850 AD and placed in the present-day church of San Francesco da Paola by Bishop Theodosius. During a
Moorish
The term Moor, derived from the ancient Mauri, is an exonym first used by Christian Europeans to designate the Muslim inhabitants of the Maghreb, the Iberian Peninsula, Sicily and Malta during the Middle Ages.
Moors are not a distinct or se ...
siege and taking of the city, the
relics were lost but then later rediscovered and placed in the city's basilica.
At Oria he is considered to have saved the city from destruction wrought by foreign invaders. A legend states that he repelled a
Spanish invasion by appearing before the Spanish commander armed with a sword. During
World War II, he is said to have spread his blue cape across the sky, thus causing a
rainstorm, and preventing an
air bombing by
Allied Forces.
References
External links
San Barsanofio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Barsanuphius Of Palestine
6th-century Christian saints
Egyptian hermits
Saints from the Holy Land
Saints from Roman Egypt
563 deaths
Year of birth unknown