Saint Parsoma the Naked ( Coptic: Ⲁⲃⲃⲁ Ⲡⲁⲣⲥⲱⲙⲁ Ⲡⲓⲣⲉϥⲃⲏϣ) (1257–1317) is a Coptic saint, recognized by the Coptic Orthodox Church.

History

Early life

Parsoma was born in

Cairo Cairo ( ; ar, القاهرة, al-Qāhirah, ) is the Capital city, capital of Egypt and its largest city, home to 10 million people. It is also part of the List of urban agglomerations in Africa, largest urban agglomeration in Africa, List of ...

. His father was El-Wageeh Moufdel, the scribe of the Queen Shajarat al-Durr, and his mother was from the noble family of El-Taban. When his parents departed, his uncle took possession of all that they had left. Parsoma did not quarrel with him but rather forsook the world and lived the life of 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 ...

Ascetic life

Parsoma lived outside the city of

for five years suffering the harshness of the summer heat and the winter cold. He wore no clothing except a hairy

sackcloth Sackcloth ( ''śaq'') is a coarsely woven fabric, usually made of goat's hair. The term in English often connotes the biblical usage, where the '' Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible'' remarks that haircloth would be more appropriate rendering of th ...

, following the example of

Paul of Thebes Paul of Thebes (; , ''Paûlos ho Thēbaîos''; ; c. 227 – c. 341), commonly known as Paul the First Hermit or Paul the Anchorite, was an Egyptian saint regarded as the first Christian hermit, who was claimed to have lived alone in the deser ...

, the first hermit. Then he shut himself in a cave inside the church of St. Philopateer Mercurius for twenty years in ceaseless prayer and fasting. In his

cave A cave or cavern is a natural void in the ground, specifically a space large enough for a human to enter. Caves often form by the weathering of rock and often extend deep underground. The word ''cave'' can refer to smaller openings such as sea ...

, there was a huge serpent, which Parsoma befriended and tamed through his prayers.

Later life and persecution

After some time, Parsoma left the cave and lived on the roof of the church. He endured the summer heat and the winter cold, until his skin became dark from much worship and asceticism. He remained in this state for fifteen years. During his days, a great persecution befell the

Christians Christians () are people who follow or adhere to Christianity, a monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. The words '' Christ'' and ''Christian'' derive from the Koine Greek title ''Christós'' (Χρ ...

Egypt Egypt ( ar, مصر , ), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a transcontinental country spanning the northeast corner of Africa and southwest corner of Asia via a land bridge formed by the Sinai Peninsula. It is bordered by the Medit ...

. The churches were shut and the

were forced to wear blue turbans. The ruler seized Parsoma, severely smote him, then cast him in prison. When he was released, he went to the monastery of Shahran, where he lived on the roof of the church and increased in his asceticism. Many princes, judges and others, knew that he always wore a white turban, but no one dared to force him to wear a blue one.

Departure

Parsoma departed on the 5th day of the Little Month (Koji Enavot) (10 September), 1317 A.D. at the age of sixty.

Pope John VIII Pope John VIII ( la, Ioannes VIII; died 16 December 882) was the bishop of Rome and ruler of the Papal States from 14 December 872 to his death. He is often considered one of the ablest popes of the 9th century. John devoted much of his papacy ...

presided over his funeral. He was buried at the Monastery of Shahran.

History

Early life

Ascetic life

Later life and persecution

Departure

See also