Saint Hilarion
From the Lives of the Saints
Saint Hilarion
Disciple of St. Anthony and Founder of Monasticism in Palestine
The saint who fled from people and from their honors, moving from one country to another, yet the gift of working miracles was always a constant obstacle to his love of solitude.
His Upbringing and Monastic Life
Saint Hilarion was a man before whom heaven trembled, just as the earth had once trembled. He is one of the most renowned fathers of the fourth century. He was a disciple of the great Saint Anthony and established monasticism in Palestine.
He was a man who knew God from his youth—and God knew him. He was born near Gaza in 292 A.D. and moved to Alexandria as a child, where he received his education.
At the age of fifteen, he went into the deserts and wildernesses, drawn by the sweet fragrance of Christ that filled the caves and cells there. He met Saint Anthony and became his disciple, wishing to spend the rest of his life under his guidance. But a serious difficulty prevented him: the immense holiness of Saint Anthony attracted multitudes from every place—some to learn from him, others seeking healing.
Hilarion could not live amidst such noise and crowds. He said to himself: “Saint Anthony is an old man now, reaping the fruits of his long life of struggle and having attained perfection after many hardships and ascetic practices. But I am still young and cannot bear all this.”
His Solitude in Palestine
He went to Saint Anthony, received his blessing and garment, and returned to his homeland, Palestine. Finding that his parents had died and left him a great inheritance, he distributed most of it to the poor and the rest to his needy relatives, keeping nothing for himself.
Then he withdrew into a desolate desert, inhabited only by bandits and mountain robbers, living there in extreme asceticism—wearing sackcloth over his bare body and eating very little. His fasting progressed step by step: from fruits to soaked vegetables, to bread and salt, then to wild herbs. His health weakened greatly, and by the age of sixty-three, he felt that his body was collapsing and his death was near. So he intensified his spiritual struggle even more, living another seventeen years.
He reposed in the Lord at the age of eighty. Neither weakness nor illness stopped his asceticism, and he would only eat after sunset.
His Spiritual Battles
He was first attacked by robbers. When asked, “Do you not fear thieves?” he replied, “He who owns nothing fears no thieves.” They said, “Do you not fear they may kill you?” He answered, “I prepare myself for death every day.” The robbers were moved and promised to change their lives.
Then the devil of lust attacked him with visions unknown to him before. Troubled by these images, he afflicted his body with even more hardship, abstaining from fruits and barley bread. He said to his body: “I will weary you with hunger so that you may weaken and not rebel; I will exhaust you with toil, heat, cold, and hard labor so that you think of fatigue, not of desire.” Eventually, he defeated the devil, who then turned to other forms of warfare.
He was next assaulted by terrifying visions of wild beasts and armed soldiers. When he triumphed over all these battles, God granted him the gift of performing wonders—healing the sick and casting out demons.
His Miracles
God performed many miracles through him, despite his constant fleeing from people. For example, the wife of Bidios, the governor of Gaza, whose three sons were gravely ill with fever, sought him out. He fled from her, but she persisted, saying, “The prayers of Saint Anthony used to protect my children in Egypt; you must protect them here in Palestine.” Moved by her tears, he prayed, and they were healed. Crowds then gathered around him, and many were cured or freed from demons.
Two main results followed: many became his disciples, and many idol-worshippers came to faith.
Those who traveled from Palestine to visit Saint Anthony in Egypt were often told by the saint, “You have my son Hilarion among you; he can give you what you seek. Why trouble yourselves with this long journey?”
His Repeated Escapes
Many monasteries were founded that Saint Hilarion visited regularly. He refused all gifts, saying, “I have forsaken my own wealth; how can I take what belongs to others?”
When crowds grew too large, he decided to flee again, telling his disciple, “I have returned to being entangled in worldly matters.”
When people learned of his plan, they tried to persuade him to stay, fearing for their land which lived under his blessing. But he remained firm. About ten thousand people surrounded him, preventing his departure, so he abstained from food and water until they, fearing for his life, let him go.
He withdrew near the mountain of Saint Anthony, who had by then departed this world, and lived there peacefully for three years. But again, he was compelled to act when drought struck the land. The people wept and begged him to pray. He did, and rain fell, bringing back both honor and crowds—forcing him to flee once more to another wilderness.
He longed to live unknown to all but known to God alone. Yet his miraculous gifts continually exposed him, compelling him to move again.
He went westward to Libya near the sea, then boarded a ship to Sicily at the age of seventy. Again, miracles followed him.
The shipowner’s son was possessed by a demon who, upon seeing Hilarion, cried out, “What have I to do with you, Hilarion? Will you persecute me even on the sea? Wait until we reach land!” Hilarion replied, “If God has permitted you to remain in him, I will not compel you to leave.” He did not cast the demon out then, to avoid vain glory. But when the crew pleaded for the young man’s deliverance, promising secrecy, he prayed and freed him.
Upon arrival, Hilarion withdrew into a thicket and lived there, gathering firewood which his disciples sold for food. But soon his miracles became known again, and he fled to Dalmatia. There, too, he faced new troubles—a dragon was devouring people and animals. Moved with compassion, Hilarion gathered wood, commanded the dragon in the name of Jesus Christ to enter it, and the creature was burned.
During the reign of Julian the Apostate, an earthquake struck, and the sea threatened to flood the land. The people carried Saint Hilarion to the shore, asking him to stop the waters. When he signed the sea with the cross, the waters receded.
When people again clung to him, he secretly boarded a ship to Cyprus. Pirates attacked, intending to seize the vessel, but he stood at the bow and cried out, “Enough of your wickedness! Come no further!” They were unable to advance, and the ship passed safely.
In Cyprus, he stayed near Paphos for twenty days, but again those possessed by demons cried out, “Hilarion, the servant of Christ, has come to the island!” Crowds gathered, and once more he fled. His disciple finally found him a cave high in the mountains, unreachable to most. There he lived in peace for five years, visited only by a few.
His Departure
At eighty years old, he was struck with fever and knew his time had come. He wrote his will to his absent disciple, leaving him all his possessions: his robe, his Gospel, and his monastic garment. When people heard of his illness, they came to him, and he instructed them to bury him in the same place.
As death drew near, he trembled before the eternal judgment but comforted himself, saying, “Go forth, O my soul.” Then he gave up his pure spirit. His disciple later came, dwelt in his cave, and after ten months secretly transferred the saint’s body to his old monastery.
May the blessings of Saint Hilarion be with us all. Amen.
Article by His Holiness Pope Shenouda III – Al-Keraza Magazine, Sixth Year (Issue No. 9), February 28, 1975
