Saint Anba Galyon the Hermit
He was one of the monks of the monastery of the great Saint Anba Samuel at Mount Qalamun, during the time of the presidency of Anba Isaac over it. In his generation also, another hermit monk joined the monastery, Saint Anba Misael the Hermit. To this day, surrounding the Monastery of Anba Samuel, there is a mountain still called Mount Galyon, named after this saint who wandered in the mountains of that region.
Saint Anba Galyon was a venerable elder among the elders of the monastery, reaching about ninety years of age, living in seclusion and never leaving the monastery gate throughout that entire period, nor going to cities or villages. He was devoted to worship, highly experienced in the hymns of the Church to the utmost extent, حفظing them, and continually diligent in attending church and praying the praises (Tasbeha).
One day, at night, a person came to him in the attire of ascetic monks and said to him: “We are twelve hermits, and one of us has departed today. Since it is necessary that our number remain as it is, we have chosen you to praise with us and complete our number, because of what we have known in you of love for solitude and perseverance in prayer. It is enough that in your seclusion you have not left the monastery all this time.”
This person continued with him until he convinced him, and agreed with him to come the next day to take him along. He took from him a promise to keep the matter secret and not tell anyone, for thus is the conduct of the hermits.
At the appointed time, this person came with two others and took Anba Galyon in the darkness of the night from the monastery, and they proceeded with him into the wilderness in silence, according to the custom of monks. Long hours passed as they walked, crossing hills and ارتفاعات, until the monastery and everything around it disappeared from sight, and even the الطرق leading to it vanished. They continued walking by day until they reached desolate, unknown, and frightening wildernesses.
Then these “hermits” broke their silence and began to speak mockingly in a manner unbefitting the conduct of monks. Anba Galyon was greatly astonished. Then he heard them saying to one another, laughing: “We have known how to deceive him and bring him out of the monastery, and we have led him astray in this wilderness. He will die in this desolation sorrowful and go to hell.”
Thus Anba Galyon realized that he had fallen into the deception of demons. He looked at them and did not find them. He remained weeping over his sin—how he was deceived, how he did not consult the spiritual father of the monastery, and how he broke his rule of solitude and went out with them. He entreated God with a contrite heart to forgive him.
God, the Forgiver, had compassion on His servant Galyon and prepared for him in this wilderness what he could eat. Anba Galyon wandered in that desert for more than a year, worshipping the Lord with many prayers and praises without seeing any person during that entire period. Meanwhile, his father Anba Isaac, the head of the monastery, was very sorrowful for him and prayed much that the Lord would allow him to see him before he departed from this transient world, for his days had drawn near.
One day, Anba Galyon saw three men in monastic garments coming from afar. He feared that they might be deceitful demons, so he stood praying, while they approached chanting some psalms with their melodies. He prayed them with them in their melodies. They came near to him, continuing to chant the psalms, and he chanted with them, and he became assured that they were not demons.
They told him that they were monks from the Monastery of Anba Shenouda, and that God had sent them to him because his father Anba Isaac wished to see him before his death. So he went with them to the Monastery of Anba Samuel, met his father, explained to him all that had happened to him, received absolution, and they blessed one another.
God revealed to Anba Galyon that he would depart within a few days, so he asked his father to give him a monk to whom he could hand over what he had preserved of the hymns before his departure.
Since the remaining days were not sufficient, Anba Galyon took the monk—whose name was Moses—embraced him to his chest, breathed into his face, and said to him: “Receive the spirit for preserving the hymns.” Then he was able to memorize everything he heard with astonishing speed. And Anba Galyon reposed in the Lord.
An article by His Holiness Pope Shenouda III – in El-Keraza Magazine – Year Eight (Issue Forty-Eight), 2-12-1977
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