Sabbas the Sanctified

Saba (also Sabbas, * to 439 in Mutalaska near Caesarea in Cappadocia, † December 5 532 in Mar Saba ) was a monk and hermit. At the age of eight he went to his native monastery Flavianae. At eighteen he became a monk in Jerusalem, where he became a disciple of the ascetic St. Euthymius the Great.

Since 469 he lived as a hermit. 473 he sought to Gerasimos of the Jordan. After that he lived in the desert Ruba and Kutila. Since 478 he lived in a cave in the Kidron Valley (Arabic: Wadi en Nar, fire flow ), around which formed a Anachoretensiedlung.

483 he founded the oldest monastery in Palestine, Mar Saba. He later founded the monastery Kastellion, which is slightly further north-east.

An ardent opponent of the Monophysites and the followers of Origen Sabas tried to apply the emperor against them. He turned to 511 personally to Emperor Anastasius I in Constantinople Opel and 531 Justinian I.

The Patriarch of Jerusalem ordained him Salustus 491 and 494 appointed him archimandrite of all the monasteries in Palestine. The Holy designed the so-called Jerusalem - type icon. He died in 532 at the age of 92 years at Mar Saba.

Sabas ' relics were stolen by the Crusaders in the 12th century and remained in Italy until Paul VI. they returned to the monastery in 1965 as a gesture of goodwill towards the Orthodox. The San Saba ed Ansano church in Rome dedicated to him.

He became known through the biography written by his disciple Cyril of Scythopolis.

In the Orthodox Church he is venerated as " Sacred ".

His name day is December 5.