Simeon Stylites was a Syriac ascetic saint who achieved notability for living 37 years on a small platform on top of a pillar near Aleppo (in modern Syria). His feast day is commemorated on January 5 in the Roman Catholic Church.
Simeon lived in a solitary manner. He carved himself a virtuous reputation by such saintly acts as going without any
food or drink for the entire
Lent period, chaining himself to a
rock and standing for days at a time in furious
prayer.
By the 420s, pillar dwelling had become quite a fad amongst holy men. Simeon made the decision to spend the last part of his life on top of a pillar in Syria. His decision to build himself a nine-foot high column was prompted by the constant interruptions from curious crowds congregating outside the
cave where he was residing, who had heard reports of his already extreme self-denying lifestyle.
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Simeon climbed his pillar in 422 AD and as time went by, he graduated to higher and higher columns until this his final one which was 60ft high. On it was a platform 6-foot wide dressed in the skins of
animals, where Simeon ate food sent up to him in a
basket by people below.
In his later years, Simon Stylites was the foremost famous personality in his part of the world. The Emperor Theodocus and Leo 1, the Bishop of Rome, would often consult him and request his prayers and Marcian, another Emperor visited him frequently although in disguise.
