Saint Barsanuphius: The 6th‑Century Hermit Who Left 850 Letters Behind

Saint Barasanphius, above all else, was a prolific writer. Monks in a nearby monastery came to him for advice. As a hermit, he would not talk to anyone. Instead, Saint Barasanphius wrote to those seeking his advice in the form of letters. We have more than 850 letters, preserved for some 1,500 years. Saint Barasanphius was highly sought after for his advice. Those letters from Saint Barasanphius were given to the abbot of the monastery, who gave them to the advice seekers. Do you think you would have followed his advice?

Saint Barasanphius Biography 

Saint Barasanphius was born at some undetermined time, but he died after 545. He is known to be a hermit and is one of the so-called desert fathers. He wrote over 850 letters, which are still preserved. He was born in Egypt and lived in a Hilly Region of Gaza.

He moved outside the village of Thavata to live as a hermit in the early sixth century. Nobody knows exactly when, but when Saint Barasanphius began to live as a hermit, he was already an experienced ascetic. It remains uncertain when he was ordained, but he was a Chalcedonian, though almost certainly without the militancy of John, the Prophet.

Saint Barasanphius aided a nearby monastery during his hermitage. He gave advice and spiritual direction to the monks in that monastery. The only go-between from the hermit to the monastery was the director of the monastery. The monks doubted his existence. He solved that by proving his existence to them by washing their feet.

Saint Barasanphius was a mentee to both John the Prophet and Dorotheas of Gaza. He collaborated with them, and in the process, he wrote more than 850 letters, which still exist today. He was such a mentor to John the Prophet that he surrendered his cell to him. He became known as the great old man. John was just a great man.

Saint Barasanphius died in 544. He died about two weeks before the death of John the Prophet. Dorothea left the monastery at Gaza. Evagerius Scolasticis about him a biography of sorts. He dedicated a chapter of his book “Historica Ecclesiastical” to Saint Barasanphius, the hermit.

Saint Barasanphius Veneration

Saint Barasanphius is venerated as a Saint in the Catholic Church, and his feast day is April 11. His bones arrived on Oria in 850, and he is the patron saint of his team.  He is said to have saved the city from the destruction of war during World War Two. The legend is that he spread a blue cape over the city, causing a rainstorm. That rainstorm prevented the Allies from bombing the city. As of 2023, the city still does a procession on August 30th. During this ceremony, the keys of the city are presented by the mayor to an effigy of the saint.

An important part of the legacy of Saint Barasanphius is the extensive letters he wrote. He and John the Prophet provided advice and spiritual guidance to nearby monks. The desert fathers thought themselves to be responsible for the souls of those to whom they provided guidance. In their letters, the Bible allegorically responds to the needs of those they were consulting.

Those to whom the letters were written were a diverse lot. They included the monks of the nearby monastery, priests, bishops, and Kings. The advice of Saint Barasanphius and the desert fathers was highly sought after. The subjects of the letters were diverse. Such as the laws of the Emperor Justinian.

Conclusion

Saint Barasanphius is known today, some 1400 years after his death, because more than 850 of his letters still survive. We have seen it time and time again among the old saints. If they leave a written record, then we remember them. He wrote more than 850 letters, and was so prolific that he might become a doctor of the Catholic Church.