St Anthony

St Anthony (c.251-356), also spelled St Antony, is known as St Anthony the Great. He was an Egyptian hermit, known as the founder of monasticism in Christianity. The Feast Day in his memory is observed on January 17.

He was a famous anchorite of the Thebaïd, where from the age of thirty he spent 20 years of his life, in a lonely ruin by himself, resisting devils without number; left his retreat for a while to institute monasteries, and so became the founder of monachism, but returned to die.