Saint
Saint Hilarion
- Country / origin
- Gaza (Holy Land) / Cyprus
- Life
- c. 291–371
- Feast
- 21 October (traditional date)
Awaiting theological review
Who was this?
Born near Gaza to pagan parents, he became a Christian while studying in Alexandria and spent time with Saint Anthony in the Egyptian desert. Back home he lived as a hermit and is remembered as the founder of monastic life in Palestine. Crowds came to him seeking healing, so he kept moving in search of solitude, and died in Cyprus. His life was written by Saint Jerome.
Patron of
- hermits
- monastic life
- the Christians of Gaza
When to ask for intercession
- to find silence and solitude with God
- for peace in Gaza and the Holy Land
- simplicity of life
A short prayer
Saint Hilarion, intercede for me, that I may find God in silence, and pray for peace in the land where you lived.
Written for cento53 as a simple personal prayer of intercession — not a liturgical text.
What we know — and how
Historians debate
He is not in the General Roman Calendar; 21 October is his traditional date. Saint Jerome's Life of Hilarion includes many miracle stories whose details historians treat with caution.
The next question