Saint Baradates
Saint Baradates (also known as Baradate; flourished c. 420–450 AD) was a Syrian hermit and ascetic praised by the church historian Theodoret of Cyrrhus in his Religious History (Historia Religiosa)—an invaluable fifth-century collection of lives of Syrian holy men—as one of the most remarkable ascetics of northern Syria. Baradates lived near Antioch in a distinctive form of enclosure: he wore a tight-fitting garment of skin over his body and inhabited a kind of box or cage open only to the sky, exposed to the elements, in extreme ascetic deprivation. When Theodoret visited him, Baradates loosened the skin garment to receive the bishop—revealing that the pressure of the garment had left permanent marks on his skin. His feast day is February 22.
Baradates belongs to the extraordinary tradition of Syrian asceticism of the fourth and fifth centuries, which produced figures of remarkable and sometimes shocking bodily mortification—the stylites who lived on pillars, the dendrites who lived in trees, the enclosures who confined themselves to tiny spaces—all expressions of the Syrian ascetic impulse to conquer the body for the sake of heavenly freedom.
Stored in Cargo: Saint Baradates
| Saint Baradates | |
|---|---|
| Feast Day | February 22 |
| Profession | Hermit; ascetic |
| Rel. Affiliation | Early Church of Syria; ascetic tradition |
| Attributes | Hair shirt or skin garment; enclosed cage; sky open above (the form of his enclosure) |
| Birthplace | Syria (exact location uncertain; near Antioch) |
| Death Place | Northern Syria (near Antioch/Cyrrhus area) |
| Cause of Death | Natural causes (extreme asceticism) |
| Liturgical Class | Not included (universal calendar) |
| Historic Class | Not included |
Biography
Baradates is known to us almost entirely through the account of Theodoret of Cyrrhus in the Religious History, written around 444 AD. Theodoret personally visited many of the Syrian holy men he described and regarded Baradates as one of the most impressive.
According to Theodoret, Baradates wore a tightly fitting garment of animal skin over his whole body, which enclosed him almost as a second skin, leaving only his nostrils, mouth, and eyes uncovered. He lived in a small enclosure or cage open only at the top to the sky—exposed to heat in summer and cold in winter. The compression of the skin garment, Theodoret notes, had left deep permanent impressions on his body. Despite this extraordinary physical deprivation, Baradates was known for his spiritual clarity, his charity to visitors, and the wisdom of his counsel.
When Theodoret arrived to visit him, Baradates loosened the garment to honor the bishop as a mark of respect—a gesture that Theodoret records as characteristic of the saint's combination of severe asceticism with genuine humility and courtesy toward others.
Baradates is estimated to have lived and practiced his asceticism in the second quarter of the fifth century, in the region near Antioch and Cyrrhus.
Significant events
- Lived in an enclosed cage near Antioch, Syria, wearing a tight skin garment as an extreme form of asceticism.
- Visited and documented by Bishop Theodoret of Cyrrhus in his Religious History (c. 444 AD).
- Feast established on February 22.
Significant locations
Legend
Birth location: Syria (exact location uncertain; near Antioch)
Death location: Northern Syria (near Antioch/Cyrrhus area)
Notable location: Region where Theodoret of Cyrrhus described his ascetic life (Cyrrhus region (northern Syria, near present-day Neyrab, Syria))
Notable location:
Notable location:
Notable location:
Notable location:
Dynamic content
Parishes
No parishes dedicated to Saint Baradates have been added to the database yet.
Media
No media found for this saint.
Shrines
Dynamic shrines
No results
No shrines where this saint is the primary saint.
Canonization
Saint Baradates is venerated through the ancient process of universal veneration in the Eastern Christian tradition, confirmed by his inclusion in the Roman Martyrology.
Feast day
February 22
Veneration
Saint Baradates is venerated in the Roman Catholic Church with a feast day on February 22. He is also honored in the Eastern Orthodox Church and in the Syriac Orthodox Church as one of the great Syrian ascetics of the patristic age. He represents the extraordinary and varied forms taken by Syrian asceticism in the fourth and fifth centuries.
Prayers
Authored
There are prayers authored by this saint in prayers list yet.
Intercessory
There are no prayers asking for this saint's intercession in prayers list yet.
Books
Written about the saint
- Theodoret of Cyrrhus, Religious History (Historia Religiosa) — the primary source; includes a chapter describing Baradates in detail.