Saint Sabas
Saint Sabas (born December 8, 439 AD in Mutalaska, Cappadocia (modern Turkey); died December 5, 532 AD in Mar Saba, Judean Desert, Palestine) was a Palestinian Desert Father and monastic founder who established the Great Laura (Mar Saba) near Jerusalem c. 483 AD — one of the oldest continuously inhabited monasteries in the world. He was a principal leader of Palestinian monasticism and a defender of Chalcedonian orthodoxy against the Monophysite heresy. His feast day is December 5.
Stored in Cargo: Saint Sabas
| Saint Sabas | |
|---|---|
| Feast Day | December 05 |
| Profession | Desert Father; monastic founder; archimandrite of Palestinian lavras; hermit; defender of Chalcedonian orthodoxy |
| Rel. Affiliation | Catholic Church; Eastern Orthodox Church; Palestinian Desert monasticism; Byzantine monastic tradition; defender of the Council of Chalcedon; Mar Saba tradition |
| Patronage | Palestine; the Judean Desert; Palestinian monasticism; the Byzantine liturgical tradition; monastics; hermits; Mar Saba monastery; the Holy Land |
| Attributes | Desert monk's habit; the cliffside monastery of Mar Saba; scroll or Typikon (liturgical rule); the Judean Desert landscape; lion (a lion reportedly served him as a companion in the desert); Byzantine architectural model |
| Birthplace | Mutalaska, Cappadocia (modern Turkey) |
| Death Place | Mar Saba, Judean Desert, Palestine (modern Israel/Palestinian Territories) |
| Cause of Death | Natural death; died December 5, 532 AD, at the Great Laura of Mar Saba; he was approximately 93 years old; he died after returning from a second visit to Emperor Justinian in Constantinople, during which he had successfully petitioned for rebuilding of the Church of the Nativity at Bethlehem and the construction of new ecclesiastical buildings; he was buried at the Great Laura |
| Primary Shrine | Mar Saba Monastery, Kidron Valley, Judean Desert — his body was returned there from Venice by Pope Paul VI in 1965; his relics are in the monastery church; the monastery is a pilgrimage site for Eastern Christians and Holy Land pilgrims |
| Liturgical Class | Memorial (Roman Rite); December 5; Major feast in Eastern Christianity |
| Historic Class | Double (December 2) in 1962 calendar |
Biography
Sabas was born December 8, 439 AD, in Mutalaska, Cappadocia (modern Turkey). He entered monastic life at age 8, came to Palestine at age 18, and placed himself under the guidance of Saint Euthymius the Great in the Judean Desert.
After years of solitary life, he founded the Great Laura (Mar Saba) c. 483 AD, built into the cliffs of the Kidron Valley east of Bethlehem. The Patriarch of Jerusalem appointed him archimandrite of all the Palestinian lavras.
He twice traveled to Constantinople to defend Chalcedonian orthodoxy and to petition the emperor for the Palestinian church — once to Emperor Anastasius I (511 AD) and once to Justinian I (531 AD). Justinian received him with great honor and funded reconstruction of churches in Palestine.
He died at Mar Saba on December 5, 532 AD, at age 93. His Typikon (liturgical rule) became the foundation of Byzantine monastic and liturgical practice worldwide.
His relics were taken to Venice in the 13th century. Pope Paul VI returned them to Mar Saba in 1965.
Significant locations
Legend
Birth location: Mutalaska, Cappadocia (modern Turkey)
Death location: Mar Saba, Judean Desert, Palestine (modern Israel/Palestinian Territories)
Notable location:
Notable location:
Notable location:
Notable location:
Notable location:
Dynamic content
Parishes
No parishes dedicated to Sabas have been added to the database yet.
Media
Shrines
Dynamic shrines
No results
No shrines where this saint is the primary saint.
Known shrines
- Mar Saba Monastery, Kidron Valley — one of the oldest continuously inhabited monasteries in the world; his relics returned here 1965; active Greek Orthodox community.
Feast day
December 5
Veneration
Saint Sabas founded the Great Laura (Mar Saba) c. 483 AD, one of the oldest continuously inhabited monasteries in the world. His Typikon shaped Byzantine monasticism and liturgical prayer for all Eastern Christians. Feast December 5.
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.