Icon of Saint Paisios the Great – S393

Description

Saint Paisios was born around the year a.d. 300 in Egypt to pious Christian parents.  When his father died, his mother was visited by an angel, asking her to dedicate her youngest son Paisios to the the Lord.  He predicted that he was the chosen of God and would be well-known later.  As soon as he was of age, Saint Paisios left all and went into the Nitrian Desert of Egypt to seek a divine life in monastic efforts.  He shortly became a disciple of the great Abba  Pambo.  With eager zeal and sensible direction, Saint Paisios added labor to labor, fasting to fasting, and prayer to prayer.

When Abba Pambo left the world to go to Christ, Saint Paisios lived for a time in the same cell at Scetis (now Wadi El-Natroun) with Saint John the Dwarf.  An angel appeared to them later to tell them that Saint Paisios should go to the western part of the desert and establish a monastery there.  The Lord Himself appeared to Saint Paisios many times.  He once washed His blessed feet.  Saint Paisios lived for a time only on Holy Communion, eating no other food.  A multitude of monks came to live near him.  Full of years, Paisios finally went to live with Christ, Whom he loved so dearly.