Saint Parsoma the Naked (Coptic language

Coptic language

Coptic or Coptic Egyptian is the current stage of the Egyptian language, a northern Afro-Asiatic language spoken in Egypt until at least the 17th century. Egyptian began to be written using the Greek alphabet in the 1st century...

: Ⲁⲃⲃⲁ Ⲡⲁⲣⲥⲱⲙⲁ; 1257–1317) is an Egyptian

Egyptians

Egyptians are nation an ethnic group made up of Mediterranean North Africans, the indigenous people of Egypt.Egyptian identity is closely tied to geography. The population of Egypt is concentrated in the lower Nile Valley, the small strip of cultivable land stretching from the First Cataract to...

 saint, recognized solely by the Coptic Orthodox Church.

Early life

Parsoma was born in Cairo

Cairo

Cairo , is the capital of Egypt and the largest city in the Arab world and Africa, and the 16th largest metropolitan area in the world. Nicknamed "The City of a Thousand Minarets" for its preponderance of Islamic architecture, Cairo has long been a centre of the region's political and cultural life...

. His father was El-Wageeh Moufdel, the scribe of the Queen Shajarat al-Durr

Shajarat al-Durr

Shajar al-Durr Shajar al-Durr (Arabic: شجر الدر, "Tree of Pearls") Shajar al-Durr (Arabic: شجر الدر, "Tree of Pearls") (Royal name: al-Malikah Ismat ad-Din Umm-Khalil Shajar al-Durr (Arabic: الملكة عصمة الدين أم خليل شجر الدر) (nicknamed: أم خليل, Umm Khalil; mother of Khalil) (d. 1257, Cairo)...

, and his mother was from the noble family of El-Taban. When his parents departed, his uncle took possession of all that they had left. Parsoma did not quarrel with him but rather forsook the world and lived the life of a hermit

Hermit

A hermit is a person who lives, to some degree, in seclusion from society.In Christianity, the term was originally applied to a Christian who lives the eremitic life out of a religious conviction, namely the Desert Theology of the Old Testament .In the...

.

Ascetic Life

Parsoma lived outside the city of Cairo

Cairo

Cairo , is the capital of Egypt and the largest city in the Arab world and Africa, and the 16th largest metropolitan area in the world. Nicknamed "The City of a Thousand Minarets" for its preponderance of Islamic architecture, Cairo has long been a centre of the region's political and cultural life...

 for five years suffering the harshness of the summer heat and the winter cold. He wore no clothing except a hairy sackcloth, following the example of Paul of Thebes

Paul of Thebes

Paul of Thebes, commonly known as Saint Paul the First Hermit or St Paul the Anchorite is regarded as the first Christian hermit...

, the first hermit. Then he shut himself in a cave inside the church of St. Philopateer Mercurius for twenty years in ceaseless prayer and fasting. In his cave

Cave

A cave or cavern is a natural underground space large enough for a human to enter. The term applies to natural cavities some part of which is in total darkness. The word cave also includes smaller spaces like rock shelters, sea caves, and grottos.Speleology is the science of exploration and study...

, there was a huge serpent, which Parsoma befriended and tamed through his prayers.

Later life and Persecution

After some time, Parsoma left the cave and lived on the roof of the church. He endured the summer heat and the winter cold, until his skin became dark from much worship and asceticism. He remained in this state for fifteen years.
During his days, a great persecution befell the Christians in Egypt

Egypt

Egypt , officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, Arabic: , is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Southwest Asia. Egypt is thus a transcontinental country, and a major power in Africa, the Mediterranean Basin, the Middle East and the Muslim world...

. The churches were shut and the Christians were forced to wear blue turbans. The ruler seized Parsoma, severely smote him, then cast him in prison. When he was released, he went to the monastery of Shahran, where he lived on the roof of the church and increased in his asceticism

Asceticism

Asceticism describes a lifestyle characterized by abstinence from various sorts of worldly pleasures often with the aim of pursuing religious and spiritual goals...

. Many princes, judges and others, knew that he always wore a white turban, but no one dared to force him to wear a blue one.

Departure

Parsoma departed on the 5th day of the Little Month (Koji Enavot)

Pi Kogi Enavot

Pi Kogi Enavot , also known as El Nasii, is the thirteenth and last month of the Coptic calendar. It lies between September 6 and September 10 of the Gregorian calendar. That month is also incorporated in the Season of 'Shemu' in Ancient Egypt, where the Egyptians harvest their crops throughout...

 (10 September), 1317 A.D. at the age of sixty. Pope John VIII

Pope John VIII of Alexandria

Pope John VIII of Alexandria was the 80th Coptic Pope of Alexandria and Patriarch of the See of Saint Mark .Pope John VIII was born in Meniat Bani-Khosaim. His real name was Yohanna Ben-Ebsal, but he was known as El Mo'ataman Ebn El-Kedees...

 presided over his funeral. He was buried at the Monastery of Shahran.