Peter of Mount Athos
Encyclopedia
Saint Peter of Mount Athos
is reputed to have been the first hermit
to settle upon the 'Holy Mountain' circa the 8th century. Peter is known to history primarily through unattributable legend
.
It is recorded that Peter was once a soldier
who, through the miraculous aid of St. Simeon the Righteous
, was freed from a Muslim
military prison
.
From prison St. Peter traveled to Rome
to fulfill a promise to God
that he would take the monastic habit. It is held that Peter received his habit from the Pope
himself who also formed the saint in monastic discipline
.
Receiving a vision of the Blessed Virgin and Theotokos
Mary, Peter travelled to Mt. Athos and there lived for some fifty years.
Saint Peter of Mount Athos is commemorated 12 June in Eastern Orthodox, Eastern Catholic and Roman Catholic
Churches.
Mount Athos
Mount Athos is a mountain and peninsula in Macedonia, Greece. A World Heritage Site, it is home to 20 Eastern Orthodox monasteries and forms a self-governed monastic state within the sovereignty of the Hellenic Republic. Spiritually, Mount Athos comes under the direct jurisdiction of the...
is reputed to have been the first 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...
to settle upon the 'Holy Mountain' circa the 8th century. Peter is known to history primarily through unattributable legend
Legend
A legend is a narrative of human actions that are perceived both by teller and listeners to take place within human history and to possess certain qualities that give the tale verisimilitude...
.
It is recorded that Peter was once a soldier
Soldier
A soldier is a member of the land component of national armed forces; whereas a soldier hired for service in a foreign army would be termed a mercenary...
who, through the miraculous aid of St. Simeon the Righteous
Simeon the Righteous
Simeon is the "just and devout" man of Jerusalem who, according to , met the Virgin Mary, Joseph, and Jesus as they entered the Temple to fulfill the requirements of the Law of Moses on the 40th day from Jesus' birth.According to the Biblical account,...
, was freed from a Muslim
Muslim
A Muslim, also spelled Moslem, is an adherent of Islam, a monotheistic, Abrahamic religion based on the Quran, which Muslims consider the verbatim word of God as revealed to prophet Muhammad. "Muslim" is the Arabic term for "submitter" .Muslims believe that God is one and incomparable...
military prison
Prison
A prison is a place in which people are physically confined and, usually, deprived of a range of personal freedoms. Imprisonment or incarceration is a legal penalty that may be imposed by the state for the commission of a crime...
.
From prison St. Peter traveled to Rome
Rome
Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...
to fulfill a promise to God
Trinity
The Christian doctrine of the Trinity defines God as three divine persons : the Father, the Son , and the Holy Spirit. The three persons are distinct yet coexist in unity, and are co-equal, co-eternal and consubstantial . Put another way, the three persons of the Trinity are of one being...
that he would take the monastic habit. It is held that Peter received his habit from the Pope
Pope
The Pope is the Bishop of Rome, a position that makes him the leader of the worldwide Catholic Church . In the Catholic Church, the Pope is regarded as the successor of Saint Peter, the Apostle...
himself who also formed the saint in monastic discipline
Monasticism
Monasticism is a religious way of life characterized by the practice of renouncing worldly pursuits to fully devote one's self to spiritual work...
.
Receiving a vision of the Blessed Virgin and Theotokos
Theotokos
Theotokos is the Greek title of Mary, the mother of Jesus used especially in the Eastern Orthodox, Oriental Orthodox, and Eastern Catholic Churches. Its literal English translations include God-bearer and the one who gives birth to God. Less literal translations include Mother of God...
Mary, Peter travelled to Mt. Athos and there lived for some fifty years.
Saint Peter of Mount Athos is commemorated 12 June in Eastern Orthodox, Eastern Catholic and Roman Catholic
Roman Catholic Church
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the world's largest Christian church, with over a billion members. Led by the Pope, it defines its mission as spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ, administering the sacraments and exercising charity...
Churches.
Sources
- Venerable Peter of Mt. Athos. OCA - Feasts and Saints.
- St. Peter of Mount Athos. Catholic Online.