Pijimi
Encyclopedia
Pijimi is a 4th century Egyptian
saint, a native of Feesha, diocese of Masil.
According to Coptic
manuscripts, an angel appeared to Pijimi at the age of 12 and asked him to become a monk
. Pijimi agreed and went to the desert of Scetes, where he dwelt with a number of monks for 24 years until they all departed.
Subsequently, Pijimi left that place and went into the inner desert, a distance of three days travel. Having overcome the devils' conspiracies against him, he lived in a valley inside the desert for three years, fasting a week at a time. At the end of each week, he would eat a handful of dates and drink some water. According to Coptic sources, he once fasted for 80 days, to the point that his skin cleaved to his bones.
After years of living in the inner desert, Pijimi returned to his city of Feesha and built a small cell on its outskirts. He dwelt there alone, devoting himself to worshiping and asceticism. He became a good model and a good example for everyone who saw him, and people came to him to be nourished with his spiritual teachings.
Coptic sources say that Saint Shenouda the Archimandrite
once saw an exceedingly shining pillar and heard a voice telling him "This is Abba Pijimi." Thus, Shenouda went to visit him for a number of days.
Following a short illness, Pijimi departed at the age of 70 on 11 Koiak
.
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, a native of Feesha, diocese of Masil.
According to Coptic
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...
manuscripts, an angel appeared to Pijimi at the age of 12 and asked him to become a monk
Monk
A monk is a person who practices religious asceticism, living either alone or with any number of monks, while always maintaining some degree of physical separation from those not sharing the same purpose...
. Pijimi agreed and went to the desert of Scetes, where he dwelt with a number of monks for 24 years until they all departed.
Subsequently, Pijimi left that place and went into the inner desert, a distance of three days travel. Having overcome the devils' conspiracies against him, he lived in a valley inside the desert for three years, fasting a week at a time. At the end of each week, he would eat a handful of dates and drink some water. According to Coptic sources, he once fasted for 80 days, to the point that his skin cleaved to his bones.
After years of living in the inner desert, Pijimi returned to his city of Feesha and built a small cell on its outskirts. He dwelt there alone, devoting himself to worshiping and asceticism. He became a good model and a good example for everyone who saw him, and people came to him to be nourished with his spiritual teachings.
Coptic sources say that Saint Shenouda the Archimandrite
Saint Shenouda the Archimandrite
Saint Shenoute the Archimandrite was the abbot of the White Monastery in Egypt. He is considered a saint by the Oriental Orthodox Churches, and is one of the most renowned saints of the Coptic Orthodox Church....
once saw an exceedingly shining pillar and heard a voice telling him "This is Abba Pijimi." Thus, Shenouda went to visit him for a number of days.
Following a short illness, Pijimi departed at the age of 70 on 11 Koiak
Koiak
Koiak , also known as Kiahk, is the fourth month of the Coptic calendar. It lies between December 10 and January 8 of the Gregorian calendar...
.