Monastery of Seridus

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Monastery of Seridus
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Location within State of Palestine
Monastery information
Established520 AD (520 AD)
Disestablished634 AD (634 AD)
Diocese Diocese of Gaza
People
Founder(s) Seridus of Gaza
Important associated figures Barsanuphius, John the Prophet, Seridus of Gaza, Dorotheus of Gaza
Site
Location Deir al-Balah, Palestine
Coordinates 31°26′52″N34°23′34″E / 31.447656°N 34.392875°E / 31.447656; 34.392875
Public accessYes

The monastery of Seridus was a monastic community that flourished during the 6th and early 7th century in Palestine. Founded by Seridus of Gaza after whom the monastery was later named, it housed in the first half of the sixth century the well-known hermits Barsanuphius and John the Prophet who attracted many visitors.

Contents

History

The monastery was founded around the year 520 south of the Besor Stream and in the vicinity of Thabatha, Saint Hilarion's home town, not far from the monastery of Saint Hilarion which was possibly the first monastery in the region. [1] Similar to the many other monasteries around Gaza, the monastery consisted of a coenobium surrounded by hermit cells.

The monastery was famous for the presence of two particular hermits: Barsanuphius of Gaza and John the Prophet. They led the monastic community through the abbot Seridus who acted as personal attendant and amanuensis to Barsanuphius. [2] John the Prophet moved to the monastery probably between 525 and 527 on invitation of Barsanuphius who left his cell and moved into a new one constructed by Seridus. [3] Together, they were known as the "Old Men" and lived strictly secluded from the others, communicating with the outside world only via messengers, primarily Seridus.

Under the abbacy of Seridus, the monastery was expanded on neighbouring plot that the community had bought with the community's funds and whose owner at first refused but could be convinced with Seridus' persuasion and diplomatic skills. [4] On this land a new church, a xenodochium, workshops and an infirmary or hospital were built, attracting many visitors though the primary reason people came was to receive spiritual direction from the "Old Men". [5] Among them was Dorotheus of Gaza who lived at the monastery for around nine years. [1] He was assigned as responsible for the monastery's hotel and porter but was asked then, as he had brought his library including some books on medicine, to establish and run the community's hospital. In this task he was aided by Dositheus and later also . [4] Additionally to that, Dorotheus served as letter bearer to John the Prophet for around eight years after the monk who had previously done the task had fallen sick. [3]

In 543 the situation in the monastery changed dramatically as abbot Seridus died, followed shortly by John the Prophet, and Barsanuphius withdrew completely and did not write any more letters. [6] [3] Aelianos, a lay person who had been just about to enter monastic life, was elected as abbot and became the sole leader of the monastic community. Around the same time, Dorotheus left the monastery and settled in the area between Gaza and Maiuma where he founded a monastery that was named after him (the remains are still to be found). [1]

The monastery was still existent in the seventh century [5] and the saint Vitalis of Gaza was also for some time a monk at this monastery before he travelled to Alexandria. [7] It is unknown what happened to the monastery after the Islamic invasion, it is possible that the monks fled to Sinai as the earliest compilation of the letters of Barsanuphius and John are from there. [3]

Archaeology

It has been proposed that the remains of a large coenobium found in Deir e-Nuserat (or Nuseirat) can be identified with the monastery of Seridus due to its location. [1] This monastery had a courtyard surrounded by halls and numerous rooms, including a bathhouse and a hospice. There was also a church with polychrome mosaic pavement and a crypt. This monastery compares to the monastery of Martyrius in Ma'ale Adumim. [1]

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">543</span> Calendar year

Year 543 (DXLIII) was a common year starting on Thursday of the Julian calendar, the 543rd year of the Common Era (CE) and Anno Domini (AD) designations, the 543rd year of the 1st millennium, the 43rd year of the 6th century, and the 4th year of the 540s decade. As of the start of 543, the Gregorian calendar was 2 days ahead of the Julian calendar, which was the dominant calendar of the time.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">520</span> Calendar year

Year 520 (DXX) was a leap year starting on Wednesday of the Julian calendar. In the Roman Empire, it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Rusticus and Vitalianus. The denomination 520 for this year has been used since the early medieval period, when the Anno Domini calendar era became the prevalent method in Europe for naming years.

Peter the Iberian was a Georgian royal prince, theologian and philosopher who was a prominent figure in early Christianity and one of the founders of Christian Neoplatonism. Some have claimed that he is the author known conventionally as Pseudo-Dionysius the Areopagite.

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wadi Gaza and Besor Stream</span> Wadi in southern Israel and Palestine

Wadi Gaza and Besor Stream are parts of a river system in the Gaza Strip and Negev region of Palestine and Israel.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Barsanuphius</span> Palestinian hermit, church writer

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Monasticism is a way of life where a person lives outside of society, under religious vows.

John the Prophet, known also as Venerable John, was the hermit of the monastery of Seridus and teacher of Dorotheus of Gaza.

Saint Hilarion Monastery, at the archaeological site of Tell Umm el-'Amr, is an ancient Christian monastery close to Deir al-Balah in the Gaza Strip, Palestine.

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Isaiah the Solitary, also known as Isaiah of Gaza, Isaias the Solitary, Abba Isaiah, or possibly also Isaiah of Scetis, was a Christian ascetic and monastic writer known from the Sayings of the Desert Fathers and various Palestinian Miaphysite sources. He is canonized as a saint by the Coptic Orthodox Church, with his feast day on the 11th day of the month Abib (Epip) in the Coptic calendar.

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Seridus of Gaza was a Palestinian abbot of a monastery that was later named after him. He was disciple of the hermits Barsanuphius and John the Prophet and is venerated as saint by the Eastern Orthodox Church on 13 August.

Zeno the Prophet was an Egyptian monk and a Desert Father. He was disciple of the hermit Silvanus of Gaza, became the spiritual guide of the famous Georgian Peter the Iberian and is venerated as saint by the Eastern Orthodox Church on 19 June.

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References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 Hirschfeld, Yizhar (2004). "The monasteries of Gaza: An archaeological review". In Brouria Bitton-Ashkelony; Aryeh Kofsky (eds.). Christian Gaza in Late Antiquity. Brill. pp. 61, 76–77. ISBN   9789004138681 . Retrieved 12 November 2023.
  2. ↑ Wortley, John (June 2019). An Introduction to the Desert Fathers. Cambridge University Press. p. 181. ISBN   9781108481021 . Retrieved 15 November 2023.
  3. 1 2 3 4 Storin, Bradley K.; Sogno, Cristiana; Watts, Edward J. (November 2019). "The Letter Collection of Barsanuphius and John". Late Antique Letter Collections A Critical Introduction and Reference Guide. University of California Press. ISBN   9780520308411 . Retrieved 13 November 2023.
  4. 1 2 Bitton-Ashkelony, Brouri; Kofsky, Aryeh (February 2006). The Monastic School of Gaza. Brill. pp. 36–43. ISBN   9789047408444 . Retrieved 12 November 2023.
  5. 1 2 Chryssavgis, John (2006). Letters, Volumen 1. CUA Press. pp. 5–7. ISBN   9780813201139 . Retrieved 15 November 2023.
  6. ↑ Chryssavgis, John (March 2017). John Climacus From the Egyptian Desert to the Sinaite Mountain. Taylor & Francis. p. 160. ISBN   9781351925211 . Retrieved 12 November 2023.
  7. ↑ "Venerable Vitalius of Gaza". The Orthodox Church of America. OCA. Retrieved 15 November 2023.
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