Sabbas the Sanctified

Born in Cappadocia in 439, Sabas took monastic vows and eventually made his way to Palaestina Prima, where the barren hills became his workshop. He founded several convents, the most enduring being Mar Saba, a monastery carved into cliffs southeast of Jerusalem. He lived as monk, priest, and grazer — tending flocks, tending souls. The work held. He died in 532, aged ninety-three, and the convent he planted still houses monks today.