Nikola
Obrazopisov (1828–1915), Св. Стилиян, пазител на децата / Saint
Stylianos, protecteur des enfants, 1898, 40 x 28, Samokov
History Museum
Saint Père STYLANOS de Paphlagonie
Le 26 novembre,
Choisi par Dieu depuis le sein de sa mère, Saint Stylianos se détacha des
illusions de ce monde, distribua ses biens aux pauvres et embrassa la vie
monastique. Il s'illustra avec vaillance dans les combats de l'ascèse et, au
bout de quelques années de vie commune, partit pour mener la vie solitaire dans
une grotte. Il y recevait sa nourriture de la main d'un Ange et devint bientôt
intercesseur efficace auprès de Dieu pour le soulagement des malades: en
particulier pour la guérison des maladies infantiles et pour la délivrance des
femmes restées stériles. C'est dans ces circonstances que la prière du Saint
reste toujours efficace pour ceux qui l'invoquent avec foi de nos jours
SOURCE : http://religion-orthodoxe.eu/article-saint-pere-stylianos-de-paphlagonie-89979680.html
Saint Stylianos
FÊTE : 26 Novembre
La Paphlagonie était une
province de l’Asie Mineure, en bordure de la mer Noire, là où la côte
anatolienne s’élève le plus vers le nord. Les villes principales étaient
Gangres et Sinope. La vie de saint Stylianos se situe entre le IVème et le
VIème siècle. C’est pourquoi nous avons peu de détails sur son existence, à
part la brève notice du Synaxaire. “Choisi par Dieu dès le sein de sa mère, il
se détacha, dans sa jeunesse, des plaisirs et des commodités de ce monde,
distribua ses biens aux pauvres et embrassa la vie monastique. Il s’illustra
avec vaillance dans les combats de l’ascèse et, au bout de quelques années de
vie commune, il partit mener la vie solitaire dans une grotte. Il y recevait sa
nourriture de la main d’un ange et devint bientôt un intercesseur efficace
auprès de Dieu pour le soulagement des malades, en particulier pour la guérison
des maladies infantiles et pour la délivrance des femmes restées stériles.
C’est dans ces circonstances que la prière du Saint demeure toujours efficace
pour ceux de notre temps qui l’invoquent avec foi.”
Tropaire t, 3
Bienheureux Stylianos, tu
t’es montré * vivante colonne de la tempérance * et pour l’Église inébranlable
pilier * dès la jeunesse consacré au Seigneur, * tu es devenu l’habitacle de
l’Esprit saint ; * Père vénérable, prie le Christ notre Dieu * de nous accorder
la grâce du salut.
Kondakion t, 4
Consacré dès le sein
maternel, * Théophore Père, comme le prophète Samuel, * dans l’ascèse tu rendis
gloire au Christ notre Dieu ; * c’est pourquoi tu es devenu un trésor de
guérisons, * le saint protecteur des nouveaux-nés et des enfants, * car le
Christ te glorifie brillamment, * lui que dès l’enfance tu as glorifié,
Stylianos.
ΠΑΙΔΩΝ
ΦΥΛΑΞ ΠΕΦΥΚΑ [ΑΛΛΑ] ΘΕΟΥ ΤΟ ΔΩΡΟΝ - I am by nature the guardian of children,
but this gift is from God.
Venerable Stylianus of
Paphlagonia
Commemorated on November 26
Saint Stylianus was born
in Paphlagonia of Asia Minor sometime between the fourth and sixth centuries.
He inherited a great fortune from his parents when they died, but he did not
keep it. He gave it away to the poor according to their need, desiring to help
those who were less fortunate.
Stylianus left the city
and went to a monastery, where he devoted his life to God. Since he was more
zealous and devout than the other monks, he provoked their jealousy and had to
leave. He left the monastery to live alone in a cave in the wilderness, where
he spent his time in prayer and fasting.
The goodness and piety of
the saint soon became evident to the inhabitants of Paphlagonia, and they
sought him out to hear his teaching, or to be cured by him. Many were healed of
physical and mental illnesses by his prayers.
Saint Stylianus was known
for his love of children, and he would heal them of their infirmities. Even
after his death, the citizens of Paphlagonia believed that he could cure their
children. Whenever a child became sick, an icon of Saint Stylianus was painted
and was hung over the child’s bed.
At the hour of his death,
the face of Saint Stylianus suddenly became radiant, and an angel appeared to
receive his soul.
Known as a protector of
children, Saint Stylianus is depicted in iconography holding an infant in his
arms. Pious Christians ask him to help and protect their children, and
childless women entreat his intercession so that they might have children.
SOURCE : https://www.oca.org/saints/lives/2013/11/26/103401-venerable-stylianus-of-paphlagonia
Memory of Saint Stylianos
of Paphlagonia
Today, Thursday, November
26, our Church commemorates Saint Stylianos of Paphlagonia and Saint Alypius,
who lived as a hermit in the 6th century and fell asleep in the Lord
peacefully.
Saint Stylianos was
originally from Paphlagonia of Asia Minor and was the child of wealthy and
devout parents. His parents taught him temperance and the love for the poor, so
immediately after their death, he distributed all his possessions to those in
need and retired for the rest of his life in the desert.
His reputation of virtue
quickly reached towns and villages, and many visited him to benefit from his
discourse and blessing. He treated children with great affection, and the Lord
rewarded him with the gift of healing those who suffered from diseases.
He fell asleep in the
Lord venerably at an old age and in the consciousness of believers, as
evidenced by the way he is portrayed, he has been established as the patron of
infants and of children in general.
Source: Church of Cyprus
SOURCE : https://orthodoxtimes.com/memory-of-saint-stylianos-of-paphlagonia-3/
Saint Stylianos, The
Protector of Children
November 26, 2023
Published by Pemptousia Partnership on November
26, 2017
Archimandrite Charalambos
Vassilopoulos (†)
Saint Stylianos was born
in Paphlagonia, Asia Minor, between 400 and 500. He was blessed even from his
mother’s womb. As he grew up, by the grace of God he increasingly became a
dwelling-place of the Holy Spirit. From childhood he displayed the rare
qualities of his blessed life. When he was young and still an adolescent,
although, of course, he was of the flesh, he never allowed desires to pollute
his spirit and soul. He was very pure. Nor did he allow any earthly passion to
dominate him. He would not permit riches and the love of wealth to permeate his
soul and subject him to corruption and perdition.
With the power and grace
of God, he fought against all the allurements of this blighted and fleeting
life. He thought with the genuine wisdom of God and saw that this material
world was transitory and worthless. He decided that henceforth he would walk
where his soul led him. His soul called him to fine moral battles. It called
him to the exercise of virtue. It showed him the difficult and bumpy road that
leads to eternal life and everlasting happiness.
His pure and faithful
heart obeyed the voice of his soul. His first act was to sell his belongings
and give the proceeds to the poor of the Church. When nothing remained of his
inheritance [sources disagree on whether this was large or next to nothing], he
was greatly relieved and said “I have cast off a heavy anchor that was keeping
me tied to the desires of this mortal flesh. I have discarded corruption and
perdition. Now I see before me more plainly the road to real life”. Now
relieved of his burden, and with a glad heart, because he had spent his wealth
on the unfortunate poor and on other works pleasing to God, the saint
considered how to live a more honourable and saintly life.
Owning nothing more than
the clothes he stood up in, he began a harsh contest and struggle, in
accordance with the teaching of Jesus Christ. So when, through his generosity,
the blessed Stylianos had elevated his earthly wealth to the heavens and
secured it there, he went to a monastery and adopted the monastic habit. From
that moment on, no earthly thought, no material concern was able to wrest him
from his faith and his prayers. He cared for nothing else and desired nothing
but that which is pleasing to the holy will of God. He struggled to find ways
in which to please the Lord, of how to perfect his soul and gain entry into
Paradise. No desire of his which ran contrary to the will of God was harboured
in his soul. The strict asceticism of his life is beyond description. His
sanctity began to blaze forth. His humility shone brightly. His purity was
blinding. His fasting most meticulous. His prayer true communion with God.
His vigils were amazing.
He set himself three aims to achieve as a monk: poverty, chastity and
obedience. And he achieved them all. We have already seen his poverty: he did
not keep anything at all for himself, nor did he attempt to acquire anything
for himself in life. He lived in poverty and complete penury.
He was scrupulous as
regards his purity and morality. He kept his soul free “of every stain of the
flesh and spirit”. He fought against the attacks of the spirit so that filthy
sin would not touch him. His mind was continually turning over Christ’s words:
“Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God”. His obedience to his
elder and the others in the monastery was exemplary. He worked hard to cut off
his own will, since our will is grounded in egotism. This is a very difficult
thing to do, as anyone knows who has attempted it. Saint Stylianos struggled
mightily in the monastery against the three enemies: the flesh, the world and
the devil. If you are to overcome these, it requires a long and constant
struggle, harsh and ever-vigilant.
So Saint Stylianos proved
to be a stalwart of the ascetic life. He became an example to young and old
alike and was a model to be imitated. But the austerity of his ascetic life did
not satisfy him and he wished to approach ever more closely to perfection. He
now desired complete isolation and the strictest asceticism: that of a hermit.
He bade farewell to his fellow monks in the monastery and retreated far off
into the desert away from all habitation. There, in the desert, he lived in a
cave.
The new phase of his
ascetic life was aimed at celestial perfection. The days and nights went by
with contemplation, thoughts, and prayers to the Triune God. With all his
heart, he hymned God’s majesty, he sang praises to the Holy Trinity. He lived
united to God Nothing disturbed his divine serenity.
Everything around him and
whatever appeared on the far horizon were for him nothing but proof of the
Creator. He studied God’s creation and this strengthened his faith even more.
There, in the peace of
the desert, the hermit Stylianos had the time to observe God’s creation and
meditate upon it. He saw the Creator in all things, because he reasoned that it
was impossible for this wonderful world to have come about by itself, given
that it is so beautiful, intentional and harmonious. He saw God in the infinite
number of stars in the sky, which whirl through vast space at such speed and
with such accuracy.
He saw all this and
raised his voice as David had done before him: “The heavens declare the glory
of God, and the firmament proclaims the work of His hands”. Then he would break
into a doxology: “How magnificent are Your works, Lord”. You have made
everything in wisdom. The earth has been filled with Your creation”.
He read and re-read two
books in the desert: the book of nature and that of Holy Scripture. His heart,
his understanding, his soul, his whole being was fervently given over to God. A
divine and sacred trembling would pass through his ascetic flesh, as his soul
delved ever deeper into the beauty of the divine creation. The holy passion of
Saint Stylianos’ love for the most holy Name of God shook him to the core. The
whole of his strength was concentrated on this divine love. And so the saint
abandoned his fleshly existence. He ceased to care at all about food and
nourished himself on desert plants. When there were none of these, God did not
leave him in want. God, Who works wonders for His saints, for them and through
them, did not allow the blessed man to fade away from hunger. He kept him alive
by sending him food at the hands of angels, as He had done with the Prophet
Elijah and Saint Mark the Athenian, the philosopher, among others.
He lived the hard life of
a hermit for many years, for decades contending with the devil and his own
self. He fought to uproot his passions, to acquire virtues and to reach the
saintliness that God wants, the God Who said: “Become holy for I am holy”.
The Creator wanted Saint
Stylianos to continue living, wanted his virtue to shine and wanted him to be a
model for others with the austerity of his ascetic life. He wanted this animate
pillar of abstinence, the bright light of the desert, to shine throughout the
world. God wanted his virtues to manifest themselves. But a lamp needs to be
set on high, not to be hidden under a bushel. So when certain people are
radiant through their virtues, God manifests them so that they can light the
way of others on the road.
Thus, once Saint
Stylianos had been adorned with virtues and was like a candle flaming with
warm, sweet light, once he had reached the heights of virtue hard even to
envision, he was able to transmit to people the gladsome light of his sanctity,
for the glory of God and the salvation of other people. God, Who is just, would
again demonstrate to people how He returns glory to those who worship His name
and glorify Him.
So the fame of Saint
Stylianos spread everywhere. A host of people gathered from all around to
wonder at his sanctity and derive spiritual and bodily benefits from him. His
saintly figure, his words of wisdom, his exhortations, changed the lives of
many people. There were many who, enthused by his asceticism, abandoned their
wicked past, repented and became reborn spiritually. The accounts from
Christians who visited him in the desert, where his hermitage was, are very
moving. He knew how to calm troubled souls. Other ascetics came to join him, in
order to be strengthened in their struggle by his words and radiance. Saint
Stylianos knew that, for people to be saved, they needed to have their souls
like those of little children, who are innocent. He recognized that children
are little angels, which is why he wished to help them and protect them. And
God, Who works miracles, granted Stylianos grace in this matter, too.
God rewarded his blessed
intent and gave him the wonder-working power to cure ailing children. Mothers
from near and far, hastened to him, in pain and faith, bearing sick and
crippled children on their shoulders, seeking a cure for their offspring. Some
walked for days on end in the wilderness to find the hermit’s cave. When they
arrived, they fell at his feet with tears in their eyes, glorifying God that
they had finally found the saint and asking him to cure their children. Full of
kindness and compassion, Stylianos would take the sick infants into his arms
and, with tears in his eyes, beg God to cure them. The Lord of the Heavens
would listen to his heartfelt prayer and the saint worked a miracle. Sick
children regained their health.
All kinds of illnesses
disappeared. No sickness could resist the power of God. Mothers wept for joy at
his hermitage. Others covered his hand with kisses, out of respect for and
gratitude to the elder, praising God the while. The hermit praised His Holy
Name unceasingly and thanked Him for these miracles which He had permitted him
to work. Then, with great affection, he would look at the innocent little
creature who had been released from sickness. A sweet smile, that of an angel,
would brighten the face of the venerable ascetic. These miracles became known
everywhere, and a great many people flocked to the saint to ask him to cure
their children from some illness or other.
In this way, the Good
Lord glorified the name of the Blessed Stylianos, who had dedicated his life to
the glory of God. But it was not only the miraculous cures of children which
glorified the name of humble Stylianos. The saint acquired the reputation of
wonder-worker because he made childless couples child-bearing through his
prayers. Many sterile women bore children through his intercessions. Through
his blessing, many faithful Christians who had been childless, bore healthy
children.
Indeed, after his
departure from this life, many good Christians invoked the name of the saint
and, as a sacred obligation, copied his icon and then had children, even if
they had given up all hope of doing so.
Apart from this, people
went from all the monasteries to visit the ascetic elder and rejoice in his
company, in the fragrance of his sanctity. Monks and ascetics asked advice of
the saintly teacher regarding how to face temptation and how to keep the peace
in their coenobitic monasteries. Everyone saw him as a model of the ascetic
life. His personality was entirely humble and radiated celestial beauty.
He was tireless in
teaching them, with angelic serenity. He guided them, he filled their hearts,
confirmed their faith and dispelled their doubts. With his advice from afar, he
brought peace to monasteries that were experiencing internal strife. And so
Saint Stylianos lived and glorified the name of God and was glorified by our
Heavenly Father. When he was well stricken in years, God sent His angels and
they took his holy soul, so that he might rest from his long labours, his
privations and the harshness of his ascetic life. The saint fell asleep in the
Lord, full of days and virtues.
We do not know where they
buried him, nor has any other evidence survived of his exhausting and saintly
life. But his name has lived on. All Orthodox Christianity respects and honours
him. We call upon him in times of need and, above all, for our children when
they are sick. We build magnificent churches in his name. The miracles of the
saint continue even after his demise. To this day, Saint Stylianos continues to
be the protector of children.
The saint is represented
in his icon as holding an infant, swaddled, in his embrace, which represents
the fact that he is the protector of children. We celebrate his memory on 26
November.
Source: pemptousia.com
Orthodox Christian
Network (OCN), https://myocn.net/saint-stylianos-protector-children/.
SOURCE : https://www.saintsophiadc.org/saint-stylianos-the-protector-of-children/
The Life of Saint
Stylianos
St Stylianos lived in the
7th century in Paphlagonia, born into a humble but deeply faithful family.
Though they had little, their joy in Christ shaped Stylianos from a young age,
giving him a strong sense of devotion and compassion.
Desiring to dedicate his
whole life to God, Stylianos became a hermit. Yet unlike many hermits who
withdrew completely from the world, he continued to walk among the people,
offering prayer, comfort and guidance before returning to his small cave for
solitude and prayer.
One night, as Stylianos
prayed for guidance in helping others, he was filled with the radiant presence
of the Holy Spirit. He emerged from his cave the next morning with a deep joy
and peace that transformed his ministry. During his rounds of comforting those in
need, he felt moved to lay his hand on a gravely ill child – something he had
never done before. At that moment, he felt God’s grace pass through him and the
child was instantly healed. Word spread quickly and people of all ages began
seeking him out. His humble cave became a place of refuge for the sick and
suffering, many of whom found healing through both his prayers and their own
faith.
At this time, Stylianos
devoted himself especially to caring for children – those who were sick or in
need of spiritual guidance. Families entrusted their little ones to him in such
numbers that he enlisted the help of fellow hermits and moved to a larger place
of ministry. His work became, in many ways, an early form of child-care,
offering parents a safe place to leave their children while tending to their
homes.
Stylianos also became
known as an intercessor for couples struggling to conceive. A young woman who
assisted him with caring for children was unable to bear a child, but through
his prayers she miraculously conceived. Her husband joyfully shared the news
and soon many childless women sought Stylianos with hope and faith. Those who
approached with sincere trust in Christ were blessed with the gift of
fertility.
Stylianos was recognised
everywhere by his warm, joyful smile. Only when faced with those who mocked
faith or tried to exploit his gifts did his expression grow stern. To those
seeking to profit from his miracles, he would simply reply that he had already
been “paid in full” by the peace the Holy Spirit had given him.
He lived to a blessed old
age and tradition tells us that even in death, his face still bore the gentle
smile that reflected the light of the Lord. The feast day of St Stylianos is
celebrated on 26th November.
SOURCE : https://saintstylianos.org.au/st-stylianos/
Simeon Stylites,
Stylianos and Onuphrius
Изображение
на Симеон Стълпник, Стилиан Пафлагонийски и Онуфрий Велики
Den hellige Stylianos av
Hadrianopel ( -390)
Minnedag:
28. november
Den hellige Stylianos
(Stylianus) ble født tidlig på 300-tallet i Hadrianopel (Adrianopolis) i
Paflagonia i Lilleasia (i dag Edirne i Tyrkia).
Han skal ha dødd i 390.
Dette årstallet angis av kilden Benedictines, og kan være riktig, men kan
også være feil. De første stylittene levde på 400-tallet, men beretningen om
Stylianos' liv er overlevert i en naiv, legendarisk form. Det finnes noen
indikasjoner på at han levde på 600-tallet, men dette kan skyldes tilføyelser i
historien. Han var en eremitt, muligens på 300-tallet. Han kan også ha levd på
700-tallet.
Stylianos' upålitelige
legende forteller at hans fødsel i Hadrianopel ble annonsert til hans mor
gjennom den mirakuløse visjonen av et lam med to brennende lys på sine horn, og
en annen visjon forsikret om den ærerike fremtiden til det lille barnet. Det
sies at biskop Teodor tok ansvaret for Stylianos da hans far døde, da han var
der.
Så snart han var voksen,
viet biskopen ham til diakon og betrodde ham ansvaret for menigheten. Men som
trettiåring følte han seg kalt til et liv i perfeksjon og ble eremitt, først i
en isolert celle, hvor han fastet og «speket sitt kjød» av kjærlighet til Gud.
Det sies at han da ble ledet av visjoner til toppen av en søyle, hvor han ble
resten av sitt liv.
Stylittene tiltrakk seg
store mengder nysgjerrige og disipler. Noen av deres ledsagere var motvillige
til å forlate området, og i Stylianos' tilfelle vokste det opp to kommuniteter
i nærheten av hans søyle, en for menn og en for kvinner. Noen av dem, inkludert
hans søster Maria, bodde ved selve foten av søylen og hans mor satte opp et
telt i nærheten og gjorde alt hun kunne for å lindre asketens lidelser så langt
han tillot det. Gudstjenester ble holdt syv ganger daglig, og alle deltok,
inkludert Stylianos og hans besøkende.
Det sies at han i 53 år
ble stående, dag etter dag, inntil beina hans til slutt ga etter. Deretter lå
han på siden i fjorten år uten å forlate sin søyle. Han døde 93 år gammel og
fikk da endelig fred for kulde og isolasjon, regn og insekter, sult, tørste og ekstremt
ubehag.
Stylianos feires i øst
den 28. november, men 26. og 27. november nevnes også. Han er skytshelgen for
barnløse hustruer. Hans legende er identisk med historien om den hellige Alypius stylitten,
som feires den 26. november. På østlige avbildninger fremstilles han som munk
med et barn på armen. På bokrullen han holder i hendene, står det: «Barna som
er gitt av Herren, vokter han».
Kilder:
Benedictines, Bunson, KIR, Bautz - Kompilasjon og oversettelse: p. Per Einar Odden -
Sist oppdatert: 2006-07-19 12:01
SOURCE : https://www.katolsk.no/biografier/historisk/stylian
Saint Stylianus, protector of children - Lives of Orthodox Saints : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iq1fjaE4ch4
