4th century (reposed after c. 400)
A solitary hermit of fourth-century Syria who lived a life of extreme asceticism and reposed at the age of ninety.
Eusebius the Hermit was a fourth-century Syrian ascetic who lived near the village of Asicha (also spelled Asikha) on a nearby mountain, where he practiced an extremely austere solitary life beneath the open sky.
Without shelter, he endured the heat of summer and the cold of winter, wore animal skins for clothing, and ate only the pods of peas and beans; during the Great Forty-Day Fast he is said to have consumed merely fifteen figs, despite being elderly and infirm.
When his reputation drew crowds of visitors, he withdrew to a nearby monastery, built a small enclosure against its walls, and lived there until his repose at the age of ninety, sometime after the year 400. He is commemorated on February 15.
By a flood of tears you made the desert fertile,
and your longing for God brought forth fruits in abundance.
By the radiance of miracles you illumined the whole universe!
O our holy father Eusebius, pray to Christ our God to save our souls!
Text used with permission of the Orthodox Church in America (oca.org).
The sources emphasize the severity of Eusebius's asceticism. He maintained a rigorous existence in the open air, without the protection of a roof, patiently bearing the extremes of the Syrian climate.
His diet was minimal: he nourished himself on the pods of peas and beans, and during the Great Forty-Day Fast he is reported to have eaten only fifteen figs, even though he was by then old and infirm.
Eusebius is commemorated on February 15 in the Eastern Orthodox and Byzantine Catholic Churches. His veneration is of ancient standing rather than the result of a modern glorification act.
No relics, shrine, birth date, or birthplace beyond "Syria" are recorded in the accessible sources.
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