6th century
A hermit of the wilderness of Pharan, remembered in the Spiritual Meadow for his fasting and his zeal for the Orthodox faith.
Our Venerable Father Cosmas the Eunuch, Hermit of the Wilderness of Pharan
Cosmas the Eunuch was a sixth-century hermit of the wilderness of Pharan in Palestine, remembered chiefly for his ascetic rigor, his deep learning in Scripture and the Church Fathers, and his fervent defense of the Orthodox faith. His life is preserved in the Spiritual Meadow, the collection of monastic accounts compiled by Saint John Moschus, where his story is reported on the testimony of the presbyter Abba Basil.
Known for the strictness of his fasting and for standing at prayer through the night from Saturday into Sunday, Cosmas was especially devoted to the writings of Saint Athanasius the Great. He came in old age to Antioch, where he died and was buried, and the account of his life relates a healing reported at his grave.
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 Cosmas, pray to Christ our God to save our souls!
Text used with permission of the Orthodox Church in America (oca.org).
The Spiritual Meadow remembers Cosmas as profoundly knowledgeable in Holy Scripture and in the works of the Church Fathers, and as a firm defender of the Orthodox faith and Church dogmas. He held the writings of Saint Athanasius the Great in particular esteem, urging those he spoke with that, should they come across a word of Athanasius and have no paper at hand, they should write it upon their clothing.
Cosmas died at Antioch and, according to the account preserved in the Spiritual Meadow, was buried by the patriarch at his monastery. The Prologue of Ohrid identifies the patriarch as Gregory of Antioch (died 596).
Historically Documented: The earliest account, transmitted in the Spiritual Meadow on the testimony of the presbyter Abba Basil, relates that when Basil came to venerate Cosmas's grave he found there a beggar who declared, 'It is a great Elder whom you have buried here.' The man said he had been paralyzed for twelve years and had received healing through the prayers of Saint Cosmas.
Saints connected to his life, mission, and place in Orthodox tradition.
Browse similar saints by calling and place.