Righteous Theodosius the Great, the Cenobiarch

Saint Theodosius the Great, the Cenobiarch, was born around 424 in Cappadocia to a devout Christian family. Drawn to monastic life from youth, he traveled to Jerusalem and settled in a desert cave near Bethlehem traditionally associated with the Magi's rest on their way to worship the newborn Christ. For more than thirty years he lived in strict asceticism, eating only dates and wild herbs. As disciples gathered around him, he founded the first large cenobitic (communal) monastery in the Judean desert, organized according to the rule of St. Basil the Great. The community grew to nearly seven hundred monks and became a model for later Palestinian lavras; Theodosius established hospices, infirmaries for monks and laity, and shelters for the elderly. A staunch defender of Orthodoxy, he publicly rebuked Emperor Anastasius for favoring Monophysite heresy, declaring anathema on anyone who rejected the four Ecumenical Councils. He reposed in 529 at the age of 105 and was buried in the cave where he had begun his ascetic labors.