View source for Hilarion the Great

Our venerable and God-bearing Father '''Hilarion the Great''' (also ''Ilarion'') was one of the [[Desert Fathers]] of the fourth century.  His [[feast day]] is celebrated on [[October 21]].  

==Life==
[[Saint]] Hilarion the Great was born in 292 AD at Tabatha, a town near Gaza in Palestine.  His family were pagans. He converted to [[Orthodox Christianity|Christianity]] and was [[baptism|baptized]] after studying in Alexandria.

While he was in Egypt he became a [[disciple]] of St. [[Anthony the Great]], an event which inspired him to devote himself entirely to the [[ascetic]] life.

When his parents died, he returned to Gaza and sold all of his inheritance, distributing all of his wealth to the poor. After this he departed for the desert of Palestine, devoting himself entirely to [[prayer]] and [[fasting]]. His asceticism was based on St. Anthony the Great's model. He fasted daily, eating only modest foods, lived in a hut made of reeds and practiced unceasing prayer. [[God]] rewarded his spiritual efforts and bestowed upon him the [[grace]] to perform [[miracle]]s.  His fame spread throughout Palestine, and it was not long before he fled these distractions and settled eventually in Cyprus.

St. Hilarion departed from this world in 372 AD at age of 80.
==Hymns==
[[Troparion]] ([[Tone]] 8)
: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!
:Our Father Hilarion pray to Christ God to save our souls!

[[Kontakion]] - (Tone 3)
:Today we gather to praise you with hymns,
:O unfading light of the Spiritual Sun;
:For you illumined those in the darkness of ignorance,
:Leading all to the heights of God, as they cried:
:"Rejoice, Father Hilarion, rampart of ascetics." 

==External links==
*[http://ocafs.oca.org/FeastSaintsViewer.asp?FSID=103009 Venerable Hilarion the Great] ([[OCA]])
*[http://www.goarch.org/en/chapel/saints.asp?contentid=251 Hilarion the Great] ([[GOARCH]]) 
*[http://www.westsrbdio.org/prolog/my.html?day=21&month=October The Prologue from Ohrid: The Venerable Hilarion the Great] 
*[http://www.newadvent.org/fathers/3003.htm The Life of Saint Hilarion] by St. [[Jerome]] ([[Roman Catholic|Catholic]])
*[[w:Hilarion|''Hilarion'' at Wikipedia]]

[[Category:Desert Fathers]]
[[Category:Saints]]

[[ro:Ilarion cel Mare]]