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He came to the monastery and became a novice when he was about 16 years old, and when he died in 649 he was the monastery's [[abbot]]. He wrote a number of instructive books, the most famous of which is [[The Ladder of Divine Ascent]]. (It is because of this book that John is known as "Climacus," which means "of the ladder".) It describes how to raise one's soul to God, as if on a ladder. This book is one of the most widely read among Eastern Orthodox Christians, especially during the season of [[Great Lent]] which immediately precedes [[Pascha]] (Easter), and on the fourth Sunday of Great Lent he is especially commemorated.