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[[Image:StPakhom.jpg|thumb|Coptic icon of St. Pachomius the Great, the Father of Cenobitic Monasticism]] On 14 [http[File://enPachomius the Great.wikipediajpg|right|thumb|St. Pachomius the Great.org/wiki/Pashons Bashans] (= May 22 or [[May 15]] (West)) of Our venerable father '''Pachomius the year 64 A.M. Great''' ([http://en.wikipediac.org/wiki/Coptic_calendar Coptic calendar] = 292-346/348 A.D.)was an early Egyptian ascetic, Abba Pachomius (or Pakhom), both a [[Desert Fathers|Desert Father]] and a founder of [[cenobitic]] [[monasticism]] in Egypt. He is celebrated by the Father Church on [[May 15]] and is one of the Spiritual Communal Life few (Cenobitic Lifenon Biblical)saints to be venerated by Oriental Orthodoxy, Eastern Orthodoxy, departedCatholicism and some Protestant Churches.

St. Pachomius was born in 292 A.D. in Thebes (Luxor) from to pagan parents, who forced him to worship idols. He rejected and mocked this worship. He was a soldier before his baptism in 314 A.D., then became a [[monk]] in 317 A.D. with St. Palaemon Thebaid (BalamonUpper Egypt). He lived in submission to him for many years, and There he mastered well the ways of the monastic lifereceived an excellent secular education. Then the [[angel]] of the Lord appeared to him and commanded him to establish a communal and holy monastic life. He established From his first [[monastery]] around 323 in Tabennae (or Tabenna, an island in the Nile). Many monks gathered together to him, and youth he built for them many monasteries and established for them had a system of manual labor, the times of prayers (both corporate and private)good character, and eating, i.e., a rule that balances the communal life with the solitary life. The monks would live in individual cells, but would also work together for the common good of the community. He he was the father of them all, with an Abbot in every monastery. He visited all the monasteries, from Aswan to Edfu to Donasa to the end of Upper Egypt to the North. He did not permit any one of his sons to become a priest for the sake of the vainglory of this world, or to overlook the purpose of their monastic life of worship by being away from the world. He invited a priest from outside for each monastery to officiate the Divine Liturgy. When Pope [[Athanasius the Great|Athanasius]] wanted to ordain him a priest, he fled from him. St. Athanasius asked his disciples to tell him that he who built his house on the rock that cannot be shaken, and fled from the vainglory of the world, is blessed, prudent and his disciples are also blessedsensible.

He desired once At the age of either 20 or 21, he was called to see Hades, and serve in the Roman army. It was then that he saw stayed in a night vision prison, used to house the habitation new conscripts, which was run by Christians. He was so impressed by their love of the sinners and places of tormenttheir neighbor that he vowed to become a Christian after his military service ended.

He remained Thus in 314 Pachomius was [[baptism|baptized]] and began to practice the ascetic life. Three years later he withdrew to the desert under the father guidance of the Cenobites for forty elder Palamon. According to tradition, after ten years. When the time of his departure drew near (with Palamon he died during heard a Voice telling him to found a plague in monastic community at Tabbenisi (also Tabenna, Tabbenisiot). He and Palamon traveled there, he called the monksand subsequently Pachomius had a vision in which an angel came to him, strengthened their faithclothed in a schema (a type of monastic garment), and appointed someone to take over his place after gave hima rule for the cenobitic life. This is significant because up until this time ascetics had for the most part lived alone as hermits, then departed not together in peacea community. At Pachomius' rule balanced the time of his death, he was communal life with the spiritual leader of about 3,000 solitary life; monkslive in individual cells but work together for the common good.

Furthermore, Pachomius was strict with the community of monks that began to grow around him. He gave everyone the same food and attire. The monks of the monastery fulfilled the obediences assigned them for the common good of the monastery. The monks were not allowed to possess their own money nor to accept anything from their relatives. St Pachomius considered that an obedience fulfilled with zeal was greater than fasting or prayer. He also demanded from the monks an exact observance of the monastic rule, and he chastised slackers. Once he even refused to speak directly with his own sister in order that he might maintain his detachment from the world. (He did, however, talk to her through a messenger, and he blessed her desire to become a nun; soon, she had her own all-female monastic community growing up around her.) Pachomius lived the rest of his life managing his monastery, performing wonders, fighting the demons, and of course in fervent prayer. Near the end of his life he was granted another vision: the Lord revealed to him the future of monasticism. The saint learned that future monks would not have such zeal in their struggles as the first generation had, and they would not have experienced guides. Prostrating himself upon the ground, St. Pachomius wept bitterly, calling out to the Lord and imploring mercy for them. He heard a Voice answer, "Pachomius, be mindful of the mercy of God. The monks of the future shall receive a reward, since they too shall have occasion to suffer the life burdensome for the monk." By 348, Pachomius directed almost three thousand monks. This, however, was also the year that he was infected by some form of plague or pestilence. His closest disciple, St. Theodore (May 17), tended to him with filial love. St. Pachomius died around the year 348 at the age of fifty-three, and was buried on a hill near the monastery. St. [[Jerome]] translated the rule of St. Pachomius into Latin in 404, and only this translation survives. The rule of St. Pachomius influenced St. [[Benedict]] , the most influential figure in Western monasticism, in preparing his own rule for monks in the West.

* [http://ocafs.oca.org/FeastSaintsViewer.asp?SID=4&ID=1&FSID=101384 Venerable Pachomius the Great, Founder of Coenobitic Monasticism] ([[OCA]])* [http://www.copticchurchorthodox.netcn/synaxariumprologue/9_14May15.html#1 Coptic Orthodox Synaxarium (Book htm The Venerable Prochomius the Great] from the ''[[Prologue of Saints)Ohrid]]''* [http://www2.evansville.edu/ecoleweb/glossary/pachomius.htmlPachomius] from the ''Ecole Glossary''* [http://www.earlychurch.org.uk/pachomius.html"Pachomius"] Mangold, "PACHOMIUS," Philip Schaff, ed., A Religious Encyclopaedia or Dictionary of Biblical, Historical, Doctrinal, and Practical Theology, 3rd edn, Vol. 3. Toronto, New York & London: Funk & Wagnalls Company, 1894. pp.1715-1716. [Greek title excluded]

==External LinksSee also==* http://www.stmarycoptorthodox.org/pachomius_of_tabenna.htm* [http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/11381a.htm St. Pachomius [Theodosius the Great (Catholic EncyclopediaCenobiarch)]]* http://www.catholic-forum.com/saints/saintp38.htm[[Prayer rope]]

==External links==*[http://goarch.org/chapel/saints_view?contentid=55&type=saints Pachomius the Great Martyr] ([[GOARCH]])*[http://www.ccel.org/ccel/schaff/npnf203.v.iv.viii.html Pachomius] and [http://www.ccel.org/ccel/schaff/hcc3.iii.vii.xi.html Pachomius and the Cloister Life] from the Christian Classics Ethereal Library*[http://www.voskrese.info/spl/Xpachomy-gt.html St. Pachomius the Great of Upper Egypt, Abbot of Tabennisi] from the St. Pachomius Library*[http://www.saintjonah.org/services/stpachomius.htm The Prayer Rule of St. Pachomius] * Great [[Synaxarion|Synaxaristes]]: {{el icon}} ''[http://www.synaxarion.gr/gr/sid/3171/sxsaintinfo.aspx Ὁ Ὅσιος Παχώμιος ὁ Μέγας].'' 15 Μαΐου. ΜΕΓΑΣ ΣΥΝΑΞΑΡΙΣΤΗΣ.  [[Category:Featured Articles]][[Category:Egyptian SaintsDesert Fathers]]