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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 to pagan parents in 292 A.D. in Thebes Thebaid (LuxorUpper Egypt) from pagan parents, who forced him to worship idols. He rejected and mocked this worshipThere he received an excellent secular education. He was a soldier before From his baptism in 314 A.D., then became youth he had a [[monk]] in 317 A.D. with St. Palaemon (Balamon). He lived in submission to him for many yearsgood character, and he mastered well the ways of the monastic lifewas prudent and sensible.

Then At the [[angel]] age of the Lord appeared to him and commanded him to establish a communal and holy monastic life. He established his first [[monastery]] around 323 in Tabennae (either 20 or Tabenna21, an island he was called to serve in the Nile)Roman army. Many monks gathered together to him, and It was then that he built for them many monasteries and established for them stayed in a system of manual laborprison, used to house the times of prayers (both corporate and private)new conscripts, 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 communitywhich was run by Christians. He was the father so impressed by their love 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 anyone of his sons their neighbor that he vowed 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 LiturgyChristian after his military service ended.

When Pope Thus in 314 Pachomius was [[Athanasius the Greatbaptism|Athanasiusbaptized]] wanted and began to practice the ascetic life. Three years later he withdrew to the desert under the guidance of the elder Palamon. According to ordain tradition, after ten years with Palamon he heard a Voice telling him to found a priestmonastic community at Tabbenisi (also Tabenna, he fled from himTabbenisiot). St. Athanasius asked his disciples He and Palamon traveled there, and subsequently Pachomius had a vision in which an angel came to tell him that he who built his house on the Rock that cannot be shaken, clothed in a schema (a type of monastic garment), and fled from gave him a rule for the vainglory of cenobitic life. This is significant because up until this time ascetics had for the worldmost part lived alone as hermits, is blessed, and his disciples are also blessednot together in a community. Pachomius' rule balanced the communal life with the solitary life; monks live 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 desired once 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 see Hadesaccept 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 saw 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 night vision the habitation of the sinners messenger, and places of tormenthe blessed her desire to become a nun; soon, she had her own all-female monastic community growing up around her. )

He remained Pachomius lived the father rest of his life managing his monastery, performing wonders, fighting the Cenobites for forty yearsdemons, and of course in fervent prayer. When Near the time end of his departure drew near (life he died during a plague in Tabenna), he called was granted another vision: the Lord revealed to him the future of monasticism. The saint learned that future monks, strengthened would not have such zeal in their faithstruggles as the first generation had, and appointed someone to take over his place after himthey would not have experienced guides. Prostrating himself upon the ground, then departed in peaceSt. At Pachomius wept bitterly, calling out to the time Lord and imploring mercy for them. He heard a Voice answer, "Pachomius, be mindful of his death, he was the spiritual leader mercy of about 3God. The monks of the future shall receive a reward,000 monkssince 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 of Nursia|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]]