St. Ammon, Abbot

From St ithacasius, in his Life cf St. Antony, chap. 31. Rufinua and Palladius, in their History of the Holy Fathers of the Deserts of Egypt.

ST. AMMCN, or Amon, the first founder of the monas teries of Nitri.i, and as some authors affirm, the first author of a cenobitical or conventual life, was born of noble and wealthy Egyptian parents in the third century. From his youth he embraced a saintly life, de siring to serve God in perfect purity both of soul and body; but when he arrived at the age of twenty-two, his relations compelled him to marry a Christian virgin animated by the like virtuous dispositions as himself, as appeared shortly after; for as soon as they were left alone on their wedding night, Ammon represented to his spouse how much happier and more pleasing to God the state of virginity was, than that of the use of matrimony, strengthening his arguments with the authority of holy Scripture, and at the same time so powerfully exhorting her to preserve the treasure of her virginal purity, and instructing her in the manner of life she should lead to please Christ, the true spouse of virgins, that she willingly agreed that they should live like brother and sister in the same house, in perfect continence, lying in different beds, and only united with the bonds of the spirit, in chanty and prayer. After this manner they lived together in the world for the space of eighteen years; Ammon dividing his time in such manner as to dedicate the best part of it to labor, by working in his garden and balm-yard, and the rest to his exercises of prayer and devotion, usually fasting till the evening. At the expiration of this time, their parents and friends, who had obliged them to marry, being now dead, they mutually agreed to live asunder, and each of them to embrace a monastic life. Ammon, therefore, left her in possession of the house, which, in process of time, she converted into a nunnery: many devout virgins resorting to her, and putting themselves under her direction, whilst he re tired into the wilderness of mount Nitria, forty miles distant from Alexandria, where he built two cells, and laid the foundations of that admirable religious institute, which was afterwards followed by no less than five thousand religious, who, although dwelling in about fifty different habitations, yet all meeting to their public devotions in one large church, served by eight priests.

As to the particulars of the acts of St. Ammon, after his retiring to mount Nitria, as none of his con temporaries have given us his life at large, we must content oui'selves with briefly inserting what is incidentally related of him in the life of St. Antony, chap. 32. Here we are informed by St. Athanasius, tlmt St. Ammon, who was united with St. Antony in the bands of a most holy friendship, frequently visited him; — secondly, that from his childhood to an advanced age, he always lived the life of a saint; — thirdly, that he was greatly renowned for signs, wos ders, and miraculous graces; — and fourthly, that a! the instant of his death, his happy soul was seen by St. Antony, then at the distance of thirteen day's journey from Nitria, taking her flight to heaven, escorted by a multitude of celestial spirits. As an instance of his great favor with God, and how great a lover he was of modesty and purity, St. Athanasius relates, that upon a certain occasion, when he was obliged, together with his disciple Theodore, a man also of great sanctity to pass over the river Lycus, then swelled by sud den rains, he desired Theodore to retire, and keep at a distance whilst he put off his garments, that they might not behold each other naked; but whilst he was thinking to strip, he felt a great repugnance to divest him self, through modesty and shame of seeing his own naked flesh, when behold, being on a sudden seized with an extacy or trance, he found himself on the other side of the river, without knowing how he came thither. Theodore coming up, was surprised to find he had been so expeditious in passing the river, and the more so, as he could perceive no marks of moisture either on his feet or garments, and did not cease to Importune him to let him know how it happened, which he i efused, till after he had promised to keep the matter a secret as long as Ammon should live. Though this Theodore be different from St. Theodore, the disciple of St. Pachomius, yet he has deserved no less than he, by his extraordinary virtues, a place amongst the saints, with whom his name stand* enrolled in the Roman Marty rology on the seventh of January.

Rutinns, in his Lives of the Fathers, chap. 30, and Palladius, in his Historia Lausiaca, chap. 3, relate several other instances of the grace, miracles, and prophetic spirit of St. Ammon. Whilst he lived retired in the wilderness, a youth, who had been bit by a mad dog, was brought to him bound in chains in a frantic condition. His parents, who accompanied him, begged that the Saint, who at this time was renowned for miracles, would cure him. " You demand that of me which far exceeds my merits; but thus much," said he, " I will tell you, if you restore the poor widow the ox you have privately stolen, your son shall be healed." They were frightened as well as astonished, when they heard him speak of the theft, which they were sensible he could not know but by revelation. However, having made the restitution which was re quired, the young man, at the prayer of the servant of God, was perfectly cured.

On another occasion, when two men, who had com« to visit him in his solitude, found that he stood in nee** of a large vessel to keep water for the use of such aa resorted to him, they promised to bring him a vessel sufficiently capacious for that purpose; the one being master of a camel, the other of an ass. The former, after his return home, repented of his promise, and told bis companion that he would not risk the life of his camel by loading him with so heavy a burthen. Well, said the latter, rather than be worse than my word, I will venture to lay upon my ass the load which you &ay would kill your camel; trusting that the merits of the man of God will make that possible which appeal's impossible. Having done as he said, the ass carried the vessel with as much ease as if he felt no burthen whatever. When he came to the cell, the Saint commended his faith, and told him that his neighbor had in the mean while lost his camel by death: and accordingly, on his return home, he found that whilst he was on his way to the Saint, the camel had been worried and killed by wolves.

As to the disciples of St. Ammon, as well as the monks his successors in the congregation of mount Nitria, they were for a long time after so renowned for their regular discipline, hospitality and charity, that Rufinus and Palladius, from their own experience, who had been some time among them, hesitate not to be stow' on them the highest encomiums. St. Jerome also, as we learn from his apology against Rufinus, made a journey on purpose to visit them. u I went,"

says he, " to Egypt to survey the monasteries of Nitria, and plainly perceived some asps lurking auongst the choirs of the saints," alluding to the errors of Origen, which had crept in amongst some of the religious. We also learn from the authors above-named, that as soon as they and their companions were come within sight of the monasteries, the religious, according to their custom, came out to meet them, bringing loaves of bread and pitchers of water to refresh them, after the fatigue of their journey over those burning sands; that then they conducted them to the church, singing psalms, where, after washing and wiping their feet, they contended which of them should introduce them into their cells, and there entertain them not only with all offices of humanity and charity in their power with regard to their corporal refreshment, but also with excellent lessons of spirituality for the bene fit of their souls; in which they particularly inculcated die practice of their favorite virtues of humility and meekness, in which they themselves singularly ex celled.

For the entertainment of strangers and foreigners, they had built a large hospital near to the church, where all that came were welcome to stay as long as they pleased, although it were for two or three years,* vet so, that after the first seven days they were employed in some kind of work, as all the monks were; or at least if they were persons of note, in reading such good books as they put in their hands. They were also to have no conversation together, but to keep silence at least till noon. As to the afternoon, about the ninth hour, "one might stand," says Palladius. chap. 7, "and hear in every one of the monasteries the religious singing hymns and psalms to Christ, and joining prayers with their hymns in so sweet and melodious a manner, that one would be apt to think him self elevated on high, and translated into a heavenly paradise."

About ten miles from Nitria, further on in the wilderness, there was a place named Cellia, from the multitude of cells that lay every where dispersed up and down. Here such of the Nitrian monks as aspired after greater solitude and perfection made themselves cells, in which they lived as anchorets, at a good distance from each other; never conversing together, or seeing one another, but when they met twice a week at church, unless the case of sickness, or some office of charity, required that any one should visit the cell of another, or break in upon his silence and solitude. In this place, charity, piety, and sanctitv, were seen to reign in the utmost perfection.

St. Amiiion passed to a better life on the fourth of October, on which day he is commemorated in the Menologies of the Greeks, about the middle of the fourth century.