Psoi of Egypt was a fourth-century ascetic of the Egyptian desert, remembered in the Eastern Orthodox synaxarion as a disciple of Saint Pachomius the Great and as one of the monastic fathers of the desert of Sketis, the region known in Arabic as Wadi El-Natroun. Born early in the fourth century in the Egyptian village of Shansa, he lost his father while still a boy and turned toward the eremitic life, becoming a guide to many who sought him out in the wilderness.
He is commemorated on August 9, and his relics are venerated incorrupt in the monasteries of the Wadi El-Natroun. The synaxarion interprets his name as meaning 'beloved of Christ,' and a number of traditional accounts surround his life of prayer.
Timeline 3 moments
ReadHide
early 4th centuryBirth at ShansaPsoi was born in the Egyptian village of Shansa early in the fourth century. According to the synaxarion his father died while he was young.
4th centuryEntry into the desertHe first settled near the cave of Abba John of Egypt, who later blessed him to go to the Nitrian desert. There he lived in a cave roughly fifteen kilometres from the cell of Saint Macarius the Great.
417ReposeBy tradition Psoi reposed in the year 417 while at prayer.
Contributions & Legacy
3 contributions
ReadHide
Monastic Life
The Eastern Orthodox synaxarion presents Psoi as a disciple of Saint Pachomius the Great, the founder of cenobitic monasticism, and places his ascetic labours in the desert of Sketis during the fourth century. After settling in the Nitrian desert near the cell of Saint Macarius the Great, he drew visitors from various places who came seeking his instruction.
The parallel Coptic tradition, which venerates the same desert father, records additional details of his early formation and extreme asceticism and names a different teacher; the Eastern Orthodox account followed here names Pachomius the Great.
Traditional Accounts
The synaxarion relates that when his mother was concerned about his frailty, an angel answered with the words of Scripture, 'The power of God is made perfect in weakness.' By tradition Psoi is said to have beheld Christ on several occasions, including encounters in which he washed Christ's feet and carried Him, in the guise of a cripple, upon his shoulders.
A further tradition holds that a tamarisk tree grew at the monastery from the staff of Saint Ephraim the Syrian; whether the two saints actually met is debated.
Relics & Shrines
Psoi's relics are venerated incorrupt in the monasteries of the desert of Sketis. The synaxarion places them in the monastery of Al-Sirian (Deir al-Surian), within a fifth-century church on the left side of the iconostasis.
