Lavsaik, or the story of the life of the holy and blessed fathers

“Lavsaik, or the narrative of the lives of the saints and blessed fathers” is a collection of short biographies (apophthegmas) of the fathers and mothers of the Egyptian desert, as well as monks and ascetics who labored in various regions of the Middle East. The essay was written by St. Palladium of Elenopolis around 419-420. and dedicated to Lausus, a royal courtier who enjoyed the patronage of Emperor Theodosius II. The goal of St. Palladium is to provide Loves, and through him to a wider circle of readers, with inspiring examples of monastic feat and to show the variety of forms of Christian asceticism. The work contains about 70 stories about outstanding ascetics of the 4th-5th centuries. St. Palladius describes various types of monastic feat: hermitage, coenobium (community), pillarism, and others. In each story, the author strives to show the uniqueness of the life path of each ascetic, their personal struggle with passions and desire for God. He emphasizes the importance of obedience, humility, prayer and work in achieving spiritual perfection. "Lavsaik" is a valuable historical source that provides unique information about monastic life in the early Church. St. Palladius personally visited many of the ascetics about whom he writes, and therefore his stories are eyewitness accounts. The importance of “Lavsaik” for church tradition is evidenced by the fact that on all weekdays of Lent, 2 out of 4 readings at Matins are taken from it. This publication presents a pre-revolutionary translation made from the publication “Palladius, Bishop of Elenopol. Lavsaik, or the Narrative of the Life of the Holy and Blessed Fathers" (censor: Archimandrite Arseny). You might be interested in: