“To recognise one’s sinfulness in God’s presence is a precious jewel of the soul. The Lord holds it dearer than even the most solemn hymns of praise.”
St. Nicholas of Serbia
Alexandria — one of Alexander the Great’s creations — was, for the Egyptians, the City, the only one that truly mattered, just as Rome was for the Romans, or Constantinople for its dwellers. It housed the Lighthouse, the Museum, and the Library, whose glory rang out among nations. It boasted vast public halls and gleaming marble works, wide avenues lined with green spaces and bubbling fountains. Here stood the grand homes of kings alongside the fine houses of nobles and the well-to-do.
At the docks, vessels from every corner of the earth jostled for space. People of every race and tongue poured in — by sea and by land — their faces white, yellow, red, and black. It was as if this teeming hive of humanity held the whole world within it. Merchants came to trade, scholars to debate, and thrill-seekers to squander fortunes on fleeting pleasures. Fugitives, too, lurked here, hiding from justice in distant homelands. In short, one could find — and lose —everything in Alexandria. As the story of St. Mary of Egypt shows, it was no place for a monk.
Ancient Alexandria in Egypt, reconstruction
When the storm of persecutions finally calmed, Christian hearts burning with love for God sought refuge from worldly temptations. To keep their spirits pure and elevated, they fled to the wilderness, where they could dwell with the Lord, lifting their thoughts and hearts heavenward. Thankfully, about 20 miles south of Alexandria, the dry desert landscape in north-western Egypt offered perfect sanctuary. Between the 4th and 7th centuries, the harsh but holy solitude of the Libyan Desert drew countless hermits.
Monasteries soon rose among the sands. From the fourth century onwards, three large communities of desert monks existed in Lower Egypt: Nitria, Kellia, and Sketis (also known as the Scetic Desert). The hermits who followed the strictest way of life settled in the Scetic Desert. The very word ‘skete’ comes from its name.* During the season of Great Lent, monks from other monasteries would come to Sketis. They spent the demanding forty days under tougher conditions than usual, giving up comforts they were used to. The first to arrive in the Scetic Desert was Saint Macarius the Great. In the first half of the fifth century, Saint Pimen the Great lived here with his disciples, including Saint John the Dwarf ** and Arsenius the Great, along with Saint Isaiah the Solitary and other fathers.
Egyptian hermits
To sustain themselves, these Egyptian monks wove baskets, which they then sold at the market in town. This labour fed them, keeping their needs simple and their hearts free.
Yet, circumstances sometimes drew the fathers to Alexandria. They might come into the city to sell their baskets and other handmade items. At other times, God’s guiding hand would lead these holy men into the capital, as happened, for instance, with Anthony the Great and Macarius the Great.
The first hermit — “a fiery pillar, lighting up the world,” as one saint called him — was sent to Philotheus, an Alexandrian shoemaker. From him, he was to hear a thought pleasing to God, which the man kept always in his mind: “Everyone else will enter the Kingdom of Heaven because they are righteous, but I alone will end up in hell for my sins.” God also revealed to Macarius the Great the spiritual heights reached by two married women. For fifteen years, they had lived peacefully together. Unable to get their husbands’ permission to enter a monastery, they decided not to utter a single worldly word until they died. But Abba John the Dwarf journeyed to Alexandria for a very different reason.
Venerable John the Dwarf, 5th-century ascetic, disciple of Saint Pimen the Great
Whenever Skete monks visited the capital with their handcrafts or for other needs, they always found shelter in one welcoming household. The well-off owners were devout Christians who gave generously to the monks. They departed this world early, but their daughter, Taisia, followed her parents’ example. She honoured God, continued living a godly life, and helped those in need. Her pure, open heart refused no one.
Years flowed by. People loved and respected Thais, but her resources dwindled. In time, her family inheritance ran dry, and she herself began to struggle. Malicious voices whispered how her remaining gifts — beauty and charm — might restore her fortune. Where once any needy soul could enter freely, now only those bringing money and treasures passed through her gates.
Elders who had known Thais in better times were grieved to learn of her change in fortune and way of life. They resolved to help the orphaned soul who was veering toward ruin. The monks entrusted this task to Abba John the Dwarf: “God has blessed you with wisdom, Father. We have heard that Sister Thais, who showed us such kindness, has fallen on hard times and turned to sinful ways. When she had plenty, she poured out love upon us. Now it is our turn to show our love and help her. Go to her — your words may wake her soul.”
Thais's house - former refuge for visiting monks
The saint set off, while the other monks began to pray. In Alexandria, he easily found the once-hospitable dwelling and knocked at the familiar gate. The changes the desert fathers spoke of were immediately clear: the maid, once welcoming, now snapped that her mistress’s house was closed to monks. Gently, the elder persisted: "Tell your mistress I bring something priceless."
Thais greeted the monk warmly, but when Abba John caught sight of her face, he wept. "Father, why are you crying?" she asked. "I weep because I see Satan playing upon your face. How can I not? What displeased you about Jesus, that you turned to deeds opposed to Him?" The saint's words pierced Thais’s soul like a fiery arrow. Trembling, she cried out: “Father! Can I still repent?”
“Indeed you can,” replied Abba John.
"Then lead me wherever you will." In tears, Thais stood up. Without making any arrangements for her property, she followed the desert dweller, saying goodbye to no one.
By the time they reached the wilderness, evening had already fallen. Abba John made Thais a pillow out of sand, and some distance away, he made a similar one for himself. Making the sign of the cross over the young woman, the holy man said, "Sleep here." He himself then began to pray. Eventually, the elder also lay down for a short rest. But his sleep was soon broken. Opening his eyes, Abba John saw a bright light rising from the place where Thais lay, and in this radiance, holy angels were carrying her soul up to heaven.
Abba John saw a pillar of light...
As Venerable John drew closer to Thais, his heart sank — she had already breathed her last. Grief overwhelmed the saint: Thais had not received Holy Communion or begun her monastic life to show true turning from sin. But a voice from heaven announced to the holy man: "Her single hour of genuine remorse counts more than the lengthy penitence of others who lack such wholehearted devotion." Thus it was revealed to Abba John that the Lord had forgiven Thais for the earnestness and swift resolve of her change of heart. After committing her mortal remains to the earth, Abba John the Dwarf made his way back to the Skete. There he recounted everything that had happened, and the desert fathers glorified God for His kindness toward Thais, who had found grace in just one hour.
Repentance is not measured by the length of time; its depth within the human heart determines its worth. It is the fruit of love that recognises its own unworthiness and longs for union with God. In a fleeting moment — much like that "quiet voice that uttered a sound and achieved great faith" *** from the wise thief alongside Christ — blessed Thais underwent a spiritual rebirth and climbed to such heights that the Lord welcomed her into His Eternal Kingdom.
The path of repentance is a sacred mystery. In it, the soul reveals its wounds before God. With a sorrowful spirit and aching heart, it acknowledges them, recoils from their ugliness, and asks for healing and the forgiveness of sins. What matters is not the outward form of repentance the penitent chooses. Rather, it is the hunger for reconciliation, the loathing of sin, and the intensity of inner sorrow over one's impurity — qualities that holy men and women display in their acts of contrition. It is precisely this eager turning of the heart that God treasures above all.
Church of Blessed Thais of Egypt at the Skete of John the Merciful (part of the Dormition Monastery, Krasnoyarsk) near the village of Mansky in Krasnoyarsk Krai
A different account in church tradition speaks of a hermit who, during his nightly prayer, saw a blazing column of fire above a convent. Inside it, angels were carrying a human soul up to heaven. The ascetic supposed that one of the elder sisters of the monastery had fallen asleep in the Lord, so he sent his disciple to learn who had left this life. To his astonishment, the attendant reported that everyone in the convent was alive, praise God. However, that morning, the body of a harlot, well-known in the city, had been found at the monastery gates. For some reason, she had ended up near the convent walls during the night. "How could angels carry the soul of a departed harlot to heaven in a fiery pillar?" the monk wondered. The Lord answered his bewilderment. He explained that the woman had indeed spent her life in sin, but a moment came when her soul caught fire with love for God, and she resolved to change her ways. The woman abandoned all the property she had gained through her immoral life and went to the convent by night. She intended to strive and plead with God for forgiveness for the rest of her days. Her repentance was so intense that her soul's rebirth did not require a long time. The Lord accepted this determination to change her life. Her turning back transformed her spirit, and the soul the angels carried upwards in the fiery pillar was no longer that of a harlot, but of a holy woman of God.
Another church dedicated to Blessed Thais is being built in Orenburg. Blessed Thais of Egypt, who set an example of sincere, fervent repentance, watches over those living the monastic life. People ask her help in gaining virtues such as self-denial, tears of repentance for sins committed, courage in following God’s will, strict obedience to a spiritual father, and performing works of mercy. Holy Blessed Mother Thais, pray to God for us!
“He who has nothing to offer God can yet offer Him the gold of his repentance, the incense of his prayer, and the myrrh of his low estate."
St. John (Pommer)
Prepared by the team of obitel-minsk.ru
Images from the internet
Notes:
* A secluded dwelling for monks, differing from a communal monastery by having fewer brothers, a remote location, and a stricter rule for internal life and worship.
** From the Greek ‘Kolovós’ (Κολοβός) — ‘tiny’: the saint was called this because of his short stature.
*** An antiphon at Matins on Great Friday.
Sources:
1. Lives of the Saints in Russian, set forth according to the guidance of the Reading Menaia of Saint Dimitry of Rostov* / 12 books. — Moscow: “Kovcheg,” 2010.
2. 23 May – commemoration day of Blessed Thais of Egypt… | Abbess Taisia (Solopova) | VK
3. JOHN THE DWARF (pravenc.ru)
4. Church of Blessed Thais of Egypt built near… | “Kasyanovsky Dom” | VKontakte (vk.com)
