Saint George Arsilaites was praised by Saint John Climacus as the elder who taught him hesychia, stillness. The site of his cell, a one day trek from the Sinai monastery, is today known as Deir Antush
On the way
Stacked rocks show the trail
Sunlight on distant mountains
Our bedouin guide waits for the others to catch up
The desert is filled with wildflowers from winter rains
Purple flowers in the early morning light
Others are deep purple
Yellow flowers against ancient stone walls
A detail of the yellow flowers
Father Justin,
Is St. George Arsilaites also known as St. George the Sinaite, whose feast is 11 March? St. George of Sinai lived during the reign of Justinian I (527-565) and during the tenure of Patriarch Peter of Jerusalem (524-552).
Exactly right. He was a monk of Sinai for over seventy years. We went to the chapel at the site on the fifth Sunday of the Fast, the Sunday of Saint Mary of Egypt, to celebrate the Divine Liturgy.