Hilarion

Hilarion

Hilarion (291–371), also known by the bynames of Thavata, of Gaza, and in the Orthodox Church as the Great was a Christian anchorite who spent most of his life in the desert according to the example of Anthony the Great (c. 251–356). While Anthony is considered to have established Christian monasticism in the Egyptian Desert, Hilarion, who lived in the coastal area near Gaza, is considered by his biographer Jerome (c. 342/347 – 420), to be the founder of Palestinian monasticism - regarding this claim see also Hilarion's contemporary, Chariton (mid-3rd century – c. 350), founder of monasticism in the Judaean Desert. Hilarion is venerated as a saint exemplifying monastic virtues by the Eastern Orthodox Church, Oriental Orthodox Church and the Roman Catholic Church. Read more on Wikipedia

Since 2007, the English Wikipedia page of Hilarion has received more than 227,382 page views. His biography is available in 22 different languages on Wikipedia (up from 21 in 2019). Hilarion is the 1,168th most popular religious figure (down from 1,079th in 2019).