Bessarion of Egypt, St.

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BESSARION OF EGYPT, ST.

Fifth-century Egyptian monk. He is known as a miracle worker and founder of a pilgrim shelter in Jerusalem and of a monastery on Mt. Sion. Bessarion (Passarion) is to be distinguished from a number of similarly named saints in the synaxarions and menologies. He is mentioned in the vita of St. Euthymius by cyril of scythopolis and is said to have accompanied Bishop Juvenal of Jerusalem when he consecrated the laura of Euthymius in 429. He is also thought to have presented the Emperor Theodosius II (425450) with the hand of St. Stephen the protomartyr as a relic. An encomium on him was written by Cardinal Bessarion.

Feast: June 17.

Bibliography: Acta Sanctorum June 4:240243. f. delmas, Échos d'Orient 3 (18991900) 162163. e. schwartz, ed., Kyrillos von Skythopolis (TU 49.2; 1939) 2627, 90. p. joannou, Analecta Bollandiana 65 (1947) 107138, encomium and details of life. o. volk, Lexikon für Theologie und Kirche, ed. j. hofer and k. rahner (Freiburg 195765) 2:301302.

[f. x. murphy]