Originating from Cappadocia, he was raised in deep piety. Aspiring to a hermitic life, he settled in Palestine in a deserted cave, where, according to tradition, the three Magi had stayed. He lived there for 30 years in great abstinence and constant prayer.
Many who wished to live under his guidance began to gather around the ascetic. When the church could no longer accommodate the assembled monks, the saint, after prayer, walked through the desert with incense. In one place, the coals flared up and the incense rose. Here he founded the first communal monastery, or Lavra. In the monastery, Saint Theodosius established hospices, separate hospitals for monks and laypeople, and shelters for the elderly. By his prayers, miracles of multiplying bread for the feeding of the poor occurred many times.
When the heresy of Eutyches arose, the Orthodox were persecuted by Emperor Anastasius. Blessed Theodosius first wrote a letter to the emperor, then went to Jerusalem and proclaimed in the Great Church: “Whoever does not honor the four Ecumenical Councils, let him be anathema.” For this act, he was imprisoned. During his lifetime, he was granted the gift of healing and other miracles. He peacefully reposed at the age of 105 in the year 529.
