Venerable Fostirios lived in the sixth century. He labored in solitude on a high, deserted mountain, praying to God unceasingly and mortifying his flesh through fasting, nightly vigils, and every kind of self-denial. The venerable saint shone with great ascetic feats like a spiritual luminary, thus justifying his name.
Having purified and sanctified himself by fulfilling the Lord’s commandment: “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, take up his cross, and follow Me” (Matt. 16:24), Saint Fostirios became a dwelling place of the Holy Spirit and healed the illnesses and wounds of those who came to him with faith.
The venerable one received food from heaven: an angel of the Lord would daily place bread for him in a known place. When visitors came to the saint, he would find additional loaves there for their share as well. This miracle continued for many years.
Later, Saint Fostirios founded a monastery, where many monks gathered. From that time, the miracle of the angel bringing bread ceased, and the Lord commanded the ascetic to receive nothing from anyone, but to earn his sustenance with his own hands. The venerable one taught the brethren to practice diligently in prayer, soul-profiting reading, and manual labor, and he himself served as a constant example for them.
During the lifetime of Saint Fostirios, certain heresies arose in the Church, and he was summoned to a council to combat them. At the council, this God-bearing father firmly and convincingly confessed the true faith, so that many heretics returned to the bosom of the Church, while others even embraced monastic life, inspired by the saint’s holy example.
Through the prayers of Saint Fostirios, many miracles were worked both during his earthly life and after his repose. He fell asleep in the Lord in the evening on the eve of the Feast of Theophany.
Day of commemoration: January 18 (January 5 according to the Old Style).
