Venerable Bessarion was born and raised in Egypt. From a young age, he loved God and kept himself pure from sin. He traveled to the holy places of Jerusalem, met ascetics, and gained many spiritual benefits for his soul.
Upon returning to his homeland, he met Saint Isidore of Pelusium, who became his spiritual father. Bessarion gave all his possessions to the poor and embraced monastic life. He withdrew into the desert, taking a vow of silence. There, he pushed his body to its limits, living with strict discipline and complete ascetic devotion. Often, he would go without food for up to forty days.
He had the gifts of miracles and prophecy. While praying, he turned the seawater into fresh water, suitable to quench the thirst of his disciple. Like Joshua, he stopped the sun with his prayers, gaining more time to reach his elder. Saint Bessarion brought rain during periods of drought, like the prophet Elijah, and walked across rivers, as the prophet Elisha once did.
When a man possessed by demons was present in the church, the saint achieved to cast out of his soul the evil spirits. Then, full of humility, he left the church alongside a sinful brother, saying:
"I too am a sinner."
For forty years, he never lay down to sleep. He rested sitting or standing and encouraged his disciples to remain always vigilant.
The life of the saint was like that of the birds.
He had no permanent dwelling, walked around the desert, and disregarded all his physical needs. In his old age, he fell asleep in the Lord and entered the Kingdom of Heaven.
