Anthony the Great
c. 251 AD — January 17, 356 AD · Feast day: January 17
Anthony the Great abandoned a wealthy Egyptian inheritance at age twenty and withdrew into the desert, becoming the father of Christian monasticism. After thirteen years of ascetic life in the Nitrian Desert, he spent two decades sealed inside an abandoned Roman fortress at Pispir, then emerged — reportedly radiant with health — to guide the communities that had gathered around him. He died at 105 near the Red Sea, buried in a secret place at his own instruction.