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As his dead body was being prepared for a pauper’s grave, examiners discovered a series of weighted chains bound across his emaciated body. This practice survived into the modern era, with Irish ascetic Matt Talbot being a notable example: Having lived a quiet life as a laborer struggling with alcoholism, he suddenly collapsed in the street in 1925. Cilices were even worn casually by average folk who felt guilty after indulging in luxuries unnecessarily.
This ancient practice saw its greatest resurgence in medieval Europe, where it became popular among ascetics, saints, and leaders.Ĭharlemagne and Ivan the Terrible were among those who chose to be buried wearing one. Early Christians made these outfits using coarse goat hair and burlap-like fabric and wore them as undershirts and loincloths. According to his disciples, Simeon also lost his vision for 40 days (a fact which he tried to hide from them whenever they visited), and his belly “burst open” from standing for so long.Ī cilice (aka hair shirt) was an uncomfortable-and sometimes outright painful-garment worn underneath regular clothes, which allowed one to “mortify the flesh” and strengthen the spirit. This eventually caused three separate dislocations in his vertebral column. With his feet tethered to the platform, he spent most of the day bowing and rising repeatedly. Simeon’s feet were bound in place, so he couldn’t shift positions, which strained his bones and sinew to the point where they bulged from beneath his skin.
He became so popular that at one time, most shops in Rome had little portraits of him sitting on the pillars of their doorways. Simeon crouched on a 46-centimeter-wide (18 in) slab atop that pillar for at least 37 years. He chose the latter option, and he soon had throngs of fans coming to see him attempt to live in his chosen way. His fellow monks became concerned and asked him to abandon either the idea or the monastery. Simeon felt it was his calling to do these acts . . . while also living in isolation atop an 18-meter (60 ft) column, completely exposed to the elements. In his time, the usual practices for an ascetic included fasting, self-harm, and solitary confinement in tiny spaces. Photo credit: William Edward Frank Brittenįifth-century Syrian saint Simeon Stylites was the first famous “Stylite,” or pillar-dweller.