Paul of Xeropotamou

Description

Paul of Xeropotamou^[1] (Ancient Greek: Παῦλος ὁ Ξηροποταμινός) was a Byzantine ascetic, lived between the 9th and the 10th century on Mount Athos, where he also restored and founded monasteries. He is commemorated in the Orthodox Church and his feast day is on 28 July.^[2]

The Monk Paul of Xeropotamou, born Procopius, allegedly was the son of a Byzantine Emperor, which some sources anachronistically name as Michael I Rangabe.^[2] Having received a brilliant education, Procopius was one of the most learned people of his time. His works on the Presentation of Mary, the canon of the Forty Martyrs, the canon of the Holy Cross and other works earned him well-deserved fame. But scholarship and an honourable position in the world did not entice Procopius.

There are scholars who describe St. Paul as a eunuch.^[3] This is supported by his iconographic depiction, where he is rendered as a white-haired old man without beard, thing that contrasts with the monks’ deep-seated custom of keeping long beards, but that is compatible with a castration before or around puberty, as was usual for eunuchs and also for the sons of deposed emperors, as happened with the deposition of Michael I Rangabe, whose sons were allowed to live in monasteries after having been castrated, as imposed by Leon V the Armenian.