Onuphrius ( Greek : Ὀνούφριος , romanized : Onouphrios ; also Onoufrios ) lived as a hermit in the desert of Upper Egypt in the 4th or 5th centuries. He is venerated as Saint Onuphrius in both the Roman Catholic and Eastern Catholic churches, as Venerable Onuphrius in Eastern Orthodoxy , and as Saint Nofer the Anchorite in Oriental Orthodoxy .
33-443: Onofrio is an Italian surname derived from Onuphrius . Notable people with the surname include: Vincent D'Onofrio Al Onofrio Beverly Donofrio Elizabeth D'Onofrio Francesco Onofrio Manfredini Marco Onofrio See also [ edit ] Sant'Onofrio (disambiguation) San Onofre (disambiguation) [REDACTED] Surname list This page lists people with
66-473: A communal "womb" from which would emerge an idealised sense of a community's reborn potential as Christians and as human subjects. An idea of their daily routine can be gleaned from an anchoritic rule. The most widely known today is the early 13th-century text known as Ancrene Wisse . Another, less widely known, example is the rule known as De Institutione Inclusarum written in the 12th century, around 1160–1162, by Aelred of Rievaulx for his sister. It
99-461: A monk at a large monastery in the Thebaid but who had now lived as a hermit for 70 years, enduring extreme thirst, hunger, and discomforts. He said that it was his guardian angel who had brought him to this desolate place. Onuphrius took Paphnutius to his cell, and they spoke until sunset, when bread and water miraculously appeared outside of the hermit's cell. They spent the night in the prayer, and in
132-515: A type of hermit , but unlike hermits, they were required to take a vow of stability of place, opting for permanent enclosure in cells often attached to churches. Also unlike hermits, anchorites were subject to a religious rite of consecration that closely resembled the funeral rite , following which they would be considered dead to the world and a type of living saint . Anchorites had a certain autonomy, as they did not answer to any ecclesiastical authority apart from bishops . The anchoritic life
165-500: A young anchoress named Margaret Kirkby who was responsible for preserving his texts. Her connection to the town of Hampole has been commonly associated with Rolle. He is sometimes referred to as 'Richard Rolle of Hampole' despite a lack of conclusive evidence that Rolle was ever in the small village. The earliest recorded anchorites lived in the third century AD. Saint Anthony the Anchorite (251–356), also known as "Anthony of
198-441: A young maid as domestic servant. The anchorhold was the physical location wherein the anchorite could embark on a journey toward union with God. It also provided a spiritual and geographic focus for people from the wider society seeking spiritual advice and guidance. Though set apart from the community by stone walls and specific spiritual precepts, the anchorite lay at the very centre of the community. The anchorhold has been called
231-466: Is continually good", an epithet of the god Osiris . A tradition, not found in Paphnutius' account, states that Onuphrius had studied jurisprudence and philosophy before becoming a monk near Thebes and then a hermit. According to Paphnutius's account, Paphnutius undertook a pilgrimage to study the hermits' way of life and to determine whether it was for him. Wandering in the desert for 16 days, on
264-635: Is depicted at Snake Church ( Yilanlı Kilise ) in the Göreme valley open-air museum in Cappadocia , Turkey . He became the patron saint of weavers due to the fact that he was depicted "dressed only in his own abundant hair, and a loin-cloth of leaves". He (S. Onofrio) was named co-patron of the city of Palermo in 1650. His name appears very variously as Onuphrius , Onouphrius , Onofrius and in different languages as Onofre (Portuguese, Spanish), Onofrei (Romanian), Onofrio (Italian), etc. In Arabic ,
297-644: Is different from Wikidata All set index articles Onuphrius Onuphrius was one of the Desert Fathers who made a great impression on Eastern spirituality in the third and fourth centuries, around the time that Christianity was emerging as the dominant faith of the Roman Empire . At this time many Christians were inspired to go out into the desert and live in prayer in the harsh environment of extreme heat and cold, with little to eat and drink, surrounded by all sorts of dangerous animals and robbers. It
330-462: Is estimated that the daily set devotions detailed in Ancrene Wisse would take some four hours, on top of which anchoresses would listen to services in the church and engage in their own private prayers and devotional reading. Richard Rolle , an English hermit and mystic, wrote one of the most influential guide books regarding the life of an anchoress. His book The Form of Living was addressed to
363-590: Is located at the far end of Gai Ben Hinnom, the Gehenna valley of hell, situated within the site of a Jewish cemetery from the Second Temple period . The structure is built among and includes many typical burial niches common to that period. The monastery also marks the location of Hakeldama, the purported place where Judas Iscariot hanged himself. Saint Onuphrius was venerated in Munich , Basel , and southern Germany , and
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#1732881052769396-575: Is marked by several unique details. ...The years of Onuphrius' youth were passed in a monastery that observed the rule of strict silence; a hind instructed him in Christian rites and liturgy. During his sixty years in the desert, Onuphrius' only visitor was an angel who delivered a Host every Sunday." Both the Eastern Orthodox and Catholic churches traditionally mark his feast day on 12 June . A Life of Onuphrius of later Greek origin states that
429-505: Is one of the earliest forms of Christian monasticism . In the Catholic Church , heremitic life is one of the forms of consecrated life . In medieval England , the earliest recorded anchorites lived in the 11th century. Their highest number—around 200 anchorites—was recorded in the 13th century. From the 12th to the 16th centuries, female anchorites consistently outnumbered their male counterparts, sometimes by as many as four to one in
462-561: Is uncertain in which century Onuphrius lived; the account of Paphnutius the Ascetic , who encountered him in the Egyptian desert, forms the sole source for our knowledge of the life of Saint Onuphrius. Even the authorship is uncertain; "Paphnutius", a common name of Egyptian origin in the Upper Thebaid , may refer to Paphnutius of Scetis, a 4th-century abbot of Lower Egypt , rather than Paphnutius
495-672: The Dissolution of the Monasteries ordered by Henry VIII brought anchoritism in England to an end. However, the lack of a consistent registration system for anchorites suggests there may have been substantially more. English anchorholds can still be seen at Chester-le-Street in County Durham and at Hartlip in Kent . Other anchorites included Calogerus the Anchorite (c. 466 – 561), Cyriacus
528-444: The surname Onofrio . If an internal link intending to refer to a specific person led you to this page, you may wish to change that link by adding the person's given name (s) to the link. Retrieved from " https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Onofrio&oldid=1083375359 " Categories : Surnames Italian-language surnames Hidden categories: Articles with short description Short description
561-426: The 13th century. This ratio eventually dropped to two to one in the 15th century. The sex of a high number of anchorites, however, is not recorded for these periods. Between 1536 and 1539, the dissolution of the monasteries ordered by Henry VIII of England effectively brought the anchorite tradition to an end in England. The anchoritic life became widespread during the early and high Middle Ages . Examples of
594-410: The 17th day Paphnutius came across a wild figure covered in hair, wearing a loincloth of leaves. Frightened, Paphnutius ran away, up a mountain, but the figure called him back, shouting, "Come down to me, man of God, for I am a man also, dwelling in the desert for the love of God." Turning back, Paphnutius talked to the wild figure, who introduced himself as Onuphrius and explained that he had once been
627-559: The Ascetic. "But Paphnutius the Great [i.e. Paphnutius the Ascetic]," Alban Butler writes, "also had a number of stories to tell of visions and miraculous happenings in the desert, some of them in much the same vein as the story of Onuphrius." The name Onuphrius is thought to be a Hellenized form of a Coptic name Unnufer , ultimately from the Egyptian wnn-nfr meaning "perfect one", or "he who
660-529: The Basel humanist Sebastian Brant (who named his own son Onuphrius ) published a broadside named In Praise of the Divine Onuphrius and Other Desert Hermit Saints . Onuphrius was depicted in a 1520 painting by Hans Schäufelein . Images of Saint Onuphrius were conflated with those of the medieval " wild man ". In art, he is depicted as a wild man completely covered with hair, wearing a girdle of leaves. He
693-544: The Desert", has a traditional reputation as Christianity's "Father of Monasticism". Hilarion ( Gaza , 291 – Cyprus , 371) was known as the founder of anchoritic life in Palestine . The anchoritic life proved popular in England, where women outnumbered men in the ranks of the anchorites, especially in the 13th century. Written evidence supports the existence of 780 anchorites on 600 sites between 1100 and 1539, when
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#1732881052769726-474: The altar, hearing Mass , and receiving the Eucharist were possible through one small, shuttered window in the common wall facing the sanctuary, called a " hagioscope " or "squint". Anchorites provided spiritual advice and counsel to visitors through these windows, gaining a reputation for wisdom . Another small window allowed access to those who saw to the anchorite's physical needs. A third window, often facing
759-509: The dwellings of anchorites and anchoresses survive, a large number of which are in England. They tended to be a simple cell (also called anchorhold ) built against one of the walls of the local village church. In Germanic-speaking areas, from at least the tenth century it was customary for the bishop to say the Office of the Dead as the anchorite entered their cell, to signify the anchorite's death to
792-456: The hard and rocky ground, Paphnutius could not dig a hole for a grave, and therefore covered Onuphrius' body in a cloak, leaving the hermit's body in a cleft of the rocks. After the burial, Onuphrius' cell crumbled, which Paphnutius took to be a sign that he should not stay. One scholar has written that Onuphrius' life "fits the mold of countless desert hermits or anchorites . ...[However] despite its predictability, Paphnutius' Life of Onuphrius
825-401: The miraculous properties of Saint Onuphrius' hair. It is widely accepted that repeating the prayer whilst looking for something like keys, a misplaced ring, or anything else, will greatly help in finding it sooner. St Onophrius' remains (Reliquary) are held in a sanctuary at Sutera (Sicily) where a feast is held in his honor every 1st Sunday of August and the saints remains are carried around
858-454: The morning Paphnutius discovered that Onuphrius was near death. Paphnutius, distressed, asked the hermit if he should occupy Onuphrius' cell after the hermit's death, but Onuphrius told him, "That may not be, thy work is in Egypt with thy brethren." Onuphrius asked Paphnutius for there to be a memorial with incense in Egypt in remembrance of the hermit. He then blessed the traveler and died. Due to
891-574: The saint died on June 11; however, his feast day was celebrated on June 12 in the Eastern Orthodox calendars from an early date. The legend of Saint Onuphrius was depicted in Pisa's camposanto (monumental cemetery), and in Rome the church Sant'Onofrio was built in his honor on the Janiculan Hill in the fifteenth century. Antony, the archbishop of Novgorod , writing around 1200 AD, stated that Onuphrius' head
924-419: The saint was known as Abū Nufir ( Arabic : ابو نفر ) or as Nofer ( Arabic : نوفر ), which, besides being a variant of the name Onuphrius, also means "herbivore". Onuphrius and Onofrio are sometimes Anglicized as Humphrey , an unrelated name that is usually given a Germanic etymology. Sicilians pray to Saint Onuphrius when they have lost something. The prayer has many variants but it generally mentions
957-526: The street but covered with translucent cloth, allowed light into the cell. Anchorites committed to a life of uncompromising enclosure. Those who considered leaving possibly believed their souls might be damned for spiritual dereliction. Some refused to leave their cells even when pirates or looters were pillaging their towns and consequently burned to death when the church was torched. They ate frugal meals, spending their days both in contemplative prayer and interceding on behalf of others. Their body waste
990-471: The town with a priest, marching band and pilgrims. ] Anchorite In Christianity , an anchorite or anchoret (female: anchoress ; from Ancient Greek : ἀναχωρέω , romanized : anakhōréō , lit. 'I withdraw, retire') is someone who, for religious reasons, withdraws from secular society to be able to lead an intensely prayer -oriented, ascetic , or Eucharist -focused life. Anchorites are frequently considered to be
1023-442: The world and rebirth to a spiritual life of solitary communion with God and the angels. Sometimes, if the anchorite was walled up inside the cell, the bishop would put his seal upon the wall to stamp it with his authority. Some anchorites, however, freely moved between their cells and the adjoining churches. Most anchoritic strongholds were small, perhaps at most 3.7 to 4.6 m (12 to 15 ft) square, with three windows. Viewing
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1056-595: Was conserved in the church of Saint Acindinus (Akindinos), Constantinople . For several decades Orthodox seminarians in Poland have begun their spiritual training in the monastery of St. Onuphrius in Jablechna. It is said that the saint himself chose the place for it, appearing nearly four hundred years ago to fishermen and leaving them an icon of himself on the banks of the river Bug . The St. Onuphrius Monastery in Jerusalem
1089-540: Was managed using a chamber pot . Some anchorholds had a few small rooms or attached gardens. Servants tended to the basic needs of anchorites, providing food and water and removing waste. Julian of Norwich , for example, is known to have had several maidservants, among them Sara and Alice. Aelred of Rievaulx wrote an anchorite rule book, c. 1161 , for his recluse sister titled De Institutione Inclusarum . In it, he suggested keeping no housemates other than an older woman, to act as companion and doorkeeper, and
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