died 550
A Syrian monk who fled persecution and settled near Spoleto in Italy, where he founded a monastery and was renowned for ascetic labors and miracles.
Our Venerable Father Isaac the Syrian, Abbot and Wonderworker of Spoleto
Isaac of Spoleto was a Syrian monk who emigrated to Italy in the middle of the sixth century and established a monastic community near Spoleto, in Umbria. According to tradition he left Syria to avoid living under Monophysite (non-Chalcedonian) authority, and after settling in central Italy he became known for strict asceticism, a refusal of monastic property, and a reputation for clairvoyance. He is distinct from the seventh-century ascetical writer Isaac the Syrian, Bishop of Nineveh, who is commemorated separately on January 28.
He is principally known through the Dialogues of Pope Gregory the Great (Gregory the Dialogist), who recorded several accounts of his life and miracles. Isaac died in 550 and is commemorated in the Orthodox calendar on April 12.
By a flood of tears you made the desert fertile,
and your longing for God brought forth fruits in abundance.
By the radiance of miracles you illumined the whole universe!
O our holy father Isaac, pray to Christ our God to save our souls!
Text used with permission of the Orthodox Church in America (oca.org).
Isaac is remembered for a rigorous renunciation of possessions. When the people of Spoleto offered him assistance and resources to build a monastery, he refused, holding that a monk who acquires possessions is no longer a monk. He instead withdrew to a desolate place and built a small cell, and the community that grew around him formed despite his refusal of gifts.
The principal source for Isaac's life is the Dialogues of Pope Gregory the Great (Gregory the Dialogist), specifically his accounts of the lives and miracles of the Italian Fathers, which document Isaac's gift of clairvoyance.
Among the episodes related of him: a church warden who struck Isaac and accused him of hypocrisy was, by tradition, seized by a demon that Isaac then cast out, after which news of the event spread through the city; robbers who came to the monastery were turned to honest labor after finding spades left out; and on other occasions Isaac is said to have exposed travelers who concealed fine clothing and to have detected a hidden beehive together with a warning of snakes within it. Tradition holds that he used his discernment to expose deceptions and prompt repentance rather than out of malice.
Saints connected to his life, mission, and place in Orthodox tradition.
Browse similar saints by calling and place.