#stylites

This giant block of limestone is known as Katskhi Pillar or Katskhis Sveti, and it's located in a remote valley in Western Georgia (the country, not the state).

The church that stands atop Katskhi Pillar is part of a tiny hermitage that was originally constructed during the 9th-10th centuries CE. Researchers believe that it was built by a group of Christian ascetics known as Stylites, who are sometimes described as "Pillar Saints," because they lived, prayed and/or fasted on pillars and cliffs, often in total isolation, in an effort to bring themselves closer to God. The Stylite tradition was born in Syria during the 5th century CE, when a hermit known as Simeon the Elder allegedly climbed up onto a pillar and then stayed there for nearly 40 years, giving rise (no pun intended) to Christian Stylitism.

This movement survived for about 1,000 years after it was created, eventually spreading to other parts of the Near East, the Mediterranean, the Caucasus and Eastern Europe, but it began to die out during the late Middle Ages. By the end of the 16th century, Stylitism had essentially gone extinct.

Researchers don't really know how the monks at Katskhi Pillar originally gained access to the top of the column, or how they were able to transport their building materials up to the site where the hermitage was built.

There's evidence that people were still living in the hermitage up until the mid-1400s, and that it was abandoned shortly thereafter. The circumstances surrounding the site's abandonment are unclear, but there are several chaotic events that may have played a role, as the Kingdom of Georgia was invaded by Turkoman forces on multiple occasions throughout the 1400s, and the kingdom itself collapsed in 1466; the Ottomans then conquered most of Georgia.

The structures at the top of Katskhi Pillar lay abandoned for nearly 500 years after that. No one was able to reach the top of the column during that period, and very little was known about the ruins that lay scattered at the top, as knowledge of the site's origin and history was gradually lost over time. Many local legends were created in order to fill in those blanks.

The hermitage was not visited again until July 29th, 1944, when a mountaineer finally ascended to the top of the column with a small team of researchers, and the group was able to perform the first archaeological survey of the ruins. They found that the structure included three hermit cells, a chapel, a wine cellar, and a small crypt that contained a single set of human remains, likely belonging to one of the monks who had inhabited the site during the Middle Ages.

A metal ladder (often referred to as the "stairway to heaven") was ultimately installed into the side of the pillar in order to make it easier for both researchers and tourists to gain access to the ruins at the top.

This hermitage briefly became active again in the early 1990s, when a small group of monks attempted to revive the Stylite tradition. A Georgian Orthodox monk named Maxime Qavtaradze then lived alone at the top of Katskhi Pillar for almost 20 years, beginning in 1995 and ending with his death in 2014. His remains are now buried at the base of the pillar.

The hermitage is no longer accessible to the public, and it's currently uninhabited, but it is still visited by local monks who often climb to the top of the pillar in order to pray. There is also an active monastery complex at the base of the pillar, and a temple known as the Church of the Simeon Stylites is located at the bottom.

Above: this photo shows the Church of the Simeon Stylites, which is located at the base of Katskhi Pillar; the walls of the church are decorated with several frescoes and religious icons, and the building contains a small shrine with a 6th century cross stored inside

There are still many unanswered questions about the history of Katskhi Pillar, especially during the pre-Christian era. Some researchers believe that the pillar was once used as a site where votive offerings could be made to pagan deities, as pre-Christian idols have been unearthed around the base of the column. According to local tradition, the pillar itself was once venerated by pagan communities, but it's difficult to determine whether or not those claims are just part of the mythos that has developed around Katskhi Pillar, particularly given its mysterious reputation.

Sources & More Info:

BBC: Georgia's Daring, Death-Defying Pilgrimage

CNN: Katskhi Pillar, the Extraordinary Church where Daring Monks Climb Closer to God

Radio Free Europe: Georgian Monk Renews Tradition, Lives Atop Pillar

Architecture and Asceticism (Ch. 4): Stylitism as a Cultural Trend Between Syria and Georgia

Research Publication from the Georgian National Museum: Katskhi Pillar

Saint Simeon Stylites was a Christian ascetic most famous for living 37 years on the top of the column near Aleppo, modern-day Syria. The Saint was expelled from the monastic community because of his excessive austerities, which made him a hermit. During his life on a pillar, he converted many people to Christianity and was a helpful hand for those who sought spiritual counsel, protection, and relief from sickness. After his death, the column became a pilgrimage site.

Sitting atop a pillar . . . for years

In the late Roman Empire, Christianity became the official state religion. Despite the turnaround from being forbidden and often punished by death to becoming the only tolerated religion, many Christians felt uneasy with the Empire. Rome spent centuries as the epitome of evil in Christian tales, and suspicions about the Empire did not disappear overnight. Many Christians felt that Roman society was still overly sinful.

In response to these social changes, many Christians took up ascetic practices to separate themselves from wider society. One of the most extreme practices to come out of this period was that of “pillar sitting.”Essentially, a Christian would choose to spend much (if not most) of his life atop a raised platform—separating himself from the world. His survival would be at the mercy of the elements, and the charity of the community.

According to tradition, the first such pillar sitter was a man named Simeon Stylites the Elder. He took up this practice in the Syrian city of Aleppo in the early fifth century. Afterward, others who followed in his footsteps were called “Stylites” (after the Greek word for pillar, “stylos”).