Much of what we know about the saint's life is recorded in the
Sayings of the Desert Fathers. He was baptized in his teens, after which he set out on a pilgrimage to visit different holy sites. He visited some of the monasteries in the hinterland of Jordan, where he learned about monastic life. Upon his return, he became a monk and was a disciple of St.
Isidore of Pelusium. According to his
hagiography, he chose to despise his own body, always sleeping in the open air without shelter, dressed only in a few rags, and withstood both heat and cold. He ate only once a week, spent his time wandering in the desert, always slept under the open sky, and never lay down, choosing always to remain standing or sitting. A legend says that once he remained for forty days and forty nights in prayer, abstaining from eating and sleeping. He died at a great age. ==Legends and miracles==