Blaise

Venerable Blaise of Amorion was a monk of the ninth century, a priest, ascetic and founder of a skete on Mount Athos, who died in Constantinople. His name in the world was Basil.

He was born in the village of Aplatiani near Amorion in Asia Minor. At the beginning of the ninth century he left his homeland and went to Constantinople, where he was ordained deacon at Hagia Sophia by Saint Patriarch Ignatius; at the same church his brother was a priest. After an adventurous flight to Bulgaria and his miraculous deliverance, he travelled to Rome, where he stayed nearly twelve years, was ordained priest, led a wonderful life in the community of Saint Caesarius, worked miracles and was twice visited in a vision by the Mother of God. He returned and withdrew for four years to the Studion Monastery, where he made friends with the emperor Leo VI the Wise and with Saint Patriarch Antony.

Around the year 896, desiring to pass through the martyr's struggle alone, he came to Athos with some disciples and built a skete. After making it radiant and leaving one of his disciples as successor, he withdrew to the desert parts of the Mountain, to asceticism and prayer. He remained alone in the wilderness, given wholly to prayer, careless of food or wild beasts; he fed on divine words and the herbs of the mountain, and the animals of the forest were his friends. Often at his open-⁠air Liturgies angels served with him, and the shepherds were amazed at the heavenly singing. For all of Athos he was like a shining star.

After another twelve years of struggle he returned to the Studion Monastery, because people had begun to trouble him. After a fierce heat wave, foreseeing his end, he served the Liturgy for the last time and gave his soul to his Creator. His life was written around the year 940 by a Studite monk, a disciple of his disciple. He is commemorated on 31 March.