stylite
/ˈstʌɪlʌɪt
/noun historical
An ascetic living on top of a pillar, especially in ancient or medieval Syria, Turkey, and Greece in the 5th century ad.Watching him, I can't help but think of the stylites, fanatical Christian monks of the Middle Ages who would plant themselves atop columns in the desert and stay there for weeks and months....
- It represents St. Simeon the stylite atop his pillar with details of his bare ribs and naked body showing.
- But within ten months he was permitted to set out for the Holy Land, with the blessing of a nearby stylite.
Origin
Mid 17th century: from ecclesiastical Greek stulitēs, from stulos 'pillar'.