Petronius of Egypt

4th-century Egyptian Christian monk

Saint Petronius
Born	c. late 3rd century AD Egypt
Residence	Tbew
Died	346 Upper Egypt
Venerated in	Coptic Orthodox Church
Feast	27 Abib
Influences	Pachomius the Great

Petronius, also spelled Petronios (died 346 AD), was a 4th-century Egyptian Christian monk who served as a superior of the Pachomian monasteries.^[1]

Life

Petronius was born into a wealthy family in Pjoj, a town located in the diocese of Diospolis Parva (also known as Hu or Hiw). He built the monastery of Tbew by converting his family estate into a monastery.^[1]^: 136 Soon afterwards, his father, Pshenthbo, and his brother, Pshenapalhi, and other relatives converted to Christianity and joined the local Pachomian monasteries as monks. He later requested Pachomius to allow Tbew to join the Koinonia, which was Pachomius's federation of monasteries.^[2]

During Pachomius's lifetime, Petronius served as the superior of Tsmine and also oversaw other monasteries, including Šmin and Tse.^[3]^: 163 Pachomius appointed Petronius as his successor when he was on his deathbed.^[4]^: 37

Death and legacy

Petronius died on 21 July 346, three months after Pachomius the Great died, and was succeeded by Horsiesius. Today, Petronius is canonized as a saint by the Coptic Orthodox Church. His Coptic calendar feast day is on 27 Abib.^[2]

References

^ ^a ^b Harmless, William (2004). Desert Christians: An Introduction to the Literature of Early Monasticism. Oxford: Oxford University Press. doi:10.1093/0195162234. ISBN 978-0-19-516222-6.
^ ^a ^b "Petronius, Saint". Claremont Coptic Encyclopedia. Retrieved 2024-06-05.
^ Brooks Hedstrom, Darlene L. (2017-11-23). The Monastic Landscape of Late Antique Egypt: An Archaeological Reconstruction. Cambridge University Press. doi:10.1017/9781316676653.007. ISBN 978-1-316-67665-3.
^ Barthel, Christian (2020). "Monastic Authority on Trial: The Synod of Latopolis". Konzilien und kanonisches Recht in Spätantike und frühem Mittelalter. Berlin: Walter de Gruyter: 25–39. ISBN 978-3-11-068437-7.