stylite
/ˈstaɪlaɪt/
noun
- A Christian ascetic who lived on top of a pillar, especially in ancient Syria, as a form of religious devotion.
- A famous stylite named Simeon the Elder lived on a pillar near Aleppo for 37 years.
- Historians study the lives of stylites to understand early Christian monastic practices.
- The stylite spent decades on his pillar, praying and preaching to visitors below.