Known by two different names: Paul the First Hermit & Paul of Thebes
He became an orphan at about the age of fifteen and hid during the oppression of the Church under Emperor Caius Messius Quintus Trajanus Decius. At the age of twenty-two, Paul went to the desert to evade a planned effort by his brother-in-law who reported to the authorities that he was a Christian.
St Paul found that the eremitical life was much to his liking, and settled in a desert cavern for the remainder of his long life. At about 90 years-old St Anthony came to visit the aged saint, it has been told that St Anthony’s visit helped St Paul pass away.
The story goes that St Anthony wrapped the saint in a cloak that had been given to Anthony by St Athanasius and then buried him. According to another legend, two lions that assisted Anthony in digging a grave.
The Vit Pauli by St Jerome is the only source that contains St Paul’s life.
