His left hand holds a book in the first of the images at right and a scroll in the second. These may refer to his authorship of a monastic rule for church services called the Jerusalem Typikon.1
Several episodes in this saint's legend concern access to water in his desert home. In one, needing water for the men who have come to seek his guidance, he sees a wild ass pawing and nosing at the ground. He has a pit dug at that spot, and a spring flows forth.2
Prepared in 2015 by Richard Stracke, Emeritus Professor of English, Augusta University. Revised 2021-11-19.
Detail from an altarpiece by Paolo Veneziano, 14th century (See description page)
Icon with SS. Stephen and Simeon (See description page)
Narrative image: Having prayed for water for his monastery, the saint sees a wild ass pawing the ground. Digging there, he finds a spring. (See Butler, IV, 495.)
DATES
- Feast day: December 5
- Died 532
NAMES
- His name is often rendered as "Saba" or "Sabbas" with a double b.
- In the eastern churches sometimes referred to as "Sabbas the Sanctified"
NOTES
1 See Saint Sabbas the Sanctified Orthodox Monastery.
2 Butler, IV, 495.