1. Christian ascetics who lived on top of pillars or columns as a form of religious devotion
Usage: historical; religious

Examples

• The stylites were early Christian monks who practiced extreme asceticism.
• Saint Simeon Stylites spent decades living atop a pillar in Syria.
• These stylites attracted pilgrims who came to seek their blessing.
• The practice of stylites was most common in the Byzantine Empire.
• Historians study the stylites as examples of early Christian monasticism.
• The stylites survived on food brought by followers below.