5th century
Bishop of Damascus who, drawn to stillness, withdrew from his see and lived as an ascetic in the Nitrian desert of Egypt, pleasing God in humility and prayer.
Our Venerable Father John, called Barsanuphius, Bishop of Damascus
Saint John-Barsanuphius was a fifth-century Palestinian monastic who was consecrated bishop of Damascus but later abandoned his see out of love for the solitary life, withdrawing to Egypt to live as a hidden ascetic.
A native of Palestine, he received baptism at the age of eighteen and soon afterward took monastic vows. The reputation of his ascetic life led to his elevation to the episcopate, where the sources name him both bishop and archbishop of Damascus.
Drawn to stillness and contemplation, he secretly left his office and traveled to Alexandria under the assumed name Barsanuphius, concealing his former rank. He entered the monasteries of the Nitrian desert, where he served the elders by day and prayed through the night, persevering in this hidden life until his death.
The Church commemorates him on February 29; in non-leap years his feast is kept on February 28.
According to the synaxarion, John's ascetic manner of life brought him to the attention of the Church, and he was consecrated to lead the see of Damascus. The sources describe him variously as bishop and as archbishop of the city.
Preferring the contemplative life he had known as a monk, he gave up his hierarchical position and departed in secret for Alexandria. To guard his anonymity he took the name Barsanuphius and concealed that he had ever been a bishop.
Reaching the Nitrian wilderness of Egypt, he came to a monastery and asked the igumen to receive him to serve the elders. He fulfilled this obedience conscientiously through the day and spent his nights in prayer.
His concealment did not last: Theodore of Nitria recognized him and knew that he had been a bishop. To preserve his hidden life, John withdrew again, going further into Egypt, where he continued in asceticism until the end of his days.
He is to be distinguished from Barsanuphius the Great, the sixth-century hermit of Gaza in Palestine, who is an unrelated saint. No dedicated biographical article for John-Barsanuphius of Damascus exists in the major reference encyclopedias.
OrthodoxWiki lists him among the February 29 commemorations as 'Venerable John, called Barsanuphius, of Nitria in Egypt,' assigning him to the fifth century. No glorification act, date, or relic information is recorded in the available sources.
Leap-day saint: in non-leap years the commemoration transfers to Feb 28.