Saint Marcian of Cyrrhus

Marcian was born to a noble family in Cyrrhus, in Syria, and could have had a brilliant career at the imperial court. Instead he withdrew to the desert of Chalcis and lived in a cell so small he could neither stand up nor lie down fully, giving his days to prayer, Scripture and manual work. Disciples gathered around him, and Bishop Theodoret of Cyrrhus, who wrote his life, admired his humility: he even avoided working miracles so as not to be praised. He died around 387.

Knowing that many wanted to keep his relics, he asked to be buried in secret, and his grave stayed hidden for about fifty years.