This wonderful saint was born in Antioch in 522 during the reign of Emperor Justin the Elder. His father died in an earthquake and he was left alone with his mother Marta. In the sixth year of his life, he went away to the desert to a priest named Jovan, under whose leadership he committed himself to a great feat of fasting and prayer to the amazement of all who saw him.

Having suffered terrible demonic temptations, he received from the Lord and His angels great comfort and grace. The Lord Christ appeared to him in the form of a beautiful boy. And after that vision, a great love for Christ flared up in Simeon's heart. He spent many years on the tower praying to God and singing psalms. According to God's instructions, he went away to the mountain called Wonderful by the Lord himself. After the name of this mountain, Simeon himself was nicknamed Divnogorac. According to his love for God, he was given a rare grace, with which he healed every disease, tamed beasts, saw into the far corners of the world and into the hearts of men, went outside himself and looked at the heavens, talked with angels, frightened and drove away demons, prophesied, lived sometimes thirty days without sleep and even longer without food, receiving food from the hands of angels. On him, the Savior's words were completely fulfilled: "He who believes in me, the works that I do, he will also do, and greater than these he will do" (Jn 14, 12). In the summer of the Lord in 596, and in the seventy-fifth year of his life, Simeon presented himself to the Lord, so that he could eternally enjoy seeing the face of God together with the angels.

Holy Martyr Meletius Stratilatus. Venerable Nikita Stolpnik.