Saint Simeon’s Pillar and the Apollo Myth of Python

This project examines representations of Simeon Stylites, also known as Saint Simeon (Syméon), and Simeon the Elder, as these representations draw parallel similarities to mythologies of ancient Greece. Simeon was an ascetic saint who spent more than three decades living upon pillars in the region of Syria during the Byzantium empire. Although the saint’s ascetic discipline is fascinating in its own right, this research focuses more closely on the depictions of Simeon upon the “Serpent Pillar.” This pillar is depicted by the Plaque de Saint Syméon that is currently on display at the Louvre Museum in Paris, France. The plaque is thought to have been crafted in the late sixth century AD and shows Simeon upon a tall pillar, sitting beneath a seashell that represents the sun, and with a giant snake climbing up the column. Upon seeing this, one cannot help but be reminded of the Greek myth concerning Python of Mount Parnassus, Apollo, and his temple at Delphi. It is this connection between the Greek myth and Saint Simeon that this project intends to explore. The goal of this research is to illustrate how Greek culture influenced early figures of Christianity in a region that was predominantly ruled by Arab politics and Muslim religious influence.