91 Mobility, immobility and sainthood upon the mountain changes. Euthymius moves away from Athos with two fellow monk, because: […] τὴν ἤδη τῶν μοναχῶν ἐν τῷ Ὄρει τῇ πρὸς αὐτὸν μιμήσει κατοίκησιν καὶ ὡς ἐν ἄστει σὺν ἀλλήλοις διατριβὴν καὶ παρενόχλησιν καὶ μάλιστα πρὸς αὐτόν, ᾧ πάντες ἐφοίτων […].297 the settlement of monks on the Mountain in imitation of his example and because of the way in which they spent time with each other, as in a city [ὡς ἐν ἄστει], and became a distraction to each other and especially to him, since he was someone whom everyone visited […].298 This example demonstrates that spaces may change identity: places, such as Mount Athos, previously constructed as wilderness, may later be constructed as a space that is considered like a city. The boundaries between wilderness and city are sometimes represented as changeable. 2.3.2.3 Shared spatial characteristics: visibility The cases of the column, Mount Athos and to an extent monastic cells and towers have yet another condition in common. Each of these spaces involves a degree of physical separation from the surroundings and from other people, but in a distinct location that is very visible to others.299 The column in the Life of Euthymius would have been a bit outside the city of Thessaloniki, so close to an urban centre and visible to many people. Stylites would be a remarkable sight, and they might have conjured up associations with the famous late-antique stylites, such as Symeon the Stylite.300 Both the location and the form of Euthymius’ abode on top of the column would make him ostentatiously visible, physically elevated, though distinctly separated from the environment and from other people.301 Mount Athos is not directly in the vicinity of urban centres, but as it is a peak on a relatively narrow peninsula (already in itself a remarkable topographical feature) and the highest mountain in the direct surroundings, it is a very remarkable landmark.302 Especially as seen from sea, when you can see the mountain of just over 2000 meter rising from the sea level and covering most of the peninsula, this is a very visible and distinguishable 297 Life of Euthymius 24.2. 298 Translation by Talbot in Alexakis (2016), p.71. 299 On this phenomenon, especially concerning stylites, see the reflections by Andrew Jacobs in Jacobs (2020). 300 This connection is made explicitly in the narrative of the Life of Euthymius, where Euthymius is represented as a new Symeon. Life of Euthymius 23, see the cited passage at p. 89 above. 301 The visibility of (late-antique) stylites and their proximity to busy roads or urban centres is also observed in the forthcoming Hahn (2024). 302 Also remarked in Whalin (2021), p. 103. 2
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