Christians celebrate December 28 Memorial Day of Reverend Pavlo Latrasky (of Latria) – a Byzantine monk. The monk was born in the city of Helen (the port of Pergamum in Asia Minor). Paul’s father died in a naval battle with the Arabs, after which he and his brother Vasyl were educated in the monastery of St. Stephen in Phrygia. After the death of his mother, he was a shepherd, and later went to the Karia monastery on Mount Latr near Miletus (modern Turkey, Besparmak range), where he began an ascetic life. Paul prayed, mortified his flesh, never laid down for rest and sleep on a bed or mat, only dozed, leaning against a tree or a stone, or did not sleep at all, walking around the monastery with two suspended stones on his back.

In order to give himself completely to Christ, the monk took a vow of silence and settled in a mountain gorge. Food was brought to him there by a shepherd who happened to come across the cave. For his efforts, the Creator rewarded Paul with the gift of miracles and predicting the future. The monk twice came to the island of Samos, where he built 3 monasteries, which were destroyed and looted by non-believers. Paul went to the Lord, predicting his death.