Macedonius of Syria

He is venerated as a saint in the Eastern Orthodox Church, with a feast day of January 24.

[1] Macedonius began his ascetic life as a pilgrim wandering from city to city in Syria, Phoenicia, and Cilicia, living entirely on barley moistened with water (hence Kritophagus, "barley-eater").

Eventually he settled in the wilderness, far from human contact, taking shelter in a pit.

He considered food a form of medicine that could be taken to stave off death because it is not lawful to "shorten one's life to shun labors and conflicts".

[2] Macedonius became well known to people far and wide for his holiness and gifts of healing and exorcism.