Sabbas

Sabbas, also Savvas in Greek, is the name of a prominent early Christian monk and saint who helped shape cenobitic monasticism in the Jerusalem region during the late antique period. He is best known for founding a network of monasteries in the Judean Desert and for establishing the Monastery of Saint Sabbas near Jerusalem, commonly known as Mar Saba.

According to hagiography, Sabbas lived as a hermit before forming a community under the mentorship of Theodosius the Cenobiarch, and he helped organize a stable system of communal monastic life that attracted monks from across the Christian world. The monastic settlement around Mar Saba evolved into one of the most influential centers of religious life in the Byzantine Levant, playing a significant role in the spread of cenobitic practices and in the preservation of scriptural and scholarly traditions.

Sabbas died in the early 6th century; his legacy is honored in both the Eastern Orthodox and Roman Catholic churches. The Mar Saba complex remains inhabited and is notable for its austere, cliffside architecture and enduring role in monastic history. The name Sabbas/Savvas survives as a given name in Greek-speaking communities and appears in various historical and hagiographical sources.