Paul was the first hermit
[229-342]
At the age of 16, Paul moved into the Theban desert’s ideal cave, furnished with a clear spring and a large hall open to the sky, shaded by the wide-spread branches of an ancient palm. He was the first hermit, and subsisted entirely on fruit from that palm tree until he was 43 — it was then that a friendly raven began delivering him a daily loaf of bread. What a beautiful life he lived.