Sarah of the Desert

Amma (Mother) Sarah of the Desert (5th century) was one of the early Desert Mothers who is known to us today through the collected Sayings of the Desert Fathers and of the Holy Women Ascetics (the Matericon). She was a hermit and followed a life dedicated to strict asceticism for some sixty years.

Monasticism

Sarah is said to have dwelt in a monastic cell near a large river, likely the Nile, at which she would never look. Her sayings attest that this saint spent her life battling a demon that tempted her to fornication. Records indicate that Sarah lived near Skete in the early to mid-5th century. She lived a life of severe asceticism, refusing wine, laughter, or to leave her cell except to attend church.

Sayings Among her sayings recorded in the Sayings of the Desert Fathers are: on January 5.