| Saint Rabulas of Samosata | |
| Birth Date: | ~450 AD |
| Death Date: | 530 AD |
| Feast Day: | 19 February |
| Venerated In: | Roman Catholic Church, Eastern Orthodox Church |
| Birth Place: | Samosata (modern-day Samsat, Adıyaman, Turkey) |
Saint Rabulas (or Rabula) of Samosata (d. 530 AD[1]) was a monk and ascetic. A native of Samosata,[1] and was educated there by a man named Baripsaba.[2] [3] He learned the Syriac language.[2] Rabulas became an ascetic in the deserts and mountains, and then traveled to the Levant.[1] [3]
The Emperor Zeno provided Rabulas with funds to build a monastery in the middle of the mountains (the location of which has not been identified[2]), the construction of which was supervised by Bishop John of Berytus.[1] [2] [3] Rabulas’ monastery became a center for converting local peoples to Christianity.[1] [3] Rabulas then went to Constantinople, where the Emperor Anastasius I Dicorus supported the ascetic financially. Rabulas built more monasteries with these funds.[1] [3]