In his late teens St. Hilarion learned the habits of a monk from St. Antony of the Desert. Then he sought a hermit’s life in Palestine. In his biography of Hilarion, St. Jerome praises him for introducing monasticism into Palestine. And he wrote ironically of the fame that denied Hilarion his lifelong pursuit of solitude because his miracles attracted so many people. Like Antony, Hilarion took only a little food once a day at sunset. He never bathed nor changed his tunic until it wore out. He said, “It is idle to expect cleanliness in a hair shirt.” Jerome relates that even though Hilarion suffered extreme dryness of spirit, he persevered in prayer and cured many people of sickness and demon possession.