While this form of praying was popular in antiquity – one of the most renowned pillar monks is a Christian ascetic named St Simeon Stylites, who reportedly lived for 37 years from 423 CE on top of a pillar in Aleppo, Syria – the practice has now become virtually extinct. Katskhi Pillar is one of the few remaining places where this extreme form of asceticism exists, albeit in a highly modified form.
