HIGH
347
HILARION
tween the bishop's throne, which stood in the apse, and
the communion-rail, which separated the sanctuary
from the body of the church. On it Divine services
were celebrated by the bishop only, assisted by the
clergy, who received Holy Communion from his hands.
Although each church had but one altar, there were
oratories erected near or around the church in which
Mass was celebrated. This custom is still maintained
throughout the East, so that the liturgical or higli
altar of the solemn sacrifice is isolated from what
may be called the altars of devotional sacrifice on
which Mass is said privately. Later on, in the time of
St. Ambrose (fourth century), we find the custom of
having more than one altar in a church; and St.
Gregory (sixth century) evidently approves of the
same by sending to Palladius, Bishop of Saintes,
France, relics for four altars which, of the thirteen
erected in his church, had remained unconsecrated for
want of relics. After the introduction of private
Masses the necessity of several or even many altars in
each church arose. They were erected near the
principal altar or in side chapels. The altar in the
sanctuary or high chapel always remained the princi-
pal one of the church, and the pontifical services in
catheilrals as well as the solemn functions in other
churches invariably took place at the chief altar on
Sundays, holidays, and other solemn occasions of the
year.
When the custom of erecting the episcopal throne on the gospel side of the sanctuary became prevalent, the high altar was removed nearer to the wall of the apse. The object of this was that sufficient space might be allowed between the lowest step of the altar and the communion-rail (six to twelve feet) for the proper carrying out of the ceremonial, and for the accommodation of the clergy who frequently assisted in large numbers at the solemn celebration of Mass and of the Divine Offices. The high altar was erected on steps, which for symbolical reasons were usually of an uneven number — three or five, including the upper platform (predella) and the pavement of the sanctuary, thus placing it on a higher level than the body of the church, a practice which is still maintained in our churches. In parish churclies the Most Blessed Sacrament is regularly kept on the high altar, which accordingly should liave a tabernacle for the reserva- tion of the" Sacred Species (S. R. C, 28 Nov., 1594; 21 Aug., 1863). The prescribed ornaments are a cruci- fix and six high candlesticks. The high altar in a church that is to be consecrated should be a fixed altar (see Altar, Form of), which according to the prescriptions of the Roman Pontifical (h.l.) is itself to be consecrated simultaneously with the solemn dedication of the church edifice. Hence it must stand free on all sides, allowing ample room for the conse- crator to move around it. As its name indicates, the high altar, being the chief place for the enactment of the sacrificial function, is to be prominent not only by its position but also by the richness of its material and ornamentation. Apart from the liturgical part of the Mass, it serves as the repository for the Eucha- ristic Presence and becomes the centre of all the more solemn parochial functions of the year.
Jakob, Die Kunst im Dienste der Kirche (Landshut, 18801; St. Charles Borromeo. Instruclionfi on Ecclc^iasticat Building (London, 1857); Uttini. Corso di Scienza Liturgica (Bologna. 1904): Lee. Glossary of Liturgical and Ecclesiastical Terms (London, 1877).
A. J. SCHULTE.
High Church.
TR.\rTARIANI.SM.
See Anglicanism; RirtrALiSM;
High Mass. See M.\ss.
High Priest. See Priest.
High Treason. See Treason.
Hilarion, Saint, founder of anchoritic life in Palestine; b. at Tabatha, south of Gaza, Palestine, about 291; d. in the island of Cyprus about 371. The
chief source of information regarding him is the
biography written by St. Jerome (P. L., XXIII, 29-
54). In the introduction Jerome mentions a letter
from St. Epiphanius, .'Archbishop of Salamis, in re-
gard to the life of Hilarion whom Epiphanius had
known personally during the hermit's later years.
The letter is not extant. A newly discovered life
has been edited by Papadopulos-Kerameus (AmXeKTa
'l€poiTowfj.tKTjs ^TaxvoXoyias, V, 1898). Some special
circumstances regarding Hilarion are related by the
ecclesiastical historian, Sozomen, from oral traditions
handed down by Hilarion's disciples; among others
that Sozomen's grandfather and another relative were
converted to Christianity by Hilarion (Hist. Eccl.,
V, xv).
Hilarion was the son of pagan parents. The date of his birth is ascertained from the statement of Jerome (Vita, c. x.xv), that Hilarion, at the death of Anthony (356) , was 65 years old. As a boy Hilarion's parents sent him to Alexandria to be educated in its schools. Here he became a Christian, and at the age of fifteen, attracted by the renown of the anchor- ite, St. Anthony, he retired to the desert. After two months of personal intercourse with the great " Father of Anchorites", Hilarion resolved to devote himself to the ascetic life of a hermit. He returned home, di- vided his fortune among the poor, and then withdrew to a little hut in the desert of Majunia, near Gaza, where he led a life similar to that of St. Anthony. His clothing consisted of a hair shirt, an upper garment of skins, and a short shephcnl's cloak; he fasted rigor- ously, not partaking of his frugal meal until after sun- set, and supported himself by weaving baskets. The greater part of his time was devoted to religious exercises. Miraculous cures and exorcisms of demons which he performed spread his fame in the surround- ing country, so that in 329 numerous disciples assem- bled round' him. Many heathens were converted, and people came to seek his help and counsel in such great numbers that he could hardly find time to perform his religious duties. This induced him to bid farewell to his disciples and to return to Egj-pt about the year 360. Here he visited the places where St. Anthony had lived and the spot where he had died. On the journey thither, he met Dracontius and Philor, two Ijishops banished lw the Emperor Constantius. Hila- rion then went to dwell at Bruchium, near Alexandria, but hearing that Julian the Apostate had ordered his arrest, he retired to an oasis in the Liliyan desert. Later on he journeyetl to Sicily and for a long time lived as a hermit near the promontory of Pachinum. His disciple, Hesychius, who had long sought him, discovered him here and soon Hilarion saw himself again surrounded by disciples desirous of following his holy example.
Leaving Sicily, he went to Epidaurus in Dalmatia, where, on the occasion of a great earthquake (366), he rendered valuable assistance to the inhabitants. Finally he went to Cyprus and there, in a lonely cave in the interior of the island, he spent his last years. It was during his sojourn in C'yprus that he became acquainted with St. Epiphanius, Archbishop of Sala- mis. Before his death, which took place at the age of eighty, Hilarion bequeathed his only possession, his poor and scanty clothing, to his faithful disciple, Hesychius. His body was buried near the town of Paphos, but Hesychius secretly took it away and carried it to Majuma where the saint had lived so long. Hilarion was greatly honoured as the founder of anchoritic life in Palestine. His feast falls on 21 October. The attempts of Israel and of other histo- rians to relegate Hilarion to the realm of imagination have completely failed; there can be no doulit as to the historical fact of his life and the truth of its chief features.
8t. Jerome, Vila S. Hilarionis in P. L., III. 29-54; Acta ,S.S.. October. IX, 43-59: Israel, Die Vita S. Hilarionis Jes Hieronymits iu Zeitschrift fur wissenschaftL Theol. (1880), 139
