Macarius

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Macarius is mentioned by Cacciaguida in the twenty-second canto of the Paradiso, among the exemplary monks who remained steadfast in the cloisters. According to the critical note, the name is chosen by Dante to represent Eastern monasticism, in parallel with Romualdo, who represents that of the West. The figure is identified with Saint Macarius of Alexandria, a disciple of Saint Anthony, who promoted monasticism in the deserts near the Red Sea and died in 404; the note also mentions the alternative hypothesis of Macarius the Egyptian, who lived in Libya and died in 391, often confused with the former. The note further emphasizes that Macarius, like Romualdo, fulfills the representative function of an initiator that Dante assigns to him alongside the followers of Francis and Dominic.