The founder of the Ascetic School, as Humberclaude says, is Saint Basil the Great. Besides the fact that he was passionate for the ascetic life and due to the influence of his sister Macrina, St. Basil visited personally the most famous places at the time, where the monasticism was in bloom. Therefore reaching Egypt and Palestine, he became familiar with the way of living of the local monks. He did not meet St. Antony the Great nor St. Pahomie, but he read the life of the devoted/Saint Antony, written by St. Antony the Great. The ascetic communities organized by Saint Pahomie were based more on the holy writings of the holy Tradition whereas Saint Basil was more the follower of the way of life in the letter and the spirit of the Holy Gospel. As D. Attingher says, St. Basil never used the work ‘monk’ but only ‘Christian’ hermit or ‘brothers’ or ‘sisters’, which mean that, between brothers, first does not come the listening of the abbot, but of Christ and of each other. For the first time it was introduced the pronunciation of the monastic votes, through which St. Basil was trying to separate totally the young hermit from the earthly world. All the preoccupations of the monks were organized for fulfillment of the ascetic tasks, and due to this, these tasks were linked with taking care of the children, of the sick and of the travelers. A very good organization with results that are still seen throughout time.
