image credit: Aleksey Muhranoff ccIn an isolated part of the Caucasus, a monk is spending his days in prayer and silence atop a 40-meter pillar of limestone in western Georgia. The Katskhi Pillar was used by stylites - Christian ascetics who lived atop pillars and eschewed worldly temptations - until the 15th century when the practice was stopped.
In 1993 Maxime Qavtaradze decided to live atop the pillar in the way of the old stylites. Since then Maxime and the nearby Christian community have constructed a ladder to the top, rebuilt the chapel, and built a cottage where Maxime spends his days praying and reading.
