In the above-mentioned year <457 AD>, when the Christ-loving Emperor Leon succeeded Marcianus, one Timothy, nicknamed ‘the Cat’, threw into confusion and turmoil the City of Alexandria, after having slayed the city bishop, Proterius, in the holy baptistry: he seized the patriarchal throne and the whole diocese of Egypt was filled with upheaval and disturbances. Hence two anchorites worth of mention decided to leave the mountain of Nitria, journeyed to Palestine and, drawn by Euthymius’ world-wide fame, came to the wonderworker and settled near him, each in a cell of his own. One was a Cappadocian by birth, Martyrius by name, the other was called Elias and came from Arabia. Euthymius, being enlightened in spirit, attached himself to them with great affection and often invited them to his presence, especially since he saw in advance, by virtue of clairvoyance that each of them was destined to succeed, at his appointed time, to the throne of saint James the apostle. He used to take them with him into the desert of Cutila and Ruba on the 14th day of January, and they stayed there with him until the festival of Palms, together with the famous anchorite Gerasimus and the other hermits, who would come every Sunday and receive the immaculate Mysteries from the hands of Euthimius the great. But, as the cells in the Laura ware very narrow and comfortless - for Euthymius the great had ordered them to be built so - after a period of time Elias descended to Jericho and built himself a cell outside the town, where now stand his holy and famous monasteries. Martyrius on the other hand found a cave to the west of the laura, at a distance of perhaps 15 stadia, and he lived in seclusion in it: with God’s help a very famous monastery was later established there.
(transl. Leah Di Segni)