at this time, living in the desert as a hermit or anchorite was saint piteroum (also pitirim) who was well known and respected. as he was praying one day, an angel appeared to him and asked, "why are you proud of yourself for being religious and dwelling in a place like this? do you want to see a woman who is more religious than you? go to the monastery of the tabennesi women and there you will find a woman wearing a crown on her head. she is better than you. for though she spars with so great a crowd, she has never let her heart go away from god. but you sit here and wander in imagination through the different cities."