Saint Isadora of Egypt: The Oldest Recorded Holy Fool

Saint Isadora of Egypt, whose feast day is on May 1st, lived in the fourth century and is likely the oldest recorded holy fool, a path to holiness more common in the East. Holy fools embody a living contradiction to the world's logic, aiming for a high level of holiness. Isadora, a nun at the Tabena monastery, was generally despised by the other sisters, habitually performing menial tasks and wearing a dish rag on her head instead of a proper hood, while intentionally being afflicted as a path to holiness.