I live alone at the top of a 131 foot tall pillar with food and supplies hoisted up on a rope… I love every second of my solitary life

MAXIME Qavtaradze has lived a life of solitude overlooking the stunning Georgian mountains for more than 20 years.

The 59-year-old monk lives on a 131-foot-tall pillar above a monastery and has his followers hoist his supplies.

He comes down only twice a week to pray with his followers – but must make a harrowing 20-minute journey down the 131-foot-tall ladder.

Priests and groups of men seeking consolation come to the base of the pillar to see the monk.

But Maxime is not afraid of heights – and even worked as a crane operator before entering the monastery.

He said, “Up here in the silence you can feel God’s presence.”

At the isolated pillar there is a small hut with a bed for him – but when he moved in, the monk was sleeping in a refrigerator.

Before becoming a monk, Maxime spent a short time in prison and decided he needed a big change, so he followed his orders.

He recalled: “When I was young I drank, sold drugs, everything. When I landed there Jail I knew it was time for a change.

“I used to drink with friends in the hills here and look up at this place where land met Heaven.

“We knew the monks had lived up there before, and I had a lot of respect for them.”

Centuries ago, Christians lived on pillars to “avoid worldly temptations,” until the practice was discontinued in the 15th century.

Maxime decided to go to the forefront and build his relationship with God through prayer and reading.

Men with troubled lives come to talk to Maxime, who himself had a difficult past.

Guests at the monastery pray seven hours a day and help with housework – including lifting supplies for Maxime.

But Maxime seems to enjoy the silence and the view of the Caucasus mountains – the same view he has had for 20 years.