St. Nilus of Sora

Born around the year 1443.  He entered monastic life early in his youth and it is debated whether he came from nobility or a peasant family.  He joined a Russian monastery, but wanted a deeper spiritual life and left to study the monastic life both in Palestine and in the Russian Monastery located on the Greek Island of Mount Athos.  After some years of devoted study under a starets (an experienced spiritual guide) there, he returned to Russia to bring what he learned from the Greek monastic fathers.  Following his rule, monks had to sustain themselves by the work of their own hands, accepting charity only in extreme need and to shun the love and splendor of material goods even for the good of the church.  Monks were not to leave the monastery grounds under any pretext and possession of land or estates was forbidden.

Monks participated in divine services including the All Night Vigil.  They also prayed and worked in their cells, struggling with the practice of renunciation of the world, unceasing prayer, and remembrance of death.  In keeping to his teachings, at the time of his death, St. Nilus asked his monastic brothers to throw his body in the woods surrounding the monastery to be eaten by beasts or to bury it without any honor.  He died in the year 1508 at the age of 76.