John of Pskov

Who was John of Pskov?

Saint John, Hermit of Pskov lived in a period of terrible suffering and war between the Russian, Polish, and Swedish governments at the turn of the 16th to 17th centuries. He is credited with the gift of powerful intercession with God under the care of the saints and Mother of God of the Pskov Caves.

St John... "lived within the city walls for 23 years; his fish was rancid and he did not eat bread. He lived within the city as though in a wilderness, in great silence," and he died on October 24, 1616.

John the Hermit of Pskov is commemorated 24 October in the Eastern Orthodox Church.