St. Nil Sorsky

Nil was a monk who travelled to Athos and Constantinople and brought back the hesychast teaching of the Jesus Prayer. He founded a small hermitage by the Sora river in the northern forests, where monks lived simply in silence and prayer. He taught that monasteries should not own villages and wealth, and his writings on the spiritual struggle are still read.

• Feast: May 7 (New Calendar)
• Lived: c. 1433–1508
• Place: Nilo-Sorsky Hermitage