Righteous Righteous Simeon of Verkhoturye

Righteous Simeon of Verkhoturye was born around 1607 into a noble family, but renounced his rank and withdrew beyond the Ural Mountains into Siberia, living as a homeless ascetic wanderer. He settled near the village of Merkushino, not far from Verkhoturye, supporting himself by tailoring and fishing while teaching the local Russian and Vogul (Mansi) inhabitants the basics of the Christian faith without charge — often leaving work unfinished rather than accept payment, out of humility. He loved solitary prayer on the banks of the Tura River.

He died in 1642, still young, at about thirty-five, and was buried by the Church of the Archangel Michael in Merkushino. Roughly fifty years later, around 1692, his coffin miraculously began to rise from the ground, and his relics were found incorrupt, followed by numerous healings. In 1694 a formal ecclesiastical investigation confirmed and glorified the saint.

In 1704 his relics were solemnly translated to the Verkhoturye St. Nicholas Monastery, which became a major pilgrimage center for all of Siberia. Righteous Simeon is venerated as patron of the Ural and Siberian lands, and is commemorated in both the Synaxis of Siberian Saints and the Synaxis of Ekaterinburg Saints.