Venerable Cyril of Novoezero (New Lake)

St. Cyril of Novoezero (of the Bely/White family) was born on February 4, 1481, in Galich in the Kostroma region. At fifteen he secretly left his parents' home and was tonsured by St. Cornelius of Komel at the Kornilievo-Komelsky Monastery near Vologda. With his elder's blessing he spent roughly twenty years wandering among Russian monasteries in fasting and prayer. While praying at the Tikhvin Monastery he received a vision of the Mother of God directing him toward the Beloozero region. In 1517, after long searching, he settled on the secluded Krasny Island on Lake Novoye, some 30 versts from Beloozero, and founded a monastery with two churches. Known for extreme asceticism — walking barefoot through harsh frosts and sleeping seated — he reposed on February 4, 1532. His relics were found incorrupt on November 7, 1649.