Venerable Juliana of Lazarevo, Murom

Righteous Juliana of Lazarevo (née Nedyureva, by marriage Osorina) was born around 1530 near Murom to pious nobles Justin and Stefanida Nedyurev. Orphaned early, she was raised by relatives. At sixteen she married the Murom nobleman Yuri Osorin and settled at his estate, the village of Lazarevskoye. As wife and mother of thirteen children, she led a hidden ascetic life — fasting secretly, praying at night, sewing for the poor. She became especially renowned for selfless aid to the starving during the terrible famine of the early 1600s, giving away her last resources and feeding the poor bread of goosefoot and tree bark. She reposed January 2, 1604. Her Life, written by her son Kallistrat Osorin, is one of the earliest secular biographies in Russian literature and a valuable source on 16th–17th century daily life.