“Righteous Maria of Olonets was a typical representative of feminine aspirations in a ‘masculine’ land—the wild North of Russia. Both male and female ascetics conquered this wild land through prayer and monastic pioneering, cutting through unknown thickets in order to find a place suitable to satisfy their sense of beauty before God. These locations would inspire them to a life of deeper prayer and ascetic labors so as to be closer to God. This is how, historically, the movement of the ‘Northern Thebaid’ was formed. This movement was interrupted by a century of Westernization and then continued with the impetus of St. Paisius Velichkovsky and his disciples, who went as far north as Solovki.” —“INTRODUCTION to the Second Edition”
CONTENTS
INTRODUCTION TO THE SECOND EDITION INTRODUCTION TO THE FIRST EDITION Part I 1. Desert Dwellers of the Northern Forests 2. Maria of Peredino Village 3. The St. Nicephorus Hermitage on Vazhe Lake 4. Maria Leaves the North 5. The Beginning of Desert Life 6. The Persecuted Hermitess of Vazhe Lake 7. The Journey to the South 8. A Desert Refuge in the Caucasus 9. A Final Hermitage in the North Part II 10. Elder Isaiah-Ignatius of St. Nicephorus Hermitage 11. Anastasia of Padan 12. Righteous Farmer Peter 13. The Desert Dwellers of Olonets Part III 14. Women of God INDEX
Item Number: BKX282 Publication Data: Platina, CA/Wildwood, CA: St. Herman of Alaska Brotherhood/St. Xenia Skete, 1996 Format: softcover Number of Pages: 111 Dimensions (l × w × h): 21.0 cm × 13.4 cm × 0.8 cm Additional Information: black-and-white illustrations ISBN: 0‒938635‒74‒3
