Sergius of Radonezh

Sergius of Radonezh (1314–1392) was a Russian Orthodox monk and monastic reformer. With his brother he built a hermitage and a church of the Trinity near Radonezh, which grew into the Trinity Lavra of St. Sergius, Russia's most revered monastery.

After his brother left, he lived as a hermit until monks gathered and persuaded him to become abbot. He insisted that monks live by their own labor, and his disciples founded some forty monasteries across Russia.

In 1380 he blessed Dmitry Donskoy before Kulikovo. His relics were found in 1422, and he is venerated as one of Russia's greatest saints.