Saint Righteous Artemius, the Wonderworker of Verkola, was born in 1532 in the village of Verkola. From a young age, he showed piety and obedience, avoiding childish games. At the age of 12, while working with his father in the field, he unexpectedly died from a lightning strike. His body was left in the forest, where it lay for 32 years until it was found by the deacon Agafonik, who saw light above the burial site.
After the discovery of the relics, miracles of healing began to occur. Soon after, a fever spread in the Dvina region, and many, by touching the relics of the saint, were healed. In 1584, the relics of Artemius were transferred to the Church of Saint Nicholas, where healings continued to take place.
Metropolitan Macarius confirmed the relics of the saint in 1619 and blessed their transfer to the church. The miracles continued to multiply, including the healing of the blind Ilarion and the relief from a hernia of Patikiy Ignatiev. In 1648, Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich ordered the construction of a monastery at the site of the discovery of the relics, which were transferred to a new shrine.
The relics of Saint Artemius became a source of numerous healings, and his veneration spread far beyond his native land. In 1793, a stone church was built, in which the relics of the saint were placed for veneration.
