Blessed John lived in Rostov during the reign of Tsar Ivan Vasilyevich the Terrible, leading the life of a fool for Christ's sake. He had no permanent dwelling and sometimes stayed with a pious widow and his spiritual father, Priest Peter. John always carried with him a Psalter in Latin.
The death of Blessed John occurred on September 3, 1580, and his body was buried behind the altar of the Church of St. Vlassius. The burial was accompanied by a storm and thunder.
After his death, many came to his grave, prayed, and received healing from illnesses. Metropolitan Cyril, suffering from a disease, was healed during a service at the grave of the blessed one. Miracles continued to occur, and they were reported to Tsar Mikhail Fyodorovich.
A pious merchant, seeing God's mercy, built a church over the grave of the blessed one. The relics of Blessed John are now located in the stone church of the Tolgskaya Icon of the Mother of God.
Near the tomb are a cypress cross and a parchment Psalter, which Saint Dimitri of Rostov commanded to be bound and kept at the grave. In one of the records, it is mentioned that Archbishop Nil held this book with the greatest reverence.
