Venerable Irodion of Iloezer, a disciple of Venerable Cornelius of Komel, after the death of his mentor, withdrew to Iloezer, where he founded a church in honor of the Nativity of the Most Holy Theotokos and laid the foundation of the Iloezer Ozadskaya wilderness. He was a strict faster, spent nights in prayer, and received the Holy Mysteries every Saturday. An angel announced to him the nearness of his death. He passed away in the schema on September 28, 1541, and was buried in the chapel he had built.
The first icon of the venerable was painted after his appearance to a certain Sophonius, who, having become blind due to irreverent behavior, regained his sight through the saint's prayer.
A brief life was written by Archimandrite Mitrophan of the Belozersky Monastery, who, in 1653, by the blessing of the Novgorod Metropolitan Nikon, testified to the miracles occurring from the relics of the venerable. At that time, the celebration of his memory was established. On the site of the chapel, a church was erected in honor of the Nativity of the Most Holy Theotokos with an altar dedicated to Venerable Irodion of Iloezer.
