St. Blessed Isidor was born in Prussia. Having accepted Orthodoxy, he renounced the world and began to live as a fool for Christ, leaving his parents' home. Coming to Russia, he settled in Rostov the Great, where he built a hut from branches and lived in it until his death, enduring insults in the streets of the city.
During a storm at sea, a Rostov merchant was saved by Blessed Isidor, who appeared to him in a moment of danger and helped him return to his ship. The blessed one forbade the merchant to speak of what had happened.
At the wedding feast of Prince Savva Obolensky, Blessed Isidor placed a grass hat on him and said: “Here is your archpastoral hat!” After the birth of a son, the princess Darya Vasilyevna passed away, and the prince took monastic vows with the name Joasaph.
A few days before his death, Blessed Isidor, praying, became ill in his hut. At the moment of his death, a wonderful fragrance filled the air. He was buried in his hut, and his followers built a church in the name of the Ascension of the Lord. Miracles occurred at his grave, including healings.
