In a women’s monastery in Thebaid lived a nun named Isidora. She was a great figure of monasticism. She was known as a “fool for Christ.” She endured many humiliations and insults from the sisters of the monastery, yet she always gave thanks to God and revered His grace. Isidora worked in the kitchen, cleaned the monastery, and fed on crumbs gathered from the trapeza. She lived in silence and never spoke harshly to anyone.
After many years of spiritual struggle, a monk who lived in solitude recognized her great spirit. An angel of God had revealed to him Isidora’s virtues, so that he went to the monastery, where, upon meeting her, he fell at her feet, honoring her as a true servant of God. The other nuns, astonished by his reverence for Isidora, repented of their behavior, confessed their sins, and asked for her forgiveness.
The elder prayed for them and gave them wise counsel for their communal life. After this event, Isidora, rejecting all praise and honor, left the monastery to continue her ascetic life in solitude until the day of her death. She served the Lord in secret and, for her humility, received a place in heaven, eternally glorifying the Holy Trinity.
