Maxim Ivanovich Rumyantsev was born in the mid-1850s in the village of Vandyshki, Kineshma district of Kostroma province, into a peasant family. After the death of his parents in childhood, he lived with his brother Yegor and his wife Elizabeth, and at the age of fifteen, he went wandering. Upon returning nearly thirty years later, he knew the church service by heart, although he remained illiterate. He spent his time wandering in holy foolishness, not abandoning it until the end of his life. He lived with various people, walked barefoot and in dirty clothes, not washing himself in the bath. The blessed one endured mockery and persecution, remembering that all ascetics for Christ will be persecuted.
Maxim reached a state of blessed dispassion, and the Lord began to reveal His will to him regarding other people. He predicted destinies, helped people, and many testified to the miracles performed through him. In his life, there were instances when he predicted events and assisted in difficult situations. The blessed one never spoke directly but used hints and images.
In 1928, Maxim was arrested on a denunciation; his life ended in prison, where he suffered severe tortures. However, he remained faithful to Christ until the end, and Father Nikolai Zhitnikov, a witness to his death, wrote that the blessed one died as a great righteous man.
