Saint Seraphion of Pskov was born in the late 14th century in the city of Yuriev and was raised in strict piety. He became a fervent confessor of the Orthodox faith and a zealous rebuker of Latin error.
At about 35 years of age, he settled by the river Tolva and became a disciple of Saint Euphrosinus of Pskov, sharing with him the desert struggles and labors of establishing the monastery.
It is unknown where and when Saint Seraphion received the monastic tonsure, but he came to Saint Euphrosinus already as a monk. Diligently fulfilling the monastic rules, he especially devoted himself to church prayer, asserting that twelve psalms sung in the cell cannot equal a single brief prayer sung in the church: 'Lord, have mercy'.
For his great labors, he was granted by the Lord the gift of foresight and miracles. In 1476, a Latvian peasant was healed from a festering wound on his leg after applying snow from the footprints of the saint.
The saint predicted the invasion of Germans on Pskov in the year of his death and that the monastery would not suffer, which indeed came to pass.
He passed away as a 90-year-old elder on September 8, 1480. After his death, he was glorified by numerous miracles.
