Житие преподобной Исидоры юродивой

In the Tavennisian convent 3071, located in Thebaid, among other sisters, one maiden named Isidora labored asceticism, and took upon herself the feat of foolishness. She behaved like a fool and crazy, which is why she was in such great contempt among the other sisters that not one of them ever ate food with her. She was humiliated and insulted by everyone, but Isidora endured her feat with great patience, always thanking and praising God. Isidora constantly worked in the monastery kitchen, serving all the sisters and performing all the monastic work, not disdaining the most difficult and dirty ones. With her own hands she cleansed the monastery of all dirt and impurity. So the saint worked constantly, from morning to night, not giving in to rest even for an hour, always exhausting her flesh. Sometimes Isidora pretended to be possessed in order to hide her virtues from the sisters around her. Thus, the apostolic word was fulfilled on it: “If anyone thinks to be wise in this age, let him be foolish, that he may be wise” (1 Cor. 3:18) All the sisters in that monastery were forty, and all of them, according to the rules of monastic life, wore dolls on their heads; Isidora covered her head with a simple rag. No one ever saw her eat a piece of bread or sit at a table and eat boiled food, because she collected the crumbs that fell from the table and ate them; Instead of boiled food, Isidora ate the same water with which she washed pots and cauldrons. The saint never insulted anyone with a word, was never angry with anyone, never grumbled at God, but always remained in silence; She never had a long or short conversation with anyone or spoke to anyone at all, despite the fact that the other sisters often beat her and slandered her. After the Monk Isidora spent a sufficient number of years in such exploits, there was a revelation about her to Pitirim, who labored in the nearby Porphyrite desert, a very virtuous husband. An Angel of the Lord appeared to him and said: “Why are you magnified in your mind and consider yourself virtuous, staying in this deserted place? Do you want to see a woman who is more virtuous than you, who has pleased God with her exploits more than you? If you want to see such a woman, then go to the Tavennisi convent; here you will meet one sister wearing a rag on her head instead of a doll; this sister pleased God with her exploits more than you, since, always living among other sisters and always serving everyone with love, she is despised by everyone; but despite this, she never separates her heart from God, just as her mind is always immersed in the thought of God. And you, staying here in solitude and never leaving here, go around all the cities with your mind.” Pitirim immediately went to the Tavennisi convent. Having reached the men's monastery located in Tavennisi, Pitirim asked the abbot of this monastery to give him guides who could lead him to the convent. Since Pitirim was known here for his exploits, for the sake of his ascetic life, as well as for the sake of his old age, the abbot gave him guides from the brethren, who, with care and love, transported him across the river that separated two monasteries - male and female, and led him to the female monastery. Arriving at the monastery, the monk went first of all to the monastery church. Having performed the usual prayer here, Pitirim asked all the sisters to gather with him so that he could see them all. All the sisters gathered, except Isidora. Not seeing the very sister about whom he had been informed by the Angel and for whose sake he had come here, the elder said: “Bring all the sisters to me, because I think there’s not one here.” - Here we are all standing before your honest face. – There is not one here about which I had a revelation from the Angel of God. “We are all here, honest father; There is only one sister missing here, who is in the cookery, but she is stupid and possessed. “Bring this sister to me too, so that I can see her, since it was for her that I came here.” The sisters went after her and told her that the elder was calling her. But she did not want to go, because she understood in spirit about the revelation that came from the Angel to the elder. Then the sisters grabbed her and dragged her along with them, saying: “Honest Father Pitirim is calling you.” When Isidora was brought to the elder, the latter, seeing her and realizing that it was precisely the sister about whom the Angel had told him, fell at her feet with the words: - Bless me, honest mother! But Isidora herself fell at his feet and said: - Bless me, honest father! Seeing all this, the sisters were very surprised and said to the elder: - Let there be no such dishonor for you, honest father! After all, this sister is crazy. Blessed Pitirim said to them: - Maybe you are all crazy; but this sister pleased God more than me and you all; she is the mother of us all, and I will pray to the Lord that He will grant me the same fate as her on the Day of Judgment. Hearing this, all the sisters fell down before the elder and with tears told him about all the insults that they inflicted on her daily. At the same time, one of the sisters said: “I poured slop on her.” And the other sisters told the elder about many other insults that they inflicted on the saint. Falling on their faces before Isidora, they all asked her forgiveness. The honest elder Pitirim, together with the Monk Isidora, offered up a fervent prayer to God for the sisters, so that their sins would be forgiven. Then Pitirim taught the sisters for a sufficient time and talked with them for the sake of their spiritual benefit, and finally returned to the place of his exploits, praising and glorifying God, who made him worthy to see His servant hidden from everyone. The Venerable Isidora, not wanting to accept respect from the sisters, soon after the elder left, secretly left the monastery from everyone and labored in unknown places until the very day of her death. Such was the life of the saint of God, hidden from everyone, who served the Lord secretly from everyone under the cover of her foolishness. For this she will receive a reward from the Lord in heaven openly, in the eyes of all her heavenly fellow citizens; having settled with them, she glorifies the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit, the One God in the Trinity 3072. The Tavennisian monastery was founded by the famous Egyptian ascetic, Saint Pachomius the Great (his memory is celebrated on May 15) and was located in the upper Thebaid. The reason for the founding of this monastery was the desire of Sister Pachomius to live a hermit life. The place chosen for the monastery was called Men and was located on the banks of the Nile, while the monastery was located on an island in the middle of the Nile. St. Pachomius gave the hermits a strict charter, almost identical to that of his monastery. Death of St. Isidora followed in the 4th century. You might be interested in: