Born in 1314 in Rostov, Sergei was a monk and a miracle worker. Once after prayer before an icon of the Mother of our Lord Jesus Christ, a dazzling light shone upon him and he saw God, together with the Apostles Peter and John. The bright light of the vision was unbearable, and he fell to the ground. But the Mother of God, touching him, promised that she would be with his monastery during his life and afterwards, protecting it. An ascetic, he lived in the forest. Legend says he was troubled by wild animals-especially bears. One bear in particular would come to him. Seeing that the bear was hungry, the Saint would place a small slice of bread on a log for him to eat. Often there was no bread, and both he and the bear went hungry.