Saint righteous John of Kronstadt, known in the world as John Ilyich Sergiev, was a priest and the rector of the Andrew Cathedral in Kronstadt. Since 1906, he was a member of the Holy Governing Synod, although he did not participate in its meetings. John was also the inspirer of the creation and an honorary member of the Union of the Russian People, a renowned preacher, spiritual writer, and church-public figure, as well as an honorary member of the Imperial Orthodox Palestine Society.

He was born in 1829 in the village of Sura in the Arkhangelsk province. From childhood, John displayed obedience, intelligence, and meekness, loved to pray, and read spiritual books. After graduating from the theological school in Arkhangelsk, he entered the theological seminary and was later transferred to the theological academy in St. Petersburg, where he defended his dissertation and received a degree of candidate of theology.

At the age of 26, John was ordained as a deacon, and the next day he became a priest. His contemporaries noted his special zeal for service; he often cried during sermons, which surprised his colleagues. Twenty years later, he became a protodeacon, and another twenty years later, the rector of the cathedral.

The first miracle of healing through John's prayers occurred in 1867 when a sick boy recovered. Since then, such cases began to happen more frequently, and thanks to his gift of healing, John became widely known, attracting many people to his services.

In addition to his church service, John actively engaged in charity, organizing children's shelters and homes for the poor. He was greatly loved by ordinary people, and he gave away all his salary, clothes, and shoes, often returning home barefoot. Peasants from all over Russia came to him.

During the illness of Emperor Alexander III, John confessed and communed him, staying with him until his death. In 1901, he founded a women's monastery in St. Petersburg on the Karpovka River, named the John Monastery in honor of Saint John of Rila.

In the last three years of his life, John suffered from a serious illness but continued to serve. He passed away in Kronstadt on December 20, 1908, at the age of 79, leaving no spiritual testament or savings. He was buried in the church-tomb that he arranged for himself in the crypt of the John Monastery on the Karpovka. In 1990, John was canonized as a saint righteous.