Saint Xenia of Petersburg, also known as Xenia Grigorievna Petrova, was born between 1719 and 1731 and died around 1802 in Saint Petersburg. She was an Orthodox fool for Christ of noble descent and lived in Saint Petersburg. Xenia was canonized as a saint on June 6, 1988, at the Local Council of the Russian Orthodox Church. No documentary evidence of her life has survived, and the first mentions in folk traditions appeared in the 1840s. According to these tales, her father was Gregory, while her mother's name remains unknown. In her mature years, Xenia married the court singer Andrei Fyodorovich Petrov. They lived in Saint Petersburg in a house on a street later named after her husband, Andrei Petrov, now known as Lakhtinskaya Street.

After the unexpected death of her husband, 26-year-old Xenia chose the path of foolishness for Christ. She gave her husband's house to one of her acquaintances, dressed in his clothes, and claimed that he was alive while Xenia had died. When her husband's clothes wore out, she began to wear a red shirt and a green skirt or vice versa, along with tattered shoes. Despite offers of warm clothing and shoes, Xenia refused to accept them.

She did not take alms, accepting only small coins, which she then distributed. She spent her days wandering the streets of Petersburg, sometimes visiting acquaintances, having lunch, and conversing with them. For a long time, it was unknown where she spent her nights until it was discovered that she prayed in the fields, kneeling until dawn, regardless of the weather.

At night, Xenia carried bricks for the construction of a church at the Smolensk cemetery. She predicted the deaths of Empress Elizabeth Petrovna and Ivan Antonovich. Thanks to her gift of foresight, she helped people in their affairs and the salvation of their souls. Those to whom Xenia gave anything often experienced prosperity.

Xenia spent 45 years in foolishness and died in the early 19th century, being buried at the Smolensk cemetery in Saint Petersburg. On September 24, 1978, she was canonized by the Russian Orthodox Church Outside Russia. On June 6, 1988, after long-standing popular veneration, she was recognized as a saint at the Local Council of the Russian Orthodox Church. Her memory is celebrated on January 24 (February 6) and May 24 (June 6).

In icons, Xenia is depicted in a skirt with a scarf on her shoulders and head, leaning on a staff. In the background, the Smolensk church and the chapel of Blessed Xenia at the Smolensk cemetery are shown. She is usually dressed in a red skirt and a green shirt or vice versa, reminiscent of the colors of her husband's military uniform.