John of Kronstadt or John Iliytch Sergieff (pre-reform Russian: ; post-reform ; 1829 – ) was a Russian Orthodox archpriest and a member of the Most Holy Synod of the Russian Orthodox Church. He was known for his mass confessions, numerous miracles, charitable work, anti-communism, monarchism, chauvinism, and antisemitism. John is a saint of the Eastern Orthodox Church and is known with the epithet "Righteous". Early life The future Saint was born as Ivan Ilyich Sergiyev (pre-reform Russian: ; post-reform ) on in the northern village of Sura, near the White Sea, in the Russian Empire. He came from a hereditary corporation of village clergymen, and his father was a poor dyachok in the local church. The little that is known about his early life is mainly from late memories. In his autobiography, he claims that his parents gave him to a parish school but that the study was too difficult for him. However, he prayed earnestly and received inspiration. He became the top student in the school and then in the seminary, which enabled him to enter the Theological Academy in Saint Petersburg, the Russian capital. He became the 35th out of 39 students who graduated from the academy in 1855. "Kronstadt Father" From 1855, he worked as a priest in Saint Andrew's Cathedral in Kronstadt, the naval base near St. Petersburg. He married the 26-year-old daughter of the archpriest of the cathedral. Benjamin (Fedchenkov) (1880—1961) writes that after the marriage, he surprisingly refused to have sexual relations with his wife, despite her complaints to the church authorities. Their niece Rufina lived with John and Elizabeth. The young priest behaved unusually: He walked along the street and constantly prayed and crossed his arms on his chest. He tried to serve the liturgy every day. During the service, he behaved very expressively, deviated from the usual text and turned his back to the altar. He introduced the practice of frequent Confession and Holy Communion although once or twice a year was then usual. He allowed the easing from some requirements for the Communicant (in particular, he allowed women during menstruation to communicate, which was usually forbidden). Not everyone perceived his innovations positively, especially church authorities. His biographer Nadieszda Kizenko notes that some aspects of John's behaviour were reminiscent of the practices of Protestants and others of the Khlysts, sectarians. Nevertheless, his distinctive style attracted attention to the young priest and