Blessed Xenia of St. Petersburg was born in the first half of the 18th century and passed away at the beginning of the 19th century. After unexpectedly losing her husband, Colonel Andrei, at the age of 26, her life underwent a profound transformation. Distraught by his sudden death without proper Christian preparation, Xenia decided to dedicate herself to spiritual asceticism to seek God’s forgiveness for her husband’s sins. On the day of his funeral, she dressed in his clothes and declared that it was not Andrei who had died, but Xenia herself. She then embraced the most severe spiritual feat—the path of being a fool for Christ, living a life of extreme devotion.
