Saint Thaddeus of Petrozavodsk

Thaddeus of Petrozavodsk (died 1726) was a Russian Orthodox saint and holy fool. According to his hagiography, he lived in the early 18th century and was of Olonets peasant origin, though other accounts suggest he arrived at the Olonets ironworks from the lower Volga. In 1706, he settled on the outskirts of the Olonets Petrovsky ironworks settlement, taking upon himself the ascetic feat of holy foolishness. Legend holds that he was acquainted with Emperor Peter the Great and, during their final meeting, predicted the Emperor's imminent death. The hagiography states that his words weighed heavily on Peter’s heart, and in his agitation, the Emperor ordered that Thaddeus be kept under watch. Peter’s critical attitude toward such predictions may have left him offended, puzzled, or frightened. His order was carried out with immediate zeal, and the inconvenient elder was placed in a prison cell. This occurred in 1724; the following year, the Emperor died from an illness contracted while rescuing soldiers from a grounded boat in the Gulf of Finland. The hagiography recounts that shortly before his death, Peter recalled Thaddeus’s prediction and inquired whether he was still alive. Upon learning that the holy man was in prison, he sent a messenger to the Petrovsky works with orders to release the prisoner and provide him with a pension for the remainder of his life. Peter I believed that Thaddeus exerted a positive influence on the workers of the Petrovsky plant, helping to eradicate drunkenness among them. Thaddeus also defended the poor against the tyranny of officials, cared for poor children—a subject mentioned in a poem by Fyodor Nikolayevich Glinka—and predicted the future development of the settlement. He died in 1726. Most modern researchers consider Thaddeus the Blessed to be a historical figure. Thaddeus’s grave was located near the western entrance of the Holy Spirit Cathedral.