Macarius of Rossikon

Macarius of Rossikon was a Russian schemamonk, born in 1772 at Elisavetgrad, a former soldier, who came to St Panteleimon. The date of his repose is not known, but he was almost a hundred years old. He is venerated by the faithful, without a synodal canonization.

Named Michael in the world, he studied at the cadet corps and was a grenadier, taking part in campaigns in Holland, at Alkmaar and Geldern. He then went to Scotland, where he grew rich unexpectedly and wished to serve in the army no more; he obtained a German passport and traded. At Ekaterinoslav he was exposed as an impostor by a former fellow cadet and exiled to guard service. Providence, however, appointed for him a way of suffering in place of the former free life. An elder says that whenever he went to him he found him standing in prayer; in the wall he had a kind of cupboard with two boards at the sides so that he would not fall during prayer, and his food was rusks boiled in water, since he could not eat bread, having not a single tooth. He was about a hundred years old.