Nifont Chetverikov

Nifont Chetverikov was a Russian schemaarchimandrite, abbot of St Panteleimon Monastery from 1903 to 1905, born in 1842 at Peremyshl, Kaluga province. He reposed on 24 October 1905. He is venerated by the faithful, without a synodal canonization.

Named Nikolai Vasilievich in the world, at fifteen he visited a fool for Christ who told him to stick wax on the walls, then to cense; on Athos he understood the meaning: as sacristan of the Greek church he placed candles, and as priest he censed. As a youth, ill, he saw the Mother of God pointing her hand towards Athos. He arrived there in 1870 and was tonsured into the mantle in 1873; he worked as assistant clockmaker. He was hierodeacon on 15 August 1880 and hieromonk on 23 November. In 1881 he was at the Constantinople metochion, then five years at New Athos, from where came his book on Abkhazia (1889). From 1886 he was a confessor in his monastery. One night in 1886 or 1887 he dreamt that the Mother of God told him to tell the abbot not to shut the gates to the poor. On 11 February 1896 he was chosen by lot as deputy, and on 17 February received the schema. After the abbot Andrew's death, on 3 November 1903 he became abbot, and on 8 November 1904 archimandrite. He died on 24 October 1905, after an illness of a single day.