Prokhor Moshnin was born to a merchant family in Kursk and entered monastic life at Sarov in his late teens. He spent twenty-five years in the deep forest as a hermit, including the famous thousand days in continuous prayer kneeling on a single granite stone — a feat that crippled him for life.
In his last years, the world came to him. He saw himself as a servant of those who sought him out and welcomed every visitor — peasant, prince, or stranger — with the words 'My joy! Christ is risen!' His teachings on the acquisition of the Holy Spirit, recorded in conversations with Nicholas Motovilov, remain among the most luminous texts in modern Orthodox spirituality.