Large Russian pilgrim carved wood icon figure of hermit monk St. Nilus of Stolbensk

Saint Venerable Nilus of Stolbensk (†1554) was a miracle-working hermit who lived on Lake Seliger in the Tver Oblast of Russia. Saint Nilus lived on Stolobny island in the middle of the lake in solitude for twenty-six years. To his spiritual exploits of strict fasting and stillness [ie. hesychia] he added another—he never lay down to sleep but permitted himself only a light nap, leaning on a prop set into the wall of the cell. In 1594, Nilov Monastery was established on the island which became one of the largest and wealthiest monasteries in the Russian Empire and welcomed up to 40,000 pilgrims each year who brought back home various homage items of St. Nilus, such as painted wooden figures, icons, and shadow-framed scenes made by the monks and typically depicting St. Nilus as an old man sleeping standing up while resting on his crouches.