In the Christian Orthodox tradition, there are certain orders of holiness. According to the teaching of the Church, the saints are among the main prayer books and intercessors for man.
The Christian Church calls reverends those holy people who, having received the grace of the Holy Spirit, have attained likeness to God. That is why such saints are called saints. Usually in the face of saints those people are glorified who were monks, that is, they took upon themselves the angelic image of a monastic tonsure. The attainment of similarity is understood as the attainment of holiness, of becoming like God in the purity and integrity of life. Achieving similarity is not equality with God in holiness, but only closeness to the ideal.
One of the first monks was the monks of the Egyptian deserts. For example, Anthony the Great, Macarius the Great, Euthymius the Great, Abba Sisoy and others (lived in the 4th-6th centuries).
Among the saints who are especially venerated by the Russian people are Saints Anthony and Theodosius of Kiev-Pechersk. The Monk Anthony became the founder of the Kiev-Pechersk Lavra, and Saint Fedosius was a follower of the great Anthony in the establishment of the monastery. The Monk Theodosius was one of the first priests of the monastery.
Among other venerated saints by the Russian Orthodox Church, one can single out the Abbot of the Russian Land Sergius of Radonezh, the founder of the great Trinity-Sergius Lavra, the Monk Seraphim of Sarov. People lovingly call Seraphim dear priest. The Sarov wonderworker was the founder of the women's monastery in Diveevo. Saints Sergius and Seraphim, in addition to monastic tonsure, had a holy order. Sergius was the first abbot in his monastery, and Seraphim was a hieromonk.
The Church glorifies in the face of the saints not only men. From history there are numerous cases of women achieving the holiness of divine likeness. Among them, one can single out Saint Mary of Egypt, who turned from a sinful life and spent more than fifty years in the wilderness.
For their pious life and devotion to God, many saints received from the Lord the gift of insight and miracles. Some of the saints are called wonderworkers. The relics of these saints, resting in many temples of the world, still have amazing healing properties.
