Matrona the Barefoot (; also known as Matrona of Petersburg, born Matrona Petrovna Shcherbinina, married name Rumyantseva in her first marriage and Mylnikova in her second marriage; 1833 – 30 March 1911)) was a blessed Russian wanderer of the late 19th and early 20th centuries. She became widely known during her lifetime. Metropolitan Varsonofy of Saint Petersburg and Ladoga described her as having followed the paths of foolishness for Christ’s sake and wandering, attributing to her the abilities of foresight and miracle-working.
Among the notable figures of her time who were close to Matrona were John of Kronstadt and the wanderer Vasily the Barefoot. She maintained a long correspondence with the imperial family, and there is evidence of a personal meeting between her and Emperor Nicholas II. Shortly after her death, a pamphlet about her life was published in Saint Petersburg. In the 2010s, discussions about her possible canonization emerged, prompting the release of two books based on archival records of her life.
Photographs that capture her appearance were taken by renowned photographers of the time, including Karl Bulla. In the 2000s and 2010s, documentaries about her were released, exploring her life and legacy for a wider audience.
Biography
Family life Matrona (recorded as Matryona in the revision lists of Kostroma Governorate in 1834) was born in 1833 in the village of Vanino, Odelevskaya volost, Nerekhtsky Uyezd, Kostroma Governorate, to Pyotr Evstigneev and Agafya Nesterova Shcherbinin. She was baptized on 27 March 1833 in honor of the martyr Matrona of Thessalonica. She was from a peasant family. Some sources suggest her father may have originated from the nearby village of Shcherbinino or that the family belonged to the Shcherbatov princes before the abolition of serfdom. Matrona had an older brother, Alexander, and younger brothers, Ivan and Makar.
Matrona was baptized in the church in the village of Odoleevo. As a child, she may have heard stories about Simon of Yuryevets, a figure known in the region. While some accounts suggest that signs of a future calling to a distinctive path might appear in childhood or adolescence, no specific evidence of this exists for Matrona.
At the age of 17, in 1850, Matrona was married to Ivan Fyodorov Rumyantsev for 18 years. The family lived in the village of Antonovo, her husband's birthplace. By 1857, they had two sons: Andrey (5 years old) and Ivan (4 years old). During this time, Ivan Rumyantsev was conscripted into military service in 1855. Following his conscription, Matrona's status changed to that of a soldier's wife. As such, she may have either accompanied her husband to his place of service or taken up seasonal work, with the latter being more typical. Some sources propose that this shift in status may have freed Matrona from serfdom.
Ivan returned from service in 1865 and died in 1870, reportedly his death due to alcoholism. As a widow with children, Matrona faced the choice of staying with her husband's family or obtaining a passport to seek work elsewhere. She opted to move to Kostroma for employment. There, she married a local townsman, Yegor Tikhonovich Mylnikov, and was registered as a townswoman herself. The Mylnikovs likely owned a grocery shop and a house on Sergievskaya Street in Kostroma. Sources describe this marriage as challenging for Matrona, though specific details vary. They had no children. Her second marriage elevated her social status from a peasant widow to a townswoman, distancing her from peasant life.
During the Russo-Turkish War of 1877–1878, Egor Mylnikov was drafted into the army. Matrona went with him to the combat zone as a nurse. The institution of nursing emerged in Russia in the mid-19th century under European influence but developed under the Orthodox ideals of mercy. This role allowed Matrona to acquire medical skills and earn a wage. She received a salary of 25 rubles, which she reportedly gave to wounded soldiers. Although her name does not appear in the lists of nurses from Kostroma, among the items she presented to the heir to the throne in 1904 was a commemorative medal from the consecration of a church at the Shipka Pass, an indication that she may have been a volunteer during the war.
Ascetic life
During the Russo-Turkish War, Matrona's husband, Yegor Mylnikov, died. After the war ended in 1878, she sold her property and distributed the proceeds. She then began a practice of barefoot wandering. Sources indicate she traveled extensively, reportedly visiting Jerusalem four times and making numerous trips to the Solovetsky Islands (her first destination), as well as Valaam, the Trinity-Sergius Lavra, the Sarov Hermitage, and other monasteries. She walked barefoot despite bad weather, wearing only white summer clothing. Matrona maintained friendship with two other well-known wanderers in the Russian Empire, Vasily the Barefoot and Alexander Dyomin.
Her lifestyle aligned with a form of religious asceticism known as wandering, often associated with pilgrimage to holy sites. This way of life typically involved leaving behind one's previous social standing, relying on alms or small earnings, and finding shelter in inns, private homes, or outdoors. Wanderers were expected to share stories of their travels and the shrines they visited, and Matrona's recorded narratives resemble traditional wanderer tales. Her barefoot wandering has been linked to additional practices, such as going without shoes, maintaining simplicity, and challenging social conventions, with her bare feet interpreted by some as a Christian symbol of humility.
Matrona wandered for about three years before settling in Saint Petersburg in 1881, possibly due to relatives there. Possible reasons for this move include the presence of relatives or her son in the city, though some point to Saint Petersburg's reputation as a center for unconventional religious figures, particularly women, from the 18th to early 20th centuries. Evidence of her healing and prophetic abilities emerged in the late 1890s, possibly after a long process of self-improvement through prayer and labor. People sought her help with employment and difficult situations.
In Saint Petersburg, Matrona was detained by police multiple times for walking barefoot. She submitted a petition to the Holy Synod requesting official permission to continue this practice, claiming that her ability to remain barefoot in cold weather was evidence of resilience, consistent with her religious views. She initially lived on the Petrograd Side, later on Vasilyevsky Island, regularly attending Saint Andrew's Cathedral, and eventually resided on Bolshaya Morskaya Street. Matrona became known as someone people turned to for advice on personal difficulties and for her reported healing abilities, with reports suggesting she received as many as 500 visitors on Mondays and Thursdays. Police reports noted crowds of up to 300 admirers gathering around her. Her popularity alarmed church authorities and police, leading to an investigation. In October 1897, the Spiritual Consistory ordered her parish clergy to monitor her religious beliefs, banning her from receiving visitors or collecting donations for oil and candles. In January 1898, she faced a magistrate for collecting funds without permission but was acquitted.
For the last 14 or 16 years of her life, Matrona lived near the Chapel of Our Lady of Sorrows at the Imperial Glass Factory beyond the Neva Gate, an industrial area with over 30 factories, poor sanitation, and widespread poverty and alcoholism. Together with Vasily the Barefoot, she raised funds to build a church there in honor of the icon Joy of All Who Sorrow. She also collected money for a church in the village of Feryazkino, Mikulinskaya volost, Staritsky Uyezd, Tver Governorate.
Death and burial Matrona the Barefoot died on 30 March 1911. There were large crowds near her home for days, including people from all walks of life —beggars, factory workers, merchants, officials, and aristocrats— as well as many priests. Major newspapers reported on her death and farewell ceremonies daily. Her body was buried on 4 April 1911 behind the Chapel of Our Lady of Sorrows on the Neva River bank, attended by over 20,000 people.
Her initial burial included an underground crypt with a slab, covered by a mound adorned with spruce branches and a cross. Later, a wooden chapel with two windows was built over the grave, containing a low tombstone covered with a crimson cloth and a large white wooden cross inscribed: “Here rests the body of God’s servant, the eldress Matryona Petrovna Mylnikova (Matrenushka-bosonozhka), who died on March 30, 1911, at the age of 78. Peace to your ashes”. The chapel walls held many icons from Matrona's apartment. During the Soviet times, the burial site was leveled and covered with construction debris or industrial waste.
Personality
According to Natalia Mazalova, a Doctor of History, Matrona is viewed as a historical individual, a typical social figure of her time, and a subject of mythology. These perspectives often intertwine, contributing to numerous legends and a mythologized image of her.
She had good health conditions throughout most of her life while leading an ascetic lifestyle. A correspondent from the newspaper Gazette of the Saint Petersburg City Administration and Metropolitan Police described her diet as "consisting of a soup she cooked in a small cup and ate over several days, supplemented by soaked bread. She mixed tea and coffee in a teapot to quench her thirst, with prosphora as her only other sustenance".
She reportedly avoided bathing for 30 years, washing only her feet and head. Matrona immediately distributed money received from believers, stating she lived only for God and did not want money found on her after death. Her living quarters were described as a sparse room in a two-story log house, with a soot-covered ceiling and walls, where she slept on an iron bed with rags, illuminated only by altar lamps.
Alexander Plotnikov reported that few passersby avoided visiting Matrona, with many seeking her out for support during personal hardships or illnesses. Visitors often came for advice or comfort, offering contributions ranging from a few kopecks to 500 rubles, which she reportedly redistributed to those in need or sent to monasteries and less affluent parishes.
Contemporaries believed she possessed the gift of foresight. Her admirers were mostly poor, though some came from the intelligentsia, middle classes, and high society. She is credited with predicting the fates of Prime Minister Pyotr Stolypin and Priamursky Governor-General Nikolay Gondatti. In 1910, she is said to have remarked, “Seven of my lamps have gone out [...] Something bad will happen in Russia”, which some later tied to the country's subsequent turmoil.
Accounts of healings attributed to her prayers include curing chronic alcoholics. She often sprinkled visitors with water —described by some as holy— and made gestures with an icon. Letters arrived from various parts of Russia, occasionally delivered to her in large quantities.
A priest from Saint Andrew's Cathedral observed that some visitors asked Matrona to predict their future, but she declined, explaining that she was neither a witch nor a fortune-teller, and instead offered to pray quietly with them in front of icons. She did not accept payment for these prayers, though she suggested contributions for lamp oil and candles if offered. She is recorded as having confessed to John of Kronstadt and received communion from him. A photograph captured her with John of Kronstadt during the laying of a merchant's house foundation in 1906.