Feofil of the Kiev Caves

Description

In the year 1788, in the small town of Makhnovo, in the district of Kiev, twin sons were born to an Orthodox priest, Andrei Gorenkovsky, and his wife, Evfrosiniya. Both boys were strong and beautiful at their baptism, but the eldest son, named Foma, refused from birth to be breast-fed, much to the consternation of his mother. To save his life, she resorted to feeding him potato water, soft-boiled turnips and carrots. This rejection did not settle calmly in her heart, however, and fueled by taunts from superstitious women of the neighborhood, the mother began to believe Foma a changeling, substituted at birth by a witch.
After six months Evfrosiniya secretly ordered her maidservant to throw the child into the river. The servant pleaded on behalf of Foma but fearful of her mistress’ threats, she complied. She took the baby to the Dnieper at the first light of day and dropped him into the water. Miraculously he floated peacefully to the opposite shore. Terrified, the servant crossed over, gathered the infant into her arms and again dropped him into the river. This time Foma was carried by waves upstream and gently cast upon a small island. Shaken at this undeniable miracle, the servant brought Foma back to his mother, weeping that she would rather lose her life than drown the innocent child.
The embittered mother then seized the child and set out for the river. On the way she passed a water mill and threw her son under the great wheel. Assuming him to be dead, she left. Then another miracle occurred. The millstones had stopped and the miller ran outside to see what had happened. He found the wheels restrained by an unseen force and looking down saw baby Foma floating in the whirlpool. He lowered himself down and grabbed the child, and as soon as he did, the wheels began to move again.