St. Seraphim of Sarov, in the world of Prokhor, was born on July 19, 1759 in the city of Kursk into a pious merchant family. His whole life is marked by signs of God's mercy. When, as a child, his mother took him with her to build a temple and he fell from the bell tower, the Lord kept him unharmed. During the boy's illness, the Mother of God promised her mother in a dream vision to heal him. Soon, the Kursk Root Icon of the "Sign" of the Most Holy Theotokos was carried near their house with a procession, the mother carried the patient out, he venerated the icon and after that quickly recovered. At the age of seventeen, the young man had already firmly decided to leave the world, and his mother blessed him for a monastic feat with her copper cross, which the monk did not part with until the end of his life. 
The elder of the Kiev Pechersk Lavra, Dosifey (Venerable Dosifeya), blessed Prokhor to go to the Sarov Assumption Deserts, on the border of Nizhny Novgorod and Tambov provinces, known for strict observance of monastic statutes and the ascetic life of the inhabitants. After two years of monastic labors and feats of obedience, Prokhor fell seriously ill and refused the help of doctors for a long time. Three years later, the Mother of God appeared to him with the apostles Peter and John and healed him.
On August 18, 1786, the novice took monastic vows with the name Seraphim ("Fiery") and in December 1787 was ordained a hierodeacon. Already at that time, the young ascetic was honored at divine services to behold the holy Angels and our Lord Jesus Christ Himself, coming through the air surrounded by Heavenly Powers. In 1793, St. Seraphim was ordained a hieromonk and initiated the feat of desert-dwelling and solitary prayer in a forest cell, on the banks of the Sarovka River. The devil aggravated the battle against the ascetic, and the monk assumed the feat of stolpism. For a thousand days and nights he prayed on the stone with his hands raised: "God, be merciful to me, a sinner." Powerless to spiritually depose the ascetic, the devil sent robbers upon the monk, who inflicted mortal wounds on him, but the Mother of God appeared and healed him for the third time.
After his recovery, the Monk Seraphim labored for three years in the feat of silence, and in 1810, after a 15-year stay in the desert, he shut himself up in the monastery cell. For his love of God, humility and exploits, St. Seraphim was granted the spiritual gifts of perspicacity and miracle-working. On November 25, 1825, the Mother of God with Saints Clement of Rome and Peter of Alexandria appeared to the ascetic and allowed him to complete the shutter. The venerable elder began to receive those who came to him for blessing, advice and spiritual comfort, calling them all with love: "My joy, my treasure."
As throughout his life, St. Seraphim invariably based the word of edification on the word of God, the works of the holy fathers and examples from their lives, while especially honoring the holy champions and zealots of Orthodoxy. He loved to talk about Russian saints. The monk urged all those who turned to him to stand for the steadfastness of faith, explained what the purity of Orthodoxy consists in. He persuaded many schismatics to abandon their misconceptions and join the Church. The monk abundantly supported the teaching word with prophecies, healings and miracles. Many soldiers who received the blessing from St. Seraphim testified that, through his prayers, they remained unharmed on the battlefield.
The Monk Seraphim took care of and guided the sisters of the Diveevo monastery and, at the direction of the Mother of God, founded a separate Seraphim-Diveevo mill community for the girls. The Queen of Heaven announced his death to the ascetic in advance, and on January 2, 1833, the Monk Seraphim surrendered his soul to the Lord, during a kneeling prayer before the icon of the Mother of God.
Through the prayers of St. Seraphim, numerous signs and healings were performed at his grave. On July 19, 1903, the glorification of the saint of God took place.