Sergius of Valaam

Sergius of Valaam (Сергий Валаамский) was a Greek monk and wonderworker credited with bringing Orthodox Christianity to Karelian and Finnish people.

In these writings, Sergius is described as an Athonite monk sent by the Byzantine Emperor to enlighten the heathen tribes of Karelia with the light of the Christian faith.

He traveled along the trade route from the Varangians to the Greeks, passing the Rus' towns of Kiev, Novgorod and Staraya Ladoga.

He arrived on the northern shores of Lake Ladoga, and soon moved to Valaam island, where he would spend the rest of his life preaching.

Another pious legend describes Sergius as a disciple of Apostle Andrew who reportedly visited Crimea in the 1st century AD.