Nilus of Sora
Russian theologian and saint
Nilus of Sora (also Nil Sorsky or Nil Sorski; Russian: Нил Сорский; secular name: Nikolai Maikov; Russian: Николай Майков; c. 1433 – 7 May 1508) was a Russian Orthodox monk, spiritual writer, theologian, and the founder of the Sora Hermitage. He is best known as the founder of a tendency in the Russian Orthodox Church known as the non-possessors (nestyazhateli) which opposed ecclesiastic landownership. The Russian Orthodox Church venerates Nilus as a saint, marking his feast day on the anniversary of his repose on 7 May.
Early life
Nilus of Sora, a great ascetic of the Russian Church, was born in 1433, and descended from the Maikov nobility.
Before becoming a monk, Nilus of Sora worked as a scribe and was engaged in book copying. He also journeyed to Palestine and Greece early in his life and was acquainted there with the Hesychast movement.
Later in his life, he took monastic vows at the Kirillo-Belozersky Monastery, which had been known for its hostile stance towards monastic landownership. The founder of the monastery, Cyril of Beloozero, was himself known for rejecting villages that had been offered to him by devout nobles.
Kirill's followers adopted his ways and would later become known as the startsy from out the Volga with Nilus of Sora as their leader. Soon, he went on a journey to the Holy Land and visited Palestine, Constantinople, and Mount Athos, acquainting himself with a mystical doctrine of Hesychasm and reading patristic literature.
“Nilus of Sora” enters the record as russian theologian and saint. Crown Archives preserves that source wording while asking what Nilus, Sora and Russian can confirm, complicate or overturn.
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Vocabulary and entity names are the principal evidence signals here, because they determine the precision of every later search. The source revision retrieved here is dated Aug 20, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q982860. VIAF identifies the subject as 95272440. The Library of Congress control number is n93010667. 3 of 3 selected statements include explicit references; 0 carry qualifiers and 0 use preferred rank. The first chronological checks are 1433 and 1508.
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