Biography
Ignatius of Rostov
About Ignatius of Rostov
Ignatius served as bishop of Rostov. The Orthodox Church in America’s short notice credits him with twenty-six years of pastoral leadership and dates his death to May 28, 1288. It does not provide a dependable account of his early life or the circumstances of his appointment.
The same notice preserves a remarkable funeral story: witnesses were said to have seen the bishop rise from his coffin and bless the city before returning to it. This belongs to the miraculous tradition surrounding his veneration. Reports of healing at his grave likewise express the church’s memory of him as a wonderworker. His episcopal service and feast can be recorded without presenting those reports as independently verified events.
Wondering how to weigh the stories and sources? Learn how to read a saint biography.