St. Sergius’s monastic feats. Vision with birds

The difficulty St. Sergius experienced in solitude was astonishing. He endured the cold, hunger, thirst, and grueling hard work with humility. Once when he was praying, he had a vision: the whole sky above the church was filled with doves, and a voice from heaven said, “As many as there are birds in the sky above the monastery, so many will be your disciples.”