At the end of the 1820's or beginning of the 30s. Fr Leonid visited the Sophroniev Hermitage.

At the end of the 1820's or beginning of the 30s. Fr Leonid visited the Sophroniev Hermitage.

 At that time Hieroschemamonk Theodosius was living there in seclusion (in the orchard). Many people considered him to be a spiritual man and clairvoyant because he had foretold the War of 1812 and several other occurrences. Fr. Leonid found his state dubious. After speaking with the recluse, the Elder asked him how he was able to foretell the future. The recluse replied that the Holy Spirit made the future known to him: and to the Elder's question about the manner in which He made this known, he explained that the Holy Spirit appeared to him in the form of some type of dove and spoke to him in a human voice. Fr. Leonid, seeing clearly in this the delusion of the enemy, began to warn the recluse that one should not believe this sort. of thing. But the recluse was offended and indignantly retorted to the Elder, "I thought that you, like the others, wanted to derive profit from me, but you came to teach me!" Fr. Leonid with drew and said to the abbot when he was leaving the Monastery: "Watch out for your holy  recluse; do not let anything happen to him." Fr. Leonid had hardly journeyed as far as Orel when he learned that Fr. Theodosius had hanged himself.