Vasily the Barefoot | |
|---|---|
 Wanderer Vasily the Barefoot with the project of a new temple in the village of Nadezhda. Photo by Karl Bulla. Russian State Film and Photo Archive | |
| Born | Vasily Filippovich Tkachenko Between 1856 and 1858 Chernihiv Governorate, Russian Empire |
| Died | 6 February 1933 Nadezhda, North Caucasus Krai, Soviet Union |
| Occupation | wanderer |
Vasily the Barefoot (in Russian: Василий Босоногий) was a Russian wanderer of the late 19th and early 20th centuries. He gained great popularity among his contemporaries through his charitable practice, his campaign against alcoholism and profanity, and the construction of a temple in his native village, for which he raised funds during his travels throughout the Russian Empire. He was introduced to the imperial family and corresponded for many years with representatives of the ruling dynasty about the construction of the temple. His exotic lifestyle and unusual appearance attracted the attention of the creative intelligentsia and secular society.
Sources agree that Vasily Tkachenko was led to the way of wandering by the Archimandrite of the Trinity Monastery of St. Jonas, Jonah of Kiev, canonized by the Russian Orthodox Church. Among Vasily's close friends were the famous adventurer and schemer Hieromonk Iliodor, the revered seer Matrona of Petersburg, and other famous people of his time.
During his lifetime, two booklets devoted to his biography were published. Photographs of the wanderer's appearance were taken by the great photographers of the time, among them Karl Bulla and the staff of the photographic studio K.E. Gan and K, working on the order of the Imperial Family. At the beginning of the 21st century, a book was published and several articles about the life and views of Vasily Barefoot appeared.