Nikita Stylites was a 12th-century monk from Kievan Rus' who practiced extreme asceticism. After a spiritual conversion inspired by the words of the prophet Isaiah, he abandoned his former lifestyle to pursue a life of discipline. He lived as a stylite, a type of ascetic who resides atop a pillar, and established the Monastery of St. Nicetas near Lake Pleshcheyevo. He gained a reputation for his healing abilities before his death in 1186, when he was killed during a robbery.