What does the "yurodivy" mean in the Russian Orthodox Church?

The Holy Fool or "yurodivy" (Russian "юродивый") is the Russian version of foolishness for Christ, a peculiar form of Eastern Orthodox asceticism. The "yurodivy" intentionally appears foolish in the eyes of people. The term implies behaviour "which is caused neither by mistake nor by feeble-mindedness, but is deliberate, irritating, even provocative."

Foolishness for Christ (Greek: διά Χριστόν σαλότητα, Church Slavonic: оуродъ, юродъ) refers to behavior such as giving up all one's worldly possessions upon joining a monastic order or deliberately flouting society's conventions to serve a religious purpose—particularly of Christianity. Such individuals have historically been known as both "holy fools" and "blessed fools". The term "fool" refers to innocence in the eyes of God.

The Eastern Orthodox Church holds that holy fools voluntarily take up the guise of insanity in order to conceal their perfection from the world, and thus avoid praise.

There are a number of references to the "yurodivy" in 19th-century Russian literature, some of them in Dostoevsky's novels. "The Idiot" explores the ramifications of placing a holy fool (the compassionate and insightful epileptic Prince Myshkin) in a world dominated by vanity and desire.

The main protagonist of the film "Stalker", by Tarkovsky, can also be identified as a holy fool.