Saint Pious Teodora from Sihla was born in the second half of the 17th century, in Vanatori village, county of Neamt, to righteous parents loving God. When an adult, her parents married her against her will to a religious man from Ismail. After a while, she became a nun at Varzarest skete, Focsani, and her husband a monk at Poina Marului skete, with the name Elefterie. When the Turks put fire to Varzaresti skete, Teodora retired to the mountains together with her abbess, Paisia, where they suffered hunger, cold and all kind of trials.

After Paisia died, Saint Teodora left the Buzau Mountains and came back to Neamt region, to the forests around Sihastria Skete, where she retired to the hermitage life, close to Sihla Skete, with the blessing of her father confessor, Pavel. Here, a merciful hermit offered her his cell as a shelter, not far from the skete and from the cave of her name till today. Her father confessor used to come to her from time to time and administrated her the Holy Sacraments. Teodora lived off the forest, eating wild fruit and hazelnuts. The birds brought her breadcrumbs from the refectory of Sihastria skete and drank water from the hollow of a rock nearby.

She was buried in the cave where she lived. Her body remained there till after 1830, when prince Mihail Sturza had it put in a shrine and laid it in the church skete. After the prince built a church at his estate in Miclauseni village, Iasi region, he had her relics moved to this church. In 1852, the holy relics were taken to Pecerska Monastery in Kiev, and put in a shrine reading: “Saint Teodora from the Carpathians” – informs Lumina newspaper.