In the Novgorod Kremlin, there are unusual frescoes depicting a saint riding a very strange steed. Such an image can also be found on icons of John of Novgorod. His hagiography tells the story of how he once traveled on a demon in the guise of a horse from Novgorod to Jerusalem. Archbishop John lived in Great Novgorod in the 12th century. One day, during prayer, he heard strange sounds coming from the washbasin: he made the sign of the cross and immediately saw that a demon was hiding there, trying to scare the priest. The demon begged to be released — John agreed but first ordered it to take him to the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem. The demon had no choice but to obey and turn into a horse. Once there, the Novgorod saint went to the Church of the Resurrection to pray — at that moment, previously closed doors opened before him, and candles near the Holy Sepulchre shone. Returning the archbishop back to Novgorod, the demon began to beg him not to tell anyone about its disgrace, otherwise it would make it seem that John was a fornicator. The archbishop expelled it with the sign of the cross but told the story of the flight on the demon during one of his talks with parishioners. The demon got angry and started playing tricks: it created illusions, making visitors see women's jewelry and shoes in the archbishop's cell. Once, it even transformed into a girl and ran out of his room to make people think the priest was indeed sinful. Suspecting John of fornication, the people of Novgorod seized him and placed him on a raft to carry him out of the city. However, the raft floated against the current, upstream on the Volkhov River. Then the locals realized how wrong they had been and began asking the saint for forgiveness. John forgave the parishioners and returned to the city. At the place where the raft reached the shore, a stone cross was erected.