Schmidt was born on August 11 (O.S. July 30), 1851 in Nizhny Novgorod, where she spent most of her life. Her father was a lawyer and served as a forensic investigator. Her mother was a religious woman who honored Orthodox traditions, née A.F. Romanova, the daughter of a titular councilor. Schmidt was the only daughter in the family and was raised in the Old Testament spirit. She did not receive a systematic education, but she passed the exam to become a French teacher and taught at the Mariinsky Women's Gymnasium for three years. Subsequently, she worked as a translator and journalist in local newspapers.[1]
Without sufficient education, from a personal mystical revelation, like visionary authors (for example, Jakob Böhme), she built a Gnostic system. Her writings were highly appreciated by the Russian philosopher Sergei Bulgakov, who noted the closeness between her teachings and Kabbalah.[1]
Later, she met with him. Anna Schmidt corresponded with Alexander Blok. Andrei Bely and Sergei Solovyov wrote about her, and Nikolai Berdyaev held her in high esteem. In 1900, Schmidt wrote a 16-page letter to Vladimir Solovyov, detailing her teachings, which she considered divine revelations.[1] In her works, Anna Schmidt addressed the concept of the Third Testament.
In the Third Testament, Schmidt described an unorthodox conception of the Trinity, in which it consists of a Father, Son, and Daughter. Schmidt also states that spirits can beget spiritual children. Schmidt additionally made references in her work to the idea that Solovyov was a reincarnation of the Logos.[2]
She died on August 18, 1905, in Moscow. She was buried in the Peter and Paul Cemetery of Nizhny Novgorod (the burial was not preserved).
