Conversation so far:
When did Grigori Rasputin start his religious conversion?
Grigori Rasputin's visit to the St. Nicholas Monastery at Verkhoturye in 1897 was transformative.
Why was Grigori Rasputin's visit to the St. Nicholas Monastery at Verkhoturye in 1897 transformative?
Grigori Rasputin may have spent several months at Verkhoturye, and it was perhaps here that he learned to read and write.
What else did Grigori Rasputin learn at the St. Nicholas Monastery at Verkhoturye in 1897 besides perhaps learning to read and write here?
Did Grigori Rasputin look up to someone at the St. Nicholas Monastery at Verkhoturye in 1897?
There, Grigori Rasputin met and was profoundly humbled by a starets (elder) known as Makary.
What did Grigori Rasputin do in a day at the St. Nicholas Monastery at Verkhoturye in 1897?
Did Grigori Rasputin have followers?
It was rumored that female followers were ceremonially washing Grigori Rasputin before each meeting.

Question: Why were they washing him?
Self-contained rewrite: Why were Grigori Rasputin's female followers rumored to be washing him?