Who are the Optina elders? Secrets of the Optina Pustyn. Cathedral of the Optina Reverend Elders

In difficult moments, every person hopes to receive spiritual help or wise advice, gain hope for healing or reduce suffering. Believers are saved by prayers and pilgrimages to Holy places. One of these is the miraculous Optina Pustyn. From ancient times to this day, this monastery has been famous for the power possessed by its servants - the Optina elders.

Origin of the monastery

According to legend, in ancient times, in a deep forest on the banks of the Zhizdra River, far from people, hermits settled who had incredible abilities - foresight and healing. They led a quiet, godly life. Some called them prophets, but they called their ministry eldership, comforted the suffering and predicted the future according to God’s will.

The exact time of foundation and origin of the name have several versions. Some believe that the founder of the monastery was the robber Optius, who repented and became a monk. Others are sure that Prince Vladimir the Brave founded the monastery. It is known that in the seventeenth century Optina Pustyn was a wooden church with six cells in which twelve holy elders lived. Then Tsar Mikhail Fedorovich donated a mill and land to the monastery in Kozelsk, and the local boyars, the Shepelevs, erected the Vvedensky Cathedral. Thus, this monastery is one of the oldest.

Characteristic differences of the monastery

Most monasteries are famous for their care for the weak and poor, schools for orphans and hospitals, long services and the reception of pilgrims. But Optina Pustyn is unique for its monks.

The first elders

In the era of Peter the Great, when the material principle was placed above the spiritual, monasticism was persecuted and began to perish. And only thanks to sincerely believing, pure-spirited monks, the spiritual life of Rus' was preserved. The strong-willed, energetic and gifted Saint Paisiy Velichkovsky became especially famous in this field. It was he who understood the need for internal asceticism; he himself was an elder and led the eldership from the monasteries into the communal life of monasteries. Among Paisius's students was Theodore Svirsky, who educated the first Optina elder Leo.

The holy elders stood at the origins of the monastery:

They not only worked miracles during their lifetime, helping people, but also left the world an invaluable legacy in the form of wise sayings, works and biographies.

Basic provisions of Optina

The elders laid the characteristic foundation of the Optina eldership of three components:

Following these canons, the elders of Optina Hermitage continue the great work of service at the present time.

The most famous among them is Schema-Archimandrite Father Eli. Orthodox Christians tell thousands of amazing stories about his gift of insight, kindness, sharpness of sight, inner purity and humility. Currently, the elder serves in Peredelkino and is the personal confessor and mentor of Patriarch Kirill. But, despite this, he chooses the time to come to Optina Pustyn to meet with the pilgrims, console them with words and help with advice.

Any person who has at least once visited Optina, talked with the monks, venerated the relics of the elders, describes his feelings in words full of delight: “... felt grace, tears of happiness appeared, the soul was filled with love for the whole world, saw the beauty around, felt relief.” . Indeed, the entire monastery seems to be imbued with the holiness and spirituality that the founding elders passed on from generation to generation through their students.

Everything connected with Optina Hermitage and its elders has incredible miraculous power. The icon of the Optina elders is also endowed with this quality; How it helps is told by thousands of believers who, in moments of adversity, said prayers in front of the image.

The image of all the ancestors of the desert - the 14 holy elders - has such spiritual power that is capable of conveying to the person praying all the wisdom, will, peace and humility that the monks possessed. People turn to the icon, first of all, in moments of doubt, in order to see the word of God and get answers to their questions. And also in such life situations when it is required:

The face of the Optina elders is capable of endowing a person with patience and understanding that the path of life is never easy; and at the same time instills confidence that the person praying is not alone in this world, God’s grace is with him, which he needs to feel, accept and make his own efforts for this.

The legacy of the reverends

Not only a visit to Optina or prayer in front of the icon of the Optina Elders helps a person find the meaning of life and learn the truth. You should familiarize yourself with the spiritual heritage in the form of priceless letters, biographies, sermons and teachings of the saints. The statements of the Optina elders from their works are analyzed into quotations.

D eat good, avoiding evil - first out of the fear of God, and then you will reach the love of God.

Rev. Macarius

D This deed is not every good deed, but only such a good deed that is done for the sake of God. The appearance of a matter is not its essence; God looks at the heart. How we must humble ourselves, seeing that passion is mixed with every good deed.

Rev. Nikon

TO when the soul learns the law of God, and the body is submissive to the prudence of the soul, then these things are seen: love for God and neighbor, peace with everyone, meekness, simplicity, benevolence, mercy towards everyone, modesty, abstinence, chastity, kindness and others. And these deeds are the fruits of the Holy Spirit and are called sowing into the soul.

Rev. Moses

M Wisdom is characterized by having not only wit, but also foresight, foresight, and at the same time the art of how to act.

Rev. Ambrose

In Optina Hermitage, each elder carried out spiritual and educational work, passing on his knowledge, faith and experience not only to followers and students, but also to everyone who wants to comprehend the meaning of existence and see God in themselves. Throughout their lives, the saints teach people to reject anger, envy, greed, and cruelty towards each other. The sinless and light-filled life of the holy elders gives them the moral right to give instructions to lost souls.

Every year on October 11, the church celebration of the Council of the Optina Elders takes place in memory of the saints who, with their lives, proved the existence of prophets in the world. And it doesn’t matter where the history of the monastery began - with the repentant and tonsured robber Optius or with the settlement of other mysterious hermits. The history of Optina Pustyn serves as a clear example of the fact that faith in God, the strength of the human spirit and the desire to sow mercy in people's hearts help to get through any hardships and sorrows.

Today, Optina Pustyn is of great importance both for the Orthodox Church and the state, and for each individual person. The doors of the monastery are always open, behind which wise mentors, good advice and peace await.

Attention, TODAY only!

THE ELDERS OF THE OPTINA DESERT
(HOUSE OF WOUNDED SOULS)

THE HOLY ELDER NECTARIUS PREDITED THE EXECUTION OF THE ROYAL FAMILY, A DIFFICULT AGE FOR RUSSIA AND ITS FUTURE REVIVAL

Founded by a repentant robber in the 15th century, Optina Pustyn glorified Rus' with its holy elders. It became a place of consolation for all the downtrodden. The poor, the infirm, nobles, and great Russian writers and philosophers came here for healing and hope. More than once the monastery was destroyed. However, miraculously reborn from oblivion, Optina Pustyn became the true spiritual center of Russia. After many years of ruin, the Optina Pustyn was reopened in 1989. Now this is one of the first male Orthodox monasteries opened after Soviet times. Here, to this day, miracles of healing occur at the relics of the holy elder Ambrose. And one of the holy Optina elders, Nektariy, predicted a year before the execution of the royal family its martyrdom, the difficult age coming for Russia, and the future greatness and glory of our Motherland.

Ataman of the robbers

The founder of the Optina Hermitage in the middle of the 15th century, legend calls the elder Opta, until his sudden repentance - the ataman of the Cossack gang. In the Kozelsky forests in the 15th century, this gang terrorized the area for a long time. Criminals killed and robbed people. But a miracle happened. The chieftain of the robbers repented of what he had done, began to fast and pray, atonement for his guilt, and founded a monastery of God. The leader of the robbers has become an old man! Founded by a former robber, the monastery became the most famous spiritual center in Russia. What kind of disasters did the monastery endure? And the Lithuanian raid in the Time of Troubles, and famine, and ruin. In the 17th century, the monastery was begging, and the monks ate only cabbage. In the seventies of the 18th century, only two monks remained in the monastery, very old men, one of whom was blind. How did they survive without a livelihood? God knows. The monastery was also closed during Soviet times. In 1919 it was transformed into an “agricultural artel”, and in 1926 it was destroyed by “activists”. And yet the monastery was revived after each defeat, and Rus' glorified the holy elders.

Abode of Wounded Souls

At the beginning of the eighteenth century, the monastery became famous by Elder Leo. All of Russia, the majority of whose population were peasants, learned about him. There weren’t enough doctors in our village, but there was an abundance of illnesses and misfortunes. People went to Leo for help. And no one left him without healing. Macarius became his successor. But the most famous was the third Optina elder Ambrose, a disciple of Leo and Macarius. It was he who became the prototype of Elder Zosima from the novel “The Brothers Karamazov” by Dostoevsky.

Ambrose, in the world - Alexander Mikhailovich Grenkov, was born on December 5, 1812 in the Tambov Province in the family of sexton Mikhail Fedorovich and his wife Martha. At baptism he was named Alexander in honor of Prince Alexander Nevsky. He was the sixth of eight children in the family. While studying at theological school, he became dangerously ill and vowed to become a monk.
“Father Ambrosim,” as ordinary people called him, was a great old man. The thoughts of the people who came to him and their sins were revealed to him. Thousands of sufferers from all over Russia came to his small house in the monastery. As a contemporary wrote, “there was not an hour in the day when those eager to see the priest were not standing at the monastery gates, and they were not discussing whether the monastery could feed and support all those accepted.” After visiting the elder, the sick recovered, and the lives of the poor improved. Pavel Florensky called Optina Pustyn “a spiritual sanatorium for wounded souls.” But if someone did not follow the elder’s instructions, anything could happen to him. A person could go bankrupt, get sick, and this was not the will of the elder, but the punishment of the Lord. The elder’s power was absolute then; even criminals who were not afraid of policemen were afraid to disobey him!
Ambrose opened an orphanage and founded the Kazan Convent for women near Optina Pustyn in the village of Shamordino, where he spent the last years of his life. The nuns idolized their spiritual mentor. On October 22, 1891, the elder died. “I know those who had a personal feeling for him that was stronger than their faith in the Church itself. I am sure that there are people (especially elderly nuns) who will not survive him for a long time,” Konstantin Leontyev wrote to Vasily Rozanov after Ambrose’s death.
In 1988, Ambrose was canonized. His relics rest in the Vvedensky Cathedral of Optina Hermitage. To this day, miracles occur at the relics of Ambrose; people are healed of many, sometimes incurable, diseases.

"War and Peace" between the writer and the elders

Ambrose was visited by Fyodor Dostoevsky, Konstantin Leontiev, Vladimir Solovyov, Alexei Tolstoy and Leo Tolstoy. Lev Nikolaevich treated the elders with hostility, and after visiting them he wrote critical articles: “Notes of a Christian” and “What is my faith?” The story of the confrontation between Leo Tolstoy and the elders continued after the death of Ambrose. The stubborn writer, on his last journey in 1910, nevertheless visited Optina Pustyn. And again he did not get along with the elders. When it became known that Lev Nikolaevich was dying, Ambrose’s disciple Barsanuphius came to him, however, the elder was not allowed to see the dying man!
Later, Gogol also visited Optina Pustyn. Apparently, his mystical characters haunted him (one feature from “Evenings on a Farm near Dikanka” is worth it!), and he wrote to the elders: “For the sake of Christ Himself, pray: I need to be in thought (spirit) every minute in the Optina Hermitage.”

Joseph and his rosary

After the death of Ambrose, his disciple Joseph became the confessor of Optina Pustyn. He became an orphan early and made his living by working in taverns. A difficult childhood undermined his health; all his life the old man was tormented by severe illnesses, despite which he received a huge number of visitors. Due to weakness, he could not hold long conversations, but he knew how to express the main thing in a few words, and helped many sick people. There is a known case when a woman was healed simply by holding his rosary in her hand. On the ninth day after his death, the first sick person was healed at his grave.

Wanderer
After Joseph, Barsanuphius continued his senile service, and in the world - Pavel Ivanovich Plikhankov. A nobleman, a colonel with an excellent record, he was about to become a general. The comrades had fun at feasts, and the colonel read the Bible, fasted, went to church and wrote spiritual poetry under the pseudonym Wanderer. When Pavel Ivanovich entered Optina Pustyn, he was almost fifty years old! Ten years later he became Elder Barsanuphius. He had an extraordinary gift of insight. He revealed to strangers all their sins, accurately indicating dates and names. During the Russo-Japanese War, he was a priest at the front, where he administered communion to soldiers and performed funeral services for the dead. The bullet did not kill the sick old man! Returning to the desert, he miraculously escaped death several times.

Second Seraphim of Sarov

Elder Anatoly (Potapov) was popularly called the “comforter” and the “second Seraphim.” Despite the pain in his bleeding legs and from a strangulated hernia, the elder accepted everyone without any time limit, was always friendly and kind to everyone. Sometimes he didn't sleep for weeks. Soon after the revolution, the elder was arrested. He returned to the monastery barely alive, with cropped hair and beard, but... smiling. They came for him the second time on July 29, 1922. Towards morning, the cell attendant found the elder on his knees. When the authorized officers entered the cell, they saw that the elder was no longer in their power: the Lord took him away, not allowing the continuation of torture in the dungeons of the GPU.

Pie with filling

Father Anatoly always asked visitors if they had visited Father Nektary. Having learned that he was not, he said: “Go to him today. He is a great old man, like Ambrose.” Father Nektary himself did not recognize himself as great, saying: “I’m still like a pie without filling.” (He called Anatoly’s father a pie with filling.) If Anatoly conquered everyone with his kindness, then Nektary could also be stern. Coming from a poor family, he became a mentor to the intelligentsia. Just one conversation with him could radically change a person’s fate.
In 1912, the famous Russian spiritualist Vladimir Bykov came to Optina Pustyn, hiding his passion for occult sciences from the elder. The elder received him kindly, however, he suddenly said: “The passion for spiritualism is terrible, harmful to the soul and body.” The spiritualist recalls: “If a deafening thunderclap had been heard in the cell, it would not have made such an impression on me as these words of the divinely inspired elder.” The elder also spoke about the connection between such activities and the collapse of the family, and told Bykov about his secret thoughts and desires. The elder’s story had such an effect on him that the famous spiritualist publicly renounced his former beliefs, denounced the spiritualists, and soon became a priest.

“Nikolka will sleep it off - it will be useful to everyone!”

Saint Nektary (in the world Nikolai Vasilyevich Tikhonov) was born in 1853. He was orphaned early and worked in a shop. When he turned eighteen, the clerk decided to marry him to his daughter. Nikolai was advised to ask for blessings for marriage in Optina Pustyn. At that time, so many people came to the Monk Ambrose that they waited for weeks to receive him, but the elder received Nicholas immediately and talked with him for two hours, and Nicholas remained in the monastery forever. He was often late for church and walked with sleepy eyes. The brethren complained about him to Ambrose, and he answered: “Wait, Nikolka will sleep it off, it will be useful to everyone.”
In 1898, Nektary stopped leaving his cell, and the windows in his cell were covered with blue paper. For several years he read spiritual books, studied mathematics, history, geography, Russian and foreign literature, languages, and spoke fluent French. Nectary was short, with a round face, and strands of half-gray hair spilled out from under a high monastic cap. He always held a pomegranate rosary in his hands. Sometimes the elder did strange things. At meals, he could pour all the dishes into one plate; could - in violation of the monastery charter - eat milk chocolate with visitors. And then suddenly he would start playing with the flashlight, turning it on and off and saying: “I caught lightning.” In 1913, the brethren gathered to elect an elder. The modest Nektary did not attend the meeting: “And without me they will choose whoever is needed.” But he was chosen as the elder. They sent for him. He came: one foot in a shoe, the other in a felt boot.
The elders had to conduct a huge correspondence. Father Nektary answered letters without opening them. Priest Vasily Shustin was especially amazed by this ability of Nektary: “On one of my visits to Optina Pustyn, I saw Father Nektary reading sealed letters. He came to me with the received letters, of which there were about 50, and, without opening them, began to sort them out. He put some letters aside with the words: “An answer must be given here, but these letters of gratitude can be left unanswered.” He didn't read them, he saw their contents. He blessed some of them, and kissed some of them."

Weightless jug

Priest Vasily Shustin left a memory of such a miracle of Father Nektary. One day the elder told him: “Let’s go, I’ll teach you how to set a samovar. When the time comes, you won’t have a servant.” It was necessary to pour water; the elder pointed to Vasily a large copper jug. Vasily tried to lift it, but could not. Nektary repeated again: “Take a jug and pour water into the samovar.” “But it’s too heavy for me, I can’t move it,” answered Vasily. Then the priest approached the jug, crossed it and said: “Take it.” Vasily picked it up and felt with amazement that the jug weighed nothing! Father Nektarios destroyed the force of gravity with the sign of the cross!

Prophecies of Saint Nektarios

In 1923, Elder Nektary was arrested on charges of counter-revolutionary activities. Execution awaited him. He was saved only by the intercession of the poetess Nadezhda Pavlovich. She turned to the People's Commissariat for Education with a request to save her “grandfather,” an old monk who they wanted to shoot. Krupskaya regarded this as “excesses on the ground,” and soon a telegram arrived in Kozelsk about the elder’s release. Nektary was sent into exile to the Bryansk village of Kholmishchi. The elder foresaw this change in his fate. Even before the October Revolution, he predicted that the monastery would be ruined. And in 1917, under the Provisional Government, he made a prophecy:
“Soon there will be a spiritual book famine. You won’t be able to get spiritual books. An age of silence is coming. The Tsar is suffering so many humiliations for his mistakes. 1918 will be even more difficult, the Tsar and the whole family will be killed and tortured. Yes, this Tsar will be a great martyr. Lately he redeemed his life, and if people do not turn to God, then not only Russia, all of Europe will fail. The time of prayer is coming." . About the more distant future, he said that “Russia will rise up and will not be rich materially, but will be rich in spirit.”

He predicted a great victory for Zhukov

Nektary’s spiritual children came to him in Kholmishchi. One day Maria Sukhova, the future nun Ilaria, arrived. “Today you will go to bed not in the visitors’ room, but with me,” the elder ordered. He prayed all night, and at dawn he said: “Go to the common room.” She went out and found out that at night the GPU came with a search. If it were not for the elder’s instructions, she would have been arrested. But the security officers did not dare to enter Father Nektary’s cell.
In 1925, Georgy Zhukov came to Kholmishchi to visit the elder. He was twenty-nine years old then. Father Nektarios predicted brilliant victories for him.
The elder took upon himself the sins and illnesses of others and suffered greatly. The elder had a presentiment of his death. He began to say goodbye to his loved ones two months before: he spoke the last instructions and blessed them. He died on April 29, 1928.
Destruction began: the 65-meter bell tower and the hospital Vladimir Church were destroyed. The temples were destroyed and beheaded, the graves of the elders were razed to the ground.

Miracles happen here again

Optina Pustyn is one of the first newly opened Orthodox monasteries. It was handed over to believers in November 1987, and in June 1988 the first altar was consecrated here. Over the course of several years, the temples, walls and towers of the monastery and monastery were restored. On July 3, 1989, the discovery of the relics of St. Nektarios took place. As the solemn procession moved through the monastery, a strong fragrance emanated from the relics. The elder’s mantle turned out to be incorruptible, and the remains themselves were amber in color. The holy relics of Nektarios were transferred to the cathedral in the name of the Entry into the Temple of the Mother of God, where the relics of his mentor, Saint Ambrose, already rested. The relics of seven other Optina elders, also glorified as saints, were also found. Every Sunday they are brought to the Vvedensky Cathedral. The shrine with the relics of St. Nektarios is located in the western part of the St. Ambrose chapel of the cathedral church. Miracles of healing are performed at the relics. Recently, 13 more Optina elders were canonized.

This monastic monastery was founded in the 14th century, but its true spiritual flowering came in the 19th century. The Holy Vvedenskaya Optina Pustyn is located near the city of Kozelsk. Here, two centuries ago, the experience of spiritual mentoring of the laity - eldership - was revived. Previously, after the reforms of Peter the Great, in Russia it was customary to confess only briefly, and with distrust of the priest - Peter the Great ordered the clergy, under pain of punishment, to denounce criminals.

Optina elders

In the Cathedral (assembly) 14 venerable elders of Optina Pustyn were glorified. The elders were ascetics and prayer books for all people, who did not leave anyone without consolation. In their prayer experience and help - God's grace, faith, wisdom and understanding of the purpose of every person in this world. After all, today it is difficult to understand where to apply yourself among the many possibilities, how to act in a given situation.

Eldership is a great phenomenon in Orthodoxy. Since ancient times, saints received people who came to them for advice. People learned about the holiness of the ascetic by his gift of miracles and clairvoyance. It was after long ascetic deeds that the Optina elders accepted people. They cast out demons from possessed people, healed, prophesied and consoled people in any troubles.

The revival of eldership in Optina occurred during the Golden Age of Russian literature. Some elders influenced the life and work of Russian writers: Nikolai Gogol, Fyodor Dostoevsky, Leo Tolstoy, Konstantin Leontyev (the latter lived in the monastery for a long time). Thus, Dostoevsky found consolation from Elder Ambrose Optinsky after a family tragedy - the death of his little son. Many episodes of the writer’s greatest novel, “The Brothers Karamazov,” were the result of reflections on this trip, and in the literary image of the holy elder Zosima, all contemporaries recognized Saint Ambrose himself. In the novel “The Brothers Karamazov” you can read about the daily reception of people by Saint Ambrose, his help to them and read a description of his appearance and behavior: Dostoevsky left a truly invaluable gift to all admirers of Optina.

Today, the successor to the tradition of the Optical Elders is Schema-Archimandrite Iliy (Nozdrin), the confessor of the monastery. He gives answers to pressing questions. For example,

• About prayer
• About the meaning of life,
• About family relationships
• About health.

All the Optina elders considered faith in God and prayer, understanding the purpose of life, love for neighbors and fulfillment of the Gospel word to be the most important things in life... Schema-Archimandrite Eli (Nozdrin), for example, said in an interview with one Orthodox magazine: “First of all, we must correctly understand the essence of our life, that is, to know what is needed in order, as it is said in the Gospel, to inherit eternal life. The Lord Savior Himself specifically spoke about this: to love God with all your heart, with all your strength, with all your mind. And your neighbor as yourself. When a person does this, then everything falls into place. The correct arrangement of life - both daily and throughout its sequence. Fulfill your purpose in this world correctly.”

Miracles and secrets of Ambrose of Optina

The Monk Ambrose of Optina is a recently lived saint, the founder of the Shamordino hermitage and the Optina elder, teacher and healer. He had a very great influence not only on the peasants who loved and revered him, but also on the educated society of the 19th century.

The future reverend was born into the family of a rural priest, but even during the seminary days he was a notorious... dandy. Only a serious illness forced him to completely reconsider his views, making a vow to God to enter a monastery.

October 8, 1839 He arrived in Optina, where he was joyfully accepted as a novice by the Reverend Elder of Optina Leo (Nagolkin). Father Lev immediately made the young and educated novice his cell attendant, that is, his secretary and assistant. In addition, as a novice, the future saint performed a number of difficult obediences in the refectory: he cooked yeast and was a baker. A short time later, in 1841, Alexander took monastic vows and was named Ambrose, in honor of St. Ambrose of Milan, a preacher and educator.

In 1842, he was tonsured into the mantle, that is, the “small angelic image,” the small schema. He took vows of obedience to the abbot of the monastery, renunciation of the world and non-acquisitiveness - that is, the absence of his property, everything from now on belonged to the monastery and the monastery itself took upon itself the responsibility of ensuring the life of the saint. This tonsure of monks has been going on since ancient times and continues to the present day.

A year later, Saint Ambrose was ordained a hierodeacon, that is, he was made a monastic clergyman who does not perform the Liturgy, but participates in divine services and helps the priest. That same year, the Lord sent him a new test, a new serious illness: having caught a cold in the winter, he fell ill. The brethren thought that Ambrose would die and, according to tradition, on December 9, 1845, he was ordained a hieromonk, as if giving consolation to his soul. The saint could hardly move and was between life and death for two years, but he survived. However, until his death, which followed in 1891, he could not perform divine services and was almost unable to even move, being lying down most of the time. The cell attendant looked after him.

The holiness of St. Ambrose illuminated everyone who came to him. This physically weak man was spiritually great. He endured his serious illness with patience, consoling many thousands of people who came to him. At first he became an elder only of the Optical Monastery, and then many ordinary people began to come to him, who had fallen in love with the monks about the elder’s foresight. The Lord gave him knowledge of human thoughts, insight into the present and the gift of predicting the future - that is, advice regarding the future. After all, the priests of the Orthodox Church differ from psychics and fortune-tellers in that, seeing the future by the Spirit of God, they do not simply say what will happen, but give advice on how best to act in obedience to the will of God.

The elder never showed people the severity of his entire condition, but told how glad he was to serve and help people. Without getting out of bed, he gave his blessing to transfer material assistance to those in need. Seminary students, residents of orphanages and almshouses, and widows lived under his care. He remembered everyone, learned about everyone’s life.

A circle of admirers of the holy elder was formed, who also wanted to devote their lives to God and people, and the Monk Ambrose blessed the creation of the Shamordino Monastery, known today throughout Russia - the Kazan Ambrosian Hermitage. Here they took care of children and the elderly, cultivated the land, and helped sick residents of the surrounding area in the hospital (it must be said that in those days the very creation of the hospital was a good deed: rural medicine was not developed, and when transported on horses, patients often died).

All the elder’s time was occupied either with prayer, or answering letters, or communicating with visitors: peasants, nobles, and dignitaries came to him, and to requests for a blessing for feeding turkeys, and to questions about the state structure, he answered with the same attention and love. Knowing the mood of the intelligentsia, their thoughts - after all, before taking monastic vows, he managed to spend time in secular society, studying at the seminary - he exhorted these people not to indulge in empty philosophy, speculative tangles of thought, but to firmly profess Orthodoxy, which means to live the church life, to work on ourselves according to the covenants of the Fathers of the Church.

The elder died in the Shamordino monastery, but according to the will of the monk, his body was buried in the saint’s native Optina Hermitage.

On his tombstone were carved the words of the Apostle Paul, if translated into Russian: “He was for the sick as one who was weak, so that he might win the sick also for the Church of God. He was everything to everyone in order to save at least someone.” This refers to the saint’s self-denial, his love for all people and understanding. His grave was located near the burial of St. Macarius, the spiritual mentor of the monk, who was the confessor of the monastery before him; now there is a chapel above the place of his burial, and the relics are in the Vvedensky Cathedral of the monastery.

Instructions of the holy elders

According to the testimonies of people who knew the elder, he spoke several languages ​​and was very erudite. His literary language - and the monk left a fairly large written legacy - is simple, laconic and figurative; the elder created many sayings, the most interesting and famous of which:

• “To live is not to bother, not to judge anyone, not to annoy anyone, and to everyone - my respect”;
• “We need to live unhypocritically and behave exemplarily, then our cause will be true, otherwise it will turn out badly”;
• “Where it’s simple, there are a hundred angels, and where it’s sophisticated, there’s not a single one.”

The main idea of ​​the elder’s covenants is that you need to leave your life in God’s hands, trust God in all problems, and for your part, work through the feat of prayer, help loved ones, refrain from excesses, and live simply. The Monk Ambrose gave his advice to people of all classes, which means that each of us can follow them. God's commandments are simple; prayer as communication with God is also a common activity; Simply rejoice in every day of life and give thanks for it - all this together will give you a completely different quality of life, spiritual and everyday.

Powerful prayers of the Optina elders

We can say that the holy elders of Optina help in all difficulties. There is no such trouble in which people would not turn to them. However, the tradition of their veneration says that they have a special grace in guiding the human soul on the path intended by God for it:

• in search of your profession;
• in search of your person for marriage;
• in getting rid of mental anxiety, melancholy, uncertainty;
• problems with choosing and finding housing;
• in getting rid of evil spirits and witchcraft influences.

The following prayer was written by the saints of Optina Pustyn, but by whom exactly is unknown. It is simply called: the prayer of the Optina elders. You can read the prayer online using the text below:
“Lord, let me meet with peace of mind everything that the coming day will bring me.
Let me completely surrender to Your Holy will.
At every hour of this day, instruct and support me in everything.”

This prayer is a beautiful piece of literature that also carries great spiritual power. He who prays about his path, asking in the words of the Optina elders for God’s guidance, understands that it is necessary to hear the will of God, asking Him for help is also important, but it is also necessary to make every effort to ensure that the plan is fulfilled.

Continuation of the prayer of the Optina elders for every day:

“Whatever news I receive during the day, teach me to accept it with a calm soul and the firm conviction that everything is Your Holy will. In all my words and deeds, guide my thoughts and feelings. In all unforeseen cases, do not let me forget that everything was sent down by You.”

In addition, do not stop daily prayer and be attentive to yourself: the Lord speaks to us in our hearts. When you can't make a choice, pray and listen to yourself. A certain idea, a solution will appear as the only possible one in your soul.
Completion of the prayer of the Optina elders for each day:

“Teach me to act directly and wisely with each member of my family, without confusing or upsetting anyone. Lord, give me strength to endure the fatigue of the coming day and all its events. Guide my will and teach me to pray, believe, hope, endure, forgive and love. Amen".

Our reverend fathers, the elders of Optina, pray to God for us!

Hieroschemamonk Lev (Nagolkin) (1768-1841)

Schema-Archimandrite Moses (Putilov) (1782-1862)

Schema-abbot Anthony (Putilov) (1795-1865)

Hieroschemamonk Hilarion (Ponomarev) (1805-1873)

Hieroschemamonk Ambrose (Grenkov) (1812-1891)

Hieroschemamonk Anatoly (Zertsalov) (1824-1894)

Schema-Archimandrite Isaac (Antimonov) (1810-1894)

Hieroschemamonk Joseph (Litovkin) (1837-1911)

Schema-Archimandrite Barsanuphius (Plikhankov) (1845-1913)

Hieroschemamonk Anatoly (Potapov) (1855-1922)

Hieroschemamonk Nektary of Optina (1853-1928)

Hieromonk Nikon (Belyaev) (1888-1931)

Archimandrite Isaac II (Bobrakov) (1865-1938)

People came to him for advice and consolation, and the elder did not refuse help to anyone; with his attention and warmth he warmed everyone who came. A man came out of his cell, flew on wings, the world seemed renewed to him.

Eldership has become a distinctive feature of Optina Pustyn. The fame of this monastery and its elders spread throughout Russia and beyond its borders.

First

The first elder in Optina Pustyn was the Venerable Leo of Optina (L.D. Nagolkin), a man of large build, with a loud voice and a mop of thick hair. Sharp and swift. Instead of long persuasion, the elder sometimes with one word knocked the ground out from under the visitor’s feet, forcing him to realize that he was wrong and repent. He, as a psychologist, knew how to achieve his goal.

The Monk Leo of Optina not only healed the soul, but also healed. He saved many weak people from death. Elder Leo also successfully treated the demon-possessed (possessed by a demon). At the end of his life, he predicted that Russia would endure a lot of grief and turmoil. The holy relics of St. Leo are located in the Vladimir Church of the monastery.

Elder Macarius

Hieroschemamonk Macarius (M. Ivanov) is a disciple of St. Leo of Optina. He was enormous in stature, with an ugly face, scarred by smallpox, and tongue-tied. He had the gift of clairvoyance. Seeing a person for the first time, I could immediately call him by name. Answered letters before receiving them.

He wrote letters from morning to evening. They also contain answers to numerous spiritual questions. They are still useful and interesting today.

The Monk Macarius in the monastery created and led a group of scientists and writers (monks and lay people). They translated ancient spiritual scriptures. Under the influence of Elder Macarius, a school of publishers and translators of spiritual literature arose in Russia. Writers Tolstoy and Gogol came to him for confession.

People followed this old man in crowds, people dreamed of at least seeing him through the window. He bestowed his love on everyone. Tired and sick, the Monk Macarius received pilgrims until his death.

Venerable Hilarion of Optina

Hieroschemamonk Hilarion (R.N. Ponomarev) perfectly recognized and treated mental illnesses with repentance. People came to him for advice in difficult life situations. The elder’s wisdom was simply amazing: he spoke very little, but his words had great power.

One day, the merchant’s brother turned to St. Hilarion of Optina. The young merchant was a widower and asked to be blessed for a second marriage. The elder advised to postpone the wedding for a year and said that the merchant himself would soon come to Optina Pustyn. The merchant did not listen. His new wife died three weeks later. After some time, he himself came to the monastery and accepted.

Elder Hilarion also loved to work in the garden: he grafted trees and planted flowers. Monks and strangers admired and admired the beautiful flower beds of Optina Pustyn, grown by the labors of one person.

Optina Pustyn became the only place in Russia where human society reached the highest degree of spirituality. Not every monk, but the entire brotherhood. There were many saints of Rus', but the holy brotherhood under the leadership of the elders was found only in this monastery.

The Optina elders are famous for miracles of recovery from physical and mental illnesses, all-consuming love for people, humility and forgiveness.