In the bustle of life, people get tired of the endless pursuit of happiness. Everyone sees happiness in their own way: a lot of money, health, family, children, a loved one - you can continue for a long time. But exhausted in an attempt to reach the horizon, a person stops and begins to search in a different direction - in religion. And in each of them there are examples of spiritual insight, detachment, and a feat that attracts desperate souls. The elders of Optina Monastery are some of the revered saints in Orthodox Russia. They received the glory of soul healers, and therefore every day pilgrims come to their monastery to communicate with the shrine.
How to get there?
The Optinskaya Desert, where the monastery is located, is located near Moscow, in the Kaluga Region, five kilometers from the city of Kozelsk. To visit the holy monastery, you can enroll in a pilgrimage group, which is assembled from parishioners and all comers at many Orthodox churches. You can drive to the monastery of Optina desert on your own - both by bus and by train.
Buses depart from the Moscow Teply Stan station, which is located at the metro station of the same name. In the directions Moscow - Kozelsk, Moscow - Sosensky buses leave daily according to the schedule. Breaks between sending buses are from 15 to 40 minutes. The direction Moscow - Sosensky is the most convenient, because the bus calls directly to the parking lot of the Optinsky Monastery. In addition, Kozelsk can be reached from Kaluga and Voronezh, and transit routes through Kaluga can help travelers: Moscow - Bryansk, Moscow - Voronezh, Moscow - Orel, Moscow - Smolensk, Moscow - Tula, Moscow - Kirov, etc.
If pilgrims choose trains, then they can reach them to Kaluga, and then by bus to Kozelsk. By the way, the Kaluga-1 railway station is located next to the bus station. Also, trains run from Moscow from the Kiev railway station to Kaluga daily.
Pilgrims who decide to travel by car need to get to the Kaluga-Kozelsk highway. From Moscow lead Kiev and Kaluga highway, as well as a route that runs through the city of Podolsk. From the southern regions it is necessary to go in the Moscow direction, turn to Tula, and then Tula - Kaluga, Kaluga - Kozelsk. From the Belorussian direction they reach Vyazma in the Smolensk region, and then to Kaluga, where they cross the Oka bridge onto the Kaluga-Kozelsk highway.
Why do people go to the Optina desert?
Four types of people turn to God: those who are in trouble; sincerely seeking; wanting to get rich; inquisitive.
A person in need seeks help and support from the powerful, from relatives and friends, and when he does not receive what he expected, he turns to God. In a state of weakness and despair, the soul is able to open up to the spiritual. Therefore, some people bless the trials that fall to their lot, because through them it is easier to surrender to the Lord.
Sincerely seekers are those people who want to find God for His sake, that is, the Most High is not needed for solving everyday problems, not for wealth, but in order to know Him, to love Him, to surrender and serve Him.
The next category of believers are those who want to become rich in this world, and therefore worship God. This motive is not welcomed in many religions, considering it to be mercantile and far from spirituality. And few people admit it, but when things go uphill and a person receives material wealth, he is glad and grateful to God for this. In Hinduism, for example, this motive is not shameful, and many Hindus worship Shiva or His son Ganesha in the hope of material wealth.
Inquisitives are people who turn to God out of curiosity. They talk and argue so much about Him, so many wars have happened because of Him ... The material world created by Him is also of interest, so there is a desire to learn more about Him.
Based on the main motives for turning to God, we can say that these same motives determine the causes of pilgrimage to holy places. Believers and curious people come to Optina Monastery, where the relics of the holy elders are located, to pray for their troubles, ask for help, enjoy the grace of God, or simply on an excursion.
How and why did this place become the abode of holy people? How did it all come about?
How it all began
According to historical data, at the end of the 14th century a robber named Opta greatly repented of his sins and decided to live a monastic life: in solitude, fasting and prayer. To do this, he goes into a dense forest and on the banks of the Zhizdra River he arranges a cell for himself. Several monks gather around him, and a monastery is organized in this place. In the monastic tonsure, Opta takes the name of Macarius, and until the 17th century the Optinsky Monastery was called the Makaryevsky Desert.
Due to the difficult financial situation in 1724, the monastery was disbanded by the highest command, but already in 1726, by decree of Catherine I, it was reopened. From 1741 to 1854, the Optina Desert was actively under construction. There are temples, outbuildings, a library and a monastery where the hermits live - monks leading a reclusive lifestyle.
Ups and downs
The elders are in charge of all spiritual life, thanks to which a high spiritual life is established in the holy monastery. To Optina deserts, where the Optina Monastery was located, pilgrims stretched from all over the place. So it until the October Revolution of 1917 was the spiritual center of Russia.
In 1918, the Optina monastery was abolished, and the monastery lasted five years under the guise of an agricultural cartel, which was closed in 1923. From that moment, throughout the entire period of Soviet power, Optina Pustyn underwent many changes. First, the territory of the holy monastery was a museum, then a rest house named after Gorky, then a concentration camp for the Poles “Kozelsk-1” was made from it. From 1941 to 1944, a hospital was located here, and after - a camp for people who returned from captivity. In the postwar years, a military unit was located on the territory of the monastery. Optina Orthodox Church was returned in 1987. Since then, the Optina desert, where the monastery is located, has completely recovered through the efforts of the monks.
Who are the elders
The elder is a special kind of monasticism, which consisted in worshiping God in solitude, in the desert. The beginning of old age takes from the time of John the Baptist and is in Orthodox Christianity one of the main forms of worship. A secluded lifestyle away from the hustle and bustle of the world allows you to immerse yourself in prayer and worship. Old age is "the fruit of silence and contemplation." As a result of their ascetic labors, the elders possessed the gift of spiritual foresight and healing. F. M. Dostoevsky said:
An old man is one who takes your soul, your will into his soul and into his will. Having chosen an old man, you renounce your will and give it to him in complete obedience, with complete self-denial. This art, this terrible school of life, condemns himself voluntarily, in the hope of defeating himself after a long art, mastering himself before he can finally achieve, through obedience to his whole life, already perfect freedom, that is, freedom from himself, to avoid the fate of those who have lived their whole lives, but have not found themselves in themselves. This invention, that is, old age, is not theoretical, but is taken out of practice in the East, nowadays millennial.
Elders, in spite of their lifestyle, always helped all those suffering: spiritual advice, support during times of spiritual decline, healed the soul and body.
In Russia, the revival of old age after some decline is connected with the name of Paisiy Velichkovsky (1722-1794), who wrote works on clever prayer and made many translations of patriotic creations. Paisy Velichkovsky and his students breathed new life into monasticism in Russia. One of his students, schemon Theodore, instructed Hieromonk Leonid (L.V. Nagolkin), who became the first elder of the Optinsky Monastery under the name of the Rev. Leo Optinsky.
Optina Elders
The elder differs from the theologian, sage and priest erudite in the holy writings in that he possesses special divine grace, insight and clairvoyance. The elders of the Optina desert monastery were also distinguished by this.
During the centenary history of monasticism from 1820 to 1923, 14 elders were replaced in Optina:
- Jeroskhimonakh Leo (Nagolkin, 1768-1841);
- Hieroschimonah Makarii (Ivanov, 1788-1860);
- Scheme Archimandrite Moses (Putilov, 1782-1862);
- Shiigumen Anthony (Putilov, 1795-1865);
- Hieroskhimonakh Hilarion (Ponomarev, 1805-1873);
- Hieroschimonhos Ambrose (Grenkov, 1812-1891);
- Jeroskhimonakh Anatoly (Zertsalov, 1824-1894);
- Scheme Archimandrite Isaac (Antimonov, 1810-1894);
- Hieroschimonhos Joseph (Litovkin, 1834-1911);
- Scheme Archimandrite Barsanuphius (Plikhankov, 1845-1913);
- Jeroskhimonakh Anatoly (Potapov, 1855-1922);
- Hieroschimonh Nectarius of Optina (1853-1928);
- Hieromonk Nikon (Belyaev, 1888-1931);
- Archimandrite Isaac II (Bobrakov, 1865-1938).
Spiritual succession was carried out thanks to benevolent love, obedience to the younger ones and the care of the elders. Eldership at Optina Monastery was built on three rules:
- The study of the holy scriptures, the scriptures of the Holy Fathers and the application of knowledge in life.
- The elder ruled the inner and outer life of the monastery.
- Help and selfless service to all afflicted.
These rules are still valid.
Optina ancestors of old age
Before the arrival of Hieromonk Leo (Nagolkin), the monks in Optina Desert were zealous in external monastic activity (reading psalms, vigil, prayer with bows, fasting) and neglected inner life. Each remained in his own opinion and lived according to his own concepts. No one in Optina, except for the Putilov brothers Rev. Moses and Anthony, knew about old age, about the works of ascetic monks, about the need for spiritual guidance of an experienced old man.
Rev. Leo Optinsky in the spiritual practice of monks begins to focus on strengthening the spirit and the fight against passions. For this, in addition to the compulsory reading of the holy scriptures and works of the holy fathers, the confession of a monk is introduced to his spiritual mentor. Confession implied the opening of one’s heart, recognition in all shameful thoughts and deeds. Spiritual mentoring consisted of a benevolent analysis of the elder of vices and the monk's weaknesses and instructions for overcoming them. Obligatory obedience of the younger to the elders and loving care of the elders for the younger became the key to success and prosperity of the elderly in the Optina Desert. But not everyone happily accepted the new rules.
Some monks, accustomed over many years to external ritual activity and not understanding the importance of inner life, negatively perceived the innovations. Letters with complaints against the Monk Leo of Optina poured into higher authorities. With due humility and understanding, he endured all the persecutions against himself both from the authorities and from the monks, but did not give up his work, continuing the introduction of senile life in Optina.
Optina Desert Feature
Through the efforts of the Rev. Leo of Optina and his followers, Hieroschimonhom Makarii (Ivanov), Scheme Archimandrite Moses (Putilov), Scheme Hegumen Anthony (Putilov), etc., only in Optina an atmosphere of high spiritual life was established, where not one or two elders possessed divine qualities, but the whole brethren were as a whole.
Optina desert is famous for attracting the most educated minds of Russia of that time. Many writers — Gogol, Dostoevsky, and others — came to the Optinsky Monastery, where the elders were, for spiritual guidance and help. In turn, the writers provided all possible assistance in the translation and printing of books of the holy ascetic fathers. Thanks to the efforts of the elders, throughout the entire heyday of the Optina Desert, patristic works were published, and the spiritual word through books spread gracefully throughout Russia.
Father Ambrose
It is impossible to distinguish a ray of sunshine and say that it is the best and sunniest. So it is impossible to distinguish someone among the elders and say that he was better than the rest. Each of them provided spiritual help to both the monastic people and the laity. However, it is impossible not to mention the Monk Ambrose of Optina. He arrived at the Optina Desert monastery, as a young man, with the blessing of the Kaluga elder Hilarion.
His whole subsequent life is an example of humility based on divine love. Father Ambrose for many years was the cell-man of the Monk Leo of Optina, who, because of his special disposition towards him and for educational purposes, was very strict towards the novice. Many monks stood up for the father of Ambrose, when the elder publicly scolded him and could drive him out of his cell. But then he said to the remaining visitors: "There will be a great man."
And so it happened. Father Ambrose lost his health at a young age, and all spiritual rebirth took place against the backdrop of overcoming physical weakness and pain. He was released at the age of 36 due to health reasons from monastic obedience and worship. For many years, Father Ambrose struggled with an ailment, while providing spiritual assistance to all the afflicted.
Under his leadership (and he was then already at an advanced age) in the village of Chamordino Optina Convent was founded. He was special too. In Russia at that time, it was accepted that women went to convents to pay for their stay or make an initial contribution to the monastery. Women from a simple estate who did not have the means, but who wanted to devote their lives to God, did not have such an opportunity. The monastery in Chamordino, with the blessing of Father Ambrose, received widows, orphans, and the sick in extreme poverty. Highly educated and wealthy natives lived with them in the monastery. Under the auspices of Father Ambrose, up to 500 people lived in the Shamordinsky Convent .
The gift of old age
Father Ambrose possessed the gift of insight, omniscience and healing. Every day pilgrims came to him with their problems and illnesses. And the holy elder did not refuse anyone, even if the matter concerned everyday matters. There is a known case when one of the parishioners started talking about water supply for apple trees. Father Arseny inspiredly talked about the construction of such a water supply system, which he seemed to have heard from someone. The parishioner did everything as the elder described, and received a rich harvest of apples, while the neighbors harvest almost died. Later it turned out that the elder spoke about the most progressive method of installing a water supply system.
The old man healed, as it were, by the way: he will read a prayer, cross over with a cross, and sometimes he will just knock - and the pain passes, never returning. Father Ambrose really did not like it when they said that he heals people, sometimes even became angry. To such praises addressed to him, he invariably replied that it was not he who healed, but the Most Holy Mother of God.
For spiritual instructions to the old man came from all over Russia. Every day from morning to evening, despite his physical weakness, Father Ambrose took and nurtured spiritually thirsty souls. His instructions show a deep spiritual experience, exemplary humility and gracious love:
Do not look for any gifts, but rather try to assimilate the mother of the gifts - humility - is stronger.
If someone offends you, do not tell anyone but the old man, and you will be peaceful. Bow to everyone, ignoring whether they are bowing to you or not. One must humble oneself before everyone and consider oneself worse than everyone. If we didn’t commit the crimes that others did, then it could be because we didn’t have a case - the situation and circumstances were different. In every man there is something good and kind; we usually see only vices in people, but we see nothing good.
Miraculous prayers
The elders left a rich legacy of spiritual instruction, among which the prayers of the Optina Monastery stand out especially.
Prayer of the Optina Elders at the beginning of the day :
Lord, let me meet with peace of mind everything that will bring me the coming day. Let me completely surrender to the will of Your saint. For every hour of this day, edify and support me in everything. Whatever news I receive during the day, teach me to accept them with a calm soul and a firm conviction that all 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 has been sent by Thee. Teach me to directly and reasonably act with every member of my family, not embarrassing or upsetting anyone. Lord, give me the strength to bear the fatigue of the coming day and all the events throughout the day. Guide my will and teach me how to pray, believe, hope, endure, forgive and love. Amen.
Optina Desert today
In Optina Desert, today they managed to revive and preserve the spirit of old age. This happened thanks to the elder Elijah, who has the gift of insight, healing and great spiritual strength. Thousands of pilgrims from all over the world come to its spiritual light. Father Eli is also the spiritual mentor of the Russian patriarch Kirill.
The old man’s prayer has miraculous power. There was such a case with a private soldier wounded in Chechnya. The bullet sat in millimeters from the heart, and the fighter himself was unconscious. Doctors did not dare to operate him in this condition. Thanks to the prayer of the elder, the patient came to his senses, and the doctors gained confidence. The operation was successful, and the fighter got better.
In addition, in 1991 the Church of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary in St. Petersburg became the courtyard of the Optinsky Monastery. In parallel with the restoration of the temple, monastic service was revived. Now the compound has the largest library of spiritual literature, the Institute of Religious Studies and Church Arts. The temple also has workshops where they teach icon painting, church singing, etc. In 1996, a chorus of professional singers who graduated from the St. Petersburg Conservatory was organized at the courtyard of the Optina Monastery. The male choir Optina Pustyn revives the ancient traditions of church singing.
Everyone who comes to the holy monastery notes the special, gracious and pacifying atmosphere of the monastery. Simplicity and peace, fellowship with saints - this is what the soul seeks in the Optina desert. The monastery gives the pilgrims what they are looking for, so the flow of people seeking to visit the holy place does not dry out.