Elder Ambrose of Optina Devotional Items In the darkness of systematic

In the darkness of systematic degradation of body and soul

Ποτέ δεν μου συνέβη να πω σε κάποιον να πάη να εξομολογηθή

durable wood

Letters & Poems by Saint Joseph the Hesychast

comme l’un des  ouvrages fondamentaux pour la formation spirituelle

Elder Ambrose of Optina Devotional Items In the darkness of systematicElder Ambrose (18121891) is considered the pinnacle of Eldership in Optina. He embodied the virtues of all the elders in the highest degree divine humility, purity of mind and heart, overflowing love, and total self sacrifice for thesalvation of his fellow man. So great were his gifts that hundreds of people flocked daily to his humble cabin at Optina, including the writers Dostoyevsky, Tolstoy, and Leontiev. Elder Ambrose (1812 1891) is considered