Orthodox ascetics of the twentieth century

When temples and monasteries were being closed everywhere, many clergy and monks were shot or sentenced to torturous suffering and death by starvation in camps or exile. Those who remained in the world as bearers of true faith humbly carried the heavy burden of elderhood, risking their lives every minute, spiritually supporting and interceding for people. They guided others on the true path with spiritual advice, warned of dangers, healed spiritual and physical ailments, and called for repentance and humility. In the early 1990s, when work on sketches of elders and eldresses of the 20th century had just begun, there was little spiritual literature, making it difficult to imagine that the Lord had bestowed not dozens, but hundreds of spiritual luminaries upon suffering Russia to strengthen believers and lead the lost out of darkness in years of unbelief.

The book presents 70 biographies of Orthodox ascetics of the twentieth century, memories of contemporaries, teachings, stories of feats and miracles, and prayers. The eldresses of recent times possessed the gift of spiritual reasoning and the ability to discern God's will in prayer. People turned to them with their spiritual needs and physical ailments, receiving blessings for upcoming important changes in their lives. Through the prayers of the ascetics, the suffering found spiritual peace and healing...

Compiled by S.S. Devyatova.