Vol. 9: Elder Nikon of Optina

The Elders of Optina Monastery have had a tremendous impact on Russian society, calling forth a nationwide blossoming of sanctity. During the course of a century, their prophecy and God-illumined counsel attracted spiritual seekers from far and wide.

The Life of Elder Nikon is particularly appropriate for our times, as the decline of the collective West into a Soviet-style dystopia mirrors the tragedy that overtook Orthodox Russia a century ago. Elder Nikon’s words of counsel on how to maintain faith, as well as his own example of confessing Christ in the face of persecution, are as needful for us today as they were during his own lifetime.