Holy Elders

This book discusses the elders in the Orthodox sense of the word. They are not just the most respected and experienced monks in spiritual life, but those who have achieved extraordinary spiritual heights, acquired the gift of healing, miracle workers and seers, prayerful individuals who have saved hundreds and thousands of people with their words, true 'pillars of faith.' The author of the book, historian and writer Vyacheslav Bondarenko, has included ten essays about the great elders of the Russian Orthodox Church of the 18th-20th centuries, glorified in the rank of saints. If one were to try and compile a list of the most distinguished citizens of our Motherland, the author believes that the heroes of this book rightfully deserve to be at the top of that worthy list: for it is they who concentrated the spiritual power and beauty of Russia, its centuries-old experience. And it is no coincidence that military commanders, politicians, writers, philosophers, and ordinary people sought their advice, guidance, and blessing.