A very important place in central Russia, where the spiritual threads coming from Elder Paisius were intertwined, was also the Bryansk Svensky Monastery of the Oryol Diocese. At the beginning of the 19th century, monk Seraphim and schemamonk Athanasius lived there, the same one who brought the Philokalia to Metropolitan Gabriel. Schema-monk Athanasius, one of the Senate secretaries, left the world, wandered on the holy Mount Athos and in Moldavia, lived in the monastery of Elder Paisius, who entrusted him to his disciple Sophronius, and was engaged in translating and copying patristic books. In 1805, already living in the Svensk monastery, he received from the elder Sophrony an instruction not to interfere in the monastic order and to live in silence. He died in the same Svensk Monastery in 1811 in the arms of the elder Schema-monk Athanasius (Zakharov), to whom before his death he handed over his wonderful collection of the works of the Holy Fathers. While living in the Svensk Monastery, Elder Athanasius together with Elder Seraphim had a spiritual influence on the future abbot of the Optina Hermitage, Timothy Putilov, who lived there for some time. There the abbot of the monastery, later rector of the Moscow Theological Academy, the Bishop of Kaluga and the Metropolitan of Kiev, the patron of monasticism and eldership, the famous Philaret, had the opportunity to learn from the elders about spiritual work.

Special attention should be paid to these meetings and cohabitations in the Bryansk Monastery. Those connections were established here, which later resonated elsewhere, as we will see later. In spiritual connection with the Bryansk monastery stands a group of desert dwellers of the Smolensk diocese, who asceticized in the late 18th century and early 19th century in the forest sketes of the Roslavl district. This peculiar group of Russian hermits was in close communion with Elder Paisius. It included the elder's direct disciples, such as Dositheus, who lived for 40 years in the Roslavl forests, and Arsenius, who later moved to the Pskov Nikandrov Monastery, and other ascetics who did not know Elder Paisius personally, such as Hierodeacon Anastassy, Athanasius, who was the spiritual father of the Svensk Monastery for the last 19 years of his life, Arsenius from the Beloberezhskaya Hermitage, Moses and Anthony Putilov, who later moved to the Optina Hermitage together with the hermits Hilary and Dorotheus.

Let us now turn to one of the most glorious and famous monasteries in the history of the Russian eldership, the Optina Hermitage. This hermitage was restored from its desolation by the famous Moscow Metropolitan Platon, who appointed a disciple of Peshnosh, Archimandrite Macarius Abraham, as its abbot (Metropolitan Platon himself was a great admirer of Elder Paisius. In the library of the Nametsky Monastery there is a book of conversations of St. Macarius the Great, sent by Metropolitan Platon to Elder Paisius with the following inscription: "To the Venerable Father Archimandrite Paisius, the spiritual guide and mentor of the Neamt Monastery, This book that is beneficial to the soul by such a feat of a glorified man, as a blessing with the request of God-pleasing prayers for himself, is sent by the humble Platon, Metropolitan of Moscow. 1791, July 3 days in Moscow"). This appointment brought the Optina Hermitage into the circle of the spiritual influence of the Elder Paisius, since Abraham, a disciple of Macarius, a zealous admirer of the Elder Paisius and the keeper of his tradition, transferred these legends to the Optina Hermitage as well. He introduced here a cenobitic rule and elevated the spiritual life. However, even before Abraham, the Optina Hermitage was no stranger to the influence of Elder Paisius. As early as 1800, a disciple of Elder Paisius, monk Theophanes, settled there. He was a native of the Vladimir province, in his youth he served in the Black Sea Cossack army, left military service due to illness, lived for some time in the Sophroniev Hermitage with Archimandrite Theodosius, from where he went to Moldavia to Elder Paisius, and lived there for three years, undergoing the obedience of a cook. After the death of the elder, he returned to Russia and entered the Optina Hermitage. He was distinguished by extreme non-acquisitiveness and great meekness, he was a strict faster, and a great man of prayer. Zeal for the fasting podvig prompted him once to spend the entire Holy Forty Days without food at all. He revealed this to one of the brethren who were close in spirit. "I believe," he said, "that I will not die from fasting." The brother did not reject or confirm his intention. And Theophanes did not eat anything during the entire fast, and only once a week did he drink warm water. During all 40 days, he performed the entire service in private, made many prostrations, heated the cell himself and seemed cheerful. Once, noticing that Theophan had lost a lot of weight, his brother said to him: "Father, you have exhausted yourself very much", "Nothing!" - answered Theophanes, "Christ the Savior poured out all His blood for me on the cross, and there is still much blood in me". Having endured the podvig he had taken upon himself with God's help, at the end of Lent he communed of Christ's Holy Mysteries. Subsequently, he tried again to repeat this feat, but caught a cold, fell ill with a severe cough and, gradually weakening, died in 1819. When his brother asked him, "Is there anything he is afraid of at the hour of death?" he answered: "I joyfully wish to depart from this life," raised his hand for the sign of the cross and quietly departed to the Lord.

In 1821, the Kaluga diocese was governed by the Right Reverend Philaret (Amfiteatrov). Being a great lover and admirer of monasticism and especially of Elder Paisius, he, like Metropolitan Platon, paid special attention to the Optina Hermitage and for greater success of monastic life in it he decided to build a skete in the name of the Forerunner and Baptist of the Lord John. For the construction of the skete, he invited the hermits of the Roslavl forests known to him - Dositheus, Moses, Anthony, Hilary and others, who laid the foundation for the famous skete at the Optina Hermitage. A few years later, Father Moses became the abbot of the Optina Hermitage, and his brother Anthony became the head of the skete, and thus the spiritual life of the Optina Hermitage was concentrated in the hands of the experienced keepers of the Paisian traditions. In 1829, they were joined by Hieromonk Leonid, a disciple of Elder Theodore, who had come from the Alexander Svirsky Monastery, and with his arrival in the Optina Hermitage, the famous Optina eldership began.

From such a combination of diverse spiritual influences came the remarkable flowering of the Optina eldership.

Having settled in the Optina Hermitage, Elder Leo soon gained great influence and wide fame not only among the brethren of the monastery, but also among the surrounding population and pilgrims of the hermitage.

Every year the flow of people to him increased. Everyone, being received by the elder with fatherly love, revealed to him his spiritual wounds and found consolation in his conversation, and many, possessed by bodily illnesses, and those possessed by demons, received help from his prayers and anointing with oil from the lampada that burned in front of his cell Vladimir Icon of the Mother of God. By his good influence, both on the brethren of the monastery, of which he was an elder and spiritual father, and on the pilgrims who came, Elder Leo greatly contributed to the uplift and improvement of the Optina Hermitage, both internal and external. Under the shadow of the monastery, a multitude of brethren gathered from various places, seeking wise guidance in their spiritual struggle. Knowing the spiritual experience and talent of Elder Leo, the abbot of the Optina Hermitage, Father Moses, entrusted all those who came to live in the monastery to the Elder as a spiritual guide. Gifted with spiritual discernment, having a keen memory, and the gift of speech, Father Lev gave everyone appropriate instruction from the books of the fathers and the Holy Scriptures. In front of the people, the elder liked to hide the lofty disposition of his spirit under the extreme simplicity of his word; his speech was distinguished by a peculiar combination of the spiritual power of the Scriptures and the vivid expressiveness of the popular language. In addition to his daily studies at the monastery, the elder received many letters from various people who asked him to resolve their perplexities, and, out of his love for his neighbors, the elder either wrote to them himself or dictated the necessary answers. Father Lev died at the age of 72. In his dying illness he often called upon the name of the Lord, and at last he calmed down, crossed himself, blessed the brethren and calmly gave up his spirit into the hands of God.

In view of the special importance of the Optina Hermitage in the history of the Russian eldership, we will name its most outstanding and famous ascetics and elders, and we will also point out those persons and monasteries on which it had a special influence. Having received a thorough Paisius leaven at its very restoration, the Optina Hermitage became deeply akin to the spirit of Elder Paisius and his precepts. Everything in it: the rule of the monastery, the organization of divine services, the general order of life, and the spiritual structure of each individual brother are surprisingly coordinated and bear the stamp of special spirituality, enlightenment and joyful tranquility. As soon as he crosses the threshold of this holy monastery, a pilgrim or pilgrim immediately feels the closeness of God, the special grace of its spiritual atmosphere, and he himself involuntarily becomes closer to God and attunes himself to a bright and joyful mood. Such a spiritual appearance and such a fruitful influence of the Optina Hermitage remained unchanged for almost a hundred years until the revolution.

Of the remarkable ascetics and elders of the Optina Hermitage, we must first of all name its famous abbot, Archimandrite Moses, who ruled it for more than 30 years and died in 1862.

He was a strict guardian of the Paisian legends and its cenobitic rule, laid the foundation for the Optina eldership, led the Optina Hermitage into spiritual and material improvement, and was himself known for the holiness of his life and spiritual experience. Guiding the life of the Optina Brotherhood, he did not leave without his guidance other persons who turned to him for advice. Thus, under his spiritual guidance was the abbot of the Tikhon Hermitage of the Kaluga Diocese, Moses, and the hermit of the Gethsemane Skete at the Trinity-Sergius Lavra, Hieroschemamonk Alexander, who had as his disciple the spiritual father of the Gethsemane Skete, Hieromonk German, who later became the builder and abbot of the Zosima Hermitage of the Vladimir Diocese.

Father Moses' brother, Father Anthony, asceticized with him in the Roslavl forests, and took part in the organization of the Optina Skete and was its first head, and then for 14 years was the abbot of the Maloyaroslavetsky Monastery, Kaluga Diocese; having resigned from this position, he lived for 12 years in retirement in the Optina Hermitage, where he died in 1865. Like his brother, he was distinguished by a lofty spiritual life and had a special gift for comforting the sorrowful. His letters and notes published by the Optina Hermitage are remarkable. Under his spiritual guidance was Joseph, a hieroschemamonk of the Nikolo-Ugreshsky Monastery of the Moscow Diocese.

In addition to these persons, there were many other remarkable ascetics in the Optina Hermitage.

Proving the correctness of Orthodoxy, he miraculously testified to it, taking out a handful of sand from the bottom of the boiling cauldron with his hand. He died in 1849. Monk Hilarion, who entered the Optina Hermitage at the age of 80 and asceticized there for 16 years. Vassian, an elder, schema-monk, a great faster, who for 45 years of monasticism did not drink tea and wine, did not eat fish and milk, except for Pascha, and twice endured a 40-day fast; Job, hieroschemamonk, spiritual father of Elder Macarius, a great lover of silence; Pimen, hieroschemamonk, confessor of Elder Ambrose, disciple of Leo and Macarius, distinguished by his particular simplicity and taciturnity.

Now we turn to the second famous Optina Elder Macarius. He came from the noble landowner family of the Ivanovs of the Oryol province. In his youth he thought of getting married, but having once visited the Ploshchansk hermitage of the Oryol diocese, he was so captivated by the beauty of monasticism ("all the monks seemed to him earthly angels") that he did not want to return home and remained in the monastery forever. His teacher in the Ploshchansk Hermitage was a disciple of Elder Paisius, Schema-monk Athanasius (Zakharov), the same one under whose influence the Elders Philaret and Alexander were in Moscow, and through them Moses of Optina and Ivan Vasilyevich Kireevsky, who later had to work together with Elder Macarius on the publication of translations of Elder Paisius. How amazingly intertwined and intertwined were the spiritual threads that came from Elder Paisius! Father Macarius lived in the Ploshchansk hermitage for 24 years. After the death of Elder Athanasius, a spiritual rapprochement and correspondence began between Father Macarius and Father Leo, which resulted in the resettlement of Father Macarius to the skete of the Optina Hermitage. For 7 years, the Elders Macarius and Leo continued to live together in the Optina Skete. They were bound together by the closest friendship and like-mindedness. They wrote common letters to their spiritual children with a common signature. But their characters were completely different. Father Lev was a merchant, he was straightforward, rude, almost wise, although he had a tender heart. Father Macarius, from the nobility, was gentle, meek, loved book studies, and in his youth, before entering monasticism, he played the violin and loved to sing. But both of them were equally great zealots of true spiritual monasticism. After the death of Father Leo, Father Macarius served as an elder for 19 years, being at the same time, after Father Anthony, the head of the skete, and died in 1860. Like Father Lev, he gathered around him many disciples who wished to asceticize under his guidance. Among them were many educated people, with the help of whom the elder undertook the publication of translations of the patristic books of Elder Paisius. A particularly close part in this affair was, as has been said, Ivan Vasilyevich Kireevsky, the spiritual son of Father Macarius, who lived not far from the Optina Hermitage, in his estate of Dolbino. Ardent assistance to the elder in the publication of books was provided by his Moscow friends and admirers - Moscow Metropolitan Philaret, professor of the Moscow Theological Academy - Archpriest. F. A. Golubinsky, Rector of the Academy, Archpriest. Thus, thanks to the labors and concerns of Elder Macarius, the beginning of publishing activity in the Optina Hermitage was laid, which did not cease even after the death of Fr. Macarius.