Kozelsk, July 17, 2025
Photo: optina.ru
On July 10, 2025, the commemoration day of St. Ambrose of Optina and the Venerable Elders of Optina, Metropolitan Clement of Kaluga and Borovsk, Chairman of the Publishing Council of the Russian Orthodox Church, with the blessing of His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia, presided over a festive divine service at Optina Monastery, as part of the “Dostoevsky Days” festival, reports Patriarchia.ru.
Metropolitan Clement was concelebrated by the abbot of the monastery, Bishop Joseph of Mozhaisk, Deputy Chairman of the Publishing Council Bishop Macarius of Kozelsk and Lyudinovo, the monastic clergy of Optina, and clergy of the Kozelsk diocese.
After the service, Metropolitan Clement participated in the “Russia’s Path” conference, which opened the program of events “Dostoevsky Days at Optina Monastery—2025,” and greeted the participants. “Today it is extremely important that the spiritual heritage of the Optina Elders and, at the same time, the outstanding works of the classic writers who visited this holy place, become closer to our youth,” noted the archpastor. “Our task is to draw the attention of young people to the salvific meaning that were also found by Fyodor Mikhailovich Dostoevsky when he visited Optina Monastery. The images he created in several of his novels represent a certain moral ideal that he himself sought, and he considered it important to convey to his readers. Here he sought to find God, and became a guide for many on the path to the Orthodox faith. Even today, many people come to God through his works.”
The guests visited the site of the Second International Student Camp in the village of Gubino, held within the framework of the festival “Dostoevsky Days at Optina Monastery.” The camp gathered students from 24 countries across four continents and 17 universities. The evening concluded with a grand gala concert featuring the Alexandrov Ensemble of the Russian Army.
Three important program sections were held in Kozelsk on July 12, led by the well-known archpriest Fr. Artemy Vladimirov, and the distinguished professor, writer, publicist, and cultural scholar V.D. Irzabekov:
-
a “Conversation on the Spiritual and Moral Foundations of the Victory Over Evil, Achieved by the Heroes of Dostoevsky’s Novels,” with Archpriest Artemy Vladimirov
-
a thematic discussion with V.D. Irzabekov titled, “The Russian Language as a Factor of National Security Through the Prism of Fyodor Dostoevsky’s Moral Priorities,”
-
and the conference, “Culture Against Obscenity: The Battle for the Future.”
On July 13, the TV channel Spas broadcast a live program from a mobile studio set up near the monument to Fyodor Dostoevsky by the walls of Optina Monastery. The recording featured Bishop Joseph of Mozhaisk, Bishop Macarius of Kozelsk and Lyudinovo, writers, artists, clergy, and journalists. The recording of the telethon is available on the Spas channel’s platforms.
The organizers noted that over 30,000 people—by some media estimates 35,000—participated in the events held at various venues of the “Dostoevsky Days at Optina Monastery” festival.
Follow OrthoChristian on Twitter, Vkontakte, Telegram, WhatsApp, MeWe, and Gab!
