The Starets Ambrose

This article by Vladimir Lossky constitutes the final part of a study devoted to the startsi of the Optino monastery, centered on the figure of the starets Ambrose (1812-1891). Through a biographical and spiritual approach, Lossky traces the life of Alexander Grenkov, from his childhood in a clerical family in the Tambov governorate to his death at the Shamordino convent, including his entry into Optino under the guidance of the startsi Leonid and Macarius. The article highlights the particular charisms of Father Ambrose — clairvoyance, the gift of counsel, universal charity — as well as his influence on the Russian intelligentsia, notably Dostoevsky, Leontiev and Tolstoy. The main contribution of the study is to show how the starets Ambrose embodies the apex of the Optino startchestvo and represents a form of Orthodoxy capable of engaging in dialogue with modern European culture without renouncing the hesychast tradition.