The starets Leonid

This article by Vladimir Lossky is devoted to the life and spiritual work of Starets Leonid (1768-1841), founder of the startchestvo tradition at the Optino monastery. Written in the form of a biographical and hagiographical notice, it traces the monastic journey of Lev Nagolkin, from his entry into religious life to his death, including his formation under Starets Theodore, a disciple of Paisios. The article highlights the practice of the "disclosure of thoughts," the central charismatic gift of startchestvo, which enables the starets to perceive the inner state of each person and accompany them spiritually in an individualized manner. It also documents the institutional resistance encountered by Leonid and the decisive intervention of Philaret of Moscow in his favor, thus shedding historical light on the establishment and legitimization of startchestvo in the Russian Orthodox Church in the nineteenth century.