St. Macarius of Optina

Macarius Ivanov became a monk and served as elder at Optina after St. Leonid. He wrote thousands of letters of spiritual guidance and, with the help of educated visitors like Ivan Kireyevsky, began publishing the Fathers in Russian. Gogol was among his visitors, and St. Ambrose was his disciple.

• Feast: September 7 (New Calendar)
• Lived: 1788–1860
• Place: Optina Monastery