Saint Ambrose of Optina

Saint Ambrose of Optina
Icon of St. Ambrose of Optina
Venerable Father
Born	5 December 1812 Bolshaya Lipovitsa settlement, Tambov, Russia
Died	23 October 1891 Shamordino
Venerated in	Eastern Orthodox Church
Canonized	13 May [O.S. 30 April] 1990 in Montreal, Quebec, Canada by the Russian Orthodox Church Abroad 7 August [O.S. 25 July] 2000 by the Moscow Patriarchate
Feast	23 October [O.S. 10 October] (Repose) 10 July [O.S. 27 June] (Uncovering of Relics)
Attributes	Clothed as a monk, sometimes holding a scroll

Saint Ambrose of Optina (Russian: Амвросий Оптинский; birth name: Aleksander Mikhaylovich Grenkov, Russian: Александр Михайлович Гренков, December 5, 1812, Bolshaya Lipovitsa settlement, Tambov guberniya – October 23, 1891) was a starets and a hieroschemamonk in Optina Monastery, canonized in 1988 convention of the Local Council of the Russian Orthodox Church.

Aleksandr was born in the family of sexton Mikhail Fyodorovich Grenkov and Marfa Nikolayevna Grenkova. He was the sixth of eight children. At the age of 12 Aleksandr entered the Tambov clerical school and later the Tambov theological seminary. In 1835, shortly before the graduation, Aleksandr became severely ill and made a vow: if he gets well, to become a monk. He recovered but delayed his decision and became a private teacher in a family of a landlord and later in the Lipetsk clerical school. During summer vacation, Aleksandr met a well-known elder Hilarion from the village of Troekurovo. The Elder advised: "Go to Optina and you will be experienced. You could go to Sarov too, but there are no more experienced elders there" (at that time, St. Seraphim of Sarov already reposed). And the Elder added: "They need you there". After this advice, in 1839, Aleksandr entered the Optina Monastery in Kaluga guberniya when the monastery was in its spiritual heyday. His first guide was Starets (Elder) Leonid and then later Starets Makary, whom Ambrose shared a cell with. This gave him get help in his spiritual progress.