Relics & Shrines
On July 16, 1989, the relics of Nectarius were translated to Optina Monastery and placed in the Cathedral of the Entry of the Mother of God into the Temple.
Venerable (Monastic) 20th century
Venerable Nectarius of Optina
c. 1853 – 1928
Also known as Nectarius Tikhonov · Elder Nectarius of Optina
The last of the great elders of Optina, a hieromonk of deep humility and clairvoyant counsel who guided many through the upheavals of the early twentieth century.
Feast Day
April 29
Draft
Draft — pending review. Not yet verified for publication.
Commemorated as
Our Venerable Father Nectarius, Elder of Optina
Life
Nectarius of Optina was a Russian hieromonk and the last of the celebrated Optina Elders, a succession of monastic spiritual fathers attached to Optina Monastery whose counsel drew pilgrims from across late imperial Russia. Born Nicholas Tikhonov in the city of Yelets in the Orel province, he entered Optina in 1876 and spent his formative decades under the guidance of the monastery's foremost elders before himself being chosen to continue their tradition.
His eldership coincided with the collapse of the old order and the Bolshevik suppression of monastic life. Arrested when Optina was closed and exiled to a village in the Bryansk region, he continued to receive visitors until his repose in 1928. He was glorified as a saint at the end of the twentieth century, and his relics were returned to Optina.
Timeline 7 moments Read Hide
- c. 1853 Birth in Yelets Born Nicholas, son of Basil and Elena Tikhonov, in the city of Yelets in the Orel province. The year of his birth is uncertain and is variously given as 1853, 1857, or 1858.
- 1876 Entry to Optina Entered Optina Monastery, where he came under the spiritual direction of Elder Ambrose and, for some twenty years, of Anatolius (Zertsalov), his principal spiritual father.
- 1887 Monastic tonsure Received the mantia and the monastic name Nectarius.
- 1894–1898 Ordination Ordained deacon in 1894 and ordained hieromonk in 1898 by Bishop Macarius of Kaluga.
- 1913 Chosen as elder When the Optina monks gathered to choose a new elder, the office was first offered to Archimandrite Agapit, who instead nominated Hieromonk Nectarius. Nectarius at first declined but was directed to accept, becoming the last of the great Optina Elders.
- 1923 Closure of Optina and arrest Before Pascha the Bolsheviks closed Optina Monastery. Nectarius was arrested and held in the prison hospital at Kozelsk, then released and resettled in the home of a peasant in the village of Kholmischcha in the Bryansk region.
- 1928 Repose Reposed on April 29, 1928, at Kholmischcha.
Contributions & Legacy
2 contributions
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Glorification
Nectarius was glorified by the Russian Orthodox Church Outside Russia in 1990. Within the Moscow Patriarchate, local veneration was authorized on June 13, 1996, and he was glorified for general veneration on August 7, 2000.
He is commemorated on April 29 and, together with all the Optina Elders, on October 11.
Notes
Among the Optina Elders; modern glorification; flagged for clergy/source review.
Sources: OCA Synaxarion (oca.org), Lives of the Saints