Orthodox literature is not necessarily boring moralizing teachings on how to live. We present to the reader five most interesting modern Orthodox books about faith and unbelief, the monastery and the world, life and death, righteousness and sinfulness, love and hatred, and much more.

"Unholy Saints"

If you have not yet read this book, then in a certain sense you can even be congratulated. 640 pages of exciting reading await you. The collection of stories by Tikhon Shevkunov is, undoubtedly, not only a modern Orthodox bestseller, but also an all-Russian one.

The first edition appeared in 2011, and by the beginning of 2016 its total circulation had already reached over two million copies. During this time, the bestseller was translated into 13 foreign languages.

What is this Orthodox book about, which in just a few years has gained such popularity not only among Russian readers? The stories of Bishop Tikhon Shevkunov are a book about the main thing. About God and man, about faith and repentance, about humanity and working on oneself, about monastic life without cuts and decorations, about modern life The Church and Soviet tests of faith.

Before Tikhon Shevkunov, virtually no other author depicted monastic everyday life so truthfully and in detail. Each story is read in one breath, written easily and accessible even to a person far from the Church. There is no moralizing and pharisaism, boring teachings and boring stories in it.

If Orthodox literature for the most part resembled “Unholy Saints,” then stereotypes about boring “priestly” writings would not exist.

The author, who once graduated from the screenwriting department of VGIK, writes as if he were making a movie. Before us is a strict governor Pskov-Pechersky Monastery Father Gabriel, and the smiling elder John Krestyankin, and the sternly humble schema-abbot Melchizedek, and many people who sought God in amazing ways - unholy saints. This is a reminder book. About what? That each of us is called to holiness.

Judging by the responses online, for many people this Orthodox book became the first step on the path to the Church.

"Flavian"

Another example of high-quality modern Orthodox literature is the Flavian theralogy. Archpriest Alexander Torik shows the fates of modern heroes who, one way or another, came to God. Many of them, before meeting God, broke things or fell to the very bottom. And when, it would seem, there is no hope left, they discover an amazing spiritual world and meet a wonderful priest - Father Flavian.

Before us is the family of Alexei and Irina with their five adopted children (and before that there were continuous misunderstandings, five abortions, divorce and Irina’s serious illness), the possessed girl Katya, the nun Seraphim, an avid atheist professor, who accepted God and took monastic vows at the time of his death, Athonite elders...

The Orthodox book is written in living language and simply and gradually introduces you to the basics of the faith. Instead of a long list of sins and a story about 20 ordeals - Alexei’s heartfelt first confession; Instead of strict descriptions of life on Athos, there are memorable stories with wonderful characters. And this is not all that awaits the reader on the pages of all four books. As experience shows, if you picked up the first part, you will definitely want to read all the rest.

"Red Easter"

This is the story about the life of three Optina new martyrs - Hieromonk Vasily, monks Trofim and Ferapont. On Easter 1993 they were killed by a half-crazed Satanist. 666 was engraved on the knife. No, this is not at all a bright flash of imagination of an Orthodox writer. That's exactly how it was.

The Orthodox book was not written by some unknown Christian woman who lived near the Optina Hermitage. The author of the story, Nina Pavlova, is an experienced writer and playwright. It was her book “Red Easter” that received universal recognition among readers.

Nina Pavlova showed in many ways the life of three Soviet boys who at a certain time came from unbelief to God.

Hieromonk Vasily - in the world Igor Roslyakov - journalist with education from Moscow State University and international master of sports, at one time a member of the national team Soviet Union in water polo. They predicted an excellent career for him, but he left everything and went to a monastery.

Leonid Tatarnikov (monk Trofim) I couldn’t find a place for myself in the world. Not because he was lazy to work or only dreamed of a monastery. God gradually prepared him for monasticism, tempering him with sorrows and misunderstanding on the part of others. But the monk had his main weapon for everything - love, genuine joy and a sincere smile.

Vladimir Pushkarev (monk Ferapont) came to God after meeting a certain woman who experienced clinical death. On her recommendation, I read some Orthodox books: a volume of works by Ignatius Brianchaninov, the biography of Job of Pochaev and the teachings of Silouan of Athos. With this start, naive faith, humility and meekness, he came to Optina.

Everyone has their own amazing destiny and path towards God. And Nina Pavlova introduces us to this.

"Father Arseny"

Father Arseny is a Soviet priest who went through the darkness of the camps, but did not lose the main Christian virtues - faith and love. His main message is his own example. Even the most bitter prisoners see him as a special person. In a non-human system, he does not lose his human appearance.

Father Arseniy shares the last cracker, takes care of a hopelessly ill person, does not bend under the system, and protects a young student from the “prisoners.” In a cold punishment cell at -40, he is warmed by faith and prayer.

This Orthodox book is suitable for those who, in the bustle of the world, have lost spiritual guidance, lost faith in people and become bitter. Read and think.

"My Posthumous Adventures"

Every person has probably thought about what awaits him beyond the grave? Orthodox writer Yulia Voznesenskaya in her story showed what life after death could look like.

What awaits the deceased? How will he go through the ordeal? Why do you have to answer for every sin? How can relatives help the deceased? Is there hope for the Kingdom of Heaven?

It is these questions that are answered in Yulia Voznesenskaya’s book, which is so unlike typical examples of Orthodox literature on this topic. The story is written in an easy and accessible way, so it is suitable even for a person far from religion. Despite the artistic style and accessibility, it is based on the teachings of the Church or individual holy fathers and contains almost no mistakes.

Yulia Voznesenskaya’s book is not at all similar to moralizing teachings in the style of “Repent, otherwise you will burn in hell!” But at the same time, the reader draws certain conclusions for himself: he wants to change, devotes more time to prayer for the departed, learns to appreciate every moment, otherwise tomorrow it may no longer exist.

We also invite you to watch the performance-concert “Unholy Saints” based on the book by Archimandrite Tikhon (Shevkunov):

Take it for yourself and tell your friends!

The best books about Orthodoxy written in the 20th and 21st centuries

"Elder Silouan"

Perhaps this is the best Orthodox book that has been written in the last 100 years. Its author is Archimandrite Sophrony Sakharov, an elder hesychast who spent part of his life there and labored there in the most severe manner.

Later, he wrote a book, which he dedicated to his confessor, the Rev., calling it “Elder Silouan.” Formally, this is the life of St. Silouan. However, the biography of the elder in it is only an excuse to talk about Christian teaching and spiritual life in general.

The uniqueness of the book is that Elder Sophrony describes such depths and laws of spiritual life, beyond which words already fall apart and only eternity remains. They did the same thing in their books and, but these are the first centuries of Christianity and it is difficult for an unprepared person to read them and is not always necessary. And the book “Elder Silouan” is relatively simple in this regard.

Saint Silouan of Athos was from Russia and asceticised on Athos at the beginning of the 20th century

The second part of the book is the amazing writings of the saint himself, which were discovered only after his death in his cell.

Lord, give me Your humility, may Your love dwell in me... It is hard to live without love for God; the soul is gloomy and boring; but when love comes, then it is impossible to describe the joy of the soul.

from the writings of St. Silouan

In Soviet times, the book was circulated in samizdat and converted many to faith. Now it is available in all major Orthodox stores and online stores in Russia.

"The Life of Paisius the Holy Mountain"

This is also a book about an Athonite saint, which was also written by an Athonite monk - and therefore the spirit of monasticism, the spirit of Athos, and the life of Elder Paisius are very well conveyed in it.

He died quite recently. He was an amazing monk. There are hundreds of testimonies of healings through his prayers, cases of clairvoyance and other miracles that do not fit into our usual framework. He was seen rising above the ground or being in two places at once. Some pilgrims who stayed in his house overnight heard demons coming to the elder - knocking on the roof and making all sorts of noise. Elder Paisios might not appear on film if the photograph was taken without a blessing: there is a photograph, everything is depicted on it, but in the place of the saint there is nothing.

These are all miracles that, of course, can impress everyone. But most importantly, Elder Paisius was an image of incredible self-denial, humility and love. A real Christian. The pilgrims fell in love with him because he spoke to everyone in the most understandable, lively and modern language. When appropriate, I tried to joke. When necessary, he was as direct or strict as possible.

The book “The Life of Paisius the Holy Mountain” consists of two parts. One of them tells life path this saint - from birth to death - and this is a very fascinating story (in addition, it contains many memories of the old man). The second part consists of stories about his help to pilgrims and Orthodox Christians - both during his life and after his death.

Many books have been written about St. Paisius, including great lives. But this one is the best.

"Thoughts of a Christian"

This is not a book in the literal sense of the word, but a spiritual diary - or rather, excerpts from it. They were written by one of the most revered Russian saints - the holy righteous John of Kronstadt, who died shortly before the revolution.

Divine services, everyday life, joys, illnesses, hardships - everything can be found on these pages.
A holy man lives and writes holy. Therefore, every page is permeated with love for God and Love in general.

Thousands and thousands of Christians went to Saint John of Kronstadt for blessing and help. Everyone who spoke to him received healing or consolation.

Saint Righteous John Kronstadtsky (1829-1909) is one of the most famous non-monastic pastors in the history of the Russian Church.

We also have the opportunity to come into contact with the elder. All you need to do is buy this book. On its pages you can meet this saint like this - at a distance and through time. And thus - through the lines of his diary - receive a kind of blessing!

Your Lord is Love, love Him and all people in Him as His children in Christ. Your Lord is Fire; do not be cold in heart, but burn with faith and love. Your Lord is Light; do not walk in darkness or do anything in darkness of mind, without reasoning and understanding or without faith. Your Lord is the God of mercy and bounty; be a source of mercy and generosity for your neighbors. If you do this, you will receive salvation with eternal glory.

from the book “Thoughts of a Christian”

"Conversations on the Gospel of Mark"

This book can be called a very good textbook. Not in the sense that there are hundreds of boring pages hidden under the cover. Vice versa! This is one of the most lively and touching Orthodox books. It was written shortly before the war by the holy martyr Vasily of Kineshma.

Formally, these are conversations on one of the Gospels - written by the Apostle Mark. However, as in the case of the book “Elder Silouan,” comments on the Gospel story are only an excuse to systematically present Orthodox teaching.

And if Sophrony (Sakharov) wrote about Christianity from the depths of the Athonite hesychast experience and by that time was already in England, then Hieromartyr Vasily compiled this book in the Soviet Union - for his own spiritual children, Soviet people from villages, villages and small towns.

The result is a book that will definitely be close and understandable to every heart.

"Unholy Saints"

This is perhaps the best missionary book in the entire history of Christianity - if this quality is measured by circulation.

The first edition of the book was published in 2011 and immediately sold out. The same thing happened with the second and third editions, which were released next.

Now I can’t even believe it - in the Moscow metro you could meet a person with this book almost every day. It was read by both Orthodox Christians and even those who had never been to church.

Metropolitan Tikhon (Shevkunov) spoke on his pages about the people he met during his life. These were the monks in the Pskov-Pechersk Lavra, where he labored for some time, and the elders whom he saw there or about whom he heard stories. Several chapters are devoted to laymen - the “simplest” and celebrities.

It turned out to be a kind and full of love book. But the main thing (and this is probably why everyone loved her) is that there is not a drop of such artificial sweetness in her. This is just a book about goodness and miracles - which really happened. And in fact, they happen all the time around us!

To date, the book has already been published in 2,500,000 copies and has been translated into many languages.

“Letters of Archimandrite John (Krestyankin)”

Elder John was one of the most revered monks in Soviet and post-Soviet times. People also came to him from all over the country. Those who could not come wrote letters. And he, a strong-willed monk and seer, tried to answer everyone.

All his letters are simple and understandable. There are few words in them - only the essence. There are no fancy ideas or polite evasions in his letters. He answers people directly, sometimes even sharply - if he understands that only a firm answer without sentimentality can guide or save a person.

Archimandrite John (Peasant).

A big plus of letters is that it is clear from them exactly what question the person addressed to the elder with. This makes them not only more interesting, but also more useful. Some people ask about marriage, others about divorce. Some are about studying, others are about which path to choose. Some are complaining, some are confused...

Perhaps many of you will find answers to your own questions on these pages.

Without a doubt, this is one of the most useful Orthodox books.

"Inspired at the Trinity"

In some ways this book is similar to Unholy Saints. Although it is more correct to compare them in reverse order, because the book “Inspired at the Trinity” was written much earlier - back in Soviet times. And someone thinks that she is better.

This book was written by Archimandrite Tikhon (Agrikov) from the Holy Trinity Sergius Lavra and dedicated it to the monks of this monastery. Moreover, only to those who have already died. And the death of the hero is an integral and important part of every story, because death is the path to Eternity.

Someone he writes about is an old man. Someone is a very young monk.

On the one hand, this book does not have the outward showiness of “Unholy Saints.” But the depth of the narrative here is incomparably higher. Every line is filled with love. Each page conveys the pure monastic spirit - with all its depth, joy and trials.

"Father Arseny"

The book tells about a very difficult time for our Church - Stalinist repressions.

It is unknown who wrote it. Whether Father Arseny was real or a fictional character is also unknown.

Someone says that “Father Arseny” is a book that is not indisputable in its own way and that it was edited under the supervision of the KGB - since in places it sympathizes with “good security officers.” But all this, believe me, is absolutely unprincipled.

In Soviet times, this book was also circulated in “samizdat” and was passed from hand to hand.

Now it can be found in many stores. We highly recommend reading it, because it introduces the reader not only to certain time, but also with the human soul in general. With those vices that are revealed in certain people, and with those incredible powers to love that the Lord gives a person - and supports him in the most difficult - sometimes it seems unbearable - conditions. Its pages tell a deep story.

If we take artistic Orthodox literature, then the book “Father Arseny” is one of the best.

Read this and other posts in our group at

For many people, the world of Orthodox, spiritual literature is mysterious. After all, we don’t get to know him at school or college. The abundance of books published today by Orthodox publishing houses raises many questions: where to start with your self-education? Are all books useful for a layman to read? We are talking about this with Bishop of Pokrovsky and Nikolaevsky Pachomius.

— Vladyka, please tell me which books belong to spiritual literature? How can we define this concept?

— The concept of “spiritual literature” is quite broad. This a whole series books on various topics. Often, spiritual literature includes the works of holy ascetics, who set forth in them the experience of their spiritual life. The main criterion for the spirituality of literature is its compliance with the gospel spirit. These books help to understand the Gospel, to know Divine world, improve spiritually, learn prayer, and most importantly, learn to compare your actions with the commandments of Christ.

IN modern world the concepts of “spirituality” and “spiritual development” acquired a slightly different meaning than that which is put into it in Christianity. Orthodox man The concept of “spirituality” includes the development of the human soul, its desire for God. Therefore, we can probably talk about Muslim and Buddhist spirituality. This is what the authors of the course Basics of Religious Cultures and Secular Ethics proceed from today, assuming the presence of confessional spirituality. And talking about some kind of abstract spirituality, when a person simply imagines images, concepts of some vague spiritual life, is not serious. Sometimes this can even lead to tragedy. Because, not wanting to understand the spiritual, supernatural world, a person can fall under the power of fallen spirits and be seriously damaged.

— Where should a person begin to get acquainted with the world of spiritual literature: from serious works or from the basics?

— The first spiritual book that every person needs to read is the Gospel. Then it’s worth getting acquainted with the interpretation Holy Scripture. Because the Gospel is a rather specific book, it contains many deep images, historical allusions, and examples. In order to understand them, you need to have a certain skill, knowledge, and conceptual apparatus. Many patristic works allow us to correctly interpret the Holy Scriptures and help us understand what Christ is telling us and teaching us. You can recommend, for example, the works of St. John Chrysostom or Theophylact of Bulgaria.

And then we need to go on a broad front. On the one hand, church life is determined by external actions, a set of rules of external behavior. A lot of good literature is being published on this subject these days. You should definitely read “The Law of God,” which tells us what a temple is, how to behave correctly in it, how to confess and receive communion.

The second important direction is the development of a person’s inner spiritual life. Because you can learn to observe all the rules of external Christian piety, but at the same time not really understand what is happening in the Church and what spiritual life is. It is imperative to become familiar with patristic literature. Every Christian needs to read “The Ladder” by St. John Climacus, “Soulful Teachings” by Abba Dorotheos, “Invisible Warfare” by Nicodemus the Holy Mountain. Because this is a kind of primer of spiritual life. In order to apply the Gospel in your life, you need the example of ascetics, whose works, exploits, and quests we meet on the pages of spiritual books.

— Modern people often refer to the lack of time that could be allocated for serious reading. What would you recommend?

— I don’t think that this is a problem only for modern people; it’s unlikely that there was more time in ancient times. There is only one piece of advice: start reading and devote even the shortest, but still constant time to it during the day. For example, for 10-20 minutes before going to bed, anyone can read “Soulful Teachings” by Abba Dorotheus. You know, I always when they talk about modern man, I remember a scene from a cartoon about Prostokvashino: “I’m so tired at work that I barely have the strength to watch TV.”

- But on the other hand, it also happens that we read a lot, we know about the intricacies of spiritual life, but with implementation everything is difficult. How to make spiritual books a guide to action for yourself?

— Fulfilling any order is always associated with certain difficulties. It is always difficult to do things that cause difficulties. And when we read about the fulfillment of a certain virtue - such as love towards one's neighbor, forgiveness, humility - it is always difficult. But here it’s worth remembering the Russian proverb: “You can’t pull a fish out of a pond without difficulty.” Therefore, the main principle here is: read it - start, even with the smallest thing. The man says: “I can’t pray, I don’t have enough time.” Start praying with one or two prayers, reading with one or two pages a day. So that you do not become like people who are always learning and can never come to the knowledge of the truth (see: 2 Tim. 3:7). Priests are often asked: “How to learn humility?” You cannot do this without beginning to humble yourself in front of your boss, husband, wife, children, and everyday difficulties. So it is with other virtues.

—Can serious ascetic labors harm a person? After all, sometimes you can hear the following statement: “These are books for monks; it is better for lay people not to read them.”

- No, I think that spiritual books cannot harm a person. You can also say: “Can the works of professors and scientists harm a schoolchild starting to study physics?” Everything has its time, and everyone has their own measure. A beginning Christian needs to read spiritual literature. And although by definition it is almost entirely monastic, what is written in it can be applied to any Christian. After all, by and large, how does a monk differ from a layman? Only a celibate life. All the rest of the instructions that are offered in spiritual literature are valid for both the monk and the layman.

But at the same time, you need to understand perfectly well that the main virtue, which the holy fathers often write about, is reasoning. You need to be able to correctly evaluate what you read. Man is designed in such a way that it is always easier to perceive extremes. Since the book was written by a monk, and I am not a monk, then I don’t need to read it. Often such a thought becomes a reason, an excuse, that the small measure of spiritual development that I have determined for myself is enough for me. But if we open the Gospel, we will see that Christ calls man to perfection. Therefore, be perfect, just as your Father in heaven is perfect (Matt. 5:48).

— It’s difficult to say about each person. Perhaps we can call it the Gospel for everyone. By the way, you can meet many people who call themselves churchgoers, but have never read the Gospel or Holy Scripture. I think calling yourself a Christian and not reading the Gospel, knowing how to read, is very shameful. And then you need to get acquainted with the interpretations of the Holy Scriptures, and with hagiographic historical literature, which makes it possible to evaluate your life using the examples of pious ascetics. You need to be interested in modern church literature and read periodicals. There is a lot of literature, and the main thing is to set priorities correctly. Help with this should be provided by a priest with whom a person can meet in church and have a thoughtful conversation.

Unfortunately, today people read little at all, and therefore there are few people interested in spiritual literature. Therefore, it is important that the priest in the church tells parishioners about the benefits of spiritual reading, about new books, and about spiritual writers. There should be a good library at the temple, a selection of books on a candle box or in a church shop. The assortment of books sold on the candle box always gives an opportunity to understand how the parish lives. In private conversations with parishioners during non-liturgical times or during confession, the priest should recommend spiritual books.

— We are now celebrating Orthodox Book Day. Various events will be held by the parishes of the Intercession Diocese. How can every Christian celebrate this holiday?

— The most direct way: take a spiritual book and start reading it.

Most people begin their acquaintance with Orthodoxy by reading Orthodox fiction. Uninvented stories from the lives of Orthodox people make you feel and sympathize with the characters, introduce you to Orthodox customs, and often involve the reader in the life of an Orthodox parish.

Reading Orthodox fiction is a fascinating activity that allows you, together with the characters in the works, to seek and find the truth, and to think about the truly Orthodox understanding of events. Gradually, the reader develops favorite Orthodox writers, favorite works of art. Some Orthodox authors write so heartfeltly that you will definitely want to have their works in your home.

Our online store will help you with this. From us you can buy both already beloved works of art and new ones that have just come out of print.

With the advent of the Internet in everyday life, buying Orthodox art books has become much easier and cheaper. There are no “store” markups, which means that you can replenish your home library without compromising your family budget.

Features of modern Orthodox books

Modern Orthodox spiritual literature attunes a person to positive thoughts and is a kind of psychological tool that can help choose the right path, protect from bad thoughts, survive the pain of loss and show the path to spiritual improvement.

Spiritual fiction is a promising direction in Orthodoxy. Church books are always valued; they are passed down from generation to generation and are family heirlooms. Reading them is useful and soul-saving.

Top authors and significant works

Our online store presents best authors artistic Orthodox literature, such as:

and many others.

Russian writers were able to reflect the whole essence of the Christian faith in their works. They feel spirituality, morality and reflect the soul of the author himself. Reading church prose allows you to look at all life situations from a different angle. They are written in clear language even for the average reader and hold attention until the last lines.

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From the three notebooks of the Diary of Novice Nikolai Mitrofanovich Belyaev (1888–1931) (later Hieromonk Nikon, the last confessor of the Optina Hermitage before its closure in 1927, confessor; canonized in the host of the Reverend Elders of Optina by the Russian Bishops' Council Orthodox Church 1996), only one remains, of which several initial pages have been lost. But even on the basis of the surviving text, it is possible to form a fairly complete picture of the spiritual quest of the future elder, his first steps in the ascetic life, and his exceptional relationship with his spiritual mentor for our time. Two bright images vividly appear before the reader - the head of the Optina monastery, the confessor of the monastery, an elder both in spiritual and physical age, Venerable. Barsanuphius and, on the other hand, a twenty-year-old youth, a seeker of Truth, who decided to take the path of not only rational, but active knowledge of It. The diary reflections of the novice Nicholas himself and, even more so, the instructions of Elder Barsanuphius recorded by him represent one of the last valuable pages of the two thousand-year-old spiritual tradition of the Orthodox Church - the tradition of struggling with passions, making commandments, prayer...

But any diary is always a personal, more or less subjective document. This is an almost daily series of all - not only bright, but also negative experiences, all - not only true, but also erroneous judgments and thoughts. In addition, the author of the diary, even if we are talking about a holy ascetic, writes, as a rule, only for himself, hardly thinking about how what he wrote can be understood and perceived by another person. In addition, a diary is also a collection of small details (facts, observations, comments), which, although perhaps important milestones in the fate of this particular person, are unlikely to be of significant significance for people living in other conditions, in other times. era.

Therefore, when preparing this publication for publication, we did not consider it necessary to publish the full author's text. The following were omitted from the original: firstly, minor (everyday, biographical, etc.) details that would have increased the volume of an already considerable book and therefore would have made it less accessible to a wide range of readers; secondly, facts, observations, thoughts that are of a purely personal nature (complicated relationships with brother Ivan, negative assessments given to specific individuals, examples of fatherly love and care of Elder Barsanuphius towards the author, etc.) - publish them , in our opinion, is simply indelicate; thirdly, some judgments by Rev. Barsanuphius, which, reflecting the individual traits of his own spiritual and life make-up, are not entirely consistent with the experience of the majority of Orthodox saints, and therefore could, in our opinion, become a “stumbling block” for many readers; finally, those places in which the author’s thought is not expressed clearly enough and therefore can be distorted and reinterpreted.

At the same time, it should be especially emphasized that when preparing the Diary for publication and editing it, we were guided solely by considerations of spiritual and moral expediency, and not by “censorship” concerns. Unlike the editors of the book “The Diary of the Last Confessor of the Optina Hermitage” (St. Petersburg, 1994), which is precisely an example of strict and very tendentious censorship, we have preserved in our publication all (apparently, seemed too “edgy”) passages of the “Diary” ", which touch on complex issues of Russian history (for example, the so-called Jewish question), and pressing problems of church life (the decline of monasticism, the lack of genuine spiritual leadership, the disastrous state of spiritual education, the corruption of morals in Russian society and the people as a whole, etc. .).

We hope that this publication will be interesting and, most importantly, useful not only to everyone already walking along the path of spiritual life, but also to everyone looking for this path, to everyone preparing to follow it.