RUSSIAN WORLD The death of the last starets

Ilja, Kirill's spiritual father, had been awarded the highest monastic title, that of 'archimandrite with the skhima', an overcoat with symbols that attest to the highest vows of spiritual life and the strictest ascetic rules. A miracle worker and prophet of 'Patriotic Orthodoxy', his personality has greatly influenced those of the Patriarch of Moscow and President Putin.