On Thursday, an international student camp opens as part of the "Dostoevsky Days" festival, organized by the Optina Pustyn Monastery in Kaluga Oblast. The program includes lectures by theologians, a chess game with a world champion, and Dostoevsky-themed quests. According to RIA Novosti, participants will include students from Russia, Belarus, Greece, Peru, Costa Rica, Turkmenistan, and Moldova.

Bishop Joseph (Korolev) of Mozhaisk, the abbot of Optina Pustyn, noted that the student camp is also a missionary project "to acquaint young people with our culture and faith," as there will likely be students from various countries who do not practice Christianity.

The festival is in its third year, and the number of participants grows annually. According to Bishop Joseph, there were 6-7 thousand guests in 2023, and even more are expected this year. He added that a tent camp would be set up for the festival, where participants could stay with their tents.

"Dostoevsky Days" will be held from July 12-14 in Kaluga Oblast at the Vvedensky Stavropegial Men's Monastery "Optina Pustyn" and its surroundings. The grand opening is scheduled for July 12.

Optina Pustyn Monastery, according to legend, was founded in the early 15th century by a repentant robber named Opta (in monasticism - Macarius). The monastery was closed in 1918 but was returned to the Russian Orthodox Church in 1987. Optina Pustyn became famous for its elders. The monastery is associated with episodes in the lives of Russian writers and philosophers. In the summer of 1878, after the death of his son, Fyodor Dostoevsky visited here, and some scenes from "The Brothers Karamazov" were written under the influence of this visit. The prototype of Elder Zosima was Elder Ambrose (Saint Ambrose of Optina, canonized in 1988), who lived in the Optina hermitage at that time.

Photo: © Sergey Lavrentyev / Photobank Lori