Archimandrite
Saint Ambrose (in the world Alexey Anikeevich Astakhov) was born in 1860 in the village of Borisovka, Lebedyan district, Tambov province, into a peasant family. Until 1925, he lived in a monastery, and after its closure, he resided in various villages of the Moscow region, spiritually guiding the nuns and postulants of the Golovinsky Monastery.
Archimandrite Ambrose answered the investigator's questions about his visitors, asserting that they sought his advice on family matters. He also spoke of his hostility towards the Soviet government, claiming that it was persecuting religion and the clergy, and that it was the power of the Antichrist sent as punishment to the people for their sins. The saint believed that the Soviet authority was destroying churches and exiling innocent clergy and believers. He considered himself a monarchist and viewed the Soviet power as a temporary phenomenon, expressing sorrow over the overthrow of the tsar and the injustices occurring in the country.
