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Prince Stepan Kasatsky experiences a disappointment with his fiancé and decides to become a monk! There is a story line, but beneath it, Father Sergius struggles to find peace and, if not happiness, then at least contentment. But he is always disillusioned and ultimately unsatisfied. Only in the end does he find his way by letting go of what he struggled to attain all his life, i.e. to be better than everyone else in whatever he did, and settle for the mundane. (Summary by JCarson)

Tolstoy brings to these brief tales the same psychological depth and spiritual insight found in his larger works. In fact, his short stories are an excellent place to begin reading this great author. In them, you will find the same challenging themes of morality, forgiveness, redemption and more.

Father Sergius is a short story by Leo Tolstoy and was published in 1911. It tells the story of a young prince - known as Stepan Kasatsky - who becomes a priest. In the court, he falls in love with Countess Mary Korotkova and becomes engaged to her. But soon he discovers his fiancée was once a mistress to Tsar Nicholas I. This incident devastates him and he decides to leave the court and becomes a monk. As he is an ambitious high achiever and excels in everything he sets his mind to, he is ordained to the priesthood after three years and takes the name Father Sergius.

Leo Tolstoy brings to light the struggle of finding true faith in this short story about a young man who desperately chases worldly accolades and social status before finding contentment in the last place he would have thought to look. After learning of a shame that he receives as catastrophic news, the young protagonist turns to the monastery to prove his moral superiority and his inability to be sullied by the ways of men. While outwardly he appears to be the perfect picture of holy devotion, Father Sergius continues to struggle with his desires and pride.

The story begins with the childhood and exceptional and accomplished youth of Prince Stepan Kasatsky. The young man is destined for great things. He discovers on the eve of his wedding that his fiancée Countess Mary Korotkova has had an affair with his beloved Tsar Nicholas I. The blow to his pride is massive, and he retreats to the arms of Russian Orthodoxy and becomes a monk. Many years of humility and doubt follow. He is ordered to become a hermit.

After discovering that his fiancée has had an affair, Prince Stepan Kasatsky decides to become a monk. His reputation for holiness grows, and he attracts pilgrims from far and wide. Yet he is still tortured by boredom, pride, and lust.