Today we will tell you about an amazing person, Archbishop Grigory Ostroumov. He was a true ascetic of the Orthodox Church, the spiritual advisor of Grand Duchess Anastasia Mikhailovna, and the main inspirer of the construction of the famous Russian church in honor of Archangel Michael in Cannes, which became a symbol of the Russian emigration.

Grigory Efimovich Ostroumov was born on October 14, 1856, and received a higher theological education. In 1885, he became an Orthodox priest. Soon he met the granddaughter of Emperor Nicholas I, Anastasia Mikhailovna, who found in him her spiritual advisor. In 1889, she suggested he move to France. In Cannes, Father Grigory established a large Orthodox parish and, together with Anastasia Mikhailovna, decided to build a stone church. With the help of the Romanovs, the Church of St. Michael the Archangel was erected, and Grigory Ostroumov became its first rector. For his services to the church, he was elevated to the rank of protodeacon and awarded a mitre in 1905.

With the onset of the Great War and the arrival of Russian troops in France, Father Grigory devoted much time to wounded soldiers, listening to and comforting them. However, for Russia, this war turned out to be fatal, destroying autocracy and foundations. Father Grigory did not accept the Bolsheviks, refused to cooperate with the OGPU, and did not leave his post after an order from Moscow. In 1927, he officially came under the jurisdiction of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside Russia and was elevated to the rank of protopsalti.

In 1936, Father Grigory took monastic vows and soon became Bishop Grigory of Cannes. He lived for 90 years, was elevated to archbishop, and passed away on July 7, 1947. He was buried in the Church of St. Michael the Archangel, to which he dedicated most of his life. He was a worthy man who played an important role in the life of the Russian emigration, among his spiritual children were White General Nikolai Nikolayevich Yudenich and representatives of the House of Romanov.