▁merchant , ▁from ▁Fe od osi ya , ▁eventually ▁marry ing ▁her . ▁ ▁He ▁later ▁lived ▁in ▁various ▁Ott oman ▁towns ▁as ▁a ▁Russian ▁cons ular ▁agent , ▁dev oting ▁his ▁le is ure ▁time ▁to ▁writing ▁orient al ▁fiction ▁on ▁many ▁them es , ▁some ▁of ▁which ▁included ▁a ▁condem n ation ▁of ▁hom oph ob ia ▁and ▁imp lied ▁that ▁he ▁may ▁have ▁been ▁bis ex ual . ▁In ▁the ▁summer ▁of ▁ 1 8 7 1 , ▁after ▁pray ing ▁to ▁the ▁Virgin ▁Mary , ▁he ▁was ▁c ured ▁of ▁ch ol era ▁and ▁d ys ent ery ▁and ▁promised ▁Her ▁to ▁take ▁mon astic ▁v ows . ▁Later ▁that ▁fall , ▁he ▁moved ▁to ▁the ▁Russian ▁monaster y ▁on ▁Mount ▁Ath os . ▁In ▁ 1 8 8 0 , ▁he ▁moved ▁to ▁the ▁c ensor ship ▁department ▁in ▁Moscow , ▁where ▁he ▁published ▁several ▁acc laimed ▁anal ys es ▁of ▁Leo ▁Tol sto y ' s ▁nov els . ▁ ▁Seven ▁years ▁later , ▁he ▁secret ly ▁took ▁the ▁tons ure ▁at ▁the ▁Opt ina ▁monaster y , ▁famous ▁for ▁its ▁starts y . ▁He ▁died ▁as ▁a ▁mon k ▁in ▁the ▁Tro it se - Ser gi ye va ▁Lav ra . ▁ ▁Works ▁and ▁political ▁thought ▁▁ ▁Le ont iev ' s ▁most ▁remarkable ▁book ▁is ▁a ▁volume ▁of ▁ess ays , ▁The ▁East , ▁Russia , ▁and ▁S lav dom ▁( 1 8 8 5 – 1 8 8 6 ). ▁Like ▁Nikol ay