The book offered to the attention of readers uses examples of fictional characters and situations to show the real contradictory processes that took place in the internal church life in Central Russia in 1968–1991. The literary text is interspersed with historical information about the real situation of the Orthodox Church in Russia during this period. The main idea of the stories is that the Church is the place where, despite the unfavorable influence of the external environment, it is possible not only to preserve a person’s faith and personality, but also to transform him. Contents: Cathedral. Light, darkness and shadow. Transfiguration.