New Valamo: Finland

New Valamo: Finland

New Valamo is thriving multi-faceted community with a big external ministry. The monastery itself is quite small with a monks house and a separate Abbot’s house which is also the administrative centre for the monastery. There is a large church and a smaller, older wooden church, together with the inevitable small oratory in the wilder part of the grounds. Only the Church and some of the communal work areas are built of stone: All the other buildings are of wood. There is a flourishing lay academy, with a prestigious icon restoration studio and an icon studio teaching to post-graduate level.

Catechesis of the children is taken seriously, with icon classes for children above seven years of age forming an integral part of introduction to liturgy. Although some areas are enclosed by a high fence for the monks privacy, these are quite small, and the whole gives the impression of a largish village, including a childrens play area near the church. A boat, with the icon ‘made without hands,’ fixed to the mast goes to the women’s monastery at Lintula, which produces most of the candles for orthodox Finland

Varatec: Moldavia

Varatec is a women’s monastery incorporating the cenobium, skete and hermit way of life. In 1948 there were about 350 nuns with three cenobiums ( one at the monastery farm ). In 1990 there were fifteen of the younger professed nuns at the main cenobium. As new novices come, older professed move out into the kalvai (cottages with 3/4 nuns). There are three churches and each nun attends the one closest to her house. Nuns do not attend all services but serve on rotation. The entire typicon is served in this way. Some prayers are said privately, and two or more sisters often do this together - taking it in turns to read or do her rule of prostrations.

Often nuns in one cottage will share a room to save heat. Some of the nuns in the cottages have been blessed to receive and guide novices. Physical work is understood as both as a means of earning a living - the nuns weave carpets, make icons and sew vestments and farm sheep - and as vital for the soul. Work provides the opportunity to pray without ceasing, it humbles the soul, and is a weapon against vain, trivial thoughts and passions. There is a saying “the place does not sanctify man: man sanctifies the place."

Candlemaking at Lintula: Finland

The caves at Kiev

Kiev Pechersk Lavra: Russia

According to the earliest tradition, the Holy Apostle Andrew the First called, while preaching the Word of God in the Scythian land, blessed the hilly banks of the Dnieper, and foresaw the rise of the churches and monasteries of Kievan Rus. In 1051 monk Anthony, seeking seclusion, settled in the Kievan caves. Other men gradually joined him and the foundation spread. Anthony, seeking to remain in seclusion soon surrendered the running of the monastery to one of them, appointing venerable Varlaam as first hegumen (abbot), and dug out a new underground cell for himself. On reaching a hundred monks,the monastery adopted a Rule based on that of the Studios monastery (founded by St. Theodore the Studite, Constantinople).

As permanent overground buildings were developed the caves gradually became a place of withdrawal for ascetics and a burial place. The monasteries own account of it’s recent renewal says “What does the life of a monastery begin with - it begins with prayer. Without prayer the monastery is just a dormitory. Therefore, the divine service occupies the central place in monastic life and never ceasing prayer is the primary duty of the monk..the monastic meal is a follow up of divine service, for it is connected with unanimous thankgiving to God for His bounties." The monks have always worked hard - so much so that Arsenius and Abraham received the nicknames of ‘Lovers of Labour'.