Saint Sophronius of Essex 64 p

Saint Sophronius of Essex 64 p

The Elder Sophronios Sergei Semyonovich Sakharov, September 22, 1896 - July 11, 1993 was a Russian Orthodox monk who began his solitary life on Mount Athos, in the Russian Monastery of St. Panteleimon.

He is considered by the Orthodox tradition as one of the most charismatic monks of the 20th century.

During his visit to Mount Athos in October 2019, Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew before the Assembly of the Holy Community, announced that the Ecumenical Patriarchate will proceed with the study of the canonization of Elder Sophronius of Essex.

He was born in Moscow and was a member of a 9-member family. His secular name was Sergios, while from a young age he showed a special theological inclination.

At first he was involved in painting, while he was also involved in Buddhism and Hinduism.

When he became disillusioned with the philosophy of the Eastern religions, he turned to Christianity and more specifically to Orthodoxy.

At the age of 25 he moved to France, trying to find work as a painter.

In France he managed to be accepted in the artistic circles, but in the end he turned to Christianity with more zeal since this did not fill him either, as he later confessed.

So at the age of 29 he turned to theology and was admitted to the Orthodox Theological Institute in Paris.

At the end of his studies he decided to become a nun. So he settled in the Russian Monastery of St. Panteleimon on Mount Athos, in 1925.

4 years later he met Saint Silouan the Athonite, who became his spiritual guide. He then left for the Spools of Mount Athos in 1938, where he practiced asceticism.

In 1948 he left Mount Athos for surgery in France and published a book on the life of Saint Silouan, who died in the meantime.

He then published other books About prayer, the Exercise and Theory and His life is my life

At the same time he visited Moscow after many years and since then he has had closer ties with the city.

In 1963 he left Mount Athos and founded a Christian fraternity, while building a monastery dedicated to St. John the Baptist in Essex. He remained there until his death in 1993 at the age of 97.

Information from romfea.gr

essex prisoner,
σοφρόνιος essex, οσιος σωφρονιος,
agios sophronios,
the holy sage,
οσιος παχωμιος