Today, we honor a new Saint, whose sanctity was recognized and proclaimed by the conscience of the faithful of the Church: Saint Sophrony the Athonite, Abbot of the Monastery of the Honorable Forerunner in Essex, Great Britain.
Saint Elder Sophrony was born in Moscow to Orthodox Christian parents on September 22, 1896. His secular name was Sergei. He was the second of ten siblings in his family. From early childhood, he displayed a rare gift for prayer. As a young man, he was already capable of responding to theological questions that had long puzzled scholars. Thus, he developed an early and intense desire to penetrate the heart of Orthodox theology.
He studied at the State School of Fine Arts in Moscow, where he demonstrated a particular talent for painting. During this period, he also developed an interest in Buddhism and Indian philosophy more broadly. This intellectual journey altered the course of his inner life. As a young man, he lived through World War I and the October Revolution of 1917–1918. These events led him to the belief that the very existence of humanity was the root cause of its suffering. He wrestled daily with the mysteries of life.
As a painter, it was extremely difficult for him to work in post-revolutionary Russia. In 1921, at the age of 25, he arrived in Paris, having first traveled through Italy, where he admired the masterpieces of the Renaissance, and making a brief stop in Berlin.
His artworks were accepted into artistic salons, and he participated in exhibitions with great success. Yet, he still felt an inner void.
He recounted: “I was in Paris, I had everything, I lived among the artistic circles of the city and took part in all their events. But nothing brought me joy or relief. After each artistic gathering, I felt emptiness and anxiety within me. My thoughts kept telling me I had to do something to escape the dead end that gripped me. But I found no solution. One night, after an evening out, I was walking back home with my head bowed and slow steps. I thought to myself, ‘This life is brutal, it is dull.’ Then I considered becoming a monk, but I had no idea where or how.”
In 1925, he joined the Russian Monastery of Saint Panteleimon on the western coast of Mount Athos. There, he met Saint Silouan the Athonite, a holy Russian elder who became his spiritual guide. He remained close to him for about eight years, until the elder’s repose on September 24, 1938.
With the blessing of the abbot of the Monastery, he withdrew to the “desert” of Mount Athos, in the remote area known as Karoulia. Later, he became a confessor and spiritual father to monks in monasteries, sketes, and hermitages along the southwestern coast of Athos. After four years of this ministry, he took up residence in a cave near the Monastery of Saint Paul.
Due to health reasons, he was forced to leave the cave during his third winter there. He then traveled to France for surgery and remained there for quite some time.
In 1948, he published the writings of Saint Silouan, along with an analysis of his teachings and a biography. In 1952, the book “Saint Silouan the Athonite” was released.
He later visited Moscow to venerate the graves of his parents. He discovered that all his siblings were still alive (except for his eldest brother, Boris, who had died at age 14). From then until 1981, he visited Moscow annually.
In 1959, at the age of 63, he settled in Essex, England, where he founded a monastic brotherhood. There, he established the Monastery of the Honorable Forerunner, welcoming anyone who sought his spiritual guidance. At the same time, he developed a rich body of spiritual writings.
Elder Sophrony fell asleep in the Lord on July 11, 1993, at the age of 97. His grave lies at the center of the Monastery’s cemetery.
Once again, the necessity is emphasized for Christians to maintain moderation and discernment, so that their veneration of the lives and boldness before God of those whom the Church canonizes may be spiritually beneficial.
When the conscience of the Church confirms and proclaims the sanctity of contemporary holy persons, they transcend the bounds of their families, their monastic communities, and the settings in which they lived, and they become part of the Orthodox Church as a whole.
Source: Church of Cyprus
