A group of pilgrims from Trikala visited the Centre of the Patriarchal Exarchate of Lithuania, where they had an opportunity to learn more closely about the presence and ministry of the Ecumenical Patriarchate in the country and about the pastoral, spiritual and missionary work of the Exarchate.
During these days, the Patriarchal Exarch of Lithuania, Bishop Panaretos of Tamisos, also travelled to historic Surdegis (Surdegiai), in the Anykščiai district, to visit the building complex of the former Orthodox men’s Monastery of the Holy Spirit, part of which has been granted for use by the Patriarchal Exarchate of Lithuania.
Surdegis is one of the historic centres of Orthodoxy in Lithuania. Sources record an Orthodox presence in the area from as early as the beginning of the sixteenth century, while during the following centuries the Monastery of the Holy Spirit developed into an important spiritual centre. A source of the Patriarchal Exarchate states that an Orthodox monastery under the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople operated there from 1627. Its monastic life was interrupted after the monks departed in 1915.
The wonderworking Surdegis Icon of the Most Holy Theotokos holds a special place in the spiritual tradition of Surdegis. According to local tradition, in 1530 the Theotokos appeared near a spring in the area. The icon, which for centuries attracted numerous pilgrims, became associated with this event. The spring has survived to the present day.
The icon was kept at the monastery for centuries. In 1915, because of the First World War, it was taken to Russia and later returned to Lithuania. Today it is kept in the Russian Orthodox Cathedral of the Annunciation of the Most Holy Theotokos in Kaunas.
A historic depiction of the Theotokos of Surdegis from 1890 has also survived. It was published in P. I. Batyushkov’s work “Belarus and Lithuania”. The depiction is now in the public domain and constitutes a valuable testimony to the icon’s former appearance and veneration.
Historic depiction of the Theotokos of Surdegis from 1890
Today the former monastery church is used by the Roman Catholic Church and is dedicated to the Dormition of the Most Holy Theotokos. Nevertheless, the memory of the former Orthodox monastery and of the site’s distinctive tradition of veneration of the Mother of God remains alive.
During his visit, His Grace toured the former monastic complex and examined the present condition of the section granted to the Exarchate, as well as the prospects for its restoration and use as a place of prayer, spiritual life and ecclesiastical ministry.
The Patriarchal Exarchate has already expressed the hope that the “lamp” of Orthodox spiritual life and prayer may once again be kindled at this historic site and that, if circumstances permit, conditions may eventually be created for a broader revival of the monastic presence.
The visit to Surdegis therefore carries particular symbolism: a place associated for centuries with Orthodoxy, monastic life and the veneration of the Most Holy Theotokos is called to regain an active place in the spiritual life of Lithuania’s Orthodox community.
