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Memory of Saint Sophrony the Athonite

July 11, 2026 · 1 min read

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…

Source: Orthodox Times · Read the full story →

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Симона Илиевска

At least I didn't know that he was the second of ten children and that even as a child he had a gift for prayer. It reminded me how family often shapes a person from an early age. It is also interesting how he went through Buddhism before returning to Orthodoxy.

Андрей Попов

Yes, I also learned for the first time that he is the second of ten children. There were four of us in the family, and prayer was also drilled into us from childhood, but not so deeply. It’s interesting how he went through Buddhism and still came back - probably that childhood habit of prayer helped.

Софья Новикова

There were also six in our family, I was the second, and we knew prayer from childhood, but such a gift is rare. It’s interesting that he went through Buddhism, and then still returned to Orthodoxy, probably that childhood habit of prayer pulled him out. I didn’t know about the art school in Moscow before, I wish I could see his early works.

Ειρήνη Αντωνίου

And I didn't know he was the second of ten children. I think about it and say how differently children grow up in such a large family, especially then in Moscow. That he went through Buddhism and turned back to Orthodoxy shows how powerful his childhood prayer was after all.

Любовь Комарова

There were also seven in our family, I am the third, and we read prayer from childhood, but to have such a gift from an early age is rare. It’s interesting that he went through Buddhism and philosophy, but still returned to Orthodoxy. Apparently, that childhood habit of prayer held him back, like many of us.

Irene Wilson

My family had only three kids, so ten siblings sounds like pure chaos in that Moscow apartment. The bit about his childhood gift for prayer really stuck with me; mine was more like being dragged to church and learning the words by heart. Funny how the Buddhism detour didn’t manage to pull him away for good.

Десислава Костова

And I did not know that he was the second of ten children - there were three of us at home and it was still noisy, and in such a house in Moscow it must have been a real madhouse. I wondered how he had such a gift for prayer as a child, and then went through art school and Buddhism before returning. Apparently that childish seed is not easily lost.

Марија Николовска

Yes, I was also surprised by the fact that he was the second of ten children - here in Ohrid, families were also large, so one learned early to pray and suffer. It is interesting that he went through Buddhism, and in the end he returned to the prayer of his childhood. Do you have a loved one who also went through such requirements before returning to the church?

Екатерина Макарова

We also had six children in our family, I am the second, like you. It’s interesting that you noted about Buddhism - my uncle also went through yoga and Eastern philosophy in the 70s, and then still returned to his father’s prayer. And the early paintings of Sophrony, they say, are kept in a monastery in Essex, maybe someday they will be exhibited. Would you go watch?

Ελένη Νικολαΐδου

Yes, Irene, that impressed me too. Ten children in Moscow at that time certainly meant close relationships and little space for each, and yet he held onto that childhood prayer as an anchor. Really, how different would it have been if he had just stuck to Buddhism?