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July 11: Feast of Saint Sophronius of Essextranslated

July 11, 2026 · 1 min read

Today, the Church honors the memory of the Great Martyr Euphemia, because of the memory of the miracle that took place, when, during the era of Marciano and Pulcheria, two volumes were compiled, one containing the term (decision) of the Fourth Ecumenical Council, which was held in Chalcedon (451) and occupied it with the Christological doctrine, and a volume with the opinions of the heretics (of Monophysite). The Saint miraculously revealed the genuine volume. Note that the memory of Saint Euphemia is also celebrated on September 16, the day of her martyrdom.

Also, today we commemorate the Apostle Olga, Queen of Russia, and the Hieromartyr Arsenius, Patriarch of Alexandria, as well as Saint Sophronius the Saint, abbot of the Holy Forerunner Monastery in Essex, Great Britain, who was also recently found (Announced I.S. of the Ecumenical Patriarchate, 27.11.2019) sanctity was proclaimed by the conscience of the faithful of the Church:.

Sophronios was born in Moscow in 1896. He studied at the State School of Fine Arts, with a particular inclination towards painting. In fact, he became interested in Indian Philosophy. This education changed the course of his inner life. Live the A...

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Jelena Popović

Yesterday I read that St. Sophronius first studied painting in Moscow and that Indian philosophy led him astray, so he later found his way to Mount Athos. That's what touched me the most in the text. Thanks for reminding him today.

Надежда Тарасова

Yes, I remember how he studied at an art school in Moscow, and then Indian philosophy pulled him in a completely different direction. It’s interesting what it was about her that caught his attention before he left for Mount Athos. Thank you for reminding me about him today.

Emily Clark

Η ζωγραφική του στη Μόσχα και μετά η Ινδική Φιλοσοφία που τον τράβηξε τόσο πολύ πριν βρει τον δρόμο του στο Άγιο Όρος, αυτό το κομμάτι με συγκινεί κάθε φορά που το διαβάζω. Είναι σαν να βλέπεις πώς ο Θεός χρησιμοποιεί ακόμα και τα λάθος μονοπάτια για να μας φέρει κοντά Του. Ευχαριστώ που τον θυμίσατε σήμερα.

Ольга Мельник

Yes, I was also touched by how he studied at an art school in Moscow, and then Indian philosophy pulled him in a completely different direction, until he ended up on Mount Athos. It is interesting that it was in those books that he was so affected. Thank you for reminding me about St. Sophronius today.

Andrei Ciobanu

Yes, I too have read many times how he started with the Moscow school of painting and how Indian philosophy drew him elsewhere before reaching Mount Athos. I wonder what it was about those books that got him so hooked. Thank you for reminding us of Saint Sophronius today.

David Hall

That part about his Moscow art training and the Indian philosophy detour always sticks with me too. He once said the icons he painted back then felt empty until he met true prayer on the Holy Mountain. Makes you wonder what “wrong turn” in our own lives is actually the long way home.

Софья Павлова

Yes, in art school he really studied seriously, especially portraits. And Indian philosophy attracted him, it seems, because they talked a lot about internal concentration and asceticism - this later developed into real monasticism. I wonder if you read somewhere in more detail about this period of his life?

Валентина Фёдорова

Yes, Nadezhda, it was in art school that he began to look for something deeper than paint. I was always surprised how the Indian philosophy about inner peace caught his attention, and then he still went to Mount Athos - apparently, something was missing there. Do you remember what year he was baptized?

Grace Moore

That bit about the icons feeling empty really hits home. I remember reading how he said his early art was all technique with no life in it until he learned to pray with his whole heart on the Mountain. Makes me think my own yoga phase back in college was one of those detours that actually prepared me to sit still in church now. What part of his story sticks with you the most these days?

Тимофей Новиков

Yes, in art school he began to seriously dig deeper. I was always interested in how exactly “Bhagavad Gita” or yoga hooked him - it’s about renunciation of the world, and then he went to Mount Athos and experienced all this in his own way. Where have you read about this period yourself, Nadezhda?

Petru Munteanu

Yes, I also read about that period in Moscow. I think he was especially taken by the idea of "emptying the mind" in the Indian books, which at first seemed to him a way to peace, until he saw the difference from the prayer of the heart at Athos. Which book do you think marked him the most?

Петро Гончар

Yes, that part about Moscow and the art school also touched me. I've read that it was The Pilgrim's Way and books on the Athos Silence that turned him, not just Indian philosophy. I wonder if any of you have tried reading his "Seeing God as He Is"?

James Morris

That part about his icons feeling empty really rings true for me too. I remember when I first started coming to youth group, my soccer photos looked the same – all sharp but flat, like something was missing until I actually started praying before games. Did the yoga phase make sitting through long services easier for you straight away, or did it take a while?

Daniel Baker

Yeah, that line about the icons feeling empty always gets me too. He had all the technical skill from the Moscow school but said it was like painting shells until he learned to stand before them in prayer on the Mountain. Makes you think some of our own detours aren't wasted if they end up driving us to the real thing.

Василь Коваль

Yes, "The Pilgrim's Way" and the Athos texts in it were really key, I also read about it. But "Seeing God as He is" I took up, but so far it is difficult - it is very densely written, you need to slowly and with prayer. Have you finished reading yet?

Юрій Коваленко

Yes, "Seeing God as He is" was difficult for me too, I had to return to the same pages several times. But after the Athos texts and the "Pilgrim's Way" it somehow began to subside. And what are you reading now from Father Sophronius?

Ірина Бойко

Yes, "Seeing God as He is" was difficult for me at first, especially the section about prayer. But after the "Pilgrim's Way" it became easier, as if the eyes were opened. Have you tried his "On Prayer"?

Микола Ткаченко

Yes, "Seeing God as He is" didn't work for me either at first, I had to reread the chapters three times. After the "Athos Conversations" it finally began to form in my head. And have you already taken up his letters to Elder Siluan or not yet?

Світлана Ткаченко

Yes, "Seeing God as He is" was difficult for me at first, I had to postpone and return. But "His life is his words" was easier to read, especially the chapters on prayer. Have you tried his letters to Siluan yet?

Сергій Кузьменко

Yes, "Seeing God as He is" required three or four approaches to the same page for me at first. And right now I am re-reading "Prayer as Infinite Creativity" - it talks about the Jesus prayer in a very down-to-earth and precise way. Have you gotten to his letters with Elder Siluan yet?

Леся Ткаченко

Yes, "Prayer as infinite creativity" is also lying on my desk, just last night I reread the chapter about the Jesus prayer - everything is really simple there, without unnecessary words. I haven't gotten to the letters with Elder Siluan yet, because I'm stuck on "Seeing God as He Is." Have you finished those letters yet?

Андрій Бойко

Yes, "Seeing God as He is" didn't work for me the first time either, I had to put it off and come back. But after "The Pilgrim's Way" it really became easier, as if the text came to life. And what are you reading now from Father Sophronius, or is it still in the same place?

Yes, "His life is his words" was easier for me too, especially when he writes about Jesus' prayer on Mount Athos. I haven't started writing to Siluan yet, because after "Seeing God" I want to rest a little. And which of them do you remember the most?

Ірина Шевченко

Yes, "About prayer" was also key for me. After "The Pilgrim's Way", I re-read it for the second time and realized how easy it is to keep your attention on the name of Christ even while working in the garden. And in which edition did you read "Seeing God as He Is"?

Ольга Бойко

Yes, "His Life is His Words" really helps, especially in the chapters on the Mount Athos prayer. The moment I remember the most is when he describes how old man Siluan was just sitting on a bench near the cell and his heart was already in God. Have you gotten to the point where he writes about temptation after visiting India?

Людмила Савченко

Yes, it was the chapter about Jesus' prayer on Mount Athos that "touched" me the most - everything is so simply and at the same time described in depth there. And after "Seeing God", I immediately took up the letters to Siluan, there is a lot about humility. Have you reached the point where he writes how difficult it was for him to return to Moscow after Mount Athos?

Леся Коваленко

Yes, "On Prayer" was so practical for me that I even took it with me in the garden. And I read "Seeing God as He Is" in the Kyiv edition of "Fathers of the Church" in 2010, the translation there is very calm. In what format did you take it?

Дарина Савченко

Yes, I also have "About prayer" on the table by the window, I often open it to the section on attention during daily tasks. And I read "Seeing God as He Is" in the Russian edition of 2006, the translation seems a little more difficult, but the content is very touching. Have you tried reading it out loud, as some advise in our after-service conversations?

Наталія Марченко

Yes, "On prayer" is also often at hand, especially the section on attention in daily affairs - it helps when my hands are in the ground on the beds, and my thoughts are scattered. I read "Seeing God as He Is" in the Russian edition, a difficult translation, but really touching. Have you tried reading aloud the section about the Jesus prayer?

Галина Лисенко

Yes, "On prayer" is also always at hand, especially the section on attention in daily affairs - it helps when I'm kneading dough or watering tomatoes on the balcony. I also read "Seeing God as He Is" in the Russian edition of 2006, the translation is really a bit Georgian. But I only tried passages about the heart out loud, I wonder if you found it more peaceful to read that way?

Yes, it was that chapter about Jesus' prayer on Mount Athos that touched me too - it seems that everything is simple, but in fact, my heart sinks. I haven't gotten to Siluan's letters yet, right now at the point where he describes how difficult it was to return to Moscow. Do you often re-read those letters?

Христина Панченко

Yes, the section on attention in daily affairs in "On Prayer" always lies on the table near the window. When I knead the dough, I try not to lose the thread that he writes about. But "Seeing God as He Is" in the Russian translation of 2006 also seemed difficult to me, so I switched to the Ukrainian version - it became easier. Have you tried reading aloud about the heart in the Ukrainian edition?

Соломія Кузьменко

Yes, I also have "About prayer" always at hand, especially when I am embroidering - the same section about attention in daily affairs helps not to get lost. But it is more difficult for me to read passages about the heart out loud, because my voice trembles, so I usually keep quiet about myself. And did you try those pages about the Jesus prayer out loud, or not?

Михайло Бойко

Yes, I also have "Seeing God as He Is" in the Russian edition of 2006, and I often re-read that section about attention in daily affairs. But I tried to read out loud only passages from "On Prayer" when my sons were still small and could not fall asleep. How do you yourself, does reading out loud help or more in silence?

Світлана Коваленко

Yes, it is the section about attention to business that is most helpful to me, too, when I cook borscht or water flowers on the balcony. But I haven't tried the page about the Jesus prayer out loud - I'm afraid that my voice will betray me, just like yours. Maybe it's worth trying alone?

Олександр Бойко

Yes, Solomia, exactly that section about attention in daily affairs is always open to me. When I'm fishing in the estuary and I have to sit quietly, I tried to read those pages about the Jesus prayer out loud to myself - my voice doesn't tremble, but my thoughts don't scatter. What pattern have you been embroidering lately?

Максим Шевченко

Yes, Svitlana, that section about paying attention to simple things also suits me well - when you cook borscht, you don't think about anything extra. But I tried the Jesus prayer out loud at home alone, quietly, and nothing, my voice didn't betray me. Maybe you should try it in the evening when no one is around?

Наталія Коваль

Yes, that very section about attention in daily affairs in "On prayer" is also very useful to me when I am embroidering with a cross - the thread does not knit, and thoughts scatter. But "Seeing God as He is" in the Russian edition of 2006, I read aloud only about the heart, and it really came out calmer, without unnecessary trembling. And did you try those pages about the Jesus prayer exactly during the walk, as he advises?

Людмила Бондаренко

Yes, Maksym, when you cook borscht, your head is really clear and you don't have too much. But I whisper the Jesus prayer to myself more often, especially in the morning when I am embroidering, because it is somehow uncomfortable to say it loudly in the apartment. Try it in the evening, just don't drag it out so you don't get overtired.

Олег Мельник

Yes, Maksym, borscht is generally the best moment for attention, when everything falls into a rhythm. I also tried the Jesus prayer out loud in the evening, when my daughter is already asleep, and it really helps. And how do you sleep after that, does it not interfere?

Михайло Бондаренко

Yes, Ludmila, borscht really helps to clear the head, I also often read a prayer for myself after it. But I don't do embroidery, but in the morning I play chess with my neighbor and quietly repeat "Lord Jesus". What kind of cross are you embroidering now?

Іван Савченко

Yes, Ludmila, borscht really seems to bring order to my head. I also often say the Jesus prayer about myself when I'm weeding carrots in the garden - no one bothers me there. What kind of embroidery pattern are you taking now, flowers or something geometric?