8 May 2016. In Search of Holy Orthodoxy… Monastery of St Ivan Rilski (BULGARIA)

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This is on the territory of St Ivan Rilski Monastery in Bulgaria, one of the oldest operating monasteries in the Balkans (founded in the 10th century). St Ivan Rilski, the first Bulgarian monk founded it; it’s so old that it predates the Baptism of Russia in 988. It has been in continuous operation since its foundation, although the oldest extant buildings date from the 14th century. The monastery is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

This is why so much convert vapouring on the internet is so shallow, vacuous, and without any merit whatsoever.  They have none of the grounding and rootedness found in holy places such as Rila… you can see the vapid shallowness in Rod Dreher, Maximos Weimar, Josiah Trenham, Patrick Reardon, and those who ape them… you can see the barely hidden heterodoxy just popping out of all their pores. Keep the rootedness of real Holy Orthodoxy uppermost in your mind… the Church’s focus is NOT on homosexuality and abortion… the Church does NOT bless rightwing politics at all… the Church blesses the State and its mission in the world; it always has, it still does, and it always will (it does NOT bless the anti-state “libertarian” rants of American “conservatives”). The Church believes that the love of money is the root of the worst evils… “conservatism” blesses the love of money… sadly, many konvertsy line up behind “conservatism”, not the Church.

Bite the coin… there be counterfeits about… long beards and self-righteous moralising do NOT equal holiness… keep the image of the truly righteous and holy always in your soul… we live in parlous times.

BMD

7 November 2015. Our Great Russian Motherland: Dalmatovo Assumption Monastery (Dalmatovo Raion. Kurgan Oblast. Ural Federal District)

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In 1644, Monk St Dalmat Ivanovich Mokrinsky founded this monastery when he built his cell in an isolated region to the east of the Ural Mountains (he came from Beryozovo in the Ural region). It endured until 1922, when the atheist authorities closed it. The property saw several uses… a theatre, commanders’ school in the VOV, factory. In 1989, the Church started to take over the property, a process complete in 1994. At present, there’s a small community of monks here, and the run-down buildings and property are under renovation.

BMD

13 July 2015. Our Great Russian Motherland: Holy Trinity Serafimo-Diveyevsky Convent. Diveyevo (Diveyevo Raion. Nizhny Novgorod Oblast. Volga Federal District)

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Founded in 1780, the claim to fame of Holy Trinity Serafimo-Diveyevsky Convent is that it had a connection with St Serafim Sarovsky. Closed in 1927, it reopened in 1988… well before the fall of the USSR.

BMD

21 June 2015. A Little Bit of Russia in America… St Tikhon Monastery in South Canaan PA USA

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St Tikhon Zadonsky Monastery is the oldest Russian Orthodox monastery in the USA. St Tikhon Bellavin, who later became Patriarch of Moscow and all the Russias, founded it in 1905 as a monastery and orphanage when he was ruling bishop in the USA. It still exists today, but the orphanage no longer exists. However, a seminary opened on the grounds in 1938, which still operates. Every year, on the American Memorial Day weekend, there’s a monastery open house and pilgrimage that draws hundreds of believers from throughout the USA (but mostly from the Northeast, especially from NEPA).

BMD