Chavenon, Allier, Auvergne, France, October 1, 2024
Photo: cerkov-ru.com
Another Orthodox church was consecrated in France over the weekend.
His Eminence Metropolitan Nestor of Korsun, the Patriarchal Exarch of Western Europe of the Russian Orthodox Church, celebrated the rite of Great Consecration of the Church of Sts. Barsanuphius and John in the commune of Chavenon in central France on Saturday, September 28, the diocese reports.
This is the second church the Metropolitan has consecrated in France this month.
Photo: cerkov-ru.com
Sts. Barsanuphius and John Church was erected by the care of the sisters of the Theotokos of the Sign Monastery in Marseilles.
Relics of the ancient Gallic saint Hieromartyr Benignus of Dijon († c. 200), a disciple of St. Polycarp of Smyrna, were placed in the holy altar. “The placement of the holy relics in the foundation of the holy altar by the bishop reminds us that the Church of Christ in the era of persecutions was established on the martyrdom of the saints,” the diocese writes.
Then, Met. Nestor celebrated the Divine Liturgy with clergy of the diocese. Faithful from different parishes of central France were in attendance.
The day concluded with a festive meal in the municipal reception hall in Chavenon.
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Photo: cerkov-ru.com
The Saint-Hubert estate, located within the administrative boundaries of the village of Chavenon, is a former hunting lodge that was donated to the Theotokos of the Sign Convent of the Korsun Diocese in 2006 for the construction of an Orthodox church.
In 2014, through the efforts of the convent, an Orthodox chapel was built on the estate’s grounds, and a few years later, a church was erected. With the blessing of then-Bishop Nestor of Korsun, it was dedicated to the Palestinian desert dwellers Sts. Barsanuphius the Great and St. John the Prophet. The church building was designed in the architectural style typical of the local Allier region.
In September 2019, the painting of its walls began. According to the will of Archimandrite Barsanuphius (Ferrier) (1935-2018), the founder and longtime spiritual father of the convent, the iconographic program of the frescoes was primarily dedicated to the holy desert-dwelling fathers and Old Testament righteous hermits.
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