Buchendorf, Germany, October 13, 2025
Photo: orth-frauenkloster.de
The Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia’s convent dedicated to Holy New Martyr and Grand Duchess Elisabeth in Buchendorf, Germany, celebrated its 20th anniversary this weekend with solemn divine services on the feast day of the saint’s relics.
His Eminence Metropolitan Mark of Berlin and Germany, His Grace Bishop Irenei of London and Western Europe, and His Grace Bishop Job of Stuttgart headed the services on Friday and Saturday, together with priests and deacons serving at the monastery and in nearby parishes, reports the Diocese of Great Britain and Western Europe.
On Saturday morning, His Eminence Archbishop Tikhon of the Patriarchal Diocese in Germany also served at the Liturgy. Present in the church, along with the convent’s community of nuns and supporters, were the abbesses of ROCOR’s chief monasteries in the Holy Land—Abbess Elisabeth of the Gethsemane Convent and Abbess Tabitha of the Convent on the Mount of Olives. They were joined by Abbess Martha of the large Convent of Mary and Martha in Moldova, and many pilgrims.
Photo: orthodox-europe.org
After the Liturgy, Bp. Irenei preached a sermon in honor of St. Elisabeth, reflecting upon her spiritual influence on the lives of the nuns over the past two decades and encouraging Abbess Maria and her sisters in Christ in their continuing mission to the Church.
Met. Mark presented several certificates of recognition on behalf of the abbess. Among the honored recipients was Deacon Pavel Lisitsin, who had traveled to Buchendorf from London with Bishop Irenei and has been a consistent supporter of the monastery since its founding.
A festal meal was held in the main monastery hall, during which the life of St. Elisabeth was read as the meal proceeded in silence, according to monastic custom. After the reading, Met. Mark congratulated the abbess and sisters and spoke of the necessity of spiritual struggle in this generation. Words of congratulation were then spoken, and Bp. Irenei presented Abbess Maria with two hand-painted icons as a gift from his diocese.
About the monastery
Photo: orth-frauenkloster.de
The Convent of the Holy Martyr-Nun Grand Duchess Elisabeth was established in 2005 in the picturesque village of Buchendorf in southern Bavaria, located 10 miles from downtown Munich. The monastery sits directly behind the Catholic church of the Holy Archangel Michael in this small village of approximately 700 inhabitants.
The focus of monastic life centers on divine worship and personal prayer. The monastery maintains the complete liturgical cycle of services daily, with Divine Liturgy celebrated three to four times per week, including Sundays.
The monastery operates a prosphora bakery, a sewing workshop, an embroidery workshop, and a bookbindery. The sisters also cultivate a vegetable garden, growing seedlings in greenhouses, plant potatoes, care for chickens, and keep bees. The bees not only provide honey but also supply raw materials for the monastery’s natural pharmacy, where the sisters produce medical ointments of various compositions and propolis.
Since the monastery’s founding, it has annually hosted the Orthodox Martha-Mary summer camp for girls. The camp’s purpose is to give girls from the Orthodox diaspora the opportunity to experience monastic life, meet girls of the same age from parishes throughout Germany and other countries, and form friendships that strengthen their church connections.
Physical work and prayer are inseparably connected, as with the two sisters Martha and Mary in the Gospel. The sisters attempt to follow the instructions of their spiritual father and combine work and prayer in carrying out every type of task. Regardless of their particular obediences in the monastery, the sisters participate in all divine services. This requirement also applies to pilgrims who come to the monastery for several days of spiritual strengthening.
The monastery is under the spiritual care of Abbess Maria (Sidiropoulou).
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