Orthodox monastery in Germany

[Anthony]

I have recently discovered an Orthodox monastery in Germany, and would be interested if anybody knows anything about it, in particular its canonical situation as I will describe shortly. It is the Monastery of the Holy Trinity in Buchhagen near Hannover, and has a website (in German) here (http://www.orthodox.de).

According to information on this website, the Abbot (Fr Johannes) was a monk on Mt Athos, and the foundation was planned as a daughter house of Kouloumousiou. However this was opposed by the Greek Metropolitan in Germany and "other church interests", so that it in fact received its "canonical statute" from the Bulgarian Patriarchate, referring to the original "katastatikon" issued on the Holy Mountain.



Das deutsche orthodoxe Kloster war ursprünglich als Tochtergründung eines Athosklosters geplant; die Synaxe von Kultlumusiu, Athos hatte bereits 1982 ein entsprechendes Statut vorbereitet. Dies wurde jedoch durch den griechischen orthodoxen Metropoliten in Deutschland verhindert. Auch andere kirchenpolitische Interessen standen gegen die Gründung.
Erst 1993 wurde die kanonische Einbindung des deutschen Klosters in die bulgarische orthodoxe Kirche genehmigt, 1994 erhielt das Kloster sein kanonisches Statut. Darin wird der deutsche Nationalcharakter und die monastische Autonomie des Klosters bestätigt. Das Statut geht auf das Katastatikon zurück, welches bereits 1982 auf Athos für die deutsche Neugründung erstellt worden war. Die Entscheidung geschah im Geiste der heiligen Slawenapostel Methodios und Kyrill, die schon vor 1000 Jahren das Recht aller Völker verteidigt hatten, in der eigenen Sprache den christlichen Gottesdienst zu halten und eigenständige kirchliche Srukturen zu entwickeln. Sie zeigt, dass das Bewusstsein für die Katholizität und den übernationalen Charakter der Kirche in der bulgarischen Kirche lebendig ist.

I was very excited to discover this place, and I have German friends who are also interested in visiting it. I would just be reassured if those who know more could confirm that everything in the account just given seems regular, or at least as close to regular as people living in the Orthodox diaspora can reasonably expect.

I had actually forgotten about this monastery but rediscovered it unexpectedly yesterday while visiting the old (originally Carolingian) foundation of Corvey, which possesses some relics of St Vitus and played an important role in early Frankish / German history. Some of the relics were given to the monastery in Buchhagen, and there was an exhibition of photographs of their translation to the monastery.

[Justin Farr]

If only I could read German!

Thank you so much for this link! :D

[Mary Ann H.]

Anthony, I have heard about this monastery and seen its web page. A German friend who has been Greek Orthodox for about 20 years is very enthusiastic about it and has been there several times for confession.

I think you can be confident of its canonicity now because it is listed in the KOKID (Commission of the Orthodox Church in Germany) directory as one of the Orthodox monasteries in Germany, and under the jurisdiction of the Bulgarian Orthodox church.

I am not entirely surprised about what you quote about the opposition of the Greek metropolitan when the monastery applied for status as a daughter house of a monastery on Mount Athos - the same German acquaintance has said several times that the metropolitan is more interested in building paris churches for the Greek Orthodox in Germany than in encouraging monasteries.

There are three other Orthodox monasteries listed in the KOKID directory. One is our little Romanian Orthodox monastery in Nuremberg. When I was there last week, a large part of the services were in German - partly due to the new nun there who happens to be German and agrees with you that the church should use the language of the country!

[Nicolaj]

There are more orthodox monasteries and sketes in Germany.

But not all have websites, because they have other objectives as the world has.

Christos voskrese! Nicolaj

[Anthony]

Thank you, Mary Ann, for your post, which reminds me that I must take the opportunity to visit this place while I am still living in the area. As you will know from their website and doubtless from your friends, the development of German-language Orthodox litugical tradition is a main emphasis of the monastery.

I was also interested to hear about the Romanian monastery.

[Stephanos Franke]

About the Skite of Staint Spyridon in Geilnau, Germany


Please do so! I know about the monastery in Buchhagen and the new Russian one you mention, but I have not come across this one.


Well, lets start with Fr. Basilius, the abbot of the monastery St. Spyridon. Many people already are calling him "starez" ( I think the best english word for "starez" is elder, please correct me if i am wrong. I am not very familiar with the english orthodox terminology ... well reading "The Orthodox World" upgrads my english a bit ;-) ). He was born in Switzerland and is a direct "learner" (student) of Fr. Justin Popovic. Furthermore he spent some years on the Holy Mount Athos. Ieromonk Paisij (Rauer), german monk, is the second priest. He has published a few very interesting articles about pre-schismatic saints in germany and western europe. In addition 2 novices (?), living togehter with the monks, exercise themselves in the monastic life. :-) ... wonderful an heart touching is it to see Fr. Basilius during baptism ceremony in the river Lahn. Click here (http://www.spyridon-skite.de/41210.html) and scroll down ... In week 29, after Petroc & Paul Lent, my wife, some friends and me will visit the monastery. Think after that I will have more interessting infos for you...

[Nina]

I am quite sure that I will learn a lot from you (unfortunately my english is not that perfect :().

Abt. 100 km (miles :confused:) away from Berlin the ROC just started to bulit a new monastery.

http://www.n-tv.de/img/844596_src_path.mFOA.jpg

On the estate an old (and run down) german castle remained.

Best regards to my brothers and sisters !
Stephanos

Thank you Stephanos. Please, can you tell me the name of the place where the ROC is building a monastery 100 km away from Berlin?

[Anthony]

Dear Nina,

It's a place called Götschendorf.

[Cornelia Hayes]

Dear Antony,

I just joined the net because I wanted to find out about a monastery for nuns close to Houston, when I came across your question.

It is painful to start my presence on this site with a warning, but I cannot help it. Buchhagen does not have a good reputation among the canonical Orthodox in Germany who know it well.

I myself received my information from people who spent several years there, converts from Protestantism. One of them was completing his degree in Protestant theology and was all enthusiastic about Orthodoxy. But he sensed that things were not quite canonical, so he looked around for better advice. My personal email adress is: Corinna.Delkeskamp-Hayes@gmx.de. If you write me, I can get you in contact with those who can give you information from their own experience. But I do not think I can reveal their adress on a public post.

There is a very good Orthodox skete in Germany, and the website is www.spyridon-skite.de (http://www.spyridon-skite.de) . It is under the Serbian bishop, and all necessary information can be gleaned from the website. There is also a Russian monastery for men in Munich, the St. Hiob of Pocaev Monastery, and a new branch for women somewhere outside of Munich. All these are good places.

Cornelia (my name in baptism differs from the name on my email)


I have recently discovered an Orthodox monastery in Germany, and would be interested if anybody knows anything about it, in particular its canonical situation as I will describe shortly. It is the Monastery of the Holy Trinity in Buchhagen near Hannover, and has a website (in German) here (http://www.orthodox.de).

According to information on this website, the Abbot (Fr Johannes) was a monk on Mt Athos, and the foundation was planned as a daughter house of Kouloumousiou. However this was opposed by the Greek Metropolitan in Germany and "other church interests", so that it in fact received its "canonical statute" from the Bulgarian Patriarchate, referring to the original "katastatikon" issued on the Holy Mountain.




I was very excited to discover this place, and I have German friends who are also interested in visiting it. I would just be reassured if those who know more could confirm that everything in the account just given seems regular, or at least as close to regular as people living in the Orthodox diaspora can reasonably expect.

I had actually forgotten about this monastery but rediscovered it unexpectedly yesterday while visiting the old (originally Carolingian) foundation of Corvey, which possesses some relics of St Vitus and played an important role in early Frankish / German history. Some of the relics were given to the monastery in Buchhagen, and there was an exhibition of photographs of their translation to the monastery.