🚂 Traveling to Madingley, Cambridge

St Mary Magdalene Church, at Madingley

Absolutely Stunning!

For the  Eighth Madingley Conference

A Symposium Celebrating 1000 Years  of  Russian Monastic Presence on Mount Athos 

St. Panteleimon Monastery in Holy Mount Athos

3 – 5 February, 2017

The theme of  the 2017 residential conference will be Mount Athos and Russia, complementing the celebrations of 1000 years of Russian monastic presence on the Holy Mountain that have been taking place during the course of this summer. The first mention of a Russian monastery on the Holy Mountain was in 1016, and a series of events have occurred already this year to mark this millennium.

As the Chairman, Dr Graham Speake, has written: “Some of the most celebrated names in the history of Russian spirituality have been Athonites. Russians have contributed generously to the spiritual and cultural traditions of the Holy Mountain, just as Greek Athonites continue to have a significant impact on the spiritual life of the Russian Orthodox Church”.

The conference will bring together a distinguished group of speakers from Russia, the Ukraine, Finland and the United Kingdom, to explore various aspects of the Russian associations with Mount Athos.

A historical perspective will be provided by Sergey Viktorovich Shumilo, from the Ukraine. He will talk about the early Russian presence on the Holy Mountain, and the life of St Anthony, founder (with Saint Theodosius ) of the Caves of Kiev.

Hieromonk Irinei (Pikovskiy) , from the Sretensky Monastery in Moscow will examine how recent Athonite elders have influenced contemporary spiritual life in Russia, and inspired a renewal of Russian pilgrimage to the Holy Mountain.

Professor Rene Gothoni, from the University of Helsinki, will look at the history of Russian pilgrimage to Athos since the 12th century, and Archpriest Professor Andrew Louth will talk about the way in which the short 19th century Russian story, “The Way of a Pilgrim” was influential in promoting the use of the Jesus prayer, and the reading of the Philokalia.

The President, Metropolitan Kallistos Ware, will open the Conference by looking at the life of Saint Nil Sorsky, who spent time on Athos in the 15th century before returning to Russia to revive monastic life in the Athonite tradition. Hieromonk Nikolai (Sakharov) will concentrate on the 20th century Russian Saint Silouan, and his disciple and biographer, Father Sophrony. Dr Nicholas Fennell will consider the influence of Archimandrite Misail (Abbot of the Holy Monastery of Saint Panteleimon from 1905 to 1940) and the Monastery’s subsequent development.