Patriarch Bartholomew Consecrates Church Dedicated to St. Sophrony in Essex

His Holiness is joined by the monastic community of Saint John the Baptist in Essex, along with visiting hierarchs, clergy and Archons of the Ecumenical Patriarchate. Photo by J. Mindala.

TOLLESHUNT KNIGHTS, ESSEX — The Monastery of St. John the Baptist in Essex, England, joyfully celebrated the consecration of a new church dedicated to its founder, St. Sophrony the Athonite, on Sunday, June 22, 2025. The event was led by His Holiness Patriarch Bartholomew of Constantinople, with His Eminence Archbishop Nikitas of Thyateira and Great Britain presiding over the Divine Liturgy and consecration rites.

Founded in 1959 by St. Sophrony – a spiritual child of St. Silouan the Athonite – the monastery has long served as a center of Orthodox spiritual life in Western Europe. St. Sophrony reposed in 1993 and was canonized by the Ecumenical Patriarchate in 2019. As the monastic community grew over the decades, the need for a larger church became clear. The new church’s foundation stone was laid by Patriarch Bartholomew during his 2022 patriarchal visit to mark the 100th anniversary of the Archdiocese of Thyateira and Great Britain.

The consecration weekend began with Great Vespers on Saturday, June 21, presided over by Abp. Nikitas and attended by a large number of pilgrims and hierarchs, including Metropolitan Nikolaos of Mesogaia of the Church of Greece. On Sunday morning, a solemn procession of St. Sophrony’s relics took place from the new church to the Chapel of St. Silouan and back, before the relics were placed in the altar and the church was consecrated.

Photo by J. Mindala

In a moving address following the liturgy, Abbot Peter reflected on the spiritual and historical foundations of the monastery, emphasizing the enduring impact of St. Sophrony’s life of prayer, humility, and suffering. He described the new church as a fruit of the Elder’s self-sacrifice, expressing the spiritual depth of the community’s journey: 

“Just as a newborn child begins life with weeping, so too did our monastery begin its life upon the foundations laid by St. Sophrony, with many tears, and groanings from the depths, and with blood and sweat.”

He continued, “We would be blind were we not to discern this, and ungrateful were we not to confess that, through the intercessions of our holy Fathers and under the steadfast protection of the great Mother Church of Christ, the unfathomable Divine providence has ‘enlarged the place of our tent’ (Isaiah 54:2).”

In his own remarks, Patriarch Bartholomew called the consecration a “day of joyous commemoration and historic celebration,” stressing that such events are not merely architectural milestones, but spiritual ones: 

“This day of consecration is not simply about brick and mortar… It is above all a commemoration of the communion of saints. In other words, it is a celebration of the succession of holiness. For just as we speak of an apostolic succession, in the canonical order and ordination of bishops, there is also a charismatic succession in the spiritual and mystical experience of the saints.”

Photo by J. Mindala

The consecration of the Church of St. Sophrony represents the fulfillment of a vision first articulated by the Elder himself in 1992, when he announced to the monastic community that the time had come for a new church to be constructed to fit the growing needs of the faithful pilgrims visiting from around the world.

As Patriarch Bartholomew noted, the newly completed church stands as both a tribute to the past and a beacon for future generations of faithful drawn to the spiritual legacy of St. Sophrony and his Athonite heritage.

A livestream of the event can be found here. A book about the new church by the Community of St. John the Baptist can be found here.

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