Our history
Panagia, which lies in the municipality of Hämeenlinna in Southern Finland, was bought for the purposes of Orthodox Christian monastic life. The community dedicated to Mother of God was established in 2012 by a group of men and women who either visiting the Holy Mountain or reading about it were deeply impressed by the Fathers striving there. The community tries to make the ascetic tradition of Holy Mountain more well known here in Finland believing that the teaching and the life of the Athonite Fathers have much to offer also to our fellow countrymen and can act as a renewing power for the local Orthodoxy and spirituality.
The community was founded by the blessing of the late Elder Ephraim (d. 2023) of the Athonite Skete of St. Andrew (Serai), who during his visits in the Holy Monastery of St. Anthony in Arizona consulted often about it also with his own spiritual Father, Elder Ephraim “of America”. With their blessing the community organized its life from the very beginning in the way of monasteries based in liturgical life and prayer. The final purpose is to establish on the ground two separate and independent monasteries rooted in the Athonite tradition, one for men and other for women.
According to Elder Ephraim of the Skete of St. Andrew the estate is ideal for monastic life. It is large (34 hectares), has a pure and beautiful nature and is surrounded by big forest area (53 hectares) rented to the community. It is also near to a deep lake abundant in fish, in a remote location with total peace but still not too fare from big cities for interested pilgrims and visitors. The estate had from the old the necessary buildings for the new life on the area.
A Short Timeline of Events
* 2001: The birth of the Brotherhood of Saint Cosmas of Aitolia in Finland with the blessing of Archimandrite Ephraim, leader (ie. Δικαίος) of the Skete of St. Andrew on the Holy Mountain
* 2002: Elder Ephraim begins to visit Finland approximately every second year in order to support us
* 2006: The Brotherhood of St. Cosmas establishes a voluntary work-based Orthodox Bookshop “Filokalia” in Joensuu
* 2012: The Brotherhood of St. Cosmas establishes The Foundation of the Heritage of All the Saints of Mount Athos (hereinafter Athos Foundation) in order to gather money for purchase of an estate in Southern Finland with the aim of establishing there two totally separate monasteries, one for men and the other for women (which we told immediately also to our Hierarchs, then Archbishop Leo of Finland and the local Metropolitan Ambrosius of Helsinki)
* 2013: The Athos Foundation takes a remarkable bank loan to buy a big estate in the region of Hämeenlinna and names it according to the Most Holy Mother of God, Panagia.
* 30.5.2013: Everyday life applying Athonite cenobotic monastic typikon begins in Panagia and continues until now mainly by seven people
*2013: The Foundation starts to organize courses and seminars, exhibitions, concerts and pilgrimages to Greece in order to get money for the expenses of the monasteries but also to enrich the life of visitors
*2014: The church of St. Cosmas was consecrated chapel by Metropolitan Ambrosius of Helsinki in 2014
*2017: The church of Annunciation (c 230 m2) was consecrated chapel by Metropolitan Ambrosius of Helsinki in 2017.
* 2017: Panagia estate gets a new official address when the long road going through its land is named Panagian puistotie, i.e. avenue of Panagia
* Recent years: many people have began to visit us in order to receive support in their personal difficulties and spiritual searching, even though monastic communities and traditional Orthodoxy are not favored in all circles in Finland, and we continue to live without official monastic tonsures and priestly services of our own.
* Even more recent years: some young Orthodox Christian families and single people have moved to area of Panagia
* At Present: As is often in the case with new monasteries, also the Panagia community has faced many and big trials. We have not and do not receive any official economical support from anywhere, but many private persons have supported us, some of them abundantly. With their support we have succeeded to reduce the original bank loan of 1.300.000 € into 460.000 €. At present our community confronts an acute economical problem with its bank loan. We should shorten the loan by 75.000 € but for the moment we have succeeded to gather only 38.000 € which means that we still must find 37.000 €.
Panagia, the Most Holy Mother of God, has always helped us, often in the last moment. We believe that the same will happen now too. Would You have the possibility to serve as Her helping hand with a donation? Our community naturally remembers its benefactors in daily prayers. We are also convinced that the Most Holy Mother of God as the humblest and most grateful person of all the generations will bless richly those who promote Her work and mission.
* And our future – God willing: During these thirteen years in Panagia we have gone through continuous and big trials – just as our Spiritual Fathers told us beforehand in trying to prepare us for them. But at the same time we have had countless blessings from Christ and His All-Holy Mother. Time will only tell how the area of Panagia in Finland will develop; we put our faith in God’s Providence and the care of the Most Holy Theotokos. We do what we can and every day see all the more clearly our weakness, but never forget the infinite capacities of the Lord!