History
Historically, the Petseri (Pskov-Pechory) Monastery served for centuries as the spiritual center of Estonia's Orthodox Christians, especially the Seto people. After Estonia regained its independence, however, the monastery remained on the Russian side of the border, and monastic life within the Estonian Orthodox Church gradually came to an end. For many years, the establishment of an Orthodox men's monastery had been a heartfelt wish of Metropolitan Stephanos of Tallinn and All Estonia, and various possibilities were explored. The project finally began to take concrete shape in 2024, when Hieromonk Damaskinos, a member of the brotherhood of Xenophontos Monastery on Mount Athos, was elected Bishop of Haapsalu of the Estonian Orthodox Church.
One of Bishop Damaskinos' greatest aspirations was to establish a men's monastery and thereby bring the spiritual tradition of Mount Athos to the Orthodox faithful of Estonia. A living experience of monastic life and an ongoing connection with a brotherhood are essential for transmitting the authentic monastic spirit. Already at the time of his election, an Estonian brother was living the ascetic life together with Bishop Damaskinos, desiring to enter the angelic life of monasticism. What remained was to find a suitable place where the brotherhood could begin its life of ascetic struggle.
At this point, the entrepreneur Urmas Sõõrumaa proved to be an invaluable benefactor. Through his assistance, a property was acquired in 2026 in the village of Kirikla, Harju County, at the distance of 40 kilometres from the capital of Estonia, Tallinn, as the site for the future monastery. Until construction is completed, the monastery is temporarily located approximately one kilometre from the future monastery grounds at the Üiso Farm, which Mr. Sõõrumaa placed at the disposal of the brotherhood already in 2025. This temporary residence now houses both the monastery chapel and the living quarters of the brotherhood.
In 2025, the first monk of the brotherhood, Father Paisios, was tonsured, and in 2026 he was also ordained to the diaconate. In the same year, another brother joined the monastery as a novice. We therefore pray that God will bless the growth of the brotherhood and the construction of the monastery.