The Old Rectory, Rectory Road, Tolleshunt Knights, By Maldon, Essex CM9 8EZ, United Kingdom
Tel.: (+44) (0) 1621 816 471
The community consists of men and women living the monastic tradition of a Christ-centered prayer life for the monastic members. Currently, the majority of the community are nuns (~15-20), with a smaller number of monks.
The Patriarchal Stavropegic Monastery of St John the Baptist had its beginnings largely in the person
of Elder Sophrony (Sakharov). After his departure from Mount Athos and
his subsequent move to Paris, he was to live in a Russian old-age home,
assisting the priest.
In 1958, Elder Sophrony had six people living
around him, seeking the monastic life. Realising that such a situation
could not continue, he went to Tolleshunt Knights, Maldon, Essex, England to inspect a property; in the spring of 1959, the new Community of St John the Baptist was formed at the same property, under the omophorion of Metropolitan Anthony (Bloom) of Sourozh (Patriarchate of Moscow). The monastery, from its beginnings, had both monks and nuns, due to Elder Sophrony being unable to oversee two separate communities.The Monastery of St John the Baptist moved under the Ecumenical Patriarchate in 1965, becoming Patriarchal; later, the monastery would also be titled ‘Stavropegic’.
The new Abbot is hieromonk Petros (Vryzas), born in 1977 in Greece and since 2002 a monk in the monastery of JOhn the Baptist, a disciple o Elder Zacharias (Zacharou).
May God give him wisdom and strength for every (spiritual) battle.
sources: trelogiannis.blogspot.com , http://www.thyateira.org.uk
