The Cross Way of the Orthodox Ascetics (a Russian Monastery on French Land)

Abstract

The paper discloses the links of Holy Protection Orthodox female cloister, located in small Burgudian village Bussy-en-Othe, with the Crimea and Russian nobility. It shows a difficult life path of its nuns and abbesses, theirs attempts to resist to Living Church (Renovationizm), addresses the acute issues of Russian emigration fates, future of worldwide Orthodox belief and its influence into the young generation. The fates of the first Abbotess Mother Evdokia (Ekaterina Courtin) and hers closest associate Mother Iya (Tatiana Bruns) are the shine samples of dedication to theirs ideals and convictions to the end, humility before God`s will, charity, self-sacrifice, indefatigable love to one`s neighbor. Thanks to their daily labors in the name of the Lord, a small monastery, located in a tiny French village, receive a worldwide famous as an Orthodox belief stronghold and with its missionary and charitable activity. The article uses a lot of little-known facts, previously unpublished archival documents. During its writing the various scientific methods (comparative-analytical, historical-genetic, historical-typological, retrospective, deductive, inductive, principles of objectiveness and historizm) had been employed. Such approach lets to shed any light to unknown pages in nun`s biographies, to retrace the ways, which they were came to God and what influence they had into it`s environment, including the young generation. The paper once again testifies to the survivability of the traditions of canonical Orthodoxy and the ideals of the Russian nobility in the modern society.