Holy Trinity Monastery (Jordanville, New York)
Encyclopedia
Holy Trinity Monastery is a male monastic community
in Jordanville, New York
. It is under the auspices of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside Russia
. The monastery is dedicated to the Holy Trinity, and its patronal feast day is Pentecost
.
. With the help of four new brothers, including Bishop Vitaly, a house with a chapel was completed in 1935 and the tiny brotherhood was ready to move in. However, towards the conclusion of the dedication ceremonies a fire suddenly broken out on the second floor of the new house, and the building with all of its contents burnt to the ground. The small brotherhood struggled along for some years.
After World War II
, when Czechoslovakia became an atheistic communist state, the St. Job of Pochaev Brotherhood, which had been in exile there since being forced to flee from its original location in the western Ukraine
with the outbreak of the Bolshevik
revolution in 1917, had to again relocate. After a brief stay in Munich, the Brotherhood accepted the invitation of Bishop Vitaly to join the struggling Brotherhood at Jordanville, resulting in the largest Orthodox Monastery in America. The Brotherhood of St. Job brought St. Job’s printing press
with them across the Atlantic, and, until the fall of the Soviet Union, Holy Trinity Monastery was the only place in the world that could typeset in Old Church Slavonic
. Today, it holds the distinction of the only place in the world that prints in Russian using the pre-1918 Old Orthography (see Reforms of Russian orthography
). Although the Printshop of St. Job of Pochaev now uses modern, computerized typesetting, St. Job's printing press is kept as a relic
in the Print Shop.
The present Cathedral of the Holy Trinity was completed in 1951; the Governor of New York, Thomas E. Dewey, attended the dedication. The monastery also houses the Holy Trinity Orthodox Seminary
.
In 2011 it was listed on the National Register of Historic Places
.
For much of this time the Fathers of the monastery operated their own printing press in the Print Shop of St. Job of Pochaev. Books were typeset and hand bound in the print shop. Increasingly they were sold not only to visitors to the monastery but also to other monasteries and churches throughout the world, as well as to libraries and the occasional commercial bookstore.
The world has changed dramatically since 1947. The Soviet Union is dead and the Russian Orthodox Church is again free to minister to the needs of the faithful in Russia. Simultaneously there is a growing spiritual vacuum in the West which cries out for knowledge of “the Faith once and for all delivered to the Saints.” This Faith has been preserved by the Russian Orthodox Church and the Russian people with its own cultural uniqueness. Holy Trinity Monastery is an inheritor of this tradition and seeks now through its publications to make this more widely known."
Holy Trinity Publications works under the guidance and blessing of the Abbot of Holy Trinity Monastery, Archimandrite Luke (Murianka). He has assigned the day-to-day oversight of Holy Trinity Publications to Nicholas Chapman, who directs a team of monastics, local Orthodox clergy, seminarians and other lay workers.
Holy Trinity Publications has "a goal to publish between four and eight new books each year and to make these available in both traditional print and varying digital forms." They also "hope to refresh some of our classic titles and make them available in new forms." They also "publish two periodicals on a regular basis, one in Russian and one in English."
Monastery
Monastery denotes the building, or complex of buildings, that houses a room reserved for prayer as well as the domestic quarters and workplace of monastics, whether monks or nuns, and whether living in community or alone .Monasteries may vary greatly in size – a small dwelling accommodating only...
in Jordanville, New York
Jordanville, New York
Jordanville is a hamlet in the town of Warren, Herkimer County, New York. Jordanville is in the northwest part of Warren, at the intersection of Routes 18 and 155. The community was settled before 1791.-Gelston Castle:...
. It is under the auspices of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside Russia
Russian Orthodox Church Outside Russia
The Russian Orthodox Church Outside Russia , also called the Russian Orthodox Church Abroad, ROCA, or ROCOR) is a semi-autonomous part of the Russian Orthodox Church....
. The monastery is dedicated to the Holy Trinity, and its patronal feast day is Pentecost
Pentecost
Pentecost is a prominent feast in the calendar of Ancient Israel celebrating the giving of the Law on Sinai, and also later in the Christian liturgical year commemorating the descent of the Holy Spirit upon the disciples of Christ after the Resurrection of Jesus...
.
History
In 1928, two monks from St. Tikhon's Orthodox Monastery in South Canaan, Pennsylvania, in search of greater seclusion, purchased a small farm near Jordanville in Herkimer County, New YorkHerkimer County, New York
Herkimer County is a county located in the U.S. state of New York. It was created in 1791 north of the Mohawk River out of part of Montgomery County. As of the 2010 census, the population was 64,519. It is named after General Nicholas Herkimer, who died from battle wounds in 1777 after taking part...
. With the help of four new brothers, including Bishop Vitaly, a house with a chapel was completed in 1935 and the tiny brotherhood was ready to move in. However, towards the conclusion of the dedication ceremonies a fire suddenly broken out on the second floor of the new house, and the building with all of its contents burnt to the ground. The small brotherhood struggled along for some years.
After World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, when Czechoslovakia became an atheistic communist state, the St. Job of Pochaev Brotherhood, which had been in exile there since being forced to flee from its original location in the western Ukraine
Ukraine
Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It has an area of 603,628 km², making it the second largest contiguous country on the European continent, after Russia...
with the outbreak of the Bolshevik
October Revolution
The October Revolution , also known as the Great October Socialist Revolution , Red October, the October Uprising or the Bolshevik Revolution, was a political revolution and a part of the Russian Revolution of 1917...
revolution in 1917, had to again relocate. After a brief stay in Munich, the Brotherhood accepted the invitation of Bishop Vitaly to join the struggling Brotherhood at Jordanville, resulting in the largest Orthodox Monastery in America. The Brotherhood of St. Job brought St. Job’s printing press
Printing press
A printing press is a device for applying pressure to an inked surface resting upon a print medium , thereby transferring the ink...
with them across the Atlantic, and, until the fall of the Soviet Union, Holy Trinity Monastery was the only place in the world that could typeset in Old Church Slavonic
Old Church Slavonic
Old Church Slavonic or Old Church Slavic was the first literary Slavic language, first developed by the 9th century Byzantine Greek missionaries Saints Cyril and Methodius who were credited with standardizing the language and using it for translating the Bible and other Ancient Greek...
. Today, it holds the distinction of the only place in the world that prints in Russian using the pre-1918 Old Orthography (see Reforms of Russian orthography
Reforms of Russian orthography
The reform of Russian orthography refers to changes made to the Russian alphabet over the course of the history of the Russian language.- Early Changes :...
). Although the Printshop of St. Job of Pochaev now uses modern, computerized typesetting, St. Job's printing press is kept as a relic
Relic
In religion, a relic is a part of the body of a saint or a venerated person, or else another type of ancient religious object, carefully preserved for purposes of veneration or as a tangible memorial...
in the Print Shop.
The present Cathedral of the Holy Trinity was completed in 1951; the Governor of New York, Thomas E. Dewey, attended the dedication. The monastery also houses the Holy Trinity Orthodox Seminary
Holy Trinity Orthodox Seminary
Holy Trinity Orthodox Seminary is a higher learning institution in Jordanville, New York, under the jurisdiction of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside Russia and fully accredited by the Board of Education of SUNY Albany...
.
In 2011 it was listed on the National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
.
Abbots
Holy Trinity Monastery Cemetery
The Monastery is also home to one of the largest Orthodox Christian Cemeteries in the United States. Currently there are three individual cemeteries with one more cemetery currently under construction. Orthodox Christian monasteries regularly pray for the reposed in their cemeteries and Holy Trinity Monastery is no exception. "The Monastery takes very seriously its duty of prayer for the departed, and at every liturgy the names of all Orthodox Christians buried within the monastery are commemorated. Several times a year a general and magnificent requiem is performed within the cemeteries for all of our brothers and sisters departed before us. Visitors are left with the impression of the strong feeling of serenity and peace within the cemeteries."Holy Trinity Monastery Bookstore
"The monks who came to Holy Trinity Monastery from Eastern Europe after World War II inherited a tradition of printing that stretches back almost to the invention of the printing press in the fifteenth century. Through the fathers’ tireless efforts, the monastery has been printing and publishing Orthodox Christian books for over sixty years. At first, these books were sold from a table in the monastery office to pilgrims, visitors, and churches all over the world. During the dark years of the Soviet Union, the monastery played an integral role in keeping the Orthodox Faith alive amidst stark oppression."Holy Trinity Monastery Icon and Mounting Studio
"Holy Trinity Icon Mounting Studio has for many years been producing high quality print icons painted by the Fathers of Holy Trinity Monastery as well as other iconographers."Holy Trinity Publications
"The monks who came to Holy Trinity Monastery from Eastern Europe after World War II inherited a tradition of printing that stretches back almost to the invention of the printing press in the fifteenth century. Through the fathers’ tireless efforts, the monastery has been printing and publishing Orthodox Christian books for almost sixty-five years. During the dark years of the Soviet Union, the monastery played an integral role in keeping the Orthodox Faith alive amidst stark oppression. Even today, many Russian clergy and faithful remember the days when the only Orthodox books they could obtain were Jordanville publications.For much of this time the Fathers of the monastery operated their own printing press in the Print Shop of St. Job of Pochaev. Books were typeset and hand bound in the print shop. Increasingly they were sold not only to visitors to the monastery but also to other monasteries and churches throughout the world, as well as to libraries and the occasional commercial bookstore.
The world has changed dramatically since 1947. The Soviet Union is dead and the Russian Orthodox Church is again free to minister to the needs of the faithful in Russia. Simultaneously there is a growing spiritual vacuum in the West which cries out for knowledge of “the Faith once and for all delivered to the Saints.” This Faith has been preserved by the Russian Orthodox Church and the Russian people with its own cultural uniqueness. Holy Trinity Monastery is an inheritor of this tradition and seeks now through its publications to make this more widely known."
Holy Trinity Publications works under the guidance and blessing of the Abbot of Holy Trinity Monastery, Archimandrite Luke (Murianka). He has assigned the day-to-day oversight of Holy Trinity Publications to Nicholas Chapman, who directs a team of monastics, local Orthodox clergy, seminarians and other lay workers.
Holy Trinity Publications has "a goal to publish between four and eight new books each year and to make these available in both traditional print and varying digital forms." They also "hope to refresh some of our classic titles and make them available in new forms." They also "publish two periodicals on a regular basis, one in Russian and one in English."