Orthodox icon of Saint Sophrony of Essex Monastery, Αγ. Σωφρόνιος του ΄Εσσεξ
Commemorated: November 7
Saint Sophrony (born Sergei Semyonovich Sakharov, Russian: Сергей Семёнович Сахаров; Born in September 22, 1896, was a Russian Orthodox monk who began his monastic life on Mount Athos, at the Russian Monastery of St. Panteleimon and is considered by the Orthodox tradition to be one of the most charismatic monks of the 20th century.
He was born in Moscow and was the second child in a family of nine. His secular name was Sergius, and from an early age he showed a particular aptitude for theology. He initially pursued painting, while also studying Buddhism and Hinduism. When he became disillusioned with the philosophy of Eastern religions, he turned to Christianity, and more specifically to Orthodoxy. At the age of 25, he moved to France, trying to find work as a painter. In France, he managed to gain acceptance into artistic circles, but eventually turned to Christianity with even greater zeal, since even that did not satisfy him, as he later confessed. So, at the age of 29, he turned to theology and was admitted to the Orthodox Theological Institute in Paris.
Upon completing his studies, he decided to become a monk. So he settled in the Russian Monastery of St. Panteleimon on Mount Athos in 1925 AD. Four years later, he met St. Silouan the Athonite , who became his spiritual Father. He then left for Karoulia on Mount Athos in 1938, where he practiced asceticism strictly. In 1948, he left Mount Athos to undergo surgery in France, while publishing a book on the life of Saint Silouan, who had died in the meantime. He then published other books, including "On Prayer," "Exercise and Theory," and "His Life Is My Life." At the same time, he visited Moscow after many years and from then on had closer ties with the city. In 1963, he left Mount Athos and founded a Christian brotherhood, while also building a monastery dedicated to St. John the Baptist in Essex, which was placed under the Ecumenical Patriarchate in 1965.
He remained there until his death in 1993 at the age of 97.
