Icons from the Convent of St Philothei
Our Convent
The Greek Orthodox Convent of St. Philothei is located in the Swedish countryside not far from the city of Enköping. It was founded in 1988 by Mother Philothei (1922-2012), a native Swede and truly remarkable person, with the blessing of the ever-memorable Metropolitan Cyprian of Oropos and Fili (†2013), her spiritual Father in Greece. Our convent is a metochion (dependency) of the Convent of the Holy Angels in Greece, where Mother Philothei and we--the two sisters who presently reside here--received our monastic training. We learned the art of Iconography during our ten years at our mother convent in Greece.
Our small convent is what is known as a Hesychasterion; that is, we endeavor to live and work in quietude and prayer, with as few distractions as possible. Thus, we only rarely receive visitors, and then always by prior arrangement.
Iconography lessons at our Convent
Diocese of Stockholm
The Diocese of Stockholm belongs to the Church of the Genuine Orthodox Christians of Greece, presided over by His Beatitude, Archbishop Kallinikos of Athens. Our Diocese has a parishes in Stockholm, Uppsala, and Norrköping. See the official website of our Diocese (in Swedish).
Metropolis of oropos och fili, greece
We are under the immediate archpastoral care of His Eminence, Metropolitan Cyprian of Oropos and Fili, Greece. See the Metropolis' website for more information.
Convent of St Elizabeth the Grand Duchess
Our sister Convent in Etna, California. We are deeply indebted to them for giving us permission to reproduce and sell the icons painted at their convent. See their website.
St. Philaret the Merciful Orthodox Guild
Our convent supports the St. Philaret the Merciful Orthodox Women's Guild in Greece, a charitable organization run under the auspices of the Metropolis of Oropos and Fili. You can read more about their work or make a donation on their website.
St. Philothei of Athens,
the Nun-Martyr
(1522-1589)
St. Philothei was born in the year 1522 in Athens, Greece. In the center of Athens, she founded a convent in honor of St. Andrew the Apostle, where she became Abbess at a young age. She wondrously combined monastic asceticism and purity with far-reaching works of social charity. In the year 1589, she reposed in the Lord, having been crudely beaten by the barbarous Turkish overlords, who hated her for her toils for the love of Christ and her fellow man. Her sacred Relics are located in the Metropolitan Cathedral of Athens.
Some links with more information on her life:
