Since the 4th century, monasticism has played a major role in the Christian Church, and the well-being of monastic communities has always been an indicator of the well-being of the Church in general. Monasteries used to be centers of Christian literacy. Traditionally, bishops in the Orthodox Church have been selected from the monastic clergy.

Little wonder that Communists strove to eliminate monasticism in the Russian Church altogether. If prior to the Russian revolution there were over 1000 monasteries and convents in Russia, with a total population of about 29,000 (12,000 monks and 17,000 nuns), then by the last years of Communist rule there remained just 22 monastic communities in the huge country of the USSR, with just about 1000 inhabitants in total. Heirs to Lenin and Stalin might have been rejoicing on the victory at hand…

You know what happened next.

Today the Russian Orthodox Church again has over 1000 monastic communities, nearly equally split between those for men and women (the figures are approximate, since new communities emerge continually), and nuns again outnumber monks, 10,000 vs. 6,000.

Unlike Imperial Russia, monasteries and convents get no funding from either the state or local budget (except for major restoration projects), and given the dire need for funds to support parishes and diverse Church activities, virtually no financial sustenance comes from the dioceses either. Monastic life is not easy – but it has not been designed to be easy anyway…

On the website of the Russian Orthodox Church Monasticism Department you will find an exhaustive interactive map representing Russian Orthodox monastic communities in Russia, Ukraine, Belarus, Kazakhstan, and other countries. By clicking on a location, you will be forwarded to the given monastery or convent website with photographs, videos, and other information opening the door for you into the Orthodox Christian monastic universe.