Sacharof Sofronios

He was born in Moscow in 1896. He studied at the State School of Fine Arts in his hometown and passionately pursued painting. In 1921, he left Russia and visited Italy and Germany, eventually settling in France in 1922, where he showcased his works in major art exhibitions. In 1925, he enrolled at the St. Sergius Theological Institute in Paris but soon left and departed for Mount Athos. He resided at the Holy Monastery of St. Panteleimon, where he met his spiritual elder, the future Saint Silouan. This acquaintance, as he himself mentions, was the most significant event of his life and profoundly influenced his subsequent path. After the repose of Saint Silouan, Elder Sophrony withdrew to the desert of Mount Athos, where he served as a spiritual father. Due to health reasons, he had to move to Karyes and reside at the Skete of St. Andrew as a dependent brother of the Holy Great Monastery of Vatopedi. In 1947, he went to Paris to publish the writings entrusted to him by his Elder shortly before his death. In 1959, he founded the Patriarchal and Stavropegic Monastery of St. John the Baptist in Essex, England, where he remained until his passing on July 11, 1993. Elder Sophrony left behind a rich body of written work. His main writings include: "Saint Silouan the Athonite," "We Shall See Him as He Is," "On Prayer," "Asceticism and Theology," and "Struggle for Knowledge of God." His books were originally written in Russian but were soon translated into many other languages, including Greek, English, French, German, Arabic, Italian, Serbian, Swedish, Romanian, and more. Elder Sophrony is a significant figure in Orthodox theology and life. He has been described as a "theologian of the hypostatic principle" and a "theologian of the uncreated light."