The final part of the trilogy about the Orthodox monastery in Jordanville, New York, explores how traditions are honoured and a new generation of monks is being trained.
The monastery has become a true cultural centre for the Russian diaspora. Among the relics in the monastery museum are items belonging to the Romanov family, including a pearl earring once worn by the Empress Alexandra Feodorovna and an icon bearing the image of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker, which Nicholas II presented to the State Duma.
Centuries-old customs are also preserved. One of the obediences here is beekeeping. And on the feast of Holy Trinity, the church is decorated with flowers and even whole trees, just as was done in ancient Russia.
Today, priests come from all over the world to study in Jordanville – from Argentina and Jamaica to the Philippines. And so Russian Orthodoxy is being spread across the globe from here, in the American heartland.
