An ideal

A monastery

A challenge

APPEAL

In 1990, the Archimandrite Aimilianos blessed the foundation of the monastery of the Transfiguration in Terrasson in France and, on this occasion, he said with great joy that it would be a great day when we could build a church dedicated to the Transfiguration of the Lord. After more than twenty years, we have applied ourselves to the first facilities and to the needs of the community, everything shows that the time has come to take another step, to move towards the second stage of our foundation.

The smallness of the chapel now requires the construction of the Catholicon - main monastery church (page 4); in the current environment, this can only be an act of faith (page 7). Simultaneously, it is no less important to remove the Sisters from the inconvenience which maintains the discomfort of their cells despite their impaired health. And we must think of the next generation: there are no free cells for novices! But now that a barn is crumbling from decay, it is an opportunity to restore it into a residence for the monastic community (page 6). The following plans and drawings show the catholicon project, the convent house and the access galleries.

The presence of a monastery is a challenge of faith in a world oriented toward the enjoyment of material possessions. May our architectural bias manifest Orthodox creativity, renewing our Christian roots and meet the existential thirst of new generations!

With an advanced position to the West of the Holy Mountain of Athos which shows its spirituality, the Monastery of the Transfiguration also serves the many Russian immigrants who flock to our territory as well as the citizens of traditionally Orthodox countries. Through its history, the Athonite spirituality unites the power of the Russian Church with which it maintains a deep relationship (page 9). We believe that of these two forces may occur the spiritual and moral renewal of our country that we request with all our hearts and which we humbly prepare. Our Orthodox roots are not dead, they are only stifled by a dictatorship of the single unprecedented thought.

We would like to solicit your help to accomplish this task which, without you, would be impossible.

Father Elie