In 1978, the archimandrite Aimilianos, Abbot of the Monastery of Simonos-Petra at Mount Athos, decided to send three French monks to France with the mission of

creating dependencies of the monastery.

In May 1978, Father Elie founded in MUREL in the Lot, the the Monastery of the Transfiguration, which was transferred to TERRASSON-LAVILLEDIEU in Dordogne, in 1990.

In September of the same year, Father Placide and Father Seraphin, inaugurated the Monastery of St Antoine the Great in ST-JEAN-EN-ROYANS in the Vercors.

In June 1985, five nuns, guided by Father Placide, founded the monastery of the Protection of the Mother of God, first near the Monastery of St Antoine the Great, then from November 1991 at SOLAN in the Gard.

Since 1996, Father Seraphin has been a hermit on the isle of Porquerolles, in the Fort of Repentance, which he restored by hand and transformed into the Monastery of Sainte-Marie the Egyptian.

Thus there are four monasteries in France that enable orthodox French Christians to enrich their faith in the tradition of the Fathers of Mount Athos.

Athos in France