Kloster des Heiligen Hiob von Potschajew (Munich)

The monastery of Saint Iov of Pochaev stands in Munich’s Obermenzing quarter, a Russian Orthodox men’s house where the metropolitan of Germany lives. It began in 1945 when monks fleeing the Red Army settled in buildings once used by the Hitler Youth. The community grew slowly after 1980 when Metropolitan Mark moved in, and today about ten monks share the site with guests and their workshops. The monastery matters because it trains future priests for the Russian Orthodox Church abroad. Candidates live and study here, often taking distance courses from Moscow’s Sretensky Seminary. Pilgrims from eastern Europe arrive regularly since the fall of communism, staying days or weeks to share the monks’ life. Every 10 November the community celebrates its patron saint with a festival that draws visitors from across the continent. Inside the former gymnasium is a church of Saint Iov, its icon screen painted by Father Kiprian and the monks themselves. The walls hold frescoes, and a small printing shop issues books and calendars in German and Russian. Nearby the candle workshop supplies parishes, while a converted circus wagon once served as emergency housing. Plans are under way to move the whole monastery to a larger site in Swabia where the community can grow without disturbance.