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The Independent UK
The Independent UK
National
Kostya Manenkov

Orthodox monks are the first to live and pray at a monastery in Estonia for 80 years

Estonia Monastery - (Copyright 2026 The Associated Press. All rights reserved)

The ancient words of the Divine Liturgy echo in Estonian as Bishop Damaskinos, clad in flowing white and gold vestments, intones prayers in a small, dark chapel separated only by curtains from the bustling daily life of a new monastery nestled within a farmhouse.

Founded last year in one of Europe’s most secular societies, the Kirikla Orthodox Monastery is the first monastery the Estonian Apostolic Orthodox Church has established in decades.

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