Holy Trinity Monastery to host "open house"

Jordanville, NY (Herkimer Telegram) — Holy Trinity Monastery will open its doors to the public later this month to educate people on their history and the Russian Orthodox faith.

“It’s the first time ever we’ve had an open house,” said Protodeacon Victor Lochmatow on Tuesday. “We’ve been talking about the need to let people around us know what we are about.”

The open house will take place on Saturday, May 19, from 2 to 5 p.m. Visitors will be able to tour the monastery, including the cathedral, a cemetery for the brotherhood and a larger cemetery.

“We want to show we’re not hiding and that we are open for people to come and visit the Russian Orthodox monastery,” said Lochmatow during the telephone interview.

Visitors will also get to see and learn about the history of Russian Orthodox icons, which include paintings and wood carvings at the cathedral. Two slide shows will be presented during the open house; one will focus on the Orthodox Church and the other on the history of the monastery.

The monastery has a five-year seminary program where students can graduate with a bachelor’s degree in theology.

“We’re especially interested in having young people from around here to have an opportunity to come and visit,” said Lochmatow, noting they put up bulletins for the open house at local colleges.

Lochmatow said there are several other Orthodox churches throughout Herkimer and Utica from various regions, such as Serbian, Ukrainian, Bulgarian and other Slavic countries.

The monastery’s recognizable Byzantine-style architecture dates back to the early 20th century. According to its website, the monastery was first settled by Fr. Panteleimon. With the help of four new brothers, the construction was completed in 1935. A fire, however, destroyed the buildings later that year during a dedication ceremony and a new monastery was later built.

In December 2011, Archimandrite Luke Murianka, the abbot of Holy Trinity Monastery, was presented with a certificate commemorating the monastery’s addition to the National Register of Historic Places. The effort to get on the register was a culmination of over four years of work by the monastery, local preservation groups, including the Preservation League of New York State and Otsego2000, and the New York State Historic Preservation Office.

Receiving the status is significant because the church is now eligible for federal grant money and investment tax credits on rehabilitation work, said Lochmatow.

More information about them monastery can be found at www.jordanville.org.