As of this year, 2025 AD, Lesna Convent was founded 140 years ago by Venerable Ekaterina Efimovska with the help and blessing of St. John of Kronstadt and Venerable Ambrose of Optina, with the patronage of the Russian Emperor Holy Tsar-Martyr Nicholas II. Lesna Convent became renowned for the miraculous icon of the Mother of God of Lesna, which is preserved in the monastery to this day.
Since the establishment of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside Russia (ROCOR) in 1920, Lesna Convent has been its most significant monastery. Both Metropolitan Anthony Khrapovitsky and his successor, Metropolitan Anastasius Gribanovsky, were its hearty supporters. Thanks to the efforts of King Alexander Karadjordjevic and two Serbian Patriarchs, Dimitrije and Varnava, Lesna was relocated to Serbia and housed in Hopovo Monastery in Fruška Gora. After World War II, St. John of Shanghai personally worked to find a permanent residence for Lesna Convent in France. Metropolitan Saint Philaret of New York considered Lesna his summer residence, and Metropolitan Vitaly Ustinov convened two ROCOR Hierarchical Councils at Lesna.
The Convent of Lesna remained faithful to the Russian Orthodox Church Outside Russia as long as it firmly adhered to the confessional course of opposing godless Sergianism and the heresy of ecumenism.
Due to their resolute disagreement and opposition to the new course of unification between ROCOR and the Moscow Patriarchate, after more than 80 years under the archpastoral omophorion of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside Russia, the Lesna Monastery, led by the sixth Abbess of Lesna, Mother Makrina Holmov, severed communion with the church leadership of ROCOR, then chaired by the Uniate (union with the Moscow Patriarchate) Metropolitan Laurus Schkurla, in May 2007, due to the establishment of Eucharistic communion with the Sergianist and ecumenist Moscow Patriarchate.
After breaking communion with the Uniate leadership of ROCOR, in the same year, Lesna Convent came under the jurisdiction of the Russian True Orthodox Church, which maintains canonical apostolic succession from ROCOR before its union under the chairmanship of Bishop Tikhon Pasechnik. The Convent chose this synod based on the belief that the RTOC most faithfully and in the best possible way preserved the teachings and traditions of ROCOR.
After nearly a decade under the omophorion of the RTOC, in November 2016, Lesna Convent transferred to the hierarchical omophorion of the Serbian True Orthodox Church under the chairmanship of Bishop Akakije Stanković.
According to Abbess Makrina of Lesna, the reason for breaking communion with the RTOC was that synod’s deviation from the traditional line of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside Russia outlined by the memorable Metropolitans Anthony, Anastasius, St. Philaret, and Vitaly, as well as due to several decrees and actions which were detrimental to the church life of Lesna Convent and its Western European mission.
Lesna made the decision to transfer under the omophorion of Bishop Akakije based on historical ties and closeness of Lesna Convent to the Serbian Church, as well as due to the confirmed fidelity of the STOC to the confessional positions of ROCOR before the union with the Moscow Patriarchate. Additionally, the apostolic succession of the STOC traces back to the canonical bishops of the ROCOR Synod before the union with the Moscow Patriarchate.
Lesna Convent remains under the hierarchical omophorion of Bishop Akakije of Uteshiteljevo to this day, steadfastly witnessing its consistency in preserving the traditional confessional Orthodox course of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside Russia.
Bishop Akakije of Uteshiteljevo at Lesna Monastery with the sisterhood of Lesna: to the left of the bishop, the spiritual father of the monastery, Archimandrite Efimy Trofimov, and the assistant to the abbess, Nun Ambrosia Jahns; to the right of the bishop, the Abbess Evfrosninia Molchanova and her second assistant, Nun Athanasia Anenkova.
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