The Holy Monastery of the most Holy Mother of God ‘PANTANASSA’ is a coenobitic Greek Orthodox monastery for men located on the Central Coast of New South Wales, Australia. Pantanassa Monastery was founded in 1976 by the former abbot, Archimandrite Stephanos Pantanassiotis with the blessing of the former Greek Orthodox Archbishop of Australia and Primate, the late Archbishop Stylianos Harkianakis (1975-2019). The monastery began in Earlwood, Sydney and was initially named Holy Monastery of the Transfiguration of our Lord.
In 1980 the land in Mangrove Mountain, where the current monastery is located, was purchased and a small dwelling was gradually constructed. The brotherhood moved from Earlwood to this new location in 1995 and it was at this historical moment that the late Archbishop Stylianos renamed the monastery Pantanassa Monastery. Pantanassa is a Greek word meaning ‘Queen of all’ and comes from the Greek panta ‘all’ and anassa ‘Queen’. The monastic dwelling is located on the side of a mountain below a 200-metre cliff edge. It is surrounded
by virgin forest overlooking a small valley and river. In May 2005 construction of the full monastic complex began (and continues) in earnest on top of this cliff, which overlooks the Dubbo Valley and nearby National Parks. Daily services are held in the chapel of Saints Ephraim (d. c. 373) and Isaac (d. c. 700) the Syrians, both pillars of Orthodox spirituality to this day. The monks support themselves by making prayer ropes, pure bees’ wax candles, handmade incense, hand painted icons in the Byzantine style, and by mounting icon prints on timber, as well as other liturgical products.
On 20 December 2010, the founder and first Abbot of Pantanassa Monastery Elder Stephanos retired and on the same day the brotherhood unanimously elected Elder Eusebios as Abbot. On 17 September 2011, Elder Eusebios was enthroned as Abbot by the late Archbishop Stylianos. The monastery currently consists of 9 monastics.
Orthodox Calendar
