Sorbonne students learnt about ties between Ancient Rus and the Holy Mount Athos

A century of Russian presence at the Holy Mount Athos became the central topic of the activities at the Orthodox Spiritual Cultural Center of Paris, according to the website of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the Moscow Patriarchate. These events were organized as a part of the agenda of The Christian Unity Week in France.

Around 200 people, mainly from France, were present at the evening “In the Garden of the Holy Virgin. Ancient Rus and Athos: A Century of Spiritual Unity”, including students and teachers from Sorbonne University and other educational institutions, religious figures, historians and other guests.

Head of International Institute of the Athonite Heritage Sergei Shumilo congratulated the audience with a century of relations between Kievan Rus and Athos and presented books on the Ukrainian Orthodox Church and the International Institute of the Athonite Heritage devoted to the heritage of the Holy Mountain and Saint Paisius Velichkovsky.

He has also passed the presented editions about the spiritual heritage of Athos on to the library of the Orthodox Center.

A public lecture about ties of Kievan Rus and Athos was conducted a few days later in Montgeron. The place was carefully chosen. Here was the estate of Anna Yaroslavna, the daughter of Kiev’s Knyaz, who became the Queen of France.

The International Institute of the Athonite Heritage representatives attended the library of Byzantine researches where they discussed cooperation perspectives within the framework of Athos’ Archives project.

Russkiy Mir