Restauration work began on the 14th July 1994. On the 14th September 2000, feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross of the Great Jubilee Year, the Metropolitan issued the decree of erection of the Convent of „eparchial right“ according to the tradition of oriental monasteries. He thus decreed as well the beginning of a new diocesan religious order, the Nuns of the Unity of Antioch, whose Mother-House would be the monastery.

The way of Life in the Monastery of
St. James the Persian

The nuns live a cenobitic monastic life following the Oriental  Tradition with a strong eremitic element. Prayer is the core of spiritual life: Divine Liturgy - Eucharist,  Horologhion – prayer of the hours, prayer of the heart, Lectio Divina – Spiritual Reading.

Community life is the second pole in order to grow in charity and humility.
Lastly work has a great importance, be it manuel, artistic or intellectual: All serves toward human growth, as the human person is created in the immage and likeness of God. Everything serves the beauty of the Church. Space is set aside for receiving individuals or groups looking for renewal through Spiritual retreat or just partaking in the prayer of the community. Pilgrims and retreatants are received in the wing of the building destined specifically for that purpose, away from the monastic enclosure in order to facilitate monastic silence.

The basis of the foundation

The episcopal decree is founding at the same time a monastic community of women called: Nuns of the Unity of Antioch, whose first reason of existence is to serve the Unity among the Patriarchal Churches of Antioch by living the common cultural antiochian heritage on the spiritual, theological, patristic, liturgical and artistical level.

Specific scopes

Insertion into the local Church, i.e., Antioch, the Great Church of God, in order to consecrate oneself to the service of Unity of Antioch through prayer and work..

• Filial honor to be given to all Patriarchs of Antioch, especially to our Father, Gregorios III Laham, Patriarch of our Greek – Melkite Catholic Church in total Communion with the Pope of Rome, from there embark towards ecumenical horizons and loving openness towards the other Churches and religions.
• Return to the sources of Oriental Monastic Life, especially searching Union with God by way of the Prayer of the Heart.
• Spreading the Gospel of Lif and the teraching of the Fathers. This ought to be practiced in a way not to disturb the spirit of prayer and the permanent exercise of living in the presence of God.
• Helping contemporary man, espcially the youth, to build one’s humanity on the rock of spiritual life.
• Contribute towards the safeguard of the patrimony of the Churches of Antioch and work for the restauration of a human culture starting from the Gospel like the ancient monasteries who knew to safeguard and to transmit the values of civilisation to the etire humankind.
• Receiving pilgrims and retretants without disturbing monastic life.
• Keeping of monastic enclosure in order to guard silence and solitude in the monastery, thus facilitating the spirit of prayer.

Activities of the Nuns:

• • Domestic labour
  • Agriculture
  • Making of liturgical Vestments
  • Workshop for Iconography: Byzantine, Syriac and Armenian
  • Wall Paintings and real Frescos
  • Bookbinding
  • Workshop for making boxes for safegarding and storing things
  • Restoration work of religious paintings
  • Making of Komvoskhinia-Chotkies (Prayer-Ropes)
  • Workshops and sessions of Byzantine Iconography
  • Organisation of workshops of formation for restauration of religious and cultural heritage.
  • Spiritual Guidance
  • Reception of retretants and guests
  • Offering space for catechesis and for spreading of audio-visual christian message
  • Graphic arts on the computer in the service of evangelization.