View source for St. Elizabeth the New Martyr Convent (Mohawk, New York)

{{monastery|
name=Saint Elizabeth Skete|
jurisdiction=[[Russian Orthodox Church Outside Russia|ROCOR]]|
type=Female Monastery|
founded=1987|
superior= Abbess Elisabeth (Czwikla)‎|
size=6 monastics|
hq=Mohawk, New York|
language=Slavonic, English|
music=[[Russian Chant]]|
calendar=[[Julian Calendar|Julian]]|
feasts=[[Elizabeth the New Martyr#Glorification|New Martyrs Grand Duchess Elizabeth and Nun Barbara]]|
website=[http://www.saintelizabethskete.org Official Website]
}}
'''Saint Elizabeth Skete''' is a female [[monastic]] community in the [[jurisdiction]] of [[Russian Orthodox Church Outside Russia]], located in Mohawk, New York.  It is located adjacent to [[Holy Trinity Monastery (Jordanville, New York)|Holy Trinity Monastery]] in Jordanville. It is named in honor of St. [[Elizabeth the New Martyr]].
{{orthodoxyinamerica}}

==History==
In 1984, the widowed professor Natalia Sergeevna Markov was invited by [[Archbishop]] [[Laurus (Škurla) of New York|Laurus (Škurla) of Syracuse and Holy Trinity]] to teach Russian language and history at [[Holy Trinity Orthodox Seminary (Jordanville, New York)|Holy Trinity Orthodox Seminary]] in Jordanville, New York. After many talks with her father-in-law, [[Protopresbyter]] [[Michael Pomazansky]], she decided to enter the monastic life. Abp. Laurus gave for her disposal a small house down the road from the monastery, and invited a young woman by the name of Maria Czwikla to join her. On the eve of the [[Feast]] of St. [[Nicholas of Myra]], 1984, both women were made [[novice|novices]].

Two years later, Abp. Laurus tonsured them [[Monastic Ranks|rassaphore]] nuns gave them a larger house next door to use as a dormitory. Nun Natalia decided to name the community after the [[New Martyrs and Confessors of Russia|Russian New Martyr]] Grand Duchess Elizabeth, and the sisters' spiritual father, [[Archimandrite]] [[Luke (Murianka)]], painted an icon of her for them. A chapel was built on the second floor for daily prayer services, and blessed by Abp. Laurus to have the [[Divine Liturgy]] served occasionally. On the eve of the Feast of the [[Kursk Root Icon]] in 1993, Nun Natalia was tonsured into the [[Monastic Ranks|Little Schema]] and given the name Ioanna in memory of the resposed Abp. [[John (Maximovitch) the Wonderworker|John of San Fransisco]].

The first Divine Liturgy was served in the chapel on the Feast of St. Elizabeth in 1993. In April of 2010, the community was finally granted the status of [[skete]] by the Synod of Bishops. Mother Ioanna fell asleep in the Lord on the Feast of [[Theophany]] in 2011, after [[Matins]] for the [[Synaxis of the Baptist]]. The twenty-fifth anniversary of the skete was celebrated with a Divine Liturgy officiated by Archbishop [[Gabriel (Chemodakov) of Montreal]] on the Feast of St. Elizabeth, during which Nun Elisabeth was elevated to abbess.

The skete now occupies four buildings on its property and is remodeling the chapel. On [[December 14]], 2012, the expanded chapel was blessed and on the Feast of St. Nicholas five days later, Archimandrite Luke with Archpriest Vladimir Tsurikov served the first Divine Liturgy there.

==Iconography==
St. Elizabeth Skete has a small studio with two iconographers: Nun Theodora (Livchitz) and Nun Sophronia (Hofstead). Icons are painted the traditional way with egg tempera on wooden boards.

==Store==
St. Elizabeth Skete runs a small store, in which it sells incense, beeswax candles, herbal tea, skin cream, face cream, lip balm, solid perfume, and herbal salts. All produces are hand-made by the sisters.

==Daily Life==
*5:00 am - [[Midnight Office]]
*6:00 am - Divine Liturgy (at Holy Trinity Monastery unless otherwise stated)
*12:00 pm - Lunch
*6:00 pm - [[Vespers]] and [[Compline]]
**[[Akathist]] to St. Nicholas on Wednesdays after Vespers
**Akathist to the [[Mother of God]] on Fridays after Vespers and Compline
**Akathist to the New Martyr Elizabeth on Sundays after Vespers

==Sources==
*[http://www.saintelizabethskete.org/nun_ioanna_pomazansky.html Nun Ioanna Pomazansky]
*[http://www.saintelizabethskete.org/history.html St. Elizabeth Skete: Our History]
*[http://saintelizabethskete.org/schedule.html St. Elizabeth Skete Schedule]
*[http://jordanville.org/schedule.html Holy Trinity Monastery Schedule of Divine Services and Meals]
*[http://jordanville.org/news_120729_1.html 25th Anniversary at St. Elizabeth Skete in Jordanville, NY] ''Holy Trinity Monastery'', News & Events.
*[http://www.eadiocese.org/News/2012/sept/steliz.en.htm Jordanville, NY: St. Elizabeth Skete has undertaken a remodeling project] ''Media Office of the Eastern American Diocese'', September 13, 2012.
*[http://www.eadiocese.org/News/2012/aug/steliz.en.htm Jordanville: Archbishop Gabriel of Montreal led the 25th Anniversary Celebrations in St. Elizabeth Skete] ''Media Office of the Eastern American Diocese'', August 15, 2012.

==Links==
*[http://saintelizabethskete.org Official Site]
*[http://eadiocese.org/Parishes/newyork/en.jordanvilleconvent.htm Eastern American Diocese Directory Listing]

[[Category:ROCOR Monasteries]]
[[Category:American Monasteries]]
[[Category:Monasteries]]