this is one of my favorite places on the west side.

it's a russian orthodox monastery that also serves as a house of hospitality to homeless men in the area.

not being as familiar with the orthodox tradition, i looked up st herman of alaska to see what his story was and learned that he entered the monastic life at the age of 16 and moved with several other monks to alaska where he lived an ascetic life among the aleuts and defended them against exploitation. he provided them with food (grown from his own garden) and clothing, nursed the sick, and helped educate the children.

it's literally a block down the street from my church and sometimes i'll go over there to wander in the garden because it's one of those special places.



and there's lots of random domes everywhere