Updates:
- The next service is scheduled on Saturday, 5th of August. Click on the Calendar menu item to view an updated schedule for the subsequent services.
- On Sunday, 16th of April we celebrated Pascha (Easter). You are welcome to view the photo gallery in the Events section.
Welcome to the website of the Community of St Pancras and St Sergius. We are a community within the Archdiocese of Churches of Russian Tradition in Western Europe (Moscow Patriarchate).
Our Archdiocese has its origins in emigrations from Russia as a result of political changes there during the early part of the 20th century and the persecutions that followed. Out of this, something remarkable developed; an Archdiocese of the Russian Orthodox Church with parishes and communities in many Western European countries which bring together people from so many different places and backgrounds. It is the legal successor and direct continuation of the “Provisional Administration of Russian Parishes in Western Europe” founded by Saint Patriarch Tikhon of Moscow and entrusted to Metropolitan Evlogy with the agreement of Saint Metropolitan Benjamin of Petrograd (For a fuller history of the Archdiocese see www.archdiocese.uk ).
The composition of our congregation in Exeter reflects the rich history of the Archdiocese; it includes English, Greeks, Lithuanians, Russians, Ukrainians, Bulgarians, Belarusians, Estonians, Americans and others. The community serves grassroots Orthodox across the Southwest of England.
Our Bishop
His Eminence Metropolitan John of Dubna, Archibishop of Churches of Russian Tradition in Western Europe. He lives beside our St Alexander Nevsky Cathedral, in the Rue Daru, Paris.
Clergy
Hieromonk Porphyrios (Porphyry), is a founder of the community and is a serving priest in the Church.
The Church
This remarkable medieval building is one of the most early Christian sites in Britain. It belongs to our friends from the The Parish Of Central Exeter. Please follow the link to find out more about the fascinating history of the building.
‘Jesus turned, and saw them following, and said to them, “What do you seek?” And they said to him, “Rabbi” (which means Teacher), “where are you staying?” He said to them, “Come and see.” They came and saw where he was staying; and they stayed with him… (John 1:38-9).
For Orthodox Christians, the heart of the Christian life is an encounter with God in Jesus Christ His Son, and through the presence of the Holy Spirit; an encounter that is at once deeply personal - unique to every individual - and yet communal, rooted in the tradition and the life of the Church. Whilst this encounter is realised in various ways in Christian experience, for the Orthodox it is perhaps quintessentially embodied in the Divine Liturgy: the worship of the gathered community of the Church with the Eucharist at it centre. In the worship of the Church, God invites encounter, speaking to the heart and giving of Himself in what the Orthodox refer to as the ‘Mysteries’.
If you would like to learn more about Orthodox Christianity, its teaching, culture, and life, there is no better or more appropriate place to start than the Liturgy itself. We therefore invite you to come and participate in, and experience something of, our worship - in the Lord’s words, to ‘come and see’.
The Divine Liturgy services are usually taking place on a first and third Sunday of each month. See the dates in the below calendar for the Pascha 2022 and other scheduled services.
St Pancras' is located within the Guildhall Shopping Center close to the cathedral green. The church is within walking distance of several multi-story car parks and public transport drop of points within the city center.
Please follow the road direction to the city centre. On reaching the city center, please use one of the many car parks available for public use. Listed below are some of the nearest long stay car parks and postcode for sat nav use:
- Guildhall Shopping Center Car Park: EX4 3HP (5-minute walk)
- John Lewis Car Park: EX4 6AE (10-minute walk)
- NCP Car Park Exeter Marker St: EX1 1BW (4-minute walk)
Please stop on North Street near the Guildhall shopping center to drop off passengers.
On reaching the city center, please follow signs for the Guildhall Shopping Center.
There are two stations within walking distance of the church:
- Exeter St Davids (20-minute walk, 5-minutes by taxi)
- Exeter Central (5-minute walk)
Alternatively, there are two bus stops:
- City Center bus top (5-minute walk)
- Exeter bus and coach station (10-minute walk)
