Because they were too old or sick, many elderly people were unable to flee Odessa, a city in southern Ukraine, today at war. In this context, some of them were welcomed in a monastery in this port city overlooking the Black Sea.
This refuge of the most vulnerable is the Archangelo Mikhailovsky Monastery, which dates back to the beginning of the 18th century.
Faced with the war, some Ukrainians in Odessa had no choice but to leave their parents there before going into exile.
Here, elderly people far too weak to flee the fighting rub shoulders with destitute families or students, with no way to escape.
All are welcomed by Mother Serafim, who has been in charge of the place for thirty years.
Also a shelter for abandoned animals
“We have 150 old people from the nursing home and about 100 students, as well as refugees and we have to feed them all,” she testified.
The monastery also faces the consequent influx of domestic animals. Also, some 150 cats arrived.
But faced with the influx, whether of humans or animals, places are now lacking. “People are leaving and cannot leave their elderly parents behind, and we have taken in many of them,” Mother Serafim further explained.
“We are forced to refuse those who can walk, we only welcome those who can only lie down,” she can only lament, helpless.
Considered as a solution of last resort in Odessa, the Archangelo Mikhailovsky monastery is nevertheless located in a district very exposed in the event of a Russian attack.
