Schema-archimandrite Gabriel Bunge is a schema-archimandrite of the Russian Orthodox Church. Gabriel is also considered the abbot of the Holy Cross Monastery in Lugano.
“...The Holy Scripture says that it is easier for Christians to remain Christians precisely in times of wars and trials than in peaceful periods of stability and prosperity. When people fill their bellies and live one day at a time, they will certainly turn away from the Lord...”
— Schema-Archimandrite Gabriel Bunge.
Currently, Gabriel Bunge is the rector of the Holy Cross Monastery in the city of Lugano. Photo: pravoslavie.fm
Schema-Archimandrite Gabriel's name in the world was Gabriel Bunge
In the world his name is Gabriel Bunge. He was born in Cologne. His parents were not Orthodox. The father was a Lutheran, and the mother a Roman Catholic. He came to Orthodoxy himself thanks to his peers. He read a lot of the lives of the holy fathers.
While studying at the University of Bonn, he traveled to Greece, where he became even more familiar with Orthodoxy. For several months he was on the island of Lesbos, where he lived with the family of a priest. On Sundays, Gabriel went to the Church of God for the Divine Liturgy. Everyone in him treated him with great and sincere love. He himself personally testified to this. For one week he lived in Athens at the theological seminary. There he lived with other seminarians.
Gabriel Bunge says that he is very glad and grateful to God that he found the right people at the right time who led him to Orthodoxy. Photo: ic.pics.livejournal.com
At the age of 22, Gabriel joined the Benedictine Order in France. In 1972 he was ordained to the priesthood. It was precisely this contact with Orthodoxy that directed him to study the heritage of the Russian Orthodox Church, as well as Eastern monasticism.
Gabriel spent many years studying the works of Evagrius of Pontus. This is how he delved into all the deep questions that surrounded Evagrius. He studied the works of the Eastern holy fathers quite extensively. He delved especially deeply into Eastern monasticism and spiritual heritage.
Nothing was impossible for Mama Gabrieli
– Today, terrible things are happening in the world that can shock you: terrorist attacks, wars, deaths of innocent people, mass suicides, murders of children at the hands of their parents. People are looking for some kind of consolation. And it comes only through love. And unchurched people naturally do not understand what humility is, or why they should read the Gospel. They need a spiritual push, a shepherd who will turn them onto the path of salvation. And for some reason, in the case of Father Gabriel, everything always worked. Many people who were completely far from Orthodoxy began to go to Church.
In 1980, he decided to settle in the monastery of the Holy Cross in the village of Roveredo
In 1980, he decided to settle in the monastery of the Holy Cross, which was located near the village of Roveredo. In this place they lived according to the ancient rule of St. Benedict. He began to lead a hermit's life.
Hermitic life helped him translate theoretical knowledge into practical knowledge. This is what led him to the conclusion that Western monasticism should be nourished only by the heritage from the life of the East. Thus, he could not only grow spiritually, but also improve in hermit life. He received many believers and helped them improve spiritually.
Gabriel Bunge believes that he really liked the hermit life, since no one distracted him from prayer and good deeds. Photo: pp.userapi.com
In 2010, Gabriel was accepted into Orthodoxy by Metropolitan Hilarion of Volokolamsk. This happened on Bolshaya Ordynka in the Sorrowful Church.
Their similarities were written about in The Guardian.
In 1994, another saint died - Paisius Svyatogorets. A certain parallel involuntarily suggests itself between Father Gabriel and Father Paisius.
– We in Georgia greatly reverence Saint Paisius the Holy Mountain. We were very happy when he was canonized. Even in The Guardian there was an article called “Mama Gabrieli in Georgia - like Paisiy Svyatogorets in Greece.” Such parallels were drawn even in those days when Elder Gabriel was not canonized. And a similar article was published in Greece. For some reason, everyone really draws this parallel.
In 2011, Gabriel Bunge was tonsured into the Great Schema
So Gabriel continued his service as a reclusive monk. He lived then in the mountains in Switzerland. When he became a hieromonk, he was chosen to be the rector of the Holy Cross Skete.
In 2011, he was tonsured into the great schema. He was tonsured by Bishop Nestor of Korsun. In the great schema it was named in honor of St. Gabriel of Constantinople.
This is exactly how Gabriel Bunge was tonsured into the great schema. He was tonsured by Bishop Nestor of Korsun. Photo: xn--b1algoccq.xn--p1ai
In 2012, Gabriel was elevated to the rank of schema-archimandrite. The construction was carried out by Bishop Nestor of Korsun in the Church of St. Ambrose of Milan. In 2013, the Holy Cross monastery was reorganized into a monastery. Gabriel Bunge became the abbot of the Holy Cross Monastery.
Links[ | ]
| External video files | |
| Gabriel Bunge. Elders. | |
| Schema-Archimandrite Gabriel (Bunge). Meeting with readers. | |
- Schieromonk Gabriel (Bunge) on the website of the Korsun diocese
interview
- Hieromonk Gabriel (Bunge): “Orthodoxy is the fruit of my entire life as a Christian and monk” // Orthodoxy and the World, August 31, 2010
- “You can’t learn prayer in a warm chair” // Thomas Magazine, No. 10 (90) October 2010
- Hieromonk Gabriel Bunge: Reconciliation of Churches on a personal level // Orthodoxy and the World, January 17, 2011
- Schema-Archimandrite Gabriel (Bunge): You cannot be more than a Christian (+ Photo + Video) // Orthodoxy and the World, No. 22 November 2012
- Schema-Archimandrite Gabriel (Bunge) on the two main sins // Orthodoxy and the World, November 6, 2013
Father Gabriel became a very famous person, many people began to come to him
Father Gabriel became quite a famous person. Many magazine editors wanted to communicate with him and tell the whole world about such a great ascetic. One of the editorial staff of the Orthodox Life portal managed to meet with the outstanding theologian and patrolologist Gabriel Bunge. The meeting took place in the Kiev-Pechersk Lavra.
Father Gabriel Bunge was very kind. He answered all my questions. He also spoke about the features of salvation in our modern world, as well as about the crisis situation that is happening in Ukraine.
This is what Schema-Archimandrite Gabriel told the editors:
“...under the communist regime in the Soviet Union there were a million believers: hundreds of bishops, monks, ascetics, and laity. Despite persecution and expulsion from society, they did not renounce their faith. Talking about difficult times means remembering people who were able to persevere in faith and defend it in the face of any difficulties and hardships. Could we repeat their feat today?
The Holy Scripture says that it is easier for Christians to remain Christians in times of war and trials than in peaceful periods of stability and prosperity. When people fill their bellies and live one day at a time, they will certainly turn away from the Lord.
There is even an expression: “Man lives as if God did not exist.” At the same time, he does not deny the existence of the Lord, but actually lives as if the Creator had never existed. And we will have to answer for it.
In the modern world, the greatest test for us is to serve or not to serve the Church, which reminds us of exactly this. I always say that a believer is not a gloomy type waiting for the end of the world, an apocalypse, but a rejoicing one. He is optimistic about life, the world, and people. Despite everything.
And you, probably in Ukraine, feel this most of all, because you live between war and peace in unstable times and do not know what will happen tomorrow. Everyone realizes that today may be the last. A Christian is one who is always ready to meet the Lord. Nobody knows when the last day will come. No science can calculate it mathematically. Only the Heavenly Father determines this...”
Gabriel
Schema-Archimandrite
“And what did I do to deserve such mercy?”
You didn’t know Elder Gabriel personally? And he is so close to you.
- No, no, I didn’t know him. I was little then. But I consider him my confessor and my friend. There is not a single important event in my life that would have passed without the blessing of the priest. I always feel his presence. He is always there, as he bequeathed: “I’m leaving, but I will always be invisibly with you.”
When we translated the interview with Mother Paraskeva, I had difficulties. I admit that, although I am Georgian, I have some problems with the Georgian language. I have a Russian education, and I grew up in a Russian environment. I don’t understand some Old Georgian church moments unless my Georgian-speaking friends help me. Mother Parasvkeva says in the film: “I go into his cell and see him raised fifty centimeters from the ground.” She wondered if the elder knew that she had seen him in this state. When she came to him, the elder said: “The Lord said that he would raise me 50 centimeters. And how did I deserve such mercy? And this last sentence is an approximate translation, because in Georgian the phrase sounded a little different. These subtleties were incomprehensible to me. I spent a week translating. I thought, correctly: “What have I received?” or “I’m not worthy.” I puzzled over several options. And I again dreamed of an old man who, hitting his staff on the floor, said: “You went to a Russian school for twelve years, so that I could wait a week for your transfer?!” When I woke up, I had the right phrase in my head: “And how did I deserve such mercy.”
Gabriel Bunge also talks about how God led him to monastic life
He also says that Christ himself reminds people that the last lives on Earth will be very difficult, that even the righteous themselves will doubt. That is why Gabriel Bunge advises all Orthodox Christians to live in a spirit of joy, not to worry about the difficult times that will fall upon us.
After all, as it was said in the Holy Scriptures:
“Do not accumulate wealth for yourself on earth, where moth and rust spoil them and where thieves can rob your house. Better store up your treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust will spoil them, and where thieves cannot break in and steal. After all, where your wealth is, there your heart will also be..."
(Matt. 6:19–21)
Gabriel says that the Lord himself called him to become a monk. When things were difficult for him, God sent him the right people to help him. This is the only way he got on the right path. Photo: milano.cerkov.ru
Father Gabriel is often asked why he decided to become a monk, and also what prompted him to devote his entire life to the Lord. To which Gabriel Bunge responds:
“...I don't know if it's right to talk about a 'decision', thereby implying that it came from myself. I became a monk because I heard Christ’s call to follow Him unconditionally, and, of course, the only way for this, as it seemed to me, was monastic life...”
Gabriel
Schema-Archimandrite
It was then that he realized that he had to grope, all alone, to find his way. He also said that at the right time, especially when he needed it, the Lord Himself sent the right people to him to help him. This is how he gradually came to the path on which he now stands confidently.
“To become a monk, you need to fulfill the will of God” - Father Gabriel Bunge
He also said that there is no ideal age to become a monk:
“...I believe that there is no ideal age to become a monk. The only thing that is important in Christian life, and therefore in monastic life, is to fulfill the will of God...”
In his interview, he talked about what a young man needs to be guided by in order to take the path of monasticism:
“...Whoever becomes a monk must first of all know that he becomes a disciple of Christ and remains such for life. Becoming a disciple of Christ means truly walking with Christ into the desert, where temptations and trials of all kinds await, hunger, thirst and an extremely insightful demon, quoting Holy Scripture from memory, distorting its meaning. Therefore, all sorts of temptations await him until the last moment of his life...”
Gabriel
Schema-Archimandrite
"Oh, you chubby one"
– There was one more case. When we made the film, I was against it ending with the will of Elder Gabriel. He said that this is a sad tune, and I don’t want it to end on that note. They tried to persuade me. I resisted. And I had another dream: I was sitting, an old man came in and said: “Oh, you plump one. The will is the last. You must change the music and record Paraskeva” (nun Paraskeva - cell attendant of Elder Gabriel). I open my eyes, Dato Darjania is calling. And what do you think? It turns out that he also dreamed of an old man and said that “a 320-pound chubby man should do such and such.” The information I received in the dream coincided with the information provided by the film's producer, David Darjania.
The author of this film is me, the producer of the film is David Darjania. And the author of the idea and director is nun Evfemia (Dali Mshvenieradze), who wrote the first books about the elder. As for Paraskeva’s mother: we didn’t have very good quality footage, and we didn’t know whether to use it or not. But then, when I dreamed of the elder, I immediately called Mother Paraskeva. And she said: “Yes, yes, come, I’m waiting for you in Borjomi.” We rushed there headlong and interviewed her.
Schema-Archimandrite Gabriel also wrote many books
Schema-Archimandrite Gabriel also wrote many books. Most of them are read not only by Orthodox people.
Books by Schema-Archimandrite Gabriel Bunge can be downloaded on the Internet or read online.
One of the most famous is a book called Longing, Sorrow, Depression: The Spiritual Teachings of Evagrius Pontus on Acedia.
Gabriel Bunge’s book “Melancholy, Sadness, Depression: The Spiritual Teaching of Evagrius Pontus on Acedia” is intended for a wide range of readers. Photo: simvolik.ru
This book talks about ways to combat illnesses such as depression, melancholy, and despondency. In his book, Gabriel Bunge refers to the invaluable experience of Evagrius of Pontus. The book will be useful to a wide range of readers.
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Schema-Archimandrite Gabriel wrote another interesting book entitled: “Lord, teach us to pray. Personal prayer according to the tradition of the holy fathers."
Bunge's book “Lord, teach us to pray. Personal prayer according to the tradition of the holy fathers" is based on the knowledge of the holy fathers. Photo: knigosvet.com
This book is based on deep personal experience of prayer and serious knowledge of the holy fathers. Gabriel Bunge himself believes that the most important reference point for any Christian is the books of the Holy Fathers.
You can read books by Gabriel Bunge online on the Internet site koob.ru.
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Publications[ | ]
- Untersuchungen zum zweiten Makkabaerbuch. Ouellenkritische, litera-rische, chronologische und historische Untersuchungen zum zweiten Makkabaerbuch als Ouelle syrisch-palastinensischer Geschichte im 2. Jh. v. Chr., Bonn, Rheinische Friedrich-Wilhelms-Universitat, 735 p.
- Rabban Jausep Hazzaya: Brief über das geistliche Leben und ver-wandte Schriften. Ostsyrische Mystik des 8. Jahrunderts. Eingeleitet und übersetzt von Gabriel Bunge (Sophia 21), Trier, Paulinus Verlag, 1982, 408 p.
- Akedia. Die geistliche Lehre des Evagrius Pontikos vom Überdruss (Koinonia 9), Köln, Luther Verlag, 1983, 118 p. Akedia. Die geistliche Lehre des Evagrios Pontikos vom Überdruss, Köln, Luthe Verlag, 112 p., 1989
- Akedia. Die geistliche Lehre des Evagrios Pontikos vom Überdruß, Wurzburg, “Der Christliche Osten”, 116 p., 1995
- Meager vessels: the practice of personal prayer according to the tradition of the holy fathers: [12+]; [transl. with him. Vladimir Zelinsky]. - M.: Publishing House of the Moscow Patriarchate of the Russian Orthodox Church, 2014. - 332, [1] p. : ill., portrait; 17 cm; ISBN 978-5-88017-444-7
- Gluttony, delicacy, gluttony: the teaching of Evagrius of Pontus on food and fasting; lane with him. A. Frolova. — 2nd ed., rev. - M.: Sretensky Monastery Publishing House, 2014. - 203 p. : ill.; 17 cm; ISBN 978-5-7533-0928-0: 5,000 copies.
- Anger, malice, irritation: the teaching of Evagrius of Pontus on anger and meekness; lane with him. priest Vladimir Zelinsky [and Natalia Kostomarova]. — 2nd ed., rev. - M.: Sretensky Monastery Publishing House, 2015. - 221, [1] p. : ill.; 17 cm; ISBN 978-5-7533-0927-3
- Melancholy, despondency, depression: the spiritual teaching of Evagrius of Pontus about acedia; lane from fr. Archpriest Dimitry Sizonenko. — 2nd ed., rev. - M.: Sretensky Monastery Publishing House, 2014. - 189, [1] p. : ill.; 17 cm; ISBN 978-5-7533-0926-6: 5000 copies.
- Lord, teach us to pray: personal prayer according to the tradition of the holy fathers; [transl. with him. V. Zelinsky]. — 2nd ed. - M.: Nikea, 2021. - 286, [1] p.; 18 cm; ISBN 978-5-91761-660-5: 4000 copies.
I took a blessing from Russian sextons
Do you go to any churches here? How are Georgian and Russian parishes different?
– I go to the Moscow Church of the Icon of the Mother of God “Joy of All Who Sorrow” on Ordynka. There is almost no difference, except in the vestments. There was such a joke, as they say now: in Georgia, sextons dress in red, but here they wear clothes almost like clergymen. When I first came to Russia, it turned out that I took the blessing of almost all the sextons. And I was also surprised: so young, and already priests! They say to me: “Yes, this is a sexton, Kostya.” I answer: “Like a sexton? They have bishop’s robes!”
Another Ordinary Miracle
We have already heard about many miracles: icons streamed myrrh in Tbilisi and Kyiv, and the image of a saint appeared in the place where the relics had previously lain. What else has happened lately?
– For example, the miracle that happened to Elena Chistyakova from Perm. She was diagnosed with melanoma. The spot was large and black. She anointed the sore spot with oil from Father Gabriel. Then I went for an examination. He comes, undresses and says: “This is where I have melanoma.” The doctor looks in bewilderment and says: “Well, where?” Elena looks - and there’s nothing on her leg anymore. The doctor told her to pack her things and leave on good terms. She began to apologize and left the office with tears in her eyes and in complete shock. Having experienced such a miracle, Elena initiated the construction of a temple in Perm in the name of St. Gabriel and Blessed Xenia of St. Petersburg.
It’s not true that they don’t speak Russian in Georgia
Many secular people today have a different worldview. Relationships are complicated.
- It's in politics. But in spirit - no! There is a myth that no one in Georgia speaks Russian. But this is not true, of course. Even our film was made by Georgians. There is not a single Russian there except Elena Chistyakova. The voice acting was done by Georgians. Just Georgian surnames - and we made a Russian-language film. In fact, the statement that we know all languages except Russian is completely untrue. We have a well-known institute of Slavic studies in the scientific world, which is connected with Moscow State University and other Russian universities. Students call each other brothers and sisters when they come to conferences. There are no divisions. The construction of walls is carried out by those who want it, but with us it is love. In this case, it all comes down to politics. But the politicians were unable to create a single crack in our relations.
