The Lavra of St. Hariton the Confessor is the first monastery in the Judean Desert. Its history can be traced to the late 3rd century. Following the example of St. Hariton, many monks inhabited the caves in the Faran Valley which has a natural spring. Today there stands the monastery of St. Hariton which is under the aegis of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia. The monastery has two churches. The church of St. Hariton is situated in the cave where the saint lived in prayer and monastic struggles.
The day of the feast of St. Hariton (September 28/October 11) was celebrated with prayerful solemnity. Monastics arrived from all the Russian Convents of the Holy Land. 25 sisters from the Convent of Ein Karem headed by their abbess, mother Katherine arrived to augment the large number of sisters from the convents of the Mount of Olives, St. Mary Magdalene and Bethany. Liturgies were served in both churches of the monastery. With the blessing of the head of the Russian Ecclesiastical Mission, archimandrite Roman (Krassovsky), archimandrite Innokenty (Sereda) headed the liturgy on the cave church of St. Hariton along with Fr. Feodor (Kirike) and hierodeacon Amfilohy (Mazur). Hieromonk Paul of the Russian Mission of the Moscow Patriarchate served in the church of St. Nicholas.
Afterwards all the worshipers gathered at the gravesite of St. Hariton for a moleben.
As the Head of the Mission, archimandrite Roman, was unable to attend the feast, Fr. Innokenty passed on his blessing and best wishes to Fr. Hariton (Burov), the builder of monastery who was also celebrating the day of his heavenly protector.