Un monastero doppio nel monachesimo ortodosso contemporaneo: S. Giovanni Battista di Essex (Inghilterra)

This paper proposes to respond to the existing controversy in the Orthodox Church regarding the non-existence of the monasteries where monks and nuns cohabit (so called «doublemonasteries»), which were prohibited by the Byzantine legislation and the Seventh Ecumenical council (Nicea II). The article assumes to demonstrate that, in spite of the prohibition lasting over centuries, the Orthodox Monastery of St. John the Baptist is a contemporary case of such cohabitation : monks and nuns live under the roof of the same monastery, sharing common places and certain activities. An investigation of the collective narratives and theological arguments of such practice is an important path for a future research in verifying the contemporary motivations of accepting this kind of monastic cohabitation in the Orthodoxy (despite of canonical norm). Furthermore, it is intended to envision a possible conversion in the monastic vision and practice regarding the gender cohabitation in Orthodox monasticism. The research demands the use of the historical-critical method, based on literary, documentary sources, indirect observation as well as ethnographic research.