The Brotherhood of St. Job of Pochaev was founded by Archimandrite (later Archbishop) Vitaly (Maximenko) in 1923 in the Prešov Region of modern-day Slovakia. After a brief period in the town of Svidník, the brotherhood settled in the small village of Ladomirová, where their monastery developed into a thriving center of religious activity.
Through their tireless efforts, this small community of about thirty monks made a lasting impact on both the Russian Orthodox diaspora and the local population. Devoting themselves to publishing and missionary work, the brotherhood produced much-needed spiritual literature and liturgical texts that reached Orthodox Christians across Europe, North America, Australia, and beyond. In the aftermath of the 1917 Russian Revolution, when countless Orthodox believers fled their homeland and religious publishing virtually ceased, their work filled a critical void, sustaining the spiritual life of displaced communities worldwide.
The brotherhood's ministry also flourished within the surrounding region. Through preaching, education, charitable outreach, summer camps, and community gatherings, the monks became a vital spiritual and cultural force, strengthening faith and enriching the lives of thousands around them.
The laity around the monastery was actively involved in its everyday life. Several locals joined the brotherhood themselves and went on to become notable clergy. Among them was Metropolitan Laurus (Škurla), who would later serve as abbot of Holy Trinity Monastery in Jordanville, NY, and eventually as the First Hierarch of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside Russia.
As the frontlines of World War II drew closer to Ladomirová, the brotherhood was forced to evacuate (1944). The majority of the monastics eventually resettled at Holy Trinity Monastery, Jordanville, NY (1946). There, with the same dedication and vitality that had once transformed Ladomirová, they continued the same spiritual and publishing endeavors for the benefit of the Russian Orthodox diaspora.
