The Pacific Northwest’s only Russian Orthodox monastery — nestled in Dockton among towering firs, madronas and hemlocks — is secluded and private, a world apart from the bustle of town.

Its 12 buildings are clustered close together, the surrounding acreage undeveloped. Vehicles make a lengthy trek up the driveway, passing through a shroud of native vegetation before reaching the clearing where the small buildings are scattered.

For many Vashon residents, the close-knit campus of buildings and those who live there are a part of the fabric of the Island community: Islanders have seen the monks in Thriftway or drunk their famous Monastery Blend Coffee. But they may have never visited the All-Merciful Saviour Monastery, which holds services daily that are open to the public.

Its one-room temple is rich with the scent of incense and filled with worshipful artwork; its library, dining hall and gift shop are awash in sunny colors that encircle visitors in a warm glow.

This Saturday, the monks at the quiet religious community are officially inviting community members to an open house at their newly completed campus, one of 40 Orthodox monasteries nationwide.

“We’re looking forward to sharing what we’ve built with the Island community,” said Father Tryphon, the monastery’s abbot.

It’s been 14 years since the first building, a tiny one-room chapel, was constructed on the monastic site. Since then, monks, contractors and many volunteers have steadily added more buildings — a library, trapeza dining hall, monastic cabins, gift shop and temple. But it wasn’t until this summer that monks and volunteers put the finishing touches on the interiors and exteriors of the half-dozen most recently built structures.

Last summer, the monastery celebrated a landmark when its temple was crowned with a striking blue onion dome topped with a triple cross — the adornment that shows the chapel is Russian Orthodox.

Orthodox Christianity is both different and similar to the Western Christianity that many Americans are more familiar with. Orthodox Christians take a more intuitive approach to their faith, Tryphon said.

“It’s ancient, it’s beautiful, it’s mystical theology that is based on the intuitive nature of the heart, rather than logic and reason,” he said.

There has been a monastic Orthodox presence on Vashon for more than 20 years, since monastery cofounders Tryphon and Father Paul first visited the Island in 1988. They were searching for a place to settle down and form a faith community, and Vashon beckoned to them.

“I love Vashon Island — it is an open, friendly, accepting community,” Paul said, taking a break from working in the monastery yard. “Living in a monastic community, we’re like a family anyway, and to have that extend into the larger community is great. I feel that all of Vashon is my family, too.”

The pair first rented a home in Dockton and sought out a piece of property to buy. Soon after, they realized they’d never be able to afford land on Vashon or Maury. But Islanders John and Georgia Ratzenberger donated five acres to the order, and in the years since, 11 more acres have been added to the hilly spread.

In the journey to the monastery’s completion, the monks encountered a major bump in the road: In 2004, the order hired a contractor who said he could build more inexpensively if the monks paid up front. They did, but soon realized they had been swindled.

Out $54,000, the monks’ funds were drained, their trust shaken and their monastery no closer to being built. But community members stepped forward, offering money, labor and supplies, and the last five years have been a whirlwind of construction.

For years, the monks’ days have included work on the monastic buildings. Spending more time on the gardens, the grounds, the coffee business and visitors will be a welcome respite for the men. Tryphon plans to raise chickens and learn the art of beekeeping.

Something that sets Vashon’s monks apart from their brothers worldwide is their thriving coffee bean business. Father Tryphon, a coffee connoisseur, has created custom blends of beans that are roasted in Seattle by a private label roaster. The beans, sold in a silver package as Monastery Blend Coffee, are the monastery’s main source of income.

The brothers have booming online, mail-order and local sales — Tryphon said he couldn’t begin to guess how many pounds of beans are sold each year.

“We decided we needed a secular way of making a living,” said Tryphon, a former psychologist and teacher who, as abbot, is the monastery’s spiritual leader.

“We have what I consider the best coffee in the Puget Sound region, and we have lots of fans who feel that way,” he added.

Though retail coffee sales are the order’s bread and butter, the monks prefer to spend their days in contemplation and communion when they’re not taking care of their bean business.

“The word monk means one who’s alone,” Tryphon said. “A monastery is a place for those who are alone to be in communion.”

Monks spend as much time as possible in solitude and private prayer.

That’s how the monastery differs from the two dozen Russian Orthodox churches in the Seattle-Tacoma region — it’s a brotherhood of monks on a spiritual journey, not a parish with a congregation.

“People are welcome to join us in our spiritual path and our services, but we’re primarily contemplatives — that’s why we live out here surrounded by forests,” Tryphon said with a smile.

The purpose of a monastic life, he added, is “the acquisition of a humble and contrite heart,” as well as offering service to those around him — Father Tryphon, for example, is a member of Vashon Island Rotary Club and the chaplain for Vashon Island Fire & Rescue.

A monastic day begins at 6:30 a.m. with a morning service, followed by breakfast and obediences. Then the monks do chores — be it cleaning, preparing lunch, keeping the books or gardening — and have a communal meal at 1:30 p.m. At 5:30 p.m. the order holds its vespers, or evening service. There are also two Orthodox nuns who live in a rented house on the Island and attend services at the monastery each day.

Sundays are marked by a divine liturgy service at 9:40 a.m.

“It’s the same service that’s been done for almost 2,000 years,” said congregation member Cheryl Hunt.

The Sunday service is both traditional and beautiful. As incense clouds the air within the one-room carpeted chapel, a monk sings lengthy opening chants. The ornate, gleaming icons of saints cover the side walls — men on the right and women on the left, just as the worshippers stand during the service itself.

The chapel houses a relic of St. John Maximovitch of Shanghai, an American saint from San Francisco who died in 1966. Reliquaries are an old-world tradition, and the relic’s presence suggests the depth of the Vashon monastery’s connection to the practices of the past.

Saturday offers a chance for Islanders to see the icons, the relics, the monks and the place they call home in an afternoon dedicated to visitors. They can meet Hammie, the gray Norwegian forest cat who’s designated himself official greeter at the monastery. And if they’ve never taken a sip of the famous coffee that is the monks’ livelihood, they can do that, too.

“People who have been dying to see the place should come and visit, get tours and try our coffee,” Tryphon said. “We love it here; it’s a nice peaceful place to be.”

Visit All-Merciful Saviour Monastery, at 9933 S.W. 268th St., from noon to 4 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 17. Call the monastery at 463-5918 for more information.