The very first Christian monastery in the world. The oldest monasteries in Russia
Solovetsky Monastery - an independent monastery of Russian Orthodox Church. It is located in the White Sea on the Solovetsky Islands. The foundation of the monastery dates back to the 40s of the 15th century, when the Monk Zosima and his friend chose Bolshoi Solovetsky Island as their place of residence. He made such a choice not by chance - the monk saw a church of unprecedented beauty. Recognizing his dream as a sign from above, Zosima began building a wooden temple with a chapel and a refectory. With its construction he honored the Transfiguration of the Lord. After a short period of time, Zosima and German built a church. With the appearance of these two buildings, which later became the main ones, the arrangement of the monastery territory began. Subsequently, the Archbishop of Novgorod issued a document to the monastery confirming its eternal ownership of the Solovetsky Islands.
The Holy Vvedenskaya Optina Hermitage is a stauropegial monastery, the servants of which are male monks. Its creator was the robber Opta, or Optia, who at the end of the 14th century. repented of his actions and accepted monasticism. As a clergyman he was known under the name Macarius. In 1821, a monastery was established at the monastery. It was inhabited by the so-called hermits - these are people who spent many years in complete solitude. The mentor of the monastery was the “elder”. Over time, Optina Pustyn turned into one of the leading spiritual centers. Thanks to numerous donations, its territory was replenished with new stone buildings, a mill and land. Today the monastery is considered a historical monument and has a different name - “Museum of Optina Pustyn”. In 1987, it was included in the list of objects of the Russian Orthodox Church.
The Novodevichy Convent, built in the 16th century, was at that time located on Samsonov Meadow. Nowadays this area is called the Maiden Field. The cathedral church at the monastery was built in the likeness of the Assumption Cathedral - the “neighbor” of the Moscow Kremlin. The monastery walls and towers were built in the 16th – 17th centuries. In general, the architecture of the monastery conveys the “Moscow Baroque” style. The monastery owes its fame to the Godunov family. Boris Godunov lived here before his election as king with his sister Irina. Irina Godunova took monastic vows with the name Alexander and lived in separate chambers with a wooden tower. At the end of the 16th century. The territory of the monastery was replenished with stone walls and a dozen towers. In appearance they resembled Kremlin buildings (there were square towers, and at the corners - round). Their upper parts were decorated with teeth. Today the Novodevichy Convent combines both a museum and a monastery.
The Kirillo-Belozersky Monastery is located on the shores of Lake Siverskoye. It owes its appearance to St. Cyril, who founded it in 1397. Construction began with the arrangement of a cell-cave and installation above it wooden cross. In the same year, the illumination of the first shrine took place - it was a wooden church built in the name of the Assumption Holy Mother of God. By 1427, there were about 50 monks in the monastery. In the first half of the 16th century. a new life begins at the monastery - all Moscow nobles and kings began to regularly come to it on pilgrimage. Thanks to their rich donations, the monks quickly built up the monastery with stone buildings. Its main attraction is the Assumption Cathedral. Appearing in 1497, it became the first stone building in the North. The monastery complex underwent various architectural changes until 1761.
The Valaam Monastery is a stauropegic institution of the Russian Orthodox Church, which occupied the islands of the Valaam archipelago (Karelia). The first mentions of it are found in chronicles of the 14th century. Thus, “The Legend of the Valaam Monastery” informs about the date of its foundation - this is 1407. Within a couple of centuries, 600 souls of monks lived in the monastery, however, due to repeated invasions Swedish troops the island began to decline. After another 100 years, the territory of the monastery began to be filled with cell buildings and auxiliary premises. But the main buildings of the monastery courtyard were the Assumption Church and the Transfiguration Cathedral. Wanting to create the New Jerusalem from their own monastery, the Valaam ascetics used the names of the New Testament period when arranging its sites. Over the years of its existence, the monastery has undergone many changes, and to this day it remains one of the attractive historical monuments of Russia.
The Alexander Nevsky Lavra was founded in 1710 at the junction of the Monastyrka River with the Neva. The decision to build it was made by Peter I himself, who wished to perpetuate the victory over the Swedes in 1240 and 1704 in this area. In the 13th century. Alexander Nevsky fought against hordes of Swedes, so he was subsequently canonized for good deeds before the Fatherland. The monastery built in his honor was popularly called the Alexander Temple, and with its construction the expansion of the territory of the Holy Trinity Alexander Nevsky Monastery, or Lavra, began. It is noteworthy that the monastery buildings were located “at rest”, i.e. in the shape of the letter “P” and were decorated with churches in the corners. The landscaping of the yard consisted of a garden with a flower bed. The main holiday of the Lavra is the day of September 12 - it was on this date, back in 1724, that the holy relics of Alexander Nevsky were transferred.
The Trinity-Sergius Lavra was founded in the first half of the 14th century. Venerable Sergius of Radonezh, the son of an impoverished nobleman. According to the clergyman’s plan, the monastery courtyard was arranged in the form of a quadrangle, in the center of which the wooden Trinity Cathedral rose above the cells. The monastery was fenced with a wooden fence. Above the gate there was a small church honoring St. Dmitry Solunsky. Later, all other monasteries adopted this architectural plan, which confirmed the opinion that Sergius was “the head and teacher of all monasteries in Rus'.” Over time, the Holy Spirit Church appeared near the Trinity Cathedral, the building of which combined a temple and a bell tower (“like the bells”). Since 1744, the majestic monastery was renamed Lavra.
Spaso-Preobrazhensky Monastery is a monastic monastery in Murom, founded by the passion-bearer prince Gleb. Having received the city as an inheritance, he did not want to settle among the pagans, so he decided to establish a princely court above the Oka. Having chosen a suitable place, Gleb of Murom built his first temple on it - this is how he immortalized the name of the All-Merciful Savior. Later he added a monastic monastery to it (the premises were used to educate the Murom people). According to the chronicle, the “monastery of the Savior on the forest” appeared in 1096. Since then, many clergy and miracle workers have visited its walls. Over time, the Spassky Cathedral appeared on the territory of the monastery - through its construction, Ivan the Terrible immortalized the date of the capture of Kazan. To furnish the premises of the new temple, the tsar allocated icons, church utensils and literature, and clothing for ministers. The Church of the Intercession with chambers, a bakery, a flour shed and a cookhouse was built in the second half of the 17th century.
Seraphim-Diveevo Monastery is a convent founded in the 2nd half of the 18th century. At Mother Alexandra's own expense, the foundation of the Kazan Church was first laid. Pachomius, a master famous for the construction of the Sarov Desert, was in charge of its consecration as construction was completed. The church premises were equipped with 2 chapels - in the name of Archdeacon Stephen and St. Nicholas. Then the Trinity and Transfiguration Cathedrals appeared in Diveevo. The latter was built with substantial donations, because reinforced concrete was used in its construction for the first time (previously such material had not been used in the construction of shrines). But the main temple here is considered to be the Trinity Cathedral, in which the relics of Seraphim of Sarov rest. Everyone who wants to receive grace-filled help and healing specially gathers at the shrine with the relics of the monk.
INTRODUCTION
Russian culture is a huge variety of possibilities, coming from many sources and teachers. Among the latter are the pre-Christian culture of the Eastern Slavs, the beneficial lack of unity (Russian culture at birth is a combination of the cultures of many centers of the Kiev land), freedom (primarily internal, perceived both as creativity and destruction) and, of course, widespread foreign influences and borrowings.
In addition, it is difficult to find a period in our culture when its spheres developed evenly - in the 14th - early 15th centuries. Painting came into first place in the 15th – 16th centuries. architecture prevails, in the 17th century. the leading positions belong to literature. At the same time, Russian culture in every century and over several centuries is a unity, where each of its spheres enriches the others, suggests new moves and opportunities to them, and learns from them.
The Slavic peoples were first introduced to the heights of culture through Christianity. The revelation for them was not the “physicality” that they constantly encountered, but spirituality human existence. This spirituality came to them primarily through art, which was easily and uniquely perceived Eastern Slavs prepared for this by their attitude towards the surrounding world and nature.
Monasteries played a major role in the formation of spirituality and in the cultural development of the Russian people.
HISTORY OF MONASTERIES
IN Rus'
Monasteries appeared in Ancient Rus' in the 11th century, several decades after the adoption of Christianity by the Kyiv prince Vladimir and his subjects. And after 1.5-2 centuries they already played an important role in the life of the country.
The chronicle connects the beginning of Russian monasticism with the activities of Anthony, a resident of the city of Lyubech, near Chernigov, who became a monk on Mount Athos and appeared in Kyiv in the middle of the 11th century. The Tale of Bygone Years reports about him under the year 1051. True, the chronicle says that when Anthony came to Kyiv and began to choose where to settle, he “went to the monasteries, and did not like it anywhere.” This means that there were some monastic monasteries on the Kyiv land even before Anthony. But there is no information about them, and therefore the first Russian Orthodox monastery is considered to be Pechersky (later the Kiev-Pechora Lavra), which arose on one of the Kyiv mountains at the initiative of Anthony: he allegedly settled in a cave dug for prayers by the future Metropolitan Hilarion.
However, the Russian Orthodox Church considers Theodosius, who accepted monasticism with the blessing of Anthony, to be the true founder of monasticism. Having become abbot, he introduced into his monastery, which numbered two dozen monks, the charter of the Constantinople Studite Monastery, which strictly regulated the entire life of the monastics. Subsequently, this charter was introduced in other large monasteries of the Russian Orthodox Church, which were predominantly communal.
At the beginning of the 12th century. Kievan Rus broke up into a number of principalities, which were, in essence, completely independent feudal states. The process of Christianization in their capital cities has already gone far; princes and boyars, wealthy merchants, whose lives did not at all correspond to Christian commandments, founded monasteries, trying to atone for their sins. At the same time, rich investors not only received “service from specialists” - monks, but could also spend the rest of their lives in familiar conditions material well-being. The increased population in cities also ensured an increase in the number of monks.
There was a predominance of urban monasteries. Apparently, the spread of Christianity played a role here, first among rich and wealthy people close to the princes and living with them in the cities. Rich merchants and artisans also lived in them. Of course, ordinary townspeople accepted Christianity more quickly than peasants.
Along with large ones, there were also small private monasteries, the owners of which could dispose of them and pass them on to their heirs. The monks in such monasteries did not maintain a common household, and investors, wishing to leave the monastery, could demand their contribution back.
From the middle of the 14th century. the emergence of a new type of monasteries began, which were founded by people who did not have land holdings, but had energy and enterprise. They sought land grants from the Grand Duke, accepted donations from their feudal neighbors “to commemorate their souls,” enslaved surrounding peasants, bought and bartered lands, ran their own farms, traded, engaged in usury, and turned monasteries into feudal estates.
Following Kiev, Novgorod, Vladimir, Smolensk, Galich and other ancient Russian cities acquired their own monasteries. In the pre-Mongol period, the total number of monasteries and the number of monastics in them were insignificant. According to chronicles, in the 11th-13th centuries there were no more than 70 monasteries in Rus', including 17 each in Kyiv and Novgorod.
The number of monasteries increased noticeably during the period of the Tatar-Mongol yoke: by the middle of the 15th century there were more than 180 of them. Over the next century and a half, about 300 new monasteries were opened, and in the 17th century alone - 220. The process of the emergence of more and more new monasteries (both men's, and women's) continued until the Great October Socialist Revolution. By 1917 there were 1025 of them.
Russian Orthodox monasteries were multifunctional. They have always been considered not only as centers of the most intense religious life, guardians of church traditions, but also as an economic stronghold of the church, as well as centers for training church personnel. Monks formed the backbone of the clergy, occupying key positions in all areas of church life. Only the monastic rank gave access to the episcopal rank. Bound by the vow of complete and unconditional obedience, which they took at the time of tonsure, the monks were obedient instruments in the hands of the church leadership.
As a rule, in the Russian lands of the 11th-13th centuries. monasteries were founded by princes or local boyar aristocracy. The first monasteries arose near large cities, or directly in them. Monasteries were a form of social organization of people who abandoned the norms of life accepted in secular society. These groups solved various problems: from preparing their members for the afterlife to creating model farms. Monasteries served as institutions of social charity. They, closely connected with the authorities, became the centers of the ideological life of Rus'.
The monasteries trained cadres of clergy of all ranks. The episcopate was elected from the monastic circle, and the rank of bishop was received mainly by monks of noble origin. IN XI-XII centuries Fifteen bishops emerged from one Kiev-Pechora monastery. There were only a few “simple” bishops.
THE ROLE OF MONASTERIES IN THE CULTURAL LIFE OF Rus'
Orthodox monasteries played a huge role in the cultural, political and economic history of Rus' and Russia. In our country - as, indeed, in other countries of the Christian world - the monasteries of monks have always been not only places of prayerful service to God, but also centers of culture and education; in many periods national history monasteries had a noticeable impact on the political development of the country and on the economic life of people.
One of these periods was the time of consolidation of Russian lands around Moscow, the time of flourishing of Orthodox art and the rethinking of the cultural tradition that connected Kievan Rus with the Muscovite kingdom, the time of colonization of new lands and the introduction of new peoples to Orthodoxy.
Over the course of the 15th and 16th centuries, the wooded north of the country was covered with a network of large monastic farms, around which the peasant population gradually settled. Thus began the peaceful development of vast spaces. It went simultaneously with extensive educational and missionary activities.
Bishop Stefan of Perm preached along the Northern Dvina among the Komi, for whom he created the alphabet and translated the Gospel. Reverends Sergius and Herman founded the Valaam Monastery of the Transfiguration of the Savior on islands in Lake Ladoga and preached among the Karelian tribes. Reverend Savvaty and Zosima laid the foundation for the largest Solovetsky Transfiguration Monastery in Northern Europe. Saint Cyril created a monastery in the Beloozersky region. Saint Theodoret of Kola baptized the Finnish tribe of Topars and created the alphabet for them. His mission in the middle of the 16th century. continued Saint Tryphon of Pecheneg, who founded a monastery on the northern coast of the Kola Peninsula.
Appeared in the XV-XVI centuries. and many other monasteries. A lot of educational work was carried out in them, books were copied, original schools of icon painting and fresco painting developed.
Icons were painted in monasteries, which, along with frescoes and mosaics, constituted that genre of painting that was allowed by the church and encouraged in every possible way by it.
Outstanding painters of antiquity reflected in icons both religious subjects and their vision of the world around them; they captured in paint not only Christian dogmas, but also their own attitude to pressing problems of our time. Therefore, ancient Russian pictorial art went beyond the narrow framework of church utilitarianism and became important means artistic reflection of his era - a phenomenon not only of purely religious life, but also of general cultural life.
XIV – early XV centuries. - This is the heyday of icon painting. It was in it that Russian artists managed to fully express the character of the country and people, and rise to the heights of world culture. The luminaries of icon painting, of course, were Theophanes the Greek, Andrei Rublev and Dionysius. Thanks to their work, the Russian icon became not only the subject of painting, but also of philosophical discussions; it says a lot not only to art critics, but also social psychologists, has become integral part life of the Russian people.
Providence extremely rarely orders in such a way that for 150 years, great cultural figures live and create one after another. Russia XIV-XV centuries. in this regard, she was lucky - she had F. Greek, A. Rublev, Dionysius. The first link in this chain was Feofan - a philosopher, scribe, illustrator, and icon painter, who came to Rus' as an already established master, but not frozen in the themes and techniques of writing. Working in Novgorod and Moscow, he managed to create completely different frescoes and icons with equal sophistication. The Greek did not disdain adapting to circumstances: frantic, striking with irrepressible imagination in Novgorod, he bears little resemblance to the strictly canonical master in Moscow. Only his skill remains unchanged. He did not argue with time and customers, and taught the life and tricks of his profession to Russian artists, including, probably, Andrei Rublev.
Rublev tried to make a revolution in the souls and minds of his viewers. He wanted the icon to become not only an object of cult, endowed with magical power, but also a subject of philosophical, artistic and aesthetic contemplation. Not much is known about the life of Rublev, like many other masters of Ancient Rus'. Almost all of it life path associated with the Trinity-Sergius and Andronnikov monasteries in Moscow and the Moscow region.
Rublev’s most famous icon, “The Trinity,” caused controversy and doubt during the author’s lifetime. The dogmatic concept of the Trinity - the unity of deity in three persons: God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit - was abstract and difficult to understand. It is no coincidence that it was the doctrine of the Trinity that gave rise to a huge number of heresies in the history of Christianity. Yes, and in Rus' XI-XIII centuries. they preferred to dedicate churches to more real images: the Savior, the Mother of God, and St. Nicholas.
In the symbol of the Trinity, Rublev distinguished not only an abstract dogmatic idea, but also a vital idea for that time about the political and moral unity of the Russian land. In picturesque images he conveyed a religious periphrasis of a completely earthly idea of unity, “unity of equals.” Rublev's approach to the essence and meaning of the icon was so new, and his breakthrough from the canon so decisive, that real fame came to him only in the 20th century. Contemporaries appreciated in him not only a talented painter, but also the holiness of his life. Then the Rublev icons were updated by later authors and disappeared until our century (let’s not forget that 80-100 years after their creation, the icons darkened from the drying oil covering them, and the painting became indistinguishable.
We also know little about the third luminary of icon painting. Dionysius, apparently, was the favorite artist of Ivan III and remained a secular painter without taking monastic vows. In fact, humility and obedience are clearly not inherent in him, which is reflected in his frescoes. And the era was completely different from the times of Grek and Rublev. Moscow triumphed over the Horde and art was instructed to glorify the greatness and glory of the Moscow state. The frescoes of Dionysius do not perhaps achieve the high aspiration and deep expressiveness of the Rublev icons. They are created not for reflection, but for joyful admiration. They are part of the holiday, and not an object of thoughtful contemplation. Dionysius did not become a prophetic prophet, but he is consummate master and the master of color, unusually light and pure tones. With his work, ceremonial, solemn art became leading. Of course, they tried to imitate him, but his followers lacked some small things: measure, harmony, cleanliness - what distinguishes a true master from a diligent artisan.
We know by name only a few monks - icon painters, carvers, writers, architects. The culture of that time was to a certain extent anonymous, which was generally characteristic of the Middle Ages. Humble monks did not always sign their works; lay masters also did not care too much about lifetime or posthumous earthly glory.
This was the era of cathedral creativity. Metropolitan Pitirim of Volokolamsk and Yuryev, our contemporary, wrote about this era in his work “Experience folk spirit“So: “The spirit of conciliar work touched all areas of creativity. Following the political gathering of Rus', simultaneously with the growth economic ties cultural gathering began in various parts of the state. It was then that the works of hagiographic literature multiplied, general chronicle collections were created, and the achievements of the largest provincial schools in the field of fine, architectural, musical and singing, and decorative and applied arts began to merge into the all-Russian culture.”
Before the advent of printing, it was in monastery cells that liturgical books were copied, literature of religious and ecclesiastical content was composed, in particular the “lives of the saints”, glorifying the “pleasers of God” (mainly monastics) and those monasteries where they carried out monastic obedience.
At the same time, the monasteries fulfilled the social order of the princely authorities: they created and re-edited chronicles and legislative documents. Judging by the content of the chronicles and the style of their presentation, they were written by people who had only formally “left the world”, as required by the ritual of initiation into monasticism, but in fact were in the thick of political events, full of “sea” worries and worries.
The creation of culture is always closely connected with its conservation and preservation. This dual task in the XV-XVI centuries. This was precisely the solution to monasteries, which from time immemorial were not only spiritual centers, but also a kind of museums where unique works of national art were kept, as well as libraries with amazingly valuable collections of manuscripts and rare books.
One of the main sources of replenishment of the monastery collections were deposits. Family heirlooms were brought here by the impoverished descendants of appanage princes, who could not withstand the unequal struggle with the strengthened grand-ducal power. Contributions also came from Moscow princes and tsars, who often used influential monasteries for political purposes. The reasons for the contribution to the treasury of the monastery could be a victory won over an enemy, a prayer for the birth of an heir, or a solemn accession to the throne. They often made deposits just for the sake of their souls. On the territory of monasteries, near their cathedrals and churches, noble people were sometimes buried; during burial, the monastery was not only paid money for the grave, but also left the personal belongings of the deceased, an icon taken from the coffin, and even a cart with horses on which it was brought. Among the investors in Russian monasteries were princes and boyars, representatives of the highest clergy, nobles, merchants and service people of different cities, “people of various ranks of the sovereign’s court,” city clerks, monastery servants and servants, artisans and peasants.
Monasteries were looked upon as reliable repositories of national treasures. Works of art were brought here to preserve them. It is no coincidence that many of them had the following written on them: “Don’t give it to anyone.” The most common deposits were family icons decorated with precious frames.
Monastic meetings in Moscow and Sergiev Posad, Rostov the Great and Suzdal, Tver and Yaroslavl were famous; in these cities unique collections of Russian icon painting of the 15th-16th centuries were compiled.
TRINITY-SERGIEV MONASTERY
Let us trace the formation of a unique monastery collection using the example of one of the most revered monasteries in Rus' - Trinity-Sergius.The collections of the monastery formed the basis of the museum funds of the Zagorsk Museum. Among the contributions to the monastery are many rich church vessels, silver book covers and icons. Attracting attention is a silver chalice with a crystal bowl, a golden chalice with ore-yellow marble from 1449 (the work of Ivan Fomin), the censer of Abbot Nikon from 1405, and the reliquary ark of the Radonezh princes of the first quarter of the 15th century. In the 16th century The most significant contributions were made to the monastery treasury. The best Russian jewelers, isographers, and foundry workers worked in the Moscow workshops under Ivan the Terrible, Fyodor Ioannovich, and Boris Godunov.
Ivan IV ordered the most revered icon of the Trinity in the monastery to be decorated with jewelry (mostly created by Moscow craftsmen). Under the icon was suspended a pearl shroud, embroidered in the workshop of the Tsar’s first wife, Anastasia Romanova; the icon had a gold frame with crowns decorated with enamels and precious stones. Under Ivan IV, a monumental silver chased shrine was also made for the remains of Sergius of Radonezh.
Under Tsar Fyodor Ioannovich, a chased gold frame was made for the tombstone icon of Sergius, decorated with gold beads with engraving and niello, precious stones, cameos, and pearls. It is known that for this work the masters of the Moscow Kremlin Armory received great awards from the Tsar.
After his coronation, Boris Godunov presented the monastery with a new precious frame for the icon of the Trinity.
It was not only gifts that replenished the monastic collections; many works of art were created directly within the monastery walls. In the 15th century Epiphanius the Wise worked at the Trinity Monastery, creating the Life of the founder of the monastery, Sergius of Radonezh; Andrei Rublev wrote there, whose worldview was formed thanks to the constant influence of the ideas of Sergius and his followers, thanks to the habit acquired in the monastery of resisting the “discord of this world.” For the iconostasis of the monastery cathedral, the Monk Andrew painted the famous “Trinity”. Andrey Rublev, Daniil Cherny and other isographers in short term On behalf of Abbot Nikon, the Trinity Cathedral, newly built at the expense of Prince Yuri of Galitsky and Zvenigorod, was decorated with frescoes and icons.
In the XV-XVI centuries. The Trinity Monastery became a place for the creation of magnificent icons and works of applied art, as well as a kind of educational center where masters - isographers and jewelers - were trained. Trinity icons were sent to other monasteries and churches and presented as gifts to foreign guests.
NOVODEVICHY MONASTERY
The Novodevichy Convent was also a major cultural center. (now located within the city limits of Moscow).
But his initial task was different - the defense of Moscow. It took its place among the same guardian monasteries - Androniev, Novospassky, Simonov, Danilov, Donskoy, together with which it created a powerful defensive semi-ring. The Novodevichy Convent is located in a bend of the river; from its walls it was possible to control three crossings at once: at the Crimean Ford (now in its place is the Crimean Bridge; and then, during the construction era, it was there that the Crimean Khan Makhmet-Girey liked to cross the Moscow River during his raids on the capital), at Vorobyovy Gory and Dorogomilov, where the road to Mozhaisk passed. Cultural center the monastery became later.
In 1571, the monastery was ravaged and burned by the Crimeans of Khan Devlet-Girey. After this, new towers and walls were erected. And when in 1591 the Crimean horde under the leadership of Kazy-Girey again stormed the monastery, the artillery managed to adequately meet the attackers and the assault was repulsed.
But the monastery is known not only in connection with military events. It is closely connected with the dynastic history of Russian sovereigns. Ivan the Terrible’s young daughter Anna was buried there, the wife of Ivan IV’s brother, Princess Ulyana, the widow of Ivan the Terrible’s eldest son, Elena, and the widow of Tsar Fyodor Ioannovich, Irina Godunova, ended their days there. Some sources mention that it was in the Novodevichy Convent that Boris Godunov was elected to the kingdom. This is not entirely accurate: in the monastery Boris only agreed to be elected.
In just two years (1603-1604), Boris Godunov donated many icons to the monastery, a lot of precious utensils, and another 3 thousand rubles - a considerable amount at that time. Alas, most of those gifts were not preserved. Ironically, they were captured by Godunov’s destroyer False Dmitry in 1605.
And yet, much of what was collected at the Novodevichy Convent has survived to this day. The works of Russian isographers and jewelers, which made up a unique collection, as well as many contributions from Russian sovereigns, have also been preserved. The magnificent creations of Russian goldsmiths, embroiderers, silversmiths, wood and stone carvers, and painters collected in the Smolensk Cathedral were almost never exhibited in full; many works were in different years transferred to other repositories.
A remarkable value of Russian culture is the Smolensk Cathedral itself - the only architectural monument of the early 16th century that has survived on the territory of the monastery.
All compositions of the paintings of the Smolensk Cathedral are subordinated to the exaltation of Moscow and its sovereigns.
But the cathedral can also tell about the time of Boris Godunov. By his decree, the temple was repaired, the smoky frescoes were renewed, and some things were rewritten. This is how the images of Saints Boris and Fyodor and the image of Saint Irene appeared.
The monastery also keeps in its collection extremely valuable works of ancient Russian small sculpture: panagias, reliquary crosses, breastplate icons. Mostly these works of ancient Russian masters date back to the 15th-16th centuries. The decoration of the collection of the Novodevichy Convent is a silver bowl from 1581 - the contribution of Tsarevich Ivan Ivanovich the Elder, the son of Ivan the Terrible, made by him shortly before his death.
We saw the ancient stones of Novodevichy Vasily III, Ivan the Terrible, Boris Godunov; rulers came here to celebrate success, victory or await the decision of their fate. And often each such visit ended with the construction of a new church, new chambers, new fortifications, and a new gift to the monastery.
SOLOVETSKY MONASTERY
The Solovetsky Monastery entered the history of Russian culture with its stone buildings of the 16th century. – a one-of-a-kind complex of engineering and architectural structures, and a famous collection of manuscripts, and priceless icons, and a unique library; it was not only a cultural, but also a political center.In the 15th century, the Russian North was no longer perceived by its inhabitants as part of the Novgorod land. The once powerful medieval republic was declining, and the Novgorodians were forced to declare their loyalty to the Moscow princes, and therefore, to some extent, give up power over the once conquered and only partially developed territories.
The Solovetsky Monastery actually became the real center of power in the North. He extended his influence in the west to the border with Sweden, in the north - all the way to Pechenga. The monastery maintained international relations (with Athos, Constantinople, Serbia), maintained military garrisons in Karelia, and defended the White Sea from incursions by foreign ships.
After the Novgorod campaigns of Ivan III, the Solovetsky Monastery ended up in Moscow possessions. The monastery on the islands arose in the 30s of the 15th century. Saints Sabbatius, Zosima and Herman stood at its origins.
The history of the monastery is the history of the asceticism of people who voluntarily chose life in a very harsh conditions. The first inhabitants of Solovki dug vegetable gardens, chopped wood, and boiled salt from sea water, which they exchanged for bread.
Philip Kolychev played a special role in the history of Solovki and all of Rus'. Coming from a boyar family, this abbot of the Solovetsky Monastery not only skillfully directed its diverse activities, but also invested his personal funds in the development of the monastery economy. The complex of buildings erected under the leadership of the future Metropolitan of Moscow is not only a unique architectural monument, but also outstanding achievement Russian technical thought of the mid-16th century. In 1552, the construction of the stone Church of the Assumption began, in 1558 - the construction of the Transfiguration Cathedral. These two structures created the monumental center of the monastery; subsequently they were connected by galleries and other buildings.
Both under Philip and under other abbots, the Solovetsky Monastery was one of the most important centers of rational economic management in the North.
Many thousands of peasants passed through the monastery's economy - fishing and bakeries, washrooms and carpentry workshops, drying rooms and smokehouses, who, having made a pilgrimage to the monastery, stayed in it to work. Arkhangelsk and Vologda, Kostroma and Novgorod, Karelian and Perm people received the best working skills here, which later spread everywhere. And to this day, in chests and caskets stored in villages and towns of the Russian North, one can find grandfather’s and great-grandfather’s testimonies that such and such completed a full course of crafts at the Solovetsky monastery.
A brick factory was established on the islands, making bricks very High Quality. The construction equipment used in the construction of the monastery buildings was also very advanced. The improvement of the islands has always been considered the most important task of the Solovetsky abbots.
Hegumen Philip, at his own expense, connected the Holy Lake with 52 other lakes; On his instructions, the inhabitants of the monastery and workers dug canals, installed a water supply system and water mills. A whole network of convenient roads was laid, wooden and stone warehouses and cells were built. There was a barnyard and a forge on the islands, where not only the necessary tools were forged, but also artistic forging developed, where, for example, bars and locks were made.
The stone ship pier built by Philip is the oldest structure of this kind in Russia that has survived to this day. On brick factory Various technical innovations were used: brick and lime were lifted with special blocks (the gate was driven by horses). Various improvements were made in flour-grinding and drying, in winnowing grain and bottling the famous Solovetsky kvass. Kvass, for example, under Philip began to be supplied to the cellar through pipes and poured into barrels through pipes. One elder and five servants did this work, in which all the brethren and “many servants” had previously participated.
Stone dams protected fish cages. The monastery sewed elegant and durable clothes from animal skins.
Many pages of Russian military history are connected with the Solovetsky Monastery. The monastery-sovereign, as it was called, was in charge of the defense of the Russian North, ensured that the Karelian and other tribes “lived under the sovereign invariably,” and therefore the monastery was given exceptional benefits. The secular authorities, especially during the reign of Ivan the Terrible, not only supplied Solovki with gunpowder, arquebuses and cannonballs, but also donated money, church values, icons and books to the monastery.
The icon collection of the monastery began to take shape in the 15th century. The first icons, according to legend, were brought to the islands by Savvati. Over the course of the 15th-16th centuries, the monastery received many icons donated by princes, kings and metropolitans.
There is information that Philip invited masters from Novgorod, who painted many icons for the Transfiguration Cathedral, the Church of Zosima and Savvaty and other churches. Experts suggest that Moscow craftsmen were also invited. The masters worked on Solovki for a long time, teaching their skills to the monks; This is how the monastery gradually established its own school of icon painting. The future Patriarch Nikon began as a simple icon painter in this chamber.
The Solovetsky icon painting school mainly preserved the traditions of Novgorod and Moscow. In the spirit of these traditions, uniquely intertwined in Solovetsky art, many icons were created. For example, two faces painted by masters of the 16th century became widely known: “Our Lady of Tikhvin” and “Our Lady of the Stone of the Unhandled Mountain.”
In the North, the founders of the monastery, the Monks Zosima and Savvaty, were especially revered. Their faces were depicted on many icons.
Another significant cultural undertaking of the Solovetsky monks was associated with the collection of books. The holy monk (later hegumen) Dosifei collected a library, wrote the lives of Zosima and Savvaty, and attracted the most erudite writers of that time to the creation and editing of manuscripts. While in Novgorod, Dosifey ordered books to be rewritten and sent them to Solovki. Among the books in the library collected by Dositheus are works by the Church Fathers of different eras, from Basil the Great and John Chrysostom to John of Damascus. Russian literature was also well represented in the meeting, starting with “The Tale of Law and Grace.”
For the first time in Rus', Dosifei began to mark the books of the monastic collection with a special sign - a bookplate. He also contributed to the development of book miniatures. The creation of the library became the life's work of the abbot, who made a significant contribution to the development of national book culture.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
G.E. Mironov“History of the Russian State”, Moscow, Ed. "Book Chamber", 1998
N.S. Gordienko“The Baptism of Rus': facts against legends and myths”, Lenizdat, 1986
Brief history of Danilov stauropegial monastery Moscow.
Danilov Monastery - the first in Moscow - was founded by the Holy Righteous Prince of Moscow Daniil, the youngest son of the Holy Righteous Grand Duke Alexander Nevsky, glorified in the history of the Church and State, and his wife, the Righteous Princess Vassa.
Saint Daniel was born in 1261 in Vladimir-on-Klyazma, the capital of the Grand Duchy of Vladimir. When he was two years old, he lost his father. In 1272, young Daniel, by lot, inherited the Moscow principality, meager compared to others, where his older brothers ruled. At a time when Rus' was under the heavy Mongol-Tatar yoke and was weakened by princely civil strife, the meek disposition, peace-loving and kind-hearted Prince Daniel, as the Degree Book tells about him, with the wisdom given to him by God, pacified hostility without bloodshed and created peace. During the 30 years of his reign, Saint Daniel took part in hostilities only once. Having defeated the Tatar detachment near Pereslavl of Ryazan, brought by the Razan prince Constantine to seize the Moscow lands, Prince Daniel did not seize the Razan principality as usual. And Prince Constantine, having been taken prisoner, was kept in Moscow with honor, as a guest, until a truce was concluded. Piety, justice and mercy earned the saint universal respect. In 1296, Prince Daniel was given the power and title of Grand Duke of All Rus', and soon after that his rule extended to the vast Pereslavl-Zalessky land. Prince Daniel ruled for 30 years and during this time managed to raise the importance of Moscow to the most influential principality of Rus', laid the foundation for the unification of the Russian lands around the future capital and became the first Moscow Grand Duke of All Rus'. Prince Daniel tirelessly cared for the people of his principality and the capital city of Moscow. On the right bank of the Moscow River, five miles from the Kremlin, no later than 1282, he founded the first monastery in Moscow with a wooden church in the name of St. Daniel the Stylite - now the Moscow Danilov Monastery. On March 17 (4th century), 1303, at the age of 42, the holy noble prince Daniel reposed in the Lord, having shortly before taken monastic vows into the schema, and, according to his will, was buried in the Danilov Monastery.
The Danilov Monastery has experienced a lot throughout its 700-year history. In 1330, the brethren of the Danilov Monastery were transferred to the Kremlin, where a new monastery, Spassky, was built at the Church of the Savior on Bor. In 1490, under John III, the Spassky Monastery was moved to Krutitsky Hill above the Moscow River and became known as Novospassky. Thus, the Danilov Monastery laid the foundation for a new, one of the most significant monasteries in Moscow. The Danilov Monastery itself was desolate for almost two and a half centuries. In its place there was a small church, which became a parish church, and a cemetery. But the holy noble prince Daniel did not leave his monastery. Miracles began to occur at his grave and healings of the sick began to take place. Under Tsar Ivan the Terrible, the Danilov Monastery began to be revived, monastic life was resumed there, and the first stone church was built in the name of the Holy Fathers of the Seven Ecumenical Councils. In the 17th century, the Russian Orthodox Church canonized Prince Daniel and his incorruptible relics were found. Since then, two days of memory of the holy noble prince Daniel of Moscow have been established: March 17 and September 12 (according to the old style: March 4 and August 30).
The Danilov Monastery has always been an important link in the defense of the southern borders of Moscow. He played a major role in 1591 in repelling the attack of the Crimean Khan Kazy-Girey. In 1606, near the Danilov Monastery there were battles between the troops of Tsar Vasily Shuisky and the rebels led by Bolotnikov, who were defeated. In 1610, the impostor False Dmitry II, who fled from Moscow, set fire to the monastery, but was soon rebuilt and surrounded brick wall with seven towers. IN Patriotic War In 1812, the French desecrated and robbed the temples of the monastery, stole a silver frame from the tomb of Saint Prince Daniel. They tried to destroy the monastery many times, and each time, through the intercession of its holy founder, it was reborn anew.
Many outstanding figures of Russian culture were buried at the Danilov Monastery cemetery: the great Russian writer N.V. Gogol, poet N.M. Yazykov, artist V.G. Perov, musician N.G. Rubinstein and many others.
After the revolution, churches gradually began to be taken away from the monastery, and in 1930 the Danilov Monastery was finally closed - the last in Moscow. The majority of the brethren of the monastery were shot in 1937. The relics of Saint Prince Daniel disappeared without a trace. After the closure of the monastery, the temples were devastated and reconstructed, the graves of the most famous people were moved to other cemeteries, and the Danilovsky necropolis was destroyed. A children's colony and warehouses were set up on the territory of the monastery.
Through the intercession of Holy Prince Daniel, the monastery, which was the first to be founded in Moscow, was the first to be returned to the Russian Orthodox Church in 1983. For the celebration of the 1000th anniversary of the Baptism of Rus' in 1988, the monastic monastery, destroyed almost to the ground, was restored and restored. On the territory of the monastery is the residence of His Holiness the Patriarch of Moscow and All Rus'.
The monastery has been restored to its historical appearance XVII-XIX centuries. The oldest of the monastery's churches is the Church of the Holy Fathers of the Seven Ecumenical Councils, a complex structure that includes several churches. After restoration, the iconostasis of the Kostroma school of the 17th century was installed in the temple. On the ground floor there is the Church of the Intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary. Trinity Cathedral is the largest cathedral of the monastery. Built in 1838 according to the design of the architect O. Bove in the style of late Russian classicism. The main altar was consecrated by the holy Metropolitan of Moscow Philaret (Drozdov). After restoration, the interior of the cathedral was recreated in a form close to the original. This cathedral contains miraculous icons: Mother of God “Three-Handed” and St. John Cassian the Roman. Sunday and holiday services are held in the Trinity Cathedral.
Also in the monastery, churches were recreated or rebuilt: the gatehouse of St. Simeon the Stylite (1732), in honor of the Nativity of John the Baptist, St. Seraphim of Sarov; funeral and superstructure chapels.
On September 4, 1997, on the eve of the celebration of the 850th anniversary of Moscow, a monument to the Holy Blessed Prince Daniil of Moscow was opened and consecrated on Tula Square.
On March 17, 1998, a chapel in honor of the Holy Blessed Prince Daniel of Moscow was consecrated on Tula Square. It was recreated according to a new architectural design near the site of the original chapel, which was demolished after the revolution and had a 300-year history.
In 2003-2008 Through the efforts of the brethren of the monastery, with the financial support of the Link of Times Foundation, with the active assistance of the administration and students of Harvard University in the USA, a set of 18 historical bells was returned to the Danilov Monastery, which in the 1930s, on the initiative of a member of the American charitable mission in Moscow, a research fellow at Harvard University To save Thomas Whittemore from being melted down, it was bought by the American industrialist Charles Crane and donated to Harvard University.
The main shrine of the monastery is particles of the relics of the holy noble prince Daniel of Moscow, located in arks in the cathedrals of the Trinity and the Holy Fathers of the Seven Ecumenical Councils. The first particle of the relics of Saint Prince Daniel after the revival was transferred to the monastery in 1986 by Archbishop of Washington, Metropolitan of All America Theodosius.
Danilov Monastery is stauropegial, that is, its abbot is His Holiness the Patriarch of Moscow and All Rus'. The daily life of the monastery is managed by its abbot with the rank of archimandrite. According to its charter, the Danilov Monastery is cenobitic - common prayer, work and meals for the monks. Divine services are held daily. The brethren of the monastery participate in charity and mercy works in medical and children's institutions, in places of detention, and teach in secular and religious higher educational institutions. The monastery operates a Sunday school, catechetical courses for adults, the Danilovsky Blagovestnik publishing house, an excursion service, and various workshops. The monastery has metochions: in the Ryazan region, in the Moscow region and the Church of St. Nicholas in Izmailovo.
; 2) a community of monks (nuns) of a monastic monastery.
As a community, the monastery has its own internal structure. The main officials of the monastery include the treasurer, confessor, dean, sacristan, and housekeeper. Officials of the monastery are also the regent, the ecclesiarch (senior sexton), the candle maker, the shopkeeper, the sexton, the bell ringer, the clerk, the librarian, the steward, the prosphora keeper, the refectory keeper, the hotel keeper, the sick person.
Following the 43rd rule of the VI Ecumenical Council, no previous moral way of life prevents a Christian from leaving the world and entering monasticism for the sake of correction and soul. Anyone who enters the monastery becomes a novice and undergoes a test. If after the test he turns out to be worthy, he is tonsured into the monastic rank. The highest rank of monastic life is great.
Monasteries are divided into male and female. Particularly large monasteries are usually called laurels. The first monasteries appeared in the 4th century. in Egypt and Palestine. Kiev-Pechersk Monastery is the first monastery in Rus' (XI century).
From the Charter of the Holy Trinity Tyumen Monastery:
“An Orthodox monastery is a Christian community that strictly lives according to the commandments of God, seeking spiritual perfection in the deeds of Christian life.
The basis of the monastic spirit are the words of the Lord Himself: “If you want to be perfect, go, sell your property and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven, and come and follow Me” () which form the basis of the vow of non-covetousness.
He who makes a vow of obedience and renunciation of his will and his wisdom must base it on the word of the Lord: “If anyone wants to come after Me, deny himself, take up your cross and follow Me” (). One who takes a vow of chastity must heed the word of Christ: “Whoever can accommodate, let him accommodate” () and the word of the Apostle: “An unmarried man cares about the Lord’s things, how to please the Lord” (I Cor. 7, 32).
One must encourage oneself to faithfully and unremittingly fulfill these vows with the word of Christ: “No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for the Kingdom of God” (). About the beneficialness of obedience, about the need for spiritual guidance, about the dangerous desire to live according to one’s own will, one should admonish oneself with the words of the wise Solomon: “With a lack of care, a people falls, but with many advisers they prosper” ().
Monastic life must be well-ordered on the unshakable foundation of the Word of God, with the assistance of the instructions and examples of the Holy Fathers. The saint in one of his conversations gives a detailed description of monastic life: “A monk,” he says, “must, first of all, acquire a non-covetous life, bodily solitude, a decent appearance, have a moderate voice and modest speech, food and drink that does not cause rebellion, eat in silence; to remain silent before elders, to listen to the wise, to have love for equals, to give loving advice to inferiors; avoid worthless, carnal and vain people, think more and speak less, do not be impudent in words, do not allow excesses in conversation, avoid laughter, adorn yourself with modesty, lower your gaze and lift up your soul to grief, do not respond to contradiction with contradiction, be submissive ; work with your own hands, always remember death, rejoice with hope, endure sorrow, pray unceasingly, give thanks for everything, be humble in front of everyone, hate arrogance; be sober and guard your heart from evil thoughts..., take care of the suffering, cry with them..., admonish the disorderly, console the faint-hearted, serve the sick..., take care... of brotherly love.”
A monk must more fully and completely strive to embody in his life one of the most important commandments of Christ - the commandment: “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind; ...and love your neighbor as yourself” (). The monk creates love for God through unceasing prayers, talking with Him, confessing to Him his weaknesses, sins and glorifying His goodness and mercy in everything. A monk develops love for his neighbors in patience with their shortcomings, in constant prayer for them, in various types of help and mercy towards them.
True workers of God, who keep the name of God in honor, carry It in their hearts as the greatest shrine, feed on it, enjoy it, and in this Name they have a guarantee of future bliss. The name of Jesus Christ contains everything: our Orthodox faith, and all church services, every rite, its rite and order, and all prayerful follow-up - and every Christian, when praying, is obliged to unfailingly offer his prayer to the One Son of God, Who is the One Intercessor before God for men (), and only to Him and through Him is our prayer effective. He Himself commanded, saying: “Whatever you ask from the Father in My Name, I will do it” ().
The Lord Jesus Christ contains the entire universe, and all creation, visible and invisible, and every breath, and especially brings joy to those who bear this most precious Name within their hearts. If we removed the name of Jesus Christ from ourselves, then everything would disappear: the Orthodox faith, and Divine services, all the Sacraments and rituals, all spiritual service and the Gospel itself. This is what we need to understand about a person: if Jesus Christ does not live in him by His power, then there is nothing spiritual there - here only spiritual and physical life moves, according to the elements of this age, because the root and boundless fullness of spiritual life is Jesus Christ, Whom and one must love more than one’s soul, and with all one’s might, throughout one’s entire life, strive to install His most dear name in one’s heart and so that it will be a root, active principle there and occupy a dominant position, so that, according to the word of the Apostle, “It was not we who lived, but Christ who lived in us” (). From the sincere union of the heart with the Lord, when the Lord Jesus Christ makes His abode in us, tangibly and effectively dwells in the heart, and His Divine presence is heard clearly and tangibly, which is called, according to the Holy Fathers, living communion with God. And then Christ God, being our Redeemer and Savior, descends into man with His Divine powers, like life and piety () and, as it were, creates a permanent abode for Himself in him (), so that man becomes the temple of the Spirit of God (), the church of God Alive (). The Spirit is one with the Lord (). There is a God of Love. Being in Love abides in God, and God abides in him (); and the hedgehog lives - God lives (
Monasteries- these are communal settlements of believers who live together, withdrawing from the world, while observing a certain charter. The oldest are Buddhist monasteries, which arose in India in the middle of the 1st millennium BC. e. In the Middle Ages, Christian monasteries in Europe were built as fortresses or castles. Since ancient times, Russian Orthodox monasteries have been characterized by a freer, picturesque layout.
Monasteries began to appear in Rus' at the end of the 10th - beginning of the 11th century. One of the first - Kiev-Pechersk- was founded by Saint Theodosius in 1051 on the banks of the Dnieper in artificial caves. In 1598 it received the status of a monastery. The Monk Theodosius laid down a strict monastic rule according to the Byzantine model. Until the 16th century, monks were buried here.
Trinity Cathedral- the first stone building of the monastery, erected in 1422-1423 on the site of a wooden church. The temple was built at the expense of Dmitry Donskoy’s son, Prince Yuri of Zvenigorod, “in praise” of Sergius of Radonezh. His remains were transferred here. So the cathedral became one of the first memorial monuments of Moscow Rus'.
Sergius tried to spread the veneration of the Holy Trinity as a symbol of the unity of all Rus'. Icon painters Andrei Rublev and Daniil Cherny were invited to create the iconostasis of the Trinity Cathedral.
At the end of the 12th century, instead of the ancient chambers, a refectory was erected - an elegant building, surrounded by a gallery, decorated with columns, ornaments and carved platbands.
Trinity Monastery(XIV century) founded by the brothers Bartholomew and Stephen on the northern approaches to Moscow. When he was tonsured, Bartholomew received the name Sergius, who began to be called Radonezh.
“Reverend Sergius, with his life, the very possibility of such a life, made the grieving people feel that not everything good in them had yet extinguished and froze... The Russian people of the 14th century recognized this action as a miracle,” wrote historian Vasily Klyuchevsky. During his life, Sergius founded several more monasteries, and his disciples founded up to 40 monasteries in the lands of Rus'.
Kirillo-Belozersky Monastery was founded in 1397. Legend has it that during a prayer, Archimandrite Kirill of the Simonov Monastery was commanded by the voice of the Mother of God to go to the shore of White Lake and found a monastery there. The monastery developed actively and soon became one of the largest. From the first half of the 16th century, great princes came here on pilgrimage. Ivan the Terrible took monastic vows in this monastery.
Rizpolozhensky Monastery was founded in 1207. This monastery is the only one that has brought to us the names of its builders - “stone builders” - Suzdal residents Ivan Mamin, Ivan Gryaznov and Andrei Shmakov. The Rizpolozhensky Monastery played a major role in preserving the topography of ancient Suzdal: the oldest Suzdal road passed through the monastery gates, coming from the Kremlin through the settlement along the left bank of the Kamenka River. The double-tented Holy Gate of the monastery, built in 1688, has been preserved.
Church of the Assumption of Gethsemane Skete- one of the most interesting buildings of Valaam. It is made in the “Russian style”, which has undergone changes under the influence of the architecture of the Russian North. It stands out for its complex decor.
March 14, 1613 representatives Zemsky Sobor They announced to Mikhail Fedorovich, who was in the Ipatiev Monastery, his election to the kingdom. This was the first tsar of the Romanov dynasty. Associated with his name is the feat of the peasant Ivan Susanin, who led Polish soldiers into the forest who were looking for the way to the monastery in order to take the young king prisoner. At the cost of his life, Susanin saved the young monarch. In 1858, at the request of Emperor Alexander II, the monastery cells of the 16th-17th centuries were rebuilt. The Emperor ordered to create here family nest reigning dynasty. The reconstruction was carried out in a style stylized in the 16th century.
Ipatiev Monastery in Kostroma was founded around 1330 by Khan Murza Chet, who converted to Christianity, the ancestor of the Godunov family. The Godunovs had a family tomb there. The most ancient part of the monastery is Old city- has existed since the day of its foundation.
Spaso-Preobrazhensky Monastery on Valaam was a major center of religious life. It is believed that it was founded no later than the beginning of the 14th century. The monastery was repeatedly attacked by the Swedes. After the end of the Northern War, according to the Treaty of Nystadt in 1721, Western Karelia was returned to Russia. The buildings of the monastery belong to different eras and styles.
Monastery in Optina Hermitage founded in the 16th century. In 1821, a monastery arose at the monastery. This event predetermined him future fate and fame. In the second quarter of the 19th century, such a phenomenon as “elderhood” arose here. Among the elders there were many educated people involved in religious and philosophical problems. The elders were visited by N.V. Gogol, F.M. Dostoevsky, L.N. Tolstoy, A.A. Akhmatova.
Archipelago of Lake Ladoga Valaam- an amazing corner of Karelia. Everything here is unusual: boulders, mighty trees, rocks... Each of the ensembles has its own appearance, interesting architectural structures and agricultural buildings, dozens of chapels, crosses. In clear weather, the outlines of the archipelago are visible from afar.
The architects of Valaam knew how to reveal the character of nature, and modest buildings turned into memorable landscapes. The painting of the cathedral is close to the naturalistic art of Western countries.
Emergence and initial construction Resurrection Monastery near Istra is associated with Nikon, a reformer of the Orthodox Church of the 17th century. Voskresenskoye was purchased by Nikon in 1656. In addition to the serfs of the patriarch himself, craftsmen from all over the country were involved in the construction. White stone was delivered from the village of Myachkova along the Moscow River and its tributary Istra. Nikon set out to create a semblance of the Jerusalem Temple (hence the second name - New Jerusalem).
One of the most famous monasteries - Joseph-Volokolamsky- founded at the beginning of the 15th century in the city of Volok Lamsky, known since 1135. The city was founded by Novgorodians on the site of an ancient portage (dragging overland) of ships from the Lama River to Voloshna.
Spaso-Borodinsky Monastery- one of the best monuments to the War of 1812. Architect M. Bykovsky organically integrated the fence, bell tower and tomb of General Tuchkov into the monastery.
Literature
- Russian Great Children's Encyclopedia, Modern Writer, Minsk, 2008