Diveevo Monastery official website? Moscow region, holy springs

Solovki

The Solovetsky archipelago in the cold White Sea has always seemed to people a transcendental, mystical land.
The ancient inhabitants of Pomerania built labyrinths on Solovki (their purpose is still unclear), constructed mounds, and performed pagan rituals. The first Orthodox monks reached the remote islands in the 15th century - that’s when the Solovetsky Monastery was founded, which soon became one of the main spiritual and cultural centers of the Russian North. In addition to monastic service, there was also civil service: from the end of the 16th century, troops were kept at the monastery to repel attacks from its northern neighbors. Solovki is also known as a place of exile. During the Soviet years, the monastery became part of the sad history of the camp, then experienced a rebirth - and the old spirit returned to the ancient walls. To feel their true atmosphere, you need to spend at least a week on Solovki. Don't forget to take repellent and warm, waterproof clothing - the nature there is harsh. How to get there: by plane from Arkhangelsk (in winter), by boat from Kemi and Belomorsk (from June to August). Nearest airports: Petrozavodsk, Arkhangelsk. Website of the Solovetsky Monastery and Tourist Information Center

Holy monasteries of Russia

The monasteries of Russia have always been an unshakable stronghold of the Orthodox faith on our land. There are a lot of holy places in Russia, where hundreds of thousands of pilgrims come every year to pray and ask for divine help. And each of the monasteries has its own, most often very complicated, history. Many monastic monasteries are located in hard-to-reach places; they are said to be protected by nature and providence itself. Today we will introduce you to ten Russian monasteries, to which the Orthodox people of our country go on pilgrimage tours all year round, in an attempt to find the meaning of life and beg for absolution for their sins.

1. St. George's Monastery in Veliky Novgorod

. The St. George's Monastery was built in 1030 by order of Prince Yaroslav the Wise at the source of the Volkhov River from Lake Ilmen. The original structure, the Cathedral Church of St. George, was wooden, and then, in 1119, by order of Prince Mstislav the Great, the stone St. George Cathedral was laid. In the seventies of the eighteenth century, the secularization of the monastery estates began and this monastery, having lost most of its possessions, fell into disrepair. Its restoration began with the coming to power of the monastery in 1822 by Archimandrite Photius Spassky, who was not only favored by the Russian Emperor Alexander the First, but also helped by the richest philanthropist, Countess Anna Orlova-Chesmenskaya. At this time, constant restoration and construction work was underway in the monastery, as a result of which there appeared: the Western building and the Church of All Saints, the beautiful Spassky Cathedral, the Eastern Oryol building and monastic cells, the Northern building and the Temple of the Exaltation of the Cross, the Southern building and the hospital Church of the Burning Bush. Later, already in 1841, a bell tower was built here. But this Russian monastery did not flourish for long, since in 1921, the state decided to expropriate the property and its valuables. And if in 1924 six churches were still operating in Yuryev, then in 1928 there was only the only functioning Church of the Exaltation of the Cross. In the period from 1932 to 1941, a nursing home named after Yakov Sverdlov was located here. During the Great Patriotic War, German, Spanish military units, military units of the Baltic collaborators stood on the territory of the former monastery, and it was then that the buildings of the monastery were significantly destroyed. At the end of the war and almost until the beginning of the nineties of the twentieth century, there were public institutions here: a post office, a technical school, a technical school, a museum, a store, an art salon. But on December 25, 1991, the monastery complex of buildings was transferred to the jurisdiction of the Novgorod diocese, and by 1995 a monastic community had gathered here. In 2005, a theological school was opened in the monastery. Today, numerous pilgrims go to this monastery, they rush to venerate the shrines stored here: the relics of St. Theoktistus of Novgorod, as well as the relics of the Blessed Princess Theodosia of Vladimir, to pray before the icon of the Mother of God “Burning Bush”, located in the fraternal building, and the icon of the Great Martyr George the Victorious. You can get to this holy monastery of Russia by bus from the city of Veliky Novgorod, because it is located only five kilometers from it. Many pilgrims travel from Moscow to Veliky Novgorod by car; the distance of five hundred kilometers takes them six to seven hours.

. The history of the appearance of this monastery begins in 1397, when, after a miraculous vision and command of the Most Holy Theotokos, Archimandrite of the Simonov Monastery - Kirill, a cave was dug on the shore of Lake Siverskoye, surrounded by impenetrable forests. And his companion, the monk Ferapont, also dug a dugout, but a little further away. These two dugouts laid the foundation for the foundation of the famous Kirillo-Belozersky monastery here, the territory of which had grown noticeably by the fifteenth century, and the trade of local monks in fish and salt made the monastery a large, at that time, economic center. Over time, several monastic monasteries appeared on the territory of the monastery: Ivanovo, Goritskaya, Nilo-Sorskaya, Ferapontov Monastery. The monastery became so famous in Rus' that in 1528, Tsar Vasily the Third, with his wife Elena Glinskaya, came to pray for an heir. And two years later they had a long-awaited son - the future Tsar Ivan the Fourth the Terrible. As a token of gratitude to God, Tsar Vasily built on the territory of the monastery the Church of the Beheading of John the Baptist and the Church of the Archangel Gabriel, however, they have not retained their original appearance to this day, as they were often modified and completed. This monastery became an important cultural, historical and economic center of the country, without losing its defensive functions: in 1670, the monastery acquired powerful stone walls as a result of the Polish-Lithuanian intervention.

Under Empress Catherine II, part of the monastery lands were taken out of church ownership, and the city of Kirillov was formed in the monastery settlement. Under Soviet rule, in 1924, a museum-reserve was opened here, and only by 1997 the monastery was finally returned to the jurisdiction of the Russian Orthodox Church, but the Kirillo-Belozersky Museum-Reserve still continues to function. This museum includes priceless architectural ensembles of the Kirillo-Belozersky and Ferapontov monasteries, the Church of Elijah the Prophet in the village of Tsypino. Particularly valuable are the Assumption Cathedral, built in 1497, the Church of the Presentation, whose Refectory Chamber was built in 1519, as well as the Holy Gates and the Church of St. John Climacus, built in the sixteenth century, the Church of the Transfiguration and the Church of the Archangel Gabriel, also dating back to the sixteenth century, and the Cathedral of the Nativity of the Virgin. Ferapontov Monastery, built in 1490. In addition, on the territory of this museum there is the Church of the Deposition of the Robe, built in 1485, which is the oldest wooden structure in Russia. There are ancient icons in the museum-reserve that are in excellent condition, they can be seen by visitors who get acquainted with the main exhibition of the museum. There are unique collections of works of ancient Russian painting, examples of sewing, as well as archaeological monuments and objects of folk art, in addition, a collection of the rarest handwritten books.

3. Murom Spaso-Preobrazhensky Monastery in the city of Murom

. This ancient monastic monastery was founded in Rus' by the Holy Blessed Prince Passion-Bearer Gleb Vladimirovich, who received the city of Murom as his reign, but since at that time the city was occupied by pagans, he founded his princely court just upstream of the Oka, on the high river bank, entirely overgrown with forests. Here Prince Gleb of Murom built the very first Orthodox church, calling it in the name of the All-Merciful Savior, as well as a monastic monastery. Many pious righteous people visited this holy place in Russia, including the holy noble princes Peter and Fevronia - famous Murom miracle workers and patrons of family and marriage, as well as Saint Basil the First of Ryazan and Murom, who arrived here to support the Murom flock after the destruction of the monastery in 1238 by the troops of Khan Batu. In the mid-sixteenth century, by order of Tsar Ivan the Terrible, several churches and the main cathedral of the Spaso-Preobrazhensky Monastery were built in Murom. In 1887, a copy of the “Quick to Hear” icon of the Mother of God was brought to this Russian monastery from St. Athos. During the revolution of 1917 it was closed, only the parish church remained active, and even then only until the twenties, when the temple became a museum. And in 1929, the monastery was handed over to the military and NKVD units. The revival of this famous ancient monastery in Russia began in 1990, and its reconstruction was completed in 2009 and the icon of the Mother of God “Quick to Hear” returned to its rightful place.

. This holy monastery of Russia was founded in 1337 by St. Sergius of Radonezh. For many centuries, this large monastery in our country was the largest center of spiritual enlightenment, social life and Russian culture. Over the years, the Lavra has accumulated a huge and unique library of handwritten and early printed books. When, at the beginning of the seventeenth century, this monastery with its three thousand inhabitants was besieged by a thirty-thousand-strong Polish-Lithuanian army, and the defenders of the holy place showed a courageous example of the fight for their faith and freedom. That time was marked by numerous miraculous phenomena, including the founder of the monastery, St. Sergius of Radonezh, and other saints of God, and this was a confirmation of heavenly protection for the monks of the Lavra, which could not but strengthen their spirit. In the period from the eighteenth to the nineteenth centuries, small monasteries grew up in the vicinity of the Sergius Lavra: the Bethany Monastery, the Bogolyubsky, Chernigov-Gethsemane monasteries, the Paraclete monastery - many wonderful elders labored there, whom the whole world eventually recognized. In 1814, the Moscow Theological Academy was located in the Trinity-Sergius Lavra, the building of which was damaged in the fires of 1812 in Moscow. Many famous people found their rest in the Lavra: writer I.S. Aksakov, philosopher, writer and diplomat K.N. Leontyev, religious philosopher V.V. Rozanov, as well as other figures of Russian culture. In 1920, the Trinity-Sergius Lavra was closed, placing the Historical and Art Museum there, and some of the buildings were transferred to private housing. This Russian monastery began to be revived in 1946. And today, numerous pilgrims come to this monastery to venerate the relics of one of the most revered saints in Russia - St. Sergius of Radonezh, as well as to pray to the miraculous icons located in the Lavra - Our Lady of Tikhvin and Chernigov.

. This large Russian monastery begins its history with the foundation of its famous caves, which were discovered eighty years before the founding of the monastery itself, which was in 1392. Previously, on the slope of the Holy Mountain, where the monastery now stands, there was an impenetrable forest and a local peasant, who was cutting down trees there, saw under the roots of one of them the entrance to a cave, above it there was an inscription: “Caves created by God.” According to legends, monks who fled from the Kiev Pechersk Lavra hid in them during the next raid of the Crimean Tatars. The monastery was founded by a married couple: priest John Shestnik and Mother Maria. They settled in these deserted places to get away from the world. Before her death, Maria took monastic vows and took the name Vassa; when she died, her husband, having buried the body, buried the coffin at the entrance to these caves. But when he came to the grave the next day, he saw that the coffin was on the surface. He buried the coffin again, but the miracle happened again, and he realized that this was the will of God, then the priest hollowed out a niche in the wall of the cave and placed the coffin in it. From that time on, the inhabitants of the monastery began to be buried in this way. Miracles near the tomb of nun Vassa still happen today.

At the beginning of the twentieth century, an incident occurred here that shocked believers: vandals wanted to open this coffin, but a fire broke out from it, scorching the monsters; by the way, traces of that wonderful fire are visible on the coffin even now. Father John himself also took monastic vows and the name Jonah. By 1473, he completed the construction of the first monastery church; at this time, it is the main cathedral of the monastery and is named in honor of the Dormition of the Mother of God. The temple was consecrated on the fifteenth of August 1473, this is the official date of the founding of the Pskov-Pechersky Monastery. The relics of its founders are still located near the entrance to the ancient caves. And queues of pilgrims eager for help line up to them. You can venerate the relics every day from ten in the morning to six in the evening. And in the caves, over the years of the monastery’s existence, almost ten thousand people were buried, so this is a whole underground city, with its own galleries and streets. This monastery became one of the few Russian monasteries that did not stop working during Soviet times, but during the Great Patriotic War its buildings were significantly damaged by fascist artillery attacks. After the war, its reconstruction began, and today the Pskov-Pechersky Monastery is a popular place of pilgrimage for Orthodox Christians from all over the world.

6. Mother of God of the Nativity Bobrenev Monastery in the town of Kolomna near Moscow

. This Russian monastery was built in the fourteenth century, with the blessing of St. Sergius of Radonezh, by the hero of the Battle of Kulikovo and the closest associate of Prince Dmitry Donskoy - Dmitry Mikhailovich Bobrok-Volynets. Prince Dmitry Donskoy, after his victory over Mamai in September 1380, made a vow that he would build a holy monastery in the name of the Nativity of the Virgin Mary, which was done a year later, in 1381. This monastic monastery had to endure the brutal reign of Ivan the Terrible, the tense period of the reign of Boris Godunov, the Great Time of Troubles, the reforms of Catherine the Great, and after the revolution of 1917, the monastery was completely closed, setting up warehouses and garages for agricultural machinery on its territory. And only in 1991, the Bobrenev Monastery began to be restored so that it could carry out its primary functions. The main shrine of the monastery is the miraculous Theodore Icon; this ancient image is decorated with a silver chasuble decorated with precious stones and pearls. This icon of the Mother of God is the patroness of brides, the protector of family happiness, the birth of children in childless couples, and a helper during difficult childbirths.

. This monastery was founded at the end of the fifteenth century by the Monk Vladimir, fifty kilometers from the city of Serpukhov on White Sands, on the left bank of the Oka River. Over time, Abbot Vladimir began to be revered as a local saint. In official sources, the monastery, then still a man's monastery, was mentioned for the first time in 1498, when it was granted forests and lands by Moscow Prince Ivan the Third the Great. The country's authorities were strongly interested in strengthening this Russian frontier, so already in the second half of the sixteenth century, almost all of its buildings were made of stone. During the Time of Troubles, the holy Russian monastery was devastated, but again flourished and rebuilt, and by the nineteenth century it became completely independent. But a difficult test awaited her brethren: in 1918, the monks were taken outside the monastery fence and shot. A dormitory for workers and prisoners was set up here, and during the war they housed General Belov’s guards corps; when the war ended, they made warehouses. The restoration of the monastery began only in the late eighties of the twentieth century, and by 1993 monastic life began here again. Thousands of suffering, sick, and needy pilgrims flock to the Tikhvin Church of the Holy Trinity Belopesotsky Monastery to pray to the miraculous icon of the Mother of God - “Quench my sorrows.” Prayers really help her. And the icon began to be venerated as miraculous in the seventeenth century, when one dying patient had a dream and was told that if she prayed to the icon brought from the Church of St. Nicholas for healing, she would be cured. And she sincerely prayed for her faith and was miraculously healed. Since then, there have been a lot of miracles that happened after prayer in front of the icon.

. This monastery was built on the left bank of the Nara River, with the blessing of St. Sergius of Radonezh, in 1374, by the Serpukhov prince Vladimir Andreevich the Brave, who was an associate and cousin of the Grand Duke Dimitri Ioannovich Donskoy. Athanasius, the favorite student of Sergius of Radonezh, was appointed the first abbot of the Serpukhov monastery. The monastery had an important strategic position, because the city of Serpukhov was one of the defensive borders of the Moscow principality from the south and the situation here was not very calm: strangers and robbers often attacked. By the beginning of the twentieth century, the monastery had become one of the most comfortable in Russia, and in Soviet times a regiment of Latvian riflemen was stationed here, then a prison, when the Great Patriotic War ended, it was given over to private housing and for warehouses. The revival of the monastery in this holy place of Russia began in 1991.

The main value of the Vysotsky Monastery is the miraculous icon of the Most Holy Theotokos “The Inexhaustible Chalice,” which heals those suffering from drunkenness and drug addiction. This icon began to show miracles after one heavily drinking peasant had a dream in which a gray-haired old man commanded him to offer prayers to the “Inexhaustible Chalice” icon in the Vysotsky Monastery, but the poor man said that he had no money for the journey and his legs hurt to get to this temple. The elder constantly appeared to him in a dream, insisting on a pilgrimage to the icon of the Mother of God. One day, a pious woman took pity on a drunkard; she rubbed healing ointment on his feet so that he could hit the road. Having reached the monastery, the pilgrim began asking the monks about this miraculous icon, and they said that there was no such thing in their monastery. Then the peasant tried to describe it, and then the novices realized that it was not even about an icon, but about a picturesque image inscribed in one of the passages of the monastery, to which practically no attention was paid. The peasant prayed to the Mother of God for healing from drunkenness, and she granted him complete recovery. The icon was called miraculous, and since that time, the people's path to it has not been overgrown by those suffering from drug addiction and drunkenness, as well as by their suffering relatives and loved ones.

9. Holy Trinity Seraphim-Diveevo Monastery in the village of Diveevo, Nizhny Novgorod region

. The Seraphim-Diveevo Convent has a special place among the holy Russian monasteries. It was founded in 1780 by the nun Alexandra, known to the world as Agafia Semyonovna Melgunova, who sold all her property. She dreamed of the Virgin Mary, who indicated the place where it was necessary to build two large churches: one in honor of the “Life-Giving Spring” icon of the Mother of God, and the other in honor of the Dormition of the Blessed Virgin Mary. After the death of Schema-nun Alexandra, in 1789, the Sarov elders introduced a new confessor to the sisters - hierodeacon of the Sarov Monastery, Father Seraphim. He instructed his spiritual children to go and pray at the grave of the founder of the monastery, who was buried near the walls of the Kazan Church; miracles and miraculous healings often occurred there, which continue to this day. In 1825, Seraphim of Sarov had a miraculous vision of the Mother of God, who commanded the founding of another monastery in the village of Diveevo, for girls. Here, with the blessing of the Mother of God, a source of healing water began to flow, which was later called the “Source of Father Seraphim.” The Seraphim-Diveevo Monastery experienced its spiritual heyday with the arrival of Mother Superior Maria, under whom the number of sisters of the monastery increased, the beautiful Trinity Cathedral, the majestic churches of Alexander Nevsky and Equal-to-the-Apostles Mary Magdalene were erected. A church in honor of the icon “Joy of All Who Sorrow” was also opened at the Almshouse. In 1905, they began to build a new large cathedral here, but the revolution of 1917 and the change of government prevented it. In 1927, this holy monastery was closed, the domes of several churches were knocked down, the stone fence was destroyed, and the cemetery was destroyed. And only in 1991 the Diveyevo Monastery started working again. Today, one hundred and forty sisters labor here and work: the Cathedral of the Holy Trinity, the Church of the Nativity of Christ, the Church of the Nativity of the Virgin Mary. Other destroyed temples are still being restored and the territory of the monastery is being restored. The Trinity Cathedral of this monastery is especially revered by pilgrims, because the relics of St. Seraphim of Sarov are located there, and clothes and things that once belonged to him are kept: a cassock, bast shoes, chains and a bowler hat. The monastery has several springs, famous for their healing powers. Everyone who thirsts for his gracious help and healing comes to the shrine with the relics of Seraphim of Sarov.

. This monastery was founded in 1659 on the outskirts of the city of Temnikov, on the banks of the Moksha River, among centuries-old pine forests and water meadows. The monastery received its name because of the small lake Sanaksar located nearby. But a hundred years after its foundation, the monastery felt a lack of funds, so it was assigned to the prosperous Sarov desert. And the monastery began to actively develop and build, especially when Elder Theodore Ushakov became its rector in 1764. Today, the ensemble of the Sanaksar Monastery is the largest and well-preserved urban monument in Russia, from the second half of the eighteenth to the early nineteenth centuries, in the Baroque style. The main especially revered shrines of this monastery are the relics of saints: St. Theodore, the righteous warrior Theodore, St. Alexander the Confessor, as well as two miraculous icons of the Mother of God. You can stay in a hotel at the monastery. Pilgrims who have visited Sanaksary bring home oil taken from the miraculous Kazan Icon of the Mother of God, which heals various diseases; in the monastery you will learn about cases of miraculous recovery, even from cancer. All those who are healed must return back to the monastery to bring their grateful gift to the icon of the Mother of God: a ring, a chain, or simply something valuable. You will be able to see that this icon is completely hung with gifts. There is also another miraculous icon of the Mother of God of Feodorovskaya, which also works many miracles.

Today we talked about the interesting and famous holy monasteries of our Russia, which are incredibly popular among pilgrims seeking spiritual and physical healing, purification and guidance on the path of true faith.

Kizhi

The Transfiguration Church in Kizhi - entirely wooden, crowned with 22 domes - looks like a magical palace from a fairy tale. The impression is enhanced if you are not lazy and get up early in the morning, when the fog spreads across Lake Onega. According to legend, when the church was being built, one of the craftsmen, having finished the work, threw the ax into the river and said: “There has never been such a thing and there will never be another!” Nearby is the second church - Pokrovskaya, now operating after a long break, and between them is a tented bell tower, the youngest building of the ensemble. Contrary to popular belief, nails were still used during the construction of Kizhi: first, wooden and later forged nails were used to secure ploughshares—wooden plates on the domes.

How to get there: from Petrozavodsk from May to September you can sail on a “meteor” or “comet”. In winter, hovercraft and helicopters fly to Kizhi. A special pleasure is to go on a cruise from St. Petersburg with a stop at Valaam and Kizhi. Nearest airports: Petrozavodsk, St. Petersburg. Website of the Kizhi Museum-Reserve

Optina Pustyn

Optina Pustyn is idyllically picturesque: the edge of a pine forest, the playful Zhizdra River, and on the other bank there are fields from Levitan’s paintings. According to legend, it was founded by Opta, the repentant leader of a gang of robbers. As a monk, he took the name Macarius, which is why the hermitage was first called Makarieva. The monastery is famous for its tradition of eldership, which was started in 1829 by Elder Leonid. The Optina elders had enormous influence on the minds of people of various classes. Gogol was here three times. After visiting the Optina Hermitage, Dostoevsky’s “The Brothers Karamazov” was born. Leo Tolstoy had a special relationship with the monastery (as, indeed, with the church in general). During the Soviet years, the tradition was interrupted, but in 1988 the monastery reopened to parishioners and pilgrims, who line up in long lines to venerate the relics of the famous Optina elder Ambrose.

Photo: Maxim Osipov, CC BY-NC-ND 2.0

How to get there: by bus, car or train to Kozelsk, from where it is a few kilometers to the monastery (there is a minibus). Nearest airports: Kursk, Moscow. Website and Optina Pustyn

Orthodox Russia: 9 interesting places worth visiting this summer

Talab Islands, photo by Vladimir Gurbolikov
In every corner of Russia there are historical places through which popular pilgrimage routes are not laid, but where the most ancient shrines, unique architectural monuments and beautiful nature are located. Thomas publishes only 9 of these little-known and sometimes hard-to-reach places that are worth visiting during your summer vacation.

Trinity-Lykovo, Moscow

Trinity-Lykovo is a place with a unique landscape for Moscow. Surrounded by multi-storey blocks of the metropolis, rural houses have been preserved near the banks of the Moscow River (and this is within the Moscow Ring Road!), and above, among the trees, there is an ancient temple. From here you can see an amazing view: a river bend and beyond it - the forest of Serebryany Bor Island, a popular vacation spot for Muscovites.

Photo by Andrey Barkhatov

The beauty of nature and centuries-old history come together in Trinity-Lykovo. The main decoration of the village since the times of Peter the Great has been the temple in the name of the Life-Giving Trinity. It was erected in 1690–1695 by the maternal relatives of Peter I, the Naryshkins, and is an outstanding work in the Moscow, or “Naryshkin”, Baroque style, one of the few that has survived to this day. Visitors called the church a “white swan” or a “bride”, dressed in a lace outfit with a golden kokoshnik and admiring her reflection in the waters of the river.

In 1812, and then during Soviet times, the Trinity-Lykovo estate, Trinity and Assumption churches experienced difficult times. Temples were repeatedly robbed, destroyed, and closed. Nowadays, the churches have been restored, but services in the Trinity Church are held only once a year - on Trinity Day.

Travel Features:

You can get there from the station. metro station "Shchukinskaya" by bus number 640 to the stop. "St. Tvardovsky", then walk 7 minutes. or by bus number 137 to the stop. "Odintsovskaya street"; from Art. metro station "Strogino" by bus No. 652 to the stop. "St. Tvardovsky", then walk 7 minutes; by car - turn to Troitse-Lykovo at the 63rd kilometer of the Moscow Ring Road.

Village Dunilovo, Ivanovo region

Patriarch Alexy II, who visited Dunilovo in 1993, called the village “the pearl of Russia.” In the village, which at the beginning of the 19th century was not inferior in population to the city of Kineshma and in which today there are no more than 600 people left, there are a dozen ancient churches and 33 crosses shine.

This is a picturesque place on the banks of the Teza River, approximately 40 km from the city of Ivanovo. Dunilovo was once a large trading point, where roads from Suzdal, Shuya, Nizhny Novgorod, Yaroslavl, Kostroma connected, and large fairs were held. There are two women’s monasteries in the village - the Annunciation and the Holy Assumption, and the most ancient of the surviving churches in Dunilov is the Annunciation Cathedral, built in 1675.

Travel Features:

From the cities of Shuya and Ivanovo you can get to Dunilov by bus. By car you can get to Dunilov along the Gorkovskoye Highway through Vladimir, Ivanovo, Shuya.

Palekh, Ivanovo region

On a hill among forests and fields is the world famous center of folk crafts - Palekh. Palekh icon painters became famous even in pre-Petrine times. But after the revolution of 1917, the need arose for the masters to preserve the tradition of icon painting and at the same time find new forms of realizing their creative potential. Then, using the previous icon-painting style and technology, the masters began to make miniatures that are well known to everyone today depicting scenes of labor, plowmen, peasants, women with sickles, etc.

As before, many icon-painting and art workshops and organizations are open in Palekh. And you can see a collection of thousands of Palekh works at the State Museum of Palekh Art. It houses 1.5 thousand icons of the 14th–20th centuries, works of Western European painting of the 16th–18th centuries, more than three thousand works of lacquer miniatures, sculpture, graphics, early printed books, embroidered items, household items and ethnography. The museum also includes four memorial museums dedicated to outstanding artists and icon painters of Palekh: the House-Museum of Pavel Korin, the Museum-Workshop of Nikolai Dydykin, the House-Museum of Ivan Golikov and the Museum-Estate of Nikolai Zinoviev.

Photo by Vladimir Eshtokin

In the traditions of the Palekh school, the wall paintings of the Palekh temples - the Exaltation of the Cross and Elias churches of the late 18th century - were also made. Also not far from the village, in the village of Krasnoye, there is the Church of the Holy Sign - the only church in the vicinity of Palekh that was not closed during the Soviet years.

Travel Features:

You can get to Palekh by bus from the Ivanovo bus station through Shuya, or by car along the Gorkovskoye Highway through Vladimir, Ivanovo, Shuya.

There are guest houses and cafes in Palekh, so you can stay in the village for several days. In addition, in relative proximity to Palekh there are two more important icon painting centers - Kholui and Mstera, which are also interesting to visit.

Village Sit-Pokrovskoye, Yaroslavl region

On the picturesque bank of the Sit River stands the Church of the Intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary from the early 18th century - the main attraction of the village of Sit-Pokrovskoye. This is a classic example of architecture in the Yaroslavl region. Currently, services are regularly held in the church and restoration work is underway.

And 20 km from Sit-Pokrovsky, at the beginning of summer, year after year, celebrations are held dedicated to the Battle of the City - one of the central events of the Mongol invasion of Rus'. The battle ended in the defeat of the Russian troops, but at the same time significantly weakened the enemy army and became one of the reasons for Batu’s refusal to go to Novgorod. The center of the celebrations becomes a high hill near the village of Lopatino, 20 km from Sit-Pokrovsky: here, in memory of the fallen soldiers, a 12-meter white stone stele was installed and here, according to historians, the key event of the battle took place.

Travel Features:

The village can be reached in different ways. For example, from Rybinsk you can take a train to Shestikhino station, then by bus to the village of Breytovo, then by another bus to the village. Sit-Pokrovskoe. By car you need to go through Uglich, village. New Nekouz, Shestikhino and Breytovo.

The village is located near the Rybinsk Reservoir, along the banks of which there are many recreation centers. 10 km from Sit-Pokrovsky is the village of Prozorovo. Those who wish can stay for several days in a guest house at the Church of the Archangel Michael.

Five of the oldest temples in Russia and the rock face of the Savior, Karachay-Cherkessia

The mountains of the North Caucasus conceal not only the beauty of nature, the purity of mountain rivers and the unique wealth of flora and fauna: in the early Middle Ages there were powerful state formations here, the people of which adopted Christianity long before the baptism of Kievan Rus.

On the territory of the Karachay-Cherkess Republic there are five Christian churches built in the first millennium after the Nativity of Christ. Three temples, known as the Northern, Middle and Southern, have been preserved in Nizhny Arkhyz: in the Middle Ages, the Nizhne-Arkhyz settlement was located in the gorge of the Bolshoi Zelenchuk River. In addition, there are ruins of 11 temple-chapels. Of the three Zelenchuk churches, only the Southern one holds regular services. Most likely, it was part of the estate of a wealthy Alan family and was a house church.

On the other side of the river there is the Face of the Savior written directly on the surface of the rock. At the foot of the Mitseshta ridge, a temple was built in honor of Christ the Savior, and regular services are held there. An hour and a half drive from the Nizhne-Arkhyz settlement, at a distance of about 18 km from each other, there are two more temples of the same period. On Mount Shoana stands the Shoana Temple (built presumably in the 2nd half of the 10th - early 11th centuries).

On a rocky ledge above the valley of the Teberda Gorge stands the Sentinsky Temple, built in 965. Fragments of the temple's wall paintings are the most extensive surviving fresco complex in Alanya.

Travel Features:

Nearest airport: Mineralnye Vody. From the airport you need to get a city minibus to the bus station, then by bus to the village of Zelenchukskaya. The nearest railway stations are: Nevinnomyssk, Mineralnye Vody, Kislovodsk, then you can also get to the village by bus.

Assistance to the pilgrims is provided by the dean of the parishes of the Southern Karachay-Cherkess Church District, Archpriest Evgeniy Subtelny. You can contact him by email: [email protected]

Temple-chapel of the holy martyr warrior Victor of Damascus, Bolshoi Ussuriysky Island

On the very border with China stands a 32-meter-high chapel, built in memory of the soldiers who died defending the Far Eastern borders of Russia and which has become a symbol of the inviolability of Russian borders in the Far East. Religious processions are regularly held here, and prayer services are held in the chapel. In 2005, when drawing a new border line, the chapel was almost “cut” in two. However, it was saved from demolition: the Chinese side gave up several tens of meters to Russia.

Photo from the site khabrayon.ru

In addition, Bolshoy Ussuriysky Island is a good place for recreation, camping and fishing. The island has many lakes, and in the summer people come here for weekends with tents, motor boats and water skis.

Travel Features:

Bolshoi Ussuriysky Island is located near Khabarovsk. You can get there through a road bridge or by boat. To get to the temple-chapel, you need to move deeper into the island.

Talab Islands, Pskov region

Most tourists, pilgrims and those who help revive the Talab Islands on Lake Pskov most often visit only the closest of the three islands, Talabsk (the Soviet name is Zalita Island). A famous elder, Archpriest Nikolai Guryanov, served on this island. Talabsk has always been the most populated island. True, today only one and a half hundred residents live here permanently, although over the centuries the population of the islands numbered at least four, or even six thousand people.

Few people today reach the distant Verkhniy Island (the Soviet name is Belov Island). Meanwhile, he has a very interesting story! In the 15th century, Verkhny was an island of lake pirates from the Talab tribe. It was here that Dosifei, a disciple of Saint Euphrosynus of Pskov, went. In the taiga zone of the island, he built a cell (now there is a memorial cross in its place) and began communicating with his dangerous pirate neighbors. The righteousness of Dositheus changed the inhabitants of the island: they repented and stopped piracy. Most of the Talabs became artisans, merchants and fishermen, the most powerful and powerful became warriors, and several people became monks and, together with Dosifei, founded a monastery in honor of the Apostles Peter and Paul.

Photo by Yuri Kurbatov

The Church of Peter and Paul, originally built by the Monk Dositheus and his disciples and then rebuilt several times, is the main asset of the island. Its oldest building is located underground: in the cave temple, former robbers, standing around the monk, took part in the service.

At all times, visitors to the Upper Island admired the view of Lake Pskov, which was also called the sea (from here the opposite shore is not visible), from the high shore of the island. And on the tops of spruce trees you can see the nests of gray herons.

Travel Features:

The rector of the Church of Peter and Paul, Priest Sergius Demidov, creates all the conditions so that pilgrims and travelers can spend several days on the Upper Island: a courtyard with guest houses and a refectory is reserved for visitors.

A bus runs from Pskov to the village of Bolshaya Tolba twice a day. From there you can get to the islands by water (by boat or speedboat), by prior agreement with Father Sergius by email

Village Sura, Arkhangelsk region

“Dear homeland, holy homeland, blessed Sura,” said the holy righteous John of Kronstadt about his small homeland. Father John did a lot for his village, where there were only two dilapidated wooden churches: he founded the stone St. Nicholas Cathedral and the St. John the Theological Sursky Monastery, and also established a village school and various industries. Even during the life of Father John, pilgrims began to flock to the village from all over the country.

Today, few people know about the saint’s homeland, but in June this year, anniversary celebrations will be held in Sura related to the 25th anniversary of the canonization of John of Kronstadt. About 250 clergy from St. John's parishes will gather in the village, as well as representatives of orphanages, gymnasiums, brotherhoods, rehabilitation centers and other Orthodox organizations bearing the name of St. right John of Kronstadt in Russia and 19 foreign countries.

Travel Features:

During the celebrations, pilgrims will be able to stay in a tent camp (you need to register in advance), and at other times there are guest houses for pilgrims at the Sursky Ioannovsky Convent. The total length of the route Arkhangelsk - Karpogory - Sura by road is 369 km. The road surface is mostly sand and gravel; there will be three crossings along the way.

From Arkhangelsk you need to drive to the village of Svetly (142 km). Ferry (or pontoon) crossing across the river. Pinega (railway station Palenga). Further from the village of Svetly to the village of Yasny (101 km, one-way traffic mode with traveling pockets). Further from Yasny village to the village. Sura (126 km). Ferry crossings across the river. Pinega (Yasny village, Shuiga village and Novolavela village).

Holy Trinity Nicholas Monastery, Kirovsky district, Primorsky Krai

This is the oldest monastery in the Far East. And not far from the monastery there is a little-known and ecologically clean lake on which the Komarov lotus grows - the pearl flower of the Far East, listed in the Red Book. The shores of the lake are not specially designed for tourists, so here you can observe lotuses in their natural environment.

The monastery houses an icon of the Holy Trinity, painted on a cut branch of a Mamre oak tree and donated to the monastery from Holy Mount Athos. During the Soviet years, the monastery was closed, and its territory became the property of the Shmakovsky military sanatorium: the temple of the Iveron Mother of God was turned into a club and medical building, the temple-chapel of the Transfiguration of the Lord, located at the top of the hill, became an observation deck, the abbot’s house became an administrative building, and the cell part is a gym.

In 1995, the monastery began to be revived, but most of the historical territory of the monastery was not returned (only the dilapidated church-chapel of the Transfiguration of the Lord was returned), and the monastery was located in the building of a former barnyard. Today there are 2 churches in the monastery, and the monastic brethren are about 20 people.

Travel Features:

The monastery is located near the village of Shmakovka on the road to the urban village of Gornye Klyuchi. In any sanatorium in Mountain Keys you can book an excursion tour to the lake. From Vladivostok you can get by train or train to Ruzhino or Shmakovka stations, then by bus or minibus to the Shmakovka resort in the Gornye Klyuchi village. You can also get to Gornye Klyuchi by bus from Vladivostok or Ussuriysk.

Diveevo

In the south of the Nizhny Novgorod region lies the fourth (after Iveria, Athos and Kiev-Pechersk Lavra) earthly inheritance of the Mother of God. Around 1760, the nun Alexandra from the Florovsky Monastery in Kyiv had two visions. In the first, the Mother of God sent her on a long journey, and when Alexandra reached the village of Diveevo, she heard the second instruction: to establish a monastery there. In 1789, the convent was taken under the patronage of Hierodeacon Seraphim, who would eventually become one of the most revered Russian saints. The miraculous relics of Seraphim of Sarov are kept to this day in the Diveyevo Monastery. Don't miss the opportunity to draw water from healing springs and walk along the ditch created under St. Seraphim. According to legend, he ordered the sisters to dig a ditch where the Mother of God stepped, and said that here he had “Athos, Kyiv, and Jerusalem.”

How to get there: by car - through Murom or Ryazan and Shatsk; by train - to the city of Arzamas, then by bus or taxi. Nearest airports: Nizhny Novgorod, Moscow. Website of the Seraphim-Diveevo Monastery

The miraculous holy land of Russia

My wife and I try every year to make pilgrimage tours to holy places in Russia and abroad.
Pilgrimage tours across Russia from Volgograd depart from the Holy Spiritual Monastery. In 2012, my wife, without me, went on an unforgettable pilgrimage tour to the Holy Trinity Seraphim-Diveevo Convent. I am writing this review based on her enthusiastic memories. This famous monastery is called the earthly inheritance of the Mother of God. It is located in the Nizhny Novgorod region in the village of Diveevo.

This ordinary village has become the most visited place of pilgrims from all over Russia.

The reason lies in its unusual history.

At the end of the 18th century, the Kazan stone church was built in the village, after which believing Orthodox women formed a community.

Abbess Alexandra Melgunova led the women's community and was the initiator of the construction of a temple in honor of the icon of the Kazan Mother of God.

Why was the site of the church chosen in this village?

Village residents keep the memory of this historical event. After the loss of her husband, Alexandra Melgunova went to holy places. One day, she came to the Sarov Monastery, where she saw the Mother of God in a dream, who showed her the place to build a church.

After the construction of the temple, Mother Alexandra, managing the monastery, noticed in the young monk Seraphim a successor to her work.

Seraphim of Sarov led a reclusive life in the Sarov wasteland, but after the death of the abbess he created a strict charter, unknown until that time, according to which the life of the community continued.

At the beginning of the 19th century, Diveevo turned from a community into a monastery with a rich architectural complex for those times, which included several buildings, including temples.

Near the monastery, Seraphim of Sarov, through difficult efforts with God's help, dug the Holy Canal of the Mother of God, refusing every time he was offered help in this good work.

There is a lot of evidence of miraculous healing in this place, so all those who come will certainly walk along the Holy Kanavka, reading, as the Monk Seraphim of Sarov bequeathed, at least one hundred and fifty times the prayer “Theotokos, Virgin, Rejoice.”

Currently, a path with a fence has been built next to the Holy Kanavka, and flower beds have been laid out on the sides and trees have been planted.

At the end of the Holy Kanavka there is the chapel of St. Seraphim of Sarov, next to which the nuns, according to an established tradition, distribute crackers from his illuminated cauldron.

Seraphim of Sarov took care of the orphans who lived in the village and was a true father for the sisters of the monastery.

The tragic closure of the monastery occurred in 1927, after which its sisters were sent outside the village.

After the death of Seraphim of Sarov, his relics were lost, but in 1991 they were miraculously transported again to the village of Diveevo. Now his relics are considered to be the main shrine of the monastery in the village of Diveevo. The relics of St. Seraphim are kept in the reliquary of the Holy Trinity Cathedral, along with a copy of the icon of the Mother of God “Tenderness,” which was always in the saint’s cell.

Here is a photo of the majestic Holy Trinity Cathedral, as we see, in excellent restored condition.

For the centenary of the glorification of St. Seraphim of Sarov in 2003, most of the monastery churches and buildings in Diveevo were restored.

Among them is the Transfiguration Cathedral with gilded domes.

The Church of the Nativity of Christ, the Church of the Nativity of the Virgin Mary, as well as other churches and buildings of the convent are in excellent condition.

The territory of the monastery is beautifully landscaped and landscaped, clean and well-groomed.

You can sit down and relax on numerous benches, looking at the surrounding beauty.

My wife visited the monastery on August 2, the birthday of St. Seraphim of Sarov, so a delegation of hierarchs of the Russian Orthodox Church headed by Metropolitan Juvenaly of Krutitsky and Kolomna arrived there. There were especially many visitors that day.

A platform was built next to the Transfiguration Cathedral from which Juvenaly held a solemn service. Here the ceremony of communion with our Lord Jesus Christ was performed, and then those who wished went to the refectory. Then the pilgrims from my wife’s group went in an organized manner to the holy springs.

The Holy Trinity Seraphim-Diveevo Monastery is included in the book “100 places that fulfill wishes.”

Pilgrims from different parts of Russia have been coming to this monastery for several centuries for spiritual healing, unity and miracles, as well as to cleanse themselves of evil and improve their health. For everything to come true, the visitor must spend at least a day in the monastery and be sure to touch its shrines. Before visiting the monastery you need to wear appropriate clothing. And while staying in the monastery, it is advisable to undertake feasible obedience.

My wife followed all the above advice, like many pilgrims who visited with her the unique convent of the village of Diveevo.

Holy springs in the village of Diveevo.

Another attractive force for numerous pilgrims are the holy springs of the monastery and nearby places in the village of Diveevo.

According to legend, holy springs impart strength and are able to heal not only physical, but also spiritual defects of a person.

This cold spring water retains a pleasant and fresh taste for a long time, so villagers regularly use it for home canning and quenching thirst.

The holy spring located behind the Pigeon ravine in Diveevo has the longest history.

The source is so abundant that it forms a real river. There are always many people who want to plunge into the holy spring. Some enter the water directly from the shore using special ladders.

And many plunge three times into the icy water in separate log houses built along the shore of the holy spring. The water in them does not exceed 8 degrees all year round, so not everyone dares to plunge headlong into it.

According to legend, the Mother of God appeared in the village three times. In connection with this phenomenon, the icon of the Kazan Mother of God was kept in the chapel of the spring, where prayer services were held for the glory of the holy water. In 1939, the Kazan Chapel was destroyed, but the icon was miraculously found by a local resident, and in 1943 it was even miraculously renewed.

Recently, this icon has been kept in the Trinity Cathedral.

In the 90s, a chapel and a bathhouse were again built over the holy Kazan spring, in which baptismal ceremonies in consecrated water are regularly held.

Not far from the Kazan spring there are two more springs, one of which is illuminated in honor of the Tenderness Icon of the Mother of God, and the second in memory of the Holy Great Martyr Panteleimon.

On the Vinchkinza River there is a spring of Mother Alexandra, overgrown with many legends.

At the beginning of the 20th century, the spring of Father Seraphim opened on the banks of the Satis River. There are also various legends about this holy spring.

Thus, one of them says that one day the soldiers saw an old man in white robes who struck the ground with a staff, after which three springs appeared. They wanted to fill up these springs with equipment, but it broke down upon arrival at the destination, and an old man appeared nearby who asked the workers not to fill up the spring. They agreed, and soon the boss who supervised these workers was fired.

Near the village of Diveevo, in the second half of the 18th century, another spring appeared, which was named Iversky in honor of the Iverskaya icon of the Mother of God, brought from the village.

In all the springs of this settlement, baths and wells were built, in which the water is blessed during Christian holidays.

But for all visitors to the Holy Trinity Seraphim-Diveevo Monastery, the main shrine is the relics of the Holy Venerable Seraphim of Sarov.

My wife brought an icon of St. Seraphim of Sarov and several magnets with views of the monastery.

Land from the Holy Canal in a wooden box.

But the main thing that my wife brought in her soul was purification and holy grace, which was passed on to all members of our family.

I recommend a trip to this holy monastery to all Orthodox believers.

Source: https://otzovik.com/review_3892294.html

Places: Seraphim-Diveevsky Monastery

If you liked the review and you also want to visit these shrines, then we invite you to familiarize yourself with the corresponding pilgrimage tours.

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Pskov-Pechersky Monastery

The Pskov-Pechersky Monastery has never been closed in all 5 centuries of its history - even during the times of Soviet anti-church persecution. These dungeons (and “pechera” means “cave” in Old Russian) were discovered by the peasant Ivan Dementyev back in the 14th century. Above the entrance he saw the inscription “God-created cave.” It is unknown who and when made this inscription, but they say that the monks of the Kiev-Pechersk monastery once escaped in these caves. And the true history of the Pskov-Pechersky Monastery began later - with Father John, who, together with his wife Maria (in monastic vows they took the names Jonah and Vassa), dug a cave in a sandy hill and built the Assumption Church there. Later, the miraculous property of these caves was discovered (the bodies of the dead do not smolder in them), and the dungeons began to be used as tombs. Today, in the Assumption Cathedral, long ago expanded and remodeled, the main relics of the monastery are kept - the miraculous icons of the Mother of God “Assumption” and “Tenderness” and the icon of St. Nicholas.

How to get there: by train or plane to Pskov, then by bus or taxi to Pechory. Nearest airports: Pskov, St. Petersburg. Website of the Pskov-Pechersky Monastery and the city of Pechora

See also: What are they rich in? 12 reasons not to envy your neighbors

The Holy Land and Russian pilgrimage

About half a million pilgrims from Russia visit the Holy Land every year. Chairman of the Imperial Orthodox Palestine Society Sergei Stepashin spoke about this in the author’s program of the General Director of the Tsargrad TV channel Elena Sharoikina “Red Corner”

Bethlehem and Jerusalem, the Jordan River and Jericho - all these names are very close to the ears of any Orthodox Christian. Moreover, for thousands of years now these places have been sacred not even to millions, but to billions of people around the world. Believers of the three traditional Abrahamic religions: Christianity, Islam and Judaism revere this land as Holy. And, despite the fact that shots are constantly heard here and blood is shed (after the fall of our forefathers Adam and Eve and the murder of Abel by his brother Cain, people never learned to live in peace), many thousands of pilgrims flock here every day.

For Russian Orthodox people, the Holy Land has been the place of aspiration of our souls and hearts for centuries. Many saints flocked to the places of the earthly life of our Lord and Savior, the Most Holy Theotokos and the disciples of Christ. It was here that in the 12th century from the Nativity of Christ one of the first Russian pilgrims, the venerable princess-nun Euphrosyne of Polotsk, went to the Lord. The honorable relics of one of the greatest saints of the 20th century, the Venerable Martyr Grand Duchess Elizabeth, rest here.

Many Orthodox people know very well the feat of this new martyr, the sister of the holy royal passion-bearer Alexandra Feodorovna. Widowed after the murder of her husband, Grand Duke Sergei Alexandrovich, committed in the Moscow Kremlin in February 1905 by the Socialist-Revolutionary terrorist Ivan Kalyaev, Grand Duchess Elizaveta Feodorovna decided to leave high society and devote herself to serving people and the Church. She founded the famous Martha and Mary Convent of Mercy, where she personally helped thousands of sick and needy people.

However, today another ministry of this holy woman is much less known - and yet before the revolutionary upheavals of 1917, it was Grand Duchess Elizabeth Feodorovna who led the work begun by her innocent murdered husband. Her Imperial Highness became the second head of the Imperial Orthodox Palestine Society (IPOS), the founder and first chairman of which was Grand Duke Sergei Alexandrovich in the 80s of the 19th century.

In 2022, the Imperial Orthodox Palestine Society, which did not interrupt its activities even during the Soviet times, turned 135 years old. In this regard, “Tsargrad” has prepared a whole series of materials dedicated to the glorious anniversary of this scientific, humanitarian and public organization, one of the main tasks of which is to promote Orthodox pilgrimage to the Holy Land. The key in this series was the author’s program of the General Director of the Tsargrad TV channel Elena Sharoikina “Red Corner”, the guest of which was Sergei Stepashin, a famous statesman and public figure, the current chairman of the IOPS, who has been heading this organization for 10 years.

In addition to many other issues relating to the activities of the Imperial Orthodox Palestine Society (IPOS) and other pressing problems of Russia and the Middle East, Sergei Vadimovich separately touched upon the topic of Russian pilgrimage to the Holy Land, whose scale is truly impressive. So, if at the end of the 19th - beginning of the 20th centuries, about 60-70 thousand people visited from the Russian Empire to the lands of Palestine, which at that time were under the rule of the Ottoman port (and after the First World War - under the British Mandate), which, as Stepashin emphasized , “for those times too many.” Today, this number has increased by almost an order of magnitude: to half a million people.

So, Sergei Vadimovich, a man whom it would seem difficult to surprise with anything, is sincerely amazed. No conflict processes occurring between Israel and the State of Palestine, a significant part of whose territories are under Israeli occupation, affect the sincere desire of the Russian people to worship the places of Christ’s earthly ministry:

“Do you know what amazed me most? Sometimes complex processes are taking place in Palestine and Israel; thank God, it didn’t come to an intifada, but they are still shooting... And what makes me most happy today is that more and more there are not just tourists (there is such a concept as “religious tourism”, but it is not very correct), they really become pilgrims who know where they are going, know why they are going..."

Of course, first of all, Russian Orthodox people are attracted by the Holy City of Jerusalem, the sacred center of which is the Holy Sepulcher, the site of the Crucifixion and Resurrection of Christ, as well as the site of the annual miracle of the descent of the Holy Fire. And, of course, Bethlehem is the place of the Nativity of Christ. As Stepashin specifically notes, before Russian people visited Jericho and other holy places much less, which, like Bethlehem, are located directly on the territory of the State of Palestine and under its control. “Today our pilgrim is already there, and thank God!” - emphasizes the head of the IOPS.

But what is the direct practical activity of the Imperial Orthodox Palestine Society to assist pilgrims? There are many of these destinations, which are supervised by the pilgrimage center that directly organizes pilgrimage trips. After all, it is very important not only to organize the trip itself, in which case it will differ little from tourism, but also to tell people about where they are going. And in order to carry out this Orthodox educational activity so that it reaches not only the mind, but also the souls and hearts of every pilgrim, the best Palestinian scholars in Russia have been brought in. Among them is such a legendary researcher as Nikolai Nikolaevich Lisovoy, the author of the fundamental two-volume book “Russia in the Holy Land” published by the IOPS, as well as the popular beautifully illustrated guidebook “The Holy Land”.

But, of course, the Imperial Orthodox Palestine Society also carries out serious scientific work, and therefore organizes trips to Palestine not only for pilgrims, but also for serious scientists, many of whom, by the way, are also deeply religious people. “We opened a cultural center in Jericho, we have a cultural park center, cultural centers in Bethlehem, a Russian school in Bethlehem and many other cultural projects,” Sergei Stepashin shares with the audience and readers of Tsargrad.

Photo: www.globallookpress.com

But speaking about modern projects of the IOPS, one cannot fail to mention those people, without whom there would be neither the Society itself nor, in general, the mass pilgrimage of Russian people to the Holy Land. First of all, this is Archimandrite Antonin (Kapustin), a famous church figure of the 19th century, a major Byzantine scholar, head of the Russian Spiritual Mission in the Holy Land in 1865-1894, whose 200th anniversary of his birth was celebrated in the past year.

“He organized and formed what we call “Russian Palestine.” Then it was the Ottoman Empire. Believe me, it is very difficult to work with the Turks even now. So, he managed to acquire more than 80 hectares of unique land in the center of Jerusalem. All the farmsteads, hospitals, archaeological developments that were carried out, the Alexander Metochion, the Threshold of the Gate of Judgment - this is all Father Antonin (Kapustin)! - Sergei Stepashin highlights the significance of this outstanding historical figure.

And, of course, it is important to understand that the efforts of the Russian Church were supported by the Russian State. Thus, Emperor Alexander III personally did a lot for the development of Russian Palestine. “Moreover, this was all done at the expense of the treasury, or rather, not the treasury, but the budget of the royal family itself,” emphasizes Stepashin. Including Grand Duke Sergei Alexandrovich and his wife, and then the widow, Grand Duchess Elizabeth Feodorovna. “They understood that Russia should be present there too. Literally to be present,” notes the current chairman of the IOPS.

Unfortunately, in 1964, literally a week before his resignation, the notorious Nikita Khrushchev, during the so-called Orange Deal, literally sold a significant part of Russian lands and real estate in Palestine to Israel for next to nothing. And now, not without difficulty, this heritage is gradually returning to Russia and the Russian Church. “This is, perhaps, the main task of the Imperial Orthodox Palestine Society today,” sums up Sergei Stepashin.

Indeed, in recent years, since Sergei Vadimovich headed the Imperial Orthodox Palestine Society in 2007, his activities have intensified in all areas - from scientific-humanitarian and church-social to truly geopolitical. And there is no doubt: in many ways, its future depends on whether the Russian State can revive its former positions in the Holy Land.

Trinity-Sergius Lavra

You need to visit the Trinity-Sergius Lavra at least once in your life. This is one of the largest Russian monasteries, a treasury of ancient Russian art and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. In 1337, the brothers Bartholomew (the future Sergius of Radonezh) and Stefan settled on Makovets Hill near the Konchura River and founded the Trinity Hermitage. Monks flocked in, and gradually the monastery became the spiritual center of first the Moscow lands, and then the entire Russian state: political issues were resolved here, princes were blessed for campaigns, and crowned kings were crowned. The modern Lavra is no longer that secluded monastery, but even among the crowd of parishioners you feel that this is a special place, a place of prayer. The atmosphere is felt most clearly in the white-stone Trinity Cathedral: in the oldest church of the Lavra, you can venerate the shrine with the relics of Sergius of Radonezh and admire the five-tiered iconostasis by Andrei Rublev.

Photo: Kwong Yee Cheng, CC BY-NC-SA 2.0

How to get there: by car, bus or train to Sergiev Posad. The Lavra is located in the very center of the city. The nearest major airports are in Moscow. Website of the Trinity-Sergius Lavra and spiritual and educational center

List of Holy Springs

Source of Seraphim of Sarov in Diveevo

Seraphim of Sarov is the founder of the Diveyevo Monastery, where the Sarov Spring is located. Healing water helps with various ailments and also improves health. In the monastery you can pray and venerate the icon of St. Seraphim of Sarov. It is also recommended to come to the morning Liturgy, which takes place every Sunday.
You can stay in a monastery or in a hotel. Women who want to get pregnant and have children, the suffering, those without their own home and the weak come to Saint Seraphim. The elder never refused help, especially to those who keep the word of God, constantly go to Church and live according to the commandments.

To write this article, information from the website molitva.guru was used.

Source of St. Sergius of Radonezh (Gremyachiy Klyuch waterfall)

The source is located in the village of Vzglyadnevo, and the Orthodox call this place “Malinniki”.

The Venerable Wonderworker Sergius of Radonezh is the intercessor of Rus', a defender from the misfortunes and treachery of enemies.

Many believers make a pilgrimage to him, asking for intercession and help, as well as protection from witchcraft.

It is important to know : he should pray when a relative is in prison, hospital or on the road. Also, Sergius of Radonezh heals those possessed by demons and gives them the strength to fight their passions.

The monk heals from illnesses, admonishes children and protects them from evil people, and helps during childbirth.

The editors of the site advise you to read : what the Inexhaustible Chalice icon helps with and how to pray for a miracle.

Spring ring in Ivanovo region

The healing spring is named after St. Alexander Nevsky, who was famous for his purity of thoughts and righteous life.
Nearby is a Temple containing Holy Relics. The source saved people from terrible misfortunes, cholera epidemics and plague. Alexander Nevsky protects and covers entire settlements of Orthodox Christians, helps them in difficult work, and intercedes before God for the sick.

You can come to the spring at any time and swim in the font. Many parishioners take clean bathing clothes (nightgowns, long T-shirts) to take with them.

Water from the source has healing properties, relieves stomach diseases, gastritis, and duodenal ulcers. But we must remember that everything is given according to the Orthodox faith.

Spring of St. David in the village of Telezh

The source is located 30 km from the village of Novy Byt in the Moscow region, in a monastery.

On the territory of the monastery there is a small chapel named after the Monk David, who helps people and prays to God for the sins of others.

He lived for many years in a monastery, leading an ascetic and secluded lifestyle. They pray to the Monk David for the children and ask for help in raising them. You can also pray to wives for their husbands, for the restoration of the family.

Visiting the source is allowed from 8 am to 9 pm. Those who want to get married or baptize a child come here.

Source of Healer Panteleimon in the village of Kalozhitsy

The healer Panteleimon heals demoniacs, possessed people, as well as those who practice magic, the occult, or resort to the help of sorcerers.

You can take a dip in the spring and take some water with you. The water flows freely and has a pleasant taste.

Arriving home, you should sprinkle the corners of the apartment with water from the source and place the Icon of Panteleimon on the iconostasis.

This is interesting : he is asked to intercede for those who have fallen into a sect or have lost their minds. Healer Panteleimon protects virgins, sick children, and infirm old people.

It is good to read akathists to the Healer before or after operations. Holy water is given to the patient to drink after prayer, on an empty stomach.

Source in honor of the Smolensk Icon of the Mother of God “Hodegetria” (Vologda region)

The source is located in the direction of the Vologda–Kirillov highway.

There is a chapel on site where you can light candles and venerate the icon. Next to the spring there is a plunge pool where you can take a deep dive.

Also, the Miraculous Stone, located near the source, is considered a shrine. The Smolensk Mother of God should pray for healing from illnesses and intercession. She is the patroness of all Orthodox families and orphans.

People pray to her and ask for children, and she also heals women’s diseases. The Mother of God “Hodegetria” is the patroness of the entire Vologda region.

Holy spring of St. Mitrophan of Voronezh

Saint Mitrophan of Voronezh spent a lot of time in solitary prayer.
Now at this place there is a source - a sacred place. Many believers received healing there from chronic and inflammatory diseases. Also, Saint Mitrofan treats infertile couples who do not have children.

Headaches, back pain and joint pain - everything goes away, you just need to plunge into holy water.

Saint Mitrofan cures pneumonia, colds and even relieves fever. It is necessary to give the sick person some water from the source and wipe his body with a cloth soaked in it.

Holy key (Lozhok) in the city of Iskitim

In the small village of Lozhok, Novosibirsk region, there is a Holy Spring. During the war there was a camp with prisoners there, and a spring opened at its location.

They say that the prisoners “discovered” it with their prayers. Now many believers from different cities and villages make pilgrimage trips here to gain strength.

Those who come with faith receive healing. The holy key helps people with skin diseases, gives strength, strengthens faith, and heals diseases associated with the stomach.

Miraculous spring in the village of Aleshnya

Located in the Bryansk region, the water heals purulent, open, incised wounds, postoperative sutures, and has an anti-inflammatory effect.
You can wash your face with holy water if you have problems with your facial skin, or, for example, make homemade ointments based on natural herbs.

The holy spring also has a strong bactericidal effect on trophic ulcers caused by diabetes.

Also, water lowers cholesterol levels in the blood and reduces blood pressure. Families with sick children often visit here.

Nilova Pustyn

The beautiful Seliger region, halfway between Moscow and St. Petersburg, is not only an exceptionally beautiful lake and an ideal place for outdoor recreation. On the island of Stolobny, 10 km from Ostashkov, there is the Nilo-Stolobenskaya hermitage. In 1528, the Monk Neil settled in these parts. He spent the first winter in a cave, then built a cell and a chapel.

After the saint’s repose, hermits and pilgrims began to flock to the tiny island; a monastery opened in 1594, and over time the hermitage turned into one of the most revered monasteries in Russia. In the 20th century, the desert was devastated, but after the collapse of the USSR it resumed its ministry. You can venerate the relics of St. Neil in the Epiphany Cathedral, from the bell tower of which a breathtaking view of the surrounding area opens.

How to get there: by car, train or minibus to Ostashkov, then 22 km to the monastery (bus runs several times a day). The nearest major airports are in Moscow. Website of the Nilo-Stolobenskaya desert

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History of Orthodox pilgrimage

Estimated reading time: 5 min.

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Russian Orthodox pilgrimage dates back to the first centuries of the spread of Christianity in Rus', that is, from the 9th–10th centuries. In 987, the holy Equal-to-the-Apostles Grand Duke Vladimir brought with him to Kyiv from Korsun the places of his baptism, holy icons and crosses, as well as the honorable relics of St. Clement, Pope of Rome. And the first Russian pilgrim, as is known from ancient sources, can be considered the holy Equal-to-the-Apostles Grand Duchess Olga, who in 957, together with a large retinue, visited the capital of the Byzantine Empire - Constantinople. There were numerous shrines of Orthodoxy, and there, in the Church of Hagia Sophia, the baptism of the Grand Duchess took place.

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The Christian tradition of pilgrimage by this time already had a centuries-old history. From the very beginning of the existence of the Church, the life of believers included visiting places associated with the life of Jesus Christ, his Most Pure Mother and the holy apostles and martyrs. These places, which were already objects of worship by the first Christians, also soon began to be called holy.

In 325, Emperor Constantine the Great issued a decree on the construction of Christian churches in holy places: in Bethlehem, at the birthplace of the Savior, and in Jerusalem, above the Cave of the Holy Sepulcher.

The first Christian emperor declared the territory of Palestine to be the Holy Land.

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As a result of this, by the 4th century, thousands of pilgrims began to flock to Jerusalem and Bethlehem to worship the main shrines of Christianity, marking the beginning of a mass pilgrimage movement to the Holy Land. Jerusalem revealed its shrines to the whole world and regained its ancient name - before Constantine, during the time of the pagan emperors it was called Aelia Capitolina. In the minds of Christians around the world, Jerusalem has become the Holy City, a place of worship of Christ, His Crucifixion and Resurrection.

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The pilgrims of the 4th century also revered holy places associated with the Old Testament, and visited the burial places of the righteous of antiquity, prophets, kings and biblical patriarchs.

The local population began to get lost in a sea of ​​pilgrims who spared neither effort nor money to perpetuate the memory of the earthly life of Jesus Christ. A great many churches and monasteries were built in Palestine, and for the needs of wandering pilgrims, the Church blessed the construction of inns, hotels, shelters, hospice houses, and guarded wells along the main pilgrimage routes.

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At the VII Ecumenical Council in 787, the Church Fathers formulated theological principles that substantiate the spiritual meaning of pilgrimage as the veneration and worship of relics and icons, as well as holy places in order to certify the authenticity, and not the illusory nature, of the Incarnation.

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The word pilgrim itself comes from the Latin word palmarius - palm tree, that is, a person holding a palm branch.

The emergence of the term is associated with the peculiarities of the Christian pilgrimage tradition. From the very first times of the emergence of the mass pilgrimage movement, the pilgrimage season in the Holy Land began with the celebration of the Nativity of Christ and ended with the Feast of Pentecost.

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The main holiday that attracted pilgrims to the Holy Land remains the holiday of Holy Easter to this day. An interesting fact is that in 1914 over 6 thousand Russian pilgrims came to Jerusalem for Easter. Those who sought to celebrate the Holy Resurrection of Christ in Jerusalem came in advance to spend the entire Holy Week in the Holy City. And since Holy Week is preceded by the feast of the Entry of the Lord into Jerusalem, and the main event of this day was the procession of the cross to the walls of Jerusalem, the pilgrims who took part in this procession carried palm branches. Almost two thousand years ago, the inhabitants of Jerusalem greeted Christ with the same branches. As a rule, in addition to various relics, pilgrims took these palm branches home with them as souvenirs.

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In addition to the word “pilgrimage,” there are other synonyms that define this phenomenon: pilgrimage, worship, pilgrimage. In Russia in the 19th and early 20th centuries, the word “admirer” was widely used. It very clearly shows the meaning of pilgrimage, which lies precisely in the religious worship of holy places.

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Ancient Russian chronicles and the lives of saints brought to us the story of the first Russian pilgrimage known to us to Greece, to Holy Mount Athos. The founder of the Kiev-Pechersk Lavra, Reverend Anthony of Pechersk, went there (late 10th - early 11th centuries). In general, for the Russian Orthodox Church, Athos, already from the 10th century, was of very great importance: in the libraries of Svyatogorsk monasteries in the Middle Ages

Russian monks received an education and became familiar with the centuries-old traditions of Christian monasticism.

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Researchers of the history of ancient Russian literature identify an independent genre of works, generally called “walking”, that is, works in the form of travel notes, reports or memoirs that described the travel of Russian people to the countries of the Orthodox East with the obligatory worship of Christian shrines. Old Russian “walks” were very popular and were extremely widespread.

The oldest and most famous description of a pilgrimage to the Holy Land is the “Walk” of Abbot Daniel, who visited Constantinople and the Holy Land in 1106–1107. This outstanding work served as a model for all subsequent (almost until the 18th century) works of this genre of pilgrimage literature.

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In Russia, the tradition of pilgrimage over the ten centuries of its existence has become an integral part of the spiritual life of the people.

Despite the Mongol and then Ottoman “Iron Curtain,” Russian people always found the opportunity to get to the Holy Land, Constantinople and Athos. Russian Orthodox pilgrimage to the Holy Land reached its peak in the second half of the 19th and early 20th centuries.

After the revolution, for obvious reasons, pilgrimage traditions were interrupted. In fact, until the end of the 80s, our compatriots were cut off from the main Christian shrines and did not have the opportunity to visit either Mount Athos or the Holy Land. The situation began to change only with the end of the Cold War.

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Today there is a revival of the pilgrimage traditions of the Russian Orthodox Church. In 1999, with the blessing of His Holiness Patriarch Alexy of Moscow and All Rus', the Department for External Church Relations created the Pilgrimage Center of the Moscow Patriarchate, whose task is to promote the revival of Orthodox pilgrimage and the creation of a church hotel chain.

In 2007, the number of church pilgrimage organizations in dioceses was 93, and in parishes and monasteries - 276.

The pilgrimage center publishes literature on pilgrimage topics, in particular the magazine “Orthodox Pilgrim”, which carries out extensive educational work to popularize pilgrimage. And in 2007, the first in the history of the Russian Church, “The Dictionary of the Orthodox Pilgrim,” was published.

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In recent years, the number of pilgrims who annually leave Russia on pilgrimage to far abroad countries has exceeded 250 thousand people, at least 100 thousand pilgrims have arrived in Russia from distant countries, and about 3 million of our compatriots go to worship Russian shrines every year.

Illustrations and photographs:

[1] V. M. Vasnetsov. "Princess Olga". 1885

[2] People greeted the Savior entering Jerusalem with flowering palm branches. In Russia, on the feast of the Entry of the Lord into Jerusalem, believers come to the temple with willow trees.

[3] Venerable Anthony of Pechersk. Fragment of the Svensk Icon of the Mother of God

[4] Pilgrims wait in line to venerate the main shrine of the Church of the Holy Sepulcher - the Holy Sepulcher. Photo by Vladimir Eshtokin