Pilgrims looking for holy places in Russia will be interested in Tashla in the Samara region. This village is famous for the Holy Trinity Church with several ancient icons and a spring with healing water. Even tourists from other countries come to this place. There were known cases when Catholic pilgrims changed their faith and were baptized in the Tashli church.
History of the village
The first written mentions of the village of Tashla, Samara region, date back to the eighteenth century. At first, the ruler there was Colonel Zubov, and it was called Tashlama. This word translated from the Chuvash language means “have fun, rejoice.”
In 1775, the Holy Trinity Church was erected in this place. And only in 1917 the famous icon “Deliverer from Troubles” appeared in it. While walking with her friends, village resident Ekaterina Chugunova found this image on the ground and brought it to the church. This event was marked with a prayer service.
At the site where the shrine was found, a spring with pure healing water soon formed . And those who came to pray to the icon, she could heal. One day the image disappeared from the temple, and later it was found again near the lake. The priest returned him along with the procession. And under the ringing of church bells it was again placed in the icon case, where it is kept today.
In the village, October 21 became the feast day of the Tashlin Icon of the Mother of God “Deliverer from Troubles . The revolutionary actions of the 20s led to the closure of the temple. The miraculous spring was filled with household waste, and outbuildings were erected next to the church. The holy image was saved by local residents, they transferred it to different huts, and kept it secretly from the guards.
During the war years, the temple was reopened and the icon was returned to it. Today, the shrine is revered by all residents of the village, surrounding areas, Samara and other cities.
Grace route
“Small Motherland” of the village of Tashla - Samara region. How to get to the holy place? This question often interests Orthodox pilgrims. Many travel agencies offer to visit a temple, venerate an icon, and plunge into a holy spring. One of the most famous in the region is the Radonezh pilgrimage service. The company regularly organizes trips not only to Tashla, but also to many other holy places in the region, Russia and abroad. You can independently organize a trip to the holy spring.
It’s easy to get from Samara to the wonderful village: you need to take the M5 highway to the village of Zelenovka, which is in the direction of Tolyatti, and then follow the signs. The path goes through the villages of Vasilyevka, Rassvet, Uzyukovo. Almost every resident of Tolyatti knows how to get to the village of Tashla. Samara region, people living here value and love their blessed shrine.
Miracles of the Source
Regardless of the weather, crowds always gather around the spring wanting to draw holy water. But most people gather on weekends and Christian holidays. Rural residents have always been in dire need of divine help and intercession. One of the women constantly had a dream in which two angels carried an icon of the Virgin Mary, and then left it in an abandoned wasteland.
Before this, a resident of Tashla ignored the visions, but on this autumn day she decided to listen to him. She told her neighbors about everything, and together they found the icon. It lay in the ground for many years, but was preserved in good condition.
The image was immediately taken to the temple, but on the first night it disappeared . The next day, the residents again went to the excavation site, where they discovered a large spring, although it had never been there. The water in it turned out to be healing. A person who is sick in soul or body could come here, wash his face, or simply talk out his problems. And he felt better. And if he read the akathist to the Mother of God at the same time, he would get rid of his ailments.
Young parents bring babies here for baptism and collect water for their elderly relatives. Although the waters here are not hot or thermal, parishioners are not afraid to plunge into them.
Within a few years, the fame of Tashla and its source spread far beyond the borders of the state. People from all over Russia and other countries began to come here. An abandoned part of the village has turned into a well-groomed area, always ready to receive new parishioners.
The spring began to flow in 1917. Not only did it help those who were sad at heart, the source saved people during drought and war - its waters have not been exhausted to this day. Every year thousands of pilgrims come to the Samara region to venerate the icon and bathe in the spring. Some people claim that they personally saw the image of the Blessed Virgin Mary above the source. She appeared in the sky at full height, holding her Son in her arms. Pilgrims believe that this is how She blesses them to bathe in the waters and receive healing.
Holy Trinity Church
The temple in Tashla is revered by both local residents and visiting believers. Its rector Nikolai Vinokurov opens the church at seven in the morning and begins the service. The temple is similar to a typical monastery in terms of operating hours, and the holy spring of Tashly in the Samara region can be visited at any time.
If more believers gather than the building can accommodate, the archpriest goes outside and continues to conduct the service there. Every day several dozen people come here for repentance or communion. Sinners come to the temple from far away who want to talk to the abbot and cleanse their souls. The needs of visitors may be different:
- healing the physical body from ailments;
- baptism of adults and children;
- relief from mental anxieties and thoughts of suicide;
- prayers for the health of family and friends;
- just a tourist trip to an interesting place;
- research purposes.
After the end of the service, people do not leave; they wait for the distribution of locally produced unleavened buns. They are prepared in holy water, so some tourists take them home to give communion to their relatives. And once the archpriest of the Russian church, Dmitry Leskin, visited here.
There is a souvenir shop on the territory of the temple. Here you can buy pectoral crosses, candles made of natural wax, icons and brochures, and incense boxes with the relics of saints. Products can be consecrated in the church and worn as an amulet and talisman. And at five o'clock in the evening the liturgy begins, it continues until 23:00. It is usually visited by local residents, as well as those who can stay in the village for the night.
Note to the pilgrim
When visiting holy places, it is important to follow some rules. Before going on a pilgrimage trip, you need to receive the blessing of the priest. Believers must dress appropriately: men in trousers, women in long skirts and with their hair covered. There must be a cross on the neck, and awe and reverence in the heart.
If you plan to swim in a holy spring, then you need to prepare appropriate clothes or a change of outfit, a large towel. It is better to have a small container with a lid with you to take home holy water from the source.
Icons of Tashla
The Tashli Monastery houses several valuable ancient icons. The main image is considered to be the image of the Mother of God, from whom many pilgrims were healed. Local residents bring sick children to the temple more often than send them to the hospital for examination. Those in need of healing are anointed with oil on their heads, which flows down the wood.
There are three famous shrines in the church:
- icon “Deliverer from troubles”;
- "Feodorovskaya";
- "Recovery of the dead."
An important attraction is the “Deliverer of Troubles”; it is for her that thousands of tourists come to the temple. Near the image there is a special urn where parishioners put notes with petitions. The clerk takes these pieces of paper in the evenings and hands them over to the priests. And they pray, asking God for help to all those in need.
According to legend, the Feodorovskaya icon was painted by the elder evangelist Luke. Copies are made from it and sent to many Orthodox churches. This image is popular among believers. And people come to the “Recovery of the Dead” icon when it is necessary to mourn deceased relatives. She helps those who need to atone for the sins of the dead.
On major religious holidays, many guests come to Tashla. During Easter, the temple is filled with parishioners from different regions of Russia. And on October 21, all local residents gather there, because this is the day the icon was found. The service is held at the spring, and not in the church. Villagers collect blessed water in jars and bottles and store it at home for a whole year. She protects their home from evil forces and diseases.
On the feast of baptism in Tashla, people take a dip in the spring. On this day it is forbidden to swear or insult the holy place and others. Washing and communion helps people cleanse their souls and thoughts, get rid of negativity and accumulated grievances.
What is the operating mode of the holy spring Tashla in the Samara region
It is very convenient for visitors to have parking in front of the entrance. And at the entrance sits a woman with a special box for alms from pilgrims. Regarding the opening hours, this place can be visited any day of the week. The doors to the source open from morning until night.
An important day is October 21, because on this day the appearance of the holy icon of the Mother of God took place, which can be seen in the local church. As a rule, when the weather is good outside, local clergy go in procession from the temple itself to the source. And upon arrival at the place, the priest conducts a service, and then in the same religious procession everyone goes back to the walls of the temple.
For parishioners there are several simple rules for visiting this place:
- before bathing in a healing spring, you need to receive a blessing;
- It is advisable for people to confess and, of course, receive communion;
- collect healing water in specially designated places;
- Be sure to take a container for holy water with you.
It is extremely important to behave in a dignified manner on the premises - do not shout or behave inappropriately. By the way, there is an Orthodox refectory on the territory of the monastery, and those who wish can have a tasty snack there. There are also holiday houses and gazebos on the territory where you can relax and eat.
An interesting fact regarding behavior on the territory. Locals say that once many pilgrims originally from Samara came to the source, and there were so many people that it was impossible to approach the water. After a while, people began to swear and shout among themselves, and as soon as the scandal became very loud, literally in an instant the water simply disappeared. Only after some time, when everything became quiet, the miraculous water returned again. That is why in such a sacred place one should behave appropriately and thoughts should only be pure.
Read about the holy spring of Seraphim of Sarov. And also about the national holiday “Pochinki”.
Directions
It is better to get to Tashla by your own car. This applies to distant cities - the Stavropol Territory, Ryazan, the capital. It will take about two hours to cover the distance from Samara. A new highway was recently built towards Togliatti, so there are no problems with movement. Rural roads pass through Zelenovka and Vasilyevka, they are on the map. But it is more difficult to drive along them.
There are regular buses, they go from Tolyatti . But a lot of time is spent on transfers and waiting. Pilgrim tours are organized from some cities. In this case, you will have to stand in line to get to the source, but such trips are much cheaper than individual ones. The temple is open on weekdays from 9 am to 7 pm, there are practically no visitors.
On weekends there are much more parishioners, so the reception lasts from 8 to 20 hours.
