Life-Giving Cross (Godenovo): miracles, reviews, address and schedule

Many Christian relics have amazing miraculous powers. The grace of God overshadows them. Icons, relics of saints, scraps from their clothes, religious objects more than once restored lost health, peace of mind, helped to overcome difficult periods in life, to find themselves for those who came to churches and monasteries for moral support, in search of a way out of dead-end situations and many other cases.

Great Shrine

In the very center of Russia, in the Yaroslavl region, near Pereslavl-Zalessky, there is one of these relics - the Life-Giving Cross. Godenovo is a small village in which the St. Nicholas convent has long existed. In his courtyard there is a temple built in honor of John Chrysostom. It was this church that became the place where in the 30s of the last century the great Life-Giving Cross found its refuge. Godenovo has seen a lot in his time. Since 1794, the domes of its five-domed temple have sparkled in the sky, and the sonorous bells have filled the entire area with crimson bells. From the day it opened, the church did not close, as if invisible forces preserved it in the era of godlessness and difficult days of revolution, wars, repressions, famine, persecution for faith and belief. Signs of antiquity are visible everywhere in the temple. Its walls were painted at the beginning of the 19th century. The skillfully made iconostasis dates back to the same time. The left side chapel of the church is consecrated with the Bogolyubskaya Icon of the Mother of God. On the right on the wall, in a special icon case, fireproof, the Life-Giving Cross is placed. Godenovo has always been very popular among pilgrims. Thanks to the relics kept here, the village is visited annually by thousands of believers and sufferers.

Shrines and relics of the temple

The wealth of the Temple of the Exaltation is not limited to the external merits and beauty of the interior design; the main value is the prayed-up shrines and relics of saints and saints.

Among them:

Image of the Kazan Mother of God;
Image of the Mother of God “All-Tsarina”;
Image of Patriarch Tikhon with a piece of the coffin;
Image of Macarius of Zheltovodsk with part of his relics;
Image of Sergius of Radonezh with part of his relics;
An image of Paisius the Holy Mountain from the monastery of St. John the Theologian along with a piece of soil from his burial;
Image of Matrona of Moscow with a piece of the coffin;
Image of Bishop Favius of Rome with part of his relics.

There are shrines of images and a reliquary with particles of the relics of Metropolitan Jonah of Moscow, St. Theophan, Macarius of Zheltovodsk and 32 other Kiev-Pechersk saints and reverends.

Mysterious phenomenon

The story of how people found the shrine is mysterious and wonderful, like everything that the hand of God touches. The inhabitants of the monastery keep a detailed chronicle of all the events in which the Life-Giving Cross appears. Godenovo is the second homeland of this great symbol of faith. And it all started back in the 15th century, in 1423. These places have been swampy since ancient times. The largest swamp was called Sakhotsky. Both people and animals tried to avoid it. However, at the end of May 23, it was here that a wonderful vision appeared to the shepherds. A cross with the Savior crucified on it appeared in the air from a column of light. And next to him is Nikolai the Pleasant with the Gospel. And a voice from heaven commanded to immediately build the House of God here, in which the Life-Giving Cross would be located (we repeat, it came to Godenovo later).

Architect, exterior decoration, architectural ensemble

The Church of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross in Altufyevo, built in 1763, has not survived to the present day in its original form. What remains from that time, architecturally, is late Baroque. The quadrangle with rounded corners and risalits is presented three-dimensionally; one risalit is allocated for the altar, the rest for the entrances.

This showed originality not observed in other temples. The outer walls are decorated with projections, recesses and window frames with peculiarly curved, false windows. By the end of the 80s, the number of parishioners began to grow, and a refectory was added to the main building, but this measure did not change the situation; the church could not accommodate all the believers.

In the “dashing” 90s, a large-scale reconstruction of the temple was carried out, according to the design of the architect Nikolai Vladimirovich Nadezhdin. Initially, the church had a round volume with a diameter of 12 m and an upper tier in the form of an octagon and a bell tower.

After reconstruction, the temple lost its old bell tower, and in its place a polyhedron with glazed windows was installed, after which the building lost its historical value. The area became twice as large, but there was no proportionality. Previously, the temple was considered a bell tower, but now it has ceased to be so, the former belfry was destroyed.

The crossbars from which the bells were suspended were removed. The openings were glazed, the ceiling of the former belfry was painted, and a new three-tier bell tower was erected nearby.

New limits appeared, the altar was refurbished, it became larger and more spacious. All extensions were made to match the main old building. Parts of the decor were painted red. This technique, as a decorative element, was created on purpose - deliberate distortion.

Two additional chapels built on the territory of the temple strengthened the architectural ensemble. One above the spring is in honor of the Monk Macarius of Zheltovodsk, the other is in honor of Saint Uar, the funeral service for the dead is held in it, and there is also a church bench here.

Nikolaevsky Pogost

Residents of the surrounding area, fearing to disobey, immediately set to work. Moreover, overnight there was no trace left of the swamp; the ground turned out to be dry and suitable for construction. The wooden church was erected quite quickly and was named Nikolskaya - in honor of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker. The area around it began to settle in - the village of Nikolsky Pogost appeared near the church. Later it was renamed Antushkovo. And the Life-Giving Cross was displayed in the temple - it was moved to Godenovo already in the 20th century. St. Nicholas Church survived several fires, until in 1776 a large stone church with 3 altars was built in its place - the main one in honor of the Cross, as well as two in honor of St. Nicholas and the Intercession of the Mother of God. And already in the first quarter of the 19th century, they decided to build a monastery around the church in Nikolsky Pogost. By that time the parishioners numbered more than one and a half thousand people.

Miracles of Healing

People come from everywhere to pray to the miraculous Cross in Godenovo; everyone wants to venerate the shrine, ask for help in solving their problems, curing them from illness and suffering.
They ask to be cured of infertility, alcoholism, oncology, severe mental illness, etc. This list can be continued indefinitely. Here are a few stories of miraculous healing recorded by the nuns of the St. Nicholas Monastery:

A local doctor brought to the temple a disabled man named Alexander, who had been suffering from a severe mental disorder for many years. The patient could not wear a pectoral cross, as it seemed too heavy to him. After being attached to Godin's Crucifixion, Alexander put on a cross. He began to recover, delusional visions stopped bothering him;
A young guy who went through the meat grinder of the Afghan war survived, but was seriously injured. Once, he saw St. Nicholas the Wonderworker in a dream, who showed him the way to the Life-Giving Cross. Relatives helped the guy get to the Church of St. John Chrysostom. There, a young man kissed the venerable, performed the rite of communion and ordered a prayer service. Many parishioners witnessed a real miracle: the young man was able to get out of his wheelchair for the first time;
Muscovite Rita had dangerously damaged skull bones after an accident. Became disabled. Her husband and relatives stopped communicating with her. Somehow the woman made it to the temple, where she had a vision of St. Nicholas the Pleasant. According to eyewitnesses, the miracle of healing happened right in front of other parishioners - the woman began to walk better, move her arm, and talk.

There are many stories of healing. At the same time, people are helped by faith in God and hope for recovery.

Tales of the Cross

In 1933, the Life-Giving Cross was transferred to Godenovo. When the Chrysostom Church was opened, we already wrote. Now the story will concern the movement of the relic. People could see more than once that this Cross is not simple. When the St. Nicholas Church burned, he was found on the ashes completely untouched by the flames. It was as if the Lord was guarding His Sign, saving it for all those in need. The very history of miracles begins not only with the appearance of the Cross, but also with the voice of the Almighty, who warned: “Whoever comes to the crucifixion with faith and prayer will receive healing and will become a witness of many glorious and unusual deeds done in My name and for the sake of St. Nicholas "

After this, a whole series of signs actually happened - from the drying up of the swamp and the formation of a convenient river, on the banks of which the first St. Nicholas Church was built, to the miraculous rescue of the crucifix from the fire. All these events were recorded by the monks in a special book. Unfortunately, it burned down, but many other records and ancient scrolls were preserved - evidence of the past. In particular, when a thanksgiving prayer was held in honor of the fact that the cross had survived, “the blind received their sight, the lame began to walk upright, the sick became healthy.” A similar thing happened in Godenovo. The Life-Giving Cross, when it was open for worship, showed everyone its miraculous power.

People's Worship

On June 11 every year, the Day of Worship of the Shrine is celebrated. People flock here from all over Mother Russia, from Ukraine and Belarus, and even from far abroad.

Pilgrims head to the monastery in advance to see the Life-Giving Cross in Godenovo. How to get to your destination faster depends on the route and type of transport. If you are leaving from Moscow, it will be about 200 km to Godenov. First, you should arrive in the town of Petrovsk (this is 180 km from the capital), and then - to the temple itself - another 15 km. By public transport - railway, buses - choose this route: Moscow-Petrovsk. There you need to change to a local bus/minibus and go towards the village of Priozerny all the way to Godenov. If you travel by personal transport, follow the signs. In Petrovsk, focus on the direction to the Chrysostom Church and then follow the signs to Godenovo. It is simply impossible to get lost here. And any local resident will be happy to show you the way, because this is for the glory of the Lord!

Years of Soviet power

But let’s return to the story of how the relic was transferred to the village of Godenovo. The Bolsheviks who came to power wanted to take the Life-Giving Cross out of the St. Nicholas Church in order to destroy “a hotbed of obscurantism and religious dope.” However, the crucifix suddenly became literally impossible to lift, although previously it had been taken outside the church more than once. Then, not understanding God’s providence, the Bolsheviks decided to saw it up indoors, despite the fact that they were desecrating a sacred place with their actions. But just as before the tree was not taken by fire, so now both axes and saws were powerless against it. It seemed that the cross was made of the most durable stone. Then the church was simply locked, leaving the relic under the guard of several soldiers. But the parishioners of the temple, worried about the shrine, managed to bribe them. Then the Life-Giving Cross was transported to Godenovo. The miracles of the will of the Lord were also manifested in the fact that only a few believers were able to carry him out - under the cover of night, secretly, and hid him in the Church of St. John Chrysostom.

Clergy, mentors

The Church of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross in Altufyevo is famous for its spiritual mentors and clergy. A place of honor among them is occupied by Metropolitan Jonah of Astrakhan, who devoted many years to service, and through his efforts a large-scale reconstruction was carried out, changing the appearance of the church.

Taking turns, Archpriests Kirill Shevtsov, Alexander Smedyuk and Nikolai Anikeev serve in the church. Priests – Savva Gagloev and Alexander Meister. Hegumen Pavel Polukov and Hieromonk Tikhon Baturin, Protodeacons Alexander Kireev and Andrey Tarakanov.

Second phenomenon

Much time passed before the Life-Giving Cross of the Lord was again opened for worship in Godenovo. The dilapidated temple and shrine were cared for by sisters from the Nikolsky Monastery near Pereslavl. It is deeply symbolic that within the walls of the church in honor of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker in the 15th century, the crucifix became a symbol of faith, and at the end of the 20th century it returned to the people again in the monastery of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker.

Since 1997, when the Church of St. John Chrysostom in Godenovo was restored and restored, the Life-Giving Cross of the Lord took its place of honor in it. But even then it was difficult to imagine that the shrine, located in a remote provincial outback, would acquire such great fame in modern times and receive all-Russian status. And the arriving pilgrims, with tears of gratitude and trepidation, talk about the visible miracles that happened to them, or about those that they witnessed.

Life-giving Cross of the Lord

The life-giving Cross of the Lord in the village of Godenovo.

The best and most precious of treasures, in all fairness, is the Cross, on which the building of our salvation is erected.
If there had been no Cross, then Christ would not have been crucified, and paradise would not have opened for us, and the thief would not have become an inhabitant of paradise. If there had been no Cross, death would not have been trampled upon, hell would not have been emptied, and the hostile serpent would not have been killed. Therefore, the Cross is a great and precious treasure. (From the praise of the Cross, St. Andrew, Archbishop of Crete)

Appearance of the Cross. The Life-Giving Cross was revealed from heaven to shepherds over the Sakhota swamp on May 29 (June 11, new style) 1423. The legend says that the shepherds grazing cattle that day in the field near the Nikolsky churchyard saw an indescribable light pouring out from the sky. Coming closer, we saw the Cross hanging in the air, and in front of it the image of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker with the Holy Gospel. And they heard a voice: “The grace of God and the house of God will be in this place; If anyone comes to pray with faith, there will be many healings and miracles from the Life-Giving Cross of prayers for the sake of the wonderworker Nicholas. Go and preach this to all people, so that they may build My church in this place.”

“Having learned about the miraculous phenomenon, Archbishop Dionysius blessed the construction of the Church of St. Nicholas with the chapel of the Life-Giving Cross. The builders doubted the possibility of building a temple in a swamp and laid the foundation to the side. And in the morning they saw that the foundation had miraculously been transferred to the site of the appearance of the Cross. In the middle of the swamp, dry land formed, on which the temple was built.

How to get there. The village of Godenovo is located in the Yaroslavl region. It took us about three hours (195 km) to get from Moscow. From Moscow along the Yaroslavskoe highway 180 km to the city of Petrovsk, then 15-17 km following the signs “The Life-Giving Cross of the Lord, the village of Godenovo.” It's impossible to get lost.

You can get there on your own from the station. m. Shchelkovskaya by bus to the station. Petrovsk, then to the stop “Godenovo village”.

I found a route map on the Internet.

Along the way we were accompanied by the following landscapes:

The road to the Church of St. John Chrysostom is quite good, but if you are planning to go to the Monastery of the Life-Giving Cross of the Lord, you will have to be a little shaken.

Road to the monastery

What to take with you? We didn’t see a refectory near the temple, so it’s better to take something to eat plus water or tea.

We went in the summer, it was about 30 degrees. There are a lot of horseflies near the temple and monastery. They circle around the cars in a whole swarm, but they didn’t bite us.

Church of St. John Chrysostom. The church in the village of Godenovo is the courtyard of the Pereslavl Nikolsky Convent. Every year, a very widespread celebration of the appearance of the miraculous Cross takes place on May 29 / June 11. Divine services in the temple are held daily, except Mondays. Therefore, the temple and its shrine are accessible from the beginning of the morning service until the end of the evening service.

The temple is open from 8-20.

Approaching the temple

Area near the temple where cars are parked

Church of St. John Chrysostom

In the temple there is the Life-Giving Cross of the Lord. The glass opens so that believers can venerate the Savior's feet. Numerous healings occur from the Cross; thousands of pilgrims come to the Cross. Stories about miracles and healings from the Cross have been recorded for many centuries in a special book kept in the Temple. People began to ask for a copy of the shrine for their churches, and already 12 such copies have been installed in different dioceses and regions of our vast country. The first of them was brought to Sevastopol.

*Photo from orthpoto.net

A little historical background. During Soviet times, the temple was destroyed. They say that they tried to pull the Cross out of the temple and burn it, but they could not move it. The annoyed atheists began to saw Him in order to pull Him out piece by piece; the saw broke, as if it had hit something hard. Having achieved nothing, the atheists locked the Crucifix in the temple, from where the believers transferred it to the Church of St. John Chrysostom in Godenovo. An atheist watched all this, he was outraged that they could not saw the linden crucifix, grabbed an ax and cut off a piece of the little finger from the shrine. Years passed, according to the stories of fellow villagers, this god-fighter died of blood poisoning on his little finger.

After venerating the Cross, we decided to take a walk around the temple.

Temple of Sophia the Wisdom of God

On the same day we went to the Monastery of the Life-Giving Cross of the Lord. The monastery is located in the village of Pogost-Crest, almost on the border of the Ivanovo and Yaroslavl regions. Erected on the site of the Nikolsky churchyard, where the Life-giving Cross of the Lord appeared in 1423.

First hand stories

It is very interesting and instructive to listen to those who saw the Life-Giving Cross in Godenovo. The reviews of those who prayed before him are filled with sincere awe and delight. So, from year to year a gray-haired man comes to worship. He walks with a slight limp. It turns out that at one time he served in Afghanistan and was seriously wounded. The doctors saved his life, but they could not restore his movement. A wheelchair, helplessness and complete dependence on others - that was the verdict. This still young guy went through despair, thoughts of suicide, and alcohol before he turned his thoughts to God.

One day he dreamed of Saint Nicholas, who showed him the way and said that his salvation was Godin’s Cross of the Lord. The unfortunate disabled person turned to his relatives and with difficulty convinced them to take him to the shrine. And a miracle really happened. The guy served his service in a wheelchair. And after the prayer service, with the help of his relatives, he got back on his feet. And he began to slowly return to duty. Now he comes every year to places where he found faith in the Lord, health and himself.

History of construction

The village of Altufyevo, the place where the temple is located, once belonged to the Akinfov brothers. One of the descendants erected a stone temple in the village in 1687. Already at the beginning of the new century, the church was damaged in a fire, after which it acquired a new name - Sophia. Akinfov soon sold the village, the new owner Ivan Velyaminov rebuilt the temple.

The date of completion of construction was 1763 - it is now considered the foundation of the temple, since its former name Krestovozdvizhenskaya returned to it.

But after 3 years Velyaminov sold the estate. Altufyevo, together with the temple, was owned by many eminent owners, including Count Apraksin, Countess Bruce and Prince Kurakin. After the revolution, the Temple did not disappear, but continued to work, fulfilling its duty to believers.

Finding itself within the city in 1960, surrounded by two microdistricts Altufyevo and Lianozovo, the temple itself, the estate, the pond, the garden and all the outbuildings acquired the status of a monument and came under the protection of the State.

In 1986, an extension to the Temple was built in an attempt to expand its capabilities. By decree of His Holiness Patriarch Alexy II in 1991, Archimandrite Jonah was appointed rector of the temple, now he is in the rank of Metropolitan of Astrakhan. Archimandrite Jonah, with the blessing of His Holiness the Patriarch, initiated the reconstruction of the church and its transformation into a large, beautiful temple.

The completely reconstructed temple was consecrated by Patriarch Alexy II on September 27, 1999 and served a prayer service with Metropolitan Jonah and Archbishop Arseny.

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Mother and children

Another touching story that happened today. It clearly shows what miracles the Life-Giving Cross works in Godenovo. Unfortunately, female alcoholism is a dangerous phenomenon and, alas, widespread, it is very difficult to cure. And not only the victims of the phenomenon themselves suffer, but also those around them. A mother of 4 children, who stooped to the point of sending her younger children out into the street to beg, was deprived of parental rights. The children were placed in shelters, and the woman was sent for compulsory treatment by social and medical services. She was very lucky that among the treating staff there was a pilgrim to Godenovo. Stories about the miracles of the Lord inspired the unfortunate patient. Having made every effort and praying to God, she managed to overcome her addiction. And at the first opportunity I went on a pilgrimage. After all, the woman really wanted to get her children back, and only a miracle could help her. During her prayers, the Wonderworker also appeared to her, who explained what to do so that the family could be reunited. Soon after the pilgrimage, thanks to God's help - and only to her! - mother and children found each other.

Temple opening hours

For its pilgrims, the temple is open daily from 8:00 to 20:00.
You can venerate the open feet of the Life-giving Cross of the Lord on days such as Friday, Saturday and Sunday.
On Wednesdays, Thursdays, Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays, liturgy is celebrated here at 9 a.m., and the evening service begins at 5 p.m.
At 8 o'clock in the morning during Great Lent, the Liturgy of the Presanctified Gifts is celebrated on Wednesdays and Fridays.

Church of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross today

The canonical name of the temple is “In the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, in memory of the miraculous Exaltation of His Honest Life-Giving Cross.” The colloquially called “Vozdvizhenskaya” church is today located within the city between Altufevskoye Highway and the Moscow Ring Road, on the territory of a park with an area of 10.3 hectares, next to the former noble estate and the surface of a small reservoir.

For residents of 2 microdistricts - Altufyevo and Lianozovo, such a neighborhood is a gift of fate, for believers who have the opportunity to satisfy their spiritual needs, and non-believers can enjoy the beauty of the park, the architecture of estate buildings and the temple itself, standing out from the gray landscape of urban multi-story boxes.

The Church of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross in Altufyevo today is not only a center for religious worship, but also an important cultural space for education and recreation for many believers in the city.