To make a pilgrimage, to feel grace, to touch the miracles that the Lord generously gives us, it is not necessary to go to distant lands - to Palestine, Israel, Turkey, Georgia and other countries. Since ancient times, Russia has been considered overshadowed by the special grace of the Almighty, and holy, miraculous places, monasteries, and icons have been shown to us in abundance.
Vysotsky Monastery
Not far from Moscow, on the outskirts of the ancient city of Serpukhov, on the high bank of the river stands
majestic monastery. From a distance you can see the white stone walls and towers of the Vysotsky Monastery, the heads of the cathedrals directed towards the sky, towering over the river and the surrounding area. The Serpukhov Monastery is considered one of the most ancient not only in the Moscow region, but throughout Russia. It is one of the nine monasteries founded on Russian soil with the blessing of Sergius of Radonezh himself.
Construction was started by Prince Vladimir the Brave, the closest associate and brother of the blessed Prince Dmitry Donskoy.
At his request, Sergius of Radonezh himself chose a place for the future monastery - on a beautiful hill called “Vysokoe”. The Vysotsky Monastery in Serpukhov began to be called by the name of the place. Having said a prayer at the site chosen for the construction of the future monastery courtyard, the Monk Sergius left, leaving his disciple Athanasius to conduct the construction. He also headed the newly built monastery.
In 1991, Archimandrite Joseph became the rector of the monastery, which was opened after many years of decline and persecution of religion during Soviet times. Through his efforts, the service of the miraculous icon, revered in this area, was resumed in the temple. A new image of the Inexhaustible Chalice, to replace the missing one, was painted by Alexander Sokolov, a famous icon painter. Lists of her are now distributed in Russia and around the world. Many of them are also known for the miracle of myrrh flow.
In which Moscow churches is the icon of the Inexhaustible Chalice located?
But not only in Serpukhov itself is there such a priceless icon of the Mother of God, the Inexhaustible Chalice.
Temple of the Iveron Icon of the Mother of God
Its prototype is also kept in the Church of the Iveron Icon of the Mother of God, located on Bolshaya Ordynka in the area of the Tretyakov Gallery, as well as in the Sergius-Troitsky Monastery on Tsvetnoy Boulevard, which also greatly values such a great and miraculous icon, bringing people long-awaited joy and healing from ailments .
Sergievo-Trinity Monastery on Tsvetnoy Boulevard
Inexhaustible Chalice
The Vysotsky Monastery, where the miraculous icon of the Inexhaustible Chalice is now kept, was not originally the place where it was found and venerated. From the moment of its appearance until Soviet times, the image was kept in the Vvedensky convent, also located in Serpukhov.
The appearance of the Inexhaustible Chalice dates back to 1878. Then the former soldier had a dream - a schema-monk appeared to him, who ordered him to go from the Tula province, where he lived, to Serpukhov to pray to the image of the Mother of God “The Inexhaustible Chalice”. The former soldier was a drunkard who reached such an extent that he drank away all his property, and even lost his health - he became legless. The schema-monk appeared to him three times, after which the exhausted cripple crawled as best he could in the direction indicated by the elder. But, having reached the indicated monastery, he did not find the image named by the elder. They could not immediately find it, hanging in the passage from the cathedral to the sacristy. The icon actually depicted a cup, and in one of the faces the former soldier recognized the schema-monk who appeared in dreams.
Having held a prayer service in front of the newly acquired icon, the sufferer received not only deliverance from alcohol addiction, but also physical healing, and the fame of the miraculous icon began to spread throughout the city and far beyond its borders. Those obsessed with the sin of drunkenness and members of their families, who wanted healing from a terrible illness, sought the Inexhaustible Chalice. Many people returned to the temple again to give thanks for the miracle of healing that had happened.
The Inexhaustible Chalice was surrounded with special veneration in Serpukhov, where it was located. A temperance society was founded at the central church of the city, prayers were held, akathists were read, and conversations about morality were held.
So what does the icon of the Mother of God, the Inexhaustible Chalice, mean?
Many people ask this question, wanting to help their loved ones get rid of an unpleasant illness.
And they are extremely surprised when they learn that this miraculous image of the Mother of God is a storehouse of mercy towards those who suffer not only from alcoholism, but also from numerous spiritual problems, drug addiction, bad habits and other negative behavior.
She seems to be begging the Lord for the healing of everyone who asks her for help. And many people who sincerely turned to her for salvation return to normal life and receive long-awaited healing.
True believers will certainly be interested in the article about the Theodore Icon of the Mother of God.
Losing and regaining an icon
The post-revolutionary persecution of the church greatly affected Serpukhov near Moscow. The Vladychny Monastery was closed. When it was closed, the miraculous icon was moved to St. Nicholas Cathedral, which was later also closed, and all the shrines were taken out and burned. The revealed miraculous icon and the copies from it disappeared.
The restoration of churches and monasteries in Serpukhov revived the memory of the icon revered here. In the re-opened Vysotsky Monastery in 1991, prayer services to the image began. Unfortunately, the prototype of the icon was never found - a new one was painted in 1992, now known to the entire Orthodox world.
According to iconography, the Inexhaustible Chalice icon is classified as the oldest type of depiction of a human figure (saints, martyrs, the Mother of God) on the “Oranta” icons (from the Latin “Prayer”). The Mother of God is depicted in the traditional pose of intercessory prayer - with her arms raised up and outstretched.
In terms of iconographic and plot content, it is noted that it is close to another miraculous image - the Nicene Icon, which became famous at the beginning of the 4th century AD. The blessing baby Christ on the icon is depicted standing in a bowl, and the Mother of God with her hands raised up, praying for all sinners and inviting them, instead of base passions, to fall to the source of consolation and pure spiritual joy.
Schedule of services at the Vysotsky Monastery
On weekdays, services begin at 06:00. At this time, morning prayers are held, as well as Midnight Office and Matins. At 08:00, parishioners make confession, then attend the liturgy, after which memorial services and prayer services are served upon request. Vespers and ordinary akathist begin at 17:00. On Sundays and holidays, services are held from 08:00. At 17:45 every Sunday you can attend a prayer service in front of the “Inexhaustible Chalice” icon.
Schedule of services on the official website of the monastery
The monastery itself is open to parishioners on weekdays from 05:00, and on holidays from 07:30. It closes for regular services at 7:00 pm, and for all-night vigils at 8:00 pm. Evening prayers for pilgrims are held at 21:00. The exact work schedule of the monastery can be found on the official website.
Pilgrimage to the Inexhaustible Chalice
The question of how to get from Moscow to Serpukhov will not cause difficulties even for people who are not burdened with travel experience; the distance is small and the entire journey will take no more than 2.5 -3 hours one way:
- By car - from the Moscow Ring Road, turn onto the M2 highway (Crimea highway) and get to Serpukhov. The monastery is located on the outskirts of the city, near the banks of the Nara River. To get to it, turn right from the central square and follow 2nd Moskovskaya Street until you turn onto Bolshoy Vysotsky Lane. It will lead you straight to the walls of the monastery.
- By train to the station. Serpukhov can be reached from Tsaritsyno or from Kursky Station. From the station take bus No. 20 to the “Vysotsky Monastery” stop.
- By bus No. 458 to Serpukhov or No. 363 to Protvino from Yuzhnaya metro station. From the bus station take local bus No. 20 to the Vysotsky Monastery stop.
But it is better to visit the Serpukhov Monastery and venerate the miraculous icon during an organized trip with the pilgrimage service of Tobias. Our service was created to ensure the safety and comfort of pilgrims who decide to visit holy places
Russia, near and far abroad, we offer:
- travel on comfortable buses;
- accompaniment of an Orthodox guide;
- program that takes into account all the features of pilgrimage trips.
If you are undertaking a pilgrimage for the first time, a trip with the Tobias pilgrimage service will open up the world of spiritual travel for you and will help you create a special prayerful mood that allows you to feel all the grace that descends on a person when worshiping holy places. The Orthodox guide will answer all questions that arise and provide the necessary support. Those who have already been on pilgrimage trips will appreciate the convenience and comfort, the atmosphere of a true Orthodox journey maintained during trips.
During a one-day trip you will be able to:
- visit the Vysotsky Monastery and touch its shrines;
- defend a prayer service at the icon of the Inexhaustible Chalice, ask for a miracle of healing from addiction to alcohol (drug addiction, smoking) for yourself and your loved ones;
- visit with a tour the Vvedensky Convent - the place where the prototype of the miraculous icon of the Inexhaustible Chalice appeared;
- venerate the relics of St. Varlaam of Serpukhov;
- touch the grace of myrrh-streaming icons,
- visit the 16th century monastery - Ascension David's Hermitage;
To take part in our trips, reserve a place using the form on the website or contact us by phone.
To main
Postal address: 142720 MO, Leninsky district, Butovo village, st. Yubileinaya, 2B
Telephone;
Travel by public transport:
From the metro station “Dmitry Donskoy Boulevard” by bus No. 18, according to the schedule: 6-20; 7-20; 8-20; 9-20; 10-20; 11-20; 12-20; 13-20; 14-20; 15-20; 16-20; 17-20; 18-20; 19-20; 20-20; by bus No. 108 to the stop. “Novonikolskoe”, then walk about 800 meters; by bus number 94 to the stop. “2nd Melitopolskaya, 17”, then walk about 800 meters; from the metro stations “Yuzhnaya”, “Prazhskaya”, “Ulitsa Academician Yangelya”, “Annino” by bus No. 249 to the stop. "Novonikolskoe". By electric train from Kursky station to Butovo station, then walk about 1.5 km.
Story:
The large stone church was consecrated on May 19, 2007 by Patriarch Alexy II of Moscow and All Rus', co-served by the First Hierarch of the Russian Church Abroad, Lavra.
The first floor of the temple is dedicated to the memory of the suffering of the new martyrs. In the narthex of the temple on the walls there are pre-mortem photographs of the victims in Butovo. On two display cases under the photographs there are things taken from the burial ditch during the 1997 excavation - shoes, clothing items, rubber gloves, shell casings and bullets. There are more than fifty icons of Butovo saints on the walls. On the two western pillars are placed six icons of the hierarchs who suffered in Butovo, headed by Metropolitan Seraphim (Chichagov).
Thrones:
Chapels of the lower church : Central chapel - Icon of the Mother of God, called “Sovereign” (1917). The right side chapel is supposed to be consecrated in the name of the Holy Martyr Seraphim, Metropolitan of Leningrad. The left side chapel is supposed to be consecrated in honor of St. John of Shanghai.
The upper temple is dedicated to glorifying the feat of the new martyrs. The chapels of the upper church : The central chapel is the Resurrection of the Lord. The right side chapel is of the Holy New Martyrs and Confessors of Russia. The left side chapel is of St. Tikhon, Patriarch of Moscow and All Rus', head of the Council of New Martyrs and Confessors of Russia.
Shrines of the Temple:
- the burial area, where the remains of 330 holy new martyrs, killed in Butovo, rest in secret. In total, more than 20,000 people killed in 1937-1938 rest in the ditches on the territory of the Butovo training ground; - a worship cross in memory of the faith and truth of those who suffered at the Butovo training ground (located on the burial grounds);
- the large Solovetsky cross (the largest wooden worship cross in Russia (height 12.5 meters), located on the territory of the Church of the Resurrection of Christ in Butovo);
-small Solovetsky Cross (located in the altar of the Church of the Resurrection of Christ in Butovo);
-a wooden reliquary cross, with particles of the relics of selected Russian saints (located in the wooden church of the Holy New Martyrs and Confessors of Russia in Butovo);
-a fragment of a vestment that belonged to the Metropolitan of Petrograd, the future hieromartyr Seraphim (Chichagov), in which the Bishop of Vereisky, the future martyr Hilarion (Troitsky), who died in prison, was buried (located in the altar of the Church of the Resurrection of Christ in Butovo);
-a fragment of the coffin in which the Bishop of Vereisky, the future martyr Hilarion (Troitsky), who died in prison, was buried (located in the altar of the Church of the Resurrection of Christ in Butovo);
-personal belongings of the new martyrs and confessors of Russia - letters, documents, liturgical books and utensils, household items that belonged to the now glorified saints (kept in the reliquary and museum exhibition about the victims in Butovo and/or presented for veneration in the churches of the Parish);
Revered icons:
-Holy New Martyrs and Confessors of Russia (located in the Church of the Resurrection of Christ);
-the holy new martyrs of Butovo (located in the Church of the Resurrection of Christ);
-St. Nicholas the Wonderworker of Myra, “Butovsky” image;
-martyr Seraphim Chichagov, image “Butovsky”;
- the holy Royal passion-bearers Tsar Nikolai Alexandrovich, Tsarevich Alexy, Tsarina Alexandra, princesses Olga, Tatiana, Maria and Anastasia (with a piece of a shawl knitted by the royal sisters for Tsarevich Alexy, fragments of stones from the Ipatiev House in Yekaterinburg, and a prayer book from charitable gifts distributed by the Tsar family in hospitals for wounded soldiers of the 1st World War, located in the Church of the Resurrection of Christ);
-The Most Holy Theotokos “Kazan” (with traces of losses received during secret storage in a pious family for 70 years during Soviet times, is located in the Church of the Resurrection of Christ);
-selected Tver saints with preserved traces of abuse (cuts from an ax or saber) received from the godless destroyers of the temple (located in the wooden church of the Holy New Martyrs and Confessors of Russia in Butovo);
-the holy martyr Sergius Kedrov, murdered in Butovo (written on the board of an icon, with the face lost over time, which belonged to the martyr Sergius Kedrov himself, is located in the wooden church of the Holy New Martyrs and Confessors of Russia in Butovo);
Particles of relics:
-Holy New Martyrs and Confessors of Russia: svmch. Peter of Voronezh, smch. John of Riga, svmch. Hilarion of Vereisky, prpmtst. Grand Duchess Elizabeth and others. Barbarians, sschmch. Agafangel of Yaroslavl, sschmch. Thaddeus Tverskoy, sschmch. Konstantin Merkushinsky, schmch. Konstantin Bogorodsky, sschmchch. Alexander and Theodore Vereisky, smch. Viktor Glazovsky, schisp. Theodosius of Kolomensky, Rev. Sevastian of Karaganda, schisp. Afanasy Kovrovsky, schisp. Peter Velikodvorsky, Spanish. Georgy Tutaevsky, Rev. Georgy Danilovsky, Rev. Paraskeva of the Savior-Blachernae (particles of the relics are placed for the veneration of believers in a special shrine located in the chapel of the Holy New Martyrs and Confessors of Russia in the Church of the Resurrection of Christ in Butovo); -Reverend Sergius of Radonezh (in the temple icon, located in the Church of the Resurrection of Christ);
-Reverend Seraphim of Sarov (in the temple icon, located in the wooden church of the Holy New Martyrs and Confessors of Russia in Butovo);
-Holy Martyr Lucian of Pechersk (in the icon, located in the altar of the wooden church of the Holy New Martyrs and Confessors of Russia in Butovo);
-St. Tikhon, Patriarch of All Russia (in the temple icon, located in the Church of the Resurrection of Christ);
-St. John of Shanghai and San Francisco the Wonderworker (in the temple icon, located in the Church of the Resurrection of Christ);
-Blessed Prince Oleg of Bryansk (in the temple icon, located in the Church of the Resurrection of Christ);
Divine services:
Divine services are held daily. The schedule of services can be found at https://www.novomucheniki-butovo.ru/index.php
Bishop's services:
On February 6, 2022, on the day of the celebration of the Council of New Martyrs and Confessors of the Russian Church, the patronal feast of the church at the Butovo site, the director of the deanery of the stauropegial parishes and Patriarchal metochions outside the city of Moscow, Metropolitan Theognost of Kashira, celebrated the Divine Liturgy at the church in Butovo.
On December 11, 2022, on the day of remembrance of the Hieromartyr Seraphim (Chichagov), the Divine service at the Butovo training ground was led by Bishop Tikhon of Vidnovsky.
On December 10, 2022, on the day of remembrance of the New Martyrs of Radonezh, Metropolitan Feognost of Kashira performed a divine service at the Butovo training ground.
On December 11, 2022, the divine service at the Butovo training ground was led by the head of the deanery, Archbishop Feognost of Kashira.
On May 18, 2022, on the feast of the Council of New Martyrs, victims of Butovo, the Primate of the Russian Church celebrated the Liturgy at the Butovo training ground
On the feast of the Council of New Martyrs, in Butovo, victims, the Primate of the Russian Church celebrated the Liturgy at the Butovo training ground. Bishop John of Domodedovo celebrated the Divine Liturgy in the Church of the Holy New Martyrs and Confessors of Russia in Butovo. On May 5, 2022, on the feast of the Council of New Martyrs, in Butovo, victims, His Holiness Patriarch Kirill celebrated the Liturgy at the Butovo training ground
On October 30, 2014, Bishop Savva of Voskresensk celebrated a litiya for the victims of political repression in Butovo
Clergy:
Rector - Archpriest Kirill Glebovich Kaleda; cleric - priest Pavel Yuryevich Ostanin; cleric - priest Artemy Adolfovich Tsekh; cleric - priest Ivan Vasilievich Kovalev; reader-deacon - Dmitry Evgenievich Grishin; out of state - Priest Georgy Kharin
Website:
https://www.martyr.ru/
Additional Information:
Patronal holidays:
The Resurrection of the Lord is Monday of Bright Week. Synaxis of the Holy New Martyrs and Confessors of Russia - the Sunday closest to January 25 (February 7 N.S.). St. Tikhon, Patriarch of Moscow and All Rus' - March 25 (April 7, New Style), death (1925); - September 26 (October 9 n.st.), glorification (1989). Icon of the Mother of God, called “Sovereign” (1917) - March 2 (15 AD). Cathedral of the Butovo New Martyrs - 4 Saturday after Easter (according to tradition, the Patriarch serves). Day of all saints who have shone in the Russian land. Days of remembrance of the holy martyrs in Butovo.
Prayer and Akathist
How can one refer to the “Inexhaustible Chalice” icon? I suggest listening to the amazingly beautiful akathist, which is performed in front of the image of the Blessed Virgin Mary.
You can get acquainted in more detail with the life of two Serpukhov monasteries: Vysotsky male and Vladychny female, find out what temples and shrines are kept here, find these monasteries on the map and can easily get there to personally pray in front of the miraculous icons of the Mother of God “Inexhaustible Chalice”.
To conveniently travel around Serpukhov near Moscow, you can easily rent an apartment or room in the city or suburb on Airbnb, or book a hotel in any convenient location through Booking.
The map below shows other attractions of the Moscow region that I was able to visit. More details about each of them can be found here.
Write below what miraculous cases of healing through prayers to the Mother of God you know, and you can also share your requests to the Heavenly Intercessor in the comments.
