The Holy Cross Jerusalem Convent of the Stavropigial (Luchino, Moscow Region)

An inexplicable feeling engulfs you when you hear the history of monasteries. As well as human destinies, they are also unique, and their ways are inscrutable. Today, the monasteries are being restored and growing, and several decades have been defiled, burned and closed. The Holy Cross Jerusalem Convent is no exception. His story, like other monasteries, is filled with different events.

Stavropegial Monastery - what does this mean?

Before turning to the history of the Holy Cross Monastery, one should find out the meaning of the word "stauropigia", which is present in the names of some of them. It can literally be translated from Greek as an installation, the establishment of a cross. Actually, it is this rank that takes place before the construction of the temple, and in the canons of the church is called "stavropic". At the same time, a cross is established on the place where the throne will be located. This rank may be conducted by the bishop himself, or, by his blessing, the priest or future rector. If the installation is conducted by the Holy One, the future church assigns a special, higher status. In this case the temple is in direct subordination to the Patriarch himself. That is, the life of the monastery is governed not by the local diocese, but by the Holy One. In this case, he has the right to appoint a deputy. The Holy Spiritual Women's Monastery is headed by the abbess. Residents who received such a status are granted privileges, which mainly concern divine services.

Holy Cross Jerusalem Convent of the Stavropegic

You can find this abode in the village of Lukino in the Domodedovo district of the Moscow region. The place of the current location of the monastery is known for the fact that previously there was the estate of NA Golovina. The landlord, following the advice of St. Philaret (Drozdov), in 1869 presented all of Lukin's estate to the Floro-Lavra community. Then in the village there was a temple of the Exaltation of the Cross of the Lord, from which the community adopted a new name and became known as the Cross Exaltation.

The fact that the monastery is also called Jerusalem, also has its own history. It is associated with the icon of the Mother of God, which was presented by Saint Philaret. The list from the ancient Jerusalem icon became the reason for the consecration of the church of the same name, which is also on its territory. Later it was called the Holy Cross Monastery of Jerusalem.

The history of the monastery: pre-revolutionary period

It was approved in 1865 on the basis of the Frolo-Lavra almshouse, which existed before at the same church in the village of Stary Yam. After a while, the created women's community was transferred to the village of Lukino and transformed into a monastery.

Since the seventies of the XIX century, the heyday of the monastery has begun. The small stone church of the Cross Exaltation has been significantly expanded. On the money patrons were built: a two-story cell building, a guest house, a refectory, a bell tower, household yards. Later, the church was attached to the cell house, which in 1873 was consecrated in honor of the Jerusalem Icon of the Mother of God.

In the nineties, the territory that is now occupied by the Cross Exaltation of the Jerusalem Monastery (stauropegic), was replenished with another beautiful temple. According to the project of architect S.V. Krygina here was built the most beautiful in its architecture of the creation - the Ascension Cathedral. He is now the so-called visiting card of the monastery.

The post-revolutionary period

After the revolution died down, the life of the monastery changed. He began to be called, like others, a source of corruption of the morality of society and in 1919 was subject to closure.

Some time on its territory was an agricultural artel, which in the thirties ceased to exist and gave way to the trade-union rest home. All this time the services of the Cross Exaltation Church did not stop, but in 1935 it was closed. The priest who carried in his ministry, the martyr Kosmu Korotkikh, was arrested and two years later he was shot and executed. Later in the churches and buildings of the monastery at various times hostels, hotels, a factory for the production of tobacco products. During the war there was a hospital, then a sanatorium, which in 1970 became a rehabilitation center for children. Everything that has been created for so long by the inhabitants of the monastery and its benefactors has been either destroyed or desecrated.

The modern life of the monastery

In 1991 the monastery was returned to the Russian Orthodox Church. Having restored its former status, it was named the Holy Cross Monastery of the Exaltation of Jerusalem, a stauropegic one. From that moment a different life began here. His monasteries were replenished again by the inhabitants, before the images of the saints lamps were lit, constant monastic prayer was heard, and divine services resumed. Later, the Jerusalem church was restored . In 2001 the church was consecrated by His Holiness Alexy II.

Today, the Holy Cross Jerusalem Convent (Stauropegic) is being actively restored. Nuns do social work. At the monastery there is a Sunday school in which children study the Holy Scripture, the ethical foundations of Orthodoxy, the organization of the church and much more. The community of the temple organizes pilgrimage trips to shrines, holds festive concerts, helps orphanages and boarding schools.

Krestovozdvizhensky Monastery (Nizhny Novgorod): the history of the foundation

The radiance of the crosses and the ringing of the bells of this monastery consecrate one of the most beautiful ancient cities of the Russian land - Nizhny Novgorod. Finding the monastery behind the huge faceless buildings is not so simple. As if someone wants to hide from the eyes of the people this treasure, which, apart from its architectural and historical value, has a special spiritual significance. However, it is quite possible to find a monastery among the buildings: the crosses that will lead the guest from the city square directly to the gates of the monastery will help.

The Ancient Cross Exaltation Monastery (Nizhny Novgorod), as well as other architectural and spiritual values located here, has its own history. It began in the middle of the fourteenth century and is associated with the name of the Monk Theodora of Nizhny Novgorod (in the world Anastasia Ivanovna). She is the founder of the monastery. A few years after the death of her husband, Suzdal prince Andrey Konstantinovich, who accepted the schema with the name Dionysius, Anastasia distributed all her possessions, took monasticism, called Vassa and entered the Zachatievsky monastery. Later, having already accepted the schema, she became Theodora. It should be noted that this monastery was built during the lifetime of Andrei Konstantinovich and was located at the very foot of the Nizhny Novgorod Kremlin on the Volga shore.

A Brief Chronicle of the Monastery

The wooden walls of the monastery burned down repeatedly. Another problem was high humidity (the buildings were located on the banks of the Volga), which also contributed to the destruction of buildings. That is why in 1812 the abbess of the monastery Dorofea appealed to the local authorities with a request to move the monastery to the southern outskirts of the city. There, in time, they transferred the Resurrection and the Pro-Orthodox monastery.

Already by 1820 a huge wasteland near the cemetery was adorned with the most beautiful monastery cathedral. Its architectural feature is an interesting form - the building is built in the form of an equal cross.

In addition to the cathedral, there were erected eight buildings, a hospital, a guest yard. Later, in 1838, a school was opened for girls-orphans, who were taught reading, spelling, and needlework. The monastery was visited by famous and imperial people, travelers. After the revolution, the monastery was closed, and its buildings were used for a variety of needs, sometimes the worst. There is even a version that for several years here there was a Soviet concentration camp for political prisoners. Later, the monastery premises were warehouses, factory shops, waste storage facilities, etc.

Finally, in 1995, justice was restored, the restoration of the Cross Exaltation Church began, which was almost completely destroyed. In 1999, divine services began in it, and in 2005 it received its current name - the Cross Exaltation Convent.

Today the temple of the monastery is open to visitors. There is a medical center where people of the world can turn for help. The novice and the monastery's residents help children's homes, large families and poor families in the city and the region.

Krestovozdvizhensky monastery in Poltava: the history of creation

It was founded in 1650 as a monastery. The initiator of his creation is called Martyna Pushkara, who was supported by Cossacks and residents of Poltava. The first buildings were built of wood, easily subjected to destruction. At the end of the seventeenth century, it was decided to build a stone cathedral for money provided by Vasily Kochubei, who was then a Cossack judge. In 1708 he was executed, and his son V.V. Kochubei.

The date of the completion of the cathedral is unknown. Those times were very hectic. The monastery was repeatedly devastated and almost completely destroyed. In 1695, it was devastated by the Crimean Tatars, in 1709, after the restoration, it was again destroyed, this time by Swedish troops.

The illumination of the Krestovozdvizhensky Monastery took place only in 1756. From this date begins its heyday: the construction of new buildings, auxiliary facilities. This period was marked by the appearance of new churches and bell towers. At the end of the eighteenth century, the monastery became a kind of culture center. The opening of the Slavic seminary led to these blessed walls, in addition to talented students, many famous people of that time.

After the revolution, difficult times for the monastery began. Eventually in 1923 it was closed. In the premises of the monastery for some time there was a children's colony for homeless children, later in the buildings housed a student hostel and canteens. To its true purpose, the monastery returned only in 1942, when the community of nuns applied for its restoration as a nunnery. Temples and buildings were badly damaged by German bombing, but with the help of novices in the postwar period, the buildings were gradually restored. In the sixties the monastery was closed again. In 1991, the monastery opens its doors to the women's community.

National treasure of Ukraine

This beautiful monastery is one of the most valuable architectural monuments. Poltava Cross Exaltation Monastery includes several churches and a bell tower. Built on a raised platform, it can be easily seen from all sides and does not have a main facade - all sides of this architectural ensemble are equivalent.

The value of the Krestovozdvizhensky monastery is also the fact that it is a rare example of Ukrainian baroque. From a distance you can see its three components.

1. The highest bell tower, whose style resembles similar structures on the territory of the Kiev-Pechersk Lavra. It was erected in 1786.
2. Semikupolny Krestovozdvizhensky Cathedral, located in the central part of the monastery. In general, its architectural tradition is close to other cathedrals of Ukraine, but there are a number of details that distinguish this temple from other similar to it.
3. Trinity Church, which is a single-dome stone structure, which served as a refectory for a while, but was rebuilt and consecrated in the second half of the 19th century.

Despite the fact that all the buildings were created at different times, together they form a complete architectural ensemble, being a true decoration of the Poltava region.