In the very heart of Russia, on the territory of the Shatsky district of the Ryazan region, there is the village of Vysha, named after the river of the same name, on the banks of which its houses are spread. It owes its fame to the nearby Holy Dormition Vyshensky Convent, whose history is associated with the name of an outstanding religious figure of the 19th century, Bishop Feofan (Govorov) the Recluse. Let us dwell briefly on the main events of his past and present.
Vague echoes of the past
There is no exact data on when and by whom the Assumption Vyshensky Convent, which is currently operating on the territory of the Shatsky District, was founded. Nevertheless, on the basis of the legends that have come down to us, as well as some information gleaned from the book of Abbot Tikhon (Tsipliakovsky), published in 1881, there is reason to believe that this happened during the time of Ivan the Terrible, that is, no later than the 16th century. The very first written mention of him, dating from 1625, is contained in a charter drawn up by the mother of Tsar Mikhail Fedorovich− nun Martha.
It is clear from the document that by her order (obviously, the sovereign's mother had the proper authority to do so), the men's monastery, located eight miles upstream of the current Vyshensky Assumption Monastery, was moved to a new place, located at the confluence to the Higher of its navigable tributary − Tsny.
Since that time, the history of the monastery is quite fully reflected in the surviving archival documents. The names of the abbots are known, under which the most large-scale construction work was carried out. These are hieromonks - Tikhon, who led the brethren from 1625 to 1661, and his successor Gerasim, who held the pastoral baton in his hands for the next 59 years. The names of other ministers have not come down to us.
A series of troubles and hardships
In the history of the Vyshensky Assumption Monastery, which has remained a male monastery up to the present, there have been periods of prosperity and decline. So in the second quarter of the 18th century, the number of his brethren decreased so much, and the economy became so impoverished that by the decision of the Holy Synod it was abolished as an independent unit and assigned to the Cherneevskaya Nikolsky monastery located twenty miles from it. What caused such a disastrous situation is not mentioned in the documents. Nevertheless, in the following decades, monastic service continued in it.
A heavy blow was de alt to the Vyshensky Assumption Monastery during the senseless and merciless Pugachev rebellion (1773-1775). Then the crowds went mad“God-bearing people” (the expression of L. N. Tolstoy), breaking into the monastery, plundered the temple and stole everything that could be carried away. The monks, fortunately, were not touched, but doomed to starvation and deprivation, finally undermining the already dilapidated economy.
Testimony of Hieromonk Leonty
Only by the end of the century, life in the monastery gradually improved, as evidenced by the inventory of property compiled in 1798 by Hieromonk Leonty. In it, in addition to a detailed list of everything that the brethren owned, there is a record that the monastery, which was previously ascribed, finally received independence, although it remained supernumerary, that is, not receiving material support from the state.
Nevertheless, the compiler of the document indicates that it had a stone Assumption Church, next to which a bell tower, covered with plank, towered, and the whole territory was fenced with a strong wooden fence. The economy of the brethren remained small: it consisted of a hay mowing and a bee-keeper. Hieromonk Leonty also gives a detailed list of all the monks, indicating the time of their admission to the monastery.
Time for good changes
The next 19th century was the most fertile period in the life of the Vyshensky Assumption Monastery, which reached its peak in its second half. This was largely facilitated by the transfer of the monastery to the jurisdiction of the Tambov diocese, led by the then outstanding religious figure of his era - Archbishop Theophilus (Raev). Thanks to his care, the brethren were able to rebuild the dilapidated andfacilities that have fallen into disrepair, as well as to make major repairs where possible.
The Vyshensky monks were not left without a wise shepherd, who, by order of Archbishop Theophilus, was Hieromonk Tikhon, who was transferred to them from the Sarov Monastery. Having received the rector's baton, he carried out pastoral labors for 44 years, directing the brethren on the path of spiritual perfection and asceticism, which included the strictest self-restraints aimed at freeing the mind from the bonds of the vain world.
Under the command of Abbot Tikhon
The reign of hegumen Tikhon (Tsipliakovsky) at the Holy Assumption Vyshensky Monastery, which lasted from 1800 to 1844, was marked by the erection of a new church with a four-tiered bell tower, consecrated in honor of the Holy Life-Giving Trinity, and a brick building that housed fraternal cells.
Under him, the entire monastery territory was surrounded by a stone fence with towers. In addition, an important milestone in the life of the monastery was the transfer to it of the miraculous Kazan Icon of the Mother of God, received in 1827 by the will of the deceased noblewoman M. I. Adenkova, who at the end of her life took monastic vows with the name Miropia. Pilgrims from all over Russia reached out to this image, which gained fame for numerous healings, providing an influx of funds that abundantly replenished the monastery budget.
Lamp of Russian theology
But the main factor that significantly increased the status of Vyshensky Uspenskymonastery, was the stay in it from 1866 to 1894 of an outstanding Russian theologian, ascetic and preacher - Bishop Feofan (Govorov), glorified by the Russian Orthodox Church in the guise of saints and entered the history of Russian Orthodoxy with the title of Hermit.
Secluded from the world within the walls of the monastery, he devoted many years to writing religious works, which took their rightful place in the patristic literary heritage. His most famous work was a collection of spiritual and moral instructions, consisting of 365 chapters and designed for daily reading throughout the year.
Blood shed in the village of Vysha
In the 20th century, the Vyshensky Assumption Monastery suffered misfortunes that became the fate of the entire Russian Orthodox Church, but in this case, the actions of the Bolsheviks turned into an event that went beyond even that cruel and merciless reality. Memoirs of eyewitnesses have been preserved, telling how in the early 1920s the village of Vysha was engulfed by an epidemic of the Spanish flu (a type of flu). Having no other means to resist the disease, the inhabitants staged a religious procession, at the head of which the monks carried the miraculous icon of the Virgin.
Urgently arrived Chekists arrested the priests, dispersed the pilgrims, and took away the holy image with them, after committing a public mockery of it. Submissive until then, the villagers rebelled this time and publicly moved to the building of the Cheka to rescue the shrine, but were met with machine-gun fire. On that day, many civilians died, the memory of which was carefully hidden.for many years and only during the period of perestroika became public knowledge. Details of this bloody event can be found in the book by S. P. Melchuganov "Red Terror in Russia".
Abode turned into a house of sorrow
Despite the fact that shortly after the events described, the monastery was closed and its inhabitants expelled, until the mid-30s, divine services continued in the Cathedral of the Nativity of Christ that belonged to him. However, in 1936 this last center of Orthodoxy was closed, and the entire territory was transferred to the disposal of various economic organizations. There was a lumberyard there, then a pig farm, which gave way to a children's town, and starting in 1938, the former churches and cells of the monks were transferred to the local psychiatric hospital. It was her medical staff and patients who for several decades remained the only inhabitants of the desecrated shrine.
The state of the monastery today
The fertile winds of perestroika that blew in the early 90s largely changed the attitude of the authorities towards religious issues and created favorable ground for the transfer of property illegally taken from them to believers. Among the properties returned to the Church was the Vyshensky Assumption Monastery. A photo of the work that began immediately after the execution of the relevant documents is given below. It allows you to imagine how large the volume of the reconstruction was.
Significant assistance in its implementation was provided by the fact that in 1988 the canonization of St. Theophan (Govorov) the Recluse, mentioned above, was performed. This attracted everyone's attention to the monastery and contributed to the influx of necessary funds. Upon completion of all repair and restoration work, by the decision of the Holy Synod, the revived shrine was handed over to the nuns. Thus, the male monastery, which had been operating for several centuries and was abolished by the Bolsheviks, received a new life this time as the women's Dormition Vyshensky Monastery.
At the moment, there are four churches on its territory: the Kazan and Nativity Cathedral, the Epiphany house church of St. Theophan and the Dormition of the Most Holy Theotokos. As in previous years, the main monastic shrine is the miraculous Kazan Icon of the Mother of God, to which the flow of pilgrims does not dry out. Convent address: Ryazan region, Shatsky district, Vysha village, st. Zarechnaya, 20.
