Pokrovsky Khotkov Monastery is one of the oldest in the Moscow region, it is over 700 years old. The main shrine of the monastery are the relics of Saints Cyril and Mary. These are the parents of Sergius of Radonezh. Pilgrims regularly come to the Khotkovsky Monastery to bow to the shrine and work for the glory of God.
The beginning of the story
As written above, the monastery is over 700 years old. The first annalistic references date back to 1308, there is no exact date of the monastery's birth. Initially, the monastery was small, located near the Trinity-Sergius Lavra. The monastery began to gain its fame after the parents of St. Sergius of Radonezh found peace here. Their honest relics remained forever in the monastery, even during the years of Soviet persecution, without leaving its territory.
XV-XVII centuries
XV century - hungry time for a small monastery, where terrible poverty reigned. But already at the beginning of the 16th century (1506), the authorities drew attention to the monastery, which included the Grand Duke and the boyarThought. The Khotkovsky Monastery received a small monetary subsidy allocated by the Grand Duke's authorities, which allowed it to somewhat improve its meager situation.
In the same century, the monastery was converted into a women's one, and then completely given over to the management of the Trinity-Sergius Lavra. Its inhabitants did their best to support the poor Khotkovsky monastery. Under the control of the Trinity-Sergius Lavra, the convent began to revive; by the end of the 16th century, there were already 35 nuns in it. At the same time, a new wooden church was built on the territory of the monastery, consecrated in honor of St. Nicholas the Pleasant.
The 17th century has come with its wartime. The Polish-Lithuanian troops ravaged the Khotkovsky monastery, and its inhabitants were forced to hide from the invaders in the Trinity-Sergius Lavra. The monastery of St. Sergius survived, but for two years it was subjected to the most severe siege by the troops.
In the mid-1620s, the restoration of the convent began after the ruin. It ended only in 1648, during the same period peasant households were assigned to the monastery, which played a positive role in improving its well-being. The monastery was withdrawn from the administration of the Trinity-Sergius Lavra and placed at the disposal of the Moscow Diocesan Bishop. The monastery did not see a full-fledged provision, the skill of the nuns helped a lot. They were famous as skilled seamstresses, in the Sergiev Posad Museum and now you can see church vestments sewn by the then nuns and novices.
XVIII - early 20th century
In the XVIII century on the territoryKhotkovsky Intercession Women's Monastery began large-scale construction work. On the site of the old wooden St. Nicholas Church, a new stone one grew up, and the Holy Gates were built. A few decades later, the gate church of the Nativity of John the Baptist was built over them.
In the 19th century, construction on the territory of the monastery continued. At that moment, about 300 nuns lived in the monastery, in connection with this, the construction of a large Intercession Cathedral began, which was suspended in the summer of 1812. After the war, construction resumed, restoration work was completed in 1816, at the same time the consecration of the cathedral took place. Two aisles were built - in honor of St. Sergius of Radonezh and St. Alexis - Metropolitan of Moscow.
The entire 19th century is characterized as one big construction site. Additional buildings were built for monks, premises for a hospital, a school and a hotel. The number of nuns increased, the monastery moved to a cenobitic charter. Prior to that, he was a special life, each resident lived in her own cell and ran her own household.
The 20th century came, its beginning was marked by the construction of a new cathedral. The fact is that the number of pilgrims increased, and the old Nikolsky Church of the Khotkovsky Monastery could not accommodate everyone. Then it was decided to build a new temple on the site of the previous one. The construction of the new Nikolsky Cathedral with a capacity of over 2,000 people was completed in 1904.
Soviet times
Tragic pages in the history of the Khotkovsky monastery began after the revolution. Monasteryclosed in 1922, but services continued. The authorities took away vast territories, leaving the nuns only an almshouse for living. The room could not accommodate all the sisters, some of them dispersed to the nearest villages.
In 1928, the nuns who remained in the monastery were expelled. Many of them were sent to exile and camps, and in 1931 Abbess Barsanuphia was arrested. She was sent to Kazakhstan, but her mother died on the way.
In 1932, the recently rebuilt Nikolsky Cathedral was closed, before that the building was looted. The bell tower was blown up, an agricultural technical school was opened in the abbot's building. In the Pokrovsky Cathedral, the chemical workshop of the industrial plant started working, and peasants from nearby villages moved into the remaining buildings. The abomination of desolation continued until 1989.
Speaking of the relics of St. Cyril and Mary - the parents of Sergius of Radonezh. They did not leave the territory of the monastery even in the most terrible times. The relics were prudently buried near the walls of the Intercession Church, the faithful came to the devastated monastery, prayed at the place of their burial.
Rebirth
The year 1989 came, the Moscow Patriarchate received the destroyed and desecrated Intercession Cathedral. From that moment, the revival of one of the most ancient shrines - the Khotkovsky Monastery began.
In 1993, the nun Olimpiada was appointed to the abbess of the monastery. She, along with the first nuns, began to raise the monastery from the ruins.
Today, the monastery has a boarding school for girls, a spiritual library, everyone can visit itcity dweller. The monastery takes care of the nursing home and the children's department of the Moscow Regional Psychiatric Hospital.
Thousands of pilgrims come to the monastery who want to do their obedience here and just touch the great shrine of the Russian land.
Temples of the monastery
The buildings of the Pokrovsky Khotkov Monastery are distinguished by their architecture. The main building is the Intercession Cathedral, where the relics of Saints Cyril and Mary are located. The structure was built in accordance with the architecture of the Classicism era - a five-domed temple.
The architecture of the Khotkovsky Monastery is diverse. She deserves special attention. For example, Nikolsky Cathedral is the first in Russia built in the Russian-Byzantine style. It ranks second in terms of area and splendor of buildings on the territory of the monastery.
In third place is the gate church in honor of John the Baptist. Restoration work in it is almost completed.
The gate church in honor of St. Mitrofan of Voronezh is being restored to this day. There are practically no parishioners in it, because the room is considered a brownie, only the nuns of the monastery are present at the services.
Holy shrine
The most important shrine of the Khotkovo Monastery is the relics of the parents of St. Sergius of Radonezh - Cyril and Mary. People come here to pray to the holy family and ask for help. Most often they ask for help in arranging their own family life, girls pray for marriage, and mothers - for a successful marriage of their daughters.
Address
Pious pilgrims who wish to venerate the relics of Saints Cyril and Mary, it will be useful to know the address of the monastery: the city of Khotkovo, st. Co-op, ownership 2.
For those who dream of living in a monastery and doing obedience, there is good news. It is possible to stay at the pilgrim's house, but first you need to call the monastery and warn about your intentions to work for the glory of God. The phone number of the monastery is listed on its official website. You can also book excursions here.
Service Schedules
The monastery has daily morning and evening services:
- On weekdays, the start of the Divine Liturgy is at 7:30.
- On weekends and holidays, a prayer service is held in the Intercession Cathedral with the reading of an akathist in front of the relics of the righteous saints Cyril and Mary. Prayer starts at 7:00.
- On weekends and holidays, the Divine Liturgy begins at 8:00 am at St. Nicholas Cathedral.
- All-night vigil (evening service) starts at 17:00 daily.
About the abbess
It's been 25 years since Mother Olympias was given the hegumen's staff, and with it the ruined monastery. Today the monastery has been revived and is famous for its beauty. Mother abbess continues to lead her.
The future abbess was born in Vladivostok, but her family soon moved to the Saratov region. When mother Olimpiada was 20 years old, she left her father's house, went to Sergiev Posad, entered the medicalschool. She lived in Moscow, studied, after receiving her diploma she returned to Sergiev Posad, where she worked as a nurse for about 10 years.
God brought the future abbess to Riga, where she lived for 13 years in the Trinity-Sergius Monastery. The Abbess Magdalena, now deceased, ruled the monastery in those years. Matushka remembers her as a shrewd person who has a great love for people. This love conquered the future abbess of the Khotkovo Monastery, long and confidential conversations with her mentor were remembered for a lifetime.
In Riga, Mother Olimpiada was a dean, as it is written above, she lived there for 13 years. Then she came to Khotkovo, where, by order of His Holiness Patriarch Alexy II, she became the abbess of the monastery. A year and a half later, she took the rank of abbess, in which she remains to this day.
Today, 80 sisters live in the monastery, 50 of them have taken monastic vows. Mother has a hard time, because each resident has her own character, an individual approach is needed. She tries to take into account the nature of the sisters, giving them obedience, looks at the propensity for this or that business, as well as education. For example, if a nun sings well, they can put her on the kliros, if she has the appropriate education, she will definitely be there.
To help the pilgrim
What do you need to know when going to live in a monastery? First, focus on your own he alth, because difficult obediences in the presence of certain diseases are prohibited. Secondly, it is worth considering the availability of freethe time during which the pilgrim wants to work in the monastery. The hotel sister is warned in advance about this, discussing the terms of stay in the pilgrim's house.
When checking into a monastery hotel, you must have a passport. Without an identity document, they may refuse to settle. You should dress modestly, preferably in a long dark skirt, a sweater with long sleeves and no neckline, a scarf is required on your head.
Obedience in the monastery does not choose where they will be sent, the pilgrim works there. During work, you should not talk loudly with other pilgrims or inhabitants of the monastery. Idle talk is forbidden, as is gratuitous laughter.
On the territory of the monastery you can not use foul language, drink alcohol, behave loosely, flirting with male pilgrims (alas, this is also found). It is forbidden to listen to music, gnaw seeds, eat sharp-smelling food. It is forbidden to eat in the common cell where pilgrims are accommodated; for this, the hotel must have a special room. Workers are fed, as a rule, twice a day in a special refectory. Those who are not satisfied with two meals a day can have a snack in the monastery cafe at their own expense.
If you are going to work in the monastery, call up with her and discuss your arrival in advance.
Conclusion
This is the history of the Khotkovo Monastery - one of the oldest shrines in the Moscow region. The monastery is open daily, from 6:00 to 21:00.
