Simonov Monastery is one of the largest, richest and most famous monasteries, located in the past years in the near Moscow region. Now it is located on the territory of the capital, in the Southern Administrative District of Moscow. In the Middle Ages in Russia, it was part of a fortified belt, consisting of monasteries that protected the approaches to the capital from the south. A large number of buildings on its territory were destroyed during the reign of Soviet power, especially in the 30s. The area has been partially built up.
History of the monastery
The foundation date of the Simonov Monastery is considered to be 1379. It appeared in the lower reaches of the Moscow River. Land for him was donated by a boyar named Stepan Khovrin, and the first rector was Archimandrite Fedor, a follower and student of the famous Sergius of Radonezh.
Boyarin Khovrin, when he retired, accepted monasticism and began to be called Simon, hencethe name of the monastery itself. And in the future, a close relationship remained between the monastery and the family of the merchant. For example, the tomb of the descendants of Simon was equipped here.
Historians are still arguing about when the monastery was founded. For a long time it was believed that it was 1370, but modern researchers are still inclined to believe that this happened between 1375 and 1377.
The Simonov Monastery was moved to its current location in 1379, so some count the age of the monastery from this date. Where the monastery used to be, only the church dedicated to the Nativity of the Virgin has survived. In the 18th century, it was here that the graves of the legendary heroes of the Battle of Kulikovo, Andrei Oslyabi and Alexander Peresvet, were discovered. These burials have survived to this day.
Influence of Sergius of Radonezh
Since the Simonov Monastery was founded by a disciple of Sergius of Radonezh, he considered it a kind of branch of his Trinity monastery. He often stayed within these walls during his visits to Moscow.
Largely due to this, many famous church figures came out of here. These are Kirill Belozersky, Patriarch Joseph, Metropolitan Jonah, Archbishop John of Rostov, Metropolitan Gerontius. All of them were somehow connected with this monastery. In the 16th century, the theologian Maxim the Greek and the monk Vassian lived and worked here for a long time.
The history of the Simonov Monastery was not always cloudless. He was repeatedly raided, was almost completelydestroyed in the Time of Troubles.
Before the revolution, the Simonov Monastery in Moscow was considered one of the most revered in the entire Moscow region. Therefore, prominent and respected personalities constantly came here for advice or absolution. The rich made substantial donations, so the monastery, as a rule, did not need anything. He was especially loved by the elder brother of Peter I named Fyodor Alekseevich. He even had his own cell, in which he often retired.
Black streak in the life of the monastery
Problems at the Simonov Monastery in Moscow began shortly after Catherine II came to power. In 1771, she simply abolished it because of the plague, which was rapidly spreading across the country. As a result, the monastery overnight turned into an isolation ward for plague patients.
It was only by 1795 that it was possible to restore its usual activities. Count Alexei Musin-Pushkin petitioned for this. Archimandrite Ignatius was appointed rector, who came specially for this from the Novgorod diocese, where he served in the Big Tikhvin Monastery.
During the years of Soviet power
During the reign of Soviet power, the monastery was again abolished. In 1923, a museum was founded on its basis, which existed until 1930. Vasily Troitsky was appointed director, who managed to establish relations with the Orthodox church community. He even allowed services to be held in one of the temples of the monastery, and in exchange the monks agreed to act as janitors and watchmen. In the 1920s, architect Rodionov restored the buildings of the monastery.
In 1930, a special commission from the Soviet government was assembled, which officially recognized that some ancient buildings located on the territory of the monastery should be preserved as historical monuments, but the walls of the monastery and the cathedral itself should be demolished. As a result, five out of six churches were razed to the ground, including the bell tower, the Assumption Cathedral, and the gate churches. The Taynitskaya and Watchtowers, as well as the outbuildings that adjoined them, were destroyed. Several subbotniks were organized, during which the walls of the monastery were dismantled, and the ZIL Palace of Culture appeared on this site.
Only in the early 90s, the remains of the monastery buildings were returned to the Russian Orthodox Church.
How to get to the monastery?
Getting to the Simonov Monastery, whose opening hours are from 8.30 to 19.30, is not difficult at all. If you use public transport, then take the metro to the Avtozavodskaya station. Then you should go along Masterkova Street in the direction of the street called Leninskaya Sloboda. As soon as you are at the crossroads, you will see the S alt Tower, which belongs to the Simonov Monastery. Address: Moscow, Vostochnaya street, 4.
The travel time from the metro to the monastery itself will be about eight minutes on foot.
Belfry
Today we can see that some of the buildings of the monastery have been restored, and some have been completely lost. Separately, it is worth mentioning the belfry of the Simonov Monastery.
KIn the 19th century, it became very dilapidated, then a new five-tiered bell tower was erected over the northern gate, the architect of which was Konstantin Ton. After 4 years, a 94-meter structure was built, which became higher than the Ivan the Great Bell Tower in the Moscow Kremlin. For a while, it became the highest in the capital.
Four large bells were cast specifically for her by decree of the kings, who often visited this monastery, prayed, talked with the elders.
In February, on the cover of the Ogonyok magazine, a photograph was published depicting a huge fragment of the just blown up bell tower of the Simonov Monastery. The bell tower officially ceased to exist in 1930.
Refectory
The refectory of the Simonov Monastery is a monument of Russian civil architecture of the 17th century. She appeared in the monastery back in the 15th century, but over time she ceased to satisfy the needs of numerous brethren.
The construction of the new building began in 1677 under the guidance of the architect Potapov. But his appearance was not liked by the customers, the church leadership. As a result, the construction was temporarily frozen. It resumed in 1683 and was completed by 1685. This time, the work was supervised by the famous capital architect Osip Startsev.
Modern researchers attribute the refectory to the Moscow Baroque. On the right is the Church of the Holy Spirit, and on the left is the tower, on the upper tier of which there is an observation deck.
The refectory, by the way, has a unique feature. It is a stepped spike on the west side. Its design is in the spirit ofWestern European mannerism, and the walls are decorated with "chess" paintings.
Inside the refectory there is one large vault that covers the entire width of the building. According to this model, refectory chambers were later built in many Russian churches.
Church and towers
The monastery is located in an amazingly beautiful picturesque place. It has repeatedly inspired many writers and therefore to create amazing works. For example, a description of the Simonov Monastery can be found in Karamzin's story "Poor Liza". In the pond, it was near its walls that the main character drowned herself in the finale. This made the monastery very popular among admirers and followers of sentimentalism for a long time.
The first stone cathedral church at the monastery appeared in 1405. It was named in honor of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary. Its construction began just in 1379. Since then, the Simonov Assumption Monastery has been considered one of the main shrines of the Russian Orthodox Church.
The dome of the cathedral was seriously damaged in 1476 when it was struck by lightning. Therefore, it soon had to be seriously rebuilt. An Italian architect, whose name has not survived to this day, took up the matter. By 1549 the temple was rebuilt. A five-domed cathedral was erected on the old foundation, which became larger.
At the end of the 17th century, it was painted by masters from the capital, at the same time a carved iconostasis in gold appeared in the monastery. It contained the main shrine of the Simonov Monastery - the Tikhvin Icon of the Mother of God. It was given to herSergius of Radonezh to Dmitry Donskoy, blessing him to win the Battle of Kulikovo.
Among the rare valuables, you can immediately see a golden cross studded with emeralds and diamonds, presented to the monastery by Princess Maria Alekseevna.
There is an opinion among researchers that the old walls and towers of the monastery were built by one of the most famous Russian architects Fyodor Kon. The one that built the Smolensk fortress wall. He was seriously engaged in strengthening the border lines of Russia during the reign of Tsar Boris Godunov, who laid the first stone in the Smolensk Kremlin.
Horse worked hard in this monastery too. The work of the architect was not in vain. In 1591, the monks were attacked by the Crimean Khan of Gaza II Girey, but thanks to strong walls they managed to withstand the enemy.
The walls of some towers of the Simonov Monastery and the monastery itself have survived to this day, although they were built in 1630. When a new fortress was being built, it included some fragments that Fyodor Kon had been working on.
The total circumference of the monastery walls is 825 meters. The height is impressive - about seven meters. The Dulo tower, which is topped with a tent with an original watchtower, has survived to this day almost better than the others. Two more surviving towers are called S alt and Forge, they appeared in the 40s of the 17th century. At that time, a large-scale restructuring of the walls and buildings, which were badly damaged in the Time of Troubles, was underway.
The list of buildings and structures of the Simonov Monastery also includes three gates. The northern ones have survived to this day,western and eastern.
After the landmark victory over Khan Kazy-Girey, which took place in 1591, the gate church of the All-Merciful Savior was built at the monastery. In 1834, another church, St. Nicholas the Wonderworker, appeared above the eastern gate.
An important decision for the development of the monastery was made in 1832. The Orthodox complex needed a new bell tower, the money for which was donated by the merchant Ignatiev. Initially, the project made by the architect Tyurin was approved. The bell tower was supposed to be built in the style of classicism, but later this idea was abandoned. Largely due to the fact that in Russia the traditions of returning to the original traditional Russian architecture were gaining more and more strength. So in 1839, a bell tower of five tiers appeared, designed by Konstantin Ton.
Another ten meters was the belfry. The largest bell in the Simonov Monastery weighed as much as a thousand pounds, which is about 16 and a half tons. How it was possible to raise it to such a height at that time remains a mystery to many. It was this bell tower that turned into one of the dominants for Moscow of its time. Visually, she was able to complete the picture of the picturesque capital in the southern part of the city.
In 1929, the bell tower was blown up and ordered to be disassembled into bricks by the Soviet authorities.
Necropolis
In the ancient monastery, as usual, many famous people are buried, whose contribution to the history of Russia and the fate of the monastery is known to many.
For example, in the cathedral at the monastery he was buriedbaptized at the whim of Ivan IV the Terrible Simeon Bekbulatovich, who in 1575, unexpectedly for everyone around him, was named the king in Russia. True, a year later the same Grozny successfully overthrew him.
After the intrigues of Prince Boris Godunov, who was close to the tsar, Simeon Bekbulatovich was blinded in 1595, and in 1606 he was exiled to Solovki. There he became a monk. Returning to Moscow, he was placed in the Simonov Monastery, where he died under the name of hermit Stefan.
In the necropolis of the monastery rests the body of Konstantin Dmitrievich (son of Dmitry Donskoy), who also took monastic vows before his death and died under the name of monk Cassian. At various times, members of the Golovins, Buturlins, princes Mstislavsky, Suleshev, Temkin-Rostovsky were buried in the monastery courtyard.
There are also many representatives of the creative intelligentsia. The talented poet Venevitinov, who died in 1827; the writer Aksakov, who died in 1859;), Fyodor Golovin (a close associate and associate of the first Russian Emperor Peter I).
You can also find the graves of representatives of many famous Russian families of nobles, such as the Vadbolskys, Olenins, Zagryazhskys, Tatishchevs, Shakhovskys, Muravyovs, Durasovs, Islenyevs, Naryshkins.
When the monastery was destroyed in the 30s of the XX century, most of thenecropolis. Only a few remains have been found. For example, the poet Venevitinov and prose writer Aksakov, they were reburied at the Novodevichy cemetery. Instead of a cemetery, a carpentry and electroplating workshop was organized. After the monastery was returned to the church, construction and restoration work began, during which some more remains were found and buried according to Orthodox custom.
Priests noted that all found graves were badly destroyed, most of them were defiled. The remains were found during the removal of construction debris, a huge work was carried out to separate human bones from animal bones.
Current State
Today you can see only a small part of the buildings of the Simonov Monastery that have survived to this day. The southern wall with three towers (Dulo, S alt and Blacksmith) remained from the monastery itself. The refectory of the 17th century with the Church of the Holy Spirit has been preserved, as well as the fraternal building, the so-called refectory chambers, which date back to the 15th century, outbuildings and craftsmen's chambers.
In recent years, the Russian Orthodox Church has been carrying out large-scale restoration and restoration work. In particular, they are working on the restoration of the refectory, fraternal building and outbuildings. The latter are also used as workshops. The remaining surviving towers and walls are largely abandoned.
You can learn more by going on an excursion to the Simonov Monastery. It's not difficult at all. The project "Walking around Moscow" started in itstime as part of the City Day celebrations. These excursions proved to be so popular that they were launched on a permanent basis.
The duration of this cognitive and educational walk is about two and a half hours. During this time, it is possible to walk along with an experienced and well-read guide through the picturesque and quiet places of Simonovskaya Sloboda, to see the very pond into which the heroine of Karamzin threw herself from grief, the station building, left by trains for a long seven decades, to learn about the tragic and majestic fate of the monastery - a warrior who more than once found himself in the defense of the capital, to visit the grave of the heroes of the Battle of Kulikovo. Here is the place of memory of the famous composer Alyabyev, the so-called cemetery of bells.
Among the main objects are not only the Simonov Monastery and the buildings located on its territory, but also the Lizovo railway station, the Church of the Nativity of the Virgin, the place where the Mother of God appeared to Kirill Belozersky, the Orthodox factory of the industrialist Alexander Bari, the graves of Peresvet and Oslyaby.
The organizers of the tour guarantee that after its completion you will find out why the writer Karamzin renamed the settlement, although he did not want it, where the temple of obscurantism was demolished and the house of enlightenment was built, how the monastery tower turned into a semaphore, for what reason The troops of Ataman Bolotnikov could not overcome the monastery walls, as the composer Alyabyev created his most famous work "The Nightingale", where there was a traditional gathering place for cadets of the Spasskaya Tower.
The only thing worth remembering if you are going to visit this tour: that certain rules must be observed on the territory of the monastery. Be dressed in accordance with the rules of Orthodox piety, in particular, you cannot appear in shorts or short skirts.
The route along which the tour will take place will start near the Avtozavodskaya metro station, from there you will proceed to Masterkova Street, then to Oslyabinsky and Peresvetov lanes, visit the Simonov Monastery itself, go to Leninskaya Sloboda Street and return to the metro station again "Avtozavodskaya".
