Ancient Assumption Church - the Orthodox Church of the Holy Assumption Lipetsk Monastery, is being restored in our time by the whole world, its glorious history is being revived from oblivion, bit by bit information is collected about the past of the temple and about people whose names are associated with the history of this abode.
Assumption of the Mother of God
This event in the church has been a holiday for many centuries. On this day, they remember the whole life of the Mother of God, the sadness and joy of her dormition, the miracle of the resurrection and her promise to Christians. The Feast of the Assumption of the Mother of God has been established since ancient times. In Byzantium, it was widely celebrated already in the 4th century. Since 595, it has become a church holiday. This event is called the Dormition because the Mother of God seemed to fall asleep for a short time in order to rise from sleep to eternal life in an incorruptible heavenly dwelling.
In Russia, the veneration of the Assumption of the Mother of God has been going on since 866, when the fleet of Russian ships besieging Constantinople was scattered by a storm due to prayers to the Holy Mother of God.
Since then, the Mother of God has become the patroness of the Russianarmies. Since the reign of Vladimir, large churches in large cities of Russia have been dedicated to the Dormition of the Most Holy Theotokos. Among them there is a small Assumption Church in the city of Lipetsk. Let's talk about it in more detail.
Ancient Assumption Church
"Uspenka" - so lovingly called this most ancient church of the city of Lipetsk. The Old Assumption Church received its current name in 1839, immediately after it was built on the western outskirts of the city. Located in one of the picturesque corners of Lipetsk - the settlement of Monastyrka - which has carried its pristine beauty through the years of hard times, a small elegant church on the mountainside has an attractive force. Located above the holy spring, the Holy Assumption Church is famous for numerous miraculous healings from bodily and spiritual ailments.
The Holy Synod of the Russian Orthodox Church in 2003 decided to transform the Lipetsk parish church of the Assumption of the Mother of God into the Holy Dormition Monastery. With this step, the revival of the old monastic monastery - the Paroisk Hermitage, which was on this site before the city of Lipetsk appeared and was abolished in 1764, during the time of Catherine II, began. This monastery was the only one on the territory of Lipetsk, so it left a significant mark on the history of the city and its spiritual and moral life.
Unusual church
The unusualness of the temple is manifested not only in the asymmetric architecture, but also in the deviation from the traditional orientation and location at the foot of the mountain. During the construction of the temple, the remains of moreearly construction. This suggests that the Assumption Church dedicated to the Mother of God may have been built much earlier than the estimated time. Only the time of construction of some of its outbuildings is known for sure. For example, the chapel of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker was consecrated by the metropolitan from Ryazan in 1701. In 1811, the church was intended for demolition, as it stood on a wasteland and was constantly robbed. But for some reason, the planned transfer of the church to another location remained unfulfilled.
Already from the middle of the 19th century, this ancient church was perceived as a monument of antiquity, requiring attention and preservation. Since that time, all the authors of books, essays or guides related to Lipetsk, did not ignore her.
Mentions of the Assumption Church in the archives
The building of the temple was built in several stages. This is noticeable by the differences in the laying of the walls. The exact year of construction is unknown. The first mention of the church dates back to the 17th century. There is indirect evidence that the temple has an earlier year of construction. In the archives, when describing the monastery in 1768, the wooden church of the icon of the Mother of God was called "dilapidated." Taking into account the fact that wooden buildings in those days were in good condition for at least 100-150 years, it can be assumed that the temple was already active in the middle of the 17th century.
Paroisk desert, to which the Assumption Church belonged, is often associated with the name of Peter I. Legends describe the case when the king, who arrived in these places in 1703, took a fancy to the surroundings of the city rich in ore and began constructionPetrovsky factories. At the monastery, Peter ordered to take away the mill on the Lipovka River, without offending the monastery at the same time - every month the brethren received good compensation. The merger of the monastery with poorer cloisters, the loss of the mill did not make the temple poorer, but only strengthened its financial position. The archives directly say that by the middle of the 18th century the monastery was very large.
In the 19th century, only a wooden chapel and a stone Assumption Church remained from a large temple. Repeated attempts by the inhabitants of the city of Lipetsk to revive the ancient monastery in 1910-1911 were unsuccessful, despite abundant donations, availability of materials, permission from the local authorities and other higher spiritual and civil authorities. The issue was not immediately resolved, and the revolution that had begun radically changed the situation in the country, and the revival of the Orthodox church and monastery was no longer remembered. Long-term slow destruction of buildings has begun.
Assumption Church in our time
After the revolution, the once rich temple was robbed by the new authorities almost to the ground. The blasphemers also plundered the especially revered icon of the Mother of God “The Life-Giving Spring”, pulling out even ancient pearls from it. Several times there were attempts to adapt the building to various needs, but the Assumption Church received parishioners for a long time, services were held. The parishioners of the temple tried to protect him in every way. In 1938, the temple was still closed, the priests were arrested on false charges, and the gradual destruction of the building began. Upon completionDuring the Great Patriotic War, a mortuary was arranged in the premises of the church, later - warehouses. By the end of the 50th year, the Assumption Church was an abandoned, dilapidated and roofless building. After repeated unsuccessful restorations, more destroying than restoring the structure, it fell into a dilapidated state.
Completely plundered and abandoned, the Assumption Church was transferred to the Voronezh-Lipetsk diocese in 1996 and returned to believers. After a 60-year break, on August 28, the first service was held. The Church of the Assumption again received parishioners, and its restoration began. Since 2003, an amazing corner of ancient Lipetsk and its shrine have begun a new life. The thrones of the church were consecrated - the chapel in the name of Nicholas the Wonderworker and the main one in the name of the Assumption of the Most Holy Theotokos. The photo of the Assumption Church again took its place of honor in the catalogs and essays of Lipetsk. Many pilgrims visit this place, receiving healing from ailments. Even on weekdays, the Assumption Church can hardly accommodate everyone who wants to offer their prayers in these ancient walls, prayed by several generations of residents of Lipetsk.
Holy life-giving spring
Ancient Assumption Church - the oldest stone church in the city of Lipetsk. It was placed over a holy spring, where, according to ancient belief, the miraculous icon of the Mother of God "Life-Giving Spring" appeared. Many generations of people have come here to receive healing. And many healings gave the source worldwide fame. The Mother of God herself leads everyone to himsick, asking in prayers for healing from ailments and mental illness.
At the beginning of the 20th century, when the Ancient Dormition Church was closed and the chapel was destroyed, the holy spring was covered up. But the water still flowed out through three large cast-iron pipes.
Now the source also exists - it is located near the water intake, which starts right at the church. Lipchans have equipped a font where you can drink holy water and even take a dip. With the revival of the monastery, all efforts will be made to restore the chapel.
