In a difficult moment, we always turn to God, ask him for deliverance from trouble, for recovery, for peace of mind. Despite numerous persecutions against the Orthodox Church, every year it is reborn and more confidently rises to its feet. Crowds of parishioners head to the doors of churches on great Orthodox holidays, trying to observe fasts and other important days and dates. Coming to the temple, we not only pray for ourselves, but also for everyone who is present at the service at that moment. People's requests are a hundred times stronger, which means that prayers become stronger. In monasteries, brothers and sisters pray for us day and night, asking the Lord for mercy. Today we will talk about some of the holy monasteries that have become famous not only throughout Russia, but throughout the world.
Convents of Russia
Even in the 11th century, immediately after Russia accepted the Baptism of the Lord and became a Holy, corners of faith and worship of God began to emerge everywhere. Monasteries often played the role of a fortress, which was able to protect against the onslaught of invaders, which was especially true in the Middle Ages. The location of the buildings on the territory was standard: in the center of the temple, around - cells of nuns or monks. There were monasteries for women and men. We will talk about the first today.
Assumption Convent
The holy monastery owes its appearance to Ivan the Terrible. The king in 1564 stopped in the Alexander settlement of the Vladimir region. From his close associates, he founded the monastic brethren and recreated the monastic way of life. Over the next 17 years, the king not only lived in the territory, but also ruled the country from there. The monastery endured a lot, and during the reign of the great tsar, Alexei Mikhailovich, the monastery became a women's one. By 1727 there were about 400 sisters. At the Dormition Convent there were: a school, a house for wanderers, a hospital, a needlewomen's workshop.
New life
From the middle of the 19th century, many women's monasteries began to be gradually restored. So the Assumption Monastery was revived: the cathedral in the name of the Life-Giving Trinity, the church-bell tower, the cells of nuns of royal blood and other buildings were restored. The pride of the monastery is the Church of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary, which has been the central link of the monastery since the 16th century.
Tikhvin Convent
The emergence of the women's holy monastery was associated with a real miracle. Once a small town on the territory of the modern Chuvash Republic, Tsivilsk,for several weeks repulsed the attack of the fighters of the legendary Stenka Razin. The reserves of the city were depleted, the inhabitants lost faith in the ability to defend their native land. On the night when it was decided to retreat, the Mother of God appeared in a dream to the dean resident Iulania Vasilyeva and announced that the city would not fall to the robbers, and the inhabitants should build a monastery on their own in honor of this event. The holy image accurately indicated the place where it was necessary to lay it. The prophecy came true, and happy and free citizens in 1675 erected a church in honor of the icon of the Tikhvin Mother of God, and later a monastery. In 1870, it was transformed into a women's one, and from that moment on it received a second wind.
To this day
Thanks to the efforts of the abbesses, sisters, numerous pilgrims and simply caring Orthodox, today the monastery lives its own special life. In 2001 he was visited by Alexy II, His Holiness Patriarch of All Russia. By this time, a significant number of buildings had been restored and brought into proper shape. Cultural figures of Russia, the government of the Republic of Chuvashia in every possible way emphasize the importance of the Tikhvin Convent, develop it. The flow of pilgrims to the holy place does not dry out, partly thanks to which the life of the nuns is supported.
Another nunnery
Trinity Convent is another story. October 15, 1692 can be safely considered the birthday of the holy monastery of the Penza region. On this significant day, His Holiness Patriarch Kir Andrian gaveconstruction blessing. The land for the holy monastery was collected "by the whole world": several allotments were bought up, which later became a site for the monastery. Despite the extremely inconvenient location and the proximity of marshland, the holy monastery became famous throughout Russia.
The ups and downs of the holy monastery
The nunnery has gone through a lot. Photos to this day have preserved what happened to him over the years. This is the decree of Great Catherine II on the return of land in favor of the state, and numerous fires, after which it was more and more difficult to restore wooden monastery buildings. The rebellion of Emelyan Pugachev was also reflected in the history of the monastery: the nuns who met the robbers subsequently lost their immunity.
Despite everything, through the efforts of the abbess and sisters in 1780, the holy monastery was rebuilt almost anew from stone and brick. The leadership has always paid attention not only to the monastery, but also to the inhabitants of their native land. The first school in the city on the territory of the monastery was opened for girls left orphans, children from low-income families. The townspeople were happy to buy products sold in the seamstress workshop, because the sisters were especially careful in their work. Linen, embroidery with gold, silk, handmade lace were famous not only in Penza, but throughout Russia.
How to visit the holy place
Everyone can visit the monasteries for women and men, because such a trip will benefit both the soul and the body. Randomtravelers were always warmly welcomed in the holy monastery, they were given lodging for the night and simple food. Nowadays, some Orthodox people visit monasteries, live there for some time, pray and work on a par with novices. Before arriving, you need to get permission from the abbess, attend an interview, prove good thoughts and intentions. In addition to documents and change of clothes, you need to have repentance, meekness and obedience with you. It is necessary to follow the advice and example of the sisters of the monastery in everything, to fulfill all assignments and instructions. This type of tourism is not very common today, but pilgrimages to monasteries for women or men will be the best impetus for the revival and salvation of the soul. There is nothing better than to move away from worldly concerns and plunge into another world where faith, hope, love rule.
