For many, St. Petersburg and its surroundings are associated with beautiful gardens and luxurious palaces of the 18th century. But this city can open up from the other side if you manage to visit its holy places. These include not only the famous Church of the Savior on Blood, built on the site of the assassination of the king, but also many monasteries located in the Leningrad region. One of the amazing places is the Svir monastery, built on the instructions of St. Alexander.
Life of a Saint
Reverend Alexander Svirsky was one of the few chosen ones to whom the Lord himself appeared in the form of the Holy Trinity. God announced to the saint that soon a holy monastery would be founded among the virgin forests through which the monk passed on his way to the monastery. This historical episode was captured on one of the nominal icons of the saint.
The monk was born in the 15th century into a family of pious believing peasants and was named Amos. Since childhood, he had been thinking about becoming a monk. The parents did not know about the great goal of their son, and by the time he grew up, they decided to marry him.
At this time, the monks of the Valaam monastery met the monk, about whomhe dreamed so much. The monks told Amos about the charter of the monastery and the three monastic ranks. After that, the monk firmly decided to devote himself to monasticism and went to Valaam. On the way to the monastery, the Lord appeared to Amos at the site of the future Svir Monastery. When the young man came to the monastery, he was accepted and tonsured a monk under the name Alexander. Soon, Amos' parents also became monks because of his great exhortation to serve the Lord.
The birth of a monastery
Alexander Svirsky strictly observed the monastery charter. After several years of service, the monk decides to live as a hermit on the Holy Island. A narrow, damp cave becomes his home, in which the saint spends his time in fasting and prayer service. After 10 years of such a harsh life, Alexander Svirsky, during a prayer, was given a voice from above that he should go to the banks of the Svir River and establish a hut there. Not daring to disobey, he goes to the indicated place. Having lived there for several years and having received from God the gift of clairvoyance and healing, Alexander Svirsky began to treat the mental and physical illnesses of people who came to the Holy Svirsky Monastery in crowds. Already during his lifetime, the monk was glorified as a Russian saint.
Once the Most Holy Trinity appeared to Alexander, commanding him to create a temple in honor of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. Some time later, a chapel was built on this site.
Soon the monk set out to build a stone temple in honor of the Mother of God. After the foundation of the church was laid, on the same night Alexander herself appearedThe Blessed Virgin, seated on the altar with the Infant Jesus, promised to protect the Holy Trinity Svir Monastery from all troubles.
A year before his death, the monk pointed out several monks, among whom the future abbot of the monastery should be chosen. Alexander Svirsky was buried near the Church of the Transfiguration of the Lord, and after 14 years he was canonized.
Rise and fall
After the death of the great saint, the position of the monastery began to rise even more. During the reign of Ivan the Terrible, the Svir Monastery received various privileges that contributed to its prosperity. During the Time of Troubles, the situation of the monastery deteriorated significantly. The years 1613, 1615 and 1618 turned out to be especially deplorable for her, in which the monastery was robbed and set on fire. At that time, a bloody war broke out between Russia and Sweden, under the blow of which was the Svir monastery, which was close to the border.
By 1620, the monastery began to be restored, and 20 years later, by the will of God, the relics of St. Alexander Svirsky were found, which were placed in a precious casket - a gift from Tsar Michael - the first of the Romanov dynasty. Since that time, the monastery has become the main spiritual center of the north-west of Russia. At that time, stone construction was in full swing: a new bell tower and the Trinity Cathedral, painted by Tikhvin artists, were erected. A fence was built around the perimeter of the monastery. During the palace coups, the monastery lost its position among the spiritual centers of Russia, many of its lands were withdrawn.
Tests of the 20th century
After the revolution of 1918, the monastery was plundered, the monks were shot, and a concentration camp was organized on the site of the monastery. During World War II, Alexander Svirsky Monastery was badly damaged. After Stalin's death, mentally ill people were sent to the monastery.
The position of the monastery improved slightly by the 70s of the twentieth century, when it was decided to close the hospital on its territory. At the same time, the bell tower and some small buildings were restored.
By the end of the twentieth century, the relics of Alexander Svirsky, once lost during the revolution, were regained. The monastery began to revive thanks to God's help and the diligence of the new inhabitants.
New Martyrs of the monastery
The monks who lived in the monastery during the 1918 revolution and suffered for their faith deserve special attention. After the royal family was shot, the power of the Bolsheviks began to gain momentum. Already in January 1918, they began to control the life of the monasteries, forbidding bell ringing, which could be regarded as a counter-revolutionary action.
Svirsky monastery was one of the largest in the region of St. Petersburg, so the new government immediately rushed to this particular monastery. Arriving there six times, the Bolsheviks completely plundered the monastery, wanting to take away the relics of the monk. The Chekists dared to take them out of the holy casket and mock the holy relic. The monks begged not to take away the shrine, and the Bolsheviks made concessions, taking away the precious reliquary and several church items.utensils. Each time, coming to rob the Holy Trinity Monastery of Alexander Svirsky, the new government staged a brawl, getting drunk on church wine intended for communion.
But it didn't end there. The Chekists shot the brethren, taking them out of the monastery into the garden park. The spirit of the monks was not broken, and they accepted death with dignity, singing the Troparion of the Resurrection of Christ. The brethren, killed by the Bolsheviks, were canonized as saints. For a long time, people brought flowers and wreaths to the place of their murder in memory of the valiant spiritual knights of the Lord who gave their lives for the faith.
Holy relic
The relics of Alexander Svirsky remain the main shrine of the monastery. They are in the Transfiguration Cathedral. Anyone who wants to venerate the shrine can do so on weekdays until 6 pm or on weekends after the liturgy. To those who truly believe in the great power of God's ascetic, the Lord grants he alth, deliverance from sickness and sorrow. Near the coffin of Alexander Svirsky, many miracles happened during the entire existence of the monastery. At the relics of the monk, the possessed, hopelessly ill and childless were cured.
Especially memorable is the case of healing at the tomb of Alexander Svirsky of a woman who did not thank the Lord for her salvation. Suffering from insanity, she was instantly healed near the relics of the monk. Having vowed to return to the temple on the great feast of the descent of the Holy Spirit and thank the Almighty and the Holy One, she forgot about it. Saint Alexander, being dead in body but alive in spirit, decided to teachungrateful. On the same day, at the promised hour, he came to her house. A storm broke out, the woman fell on her back, as if someone had grabbed her arm. Hearing the condemning voice of the reverend, she pleaded, asking for help, as she could not move. Alexander Svirsky ordered the woman to go to the Church of the Holy Trinity and receive healing there. With difficulty reaching the church, the woman felt better at the tomb of the monk. Wanting to thank the saint not only for his physical, but also for his spiritual recovery, she and her family ordered a large prayer service and henceforth praised the Lord and her patron, Father Alexander.
Small excursion
Inspection of the temples of the monastery is better to start with the Trinity Cathedral, built in 1695. There is a wondrous rumor that the frescoes on its walls and icons do not fade, but, on the contrary, are renewed and become brighter. The main motifs of the holy images were pictures of heaven and hell, as well as biblical scenes.
When you enter the temple, you will find yourself in front of the fresco "The Blessing of Abraham". The use of this plot is not accidental. As already mentioned, the monastery was erected on the site of the appearance of the Most Holy Trinity to Alexander Svirsky, which until that time only the righteous Abraham could see in its entirety.
The following frescoes open the Old Testament history from the beginning of the creation of the world to the very birth of the Savior. And this whole panorama ends with the Last Judgment, in which all people are divided into the righteous, sons of Abraham, and sinners.
Soul Frigate
Preobrazhenskythe cathedral was built in the shape of a ship - a symbol of spiritual salvation in a sea of worldly needs and sorrow. Crowned with green domes on a tent-shaped roof, it completely rushes upwards, towards heaven and towards God, just like Alexander Svirsky himself once did. In this temple are the relics of the monk, to which you can venerate and ask for prayer intercession.
Not far from the Transfiguration Cathedral is a temple built in honor of Zacharias and Elizabeth, the parents of John the Baptist.
The oldest place
On the territory of the monastery, during the life of the monk, the Church of the Most Holy Theotokos was erected. At this place, the appearance of the Mother of God with the baby to Alexander Svirsky took place. It was here that before the start of the construction of the cathedral, he constantly prayed to the holy monastery. The temple, similar to the royal chambers, has a hipped roof.
Holy Springs
On the territory of the monastery there is a healing spring of Alexander Svirsky. The water in the spring is bright blue. The spring has an extraordinary property - regardless of weather conditions, its temperature is always 6 degrees above zero. This healing water can be drunk from the source or taken with you on the way back. Everyone who has ever tried it speaks of the extraordinary power of the spring. Not far from the monastery itself is another holy spring, named after the Mother of God. Previously, in its place was a chapel, destroyed during the revolution. Nowadays, while clearing the place of the former building, the inhabitants found a board for the icon, and then a miracle happened -in place of the chapel, a spring began to flow from under the ground.
How to get there
Svirsky Monastery is located 21 km from the town of Lodeynoye Pole. You won't need a guide card, as you can simply take the bus from the St. Petersburg bus station to the village of Svirskoye. The whole journey will take about 6 hours.
Another option to get to the monastery is to take the train along the route "St. Petersburg - Lodeynoye Pole". A schematic map of the monastery is sold on its territory in one of the church shops. Since there are about 30 objects in the monastery, including utility buildings, such a hint will certainly come in handy.
Other holy places of the Leningrad Region
Svirsky Monastery is not the only Orthodox complex of its kind on the outskirts of St. Petersburg. Among the main monasteries of the Leningrad region, the following are distinguished:
- Introduced-Oyatsky nunnery. At the beginning of its founding, the monastery was considered male; earlier it was geographically ranked as a Svir monastery. It is here that the relics of the parents of the monk, who followed their son into monastic life, are located. At the end of the 20th century, after a period of decline, the monastery was revived and renamed into a women's one.
- Pokrovsky Tervenichesky convent. The monastery was founded 17 years ago by the sisterhood of one of the churches of St. Petersburg. The monastery is located near the town of Lodeynoye Pole (Leningrad region).
- Vvedensky Tikhvin Monastery, built in 1560, is the same ancient complex as the Svir monastery. Ruin fell to his lot anddestruction by the Swedes. Just like other monasteries in the Leningrad region that were operating at that time, it was closed after the revolution, and some of its buildings were dismantled. At the moment, some buildings on the territory of the monastery have been partially restored.
- Zelenetsky Trinity Monastery was built simultaneously with the Vvedensky monastery by the same architect. The fate of the monastery is as tragic as other Orthodox complexes in the Leningrad region (it has been operating since 1991). On the territory of the monastery, among the significant objects, one can single out the cathedral built in honor of the Holy Trinity, and the Church of the Blessed Virgin Mary.
As it was possible to establish, there were twenty-one cloisters in the vicinity of St. Petersburg. Not all monasteries of the Leningrad region are active - among them there are those that have not survived to this day. For example, the Vokhonovsky Mariinsky Monastery was destroyed at the beginning of the Great Patriotic War and has not yet been restored. Nikolo-Besednaya monastery had the same tragic fate. In its place, a cross was erected in honor of the once-existing Orthodox complex.
Thus, in the area of St. Petersburg, there are 6 destroyed and not restored monasteries, closed to the public. But you can come to the monasteries of the Leningrad region, which are still operating today, at a time convenient for you. They are usually open to the public on both weekdays and weekends.
Pilgrimages and trips to monasteries are a charitable thing. Opening new pages in the history of Orthodoxy, you not only expand your horizons and enrich yourself with new knowledge, but also become closer toGod and faith, moving away from worldly wanderings and troubles, becoming enlightened and spiritually inspired. Without hesitation, go to the area of \u200b\u200bthe city of Lodeynoye Pole. Svir Monastery is waiting for every pilgrim.
