Interest in the spiritual life and the Orthodox Christian faith has a growing trend in society. For some, it is due to the love of history, and for many it is an urgent need and the only way to understand the world, to find an inner core. The forerunners of many churches were the insights of holy people, a rich historical heritage, and the St. Varsonofievskaya Convent (Mordovia) was no exception.
History
At first glance, the St. Barsanofievskiy convent has a very short biography, only twenty years. But the prehistory of the monastery began much earlier, with the command of Anna Ioannovna about the baptism of the Moksha people. It happened in 1740. The inhabitants of Selishche showed not only obedience, but zeal for religious life. In 1756, the community built two wooden churches at once: Pokrovsky and Nikolsky. The Church of the Intercession was summer, and the village got its church name from it - Pokrovsky Selishchi, and in Nikolsky services were ruled in the cold season.
By the beginning of the 19th century, the Pokrovo-Selishchansky parish included5500 people. Over time, the settlement grew and was divided into two parish villages. The Intercession Selishchi remained at the Nikolsky Church, and the parishioners of the village of Novye Vyselki or Borzunovka (3,900 parishioners) visited the Intercession Church, which had the Nikolsky chapel.
By the middle of the 19th century, in 1854, a large stone church was built in the village of Novye Vyselki, where three thrones were placed: the Intercession of the Most Holy Theotokos and the chapels, consecrated in honor of the Great Equal-to-the-Apostles Prince Vladimir and the Great Martyr Irina. The temple repeated the architecture of the Seraphim-Diveevsky monastery.
After the revolution of the 17th
After the revolution, the fight against religion began, but for some time the parishioners managed to keep the temples. In 1934, the church in Novye Vyselki was completely destroyed. In Pokrovsky Selishche, the churches were intact, but not functioning, they housed the storage facilities of the local commune. The crosses from the domes were knocked down, and the bell tower was completely destroyed.
In 1975, local authorities classified both temples, Nikolsky and Pokrovsky, as architectural monuments, they became valuable objects protected by the state. But, despite such subtleties of history, the summer temple was destroyed. But the parishioners had faith and hope that the domes of the new monastery would rise up on the site of the destroyed churches, and this faith is connected with a local legend.
The post-revolutionary years account for a local story about the blessed old woman Daria. Old-timers say that Daria was born in the village of Pokrovsky Selishchi, having matured, believed in God andbecame a seer. About eighty years ago, she made a prophecy that on the site of the local Intercession Church "God's grace will shine, and a huge candle will burn here from earth to the sky!"
Return parish
In 1991, the revival of spiritual life began in the village of Novye Selishchi. The first significant event was the formation of the Saransk diocese, where the inhabitants applied with a request to return the church and form a parish. Requests were addressed to Bishop Barsanuphius, and in 1992 the St. Nicholas Church was returned to the community. It required repair, restoration and new consecration. The ceremony took place on February 7 of the same year, the church was consecrated in honor of St. Barsanuphius, Bishop of Tver and Kazan wonderworker.
The solemn liturgy was performed by the rector of the temple Alexy. Women often become active participants in the restoration of churches and the most zealous parishioners. This was also the case in the parish church, where a small community of sisters was quickly organized. A lot of work was done by the hands of the sisters, and the number of adherents gradually increased.
The birth of a monastery
The team of sisters, united by faith and the desire to devote their lives to monastic service, increased. Their labors ennobled the territory where the St. Varsonofievsky Convent (Mordovia) would soon be formed. Hegumen Alexy was the first in labor, in prayer and instruction.
Residentsurrounded by a high (2.5 meters) wall, arched iron gates were made to enter the territory. The arrangement of the monastery immediately had a large scale: the rector's building was built, a room for the production of prosphora. Cells were intended for the sisters in the renovated library building. We made a bookmark for a bakery, houses for novices, a bakery, a bathhouse and a cowshed. To provide for their own needs, they laid out a garden with fruit trees and berry bushes in the courtyard, marked out and planted a vegetable garden.
In 1996, twenty sisters labored in the monastic life at the church, which, according to the rules of church life, made it possible to rename the community into a monastery after a corresponding petition. The decree on renaming was issued on February 22, 1996.
Monastic Life
St. Varsonofievsky Convent (Mordovia) since its foundation lives according to monastic laws. The organizer of the monastery, hegumen Alexy, and the abbess, abbess Varsonofia, are making every effort to develop the monastery. More than a hundred sisters have already been living in the monastery by the cenobitic charter. Significant issues of monastic and monastic life are resolved by the Spiritual Council.
St. Varsonofievsky convent adopted a strict charter of monasticism as a rule. Here, every day during the day, a large circle of services is performed, the Ps alter is constantly read, prayers are performed to the saints on the days of the week. Daily memorial services have become a tradition, prayers are performed in honor of the Mother of God.
Sisters strive to acceptzealous participation in all church rituals and prayers. In addition to the general church service, there are monastic morning and evening rules. One of the important daily events is the evening cross procession around the monastery with the icon of the feast of the day or St. Barsanuphius.
The White Temple and its wonders
St. Varsonofievsky Convent currently has eight churches, one of which is located near the life-giving spring. The monastery is rightfully proud of the Cathedral of the Resurrection of Christ. Cross-domed church with ten domes and a bell tower. The snow-white majestic church was founded in 2002, the author of the project is Kurbatov V. V. The bell tower is 39 meters high, and its “voice” consists of eight bells. Festive, the most powerful hundred pounds bell is decorated with a commemorative inscription.
This temple has an interesting history. When they chose a place for its construction, they could not make any decision for a long time. The abbot and the sisters of the monastery asked for God's help in this matter. Once, a fire broke out in a purchased farmstead, which consisted of a stone house and wooden outbuildings. This site was previously bought by the monastery from an ardent opponent of religion. As a result of the fire, only the house survived, and the wooden buildings were completely burned down. As it turned out later, they were built from the logs of an old village temple. So the Lord showed the flock where to stand for the new cathedral.
Also, in the lower church of the cathedral, during the construction in 2003, before the Nativity Fast, there was an amazing event. On the ceiling of the temple under construction, a cross shining with hoarfrost appearedof the correct form, he consecrated the St. Varsonofievskaya convent and the construction of the temple before the start of Lent.
The iconostasis in the Cathedral of the Resurrection of Christ is unique - it was created especially for this church by ceramics masters of Yekaterinburg and has four tiers. The cathedral was consecrated in a solemn atmosphere in early June 2012 (during the celebration of the Week of All Saints).
Temples of the monastery and the holy spring
In addition to the Cathedral of the Resurrection of Christ, the following churches are located on the territory of the monastery and beyond: St. Barsanuphius (the former St. Nicholas Church), Nicholas the Wonderworker, the Intercession of the Most Holy Theotokos, Archangel Michael, the Martyr Panteleimon the Healer, the chapel and the church of the icon of the Don Mother of God or Life-giving source.
The most revered shrines in the monastery include a spring with healing power, which is confirmed by many facts of recovery from ailments. The source has been known since time immemorial. According to legend, he was found by a little blind girl, who had a dream the day before, telling about the place where she should wash herself. As a result, the girl received her sight and saw the icon of the Don Mother of God. Since then, the spring has been a place of pilgrimage for numerous Selishchansky parishioners and people from different parts of the country.
The source has always been revered, there has been a chapel from time immemorial. It was destroyed immediately after the revolution, and the holy place remained for a long time without any special signs, but the flow of those suffering from it did not dry up. The situation changed in 2000 whenBy the efforts of the sisters and the funds of patrons, a temple was erected near the spring in honor of the icon of the Don Mother of God. Since 2007 there has been an indoor bath.
The St. Varsonofievskiy convent (Mordovia) took care of the source and the temple. Photos of religious processions with a large flock, accompanied by priests, sisters of the monastery, testify to the respectful and Christian attitude to the iconic place. The procession takes place on the feast of Mid-Pentecost, anyone can take part.
In the warm season, prayers are held every Wednesday for the icon of the Inexhaustible Chalice. A special holiday is the day of honoring the icon of the Mother of God of the Don (September 1). On this day, a solemn prayer service is served, words of gratitude are raised to the Queen of Heaven.
Worldly cares
The main concern of monastics is prayer, but in any monastery a lot of time is devoted to worldly affairs. Monastic life can be considered an attempt to create an ideal community where mutual understanding, prayer, love for any neighbor and unceasing work for the common welfare reign. St. Varsonofievsky Convent in its short history demonstrates adherence to the fundamental principles of Orthodoxy, where the social sphere is just as important as the prayer rule.
At the monastery there is an orphanage for girls, for whom life at the monastery means normal socialization, education and, above all, love. Many of them have seen a lot of grief in their short lives,traumatized by parental rejection, cruelty. There are several pupils with disabilities. Girls live at the monastery, receive a full school education. To reveal their talents, the sisters teach them all kinds of needlework, drawing, singing. Pupils are full participants in monastic life.
Given due attention to the elderly members of the community. An almshouse has been set up for them, where elderly nuns and pious lay women who have no relatives live. They receive medical care and care. For spiritual needs in the building there is a temple of Panteleimon the Healer, bedridden patients take communion in their cells. The medical center at the monastery provides professional assistance not only to its inhabitants, but also to local residents. Reception is conducted by nurses with medical education.
Righteous works
The life of the sisters is filled with labors and prayers to the brim. For their own provision, gardens and orchards were planted on the monastic lands, wheat, rye and other agricultural crops are grown. Animal farm is filled with living creatures, there are cows, goats, sheep. Chickens, ducks, turkeys, geese are bred in the monastery. Fish splashing in the ponds.
The apothecary garden of the monastery is one of the places where it is pleasant to visit and learn new things about the surrounding plants, to understand their medicinal properties. The traditions of folk medicine are supported by the St. Varsonofievsky Convent. The ointments made by the sisters are very popular and cure many diseases. The drug is basednatural raw materials - beeswax, medicinal herbs and God's blessing.
In 2004, the monastery won the main prize of the thematic exhibition "Christmas gift" for medicinal fees and a blend of herbs. Preparations, herbal and medicinal teas can be purchased at exhibitions, directly at the monastery, or you can apply to the monastery in any convenient way.
The sisters have a lot of worries, and everything needs to be done in time. Here they take care of the sick, teach and take care of children, the sisters themselves read a lot of spiritual literature, continue their own education. A lot of time is devoted to local history research. Abbess Barsanuphius manages the way of life with a firm hand, the St. Barsanuphievsky Convent flourishes with her labors and prayers. Matushka Jeremiah is acting as the accountant of the monastery, she is energetic, full of strength and energy, ready to do more than she is supposed to do.
The nuns zealously observe the charter of the monastery, which requires humility, renunciation of one's own will and many prayers and services. The chores of a varied economy also lie on their shoulders. At the monastery there are workshops for tailoring vestments for priests, an icon painting workshop, a bookbinding workshop, the art of embroidery is being improved, warm clothes are knitted.
Reviews
A large flow of pilgrims annually goes to the St. Barsanofievskiy women's monastery. Reviews about the monastery are the most flattering, filled with words of gratitude and some surprise. For visitors it often becomessurprising that such a large monastery has a very short history. But, having become better acquainted with the sisters, their way of life and the general mood prevailing in the monastery, everyone will understand why it has blossomed so much in a short time. An atmosphere of benevolence, active active kindness, obedience, love for neighbors and for any work reigns here.
Many people were surprised by the rule to settle pupils with sisters in the same cell, which pursues family education for children who have lost parental love early. This fact does not cause denial, but is an unusual form of guardianship. Looking at children, it becomes clear that there are many benefits from such a tradition, but no harm at all.
Pilgrims were pleased to see the well-groomed territory, large lands and participate in the prayer life of the monastery in accordance with the local charter. Many people are helping the sisters in any way they can through deeds, financial contributions, or simply prayer.
The number of pilgrims is constantly growing, and in many respects this is the merit of hegumen Alexy (St. Father Alexei, whose reviews are flattering, as one of the most authoritative clergymen of the Saransk diocese, is doing everything possible for the monastery. It was through his tireless labors that the nunnery in Pokrovsky Selishchi arose and flourishes. His active position and unshakable faith not only support the monastic life, but also changed the village way of life, for which the locals are grateful to the abbot.
Useful information
Address where the monastery is located: Zubovo-Polyansky district, the village of Pokrovsky Selishchi, Svyato-Varsonofievskiy women's monastery (Mordovia). Phone for information and communication: 8(987) 683-03-94.
For those who wish, pilgrimage trips in a group are constantly organized, resettlement takes place in the hotel of the monastery. You can also go on your own to the St. Varsonofievsky Convent (Mordovia). How to get there: by rail, get to the Zubova Polyana station (Kazanskoye direction), then transfer to a suburban bus for the next flight to the city of Spassk or the village of Pichlanda, get off at the Novye Vyselki stop and walk to the monastery (about 2 km). GPS navigator coordinates: N54°0'12.72" E43°0'9.79".
