In the summer of 2013, the nuns of the Nativity of Christ Convent in Tver celebrated the six hundredth anniversary of their convent, which had been revived shortly before after a long period of persecution that had befallen the Church in the 20th century. This celebration was the result of a long and painstaking work carried out both by Orthodox activists, supported by the leadership of the Tver diocese, and by a large number of volunteers and, most importantly, sponsors who contributed to the restoration of the trampled shrine.
The brainchild of Bishop Arseniy
The exact date of the founding of the Nativity Monastery in Tver is unknown, but, according to a number of historical documents, this event took place at the end of the 14th century with the blessing of Bishop Arseny of Tver, glorified several centuries later as a saint. Only fragmentary information has come down to us about the initial period in the history of the monastery, from which it is clearthat the nuns made great efforts to equip it and create everything necessary for a full-fledged spiritual life.
The years of the Time of Troubles, when innumerable troubles fell upon Russia, are covered in some more detail in the documents. They did not bypass Tver either. The Monastery of the Nativity was captured by the Lithuanians and completely destroyed. The fruits of many years of labor of his sisters and all that was donated by pious pilgrims were then burned in the fire of the fire. Only in the middle of the 17th century, thanks to the assistance provided by the sovereign Alexei Mikhailovich, its systematic restoration began. The church of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker, which had burned down before, was rebuilt and the cells were rebuilt.
Finding the miraculous image
An important milestone in the history of the monastery was the year 1694, when a young noblewoman, Evdokia Rostopchina, took monastic vows and took the name Elena in monasticism. She brought with her the miraculous Tikhvin Icon of the Mother of God, which to this day is the main shrine of the Nativity Monastery in Tver. This image gained nationwide fame thanks to the many healings and other miracles revealed through prayers offered to the Most Holy Theotokos before him.
Pious donors and patrons of the monastery
At the end of the 18th century, the construction of stone buildings began, replacing the previously constructed wooden buildings. This process was especially successful thanks to the patronage of the monastery by Tsar Paul I, after whose death the pious work of his father was continued by his son, who ascended tothrone Emperor Alexander I Pavlovich.
However, not only the most august persons inscribed their names in the history of the Nativity Monastery - there were many pious people in Tver who did not spare money for charitable deeds. One of its residents, Countess Anna Irodionovna Chernysheva, donated such a significant amount at the end of her life that it was enough for the construction of a stone gate church, a refectory, a sacristy and abbot's chambers.
Construction of the main monastery church
In 1829, a majestic stone cathedral was built on the territory of the monastery, consecrated in honor of the Nativity of Christ. The authorship of his project is attributed to the famous Russian architect of Italian origin K. I. Rossi, who then lived in Tver. The Monastery of the Nativity, which was previously one of the most famous spiritual centers in Russia, has since become a place of mass pilgrimage, which served to further its prosperity. At the same time, a school for girls from families of the clergy was opened in one of its buildings.
It is curious to note that an attempt to erect a five-domed Cathedral of the Nativity of Christ was first undertaken back in 1812, immediately after the expulsion of the French from Russian soil. However, then it almost turned into a tragedy. When the huge stone building was roughly completed, it suddenly collapsed, and it was only by sheer luck that no one was hurt.
A period of trouble and humiliation
After the Bolsheviks came to power, the monastery,which had almost five centuries of its history, was closed. The sisters and novices were evicted, and their cells were given over to housing workers of the local factory. Warehouses were placed in two monastery churches - Christ of the Nativity and the Resurrection of Christ, which are striking architectural monuments. In the mid-1930s, the bell tower was demolished and a magnificent stone fence, once erected with publicly raised funds, was dismantled. This began a long and difficult period of desecration and destruction of the Tver shrine.
The post-war years brought even greater troubles to the once glorious monastery visited by millions of pilgrims. Its main Cathedral of the Nativity of Christ was converted to house a sports complex. To this end, it was required not only to remove all the elements of interior decoration that still remained by that time, but also to completely redevelop it. In particular, floors were raised by one and a half meters, and locker rooms, showers and a sauna were arranged in the basement expanded in this way. The central part of the temple was converted into a basketball court, and where the altar was placed before, they arranged a hall for bodybuilding.
The revival of the trampled shrine
Only with the onset of perestroika, when the attitude towards religion changed, both the members of the government and the majority of ordinary citizens, had the opportunity to return the desecrated shrine to the Church, which happened in March 1999. However, before the first liturgy took place in the main church of the monastery, a greatamount of restoration work. Eyewitnesses testify that all the monastery buildings were in disrepair - roofs were leaking, walls were covered with fungus and mold, and the window frames of most buildings were rotten.
Today - after a long cycle of restoration and restoration work - the Nativity Monastery (Tver), the photo of which is presented in the article, has again returned to the number of the most famous spiritual centers of Russia. As in previous years, pilgrims from all over the country come to it to bow to the shrines stored in it, saved during the years of atheistic hard times.
Conclusion
To everyone who wants to join their stream, we inform the address of the Nativity Monastery: Tver, Proletarsky settlement. 1a.
Everyone who visits it will be able to kneel before the holy images placed in three fully restored churches: the Nativity of Christ, the Ascension of Christ and also the gate church of the Holy Savior. In addition, it will be interesting to see the hospital Trinity Church located there and the restored corner tower of the monastery.
At the end of the article, we will inform everyone who is going to make a pilgrimage to Tver, the schedule of services of the Nativity of Christ Monastery. On weekdays, hours and liturgy begin at 7:00, and evening services are held at 16:00. On Saturdays, a memorial service is performed, and on Sundays, prayer services.
