Alekseevo-Akatov Convent, Voronezh

2024 Author: Miguel Ramacey | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 06:11

The oldest and most beautiful Alekseev-Akatov convent in Voronezh was originally a male monastery. Today it is a small paradise and a real pearl of the city, where many Orthodox believers want to go. It has a very rich and interesting history, however, it is connected with tragic and difficult events. The thing is that this monastery was founded in 1620. It was at that time that the townspeople made a vow, in case of victory over the Lithuanians and Circassians, to build a temple. The battle with the enemies took place on the day of memory of the Metropolitan of Moscow and All Russia, St. Alexis the Wonderworker. In honor of him, a temple was later built on the large Akatova Polyana - a dense forest hill, located not far from Voronezh, which gave the name to the newly created monastery. This is how the future female Akatov Monastery of Voronezh was founded, the schedule of services and the address of which will be presented at the end.

Holy Desert

The nunnery located in the city of Voronezh, photowhich is presented in all its splendor and fertile fragrance, was supplemented by the fact that in 1999 the Vvedenskaya Church moved to it. It is one of the most beautiful churches in the city. Currently, many pilgrims come to the convent of Voronezh who want to bow to the Voronezh New Martyrs and shrines.

As for history, Abbot Kirill was appointed the first rector, who in 1600 founded the monastery of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary.

An old document found about him indicates that wooden buildings were first built on its territory - a church, a cell of the abbot and several cells for the elders.

Monastery

The future nunnery in Voronezh on Manezhnaya was originally built on the basis of a hermit's dwelling - hermitage. At that time, there were seven monks in the brotherhood, together with the abbot. Their names have been miraculously preserved: hegumen Cyril, Joseph the “black priest”, the elder monks Theodosius, Savvaty, Avraamiy, Lavrenty and Nikon. Over time, the number of inhabitants increased, as the Assumption Monastery was abolished, which found itself in cramped circumstances on the memorable days of Peter I's stay, as it was located next to shipyards.

From the end of the 17th century to the beginning of the 19th century, the Akat Monastery was a male monastery, which for a long time remained the only one in the city.

The Mother of God icon "Three Hands"

The appearance in the future convent of Voronezh of the monastery's shrine - a miraculous icon is associated with the name of Archimandrite NicanorVirgin "Three-handed", representing a list from an ancient image. She was brought from the New Rusalim Resurrection Monastery, from where the archimandrite began his monasticism, where he was rector in recent years. This icon is especially loved by the people of Voronezh, they have always believed in its miraculous power.

But during the reign of Empress Catherine the Great, due to her church reforms, the number of monasteries decreased. Alekseevsky Monastery was assigned to the second class. Only 17 people could be included in his staff. The monastery was left with 8 acres of land and a lake for fishing.

Convent life

The Convent of Voronezh on Manezhnaya has not changed its address since 1620. Since that time, little is known about the life of this holy monastery. But here it is worth mentioning the God-wise monk, a resident of the monastery, the revered Zadonsk elder schemamonk Agapit (then he was hieromonk Avvakum). The ascetic of piety, having received a blessing from St. Tikhon and his schemamonk Mitrofan, labored to live in the Alekseevsky monastery.

The name of another Zadonsk ascetic, who lived several decades earlier, is associated with the convent of Voronezh - the young nobleman Georgy Alekseevich Mashurin, whose pious life and letters, which were repeatedly published, influenced the salvation of many souls.

The remaining information about the monastery of the 18th-9th centuries mainly concerns the external and official side of the life of the monastery. The works of the abbots on the beautification and construction of the monastery, as well as their spiritual and educational work, became more famous, since this positionprovided for a combination with the post of rector of the seminary. Since 1742, the monastery has been under the control of vicar bishops of Ostrogozhsky.

Voronezh Convent

For example, Archimandrite Hilarion (Bogolyubov) compiled a more complete description of the Voronezh Alekseev-Akatov Monastery (1859) for his time. At the end of the 19th century, a special spiritual and educational flowering of the monastery took place, thanks to the work of His Grace Vladimir Sokolovsky, who had vast missionary and pedagogical experience.

It was at this time that the Diocesan School Council and the Orthodox Missionary Committee, the teacher's and regency school were operating in the monastery, where theological conversations and readings were accompanied by light paintings, the boys' choir was trained (Vladyka himself paid a lot of attention to their education).

The Abode has been built and decorated throughout its existence. First, a two-story church was built, made of stone (1804-1819), which is still operating and even well preserved. The lower church was consecrated in 1812 in honor of the Resurrection of Christ (today it bears the name in honor of St. Alexis). The project was created by the provincial architect I. Volkov. The money for the construction was donated by the widow Evdokia Anikeeva. The bell tower of the monastery today is the oldest building in Voronezh, dating back to 1674.

Brotherhood

We have almost nothing about how the monastic brethren lived, about their prayerful labors, secret deeds and consolationswe don't know. However, the revival of the monastery monastery almost a hundred years later shows that their labors and prayers were not in vain. The life of the monks was intimate in Bose and hidden from human eyes.

The terrible trials that befell the Russian Orthodox Church did not bypass the Akatov Monastery. When many churches were closed or taken away by the renovationists. Previously little known in the 1920s, Akatov Monastery became the center of the spiritual life of the city and the seat of the diocesan bishop. In 1926, Metropolitan Vladimir (Shimkovich), an archpastor, a humble elder who courageously defended Orthodoxy before the theomachists of the existing government, began to live here.

Ascetics of the faith

There was a house nearby that still exists today. Hieromartyr Peter (Zverev) lived in it. He did not live there for long, about a year, but his ministry in the city wrote bright pages in the history of the city. In the monastery, Vladyka often held services and preached. Many believers gathered to listen to him, who loved Archbishop Peter as a true servant of the Orthodox faith, its charters and canons. At that time, the monastic rector was Archimandrite Innokenty (Beda). He was a very close person to Vladyka, his cell-mate and cell-attendant. Together they were arrested, and then exiled to the Solovetsky camp, where they died. First, in 1927, Hieromartyr Peter, and in 1928, Archimandrite Innokenty.

Arrests

The last rector of Alekseev-Akatov had to take the same cup of Christ's suffering in the 30sMonastery to Archimandrite Tikhon (Krechkov). He was arrested on false charges of counter-revolutionary activities and shot in the vicinity of Voronezh on the day of the memory of the prophet Elijah (August 2). The protocol of his interrogation was kept. In it you can see indisputable evidence of his unshakable faith and deep wisdom. It was written there that he did not say the words that communication with the atheists is the same as crucifying Christ, and that when he came to the villages, he did not talk about the persecution of religion, although there were such conversations among the peasants.

Together with their rector, the monastery brethren were also martyred: hieromonks Kosma (Vyaznikov) and Georgy (Pozharov), as well as the priests who served in the monastery, Sergiy Gortinsky and Feodor Yakovlev. In 2000 they were canonized by the Council of Bishops of the Russian Orthodox Church as Russian New Martyrs.

In the summer of 1931 the monastery was closed. What fate awaited his inhabitants remained unknown, there were no witness documents about this.

Times of oblivion

And then, for several decades, the new government ruined the holy monastery and betrayed it for desecration. All monastery property was destroyed, liturgical utensils and the miraculous image of the Mother of God of the Three Hands disappeared without a trace, the library and archive were confiscated.

All the buildings of the future female Akatov Monastery in Voronezh were used for various needs and were often used in the most inappropriate way. There were apartments, and warehouses, and art workshops, and stables. There were abuses over the graves of the monastery cemetery. Furtherit was razed to the ground, on which everything was overgrown with weeds. Only one bell tower remained, sadly and lonely rising above the mournful picture of the devastated monastery. It was only in the 70s that the bell tower was taken under protection as a historical monument and partially restored in 1986.

Opening of the monastery

In the 90s, restoration work began on the territory of the entire monastery, when, with the blessing of the Russian Patriarch Alexy II, it was transferred to the Voronezh diocese, and then a convent was opened here. On the day of the Kazan Icon of the Mother of God (November 4, 1990), the prayers of the Divine Liturgy finally began to sound in the temple. In early January 1992, ten sisters received their first tonsure. Among them was the nun Varvara (Sazhneva), who soon became abbess and was elevated to the rank of abbess (April 1993).

At present, fifty sisters serve and work for the Glory of God in the monastery. A few more permanently live nearby in the courtyard of the monastery, where they take care of the household - cows, calves and various poultry. The sisters also cultivate the land during seasonal work. Since 1994, the monastery has been teaching children from 5 to 15 years of age the Law of God, the Church Slavonic language, church singing and the basics of painting in its Sunday school.

Restoration work

Many relics of God-wise fathers, myrrh-streaming icons and various shrines are stored in the women's Akatov monastery in Voronezh. The schedule of services may change, and here you need to beattentive so as not to be late for the service or, even worse, miss it.

Now everything has been restored on the territory of the monastery: both the temple and the bell tower, the cell buildings, the chapel for prayers of water and the chapel for the New Martyrs of Voronezh with icons made of mosaics, and a refectory have been rebuilt. Temple paintings in the temple were re-made. Initially, Voronezh icon painters under the direction of V. Gladyshev decorated the lower temple with frescoes, then, the Yelets icon painter V. Marchenko worked on them. When the work was completed, the church was consecrated by Metropolitan Sergius of Voronezh on the day of commemoration of St. Anthony of Smirnitsky, a locally venerated saint, glorified in 2003.

Convent in Voronezh on Manezhnaya: address, how to get there

It is located in the private sector next to the reservoir near the Chernavsky bridge. There is no hotel in the monastery. However, by prior arrangement for an overnight stay, the monastery can accommodate up to 25 pilgrims, preferably women. Employees are also accepted by agreement.

Today this heavenly place is at rest under the veil of the Mother of God. Many people come to the women's monastery in Voronezh. The schedule of services here is almost always the same. On weekdays, the early Liturgy begins at 7.30. On Sundays and Twelve Feasts, two Liturgies are celebrated: the first in the morning at 6.30 and the second at 8.30. Evening service in summer starts at 17.00, and in winter - at 16.00.

For those who are interested in how to get to the nunnery of Voronezhaddress: Voronezh, st. Liberation of Labor, 1B, you must be told that you can get to the stop at Manezhnaya by bus number 6, 8, 62, 52, 79, 98, 101, as well as by trolleybus number 8 or fixed-route taxi 20, 77k, 104, 386.