Ascension Monastery (Tambov): description, history, abbess

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

The Ascension Monastery in Tambov is one of the city's main Orthodox sights. It is located on Moskovskaya Street, in the place where it intersects with the street. B. Vasilyeva. It belongs to the Tambov diocese. On its territory there are many buildings. This place is interesting for its history. And today thousands of pilgrims come here not only from all over Russia, but also from foreign countries.

Foundation of the monastery

The foundation of the Ascension Monastery in Tambov dates back to the distant 1690. At its source were St. Pitirim together with the Bishop of Tambov. They chose a place for it in the north of the city, which turned out to be very successful, since it so happened that the monastery has survived to this day without major restructuring.

Bishop Pitirim is an outstanding person of his time, who was engaged in Orthodox and educational work. He made a significant contribution to the development and formation of the Tambov diocese.

Today, little is known about the initial stages of the development of the monastery. The fact is that many documents prepared for its foundation, as well as other valuable things, were lost as a result of a fire,which happened here in 1724.

Only two decades after this event, the Ascension Convent began to revive and develop anew. At the same time, a monastery wall was erected around it.

The expansion of the territory and the increase in the number of buildings proceeded gradually. In ancient times, the monastery was in poverty. Initially, 18 wooden cells were erected.

The first church within the framework of this monastery was founded only in 1791 according to the project of I. Kruglikov and Nathanael. In the future, the church was repaired and painted several times, the Church of St. John of Kronstadt and other churches were built, which today adorn the Ascension Monastery in Tambov.

History of the monastery

The Ascension Convent, like other wooden structures, often burned at that time. The largest fire in the monastery happened in 1724. It took two decades for the revival.

The history of the Ascension Monastery consists of a series of events that did not always have a positive effect on its development. One of its most important milestones is the laying of the first church stone. The work on the construction of the temple was fully carried out with funds received from the townspeople and pilgrims as donations.

Already in 1816, the total number of novices and nuns in this monastery reached one and a half hundred.

The second large church in the monastery began to be built only at the beginning of the 19th century. They completed the construction and painting of it in 1820. Then she was consecrated, after which shereceived the name of the Church of the Icon of the Sorrowful Mother of God.

The development of the monastery in the XIX century

In tsarist Russia, monasticism flourished in the 19th-20th centuries. The Tambov Ascension Monastery also actively developed. Women's monasticism especially expanded in those distant years - over the course of a century, the number of women's monasteries increased by about five times. Moreover, many of them were newly formed.

In the early 1800s, there was only one convent in the Tambov diocese.

From the second half of the century, young monasteries were actively rebuilt and developed.

On the territory of the Ascension Monastery in those days there was only the Ascension Church, which occupied the southern part, as well as several monastic cells, which formed a quadrangle by their location.

It was during this period that the first renovation of the Ascension Monastery in Tambov began in the monastery. It was refurbished in 1906. At the same time, the workers expanded and rebuilt it, moving a couple of side aisles.

Renovated Ascension Church was completely renovated by 1907. It was carefully finished from the inside - the workers not only inserted new doors and windows into the structure, but also paved the floors throughout the church, as well as the altar, plastered and painted the vaults, and installed iconostases. Both the walls and the roof of the structure were finished with oil paint.

Such a large-scale construction and reconstruction was carried out in the Tambov Ascension Monastery under the leadership ofabbess Eugenia. In the same period, a public prosforna was built on the territory of the monastery. This premises became one of the main sources of income for the monastery, supplying prosphora to other churches in the city.

In 1868, another division was opened in the monastery - a shelter for girls. At first, it was placed in one of the old wooden buildings, but by the end of the century, a separate brick house was erected for the shelter.

At the end of the 19th century, the number of buildings in the monastery increased significantly. Here, in addition to the buildings listed above, a large sister building, a water intake station, a brick refectory, a laundry room and a bathhouse appeared.

Revival of the monastery in the XX century

At the end of the 19th century, the monastery blossomed and changed. At the beginning of the 20th century, positive changes also awaited him. So, in 1904, the orphanage for girls moved to a three-story stone building. At that time, it was already called the parochial school, later it received the name St. Olginskaya. More than two hundred girls were studying here, half of whom lived on the territory of the monastery.

One of the main achievements of the monastery of those times was the development of this school. According to the documents, at that time the parish school occupied a leading position in the diocese.

The monastic production flourished and developed in those years. Since the beginning of the 20th century, a beekeeper has been kept here, silver and gold icons have been embroidered, bishop's mitres have been produced, and raw materials have been woven.fabrics, the orchard grew and rejoiced with crops, cloths for cassocks and mantles were inked.

Until its closure, the monastery remained the largest Orthodox center on the territory of the Tambov province.

But since 1918, the monastery passed into Soviet ownership, like many other religious sites. All buildings of the monastery were used for urban purposes.

Current State

By the Decree of the Holy Synod of December 1992, the Ascension Convent was reopened in Tambov to conduct monastic life on its territory.

In recent years, the monastery again moved to active revival and development. The original Church of the Icon of the Sorrowful Mother of God was restored here, and a two-storey building was built, which also included a baptismal church, known as the Church of St. John of Kronstadt. Later, there was a hotel to accommodate pilgrims and a new building for Sunday school activities.

Ascension Cathedral was consecrated in 2014.

Today, daily services are held in the monastery. The number of residents is increasing. A large library opened here a few years ago.

Temples

There are several churches on the territory of the modern Ascension Monastery:

1. Church of St. Anthony of the Caves.
2. Church of John of Kronstadt.
3. Chapel in honor of the nun Myropia.
4. Ascension Cathedral.
5. Church of the Icon of the Mother of God of Sorrows.
6. Water-sanctifiedchapel.

Monastery shrines

After the re-opening of the monastery, several shrines have already appeared in its temples. Many pilgrims come to the relics of St. Martha of Tambov. They were handed over to the monastery on September 23, 2005.

Besides this, other ancient icons, the relics of saints are kept here.

As a conclusion

At the moment, the convent continues its active development. In addition to expanding and updating the buildings located on its territory, attention is also paid to the little things. Not so long ago, the area directly in front of the main temple was completely asph alted. They also put in order all the paths passing through the monastery. The local flower gardens received patterned cast iron railings.

Under the leadership of the current abbess of the Ascension Monastery, nun Tabitha, who has held this post for more than a decade, the monastery is actively flourishing. She was recently recognized as one of the most beautiful in the Tambov diocese.