From the top of the hill, on which the Transfiguration Monastery of the city of Murom is located, the divine beauty of the vast vastness opens. These truly epic lands remember many saints who shone in the Russian land. Here, the heavenly patrons of the Peter and Fevronia family praised God, the hero Ilya Muromets accumulated his strength here, and the humble old man Seraphim of Sarov repeatedly visited here. The land of Murom and the monastery remember a lot, which has become an integral part of its history.
The first ray of Orthodoxy in the Murom lands
The Transfiguration Monastery in Murom, which is the oldest in Russia, was founded by Prince Gleb Vladimirovich - the son of Prince Vladimir, who brought the light of Orthodoxy to Russian soil. Having received the city of Murom from his father in possession in 1015, the inhabitants of which at that time were still drowning in the darkness of paganism, the young prince considered it good not to stop there, but to establish his yard by going up the Oka and choosing a place for it on a steep, overgrown with thick forest shore.
Zealous Christian, he soon ordered to erect a temple next to his prince's tower, and when its log walls rose among the centuries-old pines, he attended to the salvation of not only his soul, but all those pagans, whose master and lord was. The baptism of such a vast and lost land in the forests is a difficult task and takes time, so the Lord instructed him to begin the enlightenment of the Murom land from the foundation of the monastery.
Evidence of handwritten monuments of past centuries
About when and by whom the Transfiguration Monastery (Murom) was founded is described in detail in the oldest manuscript monument that came to us from the 16th century. Another ancient document of the 12th century testifies to such an ancient origin of the monastery. It tells us that in 1096, another Murom ruler, Prince Izyaslav Vladimirovich (son of Vladimir Monomakh), died near the monastery walls in a battle with Prince Oleg.
The ancient manuscripts also preserved the memory of the death of another pious prince Yuri Izyaslavovich, who ruled from 1162 to 1174. The place of his repose, as the Ipatiev Chronicle testifies , was the Transfiguration Monastery in Murom, on the territory of which a new church was erected by his command and a bell tower was established. It is not known whether it was stone or timbered, like its predecessor, built by Prince Gleb. It is only said that it was in her that his body was buried.
The next historical document that has come down to us, which mentions the Transfiguration Monastery (Murom), is the annals of the late 15th century. It tells how in 1467 the Novgorod boyar Fyodor Boretsky, the son of the famous posadnik Martha, who led the struggle of the free city of Novgorod for independence from the Moscow Principality, was able to accept monastic tonsure before the death. It should be noted that it was in the customs of that time - on the verge of death to renounce everything earthly and in the "angelic rank" to retreat to another world.
The city has become a military camp
During a victorious expedition to the capital of the Kazan Khanate, undertaken by Ivan the Terrible, one of the routes of the Russian army ran through Murom. The Transfiguration Monastery was the place of his stay for two weeks, during which rafts and plows were built for crossing the Oka.
Historical chronicles report that in July of that year the city looked like a military camp. Numerous camp tents laden with battle flags were shattered on the streets, and warriors were visible everywhere, and the sound of weapons was heard. Here, the king watched from the height of the left bank, on which the monastery was located, over the passage of individual parts through the Oka, to where the Sakan forests began.
Sovereign oath
In those days, the army of Ivan the Terrible was replenished with the Murom squad. The legend says that, leaving the monastery, the sovereign vowed, in case of victory over the adversary, to build a stone temple in it. As you know, this campaign ended with the capture of Kazan, and in 1655, according to him, not one, but several churches were erected, among which the Spassky Cathedral stands out for which the sovereign donated precious church utensils, books, icons and rich vestments.
Despite repeated perestroika, this cathedral has survived to the present day, and as a whole has retained its original appearance. At the sight of his even a cursory glance, it is enough that the outlines of the Moscow Assumption Cathedral come to mind, they are so close in their architectural features. This five-dome, so characteristic of the Moscow style of that era, and a modest ornamentation of the facades, and strict, laconic proportions of both buildings, creating the impression of solidity and severe simplicity.
It is known that the Transfiguration Monastery in Murom owes much to Ivan the Terrible for its economic heyday. The sovereign wrote in his property numerous estates - land holdings with serfs, who became his property. By their labor, the peasants saved the brethren from caring for their daily bread, allowing it to indulge in only soul-saving deeds.
Raid by foreign robbers
In one of the historical chronicles dating back to 1637, there is a record that in 1616, that is, at the very beginning of the reign of Mikhail Fedorovich - the first sovereign of the Romanov dynasty, an armed Lithuanian detachment under the command of Alexander Lisovsky captured Moore. The Transfiguration Monastery, which survived the Time of Troubles relatively safely, was looted these days, and those of the inhabitants who resisted the enemy were killed. The name of this leader of the cavalry detachment, which has repeatedly stained itself by robbing civilians, has gone down in history and has become synonymous with violence and arbitrariness.
Punished disobedience
A bright and full dramatic page in the history of the monastery was the events that followed as a result of the church reform carried out by Patriarch Nikon. As is known, among the innovations he conducted there were significant changes in the order of worship, the introduction of the use of church books newly translated from Greek, the replacement of the previous two-fingers with the sign of the Cross for triple -fingers and much more.
This reform, which was rational in its essence, but carried out hastily and thoughtlessly, provoked protests in the widest sections of society and became the cause of a church schism, the consequences of which are still being felt. According to historical chronicles, in those days the Transfiguration Monastery (Murom) became one of the strongholds of the Old Believers.
His abbot Archimandrite Anthony repeatedly appealed not only to the brethren headed by him, but also to the residents of the city with appeals in which he condemned the changes that violated the usual order of church life established for centuries. The demand for baptism with three fingers was particularly criticized. He even sent a message to Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich, in which he detailed all the claims in relation to the ongoing reform.
So vehemently jealous of the ancient piety, which, in his opinion, was violated, the shepherd did not take into account one extremely important thing - the reform was not only approved by the king, but was carried out under his personal protection. Consequently, criticizing it, he went against the tsar’s will, and at what times in Russia did this go unpunished?
What happened was to be expected. In 1662, the Shrew was removed from the management of the monastery, and after some time he was summoned to Moscow, where his case was examined by the Local Council that was taking place at that time. Neither the popularly brought repentance nor the pastoral merits helped him. For impudence and freethinking, he was deprived of the rank and, like a simple little man, sent to obedience to a distant and poor monastery, where he spent the rest of his days.
The following decades in the life of the monastery
The last decade of the 17th century turned out to be very fertile in the economic life of the monastery. This happened thanks to the generous donations made repeatedly to his treasury by Metropolitan Barsanuphius, who came from the ancient family of wealthy Murom merchants Chertkovs. His bounties erected a stone abbot’s building and reconstructed the Pokrovsky church, which required repair.
The reign of Peter I was not filled with significant events that went down in the history of the monastery. The only significant innovation during this period was the opening on its territory of the only educational institution in the city - a school where children of priests studied. Even though the number of students in it was small, her merit is obvious, since it was she who became the first center of literacy in this vast region.
The hardships of Catherine’s time
The Transfiguration Monastery (Murom) underwent many difficulties and tribulations during the reign of Catherine II. Its economic well-being was greatly undermined by its policy of secularization, that is, expropriations of monastic lands, which were often the main source of income for their owners. Deprived of the allotments granted to him during the time of Ivan the Terrible, the monastery began to decline.
The situation was complicated by the fact that, on the basis of a decree from St. Petersburg in 1765, the nearby Borisoglebsky monastery was abolished, and its inhabitants were transferred to the Transfiguration Monastery (Murom). Of course, income from this did not increase, and the number of mouths increased. The god-loving monks had to tighten their belts even more tightly.
Miracle Athos Icon
The period of trials sent to the monks for their former pride lasted until the seventies of the next century, when Archimandrite Anthony (Ilyin) was appointed rector of the monastery. Having found the farm in an extremely deplorable state, this humble, but very practical shepherd began by going on a pilgrimage to St. Athos to seek help from Heavenly forces there.
His prayers were answered, and he returned with the miraculous icon of the Mother of God “The Naughty One”, which immediately attracted crowds of pilgrims and thereby ensured the flow of funds to the monastery treasury. Due to this, over the next years, it was possible to restore and bring into proper form all the dilapidated monastery buildings by that time.
In addition, in 1892, a three-story brick building was built near the southern wall of the monastery, which housed fraternal cells, and in 1907 another church was built, this time in honor of the martyrs of Kherson. This was the last construction undertaken in the monastery. Inevitably a catastrophe was approaching, which overthrew the great empire and for many decades tearing off the Russian people from its spiritual roots.
Under the yoke of godless power
Soon after the armed coup that took place in 1917, the Transfiguration Monastery (Murom), whose address has since been designated by the name of the revolutionary I.N. Lukin, was closed. The reason for this was the participation of his rector, Bishop Mitrofan (Zagorsky), in the anti-Bolshevik uprising that broke out in Murom in July 1918 and was organized by the White Guard underground. However, the Transfiguration Cathedral located in it continued for two more years to function as a parish church. The monastery cemetery remained open, where civilians were buried.
In the twenties there was a question about the transfer of monastery premises to the jurisdiction of the Murom Museum of Local Lore, but by the end of the decade a military unit was located in them, and the city administration of the NKVD occupied several buildings. The shrines of the Transfiguration Monastery (Murom) were partially transferred to museum funds, and for the most part they were simply destroyed or plundered.
The return of the monastery (more precisely, its ruins) to the bosom of the church
The process of returning their original property to believers began in 1990, when representatives of the initiative group created in the city turned in an open letter to the leadership of the city executive committee with a request to transfer the Transfiguration Monastery (Murom), whose address is: ul. Lakin, 1 a, in the possession of the newly created monastic community. Their initiative was supported by Academician D. S. Likhachev, who applied for assistance to the supreme church leadership.
It took almost five years to overcome the difficulties that arose along this path, but finally, the military unit stationed on the territory of the monastery moved to a new place, freeing up all the premises that have survived to this day. At that time, hieromonk Cyril (Epifanov) became the governor of the reviving monastery.
According to his recollections, the picture presented to him on his first visit to the monastery was truly depressing. The barracks left by the military were dilapidated, and the temple buildings were deprived not only of domes, but even of the roof. Given that there was no money to restore them, one can imagine in its entirety the complexity of the problem facing the governor.
The monastery was rescued for the second time by the very icon of the Mother of God “The Horny,” which was brought from Athos by Archimandrite Anthony and miraculously revived then his material well-being. And although this time it was not found in Greece, but in the funds of the local museum, where it has been stored for many years, the miracle repeated with amazing accuracy - crowds of pilgrims again pulled towards it, and with them the flow of funds that could not set aside for the restoration of the shrine of the city of Murom.
The Transfiguration Monastery in the period from 2000 to 2009 also received significant financial support from the Accounts Chamber of the Russian Federation, due to which it was possible to complete the entire planned complex of restoration work. Today it has been restored in all its original form and has regained the significance of one of the most significant religious centers of Russia.
Transfiguration Monastery (Murom): address and travel organization
Currently, a large and responsible work has been completed. Revived after decades of spiritual decline that reigned in the country, the Transfiguration Monastery (Murom), the photo of which can be seen in this article, attracts not only believers who are going to it, first of all, to worship shrines, but also those who without identifying himself with religion, shows interest in the past of our country.
For all, of course, a complex of historical buildings is attractive. It consists of five objects, the main of which is the cathedral, built in 1552 thanks to donations made by Ivan the Terrible to the Transfiguration Monastery in Murom. The schedule of services resumed in it after completion of work, in general, corresponds to the schedule of services in all the Orthodox churches of the country. On weekdays in the morning they start at 8:00, and in the evening at 17:30. On holidays and Sundays, a late liturgy at 10:00 is added to them.
You can learn about the history of the monastery and everything that has happened over the centuries within its walls from the stories of qualified guides who conduct excursions in it. Those who are attracted to the monastery by religious feelings should contact: Murom, Pilgrimage Center of the Transfiguration Monastery. You can contact him through the website of the monastery. Those who wish to independently organize their pilgrimage are also waiting in this monastery, located at ul. Lukina, 1 a.
Monastery Shrines
In the Transfiguration Monastery (Murom), the hotel of which includes both the common rooms of the male and female departments, as well as separate rooms for visiting families, annually attracts numerous groups of pilgrims. And this is quite natural, given the importance of the shrines stored in the walls of the monastery.
In addition to the Mother of God Icon of the “Quick Hearing”, which was already mentioned in the article, all visitors have the opportunity to bow to one of the most revered icons of St. Seraphim of Sarov. It was written at the beginning of the last century immediately after its canonization by the sisters of the Diveevo monastery founded by him and keeps a particle of the holy relics of the old man. In 2006, silver crayfish with the relics of the holy Monk Ilya of Muromets, which became a prototype of the famous hero in the folk epos - the hero of legends and epics, was added to these shrines. Also, the whole history of the monastery is perceived as a marvelous song of a prophetic slaughter, revived and become visible in our days.