A rare question causes historians to have such lively discussions as the time of the founding of the St. Nicholas-Perervinsky Monastery, once one of the largest and most famous not only in Moscow, but throughout Russia. Contrary to documentary evidence, there is a persistent legend claiming that its creation was connected with the Battle of Kulikovo, which, as is known, occurred in 1380, and that the participants in this historical event were the first inhabitants of the monastery.
Cloister on the river bank
But no matter when the monastery appeared, the place for it was chosen extremely well. The cells of the first inhabitants were built on a hill near the banks of the Moskva River, in front of which there was a picturesque expanse of Russian distances, and the domes of Moscow churches glittered in the distance. It was gratifying, having retreated from the sins and temptations of the sea of life, to unite here with spiritual messengers with the Eternal Creator.
The very name of the monastery is also curious. It is generally accepted (on the basis of all the same legends) that it came from the geographic outline of the Moscow River, as if interrupting the direction of its current in this place and making a sharp turn to the right, in the direction of the village of Kolomensky, located opposite this place. However, it is known that the original name of the Nikolo-Perervinsky monastery was different: Nikola Stary.
Monastery in ancient letters
That is what the monastery was called in the days preceding its first mention in documents that have come down to us, which, by the way, is an indirect evidence of its antiquity. The logic is simple - if the monastery in those years was listed as “old”, therefore, it was founded much earlier.
The name Perervinsky first appears in one of the decrees of Tsar Mikhail Fedorovich, dated 1623. From this document it appears that on the territory of the monastery there was a log church in honor of St. Nicholas, and, in addition to the monk-Chernets, there were two elders and the abbot. During the Polish invasion, the monastery was devastated, as well as most of the monasteries near Moscow, and it is difficult to say whether the church mentioned in the decree was saved from the fire, or was rebuilt at the end of the Time of Troubles.
Under the auspices of the first tsars of the Romanovs
The reign of the first of the Romanovs, Sovereign Mikhail Fedorovich, was a period of active growth and expansion of the Nikolo-Perervinsky Monastery. Records of the generous contributions made by him, as well as by clergy and secular persons who donated both sums of money, and liturgical books and all kinds of church utensils, were preserved.
Active construction in the monastery began with the accession to the throne of his son - the next sovereign, Alexei Mikhailovich Tishayshago. Thanks to his patronage and financial assistance in 1649, two stone churches were laid at once - in honor of the Assumption of the Mother of God, which was consecrated a year later, and Nicholas the Wonderworker - a larger building, completed and consecrated in 1654.
Iversky Chapel
In the same reign, but two decades later, the stone church of Sergius of Radonezh appeared, and in Moscow itself, by the highest decree, a chapel was assigned to the monastery in the area of the Neglinsky gate (later the Resurrection), then commonly known as Iverskaya. It got its name as a result of the fact that since 1669 it kept a list of the Iveron Icon of the Mother of God brought from Athos , to which all of Moscow gathered on holidays. In this regard, the St. Nicholas-Perervinsky Monastery received even greater fame, and hence the influx of pilgrims.
During the reign of Peter I
The end of the 17th century in the history of the Nicholas-Perervinsky Monastery is inextricably linked with the name of the Patriarch Adrian, who was an ardent supporter of Russian antiquity and, to the extent possible, shunned the innovations brought into life by Peter. However, full of true Christian humility, he did not consider it possible to raise a voice against the Anointed of God, but retired to the Nicholas-Perervinsky monastery dear to his heart. There, specially for him, a room was built, called the “Patriarchal Cells” and for several years became the site of his solitary prayers. During this period, service in the St. Nicholas Perervinsky Monastery was carried out with special magnificence.
The brainchild of Patriarch Adrian
At his own expense, Patriarch Adrian built on the site of the three previously erected churches dismantled by his decree a two-story stone church, consecrated in honor of St. Nicholas. This attracted a large number of pilgrims to the St. Nicholas Perervinsky Monastery. The opening hours of the new church were not limited only to the schedule of services, but lasted until late at night.
It is characteristic that the features of the temple dominated by the Old Russian style, and not the Moscow Baroque, which then became widespread and so beloved sovereign. The patriarch himself consecrated his brainchild after the completion of its construction, and in 1700 he peacefully departed to the Lord within the walls of the Nikolo-Perervinsky Monastery.
Heir to the throne
The next eventful period in the history of the monastery is connected with the name of Metropolitan of Moscow Plato (Levshin) - one of the prominent hierarchs of the synodal period of church history, who was called the “second Chrysostom” for the preaching gift sent to him. It is known that, having appreciated his high moral qualities and wide erudition in many fields of knowledge, Empress Catherine II appointed him the tutor of the heir to the throne - the future Emperor Paul I.
Establishment of the Nikolo-Perervinsk Seminary
Being a highly educated man, Metropolitan Plato mourned the low level of knowledge among spiritual pastors who served in numerous churches in Russia. At that time, only two educational institutions were engaged in the preparation of priests - the Slavic-Greek-Latin Academy and the Trinity Seminary. Their graduates were clearly not enough to satisfy the needs of a huge country. As a result, people who did not have special knowledge were sometimes engaged in the spiritual nourishment of the flock.
In order to rectify the situation as far as possible, in 1775 he ordered the establishment of a seminary in the Nikolo-Perervinsky Monastery, which in honor of him began to be called Platonovskaya from the very first days. Having opened a new educational institution, Metropolitan Plato does not stop caring about his needs until the end of his life. Visiting the monastery regularly, the church hierarch delves into all the problems associated with it in detail and spares no effort to solve them. His care also extended to household needs related to the nutrition and clothing of seminarians, and to the level of teaching.
The metropolitan personally attended exams and disputes, checked the work of students and put marks. His works were not in vain - over the years a whole galaxy of prominent religious figures came out of the walls of the seminary, and for thirty-nine years she provided spiritual pastors for numerous parishes of endless Russia.
Memorial plate on the wall of the temple
The monastery itself owes much to Metropolitan Plato. His merits are so great that their list was carved on a stone slab embedded in the wall of the St. Nicholas Church. It has survived to the present day and contains thirty-eight items, including references to the numerous construction and economic works carried out in the monastery under his leadership and often at his own expense. Under Metropolitan Plato, worship in the St. Nicholas Perervinsky Monastery was held not only in churches, but also in the walls of the seminary he created.
Proceedings of Metropolitan Filaret
The third archpastor, who left a bright mark in the history of the monastery, was Metropolitan of Moscow Filaret (Drozdov). Having ascended to the archpastoral chair in 1821, he remained there for nearly half a century and all this time tirelessly monitored the well-being of the St. Nicholas-Perervinsky Monastery, visiting it and often conducting services in it.
Vladyka Filaret, an extraordinarily erudite and educated man, made an immeasurable contribution to the promotion of Orthodoxy, becoming the initiator and chief performer of the translation of the Bible from the Slavic language into Russian, thereby making it possible for people who are far from Orthodoxy and do not speak the ancient church language.
Poet at the Metropolitan Department
He went down in history with his literary activities - in particular, with poetic polemics with A.S. Pushkin. His public response to the great poet to the despairing and hopeless lines of the poem “A gift in vain, a gift of chance” is well known. Vladyka Filaret, in a highly artistic form complaining to the emptiness and meaninglessness of life, objects to him in a highly artistic form that it is not life itself, and not the one who granted it to us, that it should be reproached for the spiritual emptiness that gripped us, but only ourselves, mired in vanity and passions . The way out, he said, is to turn his thoughts to God.
Opening of a parish and county school
In 1824, the monastery seminary, founded by Metropolitan Plato, was abolished, and in its place the Nikolo-Perervinsky parish, and then the county school, was created. Despite his extreme busyness, Vladyka Filaret found time to regularly attend the public exams held in them. In those years, this form of testing was universally accepted and contributed to the objectivity of the ratings. It is known that he often asked questions himself and was incredibly happy when a student discovered the knowledge necessary to answer them. Vladyka also provided practical assistance in the further construction and improvement of the monastery.
The largest Russian theologian of the XIX century, for his labors and life, which became a model of Christian service to God and people, Metropolitan Drozdov was glorified in the face of saints. An interesting detail: his cousin, great-grandson, is Professor of Moscow State University Nikolai Nikolaevich Drozdov, well known to all as the host of the program “In the world of animals”.
Years of total atheism
After the October coup, the Nicholas-Perervinsky Monastery in Pechatniki - as it is often called by the current name of the district where it is located - shared the bitter fate of thousands of Russian holy monasteries. Throughout the twenties there was a process of its gradual abolition and transfer of premises for use for various household purposes. The schedule of services in the St. Nicholas Perervinsky Monastery for a long time disappeared from the gates of the monastery, giving way to state signs with the names of state institutions placed in it.
A very sad fate befell the Iberian chapel. She was repeatedly robbed by criminals and representatives of the new government. From the icon, which was revered by the whole of Russia, the bandits stole the crown, ubrus and precious stones. They failed to tear off the golden robe from it, but the Chekists who came after them successfully coped with this.
In 1924, many members of the community were repressed, and the chapel was at the disposal of the Renovationists for five years - a movement of the clergy, breaking away from official Orthodoxy, trying to change the church charter and enter into cooperation with the Bolsheviks. Finally, in 1929, by the decision of the Moscow Soviet, it was destroyed.
Fresh breath adjustment
The St. Nicholas Cathedral was transferred to the Orthodox Church in 1991, but the problem was that the entire territory of the monastery with its many buildings remained the property of the state, and the tenant-machine tool Stankokonstruktsiya disposed of it. Only three years later, the decision was made to return her church, after which the whole Nikolo-Perervinsky monastery began to be actively revived. The schedule of services - as a symbol of the revival of the shrine - reappeared on the door of the main temple.
However, the work was enormous. In addition to the St. Nicholas Cathedral, which had been brought into proper condition by that time, the Iversky Cathedral, barely cleared of the remnants of industrial waste, was to be restored and restored. A lot in this direction was done not only by the monastery inhabitants and wage workers, but also by lay people who expressed a desire to help the speedy revival of the shrine.
Nicholas-Perervinsky Monastery: how to get there by public transport?
Today, the ancient monastery has again opened its doors to all who wish to offer prayers under the vaults that remember the greatest church hierarchs of past centuries. All of them are happy to receive the St. Nicholas-Perervinsky Monastery, whose address: Moscow, st. Shosseynaya 82. You can get to it by metro to the Pechatniki station, and then by buses No. 292, 703 or 161. You can also get by minibus, following from the Tekstilshchiki metro station to the Nikolo-Perervinsky Monastery stop . The schedule of divine services at the monastery is as follows: on weekdays, the Divine Liturgy is at 7:30, an akathist at 16:00 and evening worship at 17:00. On holidays and weekends, the early Mass at 6:30, and the late at 9:00. On Sundays, a special children's liturgy is also provided. It takes place at 8:00.