One and a half kilometers south of the city of Voronezh is the monastery of the Holy Savior. This is one of the oldest Russian monasteries, founded even before the adoption of Christianity by Russia. It is located in Kostomarovo. The monastery is located in caves. There is also the Spassky Temple, which goes deep into limestone rock and is able to accommodate up to 2 thousand people, as well as the small church of Seraphim of Sarov. In the chalk hills there are about forty caves, in eight of which Kostomarovo Spassky Monastery is located. This place is the exploits and labors of generations of monks and Christian ascetics.
Legend and story
According to legend, the first cave temple was founded on the banks of the Don before the adoption of Christianity. To avoid persecution, monks hid in the caves, and in the XII century a monastic monastery was established in Kostomarovo. The monastery was built so that people in the event of an attack by enemies could not only hide in it, but also withstand a prolonged siege. The cells for the monks were made inside the walls, and a small window was cut out in the rock for contact with the outside world.
I have seen a lot during my long and eventful history of the monastery in Kostomarovo. The monastery underwent various design changes throughout its existence. At the beginning of the twentieth century, the construction of the cave temple of Seraphim of Sarov was organized. However, it ended only in our days. With the coming to power of the Communists, the monks were executed, and the complex was closed. Since that time, a difficult period began for the monastery in Kostomarovo. The monastery, however, was not forgotten by believers.
War and post-war years
During the Second World War, monastery caves served as a refuge for the civilian population and Soviet soldiers who fought with the Nazi troops. After Stalin met with Metropolitan Sergius in 1943, Soviet power allowed the reopening of many Orthodox churches. In 1946, the Spasskaya Church was registered. Work on the restoration of the temple quickly moved forward. But already at the beginning of the 60s, on the orders of Khrushchev, the authorities curtailed all work under the pretext of unsuitability of church premises. The caves were flooded, external buildings were burned, and property was partially confiscated. The Orthodox community, which constantly resided in the monastery, was forced to leave the holy monastery. However, information has been preserved that believers in small groups secretly continued to gather for prayers in one hidden cave in the years 60-70. They spent several days there.
Our days
In 1993, the modern Spassky Nunnery Kostomarovo was built. Thanks to the efforts of believers, the cave complex was cleaned and electrified. In 1997, it already had living quarters, a refectory, a chapel and a building for nuns. Now the Spassky Monastery has become an object of pilgrimage, where people from all over the CIS come. Pilgrims venerate the icon of the "Holy Sky" dedicated to the Virgin. It is made of iron (for cave temples, icons were often painted on metal) in human growth in the style of the artist Vasnetsov. It preserved bullet holes that left the shots of the godless, aiming at the divine faces. However, none of the bullets hit the target.