The Ancient Assumption Church - the Orthodox church of the Holy Assumption Lipetsk Monastery, is being restored by the whole world, its glorious history is being revived from oblivion, information is collected bit by bit about the past of the temple and about people whose names are connected with the history of this monastery.
Assumption of the Mother of God
This event in the church has been a holiday for many centuries. On this day they remember the whole life of the Mother of God, the sadness and joy of her achievement, the miracle of the resurrection and her promise to Christians. The Feast of the Assumption of the Mother of God has been established since ancient times. In Byzantium, it was widely celebrated as early as the 4th century. Since 595, it has become a church holiday. This event is called a celebration because the Mother of God fell asleep for a short time, so that from a dream it would rise to eternal life in an imperishable heavenly dwelling.
In Russia, the Assumption of the Mother of God has been honored since 866, when a fleet of Russian ships besieging Constantinople was scattered by a storm through prayers to the Holy Virgin.
Since then, the Virgin became the patroness of the Russian army. Since the reign of Vladimir, large churches in large cities of Russia have been dedicated to the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary. Among them is the small Assumption Church of the city of Lipetsk. Let's talk about it in more detail.
Ancient Assumption Church
"Uspenka" - so lovingly called this very ancient church of the city of Lipetsk. The Old Assumption Church received its current name in 1839, immediately after construction on the western outskirts of the city. Located in one of the picturesque corners of Lipetsk - the settlement of Monastyrka - which carried its pristine beauty through years of hard times, a small graceful church on the side of the mountain has attractive power. Located above the holy spring, the Assumption Church is famous for its many miraculous healings of bodily and spiritual ailments.
The Holy Synod of the Russian Orthodox Church in 2003 decided to transform the Lipetsk parish church of the Assumption of the Mother of God into the Holy Assumption Monastery. With this step, the revival of the ancient monastic monastery - the Paroisky Desert, which was on this site before the city of Lipetsk appeared and was abolished in 1764, during the time of Catherine II, began. This monastery was the only one in the territory of Lipetsk, so it left a noticeable mark in the history of the city and its spiritual and moral life.
Unusual church
The unusualness of the temple is manifested not only in asymmetric architecture, but also in deviation from the traditional orientation and location at the foot of the mountain. During the construction of the temple, the remains of an earlier building were found. This suggests that the Assumption Church dedicated to the Virgin may have been built much earlier than anticipated. Only the time of construction of some of its outbuildings is known for sure. For example, the chapel of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker was consecrated by the Metropolitan of Ryazan in 1701. In 1811, the church was destined for demolition, as it stood on a vacant lot and was constantly robbed. But for some reason, the planned transfer of the church to another place remained unfulfilled.
From the middle of the 19th century, this ancient church was perceived as a monument of antiquity, requiring attention and preservation. Since that time, all authors of books, essays or guidebooks related to Lipetsk have not ignored her.
Mentions of the Assumption Church in the archives
The temple building was built in several stages. This is noticeable by the differences in the masonry of the walls. The exact year of construction is unknown. The first mention of the church dates back to the 17th century. There is indirect evidence that the temple has an earlier year of construction. In the archives, when describing the monastery in 1768, the wooden church of the icon of the Mother of God was called "decrepit." Given the fact that the wooden buildings in those days were in good condition for at least 100-150 years, it can be assumed that the temple was already operational in the middle of the XVII century.
Often the Paroisky Desert, to which the Assumption Church belonged, is associated with the name of Peter I. Legends describe the case when a king who arrived in these places in 1703 took a fancy to the ore-rich neighborhood of the city and began the construction of Petrovsky plants. Peter ordered the monastery to be taken away from the monastery on the Lipovka River, without offending the monastery, too - the brethren received good compensation every month. The merger of the monastery with poorer monasteries, the loss of the mill did not make the temple poorer, but only strengthened its financial situation. The archives explicitly say that by the middle of the XVIII century the monastery was very large.
In the 19th century, only a wooden chapel and a stone Assumption Church remained from the large temple. Repeated attempts by residents of the city of Lipetsk to revive the ancient monastery in 1910-1911 were unsuccessful, despite abundant donations, the availability of materials, the permission of the local authorities and other higher spiritual and civilian leaders. The question was not immediately resolved, and the outbreak of the revolution radically changed the situation in the country, and they no longer remembered the revival of the Orthodox church and monastery. The long-term slow destruction of buildings began.
Assumption Church in our time
After the revolution, the once rich temple was robbed by the new authorities almost to the foundation. The Sacriment Squares also sacked the “Life-Giving Spring” icon of the Mother of God, especially revered, by pulling even old pearls from it. Several times there were attempts to adapt the building to various needs, but the Assumption Church for a long time received parishioners, services were conducted. The parishioners of the temple tried to protect it by all means. In 1938, the temple was still closed, priests were arrested on false charges, and the gradual destruction of the building began. At the end of World War II, a morgue was set up on the premises of the church, and later warehouses. By the end of the 50th year, the Assumption Church was an abandoned, dilapidated and roofless building. After repeated unsuccessful restorations, more destroying than restoring the building, it came into a dilapidated state.
The Church of the Assumption, completely plundered and abandoned, was transferred to the Voronezh-Lipetsk Diocese in 1996 and returned to believers. After a 60-year break, the first service was held on August 28. The Assumption Church again accepted the parishioners, its restoration began. Since 2003, an amazing corner of ancient Lipetsk and its shrine began a new life. The thrones of the church were consecrated - the chapel in the name of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker and the main in the name of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary. A photo of the Assumption Church again took its place of honor in the catalogs and essays of Lipetsk. Many pilgrims visit this place, receiving healing from illnesses. Even on weekdays, the Assumption Church hardly holds everyone who wants to bring their prayers in these ancient walls, prayed by several generations of the inhabitants of Lipetsk.
Holy life-giving spring
The Ancient Assumption Church is the oldest stone church in the city of Lipetsk. It was placed above the holy spring, where, according to ancient belief, there was the appearance of the miraculous icon of the Mother of God “Life-giving spring”. Many generations of people have come here to receive healing. And many healings have given the source worldwide fame. The Mother of God herself brings to him all the sick, asking in prayers for healing from ailments and mental illnesses.
At the beginning of the 20th century, when the Ancient Assumption Church was closed and the chapel destroyed, the holy spring was buried. But water still flowed through three large cast-iron pipes.
Now the source also exists - it is located near the water intake, which begins right at the church. The Lipchans have arranged a font where you can drink holy water and even plunge. With the revival of the monastery, all efforts will be made to restore the chapel.