Not far from Tver, just 22 km from the city, on the left bank of the Volga, is the Orshin Monastery. It got its name due to its proximity to the Orsha River, which in these places flows into the Volga. About the Ascension Orshyn convent, its occurrence, history and features will be discussed in this article.
The base of the monastery
The exact date of foundation of the Orshin monastery is unknown. No documentary evidence of an early period of its existence is currently preserved. However, the history of the monastery is closely connected with the Savviteva Sretenskaya desert, which is located nearby.
Savvaty Orshinsky, who founded deserts, was especially revered on Tver land. According to legend, he belonged to the brethren of the monastery in Orsha and from there made his pilgrimage to the Holy Land. It is known that Savvaty died in 1434, therefore, the Orshin monastery already existed at the beginning of the 15th century.
In the 20th century, a collection of manuscripts was found that date back to around 1455. They say that Prince Boris Alexandrovich ordered the construction of a monastery near the Volga River in Orsha. It is known that the prince ruled the Tver lands from 1425 to 1461, which means that the monastery definitely existed at the beginning of the 15th century. It is to these conclusions that the researchers who worked to establish the date of foundation of the Orshin monastery came to this conclusion.
Heyday
In the 16th century the cloister possessed a rather vast territory. According to the scribe book of the 1540s, the monastery possessed 53 villages, 4 villages and 3 repairs. The period of the reign of Ivan the Terrible was marked by a very important event for the monastery. The Ascension Cathedral with two chapels was erected from stone in the name of the holy martyr Catherine and Onufry the Great. This cathedral is not mentioned in the scribal book, which means that at that time it was not yet built.
The exact date of the construction of the cathedral was set in the middle of the 19th century. Thus, Archbishop Tver Gregory, in one of his visits to the monastery, drew attention to the dilapidated iconostasis, and also indicated that the floor was replaced in the church from brick to wooden.
During the repair work under the old altar, three old antimins (cloth boards for worship) were discovered. On one of them there was an inscription that the temple was consecrated on November 2, 1567.
The cloister in the 18-19 centuries
The Ascension Orshin Monastery in the 18th century is going through a difficult time. By decree of Peter I in 1721, some monasteries were closed, while in others the number of monks was reduced. It was ordered to have so many monks at the monastery that it was enough for worship and property management, but their number should not exceed 30 people.
In 1764, the monastic states were introduced, now the monasteries had no villages, did not sit down, but received maintenance from the treasury. The nuns ate on donations and maintained gardens. However, in the 19th century the situation gradually improved.
During the replacement of the iconostasis and floor in the mid-19th century, a bell tower and a warm community church are attached to the cathedral, as well as major repairs are carried out. New chapels were consecrated in honor of the Feodorov Icon of the Mother of God, Dmitry Rostovsky and Barsanuphius of Tver.
Monastery in the 20-21 centuries
After the October Revolution in 1917, Orshin Convent did not stop its work, but it was changing its status. He becomes an artel in which nuns work on lands previously owned by the monastery.
In 1919, the premises in the courtyard of the monastery were nationalized, and an elementary school was opened in them. In the same year, a resolution was issued on the liquidation of the monastery and the workers' artel. However, even despite its entry into force, the monastery is not closed and the nuns live and work in it until 1937. In 1937, the monastery was closed, and its premises were transferred to the collective farm.
In 1992, the revival of the Orshin monastery begins. The gradual restoration of the premises begins, divine services are held. In 1996, a wooden church was erected in the name of the founder of the monastery - Savvaty Orshinsky. It was built in exact accordance with the church, which was erected in Kizhi in the 14th century.
Currently, the monastery is active, nuns live here, however it is open to visits by both pilgrims and tourists. Divine services are regularly held in the monastery’s temple. Everyone is invited here to get acquainted with its history, to listen to church monastic singing. Every Christmas, the monastery hosts international readings of Holy Scripture, which gathers believers from around the world.