Each ancient monastery has its own unique history, no less interesting than the events associated with the cities where they were built. One of these was the third-class Nikolo-Korelsky monastery of Severodvinsk, which was once called the sea gate of the Russian State.
Having plunged into the domestic chronicles, you can find out that once in the place where the monastery was founded, or rather to its pier, in 1653 an expeditionary sea ship headed by the Englishman Richard Chansler arrived. This foreign official, thanks to the hospitable custody of Tsar Ivan the Terrible himself, received the right to duty-free trade with the Russian state and was looking for a trade route to India. So, in a completely unexpected way, the path to Western Europe through the White Sea opened for Russia.
After a little more than thirty years, a new point was formed on this pier, which the British long called the port of St. Nicholas. This mouth of the river and now, as then, is called Nikolsky.
Nicholas Korelsky Monastery (Severodvinsk). Story
All attempts that could shed light on the formation of the monastery turned out to be futile, since in 1420, due to a fire, all the monastery archives were destroyed. Then came the desolation period.
The first mention of the St. Nicholas Korelsky Monastery in the Dvina Chronicle of 1419, which describes the invasion from the sea of enemy hordes of Murmansk in the amount of 500 people in worms and beads that burned the church of the monastery of St. Nicholas, and the Christians were chopped with blackberries. Such brief information gives the right to assert that this monastery was founded either at the end of the XIV, or at the beginning of the XV century.
First inhabitants
The monk Euthymius Karelsky became the first to work in a hermit life in this place. And the appearance of the St. Nicholas Korelsky Monastery is not in vain associated with his name. The holy relics of the saint were discovered in 1647.
The emergence of Christian communities in the North suggests that the basis for this life was the usual zealous search for the solitude of a person, being alone and silence. For this, remote deaf places were needed.
Such glorious feats of desertification were also performed by the monk Yefimiy, which attracted other monks to himself, and then a whole monastic community was created in which he became a confessor. So, the life of the Nikolo-Korelsky monastery was gradually being improved. And for this a lot of time should have passed.
Even after the fire, this monastery was able to quickly recover and enrich itself with contributions and estates.
Novgorod ruler Martha
From those distant centuries, we see the image of the rich and influential ruler of Martha Boretskaya, a posadnik, who wanted Tsar John III himself to reckon with her.
The history of the St. Nicholas Korelsky monastery is closely connected with the sons of Martha - Anthony and Felix, who became locally venerable reverends, and their memory is committed on April 16.
According to legend, it was she who sent them to inspect the coastal estates. They fulfilled their mother’s assignment: having examined the lands of the Korel coast near the Northern Dvina, they set off on their way to the Severodvinsk estuary. At that moment, a strong storm and storm began, the helmsman lost control, and the ship sank with people, and with them the sons of Martha. After 12 days, the bodies of the dead were brought by the waters to the shore of the monastery, where they were buried.
Such a sad end to her children forever tied the ruler to this monastery. She generously helped the monastery and gave into its possession saltworks, meadows and fisheries.
Until now, a monastery letter has been preserved, in which it was written that the servant of God Martha built the Church of St. Nicholas in Karelian.
Power struggle
At this time, Martha was the ruler of all the Novgorod lands, until Prince Ivan Vasilievich (Grozny) came and defeated them in 1478.
Having become the head of the anti-Moscow group, Martha Boretskaya was arrested and tonsured the same year under the name of Mary.
In one of the reports dated May 9, 1816, of the Deanery of Archimandrite Kirill, it was written that during a lightning strike on May 26, 1798, the Novgorod spiritual monastery of the saints Martha burned down with all written affairs, and that he knows for certain since he was at that time hegumen of the monastery.
Today in the rector’s cells hangs a huge portrait of Martha Boretskaya. It is not clear a little whether he resembles the real Martha, but the severity and authority in the rubble is evident.
From the letter of Martha the Posadnitsa, you can find out that the Church of St. Nicholas was one of the oldest after the burning and the Norwegian confrontation of 1419.
Two monastery churches
During the time of Boris Godunov, in the inventory of the Nikolo-Korelsky monastery from 1601 it was written that there are two churches in it - St. Nicholas and the Assumption of the Mother of God.
In the barn books of Miron Velyaminov in 1622, it is indicated that there are two churches on the Korel shore, in the Poduzhsky mouth, in the monastery: one wooden - in honor of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker, and the second (also wooden) - in honor of the Most Holy Theotokos with a meal, the date of foundation which is very difficult to determine, again because of the data that has not been preserved.
The list of church decoration. Holy images
From the inventory of 1601 it is known that over the tsar’s golden gates was the image of the “Deesis” of nine spans (an old Russian measure of length). Then the icon of Nicholas the Wonderworker of nine spans is described, in the name of which the temple is named, with gilded hryvnias and a silver number eight. Next to the gate is the image of the Blessed Virgin Mary “Hodegetria”.
Of the main large icons of the temple are described the Resurrection of Christ, the Assumption of the Ever-Virgin, the Great Martyr George, the Apostle John the Theologian. Of the small icons - the images of the Virgin "Rejoices in Thee", "Sophia, the Wisdom of God" with the image of the Solovetsky monastery and others.
Three risen crosses are also mentioned in the inventory. One of them is with a carved image of the Crucifixion of the Lord, lined with copper (a gift from Ephraim Ugreshskago).
Candles in front of the icons amaze with their size and massiveness. Before Nicholas the Wonderworker - 5 pounds, before the Virgin - in 3 pounds, the Resurrection of Christ - in 2 pounds.
Today, the situation in the Church of St. Nicholas is mostly modest; epitrachilles with embroidered images of Saints Gregory the Theologian, Basil the Great, John Chrysostom, Cyril (Jerusalem), Athanasius the Great, St. Nicholas deserve special attention.
Church of the Assumption of the Mother of God
In ancient writings, it is indicated that the image of the Assumption of the Virgin was made with paints and wit gilded hryvnia. Other icons are also listed - “Deesis the image of ten spans”, “Life-giving Trinity”, “Resurrection of Christ”, “Intercession of the Most Holy Theotokos”, saints Zosima and Savvaty, sv. Cosmas and Damian, John Chrysostom, St. great. Barbaras, and two images of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker.
The refectory and Kelar were located in the same church. In 1664, it was decided to build a new stone Assumption Church with a refectory and cellars below. Three years later, it was built and consecrated by Makarii Novgorod.
The stone church of St. Nicholas was laid in 1670, and in 1673 under Joachim, Novgorod Metropolitan, it was consecrated. An interesting fact is that the future scientist Mikhail Lomonosov (1731) went to study in Moscow to transport it to Moscow.
Then these two churches (in 1684) were connected by stone passages, which had two porches. Such a device of the St. Nicholas Korelsky Monastery pointed to a powerful material base.
Update and fire
By 1700, a stone bell tower consisting of three floors was built near the Church of the Assumption of the Virgin, on which 10 bells and a bell clock were erected.
Then other small churches appeared on the territory of the Nikolaev monastery. But due to dilapidation, they were closed. And then there was a fire in 1798, causing irreparable damage to the monastery. Then everything was rebuilt anew.
In 1816, the octagonal chapel of the Presentation of the Lord was built at the burial place of the sons of Martha.
Currently, the monastery belongs to the territory of the huge defense "Sevmash enterprise", located in the city of Severodvinsk, 35 km away from it, on the shore of the Nikolsky mouth of the Northern Dvina. The company occupies more than 300 hectares of land and comprises more than 100 divisions.
Prisoners of the St. Nicholas Korelsky Monastery
In 1620, the monastery was turned into a prison, which contained political and religious opponents of the government. Among them was Ivan Nero, a member of the imperial circle.
In 1653, by order of Patriarch Nikon, Gerasim, the monk of the Solovetsky Monastery, and the elder Ion, the ideologist of the future Solovetsky Uprising, fell into these monastic casemates in 1653. In 1670 another 12 rebel monks from Solovki were imprisoned.
In 1725, they imprisoned here a simple monk, Archbishop Theodosius (Yanovsky), who died a year later.
From 1763 to 1767, Metropolitan Arseniy (Matseevich) of Rostov was detained here, who opposed the secular measures of Catherine the Second.
In 1917, 6 monks and 1 novice lived in the monastery.
In 1920, the monastery was closed. Then they organized a colony for juvenile delinquents. In the 30s, Sevmash Enterprises, specializing in the production of nuclear submarines, were formed.
Conclusion
Once the monastery had its own small brick factory. From 1691 to 1692, this monastery was surrounded by seven wooden towers. Today there is only one left - the travel tower of the St. Nicholas Korelsky Monastery. It, as a valuable museum exhibit, is located in the Kolomenskoye museum in Moscow.
All the buildings of the monastery are not only located on the territory of the giant plant, but are also involved in its structures. Even despite the fact that in the 90s the monastery buildings were transferred to the Orthodox Church, all the same, believers cannot freely visit this monastery, since this enterprise is a regime.
In 2005, the first began to restore the Cathedral of St. Nicholas. On the Feast of the Annunciation, the first Divine Liturgy was served.
In August 2009, Patriarch Kirill served an all-night vigil in this holy monastery. In the same year, 5 domes with crosses were built at St. Nicholas Cathedral. Reconstruction and restoration work is still ongoing, even a special fund has been opened through which financial assistance to the monastery comes.
Address of the Nikolo-Korelsky Monastery: 164520, Russia, Arkhangelsk Region, Severodvinsk, Arkhangelskoye Highway, 38.