The revival or opening of monasteries speaks of the return of the people to the origins of Christianity. Monasteries and churches were built from the time of Ancient Rus, and during the war years they were a shelter for people, and in peacetime - their comfort. Holy Iversky Convent (Donetsk) is no exception.
Shrine Construction
The convent in Donetsk traces its history to the construction of the temple in 1997 on lands near the airfield. Later, a church was built in honor of the Iveron Icon of the Mother of God , and a city cemetery was opened near it.
The Iveron Icon of the Mother of God is a famous shrine that appeared on Mount Athos in the 10-11 centuries. Her power helps people to repent of their sins and gain strength in order to follow the path of the righteous in life. It is also her nature to pray for the salvation of souls of relatives and deliverance from mental and bodily diseases. This miraculous icon attracts the attention of not only Orthodox, but also believers of other faiths.
History icons
According to legend, the Virgin Mary had to go to Iberia to carry the word of God to the Gentiles, but instead of her went Andrew the First-Called. Sending him on the road, the Virgin washed her face and put a board for writing icons on her face. Her image with baby Jesus was forever imprinted on the board, so the image is called miraculous. All copies that were written from the icon received the same power as the original source.
In 1999, the list of the Icon of the Mother of God, written in Athos, was carried by the procession through various holy places for six months, until the Holy Iveron Monastery became its new home. Donetsk gave shelter to the Orthodox shrine.
By 2001, on the territory of the monastery there were buildings for farming and a residential building with a small plot of land on which there was a garden and a berry. In the same year, the monastery gained independence, and the novices of the Georgian-Lomovsky Kasperovsky monastery became its first inhabitants.
Monastery growth
The natives who came to the Holy Iversky Convent (Donetsk) were able to set up the household so that by 2005 a candle shop, a belfry and a prosphora were added. The new two-story building houses the monastery library, sisters' cells and the refectory.
In 2007, construction began on another residential extension, as the monastery grew. During this time, the monastery was added land and farming. The garden and the berry plant became a gift from the botanical garden of the city of Donetsk.
By 2012, in the Holy Iveron Monastery, Donetsk gave 1 hectare of land for life to the possession, which the nuns cultivate on their own.
In 2014, the monastery was opened, dedicated to the Turkovitsky image of the Mother of God.
Life nuns
The life of the sisters goes through labors and prayers. No lazy people are kept here, and the working day starts at 5.30. The first prayers are heard from 6 a.m., the day ends with an evening prayer, which begins at half past eight in the evening.
Each sister knows her daily routine. Some clean and serve in the temple, others prepare and set tables in the refectory, while others work in the garden and in the garden. A large farm requires a lot of effort, so the nuns have weekends only on great religious holidays.
According to the charter of the monastery, nothing belongs to the novices, but everything is considered common, therefore, for the benefit of the whole community, what is in the monastery should be kept and augmented. This applies to both simple nuns and abbess. All that is received, grown or built at the monastery belongs to the spiritual "hostel".
The sisters fully live off the subsidiary plots and the grown crops, as well as from the donations of believers.
This monastery is a shrine that is visited by people who go on pilgrimages to holy places.
Landscaped by the hands of the sisters, the courtyard and flower garden invite people to go to the temple to pray, relax and join the great shrine - the Iveron Icon of the Mother of God.