Pokrovsky Khotkov Monastery is one of the oldest in the Moscow Region, it is over 700 years old. The main shrine of the monastery are the relics of the Monks Cyril and Mary. These are the parents of Sergius of Radonezh. Pilgrims regularly come to the Khotkovsky monastery in order to worship the shrine and work hard for the glory of God.
The beginning of the story
As written above, the monastery is over 700 years old. The first annalistic records date back to 1308, the exact date of the birth of the monastery is missing. Initially, the monastery was small, located near the Trinity-Sergius Lavra. The monastery began to gain its fame after the parents of St. Sergius of Radonezh found peace here. Their honest relics remained forever in the monastery, even during the years of Soviet persecution without leaving its territory.
XV-XVII centuries
The 15th century is a hungry time for a small monastery where terrible poverty reigned. But already at the beginning of the 16th century (1506) the authorities paid attention to the monastery, which included the Grand Duke and the boyar Duma. The Khotkovsky monastery received a small monetary subsidy allocated by the princely power, which allowed him to somewhat improve his meager situation.
In the same century, the monastery was transformed into a female, and then completely surrendered to the administration of the Trinity-Sergius Lavra. Her inhabitants did their best to support the poor Khotkovsky monastery. Under the direction of the Trinity-Sergius Lavra, the convent began to come to life; by the end of the 16th century, there were already 35 inhabitants. Then, on the territory of the monastery, a new wooden temple was built, consecrated in honor of Nikolai Ugodnik.
The 17th century came with its wartime. Polish-Lithuanian troops ravaged the Khotkovsky monastery, and its natives were forced to hide from invaders in the Trinity-Sergius Lavra. The monastery of St. Sergius survived, but for two years suffered a severe siege from the troops.
In the mid-1620s, the restoration of the convent after the ruin began. It ended only in 1648, during the same period peasant households were attributed to the monastery, which played a positive role in improving its well-being. The monastery was withdrawn from the administration of the Trinity-Sergius Lavra and placed at the disposal of the Moscow Diocesan Bishop. The monastery did not see full-fledged provision, the skill of the natives greatly helped out. They were famous as skilled seamstresses in the Sergiev Posad Museum and now you can see the vestments sewn by the then nuns and novices.
XVIII - beginning of XX century
In the 18th century, large-scale construction work began on the territory of the Khotkovsky Pokrovsky Convent. In place of the old wooden Nikolskaya church, a new stone one grew up, and the Holy Gates were built. After several decades, the gateway church of the Nativity of John the Baptist was built over them.
In the XIX century, construction on the territory of the monastery continued. At that time, about 300 natives lived in the monastery, in connection with this the construction of the large Pokrovsky Cathedral began, suspended in the summer of 1812. After the war, construction resumed, restoration work was completed in 1816, at the same time the consecration of the cathedral took place. Two aisles were built - in honor of St. Sergius of Radonezh and St. Alexy - Metropolitan of Moscow.
The entire XIX century is characterized as one large construction site. Additional buildings for monks were built, rooms for a hospital, school and hotel. The number of natives increased, the monastery switched to a communal charter. Prior to that, he was especially living, each inhabitant lived in her own cell and ran her own household.
The twentieth century has come; its beginning was marked by the construction of a new cathedral. The fact is that the number of pilgrims increased, and the old Nikolsky temple of the Khotkovsky monastery could not accommodate everyone. Then it was decided to build a new church on the site of the previous one. The construction of the St. Nicholas New Cathedral with a capacity of over 2,000 people was completed in 1904.
Soviet time
The tragic pages in the history of the Khotkovsky monastery began after the revolution. The monastery was closed in 1922, but services continued. The authorities took away vast territories, leaving the natives only a poorhouse for living. The room could not accommodate all the sisters, some of them dispersed to the nearest villages.
In 1928, the remaining natives were expelled. Many of them were sent to exiles and camps, in 1931 they arrested Abbot Barsanuphius. She was sent to Kazakhstan, but her mother died on the way.
In 1932, the recently rebuilt St. Nicholas Cathedral was closed, before which the building was looted. They blew up the bell tower, in the abbot building opened an agricultural college. In Pokrovsky Cathedral, a chemical workshop of an industrial plant was launched, and peasants from nearby villages entered the remaining buildings. The abomination of desolation lasted until 1989.
Speaking of the relics of the Monks Cyril and Mary - the parents of Sergius of Radonezh. They did not leave the territory of the monastery even in the most terrible times. The relics were prudently buried near the walls of the Intercession Church, believers came to the devastated monastery, prayed at the place of their burial.
Rebirth
The year 1989 came, the Moscow Patriarchate received a ruined and desecrated Pokrovsky Cathedral. From this moment, the revival of one of the most ancient shrines, the Khotkovsky Monastery, began.
In 1993, the nun of the Olympics was appointed abbess of the monastery. She, along with the first inhabitants, began to raise the monastery from ruins.
Today, the monastery has a boarding house for girls, a spiritual library, every citizen can visit it. The monastery takes care of the nursing home and the children's department of the Moscow Regional Psychiatric Hospital.
Thousands of pilgrims come to the monastery who want to bear obedience here and simply touch the great shrine of the Russian land.
The temples of the monastery
The buildings of the Pokrovsky Khotkov Monastery are distinguished by their architecture. The main building is considered to be the Intercession Cathedral, where the relics of Saints Cyril and Mary are located. The construction was built in accordance with the architecture of the Classicism era - the five-domed temple.
The architecture of the Khotkovsky monastery is diverse. She deserves special attention. For example, St. Nicholas Cathedral is the first in Russia built in the Russian-Byzantine style. It takes the second place in terms of area and magnificence of structures on the territory of the monastery.
In third place is the gate temple in honor of John the Baptist. Restoration work in it is almost complete.
The gate church in honor of St. Mitrofan of Voronezh is being restored to this day. There are practically no parishioners in it, because the room is considered a brownie, only the nuns of the monastery are present at the services.
Shrine of the cloister
The most important shrine of the Khotkovsky monastery is the relics of the parents of St. Sergius of Radonezh - Cyril and Mary. People come here to pray to the holy family and ask for help. Most often they ask for help in arranging their own family life, girls pray for marriage, and mothers pray for the successful marriage of their daughters.
Address
It will be useful for pious pilgrims who wish to bow to the relics of Saints Cyril and Mary to know the address of the monastery: the city of Khotkovo, st. Cooperative, ownership 2.
For those who want to live in a monastery and bear obedience, there is good news. There is an opportunity to stay in the pilgrim’s house, only first you need to phone the monastery and warn about your intentions to work for the glory of God. The phone number of the monastery is indicated on its official website. Here you can order excursions.
Schedules
The monastery has daily morning and evening services:
- On weekdays, the beginning of the Divine Liturgy is at 7:30.
- On weekends and holidays in Pokrovsky Cathedral a prayer service is held with the reading of an akathist in front of the relics of the holy righteous Cyril and Mary. The prayer service begins at 7:00.
- On weekends and holidays, the Divine Liturgy begins at 8:00 in St. Nicholas Cathedral.
- All-night vigil (evening service) begins at 17:00 daily.
About Mother Superior
25 years have passed since the mother of the Olympics was awarded the abbot's staff, and with it the ruined monastery. Today the monastery has revived, is famous for its beauty. Mother Superior continues to lead her.
The future abbess was born in Vladivostok, but her family soon moved to the Saratov region. When mother of the Olympics was 20 years old, she left her father's house, having left for Sergiev Posad, and entered the medical school. She lived in Moscow, studied, after receiving her diploma, returned to Sergiev Posad, where she worked as a nurse for about 10 years.
God brought the future abbess to Riga, where she lived for 13 years in the Trinity-Sergius Monastery. The abbess Magdalene, now deceased, ruled the monastery in those years. Mother recalls her as a shrewd person who has a great love for people. This love conquered the future abbess of the Khotkovsky monastery, long and confidential conversations with her mentor were remembered for a lifetime.
In Riga, the mother of the Olympics was dean, as described above, lived there for 13 years. Then she arrived in Khotkovo, where, by order of His Holiness Patriarch Alexy II, she became abbess of the monastery. After a year and a half, she accepted the rank of abbess, in whom she is still located.
To date, 80 sisters live in the monastery, 50 of them took monastic tonsure. Mother is having a hard time, because each inhabitant has her own character, an individual approach is needed. She tries to take into account the nature of the sisters, giving them obedience, looks at the propensity for a particular business, as well as education. For example, if an inhabitant sings well, they can put her on a choir, if she has the appropriate education, she will definitely be there.
To help the pilgrim
What you need to know when planning to live in a monastery? First, focus on your own health, because heavy obedience in the presence of certain diseases is prohibited. Secondly, it is worth considering the presence of free time, during which the pilgrim wants to work in the monastery. The hotel sister is warned about this in advance, discussing the terms of stay in the pilgrim's house.
When checking into the monastery hotel, you must have a passport. Without an identity document, they may refuse to settle. You should dress modestly, preferably in a long dark skirt, a sweater with a long sleeve and no neckline, a headscarf is mandatory on the head.
Obedience in the monastery does not choose where to send, there the pilgrim and works. During work, do not talk loudly with other pilgrims or inhabitants of the monastery. Idle conversations are forbidden, as well as causeless laughter.
On the territory of the monastery you can not swear, drink alcohol, behave freely, flirting with male pilgrims (alas, there is such a thing). It is forbidden to listen to music, bite seeds, eat sharply smelling food. In the common cell where pilgrims are accommodated, there is no room for this, the hotel should have a special room. Workers are usually fed twice a day in a special refectory. Those who do not have enough two meals a day can have a meal in the monastery cafe at their own expense.
Going to work at the monastery, they call up with her and discuss their arrival in advance.
Conclusion
Such is the history of the Khotkovsky monastery - one of the oldest shrines in the suburbs. The cloister is open daily from 6:00 to 21:00.