Alekseevsky Monastery (Uglich) is an Orthodox church located in the picturesque city of Uglich on the mountain itself, in ancient times called Ogneva. A stone stream flows nearby. Metropolitan Alexy instructed the monk Adrian to build a monastery in this place, having previously obtained permission from Dmitry Donskoy, the Prince of Moscow. 1371 is considered the year the monastery was founded. Today it is a female monastery of the Russian Orthodox Church.
History of construction
The wooden walls protecting Uglich from Yaroslavl served as the surroundings of the monastery. Initially, the Alekseevsky convent was called the Assumption. In 1439 it was renamed, named in honor of Metropolitan Alexy. In his honor, in 1534 a brick temple was also built here. It was the first stone building outside the walls of the Kremlin. In the 19th century, the temple was completely rebuilt. Nothing remains of the original building. In 1609, Polish-Lithuanian invaders attacked Uglich. The monastery also suffered. Many monks were killed.
Fortunately, the interventionists were expelled, but many people in Uglich died at that time. In their honor, the Assumption Church was built on the territory of the monastery, which was so beautiful that it was called Divnaya. This building was proud of the Alekseevsky monastery (Uglich). The stone building was one of the first in Russia, which was erected after a difficult period when the state treasury had absolutely no funds for large-scale construction.
Pokrovsky was considered the oldest monastery in Russia. After its destruction, the church became the oldest city shrine.
During the rebellion against Peter I, the Alekseevsky Monastery (Uglich) became a place of imprisonment of archers.
Assumption Church
The Assumption Church of the Alekseevsky Monastery is a perfect architectural building of Ancient Russia. The church has three tents. This building is a real symbol of beauty. From that time to the present day, people do not cease to admire its attractive beauty. Many people wonder how it was possible to create such a fabulous church. No wonder in those days it was called Divnaya.
In addition to the church, the refectory is also located in the building. The church of the Alekseevsky monastery in Uglich has symmetrical aisles, which are shifted to the east. Above the two aisles and the church, tents majestically rise. If you look at the church from the west, you can say that the temple has three domes. The facade on the east side looks simply luxurious.
The tents soar smoothly, the altar ledges are distinguished by strict grace in comparison with the main building massif.
Alekseevskaya church
The temple was built in the early 18th century. Presumably it was built by the Rostov architect Grigory Borisov. Perhaps he was helped by Italian craftsmen who lived in Moscow at that time. The Time of Troubles left its disastrous imprint on this amazing shrine. But in 1631 it was restored. The Epiphany chapel was built on the south side. In the 19th century, the church was almost completely rebuilt. The temple was given a classic look thanks to the efforts of the designer Pankov P. Ya., Who served under the Yaroslavl province. In 1829, the refectory was added. At the beginning of the 20th century, the architectural and archaeological detachment of the Uglich expedition of archaeologists of the Municipal Hermitage, headed by E. Turova, established that the construction of the 16th century was almost completely preserved. Only a few absides were lost. Later, they decided to rebuild the church building.
The absides of the Alekseevskaya church resembled the absids of the Danilov Monastery in Pereslavl-Zalessky. There was also a similarity with the architecture of the buildings of Grigory Borisov in Borisoglebsk.
Church of St. John the Baptist
Alekseevsky monastery (Uglich) is also known for the fact that in 1681 a small temple of the Beheading of John the Baptist was erected on its territory . In the 19th century, during the restoration, the porch was redone. At the same time, new murals were applied to the church. Today, only on the western side of the porch you can see the original decoration, which, in turn, is considered one of the best in Uglich.
The church was built by Hegumen Lavrentiy. Initially, a large altar was installed, consisting of two absides. On the west side are the porch and porch. On the north side you can see the side chapel of Theodore Stratelates and the Monk Arkady. In 1970, the church was restored, and in 1997 it again became the property of the monastery.
Goalkeeper Icon
If possible, you should definitely visit the Alekseevsky Monastery (Uglich). The icons here truly have miraculous powers. Here is a unique icon "Goalkeeper". This is the image of the Mother of God, who holds a rod and a rosary in her left hand, and a candle in her right hand.
The history of this icon is amazing. Until 1894, she was in the pantry until a merchant from Petersburg arrived in the monastery who was seriously ill. He told the abbot his dream, in which the Mother of God herself appeared to him and told him to go to Uglich for healing. She said that there is her icon, praying which, the merchant must regain health. The abbot immediately ordered to find this shrine. At his insistence, the icon was found and solemnly transferred to the Assumption Church at the monastery. After offering prayers in front of this icon, the merchant soon recovered. He generously thanked the Mother of God, framing the icon in silver and gold.
Today, this icon also serves as a refuge for those who, with various ailments, turn to the Mother of God for healing. According to statistics, since that time more than 40 people have received a miraculous recovery. Such amazing results glorified Alekseevsky monastery (Uglich). The shrines here have tremendous power.
Icon of St. Nicholas
At the beginning of the 20th century, the icon of St. Nicholas was donated to Aleksey Monastery by Athos monks. After the monastery was closed in 1930, almost all church property was sent to the museum. The rest was destroyed or looted. But the icon of St. Nicholas was saved. The shrine was kept by pious women, who subsequently handed it over to their adopted son Nikolai. He prayed for an image for many years, but once was forced to sell it to an antique store, as he was afraid of a robbery. The store was ruined, and the young man never received his money. He was very upset and prayed relentlessly. In one of the pilgrimages, he visited the temple, in which he recognized a familiar image from childhood. When Nikolai returned to Uglich and told mother Magdalene everything, she asked for blessings from Archbishop Cyril and went to the place where the icon was. This was one of the main shrines of the Moscow church. It was with her that his restoration began. But on the back of the icon there was a note that the shrine belongs to the Alekseevsky monastery. By God's grace, the cost of the image was reimbursed, and on August 24, 2005 the icon of St. Nicholas was transferred to Uglich.
Monastery development
Today, the monastery is thriving in every sense of the word. Previously, many pilgrims lived on the territory. Now they have been given apartments at the request of Mother Superior Magdalene. Thus, the eastern corps and the refectory were freed. In 2007, the monastery wall was restored. The territory of the monastery is amazingly beautiful, as more than 1300 species of roses are planted here.
Education at the monastery
Thanks to generous donations, they were able to restore the orphanage. Today, about 30 girls study here. In addition to general education, pupils also receive music. Each girl is treated here, given her individual characteristics.
The sisters of the monastery regularly take care of the disabled. Here you can often meet people from nursing homes.
The sisters of the monastery are happy to conduct tours of the monastery. Thousands of pilgrims visit the monastery every year for various reasons. Most of them seek to seek help from the Mother of God in front of the miraculous icon “The candle is unquenchable”. For special mercy, you can come to the Alekseevsky monastery (Uglich). Address: Yaroslavl region, Uglich, st. Sharkova, 27