St. Michael's Athos Monastery in Adygea is located near the villages of Victory and Kamennomostsky. This is a major religious and tourist center, which annually literally attracts many believers and ordinary travelers. A large number of fascinating attractions around and the hospitality of the monks attract here almost everyone who comes to rest in Adygea.
Prerequisites for the appearance of the temple
St. Michael's Athos Monastery in Adygea appeared in the XIX century. The prerequisites for its creation were the appearance of several Cossack stations in the mountain zone of the Trans-Kuban region in 1864. Most of the locals lived in poverty, so they could not afford the maintenance or the construction of the temple. Due to the situation in the village, the leadership of the Stavropol diocese was worried, because there were many sectarians and Old Believers among the Cossacks. As a result, they decided to build the St. Michael Athos Monastery in Adygea.
Funds for the construction of the temple were collected from nearby villages and villages. The first attempt to found a monastery was attempted in 1874. In winter, the petition for founding the Mikhailo-Athos desert in Adygea was filed by the tradesman Ilya Bezverkhov from Kharkov and the peasant Isidor Trubin. Both have long served in churches, experienced a craving for spiritual and moral life. Initially, they wanted to establish it near the Sahray village, but they themselves were constantly drawn to the mountains. These places impressed the monks with their grandeur and beauty. In this they received support from local Cossacks.
The inhabitants of the villages in the district gave 270 acres of land for the future temple, the Cossacks decided to transfer the prayer house, intended for the Sahraiskaya village. The donated land turned out to be fertile, all this indicated that the future monastery would live in abundance.
As a result, Trubin and Bezverkhov decided that they would be able to cope with the construction without the help of the state, since there were enough materials, and local residents expressed their willingness to participate in the work. The monks seriously hoped that the appearance of the St. Michael Athos Monastery in Adygea would have a beneficial effect on the Cossacks and local residents. A school appeared on the basis of the monastery.
Unsuccessful attempt
Having prepared the ground, the monks turned to Bishop German for blessing. He ordered that they be temporarily sent to another desert, so that they learn the convent rules.
Herman himself began to collect the necessary information about the future temple. By 1876, it became obvious that the villagers did not have the right to transfer land for the construction of the monastery, since they were communal. In this way, it was strictly forbidden to dispose of them.
Due to the fact that permission to equip the monastery was never obtained, Herman donated all the valuables and donations that he had already managed to collect to the Trukhmyansky bailiff church. As a result, the first attempt to found the monastery was unsuccessful, but local residents did not leave thoughts about the implementation of this project.
Building permit
In 1877, the stanitsky petitioned the Caucasian governor with a request to allocate 350 acres from the stanitsa lands in order to build an Orthodox monastery on Mount Fiziabgo. In May of the same year, permission was issued for the construction of a monastery in Adygea in the village of Victory.
In September, work began. In the spring of 1879, the first temple dedicated to the guardian angel of Archangel Michael was completed. Initially, it was used both for the monks and for services.
In 1881, the construction of the temple in honor of Alexander Nevsky was completed. Four years later, the largest church of St. Michael the Athos Monastery was built. It was the Assumption Cathedral, which managed to accommodate about a thousand parishioners.
Arriving pilgrims participated in its further improvement. Everyone had to bring at least one stone for construction.
The base of the monastery
The monks living in the monastery constantly spent time in prayers and labors. Their day began with a service at 2 a.m. It lasted until dawn. After the meal, everyone went to work. At noon, everyone returned to mass.
From the end of the dinner service to the evening, the monks could rest. In violation of order, the monks were punished with additional work. Pilgrims and parishioners followed the same procedure.
Development of senility
The first abbot of the monastery, Martyrius, strove to cultivate old age. Local elders built cells on Mount Shahan, where they worked and prayed a lot.
The elders, along with the monks, erected the Church of the Transfiguration on the mountain. Several of them, who thought they were too sinful, dug underground tunnels in the mountain.
With the participation of Martyria, a parish school was formed in this place, which began to lead the monk Vakulin.
Impact on locals
The monastery that appeared had a great influence on the Adyghe settlements in the district. The ideas of Orthodoxy were actively spread among local residents, and a struggle was conducted against schismatics, whose influence was quite large. To confront them, the monks constantly read sermons for everyone.
Soon, a powerful economy appeared on the basis of the monastery itself. The novices were engaged in animal husbandry, raised all kinds of crops, horses, cows, oxen and camels grazed on pastures. Many outbuildings were erected, including a farmyard, a farm, a sewing and shoe workshop, a forge, a bakery, a dyeing and laundry facilities. The monastery even built its own plant for the production of alabaster, a hospital and a station for observing the climate.
In the days of the Soviet Union
After the Civil War, the monastery’s lands were confiscated, and the monastery was deprived of all its inventory, production facilities and equipment.
In 1926, a holiday home was opened here, and then a commune called Vladilen. Despite all these changes, monastic life did not cease until 1928. Only then it was finally closed, and the guests dispersed.
At the very beginning of World War II, the tourist base was liquidated; a hospital for the wounded appeared on the basis of the monastery. Adygea was liberated in 1944, then a labor colony for children was founded in this place.
In 1946, the Assumption Cathedral was blown up by the Soviet authorities, and a school was built from its stone. Then they dismantled other buildings on the territory of the monastery for the sake of material for the construction of hostels of colonists. In 1946, the Church of the Transfiguration of the Lord was blown up.
The labor colony was disbanded in the 60s. The remaining buildings were transferred to the Kamennomostsk state farm. In 1972, the territory was transferred to the Committee for Tourism of Krasnodar. On the site of the monastery opened the camp site "Camomile".
The revival of the monastery
After the collapse of the Soviet Union, activists began the struggle for the return of the monastery of the Orthodox Church. It was possible to do this only in 2001. Since then, monastic life began to revive monastic life.
Hieromonk Martyrius became his first rector in modern history. He was able to re-organize services, repair cell buildings and the Trinity Church. In 2004, he was replaced by Pimen, in which the number of monks increased to 20 people.
From 2006 to the present, he has been leading the monastery of Hieromonk Gerasim. He managed to erect the temple of Archangel Michael on the site of the destroyed.
The monastery and its surroundings
Recently, the number of pilgrims and tourists has been increasing every year. With the monastery they get acquainted with the Holy Trinity Church.
When describing the St. Michael's Monastery, the Assumption Church, located in the very center, must be mentioned. Among the sights of the monastery there is also the mass grave of disabled warriors who were tortured by the Nazis, and buildings that still have not been fully restored. This is a strange house, the church of St. Alexander, the refectory. Work is underway on the restoration of the Church of Our Lady of Sorrows.
Many are attracted by the opportunity to plunge into the font of the St. Michael Athos Monastery in Adygea. Water from here is considered healing. Pilgrims are advised to visit the top of Mount Fiziabgo to get holy water from the spring. From there, a beautiful view of the surroundings opens. Those who cannot climb the mountain can enjoy the panorama that opens from the observation tower from the territory of the Soviet tourist base.
Impressions
Most people visit the St. Michael’s Monastery with excursions. Tourists and pilgrims are advised to definitely enjoy the beauty and grandeur of these places.
The monastery is located on the territory of the modern village of Pobeda, about fifteen kilometers from the village of Kamenomostsokogo. In this place, the design of Orthodox churches is striking, which more closely resembles the famous Greek Christian monasteries. If you wish, you can climb up, from where an amazingly beautiful view opens from the old bell tower.
In the reviews of St. Michael's Athos Monastery in Adygea, in addition to the beautiful surroundings, they also mention delicious monastery pancakes at affordable prices (about 25 rubles per pancake).
The nearest major city is Maykop. Before him, about fifty kilometers. The font, which we already wrote about, is located about one kilometer from the monastery itself, this path is definitely worth going to all the believers and travelers who have reached these places. The road to the source is smooth and wide, paved with paving stones. On the way you can meet many shops on which you can relax if you wish. It is believed that plunging into this font, a person gets rid of all diseases.
It is important that, even though the monastery is male, women are allowed into its territory. Before entering, the fairer sex is given scarves and skirts.