Not far from Yaroslavl, on the left bank of the Volga, the domes of the Tolgsky Convent rise to the sky. This ancient monastery is one of those places where for many centuries pilgrims went in an endless stream to pour out their souls in front of the icons and to find gracious comfort in prayer. Founded during the difficult time of the Tatar-Mongol invasion and princely feuds, it managed to become the spiritual center of the Yaroslavl Territory and, having passed through years and trials, retained this high status.
Miracle revealed on the Volga coast
In one of the chronicle vaults that have come down to us, the history of the founding of the Tolgsky monastery dates back to the beginning of the XIV century. It says that in 1314 a miracle was revealed to the Rostov bishop Tryphon, who was returning home after a detour of the diocese. Having not reached Yaroslavl six miles and spent the night on the high Volga coast, he was able to see a wonderful light that ascended to the sky from the opposite bank of the river and a marvelous bridge that spread through the air to it in an arc.
When the bishop crossed it on the other side and approached the source of light, an icon of the Blessed Virgin Mary appeared before his eyes, motionlessly frozen in the air and exuding a wonderful radiance. Having fallen to his knees, the venerable bishop prayed for a long time before the image that appeared to him, and the next day he commanded to erect a wooden church on the site of his acquisition.
The construction of the temple and the foundation of the monastery
The news of the miracle happened quickly flew around the neighborhood, and by morning the coast was full of residents of nearby villages. The church was built by the whole world and, with God's help, were managed in one day. The annals say that Bishop Tryphon worked on an equal footing with everyone and personally raised freshly cut logs that smelled of tar on the walls.
In this church, consecrated in the name of the Entry into the temple of the Blessed Virgin Mary, they placed an icon, miraculously acquired on the eve. Seeing in all that happened the sign sent from above, the bishop ordered the founding of a monastery there, which became known as the Tolgsky Monastery due to the nearby tributary of the Volga of the same name. Almost seven hundred years of history of one of the most famous spiritual centers in Orthodox Russia began from these days. Then the feast of the miraculous icon of the Mother of God of Tolga was established. It became August 8 - the historical date of its miraculous acquisition.
From the moment of its foundation and until the closure in the early 30s of the XX century, the monastery was a man’s, and nowadays, after sixty years spent by the country in the midst of severe anti-religious pressure, it reopened as a female monastery. In the XIV century, it was a refuge for dozens of monks who wanted to leave the hustle and bustle of the world during the lifetime to the Mountain Peaks. It is not for nothing that monks were tonsured by the people as the adoption of the "angelic rank."
The fire that destroyed the monastery
But it so happened that the enemy of the human race never slept and tried in every way to harm those who were looking for Light and Truth. Three decades have not passed since the founding of the Tolgsky Monastery, when he sent a terrible fire to it, destroying all the buildings, which, according to the custom of those times, were wooden, and, therefore, were easy prey to fire. Together with them, the archive was turned to ashes, in which all the documents related to the foundation of the monastery were stored, which greatly complicated the work of historians of the following centuries. Miraculously, only the icon of the Mother of God survived, rediscovered after a fire in a nearby grove.
The restoration of the monastery
Over the past years, many documents of the subsequent period have also been lost, so the researchers got an idea of the formation of the monastery and its further development mainly from the “Tales” stored in it, which included a description of the many miracles revealed through the icon of the Mother of God of Tolga. Several editions of this literary monument have survived to our days, the earliest of which dates back to 1649 and belongs to the pen of the monk of the Tolgsky monastery Mikhail. In it, he tells in detail about 38 miracles revealed over almost three centuries.
The monk Michael begins his story with the fire, which was already mentioned in the article, and talks about how, with the support of numerous benefactors and donors, the monks managed to bring the burnt shrine back to life in a short time. Of course, miracles were also possible here. One of them is connected with the generous contribution made by the merchant Prokhor Ermolaev, who came specially from Nizhny Novgorod to pray in front of the icon of the Tolga Mother of God for the healing of his paralyzed legs. To the great glory of the miraculous image, he returned home already healthy.
The life of the monastery in the XIV and XV centuries
The authority of the monastery was further strengthened after the pilgrims who arrived in it in 1392 witnessed the miracle of myrrh-streaming. This happened, according to the compiler of the "Tale" monk Michael, during matins. In front of everyone present, the world abundantly flowed out of the image, filling the church with an indescribable fragrance. Subsequently, it was the source of numerous healings, described in detail by contemporaries.
At the turn of the XIV and XV centuries. An active expansion of the economic activity of the Tolgsky Monastery began. Yaroslavl was then a major administrative center in which the ruling princes arranged their residences. It is known that many of them gifted the monastery with generous contributions to the eternal remembrance of their souls. Thus, records have been preserved of granting the monastery extensive land, which later served as its material well-being.
In the middle of the 15th century, the previously unified principality of Yaroslavl split up into many destinies, and the Tolgsky monastery ended up on the territory that belonged to the princes Zasekin. Taking advantage of the situation, they imposed a tribute to the monks, which they were forced to pay annually. Such arrogant requisitions, aggravated by the dishonesty inflicted by the bribe-takers of the holy monastery, forced the abbot to seek protection from the great Moscow Prince Vasily II the Dark. Being a deeply religious man, he did not leave the monks in trouble and took them under his protection. Since then, no one dared to encroach on the property and rights of the monastery.
High patron of the monastery
The positions of the Holy Vvedensky Tolgsky Monastery were further strengthened after Tsar Ivan the Terrible was healed of foot disease. It is known that in 1553, traveling along the Volga, he visited it and prayed kneeling before the miraculous image, which was the main shrine of the monastery. Feeling relief soon, the emperor made a rich contribution to the monastery, donating a significant amount of gold and precious stones to decorate the icon.
But most importantly, thanks to the healing of Ivan the Terrible, the Tolgsky Monastery (Yaroslavl) fell into sight of all subsequent Russian tsars, who considered it their duty to visit its walls and leave generous offerings there. Their visits brought the monastery not only honor, but also became a powerful advertisement, which contributed to an increase in the flow of pilgrims, and, consequently, to the replenishment of its treasury.
Outrages of Polish interventionists
The severe trials that fell during the Time of Troubles to the whole of Russia did not pass over the Holy Tolgsky Monastery. This time, the enemy of the human race chose the Polish interventionists as his weapon. The detachment of Adam Vishnevetsky who invaded its territory on May 18, 1609 looted everything that could be carried away with him, and he brought the monastery to fire. More than forty monks who tried to resist the enemy fell under the blows of Polish sabers. Later, a chapel was erected over their mass grave.
Having allowed the ruin of the Tolgsky monastery, the Lord nevertheless saved for the Russians the miraculous icon of the Mother of God, which was stored in its walls. The shrine was managed to be removed from the monastery in advance, and hidden in a safe place. In those years, it was especially dear to people, because, thanks to many miracles revealed through it, it gained fame as the first among the most revered icons of the Yaroslavl Territory. Immediately after the expulsion of the Polish interventionists, the surviving monks set about restoring their shamed and burnt shrine.
Distinguished guests visiting the cloister
In the next two centuries, right up to the tragic events of 1917, monastic life flowed without serious upheaval. Each regular monarch, ascending the Russian throne, certainly made a trip along the Volga and, among other sights, visited the Tolgsky Monastery, where he was greeted with a joyful bell ringing. The last of them was Emperor Nicholas II. Remembering the visit to the monastery, the emperor spoke with special warmth about the unique cedar grove growing on its territory.
The walls of the monastery and prominent religious figures of that time, such as Metropolitan Dimitry of Rostov and Patriarch Nikon, were received. This reformer of the Russian Orthodox Church visited her, returning along the Volga from the exile where Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich once sent him. Having visited the Tolgsky monastery on August 26 (according to the new style), the next day he gave God his rebellious soul.
Monastery in the pre-revolutionary years
According to researchers, the monastery reached its highest point in the first decade of the 20th century. During this period, it was not only a spiritual, but also an educational center. In its territory, in addition to an elementary school for children from poor families, there was a vocational school in which adolescents could learn the basics of various crafts. All students received free housing and meals. In addition, an agricultural beekeeping school was also opened at the monastery, also intended for the children of the poor, and a strange house.
The tragedy that struck the Church
However, all this was put to an end, in October 1917, when the Bolsheviks seized power in the country. Having proclaimed the Marxist-Leninist utopia as the only true teaching and turning it into the likeness of a new religion, they began a fierce struggle against the Church. Temples and monasteries were closed throughout the country, and their property was confiscated in favor of the state, or simply stolen.
In the first post-revolutionary years, the Tolgsky Monastery circumvented the disaster, and the schedule of services, which was placed at the entrance, for some time testified that the religious life in it did not calm down. Nevertheless, in October 1918, the city authorities made an inventory of all the property in it, and handed the dean a document proving that it now belongs to the state, and the monks are provided only for temporary use.
The last decade before the closure of the monastery
Having appropriated the right to dispose of all the movable and immovable property of the monastery, the authorities were not slow to take advantage of this. Less than a year, as part of the monastery buildings was given over to a children's summer camp, in which schoolchildren from Yaroslavl came every year. But that was only the beginning. In 1923, by order of the party leadership, a nearby women's monastery was closed, and part of the premises of the Tolgsky monastery was allocated for the homeless women, despite the fact that it was male.
Thus, deprived of the right to dispose of their own property and burdened with worries about their new guests, the monks lived until the beginning of the 30s. During this period, services in the temple continued, despite the fact that the bells from the belfry were removed and sent to re-melting. But then a government decree came out to close the monastery, and use its territory with buildings located on it for the needs of the national economy. For many decades, the spiritual life within the walls of the ancient monastery was supplanted by the bustle of the perishable world.
Establishment of a convent
The revival of the scolded shrine began in December 1987, when by the efforts of His Holiness Patriarch Pimen, in the place of the once-liquidated monastery, the Tolga Nunnery was opened in Yaroslavl. Despite the fact that all the surviving buildings were in extreme abandonment, they managed to be restored in a short time, thanks to the generosity of voluntary donors, and the help of local residents. A considerable proportion of the work was undertaken by the nuns themselves.
Tolgsky monastery: opening hours and how to get to it
As a result, on July 29, 1988, the main temple of the monastery was re-consecrated, and the first Divine Liturgy was served in it for many years. Since that time, the monastery again took its rightful place among other spiritual centers of Russia. Every day it opens its doors to many pilgrims who come from all over the country to Yaroslavl.
The opening hours of the Tolgsky Monastery, indicated on its official website, generally correspond to the schedules adopted in most Orthodox monasteries. So, on weekdays, services begin at 6:00. Morning prayers are performed, a midnight office, and an akathist is recited. At 7:00 a Divine Liturgy is served. On Sundays and public holidays, morning services begin an hour later. At 16:00, regardless of the days of the week, evening services begin.
And at the end of the article a few words about how to get to the Tolgsky monastery. From Moscow to Yaroslavl can be reached by train departing from the Yaroslavl station, and then by minibus number 93G to the stop "Railway with. Tolgobol. " From her to the monastery - no more than ten minutes walk.