The monastery in Bogolyubovo is one of the oldest Orthodox religious buildings on the territory of modern Russia. It is located in the Suzdal district of the Vladimir region, since the 19th century it has been named after the appearance of the Bogolyubsky icon of the Mother of God. Officially refers to the Vladimir and Suzdal diocese of the Russian Orthodox Church. It is noteworthy that the monastery is located on the territory of the castle-palace of Andrei Bogolyubsky - this is the only civilian building known to us dating back to the period of pre-Mongol Russia. To our time, it has been preserved only partially.
Castle
The monastery in Bogolyubovo is located in the castle, which was originally founded by Vladimir-Suzdal Prince Andrei Bogolyubsky. This was the second son of Prince Yuri Dolgoruky. Andrei founded his suburban residence in about 1158, and then a temple appeared, built in honor of the Nativity of the Virgin. According to legend, the place was not chosen by chance, allegedly it was the will of the Mother of God, which she showed either through the Vladimir icon, or appearing to Prince Andrei himself.
There were several buildings in this princely residence, including a two-story palace made of stone and ciborium (a canopy over the altar). The castle itself was surrounded by stone walls. Researchers note that we are not aware of another complex of white-stone buildings of similar importance built in pre-Mongol Rus. Interestingly, until the 1950s, the castle was considered lost until the Soviet archaeologist Nikolai Voronin, who was considered a major specialist in ancient Russian architecture, discovered the transitions to the choirs and the staircase that connected the castle with the Cathedral of the Nativity of the Virgin. In the XVIII century, a tent bell tower was built over the staircase tower.
According to historians, the white-stone Church of the Nativity of the Virgin was thoroughly destroyed in 1722, in the 50s of the XVIII century it was restored again.
Story
The monastery in Bogolyubovo begins its history shortly after Prince Andrei was killed in his own castle. The alleged place of reprisal above him is under the stairs of the staircase tower, it is believed that it has survived to this day. Apparently, in order to atone for this crime, a nunnery was founded in Bogolyubovo, a photo of which is in this article.
Even Voronin suggested that the monastery itself on the territory of the castle complex was founded by one of Andrew's successors around the 13th century. It is worth recognizing that the earliest information relating to the history of the monastery is scarce, while it dates from a later time, so this is only a version. The convent in Bogolyubovo is not officially listed in the academic lists of the monasteries of Ancient Russia.
The letter of 1687 was preserved, according to which Tsars John and Peter Alekseevich, when they still ruled together, gave the monastery the status of a patriarchal home. In 1753, this monastery in Bogolyubovo becomes synodal, eventually passes to the Vladimir bishops. From 1882 until its closure, the Soviet government was ruled by the vicars representing the diocese of Vladimir.
When states were established in the 18th century, the monastery was assigned the third class, and by the end of the 19th century it had already received the first. The large-scale cathedral in honor of the Bogolyubsky icon of the Mother of God, which many call heavy, was built in 1866. It is built in the style that is commonly called Russian-Byzantine, the author of the project is architect Konstantin Ton.
Fate in the 20th Century
In the XX century, a nunnery in Bogolyubovo, Vladimir Region, had an unenviable fate, like most Orthodox buildings on the territory of our country. In June 1923, it was closed, two years before that, Bishop Athanasius (Sakharov) of the Vladimir Diocese was appointed rector.
In the autumn of the same year, the district executive committee in Vladimir decided to transfer all the property of the former monastery to the volost and district executive committees.
By the decree of the provincial zemstvo administration, issued in early 1924, the entire architectural ensemble was transferred to the museum department.
Revival of monasticism
The convent in Bogolyubovo, Vladimir Region, began to revive only in 1991. It was then that part of the buildings was transferred to the monk Nicodemus, who at that time was a shegumen. In 1997, 60 sisters from the Zadonsky Transfiguration Monastery were transferred here. Two monasteries were formed (female and male), after which their even more active restoration began.
The Cathedral of the Bogolyubsky Icon of the Mother of God was carefully plastered, and steam heating was carried out. A chandelier was installed in the building itself - the central one was about two tons in weight, and nine more side ones were hung, much smaller. The floor was laid with marble and granite, the altar, the throne, the high place and the altar in white marble.
Most of the murals of the Holy Bogolyubovsky Convent in Bogolyubovo were restored, and in 2002 a three-tier carved iconostasis with gilding was specially made. It was possible to quickly restore farm buildings, cell buildings, even plant a real orchard. Today on the territory of the convent in Bogolyubov there is its own icon-painting, carpentry workshops, and sewing. On holidays, the neighborhood announces the gospel of three bells weighing from one to eight tons. Not far from the monastery in Bogolyubovo, Vladimir Region, there is a holy spring, near which two fonts and a small chapel are built.
Procession
The modern monks have revived the tradition of the procession with the icon of the Mother of God of Bogolyubsk in their hands. Initially, the tradition existed from the XVIII century, it appeared in memory of the miraculous cessation of pestilence after the prayers of the monks before the image. Today, this procession every year takes place from the walls of Vladimir to the Holy Bogolyubsky Monastery in Bogolyubovo. It is arranged on July 1 on the day of the Bogolyubsky icon of the Mother of God.
In addition, the church leadership was able to complete the construction of a courtyard on the territory of the tract Spas-Kupalishche in Sudogodsky district. It is there that the Sudogda River flows into the Klyazma. In 2001, literally from scratch, a monastery complex was erected with a cell building and outbuildings, a holy spring was equipped, and the restoration of the Transfiguration of the Church church, in which divine services are already underway, has already been completed.
Architectural ensemble
The architectural ensemble of the monastery in Bogolyubovo near Vladimir includes several buildings dating mainly from the 18th-19th centuries.
Among them, of course, the remains of the palace of Andrei Bogolyubsky, which was built in 1158-1165, stand out. It is also a cathedral in honor of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary (its construction was completed in 1758), the Annunciation Church, which existed since 1683, but was significantly rebuilt in 1804.
In 1841, the Gate Belfry appeared here, and from 1855 to 1866 a cathedral was erected in honor of the Bogolyubsky icon of the Mother of God.
You can get to the monastery by personal transport on the E22 / M7 highway if you are coming from Moscow. By public transport you should ride daily buses or trains from the suburban station to Vladimir. There you need to transfer to city public transport - any bus to the Vladimir bakery. From there it’s worth going further to the monastery in Bogolyubovo (from here it will be about six kilometers). From Vladimirsky station you can also order a taxi to the monastery.
On normal days, services take place four times a day. At 6 o’clock in the morning the morning rule passes, at 6.40 the liturgy and the hours begin, at 8.30 - a prayer service with the Akathist of the Bogolyubsky icon of the Mother of God. At 16.00 - a service with a praise.
The weekly schedule of temple services may change; it is constantly updated.
If necessary, novices and pilgrims can order trebes. It can be a custom-made mass, baptism, funeral service, magpie, unction, memorial service, prayer service, royal liturgy, commemoration at the altar, the indestructible Psalter.
Icon appearance
In the framework of this article about the monastery in Bogolyubovo, Vladimir Region, the photo of which allows you to get an idea of its appearance, it is worth telling the story of the icon itself, which is dedicated to this monastery.
It was written in the XII century by order of the Russian Prince Andrei Bogolyubsky in memory of the appearance of the Virgin Mary to him. It is considered one of the oldest icons of Russian origin.
According to the legend that has survived to this day, the Most Holy Theotokos appeared to the prince in 1155, when the Vladimir icon was transferred from Vyshgorod to Zalesye. Andrei Yurievich saw her on the way, right in the camping tent. She ordered him to put an icon in Vladimir. On the site of this wonderful vision, the residence was founded, which is now the village of Bogolyubovo. Especially for his castle-palace, the prince ordered to write an icon that would depict his vision. This image was originally exhibited in the Bogolyubovsky castle, according to some sources, together with the Vladimir icon. It was later transferred to the Bogolyubsky monastery founded here in Bogolyubovo.
In the summer of 1918 it was partially restored by order of the Commission for the Preservation of Monuments of Ancient Painting, which was headed by Grigory Chirikov. According to him, its safety was identified as poor. Already in the second half of the 20th century, it was restored by Maria Romanova. Since 1992, the icon was transferred to the Holy Assumption Monastery in Vladimir itself. Since 2009, the icon has been under restoration at the Vladimir-Suzdal Museum, when experts and clergy noted a significant deterioration in its condition.
Iconography
On this icon, the Virgin Mary is depicted in full growth and without a baby, supposedly in this form she appeared to Andrei Bogolyubsky. The virgin stands in full growth in prayer before the Lord, in her hands is a scroll.
In several versions of this icon, the Virgin Mary is addressed on her knees, the composition of which is changing. Most often, they include Andrei Bogolyubsky.
Rectors
The first famous abbot of the monastery was hegumen Sergius, who is believed to have been appointed to this place by Prince Andrei Bogolyubsky. Among other famous abbots, it should be noted Arkady (Fedorov), who led the monastery from 1818 to 1823. He took this post at a very young age when he was only 34 years old. Then Fedorov was transferred to the Mogilev Theological Seminary, where he became rector. He was the bishop of Ufa and Orenburg, the archbishop of Perm and Verkhotursky, Olonets and Petrozavodsk.
From 1997 to 2010, the monastery was headed by Archimandrite Peter (Kucher). He became famous primarily as a supporter of right-wing radical views, speaking as a fighter with passports of a new type, TIN, which, in his opinion, contained anti-Christian, satanic symbols.
At the same time, he actively called for the return of the monarchy in Russia, considered Emperor Nicholas II the redeemer king, and at the same time managed to remain an ardent admirer of Joseph Stalin.
The attitude towards him was different. Proponents called him an old man who fights for true faith and piety, and all negative reviews are only slander. Critics found heretical statements in his sermons and even called supporters sectarians.
In 2003, his supporters wrote statements in which they officially refused any help from the state, which they called "satanic." In particular, they did not want to receive benefits and pensions. Many pilgrims and parishioners followed suit.
In 2003, the leadership of the Russian Orthodox Church dismissed the archimandrite from the post of head of the male part of the monastery, and the whole brethren were transferred to the Constantine-Eleninsky parish. After that, penance was imposed on the monastery itself, it was forbidden to serve the liturgy during the Assumption of Lent.
Shelter for minors
At the monastery in Bogolyubovo (photos confirm its beauty) there is a shelter for minors, with which a lot of scandals have recently been connected. In particular, in 2009, there were reports in the media about the escape of two pupils from the monastery shelter. One of them, 16-year-old Valentina Perova, soon showed up, sending official denunciation letters to the President of Russia, the Attorney General and Patriarch Kirill.
In October, it became known that a special commission convened by order of Patriarch Kirill investigated the situation that had developed around the shelter. Some at the same time claimed that the scandal was provoked, and the escape itself was a provocation directed against the overly conservative-minded archimandrite Peter (Kucher). In November, the head of the Investigative Committee, Alexander Bastrykin, made a proposal at the legislative level to guarantee the observance of the rights of minors held in such monastery shelters. His words were the result of a check on the statement of Perova. In particular, she complained of unlawful imprisonment.
The result of numerous inspections were statements on the identification of numerous violations in the work of the shelter. His abbess was deprived of the right of guardianship, while it was not possible to establish the facts of the nuns' ill-treatment of the pupils, although they were also mentioned in the letter of Perova.
The following fall, two more girls, 17 years old, fled from the shelter. They wrote a statement to the police. Soon, the head of the diocesan boarding house in Suzdal, Father Vitaly Rysev, with three pupils who were among the children transferred last year from the Bogolyubsky monastery addressed the Izvestia newspaper. Witnesses claimed that the children were beaten with a belt, crying was constantly heard from the rooms, and many children who arrived in Suzdal were found to have fingerprints on their arms and legs. Pavel Astakhov, who at that time held the post of Commissioner for the Protection of Children's Rights, promised to investigate child abuse. Another pupil of this shelter said that his tutors taught children that the monarchy had been restored in Russia, and that one of them (male) would become the new king in the future.
In October 2010, it became known that the Vladimir Archbishop Evlogy ordered that all children stay in the monastery, even if they were with their parents, be stopped.