The Epiphany Avraamiev Monastery, a photo of which can be seen below, is located in a beautiful place on the shores of Lake Nero in Rostov the Great. This one of the oldest monasteries in Russia is an unsurpassed historical monument of architecture and church culture.
Story
Exact data on the foundation of the monastery have not been preserved. Presumably, the cloister appeared on the site of the Velesov temple at the end of the XI century. Its founder was the Monk Abraham, who at that time settled in the vicinity of Rostov.
Nothing was known about the condition of the monastery and its inhabitants until the beginning of the reign of Ivan the Terrible. One can only assume that the monastery caused hatred from the pagans, who prevailed among the local population. In the annals it is mentioned that the Rostovites made several attempts to burn the monastery, but against all odds it resisted.
On the part of Christians, the monastery enjoyed great love. Gradually, the number of fraternities increased so much that it was necessary to constantly expand its aisles. On the site of wooden churches stone temples were built.
Male Epiphany Monastery Abraham performed several functions in Rostov at once. It was the center of the Christian faith and book education, and also the first to meet enemies approaching the city and acted as a fortress.
In the XVI century, just before the campaign to Kazan, the monastery was visited by John the Terrible himself. And returning with a victory, he allocated funds for the construction of a new Epiphany Cathedral.
Following him was built the Vvedensky church. In the XVII century, the contribution of local landowners was the construction of the third, gate church of the monastery - the church of Nikolai Ugodnik.
In 1915, the brotherhood of the Epiphany Avraamiev monastery was transferred to the Yaroslavl monastery, and the sisters of the Polovets monastery, which temporarily became female, moved here.
Soviet time
With the advent of the revolution, a difficult time came for the monastery. In 1918, all church property was confiscated, which undermined the economic situation of the monastery.
All utensils, implements, livestock, hay and horses were seized. Inmates were assigned to serve in the local dairy. In the premises of the monastery housed a factory dormitory, a nursery and a prison for tax evaders.
By 1929, all values were nationalized or plundered, and the monastery itself was liquidated. Fences were stolen from the graves of the monastery cemetery, personal and church property, and barbaric acts were committed against buildings.
Subsequently, the authorities filled the necropolis, and in its place a city square was destroyed. The walls of the monastery were dismantled by local residents for personal needs.
Rebirth
In 1993, the compound of the Moscow Spassky Church was opened on the territory of the monastery, transformed a year later into the Patriarchal compound, which, in turn, was reformed into the Epiphany Avraamiev Monastery in the winter of 2003.
Since that time, the monastery was reborn right before our eyes. First, the St. Nicholas Church was restored, in which daily services are still being held to this day.
A year later, a metal fence was erected around the monastery. The road was poured and sewage was carried out, repair work was carried out on residential buildings, a garden was built.
Church of the Epiphany
This is the main temple of the Epiphany Avraamiev Monastery in Rostov. The first wooden church was built on this site back in 1080. And in 1553, at the behest of John the Terrible, a stone cathedral of the Epiphany of the Lord was erected and painted, at the consecration of which the tsar was personally present.
Built at the same time as the Moscow St. Basil's Cathedral, the monastery cathedral discovers some similarities with this Orthodox shrine. The five-domed temple has the shape of a cube. The main aisle is crowned with a tent, and the aisle of John the Baptist is a hill of kokoshniks according to the type of Russian architecture. In the 19th century, the bell tower was built over the chapel of St. John the Evangelist in imitation of the ancient masters.
Unfortunately, the cathedral is currently in poor condition and needs to be fully restored. From the way the temple looked originally, almost nothing was left. All murals were completely destroyed, with the exception of a few fragments on the south wall.
The brickwork of the walls is severely deformed and gradually collapses. In the 1970s, small restoration work was carried out, but this was not enough.
Vvedensky temple
The baptismal temple-refectory of the Epiphany Abraham Monastery was erected in 1650. Construction was carried out when the cloister had already recovered and gained strength after the ruin in the Time of Troubles.
The original appearance of the church has not been preserved at all. It was completely modified in 1802 and acquired the features of provincial classicism. In connection with the overhaul, elements of ancient architecture were destroyed. Once the Vvedensky church was a single ensemble with the Epiphany Cathedral and had connecting passages.
Now the shrine, like the cathedral, is not in the best condition.
St. Nicholas Church
The road to the monastery at the end rests directly on the gate church of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker, which has two towers on the sides that have been preserved from the very first building in 1691.
The stone church itself, built with the money of the Rostov landowners Mescherinovs in 1685, was badly damaged by fires and was rebuilt by the architect Y. Pankov in 1837. Then a stone bell tower was erected.
Currently, it is in St. Nicholas Church that all monastic services are held. Here are the relics of the Monk Abraham.
Necropolis
According to monastic traditions, in the walls of the monastery, near the temples, there is usually a cemetery for the burial of deceased inhabitants. So in Rostov the Great, the Epiphany Avraamiev Monastery had its own churchyard, located on the north-eastern side of the Epiphany Cathedral.
He was active until 1920. The reason for his demolition was the decision of the authorities to use the cemetery territory for the park. Some of the monuments were carried away by relatives of the buried, and most of the graves were simply plundered.
In 1997, during the landscaping of the Epiphany Avraamiev Monastery on the site of the necropolis, a large number of both whole and fragmented tombstones were found, from which it became clear that not only monks and novices were buried on this graveyard, but also dead local residents.
The heart of the monastery cemetery was the chapel that stood here. She was at the burial place of the monastery elders Pimen and Stakhiy. From the preserved historical documents it can be seen that in 1629 the chapel already existed.
The chapel is mentioned in more detail in the monastery documents of 1853, which states that it was erected at the expense of the merchant N. Khlebnikov in gratitude for getting rid of the headache. The same documents say that the chapel enjoyed the attention of pilgrims and citizens. Memorial services dealt with it daily.
In the same 1997, during excavation, the completely preserved foundation of this chapel was discovered, from which it is clear that its building had a square shape. At the base of the walls, in the southeastern and northwestern corners, were well-preserved tombstones without any inscriptions.
The inhabitants and rectors of the Epiphany Abraham’s monastery
The history of the monastery is not only an architectural description of its buildings, but the life story of its inhabitants. One of the first well-known abbots of the monastery was St. Ignatius, who in his youth renounced the world and became a monk. This is the only saint whose incorrupt relics were never buried.
Another abbot of the monastery was Bishop Arseny, who took tonsure, having lost his wife and children. It was he who later ordained the Monk Stephen of Perm into deacons. Bishop Arseny is buried in the Assumption Cathedral.
According to legend, the Monk Pimen the Recluse lived in the monastery. It is also known that during the reign of Jonah Sysoevich, the well-known blessed Athanasius was in the monastery. He used the location of the metropolitan and even had a meal with him at the same table.
A special page in the history of the Epiphany Abraham’s monastery is occupied by priors such as Bishop Neophyte, His Grace Nathanael, Archbishop Justin. The last rector was Archimandrite Neophilus (Korobov), who later became a holy New Martyrs and Confessors of Russia. In 1937 he was arrested and later shot.
In total, starting from the Monk Abraham in 1080 and ending with the abbess today, Mother Superior Miropia, who was appointed to the post in 2003, the monastery monastery had 68 abbots in its history.
Monastery today
Daily at Epiphany Abraham’s Convent (Rostov the Great), services are held that take place in the St. Nicholas Church according to the following schedule:
- 6:00 - early liturgy.
- 17:00 - evening liturgy.
Those who wish can make an appointment for a long remembrance of health and repose.
The Epiphany Avraamiev Monastery is located at: st. Zhelyabovskaya, d. 32.
The place is located 3 kilometers from the Rostov Kremlin in the northeast, near Petrovskaya Sloboda.
Minibuses No. 1, 3 go from the center of Rostov to the monastery. Get out at the Labaz Shop stop.