In Pskov there are four women's cloisters. All the rest are male. It is among the monasteries of Pskov that there is one very famous. And, as you might guess, this is the Pskov-Pechersky Monastery.
He became very popular thanks to the cult book of archimandrite Tikhon Shevkunov "Unholy Saints".
Short story
The history of the Pechersky Monastery in Pskov has more than 500 years. According to legend, the monastery was founded in 1473. Her first "abbot" was Rev. Jonah. Initially, she was a priest in the city of Tartu, bore the name John.
During the most severe persecution of Christians from Latin Germans, Father John with his wife and children leaves the city and settles in Pskov.
Soon, mother Mary departed to the Lord. Even before her death, being seriously ill, she foresaw the imminent end. And she took tonsure with the name of Vassa. After the death of her mother, her husband took monastic tonsure with the name of Jonah. He was the builder of a cave temple, which became the foundation of the monastery. Like the Rev. Vassa, he is venerated.
Hieromonk Misail became his successor. He erected wooden cells for the fraternity and the temple. But the wooden buildings were burned during the impudent raids of the Livonia. The monastery has repeatedly suffered great disasters and upheavals.
What now?
Now the monastery belongs to one of the most beautiful monasteries of Pskov. Numerous pilgrims and workers come here daily. It is worth noting that the cloister never closed. Even in the most godless years on Russian land.
It so happened that traditionally the abbots of the monastery were very strong-willed people. One archimandrite Alipius was worth it. A former front-line soldier who went through the war from beginning to end, he selflessly fought for his homeland. And then he defended from his homeland, for which he shed blood, the monastery entrusted to him.
The current abbot, Archimandrite Tikhon, has been heading the monastery since 1995, a little over 20 years. And I would like to believe that with him the monastery will remain as strong as with the previous abbesses.
Conclusion
The Pskov-Pechersky monastery is a place that you just need to visit. This is a living history of Orthodoxy, which reflects its fortress to this day.