Orthodox World

Ladder to the Kingdom of Heaven. Miniature from the Gospel. XV c.

Russian Monasteries

Kiev-Pechersk Lavra Monastery

Through the Providence of God the Kiev-Pechersk Lavra started its existence in Kiev in 1051, during the reign of Yaroslav the Wise and metropolitan ministry of St. Ilarion. The monastery, which became an inexhaustible source of devout prayer, was founded by the miraculous order of the Queen of Heaven, who appeared to the Venerable Anthony’s spiritual Father hegumen of Esfigmenou Monastery Theoktist on the far Holy Mount Athos, and by the blessing of the Venerable Theodosius.
When the number of brethren reached 100 monks, the Venerable Theodosius sent one of his monks to Constantinople to eunuch Ephraim to copy the Studion Statute and bring it to Kiev. At the same time Metropolitan George visited Kiev. He was accompanied by one of the monks of the Studion Monastery Michael, who delivered the monastic statute to the monastery. On the basis of these two versions the Statute of the Pechersk Monastery was drafted.
Morality and asceticism distinguished monks of the Kiev-Pechersk Monastery, and recluses in the first place. This attracted to the Lavra educated and famous people. The monastery had become a kind of academy for the Orthodox hierarchs. By the beginning of the XIII century 50 bishops were nominated to different parts of Kievan Rus out of monastery brotherhood.
Many of Pechersk monks had become missionaries and set off to preach Christianity to those parts of Kievan Rus where population professed paganism. The Venerable Eustratius the Faster in 1096 was captured by Polovtsians and sold to Jews and tortured to death for preaching Christianity. The Venerable Kuksha and his disciple Ioann, who baptised Vyatichi, were also tortured to death. The Venerable Nikon the Dry converted to Christianity one of the famous Polovtsian and his family. Often monks’ sermons and appeals to princes were directed against intestine wars that tore up Kievan Rus, they called for preservation of prince’s power and order of succession to the throne of the Kiev dynasty representatives.
The Pechersk Monastery played an important role in the unification of the Eastern Slavonic Lands. It was their spiritual, social, cultural and educational centre. The Pechersk Monastery was held in respect not only in Kievan Rus, but also in Poland, Armenia, Byzantine, Bulgaria and other countries.
The most difficult times in the history of the Lavra began after the October revolution. According to the Decree of the Soviet government “On separation of the Church from the state and school”, all church property was nationalised. On 29 September 1926 the government and the Council of people's commissars of the Ukrainian SSR adopted the Resolution "On changing the status of the former Kiev-Pechersk Lavra into the history and culture state museum and transferring it into All-Ukrainian museum town". Gradual isolation of the church community, its ousting by a newly created museum resulted in a complete liquidation of the monastery in 1930. Part of the brethren was taken off from Kiev and executed by shooting, the rest was imprisoned or exiled. The Lavra was ravaged and ruined.
In June 1988, in commemoration of the thousandth anniversary of Kievan Rus Baptism and according to the Decree of the Cabinet of Ministries of the UkrSSR, the territory of the Far Caves with all monastery buildings was transferred to the possession of a newly created Pechersk community. In 1990 the territory of the Near Caves was handed over.

The Holy Trinity – St. Sergius Lavra

St. Sergius, the founder of the Holy Trinity Lavra, was born of wealthy Rostov boyars on May 3, 1314. In 1337, at the age of 23, after his parents’ death, he decided to leave for the desert. Despite the distance of his hermitage, word concerning the exemplary ascetic life of St. Sergius soon spread everywhere and pious monks began coming to him in search of guidance.
For a long time the number of the monks was limited to twelve. Then new candidates arrived and the community began to grow. The saint refused no one the right to enter the monastery. Among his disciples and followers there are about 70 canonised saints. In central and north-eastern Russia they founded about 50 monasteries, which became centres of orthodox piety and spiritual enlightenment.
In the reign of the tsar Ivan IV, who had a particular veneration for St. Sergius, the monastery was surrounded by a stone enclosure topped by 12 towers. After the end of the wars against Tartars and the victory over the kingdoms of Kazan and Astrakhan , the tsar began building a large and beautiful church, dedcated to the Dormition of the Mother of God, a copy of the Kremlin Dormition Cathedral.
In 1814 the Theological Academy was transferred from Moscow to the Lavra, and a new complex of buildings for the needs of the Schools appeared. At present the Tsar’s Chambers belong to the Academy.

St. Daniel Monastery

St. Daniel Monastery is the first one in Moscow, founded by saint Prince Daniel of Moscow. On the right bank of the Moskva-river, at a distance of 5 miles from the Kremlin not later than in 1282 he founded the first monastery with the wooden church of St. Daniel-Stylite. Now it is St. Daniel monastery. Under the ruling of the tzar Joann the Terrible, the monastic life in the monastery was revived and the first stone Church of Holy Fathers of Seven Ecumenical Councils was built. The St. Daniel monastery played important role in the defense of the south bounders of Moscow:
In 1591 the tatar-mongols at the head of the Crimean khan Kazi-Girey were defeated near the walls of the monastery.
In 1606 the troops of the tzar Basil Shyiskiy defeated the rebels of Bolotnikov.
In 1610 the monastery was burnt by False Dimitriy II. Bat soon it was revived and surrounded by the brick wall with 7 towers.
In 1812 the French solders stole St. Daniel's silver tabernacle, desecrated and robbed the churches.
After the revolution the bolsheviks began to close the churches, and in 1930 the St. Daniel monastery was closed - the last one in Moscow. Most of the brothers were shot in 1937. The holy remains of St. Daniel were lost. After the monastery was closed the churches were reconstructed, the graves of prominent people were moved to other cemeteries, and Necropol of St.Daniel monastery was destroyed. There were different stores and a colony for children on the territory of the monastery.
In 1983 the St. Daniel monastery was the first one which was given back to the Russian Orthodox Church.
By 1988 - the year of millennium of Baptism in Russia - the St. Daniel monastery has been reconstructed, and now it is considered to be the spiritual center of the Russian Orthodox Church. There is the official residence of His Holiness Patriarch of Moscow and all Russia Alexiy II.

Kirillo-Belozersky Monastery

The monastery was founded in 1397 by St.Kirill nicknamed Belozersky. St.Kirill descended from one of the most distinguished boyar families Veliaminoff. He ruled by the monastery more then 30 years. The Uspensky monastery was erected originally. Than small Ivanovsky monastery was constructed alongside in XVI cent. Kirillo-Belozersky monastery was outpost of Moscow state in hostile Novgorod's lands.
Vasilij II "Dark" (in meaning - blind) from his exile in Vologda visited the monastery. The head of monastery Igumen Trifon set him free from promise not to pretend to the Moscow throne. Prince Vasilij awarded generously the monastery afterward.
Vasilij III with wife visited the monastery in 1528 and prayed here for birth of their heir. The heir named Ivan VI "Grozny" (in meaning - formidable) has been born and it was connected with holy graces of the monastery.
In 1612 Poland invaders appeared under the walls of the monastery. They did not make their minds for the immediate attack but fired and ruined the vicinities of monastery. December, 1612 the reinforcement from Poland and Litva was arrived and began the fierce storm. All attacks were beaten of by monasteries strelets (fire armed guards), monks and apprentices. Enemy chief colonel Pesotsky was killed in that battle.
New stone walls were erected in 1654-80 and the monastery become one of the most powerfull fortress in Russia. This fortifications remained till this days.
In 1722 emperor Peter the Great visited the monastery. The monastery possessed more than 21 thousand peasants in 16 uezds (district) in that times.
In 1764 the monastery was deprived of all it's peasants and lands by edict of impress Ekaterina II. In 1764 the town Kirillov was formed from monasteries settlements. The town jail was placed in the chambers of fortress walls. The gradual decline of monastery began from that moment.
In 1924 the monastery was closed by decree of Soviets and museum was formed on the monastery territory.
Wealth of monastery has grew and despite of big fire in 1557 the monastery become the greatest stone grange in Russia, except only Troitze-Sergiev monastery. First brick fortress wall and eight towers were built in 1600. There were 9 stone churches and bell-towers inside the fortress. Monk's cells and other economic buildings were wooden.