Pechersky Ascension Monastery (Печерский Вознесенский монастырь) is a seat of Bishop of Nizhny Novgorod and Arzamas. It was constructed in 1328- 1330 by Saint Dionysius and two fellow monks who came here from Kiev Pechersk Lavra. They named their new monastery after home abbey. Initially Pechersky Ascension Monastery was nothing more than a cave dug in the side of the hill, overtime they become famous and people started to come here. With the help of volunteers they constructed a cathedral of Lord Ascension. However it was destroyed in 1597 after a land slide that undermined its base. Fortunately no one was killed since it happened at night, but it became clear this unstable ground will not support growing number of people. New monastery was established higher on the hill. Most of the churches and walls were constructed in the middle of the 17th century.
The Caves Monastery was founded between 1328 and 1330 not far from
Nizhny Novgorod on the banks of the Volga, "in a semi-mountain". Some
sources speak of the founding of the monastery by Grand Duke Yuri
Vsevolodovich in 1219. However, it is generally accepted to speak about
the creation of the monastery by St. Dionysius. This monk of the Kiev
Caves Monastery came with several monks to Nizhny Novgorod and dug a
cave three versts from the city, where he settled.
Around 1335,
St. Dionysius founded a monastery on this site with the Church of the
Ascension of the Lord:
In three fields from the city, at the banks of
the Volga, Dionysius in Lower Novegrad dug a cave, going industriously
laboring, and honestly composed a monastery, called the Pechersk
Monastery.
The monastery was arranged according to the principle
of strict cohabitation - "common life", kinovia: the monks did not have
property; all property was common; everyone, not excluding the abbot,
worked for their livelihood; without the blessing of the abbot, they did
not go beyond the monastery gates.
Soon after its foundation, the
monastery became the most important spiritual and cultural center of the
Suzdal-Nizhny Novgorod principality. At this time, in the walls of the
Pechersk monastery, the monk Lavrenty created the Laurentian Chronicle.
Among the spiritual children of St. Dionysius are two natives of Nizhny
Novgorod, later glorified as saints: Euthymius of Suzdal and Macarius
Zheltovodsky. According to legend, they were born in neighboring houses
on the square in front of the Church of the Holy Myrrh-bearing Women. At
different times they come to the Caves Monastery and become its monks.
Subsequently, these disciples of St. Dionysius would become the founders
of new monasteries (Evfimy - in Suzdal, and Macarius - in the then
undeveloped Trans-Volga region).
Another monk of the Pechersk
Monastery, the philosopher Pavel Vysoky, becomes the teacher of the
future wife of Dmitry Donskoy, Evdokia of Moscow. Abraham of Galich, a
disciple of Sergius of Radonezh, lived in the Caves Monastery.
Landslide and transfer of the monastery
In the 16th century the
monastery reached its peak. However, on June 18, 1597, at the third hour
of the night, the monastery was destroyed by a mountain collapse:
...
And by the grace of God, by the intercession of the Most Holy Theotokos,
this mountain passed under the monastery under the ground and went into
the Volga river turned out to be mounds, and the plows under the
monastery were on the Volga river, they stood on a dry bank from the
water in a distant distance; and in the monastery, marked by a landslide
from the mountain, the stone church of the Ascension of Christ was
destroyed to the ground, only the top remained above the altar, the bell
tower crumbled, the warm church of the Most Holy Theotokos (Protection)
was shaken to the side and lowered into the ground, near the altar
windows; the holy gates, and in the monastery the cells, kitchens and
cellars collapsed and the fence was broken, and on the shore the wooden
church of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker moved from its place, and the
porch broke off, and many courtyards were shaken in the settlement.
No one died in this collapse. But almost the entire monastery
complex was destroyed. In addition, the slope above the monastery was
recognized as a landslide hazard. Therefore, in the same 1597, the
monastery was moved a verst upstream of the Volga, and the Church of the
Transfiguration of the Lord was erected in the old place. It is believed
that the father of the national hero Kuzma Minin contributed to the
construction of the monastery after its destruction.
Many
considered the collapse to be a sign, a harbinger of some disaster. And
the disaster really happened: a few years later the Time of Troubles
began.
In 1630-1640s. Nizhny Novgorod architect Antip
Konstantinov (Vozoulin) built the existing monastery ensemble, including
the five-domed Ascension Cathedral with a gallery (1632), a hipped bell
tower, a hipped Assumption Church (1648) with a refectory, a hipped gate
church of St. prp. Euthymius of Suzdal (1645), rector's chambers and
buildings of cells with the church of St. Macarius. The stone fence and
the small gate church of the Intercession of the Virgin were built
later, in 1765.
At various times, the monastery had its own
hospitals, almshouses, where the elderly and the poor received help;
rendered great services not only to private individuals, but also to the
whole state: he supplied the troops with money, bread and various
provisions, and also sent formed warriors to the royal troops at his own
expense.
Closing of the monastery
In 1924, by decision of the
NKVD in the Nizhny Novgorod province, the monastery was closed. At
different times, residential buildings, a cinema, an architectural and
restoration workshop were located on its territory.
Monastery
today
The Pechersk monastery was restored in 1994. Since 1999,
Archimandrite Tikhon (Zatekin) has been the abbot of the monastery.
The rector of the Caves Monastery is the ruling bishop of the Nizhny
Novgorod diocese. Since 2003, he has been Metropolitan Georgy of Nizhny
Novgorod and Arzamas. The brethren of the monastery by 2004 numbered 14
people. On the territory of the monastery there is a museum of the
history of the Nizhny Novgorod diocese.
In August 2007, the monks
of the monastery began filming a newsreel documentary film about the
life and work of Patriarch Sergius. The author of the idea and script
was the abbot of the monastery, Archimandrite Tikhon (Zatekin), the
director and cameraman was the housekeeper, hieromonk Oleg (Osipov). The
first series was presented for the 140th anniversary of the Patriarch
(in September 2007) - it tells about the youth of Sergius, his studies
first at the Arzamas Theological School, then at the Nizhny Novgorod
Theological Seminary and entering the St. Petersburg Theological
Academy. Four episodes of the film were filmed, each lasting 40 minutes.
At the beginning of December 2007, the frame of the iconostasis was
installed in the Assumption Church and its parts were assembled, and
puttying work was carried out in the refectory part of the temple. On
December 31, 2008, Archbishop Georgy of Nizhny Novgorod and Arzamas
consecrated the Assumption Church.
In 2009, for the feast of the
Assumption, the icon of the 18th century "Assumption of the Mother of
God" was restored. During the restoration, a new salary was made on the
donations of the parishioners.
During a 4-day visit to the Nizhny
Novgorod land, Patriarch Kirill visited the monastery several times.
During the first visit on September 10, 2009, Patriarch Kirill donated
the Kazan Icon of the Mother of God with a commemorative inscription to
the monastery.
On March 15, 2010, with the blessing of Archbishop
George, the tonsure was performed in the Church of the Dormition for the
first time in 80 years: Monk Ignatius (Novikov) was tonsured into the
small schema by the abbot of the monastery, Archimandrite Tikhon.
On December 31, 2010, Archbishop George performed the rite of
consecration of the gate church in honor of St. Euthymius of Suzdal. The
restoration of the temple lasted about two years. During this time, icon
painters from Vladimir painted the church in the style of ancient
Vladimir-Suzdal writing. The Transfiguration Cathedral of the
Spaso-Evfimiev Monastery in Suzdal, where the relics of the Monk
Euthymius, the Suzdal miracle worker, rested, became a model for
painting.
On December 31, 2014, the lower church of the
Assumption Church was consecrated by the Great Order. The temple was
consecrated in honor of the Cathedral of the Radonezh Saints.
On
December 31, 2018, Metropolitan Georgy of Nizhny Novgorod and Arzamas in
the Assumption Church performed the rite of the Great Consecration of
the Chapel in honor of the Holy New Martyrs: Bishop Lawrence of
Balakhna, Archpriest Alexy Porfiryev and Alexy Neidgardt, who were shot
on November 6, 1918.
Since 2018, three alleys of the historical
park have been created: the Romanov dynasty, the Rurik dynasty and the
Russian patriarchs (adjacent to the hillside).
Ascension Cathedral 1630-1632
Assumption Church at the refectory
1648
Gate church in the name of St. Rev. Euthymius of Suzdal 1645
Church in the name of St. Apostles Peter and Paul 1738
In addition,
other buildings built in the 17th-18th centuries are located on the
territory of the monastery, including the Bishops' Chambers restored and
restored in 2005.
Another attraction of the monastery is the bell
tower at the Ascension Cathedral, which, almost from the day of
construction, has acquired a large slope to the horizontal, like the
Leaning Tower of Pisa. On this bell tower in 2005, a unique mechanical
clock with a melodic chime (“God save the Tsar!” and “How glorious is
our Lord in Zion”) was installed.
The Dormition and Gateway
Evfimievskaya tent churches were erected by the Nizhny Novgorod
architect Antip Konstantinov (Vozoulin). He also participated in the
construction of the Archangel Cathedral in the Nizhny Novgorod Kremlin,
as well as, among other things, in the construction of the Terem Palace
and the restoration of the Assumption Cathedral in the Moscow Kremlin.
Archimandrite Dionisy of Suzdal
Archimandrite Euphrosynus (? -
1386)
Archimandrite Ignatius I
Archimandrite Joseph I
Archimandrite Isaac
Archimandrite Nikander I
Archimandrite Savva
Archimandrite Theognost I
Archimandrite Evfimy
Archimandrite
Ignatius II
Archimandrite Pavel
Archimandrite Misail
Archimandrite Gerasim I
Archimandrite Misail II
Archimandrite
Nikander II
Archimandrite Elijah
Archimandrite Cyprian I
Archimandrite Ignatius III
Archimandrite John
Archimandrite
Joakinf
Archimandrite Vasily
Archimandrite Job I
Archimandrite
Zacchaeus I
Archimandrite Parthenius I
Archimandrite Theodore
Archimandrite Theognost II
Archimandrite Konstantin I
Archimandrite Job II
Archimandrite Levkiy
Archimandrite Tikhon I
Archimandrite Zacchaeus II
Archimandrite Cassian
Archimandrite
Joachim
Archimandrite Mitrofan
Archimandrite Alexander
Archimandrite Kirill
Archimandrite Jonah I
Archimandrite Onufry
Archimandrite Nathanael
Archimandrite Tryphon
Archimandrite
Vassian
Archimandrite Joel
Archimandrite Theodosius
Archimandrite Job III
Archimandrite Macarius I
Archimandrite
Raphael I
Archimandrite Macarius II
Archimandrite Raphael II
Archimandrite German I
Archimandrite Tikhon II
Archimandrite
Stefan
Archimandrite Gerasim
Archimandrite Hilarion (1656-1657)
Archimandrite Philaret I
Archimandrite Cyprian II
Archimandrite
Joseph II (1672)
Archimandrite Simeon (1672-1674)
Archimandrite
Varlaam I
Archimandrite Neil
Archimandrite Joasaph
Archimandrite Epiphany
Archimandrite Daniel
Archimandrite German
II
Archimandrite Barsanuphius
Archimandrite Iona II
Archimandrite Varlaam II
Archimandrite Sergius
Archimandrite
Filaret II (1729-1753; with a break)
Archimandrite Methodius
Archimandrite Trifilius
Archimandrite Pallady (Yuriev) (1753-1758)
Archimandrite Sophrony (Dolgonevsky)
Archimandrite Konstantin
(Borkovsky) (1772-1773)
Archimandrite Aggei (Kolosovsky) (1773-1774)
Archimandrite Joasaph III
Archimandrite Ioanniky (Nikiforovich)
(1790-1794)
Archimandrite Jerome (Ponyatsky) (1794-1798)
Viceroy
Hieromonk Damaskin
Archimandrite Gideon (Ilyin) (1799-1802)
Archimandrite Irinarkh (1806-1821)
Viceroy Abbot Herman
Archimandrite Gabriel (Gorodkov) (1821-1828)
Viceroy Hieromonk
Cornelius
Archimandrite Innokenty (Platonov) (since 1827)
Archimandrite Irenaeus
Archbishop of Nizhny Novgorod and Arzamas
Jacob (Vecherkov) (1847-1850)
Viceroy Archimandrite Theophilus
(Nadezhdin) (1851-1855)
Bishop of Nizhny Novgorod and Arzamas
Jeremiah (Soloviev)
Viceroy Archimandrite Dositheus (Tsvetkov)
Bishop of Nizhny Novgorod and Arzamas Anthony (Pavlinsky)
Bishop of
Nizhny Novgorod and Arzamas Nectarios (Nadezhdin)
Bishop Macarius
(Mirolyubov) of Balakhna
Viceroy Hieromonk Ephraim
Bishop Polycarp
(Gonorsky) of Balakhna
Viceroy Archimandrite Ioaniky
Bishop
Dimitry (Sambikin) of Balakhna
Bishop of Balakhna Agafodor
(Preobrazhensky)
Bishop of Balakhna Jacob (Pyatnitsky)
Viceroy
Archimandrite Arkady (Kuznetsov)
Bishop of Balakhna Iuvenaly
(Polovtsev)
Bishop Alexy (Opotsky) of Balakhna
Bishop of Balakhna
Arkady (Karpinsky)
Bishop of Balakhna Anastasy (Opotsky)
Bishop of
Balakhna Nestor (Fomin)
Viceroy Abbot Jeremiah (Zerchaninov), later
Archimandrite of the Nizhny Novgorod Annunciation Monastery
Bishop
Isidore of Balakhna (Kolokolov) (1903-1906)
Viceroy Archimandrite
Parthenius (Reigning)
Bishop Evfimy (Eliev) of Balakhna
Bishop of
Balakhna Gennady (Tuberozov) (1909)
Bishop Macarius (Gneushev) of
Balakhna
Bishop Lavrenty (Knyazev) of Balakhna
Bishop Peter of
Balakhna (Zverev)
Viceroy Archimandrite Porfiry
Bishop of Pechersk
Varnava (Belyaev)
Archimandrite Alexander (Tolstopyatov)
Metropolitan of Nizhny Novgorod and Arzamas Nikolai (Kutepov)
Viceroy
Hieromonk Alexander (Kamenev)
Viceroy Archimandrite Tikhon (Zatekin)
Archbishop of Nizhny Novgorod and Arzamas Evgeny (Zhdan)
Archbishop
of Nizhny Novgorod and Arzamas George (Danilov)
Monument to Emperor Alexander II the Liberator. The
bust was installed near the Ascension Cathedral in May 2013 in honor of
the 400th anniversary of the Romanov dynasty and in memory of the stay
of Emperor Alexander II with his wife Empress Maria Alexandrovna in the
Nizhny Novgorod Pechersk Ascension Monastery in 1858.
Bust of the
church historian Archbishop Macarius (Mirolyubov). Installed in 2022.