The Makaryevskaya Hergozerskaya Hermitage, also known as the Makaryevsky Hergozero Monastery or Makaryevskaya Hergozerskaya Pustyn (Russian: Макариевская Хергоозерская пустынь), is a historic Russian Orthodox hermitage located in the remote and picturesque Kenozero region of Arkhangelsk Oblast, northern Russia. This site, dedicated to St. Macarius Zheltovodsky and Unzhensky (also known as Macarius of the Yellow Water Lake and the Unzha, the Miracle Worker), represents a significant example of 17th-century monastic life in the European North, blending spiritual seclusion with cultural and historical importance. Though it fell into ruin during the Soviet era, ongoing revival efforts have begun to restore its role as a pilgrimage destination.
The hermitage is situated on a narrow peninsula jutting into Hergozero Lake (also spelled Khergozero), within the boundaries of Kenozero National Park, a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve known for its pristine lakes, forests, and traditional Russian wooden architecture. The park encompasses a network of interconnected lakes and waterways, with Hergozero being one of the larger bodies of water in the Lekshmozero area. Local oral traditions suggest the site was originally an island, later connected to the mainland by an artificial isthmus for easier access. Surrounded by vast swamps with evocative names like Gladkoye (Smooth), Ledyanoye (Icy), Veliky Mokh (Great Moss), Vnutrenny Mokh (Inner Moss), Sokolia Glad (Falcon Smooth), Toporia Glad (Axe Smooth), and Gryaznoe (Dirty), the location emphasizes its historical isolation—ideal for monastic contemplation but challenging to reach. The nearest settlements are small villages like Pochozero, and access today typically involves boat travel or hiking through the park's trails. This marshy, forested environment underscores the hermitage's role as a "pustyn" (desert or hermitage), a term in Russian Orthodoxy denoting a secluded monastic community, often in wilderness areas.
The hermitage was founded in the 1630s (some sources specify 1640) by
two monks, Sergius and Longinus (also called Loggin), who hailed from
the nearby Alexander-Oshevensky Monastery in the Kargopol district.
These founders sought a remote spot to establish a spiritual retreat,
drawing on the tradition of desert monasticism prevalent in northern
Russia. Local legends enrich the origin story: one claims St. Macarius
himself, a 15th-century saint from Nizhny Novgorod, passed through the
area en route to the Solovetsky Islands and blessed the site, expressing
a desire for a monastery there. Another legend describes the miraculous
appearance of St. Macarius's icon on the lake's shore, prompting the
monks to build the hermitage in his honor.
The monastery quickly grew
into the largest religious center in the Lekshmozero region during the
17th century. It flourished until 1764, when it was abolished during
Catherine the Great's secularization reforms, which confiscated church
lands and dissolved many smaller monasteries. It was then converted into
the Hergozersky parish church, serving local villagers and pilgrims.
Despite this downgrade, it retained spiritual vitality into the 19th
century.
Key historical events include devastating fires: in 1782, a
blaze destroyed the original wooden temples along with their icons and
utensils; another in 1857 razed the wooden Holy Trinity Church. These
incidents prompted reconstructions, shifting from wood to more durable
stone structures. The parish was closed in the 1930s under Soviet
anti-religious policies, leading to neglect and partial dismantling. By
the 1960s, one church was fully disassembled, and the site fell into
ruin. Valuable photographs taken by N.N. Pomerantsev in 1958 documented
the structures before further decay, aiding later preservation efforts.
The hermitage's architecture evolved from humble wooden beginnings to
more elaborate stone edifices, reflecting the region's vernacular styles
influenced by northern Russian traditions.
Early Wooden Phase
(17th Century): The initial complex included three wooden churches built
in quick succession. The first, erected in 1653, was the Church of the
Holy Life-Giving Trinity with a side chapel dedicated to St. Macarius.
In 1658, the Church of the Entry into the Temple of the Blessed Virgin
Mary (Vvedenskaya) followed, featuring a St. Nicholas chapel. The third,
completed in 1660, honored the Three Saints of Moscow (Peter, Alexei,
and Jonah). By 1769, records mention only the Trinity and Vvedenskaya
churches, with additional chapels for St. Nicholas, the Moscow Saints,
and Alexander Svirsky.
Stone Reconstructions (Late 18th–19th
Centuries): After the 1782 fire, a warm (heated) stone Vvedensky Temple
with a St. Nicholas side chapel was constructed between 1782 and 1790.
Following the 1857 fire, a grand five-domed stone Holy Trinity Cathedral
was built from 1865 to 1872, incorporating altars for the Holy Trinity,
the Martyrs Boris and Gleb, and St. Macarius. An octagonal stone bell
tower, approximately 17 meters (56 feet) tall, stood on the south side,
accompanied by a wooden cross under a canopy. In the 19th and early 20th
centuries, the site was enclosed by wooden walls with towers, creating a
fortified appearance typical of Russian monasteries. Internal "cold
rooms" (unheated spaces) were rented to pilgrims, while external areas
housed residences for priests and psalm-readers.
The architecture
blended functional monastic design with symbolic elements, such as the
five domes representing Christ and the four evangelists. Much of the
stone work survived into the mid-20th century but deteriorated
thereafter.
The hermitage's fame stemmed from its association with St. Macarius,
whose wonderworking icon was housed there and credited with numerous
miracles. A special manuscript, "The Legend of the Glorious Miracles of
the Miraculous Image...," documented these events, including healings
from diseases, rain during droughts, and guidance for pilgrims (e.g.,
directing horses to meet visitors). The saint was said to prescribe
remedies like water from Hergozero Lake and local herbs. St. Macarius
was particularly revered in the Kargopol region, drawing pilgrims from
surrounding villages via dedicated paths.
Annual celebrations on
"Makariyev Day" (July 25, the saint's feast) featured the Makaryevskaya
Fair, a major event combining commerce, devotion, and community.
Pilgrims offered livestock (later monetary donations) and performed
rituals like crawling on knees around the "holy lake" for purification
or bathing animals in its waters. Even in the mid-20th century, figures
like Philip Antonovich Likotov (known as "Filyushki from Pochozero")
upheld traditions, accepting "covenants" (vows) and traveling to honor
"distant Makarii" (other sites dedicated to the saint).
Culturally,
the hermitage exemplifies the spiritual heritage of northern Russia,
where monasteries served as beacons in remote areas. Its icons,
including 25 from the Holy Trinity Church's iconostasis, are now
preserved in the Kenozero National Park museum fund, providing insights
into 19th-century Orthodox art.
Today, the site remains largely in ruins: the Vvedensky Church was dismantled in the 1960s, and the Holy Trinity Cathedral stands dilapidated, though its stone structure endures. However, revival initiatives began in the post-Soviet era, led by Nikolai Yakovlevich Ushakov (great-grandson of the last parish priest, Dmitry I. Lebedev), alongside priests Victor Pantin (senior priest of St. John the Baptist Church) and Vasily Cheremisin (priest at the Church of John the Apostle in Oshevenskoye). Supported by the Kenozero National Park administration and benefactors, these efforts have resumed Orthodox services in the Trinity Church and restored pilgrimage traditions. Groups from St. Petersburg, Arkhangelsk, Kargopol, and Nyandoma now visit, maintaining the site's spiritual legacy.