St. Catherine's Monastery is an Orthodox female monastery located
in Tver in the Zatverechye microdistrict on the left bank of the
Volga River, not far from the confluence of the Tvertsa into the
Volga.
The decision to transform the courtyard of the
Ascension Women's Orshin Monastery at the Church of St. Catherine
the Great Martyr into the St. Catherine's Convent was made by
Archbishop Viktor of Tver and Kashin in 1996, nun Juliania was
appointed abbess of the monastery.
In 2001, the bell tower of
the Church of the Holy Great Martyr Catherine (the main cathedral of
the monastery) was restored, the restoration of the attached church
of St. Sergius of Radonezh began.
According to the diocese,
25 people live in the monastery (abbess, 3 nuns, 3 nuns, 2 novices,
16 laborers), there is a Sunday school and Orthodox theological
courses, where up to 100 people study.
St. Catherine's Monastery is located in
the picturesque place of Zatverechye (Tver) in the old city district
at the confluence of the two main rivers of the Tver Territory - the
Volga and Tvertsa.
On June 15, 1996, on the day of memory of
the Blessed Princess Juliana of Novotorzhskaya, by the decree of His
Eminence Victor, Archbishop of Tver and Kashin (now Metropolitan),
the courtyard of the Ascension Orshin Monastery at the Church of the
Great Martyr Catherine was transformed into the Holy Catherine
Monastery. The abbess of the newly created monastery was Abbess
Juliana, who previously headed the Orshin monastery. The monastery
got its name in honor of the Holy Great Martyr Catherine, to whom
the main altar of the temple is dedicated.
The Catherine
Church itself was built in 1786 at the expense of parishioners.
Previously, there were two wooden churches - Catherine and St.
Nicholas, so the northern side-altar was consecrated in honor of St.
Nicholas.
On June 7, 2007, Archbishop Viktor of Tver and
Kashin performed the rite of consecration of the newly created
monastery. After the consecration of the monastery, the construction
of the fence of the monastery began; currently, the eastern and
partially southern sides of the fence are being erected.
St.
Catherine's Monastery is occupied by three more attributed churches:
St. Sergius of Radonezh, with the side-chapels of the prophet Elijah
and Alexy, the man of God, the temple of the holy martyrs Mina,
Victor and Vikentiy (first mentioned in the Scriptures of Tver for
1628) and the Great Martyr. Nikita. The temples are located behind
the monastery fence. Traditionally, on patronal feasts (18 July, 8
October and 24 November), All-night Vigil and Divine Liturgy are
performed in these churches.
By 2010, the restoration of the
chapel of St. Seraphim of Sarov, later chapels of St. Juliana and
Eupraxia of Moscow and St. Tryphon of Pechengsky.
Since 1996,
Orthodox Theological courses have been operating at the Catherine
Monastery,
The monastery has libraries for sisters and
parishioners, and there is a Sunday school.
At present, a
beautiful garden is growing on the site of garages, utility rooms
and sheds, which is not only a help in the "solution of the food
program", but also a real decoration of the monastery.