The Nikolaevsky Malitsky Monastery (Николаевский Малицкий монастырь), also commonly referred to as the Nikolo-Malitsky Monastery or simply Nikolo-Malitsa, is a Russian Orthodox male monastery dedicated to Saint Nicholas the Wonderworker. Located in the village of Nikolo-Malitsa in the Kalininsky District of Tver Oblast, Russia, it sits approximately 6 km from the city of Tver along the highway to Saint Petersburg. The monastery is positioned on the banks of the Malitsa River, which flows into the Mezhurka River, a tributary of the Volga, and is surrounded by pine forests that evoke a sense of ancient asceticism. Founded in the late 16th century, it has endured fires, wars, and Soviet-era suppression before its revival in the 21st century. Today, it operates as an active monastery under the Tver Eparchy of the Russian Orthodox Church, adhering strictly to the Athonite (Holy Mountain) monastic rule, which emphasizes rigorous ascetic practices inspired by Mount Athos traditions. Unlike traditional Athonite monasteries, it allows women visitors as an exception. The current abbot is Igumen Boris (Tulupov), appointed in 2008.
The monastery was established between 1584 and 1595 during the reign
of Tsar Fedor Ivanovich on a wasteland known as Shevyakova, named after
the nearby Malitsa River to distinguish it from another nearby Nikitsky
Monastery (which was destroyed in the early 17th century during
Lithuanian invasions). Initially a modest and poor wooden settlement, it
suffered during the Time of Troubles but gradually recovered, attracting
settlers who formed the adjacent Malitskaya sloboda (settlement). A
devastating fire in 1675 razed the entire complex, but a miraculous icon
of Saint Nicholas the Wonderworker was discovered unscathed amid the
ashes (with only its back scorched), becoming a central symbol of the
monastery's resilience. In 1676, funded by Tver nobleman Grigory
Dmitrievich Ovtsyn, a five-domed stone Temple of the All-Merciful Savior
was erected, featuring side chapels for Saint Nicholas and the Icon of
the Mother of God Hodegetria.
Significant expansion occurred in the
mid-18th century after another miracle: In 1742, Countess Mavra
Georgievna Shuvalova (wife of Field Marshal Peter Ivanovich Shuvalov),
gravely ill during pregnancy while traveling from St. Petersburg to
Moscow, prayed before the icon and vowed to rebuild the monastery if
healed. She recovered, gave birth to a son named Nikolai in honor of the
saint, and from 1751 to 1760, the monastery was reconstructed in Baroque
style, transforming it into a grand quadrangular ensemble. By the 19th
century, it had become a non-communal (za shtatny) monastery with 8-10
monks, extensive lands (over 520 desyatins), a mill, farms, and a school
opened in 1886. Starting in 1862, annual cross processions with the
miraculous icon commemorated Tver's deliverance from a cholera epidemic
in 1860-1861.
The 20th century brought devastation. After the 1917
Revolution, assets were seized, and closure efforts intensified in the
1920s-1930s, with locals looting and destroying parts of the complex.
Several monks became New Martyrs, including Hieromonk Iosif Yaropolsky,
arrested in 1937 and executed in 1938. Services ceased by 1939, and
during World War II, the site was on the front lines in 1941, suffering
heavy bombing that destroyed most buildings. Postwar, ruins were used
for storage and housing until the 1980s-1990s.
Revival began in the
1990s: The property was returned in 1992, a chapel was established in
2001, and the first liturgy was held in 2005. Officially restored by the
Holy Synod on June 23, 2008, it adopted the Athonite rule. The
miraculous icon was returned in 2010 from Tver's White Trinity
Cathedral. As of 2025, it includes dependencies like the Dimitrievsky
Skete in Cherkassy, the Otmitsky Courtyard (with a recently completed
Byzantine-style refectory), and a church in Tutan village.
Originally wooden, the monastery evolved into a Baroque ensemble in
the 1750s, designed by architect P.Ya. Plyuskov (a pupil of D.V.
Ukhtomsky), influenced by the Primorskaya Hermitage near St. Petersburg
and the Smolny Monastery. The layout formed a quadrangle (138.5 m by 85
m) enclosed by stone walls with four corner towers topped by octagonal
domes and spires. Key structures included the central Spassky (Savior)
Cathedral in an elongated Greek cross plan with chapels for Saint
Nicholas and Saints Zechariah and Elizabeth; an eastern brotherhood
corps; southern abbot's quarters; a two-tier bell tower over the Holy
Gates; and side churches for the Protection (Pokrov) and Saint Peter of
Athos, one featuring a mosaic icon by Mikhail Lomonosov. Most of this
was lost during Soviet times and WWII.
Post-revival architecture
shifted to Neo-Byzantine style to evoke Athonite aesthetics rather than
restoring the Baroque original. The Church of the Protection of the Most
Holy Theotokos (built 2008-2010, first liturgy in 2012) is modeled after
the Vatopedi Monastery on Athos, with external and internal planning
inspired by Holy Mountain designs. The domestic Church of All Saints of
Athos (built 2017-2019) is part of the brotherhood corps. A house Church
of Saint Nicholas (established 2005) occupies a former 1760s chapel. The
bell tower (2010) houses 15 bells from Bezhetsk. Interiors feature
frescoes by a Romanian iconographer based on 16th-century Dionysiat
Monastery styles, two-tone brickwork for an Athonite look, and a unique
swinging khoros (a gilded ring chandelier with icons that sways during
services for a dynamic effect). The enclosure walls and towers were
restored in 2010.
The monastery is fully operational, with a small brotherhood living
according to the Athonite устав, similar to practices at the Serbian
Hilandar and Russian St. Panteleimon Monasteries on Mount Athos.
Services are conducted in the Byzantine rite, with Byzantine chanting as
a highlight—performed by the "Aksion Estin" choir, which gave a concert
at the Moscow House of Music on October 15, 2025. Daily schedule
includes evening services at 17:00, midnight office and matins at 6:00
on weekdays, hours and liturgy at 8:00, molebens with akathists on
Thursdays and feasts at 14:00, all-night vigils on Saturdays at 16:00,
and Sunday akathists at 11:30. Liturgies occur every Saturday in the
house church.
Activities emphasize spiritual and communal work: An
icon-painting workshop revives canonical iconography, creating
iconostases and restoring icons. A Sunday school (named after
Archimandrite Daniel Chizhov, active since September 20, 2015) teaches
Orthodox principles, singing, and crafts to children on Sundays at
12:00. Adult catechetical courses run since October 20, 2015. The
monastery publishes spiritual and historical books and runs the
"Trezvichi" movement (since January 2014) promoting sobriety through
prayers and anti-addiction initiatives. Agricultural labor, such as
harvest collection (completed September 8, 2025), underscores
self-sufficiency and divine providence. It holds cultural heritage
status (OKN number 6931209000). Recent residents include the retired
Bishop Adrian (Ulyanov), tonsured here on March 20, 2025.
Miraculous Icon of Saint Nicholas: The 17th-century icon (24.5 x 20
cm, on canvas glued to board, with Saints Boris and Gleb) has been
central to the monastery's identity, surviving the 1675 fire and
credited with healings from burns, injuries, vision loss, cancer,
pregnancy issues, and infertility—even in modern times. Annual feasts
include May 9/22 (Translation of Relics), December 6/19 (Repose), and
July 29/August 11.
Relics: Particles of the relics of Saint Arseny of
Tver (patron of Tver monks, feasts March 2/15 and June 29/July 12); a
1763 cross with 42 holy particles; a gold cross with a fragment of the
Lord's robe; and Lomonosov's mosaic icon.
Other Highlights: The
swinging khoros in services; no holy springs mentioned, but the site's
WWII history as a battlefield adds a layer of remembrance. Patronal
feasts include October 1/14 (Protection) and events at dependencies,
like November 8, 2025, at Dimitrievsky Skete.
Address: Shkolnaya Street 17, Nikolo-Malitsa, Kalininsky District, Tver Oblast, 170508, Russia. Phone: +7 (980) 635-07-58; Email: nik-mal-mom@yandex.ru; Website: https://nikola-malica.ru/. Accessible by bus No. 233 from Tver (Emmaus-Nikolo-Malitsa route). Visitors are welcome for services and tours; the monastery seeks volunteers for restoration (e.g., at Otmitsky Courtyard) and accepts donations. Dress modestly, and note the emphasis on peaceful, prayerful atmosphere.