Alekseevo Akatov Monastery. Story. The history of the monastery in Tsarist Russia
Alekseev-Akatov convent in Voronezh is one of the oldest Orthodox shrines that have survived to this day. Initially, the monastery was male, and it became female over time. Today, the building is not only a historical monument, but also a place of pilgrimage for hundreds and thousands of Orthodox Christians.
Story
The monastery was founded in 1620. The construction was a kind of gratitude to the inhabitants of the city for the victory in the battle with Cherkasy and Lithuanians. At the beginning, the brotherhood of the monastery (together with the abbot) consisted of 7 people. Over time, the number of novices increased, while the number of buildings also increased.
Theodosius (abbot of the Uspensky monastery), at the request of the rector Cyril, who served in the Alekseev-Akatova monastery, gave part of the land into the possession of the new brethren. Theodosius himself, with a few more novices, moved into the walls of the recently built monastery.
In 1630, another temple was in the possession of the monastery - the Mother of God of Vladimir. A limit was established within its walls, named after the patron saint of the monastery.
From the day it was founded, the village of Rozhka (today Otrozhka), located across the Voronezh River, was in the monastery possessions. In 1634, the possessions expanded: this included the villages of Mamon Upper and Lower. From 1629 the territory began to be settled by peasants. Initially, there were only 4 households in the vicinity of the villages. In 1676 their number rose to 45.
By the royal decree of Peter 1 in 1700, in order to free up the territory for state needs, the Assumption Monastery was attached to Alekseev-Akatovo. In 1742, the management of the monastery fell on the shoulders of the Ostrogozhskys (vicar bishops). Since 1796, the rector served as rector of the theological seminary at the monastery.
Catherine 2 in 1764 took the monastic estates to replenish the state treasury. Some monasteries reserved the right to receive salaries, the amount of which depended on the class awarded to the shrine. On the territory of Voronezh, only the maiden Pokrovsky and Alekseev-Akatov monasteries were awarded such an honor.
In 1784-1812, the construction of a stone church with a height of 2 floors took place. In 1812 the lower church (the icon of the Mother of God of Vladimir) was consecrated, in 1819 the upper one (St. Alexei). Divine services are performed within the walls of the church even today.
At the end of the 19th century (1879-1880), a bell tower was erected in the northwestern part of the monastery, consisting of 4 tiers. With the advent of Soviet power, the new bell tower was destroyed, and the old structure was returned to use.
During the period of active closure of Orthodox churches on the territory of the state (20s of the 20th century), it was Alekseev-Akatov Monastery that became the center of the spiritual revival of Voronezh. Divine services, meetings of the Orthodox clergy were held here, and a school functioned.
The monastery was closed in 1931. The lower floors of the main church served as a garage. AT different time it housed workshops of art, food depots, living quarters and even stables.
The bell tower (as an ancient historical monument) was taken under protection in the late 70s. In 1986, restoration work was carried out on its territory. After 3 years (1989) all the buildings of the monastery were transferred to the ownership of the Voronezh diocese.
In the spring of 1990, restoration work began within the walls of the monastery. The restoration was carried out according to photographs and old drawings, since the building was actually completely destroyed by vandals. In June 1990, Patriarch His Holiness Alexei II gave his blessing to the opening of the women's Alekseevo-Akatov monastery. The first divine service within the walls of the renovated monastery took place in the autumn of the same year.
In January 1992, the first 10 sisters of the monastery were tonsured at the monastery. Among them was the nun Varvara, who became abbess in April 1993. In 1999, the Church of the Introduction, located nearby, was transferred to the monastery.
origin of name
The monastery is named after the first Orthodox saint of the Russian land - Alexei. The day of the memorable battle and victory over the tribes, in honor of which the monastery was built, was also the day of memory of St. Alexei.
The construction of the monastery was laid on Akatova Polyana (a wooded deserted area two versts from the city). Hence the name of the monastery, as Alekseevo-Akatov.
monastery cemetery
The cemetery is located in the southern part of the churchyard. In the old days, monks of the monastery and noble nobles were buried here. In 1772, a ban on burials near parish churches came into force. Because of this, the cemetery of the Alekseev-Akatov Monastery began to grow rapidly.
The Voronezh governor (winter 1773) is buried on the territory of the cemetery, as evidenced by the inscription on the monument. In 1784, the burial of Father Pallady, a teacher at the monastery seminary, took place.
The use of the cemetery continued into the 19th and 20th centuries. Tulinov (leader of the province), Labzin (zemstvo secretary), Tsvet (scientist) and others found eternal rest here. As part of the anti-church policy, the cemetery was demolished by the Soviet authorities. In the early 90s, a symbolic necropolis was created on the territory of the destroyed shrine.
Shrines of the monastery
- One of the biggest shrines of the monastery is the “Life-Giving Spring”.
The icon depicts the Mother of God emerging from the water. Mary holds the Child in her arms. The shrine has been within the walls of the monastery since 1991. In September 1992, on the eve of the Feast of the Meeting of the Vladimir Holy Mother of God the icon began to stream myrrh.
- Within the walls of the monastery is the icon of the Tambov Pitirim, created at the beginning of the 20th century.
It was given to the temple on the day of its opening by the rector of the village church as a gift. Due to unsuitable storage conditions, the image on the icon practically did not differ. In the evening of 1997, after the evening liturgy, the rector of the church noticed that the image brightened up, and the inscription became readable. The next day, during the service, the icon began to stream myrrh.
- Another miraculous icon exudes myrrh in the monastery. This is an image of Saints Mitrofan of Voronezh and Tikhon of Zadonsk. In 2002, the icon was restored, after which the shrine began to stream myrrh.
- In the Alekseev-Akatov Monastery there is a copy of the icon of the miraculous Athos, the Andreevsky Russian Skete, called "Consolation in Sorrows and Sorrows."
In the summer of 1999, the icon began to stream myrrh, emitting the image of myrrh as a trickle from the eyes. Later, for some time, the icon also highlighted the myrrh, but with less profusion.
In the monastery there are icons with small particles of the relics of the Hieromartyr Peter Zverev, Confessor of the Monk Khariton. In 2000, Peter Zverev was canonized as a saint. In February 2004, the icon with his image, as well as particles of relics, was transported to the walls convent.
Patronal feasts
Alekseev-Akatov Convent honors the following patronal feasts:
- February 25 - the death of Alexei the Moscow hierarch;
- June 2 - the acquisition, as well as the transfer of the relics of St. Alexei;
- June 3 - the icon of the Mother of God of Vladimir (in memory of the salvation of the city of Moscow during the Khan's invasion of 1521);
- July 6 - the icon of the Mother of God of Vladimir (in memory of the salvation of the city of Moscow during the Khan's invasion of 1480);
- September 8 - Meeting of the icon of the Mother of God (salvation during the invasion of 1395);
- October 18 - Moscow Saints Cathedral: Alexy, Hermogenes, Jonah, Philip, Peter;
- August 12 - Voronezh Confessors and New Martyrs.
Worship Schedule
Divine services within the walls of the Alekseev-Akatovo convent are held daily.
- On weekdays and on Saturday, liturgies are celebrated 3 times: morning (07:30) and 2 evening (16:00 and 17:00).
- On Sunday, 2 divine services are held in the morning: early (06:30) and late (08:30) liturgies. Sunday evening services are no different from those held on weekdays.
On the days of major religious and patronal feasts, a separate schedule of services is drawn up. The hours of the liturgy may change, so the festive schedule for their holding must be known in advance.
How to get to the convent in Voronezh
There are several ways to get to the female Alekseev-Akatov monastery. From the center you can walk to the embankment, while you will see the construction of the shrine from afar.
You can use public transport services. Buses No. 6m, 6, 52, 62, 41, 90, 60b, 79, 68a, 120a, 101 go in the direction of the monastery. You need to get off at the Manezhnaya stop. Bus number 58v runs on a different route. If you go by them, you must carefully monitor the stop "Emancipation of Labor".
Shuttle taxis No. 37a, 77k, 312a, 386 go to the monastery. You need to get off at the Manezhnaya stop. It is possible to use the services of trolley bus number 8 (same stop).
Contact details
To contact the monastery, when clarifying your questions, contact details are provided:
- address - Voronezh, Liberation of Labor street, 1;
- phone - 55 18 24;
- Email - [email protected]
Photo
Today, the convent in Voronezh is not only a huge spiritual abode of the Orthodox Church, but also part of the historical heritage, which has more than one century. Divine services are held within the walls of the temples of the monastery, but some restoration work is still ongoing. It was not possible to completely restore all parts of the monastery after the destruction of buildings by time and vandals.
The Voronezh Alekseev-Akatov Monastery was founded in 1620 by the vow of the townspeople in gratitude to the Lord for the victory granted to them over the numerous army of Lithuanians and Cherkasy (as the Cossack detachments that were in the service of the Polish-Lithuanian state were called at that time). This event coincided with the commemoration day of St. Alexis of Moscow, so the temple, first wooden, and later replaced by stone, and the monastery were dedicated to this saint. The name "Akatov" was given to the monastery by the name of the area on which it was built - "Akatova Polyana", which was a forested hill on the banks of the Voronezh River.
The first abbot of the monastery was hegumen Kirill. Historical information about the monastery is very scarce. It is known that initially life in the monastery was built on the principles of hermitage, but later a cenobitic charter was introduced. During the reign of Empress Catherine II, the monastery was ranked II class. The number of its inhabitants has always been small and did not exceed 30 people.
The life of the brethren of the monastery proceeded quietly and intimately, little information about it has been preserved. The names of the abbots are known, but the documentary evidence about them is mostly the scarcest. So from the beginning of the 18th century, the abbots of this only male monastery in the city at that time had the rank of archimandrite. Since 1796, this position has traditionally been combined with the position of the rector of the Theological Seminary, and since 1842, after the establishment of the Ostrogozhsky vicariate, the monastery was under the control of the vicar bishops of Ostrogozhsky (in 1842-1854 and then from 1867).
The names of some of the inhabitants of the monastery deserve special attention. It is known that Hieroschemamonk Agapit, who had previously been a cell-attendant of St. Tikhon, later - the restorer of the eldership in Zadonsk. For some time another cell-attendant of the saint, Ivan Efimov, also stayed here. Hieroschemamonk Tikhon (in the world - Mikhail Krivskoy) began his monastic path in the Alekseevsky Monastery, who later became the first resident and elder of the Tikhon Skete near the Zadonsky Monastery.
The monastery was closed in the spring of 1931 (the official date is unknown, but by the summer of this year there were no monks left in Akatova Polyana). Shortly before the closing of the monastery, those glorified by the Bishops' Council of the Russian Orthodox Church in 2000, the former rector of the monastery in 1926, Archimandrite Innokenty (Beda), rector of the monastery in 1927-1930, Archimandrite Tikhon (Krechkov), Hieromonk Georgy (Fire), Hieromonk Kirill (Vyaznikov), Rev. Confessor Archimandrite Ignatius (Biriukov), Hieromartyrs Fyodor Yakovlev and Sergiy Gortinsky. Its last rector, Archimandrite Tikhon (Krechkov), along with other clergy and laity, was shot in the vicinity of the city on August 2, 1930.
After the closing of the monastery Holy place on the long years was given over to ruin and desecration.
In 1989, the Alekseev-Akatov Monastery was transferred to the Voronezh diocese, and in March of the same year, restoration work began. In July 1990, the blessing of His Holiness Patriarch Alexy II was received for the opening of a nunnery in Voronezh, to which the complex of buildings of the Alekseev-Akatov Monastery was transferred.
The first abbess of the monastery was Abbess Lyubov (Yakushkina M.V.). Since April 15, 1992, the monastery has been headed by Abbess Varvara (Sazhneva Z.F.), one of the first nuns of the monastery, who was tonsured in 1992 and elevated to the rank of abbess in 1993.
The main temple of the monastery is the two-story Alekseev-Vladimirsky Cathedral. The first stone church was built in 1674. Subsequently, it was rebuilt many times, and by the middle of the 19th century it had fallen into disrepair and was dismantled in 1879. The surviving hipped bell tower, built at the same time as it, has survived to this day. A new two-story church was built in 1812-1819 according to the project of the provincial architect I.I. Volkov in the style of classicism. Initially, the upper church was dedicated to the Resurrection of the Lord, and the lower one was consecrated in the name of St. Moscow Alexy. Therefore, the historical name of the temple is Alekseevo-Voskresensky. At present, the lower church is consecrated in the name of the Vladimir Icon Mother of God, and the upper temple - in the name of St. Moscow Alexy. The two-story temple and the ancient bell tower are a historical and cultural monument of the 17th-19th centuries. federal significance.
In 2015, the church in the name of St. Sergius of Radonezh, which was located in the building of the gate bell tower, built in 1879-1880, and the former home church of the rector. The building of the gate belfry was partially preserved, the upper tier with the spire was destroyed in the 1930s, and at the level of the second floor it was completed with five cupolas. At present, early Liturgies are being served in the St. Sergius Church in Sundays and the Twelve Feasts.
Since 1999, the Vvedenskaya Church, located outside the monastery fence, has been assigned to the monastery, built in 1780 - one of the most beautiful in the city, is a historical and cultural monument of the 18th century. federal significance. Its architectural appearance bears clear features of B. Rastrelli's school. Currently, the building is under restoration, and before that, early Liturgies were performed in the church, trebs were served.
Now all the surviving buildings of the monastery have been restored and new ones have been built: chapels (the chapel dedicated to water - in 1992, in honor of the icon of the Mother of God "Satisfy my sorrows" - in 2010, in honor of the new martyrs of the Alekseev-Akatov Monastery - in 2007).
Of the shrines of the Alekseev-Akatov Monastery, the miraculous icon of the Mother of God, called the Three-Handed, was especially revered, later lost during the years of persecution.
The main shrine of the monastery is the icon of the Mother of God "Life-Giving Spring" of the Athos letter of the first half of XIX in. The image repeatedly streamed myrrh: the first time this miraculous phenomenon was noticed on September 7, 1992, on the eve of the feast of the Presentation of the Vladimir Icon of the Most Holy Theotokos.
The icons of the Most Holy Theotokos “Consolation in Sorrows and Sorrows” (also myrrh-streaming) are venerated in the monastery, martyr. and the healer Panteleimon (with a particle of relics), St. Pitirim of Tambov (with a particle of relics), in 1997 this icon miraculously updated. Among the shrines of the monastery are icons with relics: St. Nicholas the Wonderworker, St. Seraphim of Sarov, St. Peter (Zvereva), archbishop. Voronezh, VMC. Barbarians, Rev. Chariton the Confessor. In the temples of the monastery there are ancient icons of St. Andrew the First-Called (XVII century), Onuphrius the Great (XVII century), the righteous youth Artemy Verkolsky (XVIII century), the Iberian Icon of the Mother of God with hallmarks (early XIX century).
The precious shrines of the monastery are the ark with the relics of St. Mitrofan of Voronezh, Tikhon of Zadonsk and St. Cyril and Mary of Radonezh, as well as three other arks with relics of more than 70 saints of God, the ancient Shroud of the Savior, a veil from the tomb of St. Mitrofan of Voronezh, part of the stone on which St. Seraphim of Sarov.
Special mention should be made of the necropolis of the monastery, where in 1993 the honest remains of the bishops who ruled the Voronezh Diocese in the 18th - early 18th centuries were transferred from the Kominternovsky cemetery. XX centuries: Metropolitan Pachomy (Shpakovsky), Archbishop Arseny (Moskvin), Archbishop Seraphim (Aretinsky), Archbishop Veniamin (Smirnov), Archbishop Anastasy (Dobradin). It is authentically known that Hieromartyr Archbishop Tikhon (Nikanorov) is buried here. The graves of the bishops were originally at the cemetery of the Mitrofanovsky Monastery, which was closed in the 1920s and destroyed during the Great Patriotic War, and in 1956 their remains were transferred to the Comintern Cemetery, they rested for a year until 1993. Paisiy (Obraztsov), Bishop of Grodno and Brest, was buried together with the Voronezh Bishops, last years living in Voronezh at rest.
In 2009, the honest remains of the blessed old woman Feoktista Mikhailovna (Shulgina), especially revered by Voronezh residents, were transferred to the cemetery of the Alekseev-Akatov Monastery. Panikhidas are served every week on Mondays at the graves of the righteous woman and the archpastors of Voronezh.
Divine services are performed in the monastery daily. Divine Liturgy begins on weekdays at 7:30 a.m. On Sundays, Twelve Feasts, and memorial Saturdays for parents, two Liturgies are served: early - from 6:00 a.m., late - from 8:30 a.m. Beginning of the evening Divine Liturgy (vespers, matins) - at 5:00 p.m.
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Services: are made daily. Divine Liturgy on weekdays starts at 7:30. On Sundays and Twelve Feasts there are two Liturgies: early at 6.30 am, late at 8.30 am. Evening worship in |
HISTORY OF THE MONASTERY |
Aleksiyevo-Akatov Monastery, one of the oldest monasteries of the Voronezh diocese, was founded in 1620 by the vow of the townspeople, in gratitude for the victory granted to them over the numerous army of Lithuanians and Cherkasy. This battle took place on the day of memory of St. Alexis, Metropolitan of Moscow and All Russia, the miracle worker, to whom the church of the monastery was dedicated. The place for the construction was chosen on Akatova Polyana, a deserted hill covered with forest two versts from the city, which gave the name to the new monastery. Its founder and first rector was Abbot Kirill, who twenty years earlier (in 1600) founded a monastery in Voronezh in honor of the Assumption of the Most Holy Theotokos. The monastery was built on the basis of hermitage, as evidenced by an old document - the so-called tale of Abbot Theodosius, in which the monastery is referred to only as "the new hermitage of Oleksiy Metropolitan of Moscow the Wonderworker." Behind a short time a church (“drevena dumplings”), cells of the abbot and four cells for the elders were built - also wooden.
Initially, the fraternity consisted of seven monks, including the abbot (history has preserved their names: hegumen Cyril, the “black priest” Joseph, the elder monks Savvaty, Theodosius, Abraham, Nikon and Lawrence). Subsequently, the number of inhabitants increased somewhat, especially after the abolition of the Assumption Monastery, which, during the short but memorable period of Emperor Peter I's stay in Voronezh, found himself in extremely cramped circumstances, in close proximity to shipyards. Throughout the XVII - early XIX century. Aleksiyevo-Akatov Monastery remained the only male monastery in the city. Since that time, its abbots have had the rank of archimandrite.
The name of one of them, Archimandrite Nikanor, is associated with the appearance in the Alexievsky Monastery of his main shrine - miraculous icon Mother of God "Three Hands", brought from the New Jerusalem Resurrection Monastery, where Archimandrite Nikanor began his monastic path and in recent years was the rector. This icon, which was a list from an ancient image, was especially loved by the people of Voronezh, who believed in its miraculous power.
During the reign of Empress Catherine II, who drastically reduced the number of monasteries, the Aleksievsky Monastery was assigned to the second class. According to the state, he was supposed to have 17 people. Eight acres of land and a lake for fishing were left behind the monastery.
We have very scarce information about the life of the monastery brethren of this time, but with sufficient reason we can mention Schemamonk Agapit (in those years, Hieromonk Avvakum), later a revered Zadonsk elder, an ascetic of piety, among the inhabitants of the Aleksievsky Monastery. It is known that for ten years this God-wise monk, who at one time received the blessing of St. Tikhon and his companion Schemamonk Mitrofan, asceticised within the walls of the Voronezh monastery.
A few decades later, the name of another Zadonsk ascetic turned out to be associated with the Aleksievsky monastery: there is evidence that the young nobleman Georgy Alekseevich Mashurin, who left the military service, later entered the Zadonsk recluse, whose ascetic life and whose letters, published many times, influenced many seeking salvation.
In general, information about the Aleksiyevo-Akatov Monastery in the 18th-19th centuries relates to the more external, official side of his life. The best known are the works of the abbots on the construction and beautification of the monastery, their spiritual and educational activities (since 1796, this position has traditionally been combined with the position of rector of the seminary; since 1742, the monastery was under the control of vicar bishops of Ostrogozhsky). Archimandrite Hilarion (Bogolyubov) compiled the “Description of the Voronezh Alekseevsky Akatov male second-class monastery” (1859), the most complete for its time. The end of the 19th century was marked by a special flowering of educational activity within the walls of the monastery, largely due to the work of its rector, His Grace Vladimir (Sokolovsky), who had a great missionary and pedagogical experience. At that time, the Diocesan School Council and the Diocesan Committee of the Orthodox Missionary Society operated at the monastery, housed the teacher's and regency school, held Sunday religious and moral readings with light paintings, and created a wonderful boys' choir (Vladyka Vladimir himself paid a lot of attention to their education).
During the XVIII-XIX centuries, the monastery continued to be built and decorated. In 1804-1819, a two-story stone church was built, which has been preserved and is still functioning. The lower church was consecrated in 1812 in honor of St. Alexis (now in honor of the Vladimir Icon of the Mother of God), the upper one in 1819 in honor of the Resurrection of Christ (now in the name of St. Alexis). The construction was carried out according to the project of the provincial architect I. Volkov with donations from the merchant's widow Evdokia Anikeeva. The former, also stone, temple was dismantled in the 70s of the XIX century. The bell tower that remains of it is currently the oldest building in Voronezh (1674).
History is silent about the life of the monastic brethren, their labors and deeds of prayer, secret sorrows and consolations. Only a few names have come down to us, photographs have not been preserved (perhaps there were none). This life is hidden in Bose. But the very revival of the monastery almost a century later is not evidence that their labors and prayers were not in vain?
The fiery ordeals that befell the Russian Church in the 20th century did not bypass the Aleksievsky Monastery. Previously little known, in the 1920s, when many churches in Voronezh were closed or occupied by schismatic Renovationists, for some time it became the center of the spiritual life of the city, the seat of the diocesan bishop. Here lived and was buried in 1926 Metropolitan Vladimir (Shimkovich), a humble old man-archpastor, a staunch defender of Orthodoxy in the face of theomachy power.
On a nearby street was the house of the Hieromartyr Peter (Zverev), whose short (about a year) service in Voronezh became one of the brightest pages in the history of the city, which has survived to this day. The monastery was a place where Vladyka often performed divine services and delivered sermons that gathered many believers who saw in His Grace Archbishop Peter a true servant of God, a guardian of the purity of Orthodoxy and the statutes of the Church, “perfect in zeal and love for God, in pity and love for people” . The rector of the Alexievsky monastery at that time was Archimandrite Innokenty (Beda), the closest person to Vladyka, his cell-attendant and cell-mate, who was exiled with him to the Solovetsky camp and there reposed in the Lord in 1928 (a year earlier than Hieromartyr Peter).
In 1930, the last rector of the Alexiev-Akatov Monastery, Archimandrite Tikhon (Krechkov), who was accused of allegedly counter-revolutionary activities and shot in the vicinity of the city on August 2, the day of memory of the Prophet Elijah, accepted the cup of suffering prepared for him for Christ. The surviving protocol of his interrogation is indisputable evidence of firmness in faith and deep unostentatious wisdom. Behind simple, at first glance, answers, the denunciation of the theomachists clearly sounds: “Neither I nor others said that to have anything with the atheists means to crucify Christ ... While in the villages, I did not talk about the persecution of religion, but such there were conversations among the peasants…”. Together with the rector, the brethren of the monastery, hieromonks Georgy (Pozharov) and Kosma (Vyaznikov), who served in the monastery, priests Feodor Yakovlev and Sergiy Gortinsky, accepted the sufferings. All of them were canonized at the Bishops' Council of the Russian Orthodox Church in 2000 as new martyrs.
In the summer of 1931, the Alexiev-Akatov Monastery was closed. There is no documentary information about the fate that befell its last inhabitants. Since that time, for several decades, the holy place was desecrated and devastated. All property of the monastery, liturgical utensils, venerated icons (including the miraculous image of the Most Holy Theotokos "Three Hands"), the library and archive were confiscated and disappeared without a trace. The temple and other monastic buildings were used in a variety of ways, often in the most inappropriate way. At various times there were residential apartments, art workshops, warehouses, stables. The graves in the monastery cemetery were subjected to outrage, later leveled to the ground and overgrown with weeds. Above this sad picture of desolation, an old bell tower towered, back in the 70s, taken under protection as a historical monument and partially restored in 1986.
Restoration work began here in 1990, after the transfer of the monastery to the Voronezh diocese. With the blessing of His Holiness Patriarch Alexy II, a nunnery was opened on this site. On November 4, 1990, on the day of the celebration of the Kazan Icon of the Mother of God, the first Divine Liturgy was served in the temple of the renewed monastery. On January 4, 1992, ten sisters were tonsured for the first time, including nun Varvara (Sazhneva), who became abbess in April of the same year and was elevated to the rank of abbess in April 1993.
Currently, more than fifty sisters serve the Lord in labor and prayer in the monastery. Several nuns constantly live and work in the household farmstead of the monastery, located not far from the city, where cows, calves and poultry are lovingly cared for. There is a piece of land in the countryside where the sisters go for seasonal work. Since 1994, there has been a children's Sunday school in the monastery, which is attended by children from 5 to 15 years old. The sisters teach them the Law of God, the Church Slavonic language, the basics of painting and church singing.
On the territory of the monastery, all the surviving buildings (church, bell tower) were restored, cell buildings, a refectory, a chapel for prayers of water and a chapel in honor of the New Martyrs of Voronezh with mosaic icons were built. Instead of the lost temple paintings, new ones were made. Initially, a group of Voronezh icon painters led by Vadim Gladyshev painted the lower church. For several years, work continued on the painting of the upper temple, made in the fresco technique by Yelets icon painter Vladimir Marchenko. Upon completion of the work, the temple was again consecrated by His Eminence Sergius, Metropolitan of Voronezh and Borisoglebsk, on the day of memory of St. Anthony (Smirnitsky), who was glorified as a locally revered saint in 2003.
In 1999, the Vvedenskaya Church was transferred to the Alexievsky Monastery (in the past, before its closure, it was a parish church), one of the most beautiful churches in Voronezh. At present, the monastery of St. Alexis receives many pilgrims who come from different places to bow to the Voronezh shrines.
Cathedral of Alexander Nevsky
The architectural complex of the Holy Trinity Alexander Nevsky Monastery is located to the west of the village of Akatovo on an elevated place. The Nudol River flows 100-150 meters to the west of the complex.
With God's help the architectural complex of the monastery, created in a short time, is characterized by harmony and unity of artistic forms based on the strongest stylization of ancient Russian motifs and forms of classicism. All buildings are united not only by a common style, but also decorative reception open brickwork. The main entrance to the monastery is from the east. The holy gates of the eastern line of the fence are oriented towards the cathedral, which occupies a dominant, central position in the complex. Stone cell buildings are located to the east and south of the cathedral.
After the coup of 1917, the monastery was closed and in its place an agricultural artel was organized from the nuns of the former monastery, which was led by the abbess.
Schiegumenia Olympias, sisters drawing
In 1927, the monastic labor community was disbanded, and the last abbess, Olympiada, was arrested.
AT Soviet time on the territory of the monastery there was a sanatorium of the NKVD, and since 1948 a pioneer camp.
The temple in the name of the Holy Trinity was dismantled; the temple in the name of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker was completely destroyed; The Alexander Nevsky Temple was decapitated, the windows were torn apart, and the main entrance was built in the center of the three-part apse. The altar part was enclosed in a glass "sarcophagus". Large stained-glass windows that covered the church to the very top of the crowning kokoshniks were designed to hide the cult orientation of the building. The temple was used as a dining room.
In the last decade, the territory of the children's health complex AMTK "Soyuz" with all the buildings was not used by anyone and was in disrepair.
By decree of His Holiness Patriarch Alexy II of Moscow and All Russia dated April 11, 2000 No. 1610, the Patriarchal Metochion was established at the church of the Right-Believing Prince Alexander Nevsky of the former convent in the village of Akatovo, Klinsky District, Moscow Region.
According to the blessing of His Holiness Patriarch Alexy II of Moscow and All Russia dated July 7, 2005 No. 4194, Hieromonk Peter (A. N. Afanasiev) was appointed rector of the church in the name of the Right-Believing Prince Alexander Nevsky.
July 04, 2007 pursuant to the order of the Government Russian Federation dated May 15, 2007 No. 612-r and on the basis of the order of the Federal Agency for Federal Property Management dated 15.06.2007. No. 1832-r, a complex of buildings and structures of the former Holy Trinity Alexander Nevsky Monastery was transferred to the ownership of the Orthodox religious organization Compound of the Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia.
Within 10 years, the temple, sister buildings, the monastery fence with towers, the refectory and other ancillary premises were restored. The school building for girls has been restored. The monastery has a subsidiary farm, a bakery and a dairy kitchen.
Patriarch Kirill elevated nun Anthony (Minina) to the rank of abbess
Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia Kirill elevated the elder sister of the sisterhood to the rank of abbess. All three altars of the temple were consecrated during the Divine service. The central one was consecrated in the name of St. blgv. led. book. Alexander Nevsky; throne of the northern aisle - in the name of St. Nicholas, archbishop World of Lycians; the throne of the southern aisle - in the name of the martyr. and healer Panteleimon.
