Description of the attraction
The Alexander-Oshevensky Orthodox monastery is located in the village of Oshevenskoye, Kargopol district, Arkhangelsk region. The monastery was founded in the 1460s by the Monk Alexander of Oshevensky (1427-1479). Birth name - Alexey. As a young man, he decided to go to a monastery.
The life of A. Oshevensky testifies to the emergence of the monastery. On the advice of his father, he came to the Churyuga river and here, 44 versts from Kargopol, he made deserts in a wild forest. Alexander's father, Nikifor Osheven, was involved in the construction. During the life of the monk, the first monastery St. Nicholas Church was built. After the death of A. Oshevensky, the monastery began to decline. Only 5 elderly monks remained in the monastery. Since 1488, the situation began to change for the better, when the son of a local priest Maxim was elevated to the abbot of the monastery. He ruled the monastery until 1531. Under him, the number of brethren increased, the monastic land holdings also became larger, another church was erected (in honor of the Assumption of the Virgin). Later the monastery suffered various troubles: in the middle of the 16th century, voivode I. M. Yuriev wanted to destroy the monastery, and in the 16th - 18th centuries churches were burnt more than once. In 1707, the preserved building of the Assumption Church was built. In 1834 the Nikolskaya church, which now exists over the gate, was erected. The Osheven monastery was of great importance for the local lands and brought up 6 monasteries.
Before the revolution, the monastery developed an economy consisting of livestock, arable and hay lands, forest allotments, and fishing.
In 1928 the monastery was closed, the cancer with the relics of the Monk A. Oshevensky in the presence of the local population and members of the volost and district Soviets was opened. Soon the buildings of the former monastery collapsed. In the late 1960s, the question of restoring the monastery was raised, but it was never started. The buildings were used until the 1970s for household needs. Now the Osheven monastery is gradually being revived.
On the territory of the monastery is the Cathedral of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary, dating back to 1707. It was the main temple of the monastery. Previously, it was a large 2-storey temple with 6 aisles and a bell tower. Today it is in ruins. Beneath this temple are the relics of Alexander Oshevensky. In addition, on the territory of the monastery there are the gateway church of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker, built in 1834 (regular services are held in it), a stone fence with turrets, a well (dug by A. Oshevensky himself), the monastery building, in which the monks now live, and the abbot building (preserved).
There are several places around the monastery that are associated with the name of Alexander Oshevensky. These are the famous 2 tracker stones with grooves that look like a human foot print. The boulders are reminiscent of the cult of sacred stones. Tradition testifies that the Monk Alexander left "footprints" on the stones, therefore, touching them is healing. Pilgrims heading to the monastery, with bare feet, stood in these "tracks", believing in a speedy deliverance from ailments.
Another place associated with the name of the saint is the holy spring, over which there is a small wooden cross. From here begins the Alexander stream, which flows into the Alexander Lake. It is considered a saint because A. Oshevensky stopped near it during his journey. In addition, the disappearing river Halui and the holy lake are also considered to be places associated with A. Oshevensky.
