Description of the attraction
One of the most picturesque and ancient Russian monasteries is located near Yaroslavl. This is the first revived women's monastery in Russia - monastic life has been going on here for over 30 years. The monastery has been beautifully restored; it contains the revered miraculous Tolga icon of the Mother of God and other shrines.
History of the monastery
The Tolgsky monastery was founded in 1314. Tradition connects this event with the acquisition of the icon of the Virgin on the Tolga River, which has become its main shrine. It is believed that the first church of the Presentation of the Mother of God into the Temple, in which a wonderful icon was placed, was built exactly on the same day. It was, of course, made of wood. Such churches in Russia were called "ordinary".
The monastery was built and grew rich. Like many Russian monasteries, he was ravaged during the Time of Troubles. In the 17th century, it was rebuilt: new brick churches appeared in place of wooden ones, a stone fence was erected. This construction is associated with the name Abbot Gordiana, who headed the monastery for 27 years: from 1673 to 1700. Under him, the most extensive version of the "Legend of the Tolga Icon" was collected and recorded, which describes its appearance and the miracles that occurred from it. It is this text that is the main source about the early history of the monastery.
The monastery continues to change and build in the 19th century: new cell buildings and a hotel for pilgrims appear. At the beginning of the 20th century, the 600th anniversary of the monastery is magnificently celebrated, and a major renovation is taking place. From 1907 to 1914, Fr. Tikhon (Belavin) is the future patriarch. The abbots of the monastery at the beginning of the 20th century are now revered as hieromartyrs: Archimandrites Seraphim (Samoilovich) - he was shot in 1937, and Methodius (Lvovsky) - shot in 1919.
In 1918, the Tolgsky Monastery supported Yaroslavl mutiny against the Bolshevik regime and helps its participants to hide after the suppression. In August 1918, the Red Guards burst in here. There were found 12 officers, with weapons and documents. Of course, all of them were arrested, and the monastery itself was also subjected to repression. Still, the monastery continues to exist until 1929. Nuns from the devastated Kazan women's monastery settled in the hotel, some of the premises were occupied by a children's colony, an almshouse and a military unit. But in the 1930s everyone was already evicted from here. The territory was transferred to Volgostroi, which is engaged in the construction of hydroelectric power plants on the Volga, the premises were occupied for housing employees and technical structures. Then the children's colony comes back here.
In 1987, when the 1000th anniversary of the baptism of Rus was celebrated, the monastery was revived. It became the first nunnery to be opened after the revolution. Now it is one of the richest, most beautiful and prosperous monasteries in Russia.
What to see in the monastery
Above By the holy gates - the main entrance to the monastery - there is a gate Nikolsky temple 1672. Once on the sides of the temple there were two round gate towers, which gave it a monumentality, but they have not survived. The temple adjoined the bishops' chambers and was used as the home church of the bishops. In Soviet times, its head was blown up, and the entrance arch itself was laid. Now the temple has been restored and painted again.
Holy Cross Church - the earliest building of the monastery, it was built in 1625. This is a warm refectory temple, now it is still used in winter. It was rebuilt many times during the 18th-19th centuries. several side-chapels were added to it. A major renovation was carried out in the middle of the 19th century: the windows were widened and the vaults raised. On the one hand, a two-story building of the bishops' chambers was attached to it, and on the other, a gallery connecting the temple with the cold Vvedensky Cathedral.
During the Soviet era, the cathedral was significantly damaged. A cinema was located in it, and the metal ties of the dome that interfered with watching films were removed. As a result, the ceiling and dome collapsed in the 1960s. The temple was rebuilt in 1999 and painted again under the direction of the artist Nikolai Mukhin. Now it is in this cathedral that the main shrines of the monastery are located: relics of St. Ignatius Bryanchaninov and the Tolga Icon.
The revered Tolga icon, which miraculously appeared to Bishop Prokhor, was apparently written in the 13th century. It has been kept in the Tolgsky monastery since its foundation. In 1919, the restoration of the painting was carried out, it was cleared of later recordings by the artist F. Modorov. Then the icon was kept in the Yaroslavl Museum, at one time it was exhibited in an anti-religious exposition in the Church of Elijah the Prophet, then in the exposition of the museum itself. The icon was returned to the monastery in 2003. It was one of the first ancient icons donated to the church. The preservation of painting requires special attention from museum workers. The icon is in a special icon case, which allows you to maintain the necessary microclimate for it. It is only opened for regular inspections by restoration specialists twice a year.
Since 1988, it is in this church that the relics of St. Ignatiy Bryanchaninov. He was born in 1807, came from an old noble family and was going to become an officer: he studied in St. Petersburg, moved in literary circles, but his vocation was precisely the monastic life. Dmitry (that was his name in the world) was discouraged by everyone: both his parents and the leader. book Mikhail Pavlovich, and Emperor Nicholas I, and in the end he still received his resignation only due to poor health. He entered the Alexander-Svirsky monastery against the will of his father, became a spiritual writer and theologian, and from 1857 - a bishop. He was canonized in 1988.
In the temple there is a list of another icon, which is revered as miraculous - this is with a list from the Athos icon "Economissa" … It is believed that she is especially helpful in all household and financial matters.
Brick Vvedensky Cathedral built on the site of the very first monastery church in 1681-83. It is believed that the author of the project was the Rostov Metropolitan Iona Sysoevich, a talented architect. This is a typical four-pillar, five-domed temple with a high porch and an extensive lower part: it was conceived to serve as a burial vault. Almost immediately after its construction, the cathedral was painted by Yaroslavl and Kostroma craftsmen - some fragments of these frescoes have survived. The cathedral underwent a major renovation in the middle of the 19th century, then a new iconostasis was installed and the paintings were updated. The current painting is the result of the work of restorers in the 1980s and 90s: the original frescoes of the 17th century are partially recreated here, the painting of the 19th century is partially preserved. The restorers used the surviving graphs - the outlines used by the Yaroslavl icon painters for their work. This made it possible to recreate the painting of the 17th century as accurately as possible.
In Soviet times, a working model of the Rybinsk hydroelectric complex was located in the Vvedensky Cathedral, and the interior decoration was significantly damaged. Since 1964, restoration has taken place in stages, the last work was completed in 2008, when the walls were decorated with mosaic icons. The cathedral is still "cold", services are held in it only in the summer.
Cathedral bell tower was built in 1685 and rebuilt in 1826. Once upon a time 11 bells rang on it - the first of them were cast with funds donated by Tsar Mikhail. All of them were thrown from the bell tower in 1929 at the closure of the monastery; none of the old bells have survived. And yet, the current bells are old, collected from museums and churches of the Yaroslavl diocese, these are bells cast in the 19th century, not in the 20th.
Tradition connects the construction of the Savior Church with Ivan the Terrible … The tsar donated the ancient image of the Savior Not Made by Hands to the monastery - and a special wooden church was built for the icon. At the beginning of the 18th century, it was replaced by a stone one. It is a graceful nine-domed Baroque church. In the middle of the 18th century, a hospital building was added to it, and then several more outbuildings: there was a kitchen, a bakery, a refectory, etc.
In this temple there was tomb of the Yaroslavl nobility … In particular, A. P. Melgunov is buried here. This is a famous figure of the 18th century, since 1777 - the Yaroslavl governor. He did a lot for the development of the region: he compiled the first topographical descriptions, supported trade and culture, tried to limit the tyranny of the landowners in relation to the serfs.
Lieutenant General is buried here. Nikolay Tuchkov, the eldest of the four Tuchkov brothers, one of the prototypes of Andrei Bolkonsky from L. Tolstoy's novel War and Peace. He was wounded in the Battle of Borodino at the Utitsky kurgan and died of his wounds in Yaroslavl.
Some of the noble burials were plundered in the 20th century, some remained intact and were found during the restoration process. Now on the Spassky Church there are memorial plaques in memory of the funeral here.
At the southern wall of the Spassky Church there is a built in 1893 chapel … It was placed over the burial of monks and peasants who died during the capture of the monastery by the Poles in 1609.
Another one chapel - wooden - placed over the spring in 2000. It is dedicated to St. Tryphon.
Near the monastery since the 16th century there is cedar grove and ponds … In the 1970s, they tried to renovate the grove, but the new cedars did not take root well: the old drainage system had time to collapse. Now there are just over twenty ancient trees left here, which are more than 200 years old, several trees about 50 years old, planted in the 20th century, and more than a hundred young cedars.
Interesting Facts
- Tradition says that the first cedars in the monastery were planted from the cedar cones that Ermak sent from Siberia as a gift to Ivan the Terrible.
- In the hollow of one of the old cedars, already in the 50s, a gold treasure was found, left by one of the White Guards during the Yaroslavl rebellion.
On a note
- Location: Yaroslavl, at the address: pos. Tolga, 1.
- How to get there: by bus number 34 from the center of Yaroslavl (stop "Red Square") or by boat from the River Station in Yaroslavl.
- The official website of the monastery:
- Opening hours: 06-20: 00. Free admission.
