Description of the attraction
The Ipatiev Monastery in Kostroma is a historical place. It was here in 1613 that young Mikhail Romanov gave his consent to rule the state, from which the 300-year rule of the Romanov dynasty began. Now there is a unique church museum and a functioning monastery.
History of the monastery
Tradition says that the monastery was founded in 1330 by a Tatar murza named Chet who switched to Russian service and converted to Orthodoxy, a distant ancestor of Boris Godunov. Perhaps the monastery was here before, just Chet made a rich contribution to it, but the monastery became the burial vault of his descendants - Saburovs and Godunovs … The necropolis once numbered 53 burials of members of these families, some of which have survived to our time.
The monastery was small, the stone Trinity Cathedral appeared in it only in 1560 - before that all buildings were wooden. At the end of the 16th century, with the rise of the Godunovs and then the Romanovs, active construction began. The monastery is surrounded by walls, the gate church of St. Theodore Stratilates and St. Irina - the patrons of Tsar Fyodor Ioannovich and Tsarina Irina. The walls themselves are more than five hundred meters around the perimeter, about one and a half meters thick and seven meters high. It is a classic 16th-century fortress: with towers built for cannons, a powder store and even a secret passage to the river.
In 1608-1609, the fortress had to defend itself - it was captured by the troops of False Dmitry II, and the Galich people's volunteer corps fought off the fortress, blowing up part of the wall.
And in 1632 the monastery finds itself in the very center of politics. A 16 year old is elected to the kingdom Mikhail Romanov and the embassy with this news goes to Kostroma - he lives just here, in one of his estates, in Domnino. It is to this moment in history that the famous feat belongs Ivan Susanin … The Polish-Lithuanian detachment is trying to find the young tsar, looking for a way to Domnino, but the headman Ivan Susanin leads them into the swamp, and not to the tsar. The meeting of the embassy and the Romanov family takes place just at the walls of the Ipatiev Monastery. Mikhail Romanov and his mother, nun Martha, have to be persuaded to accept this burden, but in the end Mikhail agrees.
In the 17th century, the monastery is under the patronage of the Romanov family. Here, the walls damaged in 1609 are being rebuilt, the territory is almost doubled, a new church is being built - John Chrysostom. In 1652, the Trinity Cathedral was rebuilt (the previous one was badly damaged due to the explosion of powder stores in the basements), and thirty years later it was painted by the famous artel of Guria Nikitin.
In the 18th century, the monastery became poorer, but continued to be built - now it is the center of the Kostroma diocese and the bishop's residence. In the basements of the Trinity Cathedral, a temple is being built. St. Lazarus is the burial vault of bishops, the Theological Seminary is being formed, the rector's chambers are being rebuilt - now the Kostroma bishops live here.
In 1834 he came here Nicholas I … During these years he was involved in the preservation of the historical heritage a lot, so by his order the monastery was being renovated under the guidance of the most famous architect of that time - Konstantin Ton. According to his project, the Royal Chambers, the rector's and bishops' buildings are being rebuilt, new gates are being built. In 1913, the 300th anniversary of the Romanov dynasty is magnificently celebrated here.
After the revolution, the monastery was closed, the main values were confiscated, some of the premises were transferred to the museum, and some were used for housing.
But since 1958, the entire territory of the monastery has become a museum. Some monuments of wooden architecture are being transported here and a museum-reserve is being set up. Now he has moved and is located not far from the walls of the Ipatiev Monastery. Since 1992, monastery life has been revived.
What to see
The fortress was erected in 1586-90 … Preserved five towers from this time, three towers, built already in the middle of the 16th century during the expansion of the monastery on the model of the old ones, and three entrance gates.
Ceremonial Catherine gate in the Baroque style, built in 1767 for the arrival of the Empress. Above them is the monogram of Catherine II.
Holy gate with the gate church of Chrysanthus and Daria built in the middle of the 19th century according to the project of K. Ton. The dedication of the church is connected with the fact that it was on the day of these saints that Mikhail Romanov left Kostroma for Moscow to reign, and many years later, on this very day, Russian troops entered Paris.
And finally western gate now they connect two parts of the monastery territory - the old, Godunovskaya, and the new, built under Mikhail Romanov.
Trinity Cathedral the monastery was built in 1650-1652. It is a five-domed, four-pillar temple with a front porch and rich carvings. Inside, there are 17th century frescoes made by Guriy Nikitin's team, and a baroque five-tiered iconostasis of the 18th century. The murals of the gallery-porch were made in 1912. It is worth paying attention to Tsar's place - a carved wooden canopy, sent here by Mikhail Romanov already from Moscow. It was dismantled, then reassembled for the visit of Catherine II and has been in the cathedral ever since. Temple doors preserved from the previous building, they were made in the 15th century. The copy of the Tikhvin Icon of the Mother of God of the 18th century, located here, is revered as miraculous. It was once richly decorated. After the revolution, the salary was lost, but already in the 21st century, when the icon was returned to the monastery, a new one was made for it, no less rich and beautiful. In the basement of the monastery are the remains of the Godunovs' tomb.
Bell tower was built at the end of the 16th century and rebuilt in the middle of the 17th and 19th. Now there is an observation deck on it, and you can climb there.
In the monastery, besides churches, several other living quarters have been preserved. It is ornate viceroy and bishop corpsbuilt in the 16th century and renovated in the 19th, a simpler Fraternal Corps, outbuildings. Among them, one can distinguish “ Cells above the cellars - a building built over three-meter glacier cellars, Refectory building 16th century where the kitchen and the building were Candle factory XIX century.
Memorial columnstaged by Nicholas I in 1839. It contains texts telling about the historical events that took place in the Ipatiev Monastery. Now at the column there are regular prayers to the royal family.
Chambers of the Romanovs … - the building itself was built in the 16th century for the Godunovs who often stayed at the monastery, and in 1613, when he was elected to the kingdom, young Mikhail Romanov lived here with his mother. It was repaired in the 30s of the XIX century according to the project of K. Ton, and then again in the 60s according to the project of F. Richter. F. Richter is responsible for the "chess" painting of the walls and the restoration of historic tiled stoves. Since the 1830s, a room has appeared in the Chambers of the Romanovs, where portraits of the reigning persons are located, and since 1863 it is precisely a small museum, where not only portraits, but also relics are located - for example, the staff of Mikhail Romanov. Now the building is still a memorial and these relics are kept in it: the staff of Mikhail Romanov, a copy of the Fedorov icon, which his mother Martha blessed him with the kingdom, a lifetime portrait of Mikhail Romanov, the autograph of Nicholas II left here in 1913 and much more. …
Museum
Since 1912, on the basis of the monastery sacristy, Wood storage, where they brought antiques from all over the Kostroma province. Since 2004, it has been operating here Church Historical and Archaeological Museum … Despite the fact that it is subordinate to the church, it is a full-fledged museum - it cooperates with state museums, organizes exhibitions.
The basis of the museum's collection is jewelry from the Ancient Storage and the monastery sacristy. These are objects of decorative and applied art, which are contributions to the monastery from the ruling persons - Boris Godunov and the Romanov family - and simply collected from different temples of the province. These are icons, church utensils, books, details of the church interior - the royal gates, richly embroidered vestments, shroud and air, miter, carved wooden icons and details of iconostases. A separate exposition is dedicated to the Kostroma icon painting tradition - there was a school here in the 17th century, we know the names of icon painters: Guriy Nikitin, Peter and Ivan Popovs, Vasily Zapokrovsky, etc. An entire exhibition is dedicated to the work of Guriy Nikitin - his artel painted not only the Trinity Cathedral of the Ipatiev Monastery, but the Transfiguration Cathedral in Suzdal, the Archangel Cathedral in Moscow, the Assumption Cathedral in Rostov, etc.
In addition, the museum has Exhibitionsdedicated to the history of the Time of Troubles, the accession of the Romanov dynasty, the journey of Nicholas II across the Volga region in 1913 and the temples of the Kostroma province lost in Soviet times.
Interesting Facts
- It is from this monastery that the famous Ipatiev Chronicle originates, the most important part of which is The Tale of Bygone Years, the oldest document on Russian history. It was found in 1814 in the library of the monastery by the historian N. Karamzin.
- In 2006, a new bell appeared in the monastery. It was passed down from Prince Michael of Kent, a distant descendant of the royal family.
- A relic that recently appeared here is a fragment of the Ipatiev house, a stone from the very room where the royal family was shot.
On a note
- Location. G. Kostroma, st. Enlightenment, 1.
- How to get there. Bus No. 4, No. 14, No. 38 and route taxi No. 8, No. 11 to the stop "Ipatievskaya Sloboda".
- Official website:
- Museum working hours: 09: 00-17: 30 in the summer and 10: 00-17: 00 in the winter, seven days a week.
- Ticket prices. Adult 160 rubles, concessionary - 80 rubles.
