Description of the attraction
The Tikhvin Assumption Monastery was founded by the decree of Tsar Ivan the Terrible on February 11, 1560 by the Novgorod Archbishop Pimen. The main relic of the monastery is the miraculous Tikhvin icon of the Mother of God Hodegetria. In the 1920s, the monastery was closed, and the miraculous icon became an exhibit of the local museum of local lore. During the Great Patriotic War, the city was only for a short time occupied by German troops, but during the retreat they took the icon to Pskov, where they transferred it to the Pskov spiritual mission, then the icon got to Riga, Libava, Yablontsy, the American occupation zone in Germany, from there Bishop John (Garklave) took her to Chicago (USA). Dying, Father John left a will, according to which the return of the shrine to Russia is only possible with the complete revival of the Tikhvin monastery. In 1995 the monastery was transferred to the Church, the Assumption Cathedral was restored and consecrated, and in 2004 the icon was returned to the monastery.
Despite the restructuring and reconstruction for almost 500 years, the Tikhvin Assumption Cathedral today retains an important role in the overall ensemble of the city due to its solemnity and monumentality. The cathedral was erected during the reign of the Moscow prince Vasily III. Frescoes made inside the cathedral by Novgorod and Tikhvin icon painters have been partially preserved to this day.
One of the interesting structures of the monastery is the 17th century belfry with the adjoining Refectory and Intercession Church in the southwestern corner of the monastery courtyard. Built in 1600, it was later badly damaged by fire and was rebuilt in the 18th century. At the same time, tent spiers appeared.
The refectory building is interesting in the layout and design of its main premises: the one-pillar refectory hall resembles the Faceted Chamber of the Moscow Kremlin. At the end of the 16th century in the monastery, after the Refectory and the Intercession Church, the Holy Gates were built with the gateway Church of the Ascension and the chapel of Theodore Stratilat.
The Church of the Exaltation of the Cross, built in the 17th century, was rebuilt in the 19th century. designed by the famous St. Petersburg architect N. L. Benois. The church and chapel in the western tower of the monastery wall were made according to his project.
The exposition of the Tikhvin Historical and Architectural Museum is located in the former Archimandrich and Treasury cells of the Tikhvin Big Assumption Monastery.
