Svirsky Monastery. Monasteries of the Leningrad Region

For many, St. Petersburg and the surrounding areas are associated with beautiful gardens and luxurious palaces of the XVIII century. But this city can open on the other side, if you can visit his holy places. These include not only the famous Church of the Savior on Blood, built on the site of the assassination of the tsar, but also many monasteries located in the Leningrad region. One of the amazing places is the Svir monastery, built on the instructions of the Monk Alexander.

The life of the saint

The Monk Alexander Svirsky was one of the few chosen to whom the Lord Himself appeared in the form of the Holy Trinity. God announced to the saint that soon a holy monastery would be founded among the virgin forests through which the monk passed, heading to the monastery. This historical episode was recorded on one of the saint's personal icons.

The Monk was born in the 15th century in the family of pious believing peasants and was named Amos. Ever since childhood, he had been thinking about becoming a monk. Parents did not know about the great goal of his son, and by the time he grew up, they decided to marry him.

At this time the Monk met the monks of the Valaam Monastery, of whom he had dreamed so much. The monks told Amos about the charter of the monastery and three monastic ranks. After this, the monk firmly decided to devote himself to monasticism and went to Balaam. On the way to the monastery Amos was the appearance of the Lord at the site of the future Svirsky monastery. When the young man came to the monastery, he was received and tonsured as a monk under the name of Alexander. Soon Amos' parents also became monks because of his great admonition to serve the Lord.

The birth of the monastery

Alexander Svirsky strictly observed the monastic charter. After several years of service, the monk decides to live as a hermit on the Holy Island. His house is a narrow damp cave in which the saint spends his time in fasting and prayer service. After 10 years of such a hard life, Alexander Svirsky was given a voice over his prayer that he should go to the bank of the Svir River and establish a hut there. Not daring to disobey, he goes to the specified place. Having lived there for several years and having received from God the gift of vision and healing, Alexander Svirsky began to treat the mental and physical illnesses of people who came to the Holy Svir Monastery in droves. Already during the lifetime of the monk glorified as a Russian saint.

Once the Holy Trinity appeared to Alexander, who ordered to create a temple in honor of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. At this point, after a while, a chapel was built.

Soon the monk set out to build a stone church in honor of the Mother of God. After the foundation of the church was laid, on the same night Alexander appeared to the Blessed Virgin, sitting on the altar with the Child Jesus, and promised to keep the Holy Trinity Svirsky Monastery from all troubles.

A year before his death the monk pointed to several monks, among whom the future abbot of the monastery should be chosen. Alexander Svirsky was buried near the Church of the Transfiguration of the Lord, and 14 years later he was ranked as a saint.

Flourishes and falls

After the death of the great saint the position of the monastery began to rise even more. During the reign of John the Terrible, the Svirsky Monastery received various privileges that contributed to its prosperity. In the Time of Troubles, the situation of the monastery deteriorated considerably. Particularly deplorable for her were 1613, 1615 and 1618 years, in which the monastery was robbed and set on fire. At that time, a bloody war ensued between Russia and Sweden, under the blow of which was the Svir monastery, which was close to the border.

By 1620 the monastery began to be restored, and in 20 years by the will of God the relics of the Monk Alexander Svirsky were found, which were placed in a precious chest - a gift from Tsar Mikhail, the first Romanov dynasty. Since that time, the monastery has become the main spiritual center of the north-west of Russia. At that time stone construction was in full swing: a new bell tower and Trinity Cathedral painted by Tikhvin artists was erected. A fence was built along the perimeter of the monastery. During the palace coups, the monastery lost its position among the spiritual centers of Russia, many of its lands were withdrawn.

Tests of the twentieth century

After the accomplishment of the 1918 revolution, the monastery was plundered, the monks were shot, and a concentration camp was organized on the site of the monastery. During the Second World War Alexander Svirsky, the monastery was badly damaged. After the death of Stalin in the monastery began to send insane people.

The situation of the monastery improved slightly by the 1970s when the hospital on its territory was decided to close. At the same time, it was possible to restore the bell tower and some small buildings.

By the end of the 20th century, the relics of Alexander Svirsky, once lost during the revolution, were recovered. The monastery began to revive thanks to God's help and the zeal of new settlers.

New martyrs of the monastery

Monks who lived in the monastery during the revolution of 1918, who suffered for their faith deserve special attention. After the royal family was shot, the power of the Bolsheviks began to gain momentum. Already in January 1918, they began to monitor the life of the monasteries, forbidding to arrange a bell ringing, which could be regarded as a counter-revolutionary action.

The Svirsky Monastery was one of the largest in St. Petersburg, so the new government immediately rushed to this monastery. Coming there six times, the Bolsheviks completely plundered the monastery, wanting to take away the relics' relics. The chekists dared to get them out of the holy casket and mock the holy relic. Monks urged not to take away the shrine, and the Bolsheviks made concessions, taking precious cancers and several items of church utensils. Every time, coming to plunder the Holy Trinity Monastery of Alexander Svirsky, the new government arranged for debauches, getting drunk from the church wine intended for the sacrament.

But this did not end there. The Chekists shot the brothers, taking her out of the monastery to the garden park. The spirit of the monks was not broken, and they dignified death, singing Troparion of the Resurrection of Christ. The brothers, killed by the Bolsheviks, were ranked as saints. For a long time, people brought flowers and wreaths to the place of their murder in memory of the valiant spiritual knights of the Lord who gave their lives for the faith.

Holy Relic

The main relics of the monastery remain the relics of Alexander Svirsky. They are in the Transfiguration Cathedral. Anyone who wants to kiss the shrine can do it on weekdays until 6 pm or on weekends after the Liturgy. For those who truly believe in the great power of God's ascetic, the Lord bestows health, deliverance from sickness and sorrow. Near the coffin of Alexander Svirsky for all the time of the monastery happened many miracles. The relics' relics were healed by demons, hopelessly sick and childless.

Especially memorable is the case of a cure at the coffin of Alexander Svirsky, a woman who did not thank the Lord for her salvation. Suffering with insanity, she was instantly healed by the relics' relics. After giving a vow to return to the temple for the great festival of the descent of the Holy Spirit and thank the Almighty and the Holy, she forgot about it. The Monk Alexander, being a dead body, but alive in spirit, decided to teach an ungrateful lecture. On the same day, at the promised hour, he came to her house. A storm broke, the woman fell backwards, as if someone had grabbed her by the hand. Hearing the reproving voice of the monk, she prayed, asking for help, because she could not move. Alexander Svirsky ordered a woman to go to the Holy Trinity Church and receive healing there. With difficulty having reached the church, the woman felt better at the grave of the monk. Wishing to thank the saint not only for the physical, but also for spiritual recovery, she together with her family ordered a large prayer service and continued to give thanks to the Lord and her patron, Father Alexander.

Small excursion

It is better to visit the temples of the monastery with the Trinity Cathedral, built in 1695. There is a marvelous rumor, as if the frescoes on its walls and icons do not fade, but, on the contrary, are updated and become brighter. The main motive of the holy images were pictures of heaven and hell, as well as biblical subjects.

Entering the temple, you will find yourself in front of the fresco "The Blessing of Abraham". Using this story is not accidental. As already mentioned, the monastery was erected on the site of the phenomenon to Alexander Svirsky of the Blessed Trinity, which until that time only the righteous Abraham was able to see in fullness.

The following murals reveal the Old Testament story from the beginning of the creation of the world until the birth of the Savior. And all this panorama ends with the picture "The Last Judgment", in which all people are divided into the righteous, the sons of Abraham, and the sinners.

Frigate of the soul

The Transfiguration Cathedral is built in the form of a ship - a symbol of spiritual salvation in the sea of everyday needs and sadness. Crowned with green domes on a tent roof, he rushes all the way up to heaven and to God, as Alexander Svirsky himself once was. In this temple there are relics' relics, to which you can kiss and ask for prayerful intercession.

Not far from the Transfiguration Cathedral is a church built in honor of Zachary and Elizabeth - the parents of John the Baptist.

The most ancient place

On the territory of the monastery during the lifetime of the monk the Church of the Blessed Virgin was built. On this place, the phenomenon of the Mother of God with the baby Alexander Svirsky took place. It was here before the construction of the cathedral that he constantly prayed to the holy monastery. The temple, like the royal chambers, has a tent-like roof.

Holy Sources

On the territory of the monastery there is a healing spring of Alexander Svirsky. The water in the source is bright blue. The spring has an extraordinary property - regardless of the weather conditions its temperature is always 6 degrees above zero. This healing water can be drunk from a source or taken with you on the way back. Everyone who has ever tried it, talk about the extraordinary strength of the spring. Not far from the monastery is another holy spring, named after the Mother of God. Previously, in its place was a chapel, destroyed during the Revolution. Nowadays, while clearing the place of the former building, the inhabitants found a board for the icon, and then a miracle happened - a spring sprung up from the ground in the place of the chapel.

How to get there

The Svirsky Monastery is located 21 km from the town of Lodeynoye Pole. You will not need a map-guide, since you can simply get on the bus going from the bus station of St. Petersburg to the village of Svirskoye. The whole journey will take about 6 hours.

Another option, how you can get to the monastery, is by train on the route "St. Petersburg - Lodeinoe Pole". The map-scheme of the monastery is sold on its territory in one of the church's shops. Since there are about 30 objects in the monastery, including economic buildings, such a tip is sure to come in handy.

Other Holy Places of the Leningrad Region

The Svirsky Monastery is not the only Orthodox complex of the outskirts of St. Petersburg. Among the main monasteries of the Leningrad Region are the following:

• Introduced-Oyatsky nunnery. At the beginning of its foundation the monastery was considered to be a mansion, previously it was territorially attached to the Svirsky Monastery. It is here that the relics of the parents of the monk, who followed his son in monastic life, are found. At the end of the twentieth century, after a period of decline, the monastery was revived and renamed female.
• Pokrovsky Ternvenichesky female convent. The monastery was founded 17 years ago by the sisterhood of one of the churches of St. Petersburg. The monastery is located in the area of Lodeinoe Pole (Leningrad region).
• Vvedensky Tikhvin Monastery , built in 1560, is the same ancient complex as the Svir monastery. On his share fell ruin and destruction by the Swedes. As well as other monasteries of the Leningrad Region, operating at that time, it was closed after the revolution, and some of its buildings were dismantled. At the moment, some buildings are partially restored on the territory of the monastery.
• The Zelenets Trinity Monastery was built at the same time as the Vvedensky monastery by the same architect. The fate of the monastery is just as tragic as that of other Orthodox complexes in the Leningrad Region (it has been in operation since 1991). On the territory of the monastery, among the significant objects, there is a cathedral built in honor of the Holy Trinity, and the Church of the Blessed Virgin.

As it was possible to establish, in the vicinity of Petersburg there were twenty one monasteries. Not all the monasteries of the Leningrad Region are in operation - among them there are those that have not survived to this day. For example, the Vokhonovsky Mariinsky Monastery was destroyed at the beginning of the Great Patriotic War and has not yet been restored. Nikolo-Besednaya monastery had the same tragic fate. In its place was established a cross in honor of the once-existing Orthodox complex.

Thus, in the area of St. Petersburg there are 6 destroyed and not restored monasteries closed to visitors. But in the monasteries of the Leningrad region, acting to the present day, you can come at a convenient time for you. They are usually open for visits on weekdays as well as on weekends.

Pilgrimage and travel to monasteries is a god-pleasing thing. Opening new pages in the history of Orthodoxy, you not only expand your horizons and become enriched with new knowledge, but also become closer to the Lord and faith, moving away from worldly wanderings and hassle, enlightened and spiritually winged. Without hesitation, go to the area of Lodeynoye Pole. The Svirsky Monastery awaits every pilgrim.