The Holy Dormition Pochaev Lavra where is located? The elders of the Pochayiv Lavra

The Holy Dormition Pochayiv Lavra is considered one of the most significant sacred places in Orthodoxy. It is located in western Ukraine, annually receives numerous pilgrims, believers. This ancient monastery, along with two more, is considered the most beautiful in Eastern Europe. He is glorious for his piety, as well as for the miraculous icon of the Virgin.

The history of the Pochaev Lavra

The monastery is located in western Ukraine, near the town of Pochaev, on the Ternopil region. With its occurrence, there are a lot of legends and retellings, and there is also no reliable data on early history. However, among local monks there is a belief that the Uspensko-Pochaev Lavra appeared thanks to the monks from Kiev. They came here in search of refuge after the ruin and destruction of the city, as well as their monastery in 1240 Batu.

It was here, in Volhynia, that they had a vision of the Virgin. She appeared with a fiery flame, holding a scepter in her hand, and on her head was a crown. This vision left a mark on the stone (the right foot of the Mother of God), which later became a healing source for all the suffering. The stories of this phenomenon began to fly farther and farther, many came here to pray, some stayed here to live as monks. As a result, after a while, the Holy Dormition Skete began to be laid on this place as a memory of the Kiev Monastery, which was destroyed.

New page in history

It is believed that until the XV century Pochaev Lavra was in desolation, so almost nothing is known about it. A new round in the development and glorification of the monastery occurred in 1597, when the rich landowner Anna Goiskaya moved to these lands. Apparently, she was God-fearing, as she donated a considerable amount of money to the development of the laurels. They were built Pochaevskaya church and the cells for the monks.

In addition to money, Anna Goiskaya donated land plots, estates. All this confirmed the status of the monastery officially. A significant gift of the Pochaev Lavra was the icon of the Virgin, which was kept by the landowner for about thirty years and was miraculous. Near her there was a healing of brother Anna, Philip Kozinsky. He was blind from birth, and after a zealous prayer near the image miraculously received his sight. This was the beginning of the fact that the Holy Pochaiv Lavra became one of the major Orthodox centers in western Ukraine. This was especially evident when, after the union was approved in 1596, persecution and the imposition of another religion began. All this contributed to the strengthening of the Orthodox spirit and faith. At this time, many found a refuge here, fleeing from the persecution of Uniates and Catholics.

By the end of the XVII century the monastery became very famous. At this time, his father was Job Pochaevsky. With his wise leadership, the Pochaev Lavra had a flourishing period. Then there was a school, a large printing house, the Church of the Holy Trinity, which became a vault for the foot of the Mother of God. Also, attention was paid to other buildings, for example, a defense wall, various temples, economic structures were erected.

Job Pochaevsky lived until 1651, and in 1659 his imperishable relics were discovered. Hegumen was elevated to a host of saints. In 1721 the monastery became the residence of Greek Catholics and almost for a whole century turned into their abode. And only in 1831 the temple complex returned back to Orthodoxy. And in 1883 the Most Holy Synod gave him the status of laurels. From that moment a new turn began. Many work was done on the arrangement, which led the laurel to the species that we know.

Later, she survived the atheism of the Soviet Union. The monks of the Pochaev Lavra performed a real feat, supporting an endless faith. It was a time of persecution, shootings, prisons. Members of the religious community were put in psychiatric hospitals. As a result of all this, the number of monks living here has significantly decreased. The collapse of the Soviet Union gave rise to the emergence of new powers, a new state, which began to treat the church in a different way. Thus, another page was opened in the history of the laurels. In 1997, the monastery gained the status of stavropegia, which means direct subordination to the metropolitan.

Architecture

Pochaev Lavra, whose photo does not convey all its greatness, is very interesting from the point of view of architecture. This is due to the fact that for some time the monastery was under the leadership of another confession. The monastery itself is on a high mountain, at the foot of which stands the town of Pochaev. In the monastery complex, in addition to buildings, there are also defensive structures that were erected in the XVII century. In general, everything looks very majestic and picturesque.

The main decoration is the temple of the Assumption of the Mother of God. It was built during the reign of the Uniates with the help of donations by Nikolai Pototsky. This was in 1780. The building was made in the late Baroque style at the place where the wooden church stood. Immediately, and placed a miraculous icon of the Virgin. Under this temple is another one, in which the relics of St. Job, the first hegumen of the monastery, are preserved.

You can visit and see with your own eyes all the beauties that abound in the Pochaev Lavra. Photos can only convey a general mood, and to feel the spirit of time and goodness, you should visit here.

Below the mountainside, another church is built, which is suitable for the prayer deed. This is the temple of the Monks Anthony and Theodosius of the Caves. In addition, the temple complex has such a masterpiece as the Holy Gates. Also on the territory of the monastery stands the Holy Trinity Cathedral, which was built by the then famous architect O. Shchusev.

It should be noted that the icons of 1646 were preserved in the laurel. Although periodically everything is restored, but the spirit of antiquity, the ancient saints is preserved to this day.

Legends of the monastery

The Holy Dormition Pochaev Lavra abounds with various legends about healing from diseases, deliverance from invaders thanks to the zealous prayer of the Theotokos. Many of them are fixed, but even more miracles happened after being alone with the Virgin. Also there were simply visions, signs from the Mother of God, that this place is guarded by it. For example, before the monastery was built on this mountain, there were many signs that this place was special. Here's one of them.

In November 1197, hunters, who stopped for the night, first heard thunder, then saw a deer. They tried to kill him, but they could not. When the hunters began to approach the deer, he escaped, and after him remained a fiery trail that led to the sky. After a while the hunters again slept here. Among them was John Turkul, a local landowner. He was visited by the Virgin in a dream, who said that she liked this place and in the future it will be a prayer.

There were enough of these signs. Many people even came here to see something unusual.

Shrine of the monastery

How can there be an unreadable Pochaev Lavra, where are so many holy things? Of course not. One of the main objects of veneration is the footsteps of the Mother of God, who appeared to the prayers of the ascetics on the mountain. After its disappearance, a trace of the right foot of the Virgin remained on the stone, which gradually filled with water. Since then, this print is constantly filled with medicinal liquid, for which come from different parts of the world.

Also revered as relics of the power of two elders: the Monk Amphilochius of Pochaev and the Monk Job of Pochaev. Both performed miracles both during life and after death. For example, over the grave of Job, and to this day, the radiance that happened over his body immediately after his death is visible.

Miracle-working icon

Separately, we should talk about the icon of the Virgin, which was presented to the laurel by the landowner Anna Goiskoy. She also presented it for the hospitality extended to Metropolitan Neophyte.

The first miracle, which occurred thanks to the icon, was the insight of Brother Anna, who was blind from birth. After that, the image of the Mother of God landowner and gave Pochaev Lavra.

The second fixed case of the miracle of the icon was punishment. In 1623 she was stolen from the monastery by Andrei Firley. He and his wife mocked the shrine. But then the wife of Firley was overcome by demons, and she was obsessed with them until the icon was returned to the monastery.

More than once Pochaev Lavra was besieged by invaders. In 1675 Sultan Mohammed wanted to capture her. However, all the monks began to pray, which lasted all night. And a miracle happened. The holy place was protected by the Mother of God herself, who appeared in light robes with guardian angels in front of the horde of invaders. All the arrows that flew towards the monastery, returned back. All the host of the enemy fled in horror.

At the same time, another miracle happened to the young man, who was captured by the Turks. Sincere prayer to the Theotokos saved him - he was transferred to a monastery. There are still preserved chains. Later on, miracles continued to happen. Count Potocki could not kill the coachman, who turned to the monastery. Three times he shot, all the times the gun misfired. It was a miracle that made an indelible impression. Obviously, therefore the earl after allocated considerable sums to the monastery. If we talk about healing, then the Pochaev shrine is especially fond of those praying, who see poorly or in general are blind.

To paint the icon, oil paints were used, its base is a lime board. On the image of the Virgin is written, which holds the baby in his right hand. In the left hand there are boards. On both heads there is a crown. Also on the icon are the saints (seven of them).

Famous chants

No less famous is the choir of the Pochaev Lavra, which is truly the standard of church hymns. A special sound is given to them by the acoustics of the temple, in which the performance takes place. You can hear the singing by coming to the laurel. It will be truly unforgettable, especially for true believers. Also in our age of technology the chants of the Pochaev Lavra can be purchased in the recording. This is great for those who do not have the opportunity to go and listen to everything live.

Holy Elders

The Pochaev Lavra is famous for its elders. The most famous, of course, are the two. This is Amphilochius and Job, who were elevated to the rank of saints. Let's talk about them in more detail.

The Monk Job Pochaevsky

There is an elder from a noble family, but from childhood he wanted to become a monk. At the age of 12, Job accepted monasticism. All his life he zealously served the Lord God. For a long time he was the hegumen of the Pochaev Lavra, did many great things for her glory. During his life, a printing house and a school were opened. This was a difficult time for Orthodoxy, but Job firmly stood on his own, condemning the adoption of the union. He also had a revelation about his death. The elder prayed to the Lord and peacefully departed into another world. After opening his relics, many miracles and healings were performed.

The Monk Amphilohy of Pochaev

This elder is already almost our contemporary. He was born in 1894 in a family of peasants. His father was an excellent chiropractor, so the son took over his skill. In 1925 the Pochaev Lavra took another novice, and in 1932 a monk. In the monastery Amfilohij became famous as a doctor and chiropractor. He constantly accepted the sufferers not only physically, but also spiritually. Thanks to his service to God, he received the gift of vision and healing.

Since the 50's, during the persecution of the church, the monk lived in his native village. Every day served prayer, continued to help people. At night he stood in prayer. About this period, many memories of those who came to him for help remained.

The old man Amphilochius also foresaw his death. He was poisoned by one of the novices, who was an agent of the KGB. The monk died in 1971, urging believers to come with his needs to his grave. He said that he would not forget about them even after death. The first healing occurred immediately after the funeral. In 2002, the elder was ranked among the saints. The rite was performed in the Pochaev Lavra, during which two crosses were seen above it. Many present said that these are two monks - Job and Amphilochius.

Other Elders

There were other elders of the Pochaev Lavra, who became famous for their work in the field of serving the Lord.

Elder Dimitry

He is also our contemporary. He was born in 1926 in the Chernivtsi region. From the age of 13 he was a novice in the St. John the Theologian Khreshchatytsky Monastery, immediately became a monk. In 1959 he was transferred to the Pochaev Lavra.

Elder Dimitry had various talents and was known not only in Ukraine, but also outside it. He achieved special successes in church singing. It is believed that under his leadership the choir improved its skills. The sermons of the old man were also famous. He is buried in the laurel cemetery.

The Starets Feodosiy Pochaevsky

His service to the Lord took place in difficult times for Orthodoxy. About the life of the Elder before coming to the bosom of the church little is known, he did not talk much about it. He took tonsure at the age of 55, in the Kiev-Pechersk Lavra, where he stayed. After its closing, I went to the Caucasus and lived there for a while. After the Soviet authorities banned residence in the Caucasus, Theodosius went to the Pochaev Lavra, where he lived until the end of his life.

It was an amazing man. I never said too much, only if I had to tell some instructive story. He received for his diligence in ascetic life the gift of foresight, could conduct successful proofreadings.

Healing lake of St. Anne

This pond is a place of constant pilgrimage, like the Pochaev Lavra. The lake of St. Anna is located in the village of Onishkovtsi, near it and the monastery is located. The water temperature here is always unchanged - 5-8 degrees. Nevertheless, many pilgrims hurry to plunge into the holy and healing waters in the hope of gaining health. Many say that healing is due to the large content of silicon in the waters, as well as a large number of silver ions.

However, there are legends according to which the Orthodox Church used to be in place of the source. When there was an invasion of the Tatars, she miraculously descended to the ground and so was saved from ruin. After a while there was still a sign - the appearance of the icon of St. Anne. She was tried many times, but she kept coming back. In the end, we decided to build a chapel here. After a while a healing spring appeared on this place. During the Soviet era, many times they tried to destroy it, but nothing happened.

So, in this area is famous not only Pochaev Lavra, where there is a Virgin's stop with healing water, but also the water of St. Anna's Lake. Women come here very often, since water is especially useful for those who are trying to get pregnant. Despite the icy water, after leaving the pool, people notice the heat and heat in the body, there have not been any cases of a cold from bathing in the lake. It is believed that such dipping helps to temper the body and increase vitality. Some even believe in the effect of rejuvenation.

For those who came to experience the healing power of the source, there are some rules:

• Women should preferably be in long shirts, cover their head;
• For everyone - underwear must be new;
• Before diving, you should read the prayer "Our Father", cross himself, then turn to St. Anne;
• After you can dive, you need to do it three times with your head.

Many know that a truly sincere prayer works wonders.

Excursions

Pochaev Lavra is very famous among pilgrims. Excursions to this place are organized in large numbers. Arriving here, you can visit the healing spring and collect from there the holy water, kneel before the icon of the Virgin and offer her a prayer, stand near the relics of the holy Job and Amphilochius. For sure, such an excursion will not leave anyone indifferent, and everyone will want to come here again.

Very many who had the opportunity to visit such a place as the Pochaev Lavra, the reviews were left enthusiastic. Everything here is permeated with the goodness of many monks and elders. And not for nothing that the Pochaev Lavra is truly one of the holy Orthodox places.