home > P - to dream > Church of john the baptist in china city. John the Baptist Convent (photo essay)

Church of john the baptist in china city. John the Baptist Convent (photo essay)

John the Baptist women's church is located on a high hill, right in the heart of Moscow, not far from the majestic Kremlin and the unique Kitay-Gorod.
On September 11 (according to the old calendar - August 29), the capital's shrine celebrates its patronal feast. This is the day of the beheading of John the Baptist, the Baptist of Jesus.

In this place, you can most clearly feel the spirit of the holy preacher - the prophet John, who told everyone about the grace-filled appearance of Jesus Christ in our world. As for the shrines, the most popular of them is the man-made image of John the Baptist. It is known to everyone for the reason that it carries the magical power to save a person from various head diseases. The image also helps to sincerely repent, to direct the train of thought in the right direction, so that the entire consciousness of the believer is directed towards the Savior.
Often, powerful rulers of the Romanov dynasty came to the monastery, who were also generous sponsors. During this era, the cathedral flourished and gained more and more popularity in Russia. This did not last long, as in 1812 the shrine was subjected to repeated devastation and robbery. Starting in 1860, she again tried to rebuild and resume. By the forces of M.A. Mazurina and architect M.D. Bykovsky, a true masterpiece of European art was created in the capital of Russia. The completion of the grandiose construction for the restoration of the temple was carried out by the rector of the Nikolo-Ugresh shrine.

When it was resumed, the first abbess was the orderly abbess Rafaila Rovinskaya, who was transferred to Moscow from Anosina Hermitage a few years ago. Accordingly, the very first inhabitants were the Anosinsky sisters. Among heavenly patrons The temple was: the clergyman Nicholas the Wonderworker, the most holy Elizabeth the Wonderworker (from Constantinople), in whose honor the nearby monastery was consecrated here.

The time of unrest for the John the Baptist Monastery in Moscow began in 1918, which was closed and quickly turned into a concentration camp of the Soviet government. The work of the monastery cathedrals was completely suspended in 1931, and the inhabitants of the Moscow shrine were arrested and urgently sent to prison. Few of them returned, and after that they served the priest Hilarion in the village of Vinogradovo. In the summer of 1938, they were caught, and near Moscow, at the Butovo NKVD training ground, they were shot, among whom was the clergyman of the convent of the capital, Alexy Skvortsov.

Starting in 2004, Alexy was recognized as a holy martyr and glorified in the monastery of the New Martyrs and Confessors of Russia of the 20th century. Returning to the past, in the middle of 1992, the St. John the Baptist shrine was transferred into the possession of the Russian Orthodox Church. She was assigned to the temple holy prince Vladimir, who was in the Old Gardens. The local leader Sergius Romanov became the founder of the revival of the monastic movement within the walls of the holy place.

By the decision of the Holy Synod on August 11, 2000, it was decided to open the John the Baptist Monastery for women. His Holiness Patriarch Alexy II of Moscow and All Rus' blessed Abbess Afanasia from the Holy Dormition Pyukhtitsky Monastery in Estonia to become abbess.
This gave a significant impetus to the development and formation of the community. It is interesting that the Moscow University of the Ministry of Internal Affairs occupies most of the territory and monastic structures in the modern context, but, despite this shortcoming, the shrine is able to develop, revive and restore the Forerunner Cathedral and many adjacent bell towers. Undoubtedly, he needs generous benefactors who can help both morally and financially.

John the Baptist convent(Moscow) - it is a functioning monument of federal and even world significance. By its existence and architectural changes, one can trace almost the entire past of Moscow, with its conquest, fires and restoration. He could simply get lost in history and undergo barbaric destruction. But, thanks to the faith and efforts of many Russians, even now it pleases our eyes.

Saint John the Baptist

This saint is revered in almost the same way as the Virgin Mary herself. After all, it was he who announced the future birth of Christ. And therefore, a huge number of temples and churches were erected in his honor, both in Russia and in the world. One of the most famous is the John the Baptist Convent in Moscow.

This extraordinary child was born in the family of clergy Zacharias and Elizabeth. Archangel Gabriel predicted his appearance to his father. He said that the unborn child is the forerunner of the great messiah. Not believing, Zacharias paid with dumbness.

Until the age of 30, John was in the wilderness. He led the life of a righteous man, for which he earned the respect and worship of the people of Jerusalem. People often came to him to receive the great sacrament of baptism. According to tradition, Christ himself came to John. There, in the desert, in the Jordan River, he was baptized.

For his sermons and stories about the Messiah, as well as for denouncing many in power, John the Baptist was beheaded. Later, part of his relics were given to various monasteries as a shrine.

Architectural ensemble

John the Baptist convent is located almost in the heart of Moscow. It is located on a high picturesque hill, which goes around the old path to Ryazan and Vladimir, called "Solyanka".

This territory has belonged to the Russian grand ducal house since ancient times. Once there was a country residence and extensive gardens. It was they who gave the names to the local monasteries and temples - in the "Old Gardens".

On appearance The monastery and surrounding areas were greatly affected by fires, devastation and destruction. Therefore, it is impossible to see its original image today.

Initially, it was a classic single-domed temple. There were three vestibules in the architecture. Therefore, from above the temple seemed cruciform.

Now we can observe only the restored complex, which was developed in the 19th century by the famous and respected academician Bykovsky.

In the center of the ensemble is its main part - the Cathedral with a huge faceted dome. The territory of the monastery is separated by an ancient stone wall. And near the main Holy gates, two bell towers settled down. In the eastern part, a special hospital building with a church is visible. At the same time, absolutely all buildings are connected by galleries.

In the northwest, a cell-refectory building has been preserved. Today, this part of the complex is under the jurisdiction of the Russian Ministry of Internal Affairs. Unfortunately, it is slowly falling into disrepair.

History of creation

John the Baptist Monastery is a fairly ancient building. After so many events, there is practically no documentary evidence of its creation. Therefore, in some sources, the data is slightly different.

The first mention of this monastery can be found in the surviving chronicles of 1415. They described the birth of the prince. Initially, this monastery was a male monastery. And only in 1530, after being transferred to Kulishki, in honor of the birth of Ivan Vasilyevich, he was consecrated to the female.

The main holiday, on the day of which the festive exits of the kings were made, was August 29. It was dedicated. Moscow princes also visited the monastery on Easter. Then alms and colorful Easter eggs were distributed.

Another name appeared - John the Baptist stauropegial convent. Over time, it acquired new complexes and lands donated by kings and those in power. However, it was destroyed as often as it was built. And at all times this holy place had powerful and virtuous patrons.

The history of the monastery in Tsarist Russia

Despite the centuries-old past, the St. John the Baptist Monastery gained its greatest recognition during the reign of They and Tsarina Evdokia Lukyanovna annually made festive exits to the monastery on the day of commemoration of John the Baptist. During these times, a refectory, a stone bell tower were completed and a new bell was cast.

At the same time, the tradition began to take root for servicemen and princely families to bury loved ones in the monastery. The monastery was maintained on the contributions of these families, as well as deductions from the sovereign's treasury.

Significant changes in the architecture and general life of the John the Baptist convent underwent during the reign of Peter I. Then a decree was adopted to replace numerous wooden cells with stone ones. Over time, the very social composition of the monastics also changed. Now more and more people from the merchant class and the clergy began to lead the monastery.

After the burning of Moscow and the abolition of many monasteries, the John the Baptist Monastery was able to recover and even renew itself. This happened thanks to St. Philaret and Maria Mazurina.

USSR period

With the advent of "people's" power, Christianity and any other religion and its ministers were severely persecuted. The inhabitants of the Forerunner Monastery were also persecuted. The new government decided to set up special concentration camps in the monastery.

It was he who was the first to be closed to parishioners. The authorities seized all bank accounts, confiscated movable and even real property, and also closed the operating infirmary. Nuns and novices, thanks to denunciations, were subjected to persecution and all sorts of infringements.

And already in 1931, all its remaining inhabitants were arrested on unfounded and very common charges of anti-Soviet agitation. Many of the nuns were exiled to Kazakhstan.

By the 80s, almost the entire territory of the monastery was given over to municipal and administrative needs. Most of it belonged and belongs to the Ministry of Internal Affairs with a departmental pool and bath. There was also a shooting gallery, a printing house and a repository of a special state archive on the territory.

Only after the collapse of the USSR, the John the Baptist Monastery was gradually restored. Gradually, parishioners and ministers returned to it, and the previously occupied premises began to be vacated.

Famous inhabitants of the monastery

At different times, the most different people from different classes and different ages. And, of course, they each had their own reasons. Believers came here difficult fate or to atone for sins.

During the years of tsarism, the John the Baptist convent was almost completely supported by the money of the grand dukes. All the wealthy class made certain contributions, participated in the life of the monastery. By the end of their lives, members of noble families left here. Here they buried their dead relatives. And the monastery became a family home for those in power.

But not only volunteers were tonsured. By royal decree, people objectionable and dangerous to the authorities were exiled to the monastery. One of the most famous inhabitants at the turn of the troubled XVIII-XIX centuries was the famous Princess Augusta Tarakanova. She, as the direct heir to the throne, a daughter from a secret marriage and Razumovsky, was forcibly tonsured and deprived of the opportunity to live freely.

The well-known tormentor of the peasants, Saltychikha, was also imprisoned here. More than 140 ruined souls are on her conscience. spent 11 years in the crypt. Then she was forced to live in a special open cage, in full view of all parishioners.

There were also their holy fools, who were revered as saints. For example, the story tells about the monk Martha. She was revered by the wife of Mikhail Fedorovich, as an assistant in childbirth. And even after the death of Martha, the custom remained to serve on her grave for the successful resolution of the pregnancy.

Shrines of the John the Baptist Monastery

Faith brings forth many wonderful things. Of course, the place for the construction of the monastery was chosen by ordinary people, and not by signs, like the Leushinsky St. John the Baptist Convent. But for so many years, thanks to faith and worship, the Moscow monastery has earned the glory of miraculous.

Over the centuries, this place has accumulated enough items for worship. Apart from miraculous icons, in the monastery there are particles of holy relics:

St. John the Baptist.
Reverend Alexis.
Apostle Matthew.
St. Nicholas the Wonderworker.
Healer Great Martyr Panteleimon and many others.

John the Baptist Convent (Vyazma)

Many churches and temples were built in the name of the great Prophet. In Russia, in addition to the Moscow monastery of the same name, the John the Baptist convent (Vyazma) is also known. It was founded in the Smolensk region, according to various sources, in 1536 or 1542.

At the beginning of the history of the monastery, it was visited by the Russian sovereigns Boris Godunov and Ivan the Terrible. He experienced the period of Troubles and wars almost the same as other monasteries. It has been robbed and destroyed many times, and it is no longer possible to see its original appearance.

In the 18th century, a special seminary was organized here, and then Theological school. During the Soviet era, most of the complex was destroyed, and restoration work is ongoing to this day.

Located in the center of Moscow, on a high hill, the St. John the Baptist convent goes back centuries with its history. In ancient times, gardens were located here, so the monastery was often called Ioannov in the Old Gardens, on Ivanovskaya Gorka, on Kulishki. And at the foot of the monastery, along Solyanka Street, then began the path from Moscow to the ancient Russian cities of Vladimir and Ryazan.

Historical legend connects the founding of the monastery with the name of the Grand Duke John III, who launched a huge, at that time, stone construction in Moscow. Another version speaks of the founding of the monastery by the mother of John the Terrible, Elena Glinskaya, and perhaps by the formidable king himself, who celebrated the day of his namesake on the day of the Beheading of John the Baptist. This area belonged to the treasury for a long time, and the Country Prince's Court was located nearby. Not later than the middle of the XVI century. a stone cathedral was erected in the monastery in honor of the Baptist of the Lord John. At the same time, the iconostasis was painted, part of which is now in the collection of the Sergiev Posad Museum.

The first mention of the monastery in historical documents dates back to 1604. The monastery existed at the expense of rich donations and government contributions. Dedicated to one of the pillars of Christianity - John the Baptist, the convent for many centuries played an important role in the circle church holidays the sovereign's court in the Kremlin.

Here is how the procession from the Kremlin with the participation of Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich is described: “On August 29, 7174 (1666), on the feast of the Beheading of the Honest Head of the Prophet and Forerunner of the Baptist John, the Great Sovereign deigned to go to the Ivanovo nunnery for prayer and serve -Sat there a prayer service and liturgy. And the Great Sovereign walked from himself (i.e., the sovereign’s court) to the holiday, for the image of the Forerunner John, for the local icon, which was taken for repair and salary for it, by the Great Sovereign and placed in the Ivanovo Monastery. Aza Nim, the Great Sovereign, walked the boyars and deviants, thoughtful and close people, all in festive clothes. And from the Ivanovo Monastery, the Great Sovereign to himself, to his sovereign's court, departed in a carriage. Other Moscow tsars, especially the first Romanovs, visited the monastery on the temple feast.

For many centuries the monastery served as a place of confinement for women from royal family. Tsarina Maria Petrovna, the wife of Vasily Shuisky, the second wife of the eldest son of Ivan the Terrible, Tsarevich John - Pelageya, was kept here. In 1768-1801. here was imprisoned landowner fanatic D.M. Saltykova (Saltychikha), known for her brutal murders of 136 serf girls. The nun Dosifeya, the illegitimate daughter of Empress Elizabeth Petrovna and Count Razumovsky, known as Princess Tarakanova, stayed in the monastery for 25 years. Princess Augusta (Dorothea in baptism) was brought up in the family of her aunt V.G. Dgragan and received the colloquial surname Tarakanov. Then she was taken to Holland and lived there secretly for many years. Undoubtedly, she had greater rights than Catherine II, with her German blood, which posed a considerable threat to the reigning empress. Rescued by force from abroad, she was tonsured a nun. The princess was taken to Moscow and here, in the monastery, she received a new name - Dosifei. She lived in a one-story house of two cells and prayed a lot. During the life of Catherine II, no one was allowed to see her. She was assigned a large state allowance, which she more often spent on the poor. She died in 1810 at the age of 64 and was buried in the Novospassky Monastery, where the remains of the deceased from the royal house of the Romanovs are buried. Another story is known about "Princess Tarakanova", an unsuccessful adventurer who pretended to be the daughter of Elizabeth, who was also taken to Russia, where she died of consumption in 1775 in the Peter and Paul Fortress.

Outside the walls of the Ivanovsky Monastery itself, many buried from the noble families of the Volkonsky, Volynsky, Shakhovsky, Shcherbatovs, Zasekins and many others were buried. The necropolis was later destroyed by the Bolsheviks.

Repeatedly the monastery was devastated by the Gentiles, especially in the Time of Troubles. He repeatedly died in the flames of fires of the XVII-XVIII centuries, but each time he was restored again. After the Moscow fire of 1812, which destroyed many buildings, the monastery was abolished, and the cathedral was transferred to the category of parishes. But here, as before, on August 29, the patronal feast of the monastery was celebrated. And nearby, there was always a “women's thread and woolen fair”, dating back to 1654, where peasant women from all over the Moscow province offered needlework. The monastic craftswomen also offered their products, sewing with silver and gold.

The revival of the monastery began in 1859 through the efforts of the wealthy merchant's widow Elizaveta Alekseevna Makarova-Zubacheva, who bequeathed a significant fortune for the reconstruction of the monastery, in commemoration of the late spouse of the namesake John. According to her will, she appointed her brother's wife, Maria Alexandrovna Mazurina, as her executor. The dismantling of the dilapidated buildings of the monastery and the old cathedral began in 1860. During the dismantling of the cathedral, the entire ancient iconostasis, except for the temple miraculous image of the Baptist, was transferred to the school of icon painting. During the dismantling of the old temple, the relics of the blessed schema-nun Martha, distinguished by her asceticism, were found, which were then reverently placed in a shrine, upon completion of the construction of the new temple. The Ivanovo Convent was rebuilt in the Neo-Renaissance style according to the design of the architect M.D. Bykovsky, with the blessing of St. Philaret of Moscow (Drozdov). The monastery was surrounded by high stone walls and divided into rectangular courtyards bounded by galleries. In the center was erected the monumental Cathedral of the Beheading of John the Baptist. Its laying took place on September 3, 1860, with the participation of Filaret, after the liturgy, in the nearby church of Equal-to-the-Apostles Prince Vladimir and procession to the monastery. At the same time, the laying of the house church of St. Elizabeth the Wonderworker, arranged according to the will of Elizabeth Makarova-Zubacheva in honor of her heavenly patroness, took place.

The Monk Elizabeth the Wonderworker is the patroness of female cenobitic monasticism. Very young, she became the abbess of the monastery of the Holy Great Martyr George in Constantinople, where her father's sister had previously been abbess. Saint Gennadius, Patriarch of Constantinople (458-471), blessed her for the office. For her deep humility and true monastic life, the Lord vouchsafed her various gifts. Healing incurable diseases, casting out demons, she also predicted many events. Thus she predicted the fire in Constantinople in 465, extinguished thanks to the prayers of St. Elizabeth and St. Daniel the Stylite. She provided special assistance to women suffering from bleeding. After the death of her relics, they showed healing power: they healed the blind, the demoniac, the withered, etc.

From the time of the construction of a new temple in the monastery, the Monk Elizabeth the Wonderworker became a reliable patroness of the St. John the Baptist Convent. Almost 20 years of its new construction was carried out. The monastery was consecrated only on October 19, 1879. The ancient temple image of John the Baptist was placed on the right pillar at the main altar in the newly built cathedral. By this time there are references to a copper hoop attached on a chain to the icon case of the icon of the Beheading of the Prophet. This hoop, the size of a human head, is still in the chapel today, but is attached to another icon - the holy image of the Forerunner. On the hoop there is a half-erased inscription-prayer: "Holy Great Forerunner and Baptist of the Savior John, pray to God for us."

What is the origin of such a hoop is hidden from us by time. Perhaps it was someone's gratitude for the healing. After all, such a practice of attaching jewelry and various valuable particles to images has always been accepted in Orthodoxy. Gifts have long been hung from icons, perhaps a similar image also applies to them. We only know that he was revered during all this time as a shrine. From him today, through the prayers of the holy prophet, who has special power get rid of headaches, there is grace-filled help and numerous healings, which is recorded in the monastery archive.

During the war with Turkey in 1877-1878. The monastery housed a hospital for wounded soldiers.

The monastery was one of the first in Moscow to be closed in 1918, and a concentration camp was organized on part of its territory. The Cathedral then continued to operate together with the Elizabethan Church until 1926, when they were finally closed. The sisters of the monastery were arrested, and the priest of the monastery Alexy (Skvortsov) in 1938 was shot at the Butovo NKVD training ground. The community of believers, along with some church property not requisitioned by the authorities, moved to the Church of the Holy Trinity in Serebryaniki. There were also monastery shrines here: the ancient miraculous image of John the Baptist and the icon of St. Elizabeth, painted once for the new monastery church and placed in its main altar. When this temple was also abolished, the property with the shrines was transferred to the Church of the Holy Apostles Peter and Paul, which was not closed during the years of Soviet power. By the providence of God, this temple became the custodian of these relics for many years. In the 1980s in the cathedral of the Ioannov Monastery there was the Central State Archive of the Moscow Region, and in its buildings there were residential apartments and a garment factory.

In 1992, the miraculously preserved grandiose monastery complex was transferred to the Russian Orthodox Church, and in 1995 services resumed here. Soon the Holy Synod of the Russian Orthodox Church decided to open the St. John the Baptist Convent. In 2002, the revered shrines returned to the ancient monastery again: the icons of St. John the Baptist with a hoop and St. Elizabeth the Wonderworker.

— it is a functioning monument of federal and even world significance. By its existence and architectural changes, one can trace almost the entire past of Moscow, with its conquest, fires and restoration. He could simply get lost in history and undergo barbaric destruction. But, thanks to the faith and efforts of many Russians, even now it pleases our eyes.

For his sermons and stories about the Messiah, as well as for denouncing many in power, John the Baptist was beheaded. Later, part of his relics were given to various monasteries as a shrine.

Architectural ensemble

John the Baptist convent is located almost in the heart of Moscow. It is located on a high picturesque hill, which goes around the old path to Ryazan and Vladimir, called "Solyanka".

The appearance of the monastery and the surrounding areas were greatly affected by fires, devastation and destruction. Therefore, it is impossible to see its original image today.

Initially, it was a classic single-domed temple. There were three vestibules in the architecture. Therefore, from above the temple seemed cruciform.

Now we can observe only the restored complex, which was developed in the 19th century by the famous and respected academician Bykovsky.

History of creation

The first mention of this monastery can be found in the surviving chronicles of 1415. They described the birth of Prince Vasily II the Dark. Initially, this monastery was male. And only in 1530, after being transferred to Kulishki, in honor of the birth of Ivan Vasilyevich, he was consecrated to the female.

The main holiday, on the day of which the festive exits of the kings were made, was August 29. It was dedicated to the beheading of John the Baptist. Also Moscow princes visited the monastery on Easter. Then alms and colorful Easter eggs were distributed.

Another name appeared - St. John the Baptist stauropegial convent. Over time, it acquired new complexes and lands donated by kings and those in power. However, it was destroyed as often as it was built. And at all times this holy place had powerful and virtuous patrons.

The history of the monastery in Tsarist Russia

Despite the centuries-old past, the St. John the Baptist Monastery gained its greatest recognition during the reign of Mikhail Fedorovich. She and Tsarina Evdokia Lukyanovna annually made festive exits to the monastery on the day of commemoration of John the Baptist. During these times, a refectory, a stone bell tower were completed and a new bell was cast.

After the burning of Moscow and the abolition of many monasteries, the John the Baptist Monastery was able to recover and even renew itself. This happened thanks to St. Philaret and Maria Mazurina.

USSR period

And already in 1931, all its remaining inhabitants were arrested on unfounded and very common charges of anti-Soviet agitation. Many of the nuns were exiled to Kazakhstan.

Famous inhabitants of the monastery

At different times, a variety of people have visited here, from different classes and different ages. And, of course, they each had their own reasons. Believers came here, with a difficult fate or to atone for sins.

But not only volunteers were tonsured. By royal decree, people objectionable and dangerous to the authorities were exiled to the monastery. One of the most famous inhabitants at the turn of the troubled XVIII-XIX centuries was the famous Princess Augusta Tarakanova. She, as the direct heir to the throne, a daughter from the secret marriage of Elizabeth Petrovna and Razumovsky, was forcibly tonsured and deprived of the opportunity to live freely.

The well-known tormentor of the peasants, Saltychikha, was also imprisoned here. More than 140 ruined souls are on her conscience. Daria Saltykova spent 11 years in the crypt. Then she was forced to live in a special open cage, in full view of all parishioners.

Shrines of the John the Baptist Monastery

Over the centuries, this place has accumulated enough items for worship. In addition to miraculous icons, the monastery has parts of holy relics:

St. John the Baptist.
Reverend Alexis.
Apostle Matthew.
St. Nicholas the Wonderworker.
Healer Great Martyr Panteleimon and many others.

John the Baptist Convent (Vyazma)

In the 18th century, a special seminary was organized here, and then the Theological School. During the Soviet era, most of the complex was destroyed, and restoration work is ongoing to this day.

We return to the metro, go to the station "Kitay Gorod", exit to Solyansky Lane, go up the alley up the hill and around the turn we will see the thick walls of the John the Baptist (Ivanovsky) Convent, address Maly Ivanovsky Lane, 2, metro station "Kitay-Gorod" . It turns out that the river Rachka was here, now it is in the pipes. The monastery is very beautiful inside, after restoration, it’s just St. Petersburg and the pastries in the monastery are delicious, the miraculous icon that heals headaches with a hoop, there are not many people, it’s worth visiting, you get straight into a fairy tale, into ancient Moscow.
The John the Baptist Convent is located on the "Ivanovskaya Gorka", which gave its name. This was the name of the hill in the upper reaches of the Rachka River, which is a brow up to 150 meters high, facing the Moscow River. John the Baptist Monastery is considered one of the oldest in Moscow. Initially, it was male and existed from the beginning of the 15th century on the other side of the Moscow River - in Zamoskvorechye, in the area of Pyatnitskaya Street. The first news about the Moscow Ivanovsky Monastery is contained in chronicles under 1415, when describing the miracle that accompanied the birth of Grand Duke Vasily II the Dark. In the 1530s, after the birth of Vasily III's heir, the future Tsar John Vasilyevich the Terrible, the monastery was moved to Kulishki. Here, in a new place, having retained the dedication to John the Baptist, the monastery became a women's one.
During the reign of Tsars Mikhail Feodorovich and Alexei Mikhailovich, on August 29, on the day of the Beheading of John the Baptist, the tsar's festive exits were made. Blessed schema-nun Martha labored in the monastery. In the world - the girl Daria. Schematic nun Martha, revered during her lifetime as a spiritual elder, was glorified after her death as a locally revered saint, known for her special help to women in childbirth, prisoners, as a prayer book for the House of Romanov. John the Baptist Monastery served as a place of imprisonment for women of the royal family. In the first half of the 17th century, the following were imprisoned here: Tsarina Marya Petrovna - the wife of Tsar Vasily Shuisky, Pelageya Mikhailovna - the second wife of the eldest son of Ivan the Terrible, Tsarevich John.
The complex of the Ivanovsky Monastery includes: the Cathedral of the Beheading of John the Baptist, with chapels of the Kazan Icon Mother of God and St. Nicholas (1861, architect M. D. Bykovsky), the western building of cells (1760-1830, architect M. D. Bykovsky), the hospital building (eastern) (1860s, architect M. D . Bykovsky), the house church of St. Elizabeth the Wonderworker, Abbess of Constantinople at the hospital building (1879, architect M. D. Bykovsky; restored in 1995), the northern building of cells (1860s, architect M. D. Bykovsky) , a fence with two bell towers and a portal of the Holy Gates between them (1860s, architect M. D. Bykovsky).

In the reign of Catherine the Great, in 1785, the nun Dosithea (Princess Augusta Tarakanova), who was the daughter of Empress Elizabeth Petrovna from a secret marriage with Alexei Grigorievich Razumovsky, entered the monastery by Imperial decree. By order of Empress Catherine, the princess was cunningly brought from Italy and imprisoned in the Ivanovo Monastery, where it was ordered to keep her secret, not letting anyone near her. The place of her confinement was two cramped low rooms of cells with windows overlooking the courtyard. Her time was filled with prayer, needlework and reading spiritual books. The money that she helped out for her needlework, which was sold through the cell-house, she immediately distributed to the poor through the cell-house. With the death of Catherine II, the shutter of the nun Dosifei became less strict. They didn’t let her go anywhere, but she received permission to host. The people learned about the pious life, and began to go to the old woman, she also had noble persons. The recluse Dosifeya, having spent 25 years in the Ivanovsky Monastery, died at the age of 64 in 1808, and was buried with great honors in the Novospassky Monastery near the bell tower.
Since 1768, in a crypt under the cathedral church, and then in a special dungeon under a strong guard in the Ivanovsky Monastery, the landowner Daria Nikolaevna Saltykova, known as Saltychikha, was kept. After the fire of 1812, it was decided to abolish the Ivanovo Monastery.
The monastery was restored in 1859. The rich widow of Colonel Elizaveta Alekseevna Makarova-Zubacheva became the renovator of the Ivanovsky Monastery. In February 1859, Metropolitan Filaret was presented with a project for a renovated complex of buildings of the Ivanovo Monastery. This project was commissioned by the famous Moscow architect of that time, Mikhail Dorimedontovich Bykovsky (1801-1885), who in 1861-1878. rebuilt the Ivanovo Monastery in the spirit of Italian Renaissance architecture. On September 3, 1860, the solemn laying of the Cathedral of the Beheading of John the Baptist with hospital temple Elizabeth the Wonderworker. The Russian-Turkish war began, and the city authorities turned to M.A. Mazurina with a request to provide already finished buildings for a hospital, which opened here on June 7, 1877. After the nuns moved into the monastery, a hospital began to operate in the monastery, intended for the monastics of all convents in Moscow.
After the revolution, the Ivanovo Monastery was one of the first to be closed in Moscow. In 1995, the monastery formed small community out of ten sisters. The small consecration and the first divine service in the Elisabeth Church took place on April 28, 1995, Friday of Bright Week. On August 11, 2000, by decision of the Synod, which took place on the eve of the glorification of the Cathedral of the New Martyrs and Confessors of Russia, the St. John the Baptist Convent was reopened. In the summer of 2001, on the feast of the Nativity of John the Baptist, the cathedral church of St. John was completely liberated from the archive that occupied it and handed over to believers. On November 9, 2002, a cross was erected on the dome of the cathedral.
The main shrine of the monastery, the ancient, miraculous image of John the Baptist, has now been returned to its original historical place in the cathedral, and in the monastery chapel there is his revered list, to which the hoop is attached. Both icons contain particles of the holy relics of John the Baptist. The iconostasis and the local temple image of John the Baptist were painted in the 1550s-1560s. This approximate dating in terms of the style of icon painting, architecture and other sources is combined with the historical legend about the founders of the monastery, according to which it was founded, or by Grand Duke John III, who led a large-scale stone construction in Moscow, or by the mother of Ivan IV the Terrible Grand Duchess Elena Glinskaya, or the Terrible himself, who was born and celebrated the day of his namesake on the day of the Beheading of St. Prophet John. In the 17th century, the first tsars from the Romanov dynasty, Mikhail Fedorovich and Alexei Mikhailovich, diligently visited the monastery on temple holidays.
On the icon, the holy Prophet John the Baptist is depicted in full growth to the full height of the icon. The image is written on the board in brown-green dark colors. John the Baptist stands with his bare feet straight on the ground and looks strictly and concentrated forward. The hair on the icon of the Prophet has long, light brown, descending in wavy braids over the shoulders, a short beard, diverging in curling strands. At his feet, in the lower right corner, there is a branching, sprawling green tree, at the roots of which an ax is thrown over a branching trunk. Right hand The forerunner was raised to the Persians and stopped in a blessing gesture; left lowered - holds a dish-bowl with a truncated head of St. A prophet and an unfolded scroll with the words of a sermon of repentance: "Repent, the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand. Already the ax is at the root" At the top of the icon is the inscription: on the left - "Agios John"; right - "Forerunner"
To the icon case of the icon of the Prophet on the right on a metal chain is attached a copper hoop the size of a human head, the measure of the head of John the Baptist, which is easily put on the head. On the hoop is a half-erased, but distinguishable inscription - short prayer to St. John the Forerunner: "Holy Great Forerunner and Baptist of the Savior John, pray to God for us." It can be stated with certainty that this hoop has been known since II half of XIX century. There are two documentary evidence from the beginning of the 20th century that the hoop was in the chapel of the John the Baptist Monastery, was attached to the icon of the Beheading of St. John the Baptist and revered as a saint. There is evidence of the healing of seriously ill patients with the help of this hoop.

08.08.2020

P - to dream

The most interesting:

Temple Synthesis of the Arts

Religion of the Ancient Egyptians (presentation) Mummy in a sarcophagus

Why did the Christian Church split into Catholic and Orthodox?