Pskov Caves Monastery. Pskov-Caves Monastery: an open fortress

Holy Dormition Pskov-Caves monastery is one of the largest and most famous in Russia. He has ancient history. The name Pechersky is due to the fact that there are caves on its territory.

And it is the Assumption because here in the 15th century the Church of the Assumption of the Mother of God was dug out in a sandy hill and consecrated. At any time of the year the monastery is open for pilgrimage. Especially in the summertime rushes here big number tourists.

In contact with

Classmates

How to get by train to Pskov

get to Pskov-Pechersk monastery It is possible by train both through Moscow and through St. Petersburg. But trains run only to Pskov.

Trains from Moscow

• daily route. Train No. 010A "Moscow-Pskov" runs daily from the Leningradsky railway station. Departure time from Moscow - 18 hours. 30 min. Arrival in Pskov - at 7 o'clock. 30 min. A reserved seat ticket will cost about 2 thousand rubles.
• On even days. On even days, you can leave by train No. 098A "Moscow-Pskov". It departs from the Leningradsky railway station at 15:00. 35 min. He will be in Pskov at 5 o'clock. 00 min. The price of a reserved seat is 1450 rubles. Arriving at 5 o'clock in the morning is convenient because those people who are short of time can make it to the monastery for the Liturgy if they take a taxi.

Trains from St. Petersburg

Unfortunately, now pilgrims cannot travel directly from St. Petersburg to Pechory by train. Transplant only.

You can get to Pskov from St. Petersburg by taking the following trains:

• St. Petersburg - Stroganovo and Stroganovo - Pskov;
• St. Petersburg - Luga and Luga - Pskov.

The schedule of these trains is designed so that you can immediately transfer from one train to another, without interruption.

But from Pskov you still need to get to Pechory - a city in the Pskov region, where the monastery is located. The city itself is located three kilometers from the railway station Pechory-Pskov.

Taxi from Pskov to the monastery

If you arrive in Pskov at 5 o'clock in the morning by the Moscow train, then you will not be able to take the bus, because at that time they do not go yet. In this case, you will have to take a taxi. The average cost of such a trip is 1 thousand rubles. In the summer, taxi drivers sometimes “raise up” the price, but if you bargain, you can get closer to the average price. The price of a bus ticket ranges from 120-150 rubles. If you go with a company, then it is quite possible to spend money on a taxi. Usually, drivers meet those arriving by train at the square near the railway station. Travel time by car is 40 minutes.

Buses

From Pskov - to Pechory

From Saint-Petersburg - to the monastery

• Direct transportation on the route St. Petersburg - Pechory is carried out every day from the Rossiya Hotel. Departure time - 17 hours. 30 min, arrival time - 22 h. 15 minutes. Ticket price - 550 rubles.
• And also minibuses from St. Petersburg go to the monastery. Despite the fact that these are minibuses, they do not look like ordinary cramped minibuses. These are comfortable cars that are not inferior in convenience to modern intercity buses.

From Saint-Petersburg - to Pskov

Minibuses run from St. Petersburg to Pskov. For example, Strizhi's transport departs five times a day. Travel time is approximately 4 hours 30 minutes. They make one stop in Luga. The inconvenience is that you need to "fit" into the schedule of transport going to Pechory.

The Holy Dormition Pskov-Caves Monastery in Pechory is one of the largest in Russia, located in a ravine near the Kamenets stream. It is more than five hundred years old, during which the monastery has never been closed.

From the history of the Caves Monastery in the Pskov region

Once upon a time, hermit monks lived in caves along the banks of the Kamenets stream, who fled north from the invasion of the Tatar-Mongols. The mention of these places dates back to 1392. and are called God-created caves. In 1473 the monastery cave-temple was illuminated. In 1558 fortress walls with 10 towers were built around the monastery (9 were preserved).

The legend of the monastery

Came to Pskov Caves monastery pray Ivan the Terrible. Hegumen Cornelius, who headed the monastery at that time, decided to seize the moment and asked the sovereign for permission to build a fortress wall in Pechory around the monastery buildings. With all the generous royal darling, Ivan the Terrible gave the go-ahead, only the fortress had to be no larger than the skin of a bull. Cornelius realized, cut the bull skin into strips, stretched them around the perimeter of the monastery and built fortress walls on them (🙂). Seven years later, the emperor-father again visited Pechory. Seeing a large fortress, Ivan the Terrible was so angry that he cut off the head of Cornelius with a sword, who hospitably met the king at the gate with bread and salt. And the abbot's head rolled down the slope. Immediately the sovereign shuddered, realized what he had done, caught the body of Cornelius and carried it to the Assumption Church of the Pskov-Caves Monastery. This descent is now called the Bloody Way, or Kornilievskaya Path.

Complex of the Holy Dormition Pskovo-Pechersky Monastery

Scheme from the monastery's website www.pskovo-pechersky-monastery.ru

The Holy Dormition Pskov-Caves Monastery includes:

1. Assumption Cave Temple
2. Belfry
3. Sretensky temple
4. Church of the Intercession
5. St. Michael's Cathedral
6. Fraternal Corps
7. God-made caves
8. Lazarevsky temple
9. Nikolsky temple
10. holy gates
11. Church of the Annunciation
12. holy mountain
13. Fortress walls with nine towers: Petrovskaya, Nikolskaya, the Tower of the "Lower Lattices", Blagoveshchenskaya, Izborskaya, Tararygina, the Tower of the "Upper Lattices", Tailovskaya, Prison. Once upon a time there was still Brusovaya.

There are also Life-giving and Holy springs. The monastery necropolis is located in the caves.

Our photo walk through the complex of the Holy Dormition Pskov-Caves Monastery

The entrance to the monastery complex of the Holy Dormition Pskov-Pechora Monastery is through the Holy Gates under the Petrovsky Tower. On the right is the prison tower, on the left is Nikolskaya:

Immediately we see the St. Nicholas Church, adjacent to the tower of the same name:

It was here, under the vault of St. Nicholas Church, that Abbot Kornily was murdered by Ivan the Terrible:

And here is the Bloody Way (Korniliev Path):

Fraternal Corps of the Pskov-Pechersky Monastery:

Life-giving source:

Staircase to St. Michael's Cathedral:

St. Michael's Church of the Pskov-Caves Monastery from Uspenskaya Square:

The Holy Spring and the Assumption Cave Temple (it was closed for general cleaning - we didn’t get there, just like in the God-created caves):

Sretensky and Annunciation churches of the Holy Dormition Monastery:

Belfry:

And now let's look at the fortress wall and the towers of the Holy Dormition Pskov-Caves Monastery. Petrovskaya and prison towers:

St. Michael's Cathedral:

Tailovskaya (the largest), Tower of the "Upper Lattices" (the highest - 25 m), Tararygina:

Izborskaya tower and milestone:

Annunciation tower:

The Tower of the "Lower Grids", behind it is the Holy Mountain:

Weird weathervanes:

There are a lot of beggars in the vicinity of the monastery, so be prepared - you will be attacked, for example, this alkodama (lower left) against the backdrop of the Varvara Church in front of the entrance to the complex:

Nearby is a monument to hegumen Cornelius:

In Pechory there is still a Lutheran church of St. Peter:

How to get to the Holy Dormition Pskovo-Pechersky Monastery

You can get to the Pechersky Monastery in the city of Pechory from Pskov: along the E-77 (A-212) highway, move in the direction of Estonia for 32 km, after Izborsk, follow the sign, turn right and go another 23 km to Pechora, where to continue move along the main street until you see the golden domes of the temples.

Address: 181500 Pskov region, Pechory, st. International d.5.

GPS coordinates: 57.80988, 27.61456.

The Holy Dormition Pskov-Caves Monastery on the map of the Pskov region:

A visit to the Holy Dormition Pskov-Caves Monastery can be combined with a visit to the Izborsk fortress and.

Hello! We, Marina and Konstantin Samorosenko, are the authors of this travel blog. All information provided on the website free. But if you want thank the authors, take part in fundraising for an expensive hearing restoration surgery our son Elisha. Details and our history can be found.

Requisites for help:

✔ Tinkoff Map 4377 7237 4260 2448 Samorosenko Konstantin Igorevich (father of Elisha)

✔ Yandex money 410012258423394 Samorosenko Konstantin Igorevich (father of Elisha)

Date of publication or update 01.02.2017

Holy Dormition Pskov-Caves Monastery.

Address of the Pskov-Caves Monastery: 181500, Pskov region, Pechory, st. International, d. 5.
Directions to the Pskov-Caves Monastery: by any transport to the city of Pskov, then from the bus station by bus or fixed-route taxi to the city of Pechora.
Plan of the Holy Dormition Pskov-Caves Monastery.
Website of the Pskov-Pechersky Monastery: http://www.pskovo-pechersky-monastery.ru

History of the Holy Dormition Pskov-Caves Monastery.

Foundation of the monastery

Located 340 km southwest of St. Petersburg and 50 km west of Pskov, the Holy Dormition Pskovo-Pechersky Monastery traces its history back more than 500 years. Here, on the northwestern borders of Russia, on the ancient Pskov land, the seeds of Orthodox faith, sown in Rus' back in the 10th century by the holy Equal-to-the-Apostles Princess Olga, who, according to legend, was born in the village of Vybutskaya near Pskov.

The chronicle tells how, at the end of the 14th century, Izborsk hunters, father and son Selisha, heard in the deep forest near the Kamenets stream “the voices of those who sing inexpressibly and beautifully” and felt the fragrance “as if from a lot of incense”.

Soon local peasants purchased these lands; by lot, they went to Ivan Dementiev, who settled nearby, near the Pachkovka River. One day, when he was chopping wood on a mountainside, one of the fallen trees, falling, dragged others along with it. Under the roots of one of them, the entrance to the cave was opened, and above the entrance there is an inscription: “The cave built by God”.

From an ancient local legend, it is known that people from the Kiev-Pechersk monastery lived in this place, who fled to the Pskov region due to numerous raids. Crimean Tatars. The names of all of them remained unknown, chronicle history has preserved to us only the name of the “initial monk” of St. Mark.

generally recognized historical date The foundation of the Pskov-Pechersky Monastery is considered to be 1473, when the Church of the Assumption, dug out in a sandy hill near the Kamenets stream, was consecrated by the Monk Jonah. Saint Jonah is the direct founder of the monastery. Previously, he, bearing the name John in the world, was a priest in St. George's Church of Yuryev-Livonsky (now Tartu). He was nicknamed Shestnik, i.e. a stranger, because he was originally from Moscow. He came to Livonia as a missionary.

At that time, the Orthodox people there were severely persecuted by the Latin Germans. Fearing for the life of his family, Fr. John, together with his wife Maria and children, leaves Yuryev and settles in Pskov.

Here he first heard about the “God-created cave”. A heartfelt desire to serve the Lord with even greater zeal led John and his family to settle near the holy place. building cave temple had not yet been completed when Maria, his wife, fell seriously ill. Feeling the approach of death, she took monastic vows with the name Vassa, thus becoming the first tonsure of the monastery.

After the death of his wife, John himself took on a monastic image with the name Jonah. Like St. Vassa, he is also numbered among the Pskov-Caves reverends. The memory of him and Saint Mark is celebrated on March 29/April 11, and that of Saint Vassa on March 19/April 1.

The successor of the Monk Jonah, Hieromonk Misail, erected cells and a temple on the mountain, but soon the monastery was attacked by the Livonians. Wooden buildings were burned down, property was looted. When the blasphemers began to act outrageously in the Dormition Church of the monastery, the fire that came out of the altar part drove them out of the monastery. Meanwhile, a Russian detachment arrived from Izborsk, completing the destruction of the Livonians.

The monastery was in poverty for a long time after this shock: the raids, although less daring, continued. Foreign invaders tried more than once to wipe the monastery off the face of the earth, as they saw in it, first of all, a stronghold of Orthodoxy and Russian influence on the nearby local population of the Baltic tribes (Ests and Setos), as well as the organizer economic activity in the region and, finally, a Russian military stronghold.

The heyday of the monastery in the 16th century

Only half a century later, under Abbot Dorotheus, the monastery rose again and flourished: in the 20s of the 16th century, the Assumption Church was renovated and expanded, a chapel was built in the name of venerable Anthony and Theodosius of the Kiev Caves. Other temples and monastic buildings were also erected. The construction was led by the sovereign clerk, who had the power of the plenipotentiary representative of the Grand Duke of Moscow in Pskov, Misyur Munekhin, who led the work on a large scale. For his merits in building the monastery, he was the first of the laity to be buried in the monastery cave.

In 1521, the monastery acquired the miraculous icon of the Assumption of the Mother of God "in life" (with hagiographic hallmarks). This image was painted by the icon painter Alexei Maly on the order of the Pskov "trading people" Vasily and Theodore (Theodore later took the tonsure with the name Theophilus and died in the monastery).

During this period, the monastery moved down from the mountain to the valley of Kamenets, the cells were placed opposite the Assumption Church.

By the end of the 20s of the 16th century, under Abbot Gerasim, the inner life of the monastery was streamlined: the abbot drew up a cenobitic charter on the model of the Kiev Caves, established the rank church service according to the tradition of the ancient monasteries, having decreed that divine services be performed daily in the Cathedral of the Dormition. And today the monastery sacredly preserves ancient traditions, observing a strict cenobitic charter.

The real flourishing of the monastery is associated with the name of its hegumen, the Monk Martyr Cornelius.

From year to year the fame of the monastery increased. Rumor about miraculous healings, received by special intercession of the Queen of Heaven, not only by the Orthodox, but also by the Latins, attracted many pilgrims; the once “wretched place” was replenished with precious contributions, vast lands and estates. But these offerings were not only for the needs of the monastery. Monastic account books kept information about financial assistance, which the monks constantly provided to refugees during numerous wars. At the expense of the monastery treasury, the dwellings destroyed by the invaders in the surrounding villages were restored; during the truces, the monastery redeemed prisoners of war from the enemy. All other monasteries of the Pskov diocese, even more ancient: Mirozhsky (1156), Snetogorsky (XIII century), Veliko-Pustynsky (1404), Spaso-Eleazarovsky (1447) - were inferior to the Pskov-Caves monastery, and abbots of other monasteries were now promoted to his abbots as a sign of promotion. Pechersk abbots were ordained bishops.

Opposition to the Polish-Lithuanian War

The border position of the monastery remained dangerous. In the middle of the 16th century, the onslaught on the Pskov land from the German Livonian Order intensified. This led to the fact that the Pskov-Caves Monastery is gradually becoming not only a place of salvation for Christian souls, not only a missionary and educational center, but also a powerful fortress of northwestern Rus'.

In the summer of 1581, a hundred thousandth Polish-Lithuanian army moved to Pskov. The guard troops stationed in the Pechersk fortress-monastery intercepted enemy detachments, convoys with weapons, marching towards the besieged city.

On October 29, the angry Polish king Stefan Batory sent a large army to the monastery, the defenders of which were only two or three hundred archers who were resettled from Moscow and laid the foundation for Pechersky Posad.

On November 5, enemy troops fired cannons at the monastery and smashed the wall near the Church of the Annunciation. An enemy detachment immediately rushed here. Now military force alone could not save the monastery, and then the monks brought to the break the main monastery shrine - the ancient icon of the Dormition Mother of God. All the besieged fervently prayed to the Intercessor of the Christian race, and the Mother of God heard their prayers. The battle continued until late at night, but all attacks were repulsed.

The chronicle also tells of other miraculous events in which God's special mercy to the monastery was revealed. Jan Piotrovsky, secretary of the field office of Batory, priest Yan Piotrovsky, wrote in his diary: “The Germans are unlucky in Pechory, there were two assaults and both were unfortunate. They break through a breach in the wall, go on an attack, and then no further from their place. This surprises everyone, some say that the place is enchanted, others say that the place is holy, but in any case, the deeds of the monks are worthy of admiration.”

The miraculous icons of the Mother of God “Assumption” and “Tenderness” were sent to the defenders of Pskov, inspiring them to feats of arms: during the 5 months of the siege, the enemy stormed the Pskov Kremlin more than 30 times, but did not take the city.

In memory of this miraculous deliverance, the grateful people of Pechersk every year on the 7th week of Easter went in procession with the miraculous icon “Tenderness” to Pskov. In 1998, the tradition of the procession was renewed (only the icon is now transferred inside the monastery - from the Dormition to St. Michael's Church and back).

At the beginning of the 17th century, the monastery survived many attacks by Swedish, Lithuanian and Polish conquerors, who took advantage of the internal difficulties of the Russian state and rampaged on its western borders.

The monastery continues catechism and publishing. Pechora schoolchildren gather weekly for Sunday school classes and an icon-painting class. Many of them sing in the children's and youth choir.

Divine services are held in the Maisky microdistrict of the city of Pechery in newly built church in honor of the Nativity of Christ and St. Tikhon, Patriarch of Moscow. The temple also works Sunday School created a children's choir.

On the shores of Lake Pskov, the monastery opened the Lakeside Skete. The construction of the monastery skete began on the shore of Lake Malskoye.

And now in the monastery, by the grace of God, the lamps of true piety do not go out, the marvelous elders, whom almost everyone now knows. Orthodox world: Archimandrites John (Krestyankin) and Adrian (Kirsanov) - a living tradition of the Church, holy Orthodoxy and humble monastic life.

All spiritual, educational activities of the monastery are led by His Eminence Eusebius, Archbishop of Pskov and Velikoluksky, Hieroarchimandrite of the Holy Dormition Pskov-Caves Monastery with the Spiritual Council of the Elders, blessing and consecrating the work of the monks.

And grant, Lord, that through the prayerful intercession of the Most Pure Mother of God, the tradition of the Pechersk asceticism will not be stopped, so that the monastery will continue to remain a bright embodiment of the ideal of Orthodox Holy Rus'.

The Pskov-Caves Monastery is the only one in Russia that has never been closed.

Few people know that during the last threat of its closure in the Khrushchev era, the front-line monks were ready to defend the monastery from the atheists, as from the Nazis. Their determination was not put to shame. A miracle happened.

Archimandrite Alipiy: Soldier of the Great Patriotic War, Warrior of Christ

When the Commissioner for Religious Affairs arrived at the monastery with an order to close it, the monastery's abbot, a participant in the Great Patriotic War (1914-1975), openly refused to submit to the godless authorities. Hierodeacon Prokhor (Andreychuk) retold this story to me from the words of Archimandrite Nathanael (Pospelov) (1920-2002), who was treasurer in the 1960s. The commissioner handed over to the viceroy the decree on closing, arch. Alipiy began to read it syllable by syllable, waiting for the electric fireplace to heat up (Fr. Nathanael bought the fireplace at the request of the governor a few days earlier, when Fr. Alipy learned about the purpose of the upcoming visit). As soon as the fireplace was hot, he threw a decree into it and said: "I'd rather accept martyrdom but I will not close the monastery. If you want to use force, know that I have sixty monks, two-thirds of them are participants in the war. They will fight to the last man. And I will dig up Peter's cannons, and we will arrange a second defense of Stalingrad. You will only have to bomb us from a plane, but you will not do this, because Europe is nearby - the world community will know.

It is not known whether the party leadership would have retreated completely, but at that time the Indian Prime Minister Indira Gandhi visited the monastery. She was shocked by what she saw (according to the memoirs of Father Nathanael, she cried in the caves of the monastery), and, obviously, she made a good advertisement - foreign delegations began to come here one after another, and the question of closing was no longer needed.

God-made caves

The history of the Pskov-Caves Monastery originates from its famous caves, which were discovered 80 years before the foundation of the monastery, in 1392. In the XIV century, a dense forest grew on the slope of the current Holy Mountain of the monastery (now there is a garden planted by monks and a church of the Monk Pskov-Caves Fathers). As the chronicle tells, the local peasant Ivan Dementiev was cutting down trees there, one of them fell down the mountain, and the mouth of the cave opened under its roots. An inscription was inscribed above it: “The god of the building of the cave ». By whom and when this inscription was made is unknown. According to local legend, monks lived here who fled from the raids of the Crimean Tatars. The founder of the monastery was not even a monk, but a married couple: priest John Shestnik and his mother Maria. They settled in these places in search of desert life and repentance. From the harsh work, mother fell ill and, before her death, took the tonsure with the name Vassa. When she died, Father John, having performed the funeral service, buried the coffin with the body at the entrance to the caves. The next day he discovered the coffin on the surface. Deciding that he missed some place in the rank of the funeral service, Fr. John performed the rite again and again buried the coffin. But when the miracle happened again, he saw in him God's will, made a niche in the wall and placed the coffin there. After that, the coffin did not disappear anywhere, and no bad smell emanated from it. Since then, all the inhabitants of the monastery have been buried in God-created caves, not covered with earth. And miracles at the tomb of nun Vassa continue today. As the monks say, at the beginning of the 20th century, some vandals tried to open her coffin. It is not known whether they were looking for jewels or wanted to desecrate the holy relics, but fire came out of the coffin and burned them. Traces of this miraculous fire are clearly visible on the coffin.

After the death of his wife, Father John also took monastic vows with the name Jonah. In 1473, he completed the first monastery church - now the main cathedral of the monastery in the name. The day of the consecration of the temple - August 15, 1473 - is considered the date of foundation of the Pskov-Caves Monastery.

Today the relics of the founders of the monastery - St. Vassy and Rev. Ions rest at the very entrance to the monastery caves. You can apply to them daily from 10 to 18 hours. Further, the caves branch into seven underground galleries (streets), which lengthened and expanded at different times. The fifth and sixth streets are called fraternal streets, since only the inhabitants of the monastery are buried within their walls. Pious pilgrims and defenders of the monastery are buried in other galleries. In the walls there are plates with the names of the deceased. Presumably, about 10 thousand people are buried in the caves.

The caves are very dark and quite cold. It is impossible to walk on them without an escort.

Near the entrance to the caves there is a passage to the Holy Mountain. On the mountain there is a temple of the Pskov-Caves reverends, consecrated in 1995. This is quite unusual - a Kletsky temple, which was built in the North when new monasteries were founded. The main part of the temple is a cage - a simple frame of small size, typical for a Russian hut. As in the caves, one can go to the Holy Mountain only accompanied by one of the inhabitants of the monastery. Pilgrims are not allowed to go to the Holy Mountain only in ice or in early spring, when everything is melting. From the mountain, a wonderfully beautiful view of the monastery and its surroundings opens up.

eldership

The monastery has attracted pilgrims at all times. Someone went to the shrines, someone - for the advice of the elder. In 1822 Emperor Alexander I came to Pechery. Hearing about the ascetic life of one of the inhabitants, Elder Lazarus the Perspicacious, who on the third day after his death, likewise, rose from the grave and lived for another 16 years, repeating: “The death of sinners is fierce,” the emperor asked for a meeting with him. In a conversation, the elder said to the sovereign: “I recognize the fact that the truth is a luminary for the Tsar before the Heavenly Father. The life of a king should serve as an example for his subjects. Remember, sovereign, that we have not long to live on earth ... "

Among the especially revered elders of the monastery is the recently canonized St. Simeon (1869-1960), who labored in the monastery for 67 years, 33 of them in the schema. The elder was known for the gift of clairvoyance and healing. Many written testimonies of people who received healing through his prayers have been preserved. The last lesson of humility was revealed by the elder even in his death. According to a revelation from the Lord, he was waiting for her on January 15, 1960, the day of memory of St. Seraphim. But the abbot of the monastery, Archbishop Alipiy, became worried that the death of the elder, the preparation for the funeral, and the funeral itself would coincide with the preparation for the feast. Therefore, he asked the elder to pray for a delay in death. “You are the governor, I am a novice, be your way,” replied Fr. Simeon. The elder reposed on Epiphany Christmas Eve, and he was buried after Epiphany. Hieroschemamonk Simeon was canonized as a saint of the Pskov Caves on April 1, 2003, and the incorruptible relics of the elder were transferred from the caves to the Sretensky Church. Get into the cell of St. Simeon can be done daily after 2 pm, taking the blessing of the dean. On Wednesday, at 6 a.m., a fraternal prayer service is served at the relics of St. Simeon at the Sretensky Church.

In 1967, one of the most revered Orthodox people elders - confessor (1910-2006). Last years During his life he was seriously ill and received few people, but in the 1970s-1990s, people from all over the country (and sometimes from abroad) came to him for advice and consolation. Today, Father John's cell is open to pilgrims on Saturdays and Sundays from 10:00 to 13:00. Everything here is preserved as during the life of the priest. The walls are hung with icons, portraits, photographs. The cell is not “ascetic” at all, it is very cozy, with numerous gifts from children: for example, a night lamp in the form of a chapel, next to it is a yellow souvenir chicken that is given for Easter. On the table by the window are vases of flowers. The priest on duty smears you with oil.

miraculous icons

open fortress

The main shrines of the monastery are the icon of the Assumption of the Mother of God and the image of "Tenderness". Both icons are in the Assumption Church. The icon of the Dormition, in front of which an inextinguishable lampada burns, is no less a heroic story than the “defense” of the monastery in Khrushchev’s times. In the summer of 1581, a hundred thousandth Polish-Lithuanian army moved to Pskov. The army of the Polish King Stefan Batory approached the walls of the monastery. Only three hundred archers defended the monastery. Enemy troops fired cannons at the monastery and smashed the wall. Then the monks brought to the break the main monastery shrine - the icon of the Assumption Holy Mother of God. The besieged prayed, and the Mother of God heard their prayers - the archers managed to repel all the attacks. The icons "" and "Tenderness" were also sent to the defenders of Pskov. For five months, the enemy stormed the Pskov Kremlin more than 30 times, but did not take the city. In memory of this miraculous deliverance, the Pecherians every year on the seventh week of Easter went in procession with the icon "Tenderness" to Pskov. Since 1997, the tradition of the procession has been resumed, only now it takes place inside the monastery - the icon is transferred from the Assumption Church to Mikhailovsky and back. Same procession takes place on October 20 - on the feast of the Pskov-Caves icon "Tenderness".

Local residents called the icon “tenderness”. This is not the “Tenderness” icon before which he prayed Reverend Seraphim Sarovskiy. It was written in the 16th century from the image of Vladimir, and was brought to the monastery during the time of the abbess of the Monk Martyr Cornelius. The icon of the Assumption from the very appearance in the monastery is known for its miracles, which are still happening today. Recently, a high-ranking official was healed of an eye disease.

divine services

Today there are six churches in the monastery, not counting the cave church of the Resurrection, where services are performed only for the brethren: Uspensky, Sretensky, in the name of Archangel Michael, in the name of St. Cornelius, Nikolsky and Pokrovsky. The first service in the monastery begins in the Dormition Church: at 6 o'clock at the relics of St. Cornelius serves a fraternal prayer service, then midnight office. The Monk Cornelius was abbot here under Tsar Ivan the Terrible. In an ancient manuscript it is written: on one of the visits of the king, hegumen Cornelius went out of the monastery gates to meet the sovereign with a cross. The king, angry with him in advance, cut off his head with his own hand, but immediately repented and, raising the body, carried it in his arms to the monastery. The path along which the king carried the body to the Church of the Assumption is called the "Bloody Way".

Talk about Pskov-Caves Holy Dormition Monastery very hard. And because too many events are connected with him, and because a lot has already been written about him. What can I add to what has already been said? How to avoid repetition?

The Pskov-Pechersky Holy Assumption Monastery is one of the largest and most famous male monasteries in Russia with a long history. In 1473, the cave church of the Assumption, dug in the sand, was consecrated here, which is considered the time of the founding of the monastery.

The monastery has never been closed in its entire history. In the interwar period (until January 1945) it was within the borders of Estonia, thanks to which it was preserved.

In 1967-2006, Archimandrite John (Krestyankin) labored in the monastery (Wikipedia).

Perhaps the point is also that I always feel a certain constraint in the monasteries. I do not belong to that world, it is in many ways incomprehensible and alien to me. I admire the beauty of ancient temples, the power of their fortress walls. But I always feel like a stranger there, trapped in someone else's territory.

So it was this time. During our stay, we went on an excursion to the Pskov-Caves Holy Dormition Monastery. Only 4 people. An amazing guide accompanied us, telling us not only about the history and sights of this monastery, but also about the life of the brethren.

Shrines and monuments of the Pskov-Caves Monastery

Plan of the Pskov-Caves Monastery (from the monastery website)

The entrance to the monastery is marked with a high Petrovsky gate tower. There is a very strong Baltic influence in its architecture. There is a constant stream of people moving in all directions. Here, many women hurriedly put on scarves and skirts - on the territory of the monastery this is strictly.

Then we came to monument venerable martyr Cornelius of Pskov-Pechersk(1501-1570), hegumen of the Pskov-Caves Monastery, who was killed by Tsar Ivan the Terrible.

Going to Livonia, or returning from there, Ivan Vasilievich stopped at the Pskov-Caves Monastery: the local abbot Kornily met him; Ivan was struck by the strong fortifications of the monastery, built at his own expense by Cornelius, who came from a boyar family. This seemed suspicious to Ivan; the past was remembered, his heart boiled, and he killed Cornelius with his rod. (N.I. Kostomarov)

Then the guide took us along the walls of the monastery. Here we saw with our own eyes how fortified the monastery was - indeed, the enemy would not break through.

To the northeast of the fortress walls on a hill is located Observation deck from where you can enjoy a beautiful view of the monastery. Unlike many other Russian monasteries, Pskov-Pechersky is partially located at the bottom of a hill. On the corner, at the very bottom is Tower of lower bars, under which the Kamenetsky stream flows, blocked by gratings (hence the name). Seen behind her petrovsky bastion- the remains of earthen fortifications of the 1700s.

The observation deck is designed in the general style - made of limestone and boulders.

A monk with a large basket was walking along the road going down the hill. An amazing combination of modernity and tradition!

And we were unable to take our eyes off the panorama of the temples. The sun disappeared behind the clouds, slightly muffling the colors and glitter of the gold of the domes. But still, the picture was amazing!

Then we returned to the entrance to the monastery. From here you can see the panorama of the Cathedral Square, next to which there is a wooden Barbarian Church And Church of the Forty Martyrs of Sebaste built in the first half of the 19th century. The Varvara Church is unique in that it is one of the few surviving temples of the people setu("half-believers"), the Finno-Ugric people professing Orthodoxy.

On the Pskov land, the Baltic influence is very felt. In the 1920-40s, this territory belonged to Estonia. And hence the feeling of a certain otherness of this place. It seems to be “our own”, but at the same time something more European constantly slips through.

Through the Petrovsky tower we enter the monastery. How crowded it is! The guide immediately leads us to a quiet corner near Ostrozhnaya (Prison) Tower. I think there is no need to explain for what and for whom it was intended.

Ahead behind the trees hides the majestic first half of XIX century, consecrated by the highest command in memory of the victories of Russian weapons.

Nearby is located, which connects the upper and lower platforms of the monastery complex.

Right there in the fortress wall there is a place where the enraged Ivan the Terrible killed Cornelius of the Pskov-Pechersk.

To the left of the Petrovsky Tower, if you stand with your back to it, you can see the gate Church of St. Nicholas the Goalkeeper(Nikola Ratny), built according to the design of the Monk Cornelius no later than 1565. Inside there is a carved image of Nicholas the Wonderworker, in full hierarchal vestments, with an applied miter on the head. IN right hand he holds a sword, and in the left - a three-domed church. In order to get to the lower part of the monastery, one must pass through holy gates.

The holy gates are curved. After passing through them, you find yourself in front of a long road going down. She bears the name "Bloody Path". According to legend, Cornelius met the king, standing at the Holy Gates. He carried himself too proudly in front of the monarch. In anger, Ivan the Terrible waved his saber. The severed head of the monk rolled down a steep path down to the caves, leaving behind a trail of blood... Immediately after his deed, the tsar repented, and in his arms carried the lifeless body of the slain to the Assumption Church, staining his path with blood. Mountain ash now grows along the road, the bright red berries of which resemble drops of blood.

"Bloody Path"

Churches of the Pskov-Caves Monastery

When you go downstairs, behind the glass you can see a luxurious carriage of Empress Anna Ioannovna, 1732. The pious empress, although she had a cruel and dissolute disposition, would definitely come here to pray. One day the abbot invited her to stay overnight in the monastery. She refused and went on her way. Bad weather broke out. Anna Ioannovna took this as a sign and ordered her to return. Since then, that same carriage of hers has been kept here.

And we are finally going down. The guide immediately takes us away from the crowd, to Lazarevsky temple where the monastery hospital used to be. The chimneys of the temple are elegantly finished.

(function(w, d, n, s, t) ( w[n] = w[n] || ; w[n].push(function() ( Ya.Context.AdvManager.render(( blockId: "R-A -143470-6", renderTo: "yandex_rtb_R-A-143470-6", async: true )); )); t = d.getElementsByTagName("script"); s = d.createElement("script"); s .type = "text/javascript"; s.src = "//an.yandex.ru/system/context.js"; s.async = true; t.parentNode.insertBefore(s, t); ))(this , this.document, "yandexContextAsyncCallbacks");

On the other side you can see the garden. The garden is surrounded by a bright red brick fence with gates.

On the other side you can see another fence.

A red Fraternal Corps (Refectory). Near him, the monks staged a photo session. I could not resist and photographed them (I know that I should have asked for blessings, but the scene seemed too interesting).

A little further away is a beautiful flower bed. In general, there are many beautiful flower gardens in the Pskov-Pechersky Monastery, the hand of a talented landscape designer is felt.

The next building is 1541. In 2013, unique frescoes from 1547 were discovered inside.

Then we come to one of the most unusual temples — Uspensky(1473), on top of which a temple was built in the middle of the 18th century Protection of the Holy Mother of God.

To his left is a red building. Sacristy and Libraries, XVII century. Handwritten and early printed books of the 16th-17th centuries were kept here, among which was the only copy of the “Word about the destruction of the Russian land”. Now here, among other things, there is a museum dedicated to the Martyr Cornelius.

Behind them - the XVII century and with unique bells of the XVI-XVIII centuries.

Cables stretch down from the bells, which end with special handles.

Detail of the belfry cable

In the Assumption Church is the entrance to God-made caves. All year round they have the same temperature of +5ºС. According to some reports, more than 10,000 people are buried here.

Deep meaning and God's Providence can be seen in the date of discovery of the caves - 1392. This year the great lamp of the Russian Land rested in the Lord Reverend Sergius Radonezh. And in the same year, the Lord opens prayer books, laboring in the local cave.
And it happened like this. One day, a local peasant Ivan Dementyev came to the Holy Mountain to cut wood. Then, at the end of the XIV century, the entire slope, on which the monastery buildings are now located, was covered with large trees, one of which Ivan Dementiev began to cut down. The felled tree fell downhill, taking with it several more trees and a large amount of land.
Thus, the mouth of the cave was opened, above which the inscription was inscribed: God-created cave. By whom and when the inscription was made is unknown. According to the chronicler, at the end of the 16th century, “one foolish monk, Varlaam, often came to the cave and erased the inscription that was inscribed on the wall of the cave created by God. But this mark appeared again every time, as if unscathed” (from the website of the Pskov-Caves Monastery).

Believers go to the caves accompanied by monks. We've only gone a little bit on the other side. However, I was even glad - you should not go there without a clear understanding of why you need it.

On the territory of the monastery is located. There are a lot of people around him who collect water.

Well, we turned back.

"Bloody Path"

"Bloody Way" and the temples of the monastery

Cathedral Square and souvenir shop

We went outside the gates of the monastery. Behind them is a completely different life. On Cathedral Square selling souvenirs, crowded with pilgrims and tourists.

Here you can also buy ceramics that have undergone a process milking(milk firing) - repeated firing after impregnation with natural fat milk. It is believed that in such dishes, products do not deteriorate for a long time and do not turn sour.

As often happens on such trips, much was left behind the scenes. I am very sorry that we did not get to (Mezhdunarodnaya st., 3), where there was a large exposition dedicated to the Set people. And the city of Pechory itself did not leave any intelligible impression. I remember only a few buildings of the Estonian period.

Information for visitors

• Monastery address: Holy Assumption Pskov-Caves Monastery, 181500, Pskov region, Pechory, st. International, d. 5
• Website: http://www.pskovo-pechersky-monastery.ru/

© Site, 2009-2020. Copying and reprinting of any materials and photographs from the site site in electronic publications and print media is prohibited.