Murom Savior Transfiguration Monastery. Description of the Savior Transfiguration Monastery in Murom Murom Savior Transfiguration Monastery

Spassky male monastery XV-XVI centuries, the wooden buildings of the monastery on this place were from the X-XI centuries. For the first time, a chronicle mentions him around 1096, when during his siege, the son of Svyatoslav of Chernigov, Oleg, killed the son of Vladimir Monomakh, Prince Izyaslav, who was buried in the monastery. The Spassky Monastery, in the compositional center of which the Transfiguration Cathedral is located, is one of the most ancient structures on the Murom land, located in the southeastern part of Murom, on the high, almost vertical, left bank of the Oka River. The monastery was first mentioned in a chronicle around 1096, when during his siege, the son of Svyatoslav of Chernigov, Oleg, killed on the outskirts of the city the son of Vladimir Monomakh, Prince Izyaslav, buried in the monastery, and “... "

For many centuries the monastery was one of the most important defensive footholds of the city. According to legend, the monastery arose on the site of the fortified courtyard of the first Murom prince Gleb (Boris and Gleb are the younger sons of the Kiev prince Vladimir Svyatoslavovich; around 987-989 Boris received Rostov from his father, Gleb - Murom; in the internecine struggle that broke out in 1015. after the death of Vladimir, they were killed by their elder brother Svyatopolk; the Russian Orthodox Church in 1071 canonized Boris and Gleb), who built the wooden church of the All-Merciful Savior. Its original name is "Spassky in the forest". “Yes, on the settlement in Spasskaya and Nikolskaya streets there is the Spassky monastery, and on the monastery there is a stone church of the Transfiguration of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, five miles away ... the bell of the bell and the entire monastic structure of the Tsar, and the other is mundane ”(Scripture book of the city of Murom, compiled by BD Bartenev, p. 160).

The Transfiguration Cathedral is an architectural monument of the 16th century. The construction of the cathedral is usually attributed to the 1560s. In terms of its architectural features, it is close to the buildings of Rostov masters of the late 15th-16th centuries and is a three-apse, five-domed temple. It was erected by order of Ivan the Terrible in memory of the victory over Kazan, on the site of the wooden Church of the Savior. The cathedral is square in plan, inside it is divided by four pillars into three naves. Initially, the outside of the cathedral looked emphatically monumental. The facades of an almost cubic volume are divided by flat pilasters into three parts, each of which is completed with semicircular kokoshniks. Semicircular zakomary5 rest on a wide strip of cornice made of several rows of bricks placed on the edge. Five chapters are installed on wide drums with narrow windows (illuminating the inner space of the temple) and cornices decorated with two rows of brick teeth, and the base of the central drum has eight kokoshniks. The building stands on a small foundation. The cathedral is distinguished by modest ornamentation, strict simplicity, as well as monumentality and some severity, since it served as a fortress building, was a place of storage of valuables and a refuge for residents during the siege. There is no architectural decor inside the temple. The image of the interior is dominated by the power of almost undivided walls and square pillars, smoothly flowing into heavy arches and vaults. The origins of this approach to the solution of the temple interior go back to the pre-Mongolian time.

The appearance of the Spassky Church has been significantly changed over the centuries of its existence. Helmet-shaped chapters of the XVI century. replaced by bulbous ones of the 17th century. The building of the cathedral has somewhat lost its original forms due to the addition to the western side of the refectory designed by the architect Y. Petrov in 1839, window openings were hewn, promising portals were turned into ordinary doorways with a semicircular end (1841). In 1885, instead of decaying inside wall and air wooden connections, metal ones were arranged in the cathedral, cracks and cracks were filled with bricks, walls and vaults were plastered inside and outside. The “stone bell tower” adjacent to one of the facades (possibly a flat brick belfry with arched openings for bells), which was built simultaneously with the cathedral, has not survived. Significant alterations were carried out during the restoration of the Spassky Cathedral in 1885. the temple is being restored according to a scientific project. Some rebuildings remain, bearing the imprint of different eras, which only enrich the general perception of the monument without destroying its integral architectural image.

The Church of the Intercession of the monastery, built in 1691 at the expense of Metropolitan Varsanofiy, from the family of the Chertkov landowners who lived near Murom, is located on the north side of the cathedral. The church is warm, two-story, one-domed, rectangular in plan with an octahedral refectory pillar, offset from the axis in the north direction. Due to rebuildings, the church lost its original appearance, lost some of the architectural details, but now, together with the Transfiguration Cathedral and the Rector's Building, it plays an important role in the ensemble of the Spassky Monastery. The Church of the Intercession is also unusual in that it was at the same time one of the main economic buildings of the monastery. According to the inventory of Captain Fyodor Senyavin, carried out in 1673, it is known that “the stone church and the warm Holy Mother of God, there is one throne in it, under one church there are bread, cookery and storerooms three tents. " With its intimacy and simplicity, the Intercession Church emphasizes the monumentality and severity of the nearby cathedral. The insistent building of the Spassky Monastery is the only brick civilian building of the 17th century that has survived in the city. The insistent building was built in 1687 in extremely modest architectural forms. A rectangular two-story building, stretching from north to south, is located on the west side of the cathedral. Window openings are framed with simple roller-shaped rods. The triangular pediments 6 above the windows are just as simple. The Nikolo-Ilyinsky chapel is two-tiered, octahedral with a pyramid top, built in a pseudo-Russian style in 1889 on the site of the north-western tower of the monastery fence (architect Petrov).

In the inventory of the city of Murom in 1637, among the buildings of the Spassky Monastery, the stone church of Cyril Belozersky above the northern holy gates is first mentioned. In 1797 this church was abolished (the throne was moved to the first floor of the warm Intercession Church), and then dismantled in 1807-1810. In 1809, Archimandrite of the Spassky Monastery Benjamin submitted a petition to Bishop Xenophon of Vladimir and Suzdal to dismantle the dilapidated bell tower of the Intercession Church and to build on the holy gates, moved to the western side, "a bell tower with a church in the name of our reverend father Xenophon and his retinue." ... Attached to the petition was a "façade plan". This project was not fully implemented. The construction of the fence and the gate church was carried out for a long time, stopping due to lack of funds, poor quality material, etc. The church over St. gates - "for the cramped conditions and ... for the lack of a special need for him." In this regard, it should be noted that in official documents the gate church is erroneously referred to as the church of Kirill Belozersky; while the church of Cyril Belozersky, located above the northern St. gates, was abolished and dismantled, and now existing over the western St. the volume of the gates as a church has never been consecrated.

Located in the western part of the Spassky Monastery, above the main entrance to its territory, the gate church is one of the main compositional elements of the complex - an architectural monument of federal significance. The volumetric-planning structure of the gate church goes back to the traditional scheme of the gate church-bell tower: the square-shaped pillar-like central volume above the holy gates from the north and south is adjoined by lower-height rectangular "wings" the first tier of the southern wing was occupied by a staircase leading to the second tier (actually the "church"), the third tier - the ringing tier ("bell tower"), envisaged by the project (there is a spiral staircase in the thickness of the southern wall of the central volume), was not built, which imposed a certain imprint on the existing appearance of the monument. The western arch of the holy gates combines elements of obviously different times, some of which may have been erected earlier in 1809 (in the 17th - 18th centuries?), And then included in the volume of the gate church. The architectural design of the western façade: rustic wood, round windows of the second tier, profile of cornices - makes it possible to classify the gateway church as a "classical style". For a long time - until 1995 - the complex of the Spassky Monastery was in use by a military unit, as a result of which the monastery buildings and structures underwent significant losses and alterations.

V. Murom Spaso-Preobrazhensky Monastery. 3 classes, in the city of Murom. Founded in 1098; rebuilt in the XVI and XVII centuries... Of the ancient icons are remarkable: the Transfiguration of the Lord, Savior, Mother of God, St. John the Theologian and others (1637) and a similar icon with a gilded cross with relics (1693). The sacristy contains: the Gospel, printed in Vilna in 1575, and a silver altar cross with the image of the Crucifixion (1638); on the bell tower there is an ancient bell of the 17th century about 20 poods.

From the book of S.V. Bulgakov's "Russian monasteries in 1913"

The necropolis of the Spassky Monastery is one of the oldest cemeteries in Murom. The first mention of the burial at the Spaso-Preobra nunnery dates back to 1096, when the body of Prince Izyaslav Vladimirovich, the son of Grand Duke Vladimir Monomakh, who died in civil strife, was buried here. In the XIV-XVII centuries. The necropolis of the Spassky Monastery was the burial place of the nobility, boyars, nobles, clergy and ordinary citizens. Among them are the boyars Kravkovs, noblemen Stolypins, Chertkovs, Elizarovs, Durasovs, Yazykovs and many others. In 1796, under the cemetery and the Church of the Savior, there were 253 sq. fathoms of land (over 530 sq. m.).

The necropolis of the Spassky Monastery existed until June 12, 1929 and was closed by order of the Murom City Council. The cemetery was destroyed, the graves were razed to the ground, a soldier's parade ground, which existed until 1995, was broken on the site of the ancient monastery necropolis. Currently, more than 350 names of people buried in the cemetery of the Spaso-Preobrazhensky monastery are known.

Information from a poster at the site of the devastated monastery cemetery.

Despite the liveliness and proximity to the river, the area where the monastery was later erected was a forest edge far from the city center, around which the remains of an ancient pine forest rose. In this regard, it used to be called "Spassky in the forest".

The oldest monastic abode of Rus Murom Spassky Monastery, according to legend, was founded by the holy noble prince passion-bearer Gleb (the first Russian saint, son of the Equal-to-the-Apostles Great Kiev Prince Vladimir). Having received Murom as his inheritance, the holy prince, however, could not settle in the city itself among the pagans and founded a princely court up the Oka, on a steep, forested bank. Here, Prince Gleb of Murom built the first temple in the name of the All-Merciful Savior, next to which a monastic monastery was later formed for the Christian enlightenment of the Murom land. In the chronicles "the monastery of the Savior on the Bor" is mentioned under the year 1096. In the XII-XIII centuries, Murom princes were buried in the monastery. According to legend, the holy right-believing prince Peter, the husband of the noble-believing princess Fevronia, took monastic vows at the monastery.

Another bright page in history is associated with Ivan the Terrible. In 1552, the tsar led a campaign against Kazan. One of the paths of his numerous army lay through the Murom. The young tsar made a vow: if he takes Kazan, he will erect stone churches in Murom. The Emperor kept his word. By his decree in 1555, the Transfiguration Cathedral was erected in the city in the monastery. The Russian tsar donated church utensils, vestments, icons and books to the new church. In the second half of the 17th century, a second warm stone Pokrovsky temple was built in the monastery. The lower floor of this church housed a cookery, a bakery, and "yes chambers."

The period of the reign of Catherine the Great, who issued a decree according to which the monasteries were deprived of their property and land allotments, had a negative effect on the life of the monastery. However, the Transfiguration Monastery survived. This fact was facilitated by one very important event - from the Holy Mount Athos in 1878, the rector Archimandrite Anthony (Ilyenov) brought the icon of the Mother of God "The Quick to Hearken" to the monastery. Since then, it has become the main shrine of the monastery. In 1891, a three-story fraternal building was erected on the territory of the monastery.

The monastery was closed in 1918 on charges against the Soviet regime. In the 1930s, the territory of the monastery was occupied by the military department, and a communications training regiment was located in the monastery buildings. The military unit left the territory of the monastery in the spring of 1995. Already at the beginning of the summer of the same year, the Holy Synod of the Russian Orthodox Church decided to reopen the Savior monastery in ancient Murom. In 1990, on the eve of the 900th anniversary of the Savior monastery, academician D.S. Likhachev appealed to His Holiness Patriarch Alexy II of Moscow and All Russia with a petition for the revival of the most ancient shrine. As a result, it was decided to evict the military unit. After her departure, the degree of ruin of the monastery became almost more obvious.

The young monk, and now the abbot of the monastery, Kirill (Epifanov), was then given a blessing to restore the shrine. In fact, it was necessary to build the monastery anew, which was fraught with extreme difficulties, including organizational and material ones. And yet, the restoration process, begun at first by the efforts of very few people, led to the revival of the ancient monastic shrine. In many respects, this was facilitated by the support provided to the monastery by the current Chairman of the Accounts Chamber of the Russian Federation, Sergei Stepashin, who in 1994 organized the Board of Trustees for the restoration of the Murom Savior-Transfiguration Monastery. This was preceded by the holding of a conference of the Association of Control and Accounting Bodies of Russia in the summer of 2003 in Vladimir. As a cultural program, its participants were invited to get acquainted with the landmarks of the region, including the Transfiguration Monastery of Murom. The degree of destruction of the oldest Russian monastery made a deep impression on the visitors. It turned out to be impossible to stand aside and, returning to the capital, the conference participants handed over to the chairman of the Association S.V. Stepashin's appeal to the Archbishop of Vladimir and Suzdal, Eulogius, with a request to help restore the monastery. The head of the Accounts Chamber of the Russian Federation readily responded to this request.

Soon there were like-minded people. Auditor of the Accounts Chamber S.N. Ryabukhin worked in the past on the construction of the Ulyanovsk aviation complex. It was decided that he would be the best person to organize the restoration work. This is how the Board of Trustees for the reconstruction of the Savior Transfiguration Monastery was created. It is noteworthy that the trustees did not create any off-budget charitable foundations. We decided that charitable donations would go directly to the account of the monastery. The first to respond were Gazprom, Interros, IK RIK-VEST, IFC Metropol, Siberian Coal Energy Company, Transmash-Holding.
During the period of active restoration work, the Transfiguration Cathedral was restored, the Intercession and All Saints churches were fully restored, a fence was erected and the gate church of St. Kirill Belozersky. The fraternal building has been completely renovated and refurbished. A chapel of the Great Martyr was erected on the territory. George the Victorious (2002), a new gateway church of St. Sergius of Radonezh (2005), chapel of blzh. Xenia of Petersburg (2006), chapels in honor of the icons of the Mother of God "The Life-Giving Source" and "The Contester of Breads". The last one is located at the bakery, where delicious and aromatic bread products are baked. On the territory of the monastery there is a chapel-ossuary, where the remains of monks and Murom citizens buried in the monastery are kept; chapel in honor of st. Nicholas the Wonderworker.

On the territory of the monastery, with the blessing of Archbishop Eulogius of Vladimir and Suzdal, the Murom Orthodox Theological School named after His Holiness Patriarch Pimen was opened. On the initiative of Hegumen Kirill, the Murom Orthodox Gymnasium of St. Elijah Muromets. Initially, it was located on the territory of the monastery. In 2013, a separate building for gymnasium students was built in the city of Murom on the street. Moscow.

In 2013, the Murom and Vyaznikovskaya diocese was formed, separated from the Vladimir diocese. Since that time, the monastery also became the administrative center of the newly formed diocese. The abbot of the monastery is currently the Bishop of Murom and Vyaznikovsky Nile.

http://spass-murom.ru/istorija/

During the period of church reforms of Patriarch Nikon Murom, for quite a long time he remained in opposition to innovations, and the Spassky Monastery was one of the strongholds of the Old Believers. The abbot of the monastery, Archimandrite Anthony (1658-1662), wrote several proclamations about the reformation, and also sent a petition to Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich with indications of incorrectness in correcting books under Patriarch Nikon, adding that those who are unable to expose infidelity refer to the Tsar "Like the tacos are sung by the king." In 1662, Archimandrite Anthony was removed from the management of the monastery by order of Archbishop Hilarion of Ryazan and Murom (1657-1674), and in February 1666 he was summoned to a council in Moscow. Despite the repentance brought, Archimandrite Anthony was exiled to the Kirillo-Belozersky monastery.

In the 1680s. large donations were made to the Spassky Monastery by the Metropolitan of Sarsk and Podonsk Barsanuphius from the family of Murom merchants Chertkov. At the insistence of the latter, a two-story abbot building was erected in the monastery and the reconstruction of the old refectory Church of the Intercession began.

In the 1720s. the monastery was assigned to the Ryazan Bishops' House and the first in the city was opened on its territory educational institution- a school for the training of priestly children. On January 26, 1765, the Decree of Bishop Pavel (Grebnevsky) of Vladimir and Murom was sent to the Murom Spiritual Board, in which, with reference to the decree of the Holy Synod, the bishop notified the board members about the abolition of the Borisoglebsk Monastery and the transfer of the brethren to the Transfiguration Monastery.

In 1866-1868. The monastery was ruled by Archimandrite Gabriel (Voskresensky), a former professor at Kazan University, first in the Department of Church Law, and later in the Department of Philosophy, the first Russian historian of philosophy.

http://rozamira.ucoz.ru/publ/khristianstvo/khristianstvo/

The first mention of the Murom Spassky monastery is in Russian chronicles under 1096: "In the summer of 6604 (1096) ... The same summer, Oleg went to Murom on Izyaslav Volomerovich. And ambassador Oleg Izyaslav, the verb:" go to the volost of your father his own and to Rostov, otherwise the power of my father. "And Izyaslav disobeyed him and went against Olga, and defeat Oleg Izyaslav, and kill Izyaslav Volodimerovich in the month of September 6. And Oleg entered the city, and put Izyaslav in monasteries near the Holy Savior, and from there I carried them to Novgorod the Great and laid them in holy Sfia in the left country ... ".

In the middle of the XVI century. after the successful campaign of Ivan IV the Terrible against Kazan, a number of stone churches were erected in Murom, including the Transfiguration Cathedral (the exact date of construction is not known).

In 1616 the city was invaded by an armed Lithuanian detachment under the command of Pan Lisovsky. As a result of the raid, the Spassky Monastery was also damaged. Poles plundered churches, stripped silver vestments and precious stones from icons.

In 1636 the territory of the monastery (length along the river - 104 sazhens / 210 meters / and across - 80 sazhens / 160 meters /) was surrounded by a wooden fence in the form of a stockade - "in zamets". Inside the monastery there was a stone five-domed Spaso-Preobrazhensky Cathedral, warm stone, i.e. winter, Intercession Church, above the holy gates there is also a stone church of Cyril Belozersky. In 1636, 28 monks lived in the monastery.

The Church of the Intercession has undergone numerous reconstructions. So, in 1691, at the expense of Metropolitan Varsanofy of Sarsk and Podonsk, the temple was converted into a two-story one. At the same time, household structures - bread and a cookery - were added to the refectory of this church. In front of the refectory there was a stone cellar and three drying barns. A chopped stable yard with a hut stood at the barns. From other buildings of the monastery of the XVII century. one can distinguish a wooden cookery, two granaries with monastic bread, two sheds with bricks. Around 1687, the same Varsanofiy erected a stone 2-storey abbot building - the first stone civil building in the city of Murom.

By decree from the Ryazan bishop's house of June 21, 1725, a spiritual school was opened in the Spassky Monastery - the first in the city: a long distance, and does not have a courtyard for the arrival ... ". In 1725 the archimandrite and 19 monks were in the Spassky monastery.

In 1757, at the expense of the Murom merchant Pavel Petrovich Samarin, a stone three-tiered bell tower with an octagonal tent was built. (Dismantled in the 30s of the twentieth century; currently restored).

In 1807-1810. a stone fence was built around the monastery. During the construction work, the gate church of Kirill Belozersky was dismantled and moved from the northern wall to the western one, where it is still located. In memory of the old church on the territory of the Spassky Monastery until the 20-30s. XX century there was a small chapel, now lost.

In 1886, the monastery welcomed: an archimandrite, 5 hieromonks, 2 hierodeacons, 17 novices.

In 1891, a stone three-story fraternal building with a house church was erected on the territory of the monastery.

The monastery was closed in 1918 on charges of participating in the White Guard rebellion. In 1925, the church property of the former Spassky Monastery was transferred to the local museum. In 1926-27. two buildings of the Spassky Monastery were rented by the Krasny Luch factory.

On October 22, 1926, the iconostasis from the bishop's house church of the Spassky Monastery was sold to a group of believers from the village of Prudishchi for 150 rubles.

In the 1930s. the monastery is occupied by the military department. In the same years, the necropolis of the Spassky Monastery was destroyed.

In the spring of 1995, military unit No. 22165 left the premises of the Spassky Monastery. On April 23 - the day of the Resurrection of Christ - a solemn consecration of the monastery territory took place. On August 19, 1995, the first divine service was held in the Transfiguration Cathedral, timed to coincide with the monastery's temple holiday - the Transfiguration.

Complete collection of Russian chronicles. - T.30. - Vladimir chronicler. - M., 1965. S.52 .; Scribe book of the city of Murom in 1636 // Murom Museum of History and Art. M-2225, manuscript by N.G. Dobrynkin, XIX century; Monasteries, cathedrals and parish churches of the Vladimir diocese, built before the beginning of the 19th century. - Vladimir. 1906, p. 61 .; Scribe book of Murom 1636 - Decree. Cit .; Monasteries, cathedrals - Decree. Cit .; Materials for the history of the Vladimir province. Issue 1. - Vladimir, 1901. P.44 .; Misail (Smirnov). Murom Spassky Monastery // Vladimirskie Diocesan Bulletin. 1887, part unofficial.

The Spaso-Preobrazhensky Monastery is located in the city of Murom (Lakina St., 1), on the high bank of the Oka. This is one of the most ancient monasteries in Holy Russia (after the Kiev-Pechersk Lavra), because the history of this Murom monastery began almost 1000 years ago.

According to legend, the monastery was founded in 1096 by the holy noble prince the passion-bearer Gleb (the first Russian saint, the son of the Baptist of Russia, Equal-to-the-Apostles Great Kiev Prince Vladimir). Having received Murom as his inheritance, the holy prince could not settle in the city itself among the pagans and founded a princely court higher up the Oka, on a steep, forested bank.

Here, Prince Gleb of Murom built the first temple in the name of the All-Merciful Savior and then a monastic monastery to enlighten the Murom land with the light of Christ's faith.

Another page of history is associated with Tsar Ivan the Terrible. In 1552 the tsar went to Kazan. And one of the paths of his numerous army lay through Murom. In those days, Ivan the Terrible made a vow: if he took Kazan, he would build a stone church in Murom. And he kept his word.

By his decree in 1555, the monastery's Savior Cathedral was erected in the city. The Sovereign presented church utensils, vestments, icons and books to the new church.

This is how the monastery looked like before the revolution. It was closed in the 20th century. A military unit is located here.

The beginning of the revival of the monastery

In 1995, on the eve of the 900th anniversary of the Spassk monastery, the renowned academician, keeper of Russian history D.S. Likhachev appealed to the Patriarch of All Russia Alexy II with a petition for the revival of the most ancient Shrine. His words were heard. It was decided to evict the military unit. After her departure, the chaos and destruction of the shrine had an even more egregious appearance. Here are photos of what happened in 1996 and the beginning of the revival of the monastery in 1997.

The young monk, and then the abbot of the monastery, Father Kirill (Epifanov) was then given a blessing for the construction of the monastery. In fact, the monastery had to be rebuilt. There were no people, no money. But the main thing was God's providence. The miracle happened. And this is surprising, because at the very beginning all this was raised by the efforts of very few people. Here is a video report from 04/26/1997 and an interview with Father Cyril, where you can see from which ruins the monastery rose.

For 10 years the monastery was revived and began to show the world Divine beauty, extraordinary. Being today on the territory of the restored monastery, it is impossible even to imagine from which ruins it was recreated again.

Let's “walk” through the entire territory of this amazing monastery, touching its many shrines.

Currently, on the territory of the monastery there are 2 large churches, a sacristy, a bell tower, a bathhouse, chapels, a fraternal building, a pilgrim hotel and a refectory, learning Campus... All this is located in a very well-groomed area.

When entering the territory of the monastery through the gate in the fortress wall, we find ourselves in a fairy tale.

Before our eyes opens a spacious area with numerous temples and chapels, a beautiful pond with blossoming lotuses, and an incredible aroma of bread and muffins from the local monastery bakery soars in the air. But let's start our review, of course, with the temples.

Transfiguration Cathedral

This is the oldest temple on the territory of the monastery; it was from it that the monastery began. The temple contains the relics of 30 saints of God and miracle workers.

The icon of St. Spyridon, Bishop of Trimifuntsky, miracle worker, consecrated on his relics in the city of Kerkyra (Greece). This holy monastery is located on the Greek island of Corfu.

In Kyot with the icon is a part of the Vladyka's shoe, which are changed every year on his imperishable relics. And this happens because he wears them out by visiting suffering people.

Wooden head of the Holy Great Martyr Barbara with a particle of her relics. They pray to her for deliverance from sudden death.

Cathedral of the Intercession

The two-story Intercession Church with a refectory was built at the expense of the Murom native of Metropolitan Varsonofy (Chertkov) of Sarsk and Podonsk in 1691. The temple was warm, it was heated by three stoves.

In 1757, a three-tiered hipped-roof bell tower was added to the Intercession Church from the west, money for its construction was given by the Murom merchant P.P. Samarin; he then donated a bell weighing 120 pounds to the monastery.

Despite the fact that the Church of the Intercession has lost its original appearance due to rebuilding, it has lost some architectural details, and now, together with the Transfiguration Cathedral and the Abbot's Corps, it plays an important role in the ensemble of the Spassky Monastery.

Inside there are several altars, each of which contains a huge variety of shrines from all over the world.

Upper temple

In the upper church of the Intercession Church there is a miraculous icon of the Mother of God "Quick to Hear".

It was brought from Mount Athos in 1878. Since then, "Quick to Hearken" has become the main Shrine of the monastery. This image has become famous for numerous healings.

And today, thousands of pilgrims from all over Russia resort to the "Quick to Hearken", receiving an ambulance from the Queen of Heaven in sickness and sorrow. In gratitude and testimony of receiving help from the Most Holy Theotokos, people bring their warm prayers and donations.

More recently, on this image one could see a huge amount of gold jewelry that people brought as a gift for miraculous healing and the quick hearing of prayer. But in the summer of 2013, we did not see these gifts. Local ministers say that they were taken to Ukraine by one of the abbots of the monastery, who have changed very often over the past few years.

The Myrrh-streaming Cross with a particle of the Life-giving Tree of the Honest Cross of the Lord is also installed here.
Many pilgrims line up to him to light a candle and pray for loved ones and to receive help in difficult life circumstances.

And next to it is the Icon of the Holy Righteous One with a particle of his robe.

It was consecrated on the tomb of the All-Russian Shepherd in St. John's convent, which is located on Karpovka in St. Petersburg.

An icon and an ark with a particle of the relics of the holy noble princes, the Murom Miracle Workers, helpers and beautifiers of family life. Saint Prince Peter took monastic vows and died at the Transfiguration Monastery.

Currently, the shrine with the relics of the holy princes Peter and Fevronia is located in the city of Murom.

Icon of the holy great martyr and healer Panteleimon. It was written on the holy Mount Athos and consecrated in the Russian Panteleimon Monastery at its Honest Chapter. The icon contains a reliquary of the great martyr Panteleimon.

Icon of the Holy Royal Passion-Bearers with a stone that was brought from the basement wall. It was in this place in Ekaterinburg in 1918 that the August family of the last Russian Tsar Nicholas II was shot.

The icon of the Monk Seraphim of Sarov, written by the nuns of the Seraphim-Diveyevo monastery and consecrated on a shrine with the holy relics of the Monk.

The relics of the holy elder Seraphim are inserted into the pectoral cross on the icon's robe.

Lower temple

In the lower Church of All Saints, on the left, near the altar, is the Tomb of the Monk.

The sculptural image (carved from wood) of the holy hero, the defender of the Russian land, was recreated according to his imperishable relics, resting in the Kiev-Pechersk Lavra. In the silver ark is a part of the saint's left hand.

An amazing icon of St. Luke, Archbishop of Crimea with a particle of relics. A priest and doctor from God, glorified by many healings from purulent wounds.

There is also a venerated 19th century icon of the holy blessed prince Alexander Nevsky with a particle of his relics.

And next to it is the icon of St. Nicholas, Archbishop Mir of Lycia, the Wonderworker - the patron saint of travelers suffering from slander and unrighteous condemnation.

There are people praying near each of them. And this is no coincidence. Indeed, in this amazing place, surrounded by so many shrines, prayer is done very easily, and help from God's holy Pleasants comes quickly.

Gate Church of Kirill Belozersky

The Church of St. Cyril of Belozersky existed in the Transfiguration Monastery since the 17th century. Until the 19th century, it was located in a different place: on the northern section of the fence (then - wooden), where the gate was located at that time.

At the turn of the 18-19th centuries, the church was abolished due to dilapidation - its throne was moved to the lower floor of the warm Intercession Church, and a memorial chapel was erected in the place of its altar.

In 1807, a stone fence began to be built at the monastery. At the same time, it was decided to arrange the Holy Gates on its western section (at its present place). They appeared in 1810, but the construction of a new gateway church of St. Cyril of Belozersky dragged on for decades.

There were not enough funds (as well as, apparently, worthy motivations for these works), and it was not completed until 1917, when the revolution broke out and any monastic construction generally ceased for a long time. The memorial chapel, which stands on the site of the altar of the first temple, was destroyed in the 1930s.

In modern times, the temple of St. Cyril of Belozersky was restored. On June 22, 2005, on the feast day of St. Cyril, he was consecrated.

Gate Church of St. Sergius of Radonezh

After the consecration of the restored gate church in the name of St. Cyril of Belozersky, on the opposite (eastern) section of the monastery fence, overlooking the Oka, another gate church was laid - in the name of St. Sergius of Radonezh.

This church, modest both in size and architecture, was built very quickly - already on October 26, 2005, Archbishop Evlogy of Vladimir and Suzdal performed the rite of consecration of the temple.

On the same day, the trustees brought to the monastery an icon of St. Sergius of Radonezh, which had previously been consecrated in the Holy Trinity Sergius Lavra on the relics of the "abbot of the Russian land."

On the belfry there are bells, cast according to the ancient tradition. They are allowed to call everyone who visits the temple. You can read and see how this is done.

From here, a delightful view of the Oka River and endless Russian expanses opens up.

Chapel-ossuary

The chapel-ossuary was erected on the site of the monastery cemetery, where princes, clergy and city nobility were buried for about 900 years.

After the closure of the monastery, when a military unit was placed here, 2 barracks were built on the site of the cemetery and a platz was placed.

In 1998-2005, during the improvement of the territory of the monastery, numerous remains of people from desecrated burials were discovered. For their burial according to the Athos model, a chapel-ossuary was built.

Inside, in a small depression behind the glass, you can see the skulls and bones of people once buried here. You can go down the stairs closer. The spectacle, frankly, is not for the faint of heart.

And on top of the remains is an inscription that makes everyone who enter here think about the Eternal:

« Remember every brother: we were like you, you will be like us » .

Water-sacred chapel with a font "Life-giving source"

In the chapel, you can take consecrated water and take a bath in the font, where there is a stone from the Jordan River. Women are blessed to swim in a shirt.

Chapel of the Great Martyr George the Victorious

The chapel was erected in honor of the Russian soldiers who died on the battlefield. Warriors and their relatives venerate the image of the Holy Great Martyr George the Victorious. There is his icon in the chapel, you can light candles, pray.

The monastery's icon of the Holy Great Martyr George the Victorious with his life is also especially revered. An ancient reliquary with a particle of the saint's relics is mounted in the lower part of the icon.

Saint George is the patron saint of the Orthodox army. In pre-revolutionary Russia, the Cross of St. George was considered the highest award for courage. To the Great Patriotic War its analogue was the Order of Glory. The St. George ribbon repeating its colors is today one of the symbols of Victory.

Chapel of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker and Elijah the Prophet

The Nikolo-Ilyinsky chapel in the western corner tower of the monastery fence existed before the revolution, but with a different, unknown name. It was built in 1889.

Renovated in 2001. The tower is brick, octagonal, with a hipped roof, received its modern look in the second half of the 19th century.

Superior chambers and fraternal corps

In 1687, under Metropolitan Barsanuphius, the abbot's chambers were built (pictured on the right) - the oldest surviving stone civil building of the 17th century in Murom.

It was built in 1687 in extremely modest architectural forms. A house church in honor of St. Vasily Ryazansky. Of course, not only the abbot of the monastery lived in such a huge building. The lower floor was occupied by four storerooms, and the upper one by five cells. In addition to the stone ones, the abbot owned four wooden cells, where, apparently, they mainly lived, since the stone rooms were considered damp and unhealthy.

The fraternal building was made of wood. The new stone building was built in the 19th century. The monastery was not crowded - at different times from 10 to 30 monks asceticised in it. Fundamental reconstruction of the abbot's building was carried out in modern times, after the transfer of the monastery to the Church.

Already on June 22, 1996, Archbishop of Vladimir and Suzdal Evlogiy consecrated a new house church in the name of St. Basil, Bishop of Ryazan, on the second floor of the rector's building.

The monastery has always been famous for its library with a collection of ancient written monuments. At the beginning of the 19th century, it was surrounded by a new fence (at the same time the gate Church of St. Cyril was moved), and was restored anew. In 1891, the last large building of the monastery was built - a three-storey fraternal building (in the photo - on the left).

In 1911, a house church in the name of the Seven Martyrs of Chersonesos was consecrated there. Since September 29, 2003, this building has been Spiritual school named after His Holiness Patriarch Pimen, who in 1945-46, in the rank of hieromonk, served in Murom. A memorial museum of Patriarch Pimen was also opened at the school.

Pilgrimage Center

For pilgrims and traveling people, the pilgrimage center of the Transfiguration Monastery provides accommodation and meals. It is designed for both people with low income and wealthier tourists.

The pilgrim hotel provides several accommodation options:

• dormitory room (in the female room 14 places, in the male room 12 places). Conveniences (shower, toilet) on the floor. The cost is 300 rubles. per person.
• comfortable 2, 3 and 4-bed rooms with all conveniences. The cost is 1000 rubles. per person.
• It is possible to receive VIP guests (government level).

The pilgrim refectory is located on the ground floor. Open from 11.30 to 18.00, where you can buy lunch and / or dinner. The cost is 95 rubles.

You can book places in the pilgrim center by calling 8-49234-3-14-76. For more information, call 8-920-921-89-83, Elena Mikhailovna, director of the Pilgrimage Center.

The prices are given for the summer of 2013.

If for some reason you are uncomfortable living on the territory of the monastery, then I recommend booking an apartment, room or hotel in the city for one or more nights. Daily accommodation can be easily rented in Murom on the service, or through booking a hotel.

The territory of the monastery

The territory of the monastery is very well-groomed. There are beautiful and neat lawns around, a variety of flowers are planted around the perimeter. In the center, almost opposite the main entrance, there is a pond in which multi-colored lotuses grow. Around there is an oriental-style playground with numerous flowers, stones, benches.

Earlier, a mini-zoo with chickens, ducks, peacocks, horses and other animals was set up on the territory of the monastery. Unfortunately, in the summer of 2013 it became part of the story that pilgrims and tourists who saw it write with admiration. I would very much like to hope that in the future the park with animals will be revived again.

Some of the historical materials in this article were taken from the site of the Transfiguration Monastery www.svyto.ru.

More detailed impressions of visiting the monastery and living on its territory, as well as photos are available.

You can read about other sights of Murom and its environs, where I managed to visit. They are all displayed on this map.

If you find yourself in Murom, be sure to take advantage of the unusual excursions from the creative inhabitants of this city. You can learn a lot of interesting things!

From the top of the hill on which the Spaso-Preobrazhensky Monastery of the city of Murom is located, the divine beauty of immense distances opens up. These truly epic lands remember many saints who shone in the Russian land. Here the heavenly patrons of the family Pyotr and Fevronia praised God, the hero Ilya Muromets accumulated his strength here, and the humble elder Seraphim of Sarov visited this place more than once. Much is remembered by the land of Murom and the monastery, which has become an integral part of its history.

The first ray of Orthodoxy in the Murom lands

The Transfiguration Monastery in Murom, which is the oldest in Russia, was founded by Prince Gleb Vladimirovich - the son of Prince Vladimir, who brought the light of Orthodoxy to the Russian land. Having received from his father in 1015 the city of Murom, whose inhabitants at that time were still drowning in the darkness of paganism, the young prince considered it good not to stop there, but to establish his court by climbing up the Oka and choosing a place for him on a steep, dense forest shore.

A zealous Christian, he soon commanded to erect a temple next to his princely mansion, and when its log walls rose among the age-old pines, he was concerned about the salvation of not only his soul, but all those pagans whose ruler and lord he was. The baptism of such a vast and lost in the forests of the land is a difficult and time-consuming task, so the Lord instructed him to begin the enlightenment of the Murom land from the foundation of the monastery.

Evidence of manuscript monuments of the past centuries

About when and by whom the Spaso-Preobrazhensky Monastery (Murom) was founded is described in detail in the oldest manuscript monument that has come down to us from the 16th century. Another historical document of the 12th century testifies to such an ancient origin of the monastery. It tells that in 1096, near the monastery walls, another Murom ruler, Prince Izyaslav Vladimirovich (son of Vladimir Monomakh), died in a battle with Prince Oleg.

The ancient manuscripts have also preserved the memory of the death of another pious prince Yuri Izyaslavovich, who ruled from 1162 to 1174. His resting place, as evidenced by the Spaso-Preobrazhensky monastery in Murom, on the territory of which he ordered a new church was erected and a bell tower was installed. It is not known whether it was stone or log, like its predecessor, built by Prince Gleb. It only says that it was in it that his body was buried.

The next historical document that has come down to us in chronology, which mentions the Transfiguration Monastery (Murom), is the chronicle of the late 15th century. It tells how in 1467 the Novgorod boyar Fyodor Boretsky, the son of the famous posadnitsa Martha, who led the struggle of the free city of Novgorod for independence from the Moscow principality, was vowed to take monastic vows in a monastery before his death. It should be noted that it was in the customs of that time - on the verge of death, to renounce everything earthly and in the "angelic rank" depart to another world.

The city turned into a military camp

During the victorious campaign against the capital of the Kazan Khanate, undertaken by Ivan the Terrible, one of the routes of the Russian army ran through Murom. The Spaso-Preobrazhensky monastery was the place of his stay for two weeks, during which rafts and plows were built to cross the Oka.

Historical chronicles report that in July of that year, the city looked like a military camp. In the streets, numerous marching tents were pitched, shaded by battle flags, and warriors were seen everywhere, and the clang of weapons was heard. Here, the king watched from the height of the left bank, on which the monastery was located, for the crossing of individual parts across the Oka, to where the Sakan forests began.

Sovereign's oath

In those days, the army of Ivan the Terrible was replenished with the Murom squad. Tradition says that, leaving the monastery, the sovereign vowed to build a stone temple in it in the event of a victory over the foe. As you know, this campaign ended and in 1655, at his word, not one, but several churches were erected, among which the Savior Cathedral stands out, for which the sovereign donated precious books, icons and rich vestments.

Despite multiple rebuildings, this cathedral has survived to this day, and in general has retained its original appearance. At the sight of him, even a cursory glance is enough for the outlines of the Moscow Assumption Cathedral to come to mind, they are so close in their architectural features. This five-domed, so characteristic of the Moscow style of that era, and the modest ornamentation of the facades, and the strict, laconic proportions of both buildings, creating the impression of solidity and austere simplicity.

It is known that the Savior Transfiguration Monastery in Murom owes much to Ivan the Terrible for its economic prosperity. The sovereign wrote off numerous estates as his property - land holdings with slaves who became his property. By their labor, the peasants freed the brethren from worry about their daily bread, allowing them to indulge only in soul-saving deeds.

Raid of foreign robbers

In one of the historical chronicles dating back to 1637, there is a record that in 1616, that is, at the very beginning of the reign of Mikhail Fedorovich, the first sovereign from the House of Romanov, an armed Lithuanian detachment under the command of Alexander Lisovsky captured Murom. The Savior Transfiguration Monastery, which survived the Time of Troubles relatively safely, was plundered these days, and those of the inhabitants who resisted the enemy were killed. The name of this leader of a cavalry detachment, who has repeatedly stained himself with robberies of civilians, went down in history and became synonymous with violence and arbitrariness.

Punished disobedience

The events that followed as a result of the church reform carried out by Patriarch Nikon became a bright and full of drama page in the history of the monastery. As you know, among the innovations he carried out were significant changes in the order of divine services, the introduction into use of newly translated church books from the Greek language, the replacement of the old two-finger with a three-finger, and much more.

This reform, rational in its essence, but carried out hastily and ill-considered, provoked protest in the widest layers of society and caused the consequences of which are felt to this day. As the historical chronicles testify, in those days one of the strongholds of the Old Believers was the Spaso-Preobrazhensky Monastery (Murom).

His abbot, Archimandrite Anthony, repeatedly addressed not only the brethren he led, but also the residents of the city with appeals, in which he condemned the changes that violated the customary order of church life that had been established for centuries. The requirement to be baptized with three fingers was especially criticized. He even sent a message to Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich, in which he detailed, point by point, all the claims in relation to the ongoing reform.

So passionately caring about the ancient piety that was trampled on, in his opinion, the pastor did not take into account one extremely important thing - the reform was not only approved by the tsar, but was also carried out under his personal patronage. Therefore, criticizing her, he went against the tsar's will, and at what time in Russia did this go with impunity?

What was to be expected happened. In 1662, the obstinate was removed from the management of the monastery, and after a while he was summoned to Moscow, where his case was examined by the Local Council that was taking place at that time. Neither the publicly offered repentance nor the past pastoral merits helped him. For insolence and freethinking, he was defrocked and, like a simple monk, sent to obedience to a distant and poor monastery, where he spent the rest of his days.

The following decades in the life of the monastery

The last decade of the 17th century turned out to be very fertile in the economic life of the monastery. This happened thanks to the generous donations repeatedly made to his treasury by Metropolitan Barsanuphius, a native of the old family of wealthy Murom merchants Chertkov. With his generosity, a stone abbot building was erected and the reconstruction of the Intercession Church, which required repair, was carried out.

The reign of Peter I was not filled with significant events that went down in the history of the monastery. The only significant innovation during this period was the opening on its territory of the only educational institution in the city - a school where the children of priests studied. Even though the number of students in it was small, its merit is obvious, since it was she who became the first hotbed of literacy in this vast region.

The hardships of Catherine's time

The Savior Transfiguration Monastery (Murom) underwent many difficulties and hardships during the reign of Catherine II. His economic well-being was severely undermined by her policy of secularization, that is, withdrawal from the possession of monastic lands, which were often the main source of income for their owners. Deprived of the allotments granted to him back in the time of Ivan the Terrible, the monastery began to decline.

The situation was complicated by the fact that on the basis of a decree received from St. Petersburg in 1765, the nearby Borisoglebsk monastery was abolished, and its inhabitants were transferred to the Spaso-Preobrazhensky monastery (Murom). Of course, the income from this did not increase, but the number of mouths increased. The God-loving monks had to tighten the belts of their robes even more tightly.

Miraculous Athos icon

The streak of trials sent down to the monks for their former pride lasted until the seventies of the next century, when Archimandrite Anthony (Ilyin) was appointed abbot of the monastery. Finding the economy in an extremely deplorable state, this humble but very practical shepherd began by going on a pilgrimage to Saint Athos to seek help from the Heavenly forces there.

His prayers were heard, and he returned back with the miraculous icon of the Mother of God "Quick to Hearken", which immediately attracted crowds of pilgrims and thus ensured the flow of funds into the monastery treasury. Thanks to this, over the next years, it was possible to restore and bring into proper form all the dilapidated by that time monastery buildings.

In addition, in 1892, a three-story brick building was built near the southern wall of the monastery, in which the brotherly cells were located, and in 1907 another church was built, this time in honor of the martyrs of Chersonesos. This was the last construction undertaken at the monastery. A catastrophe was approaching inexorably, plunging the great empire to dust and tearing the Russian people away from their spiritual roots for many decades.

Under the yoke of a godless power

Soon after the armed coup that took place in 1917, the Spaso-Preobrazhensky Monastery (Murom), whose address from that time began to be designated by the name of the revolutionary I. N. Lukin, was closed. The reason for this was the participation of his abbot, Bishop Mitrofan (Zagorsky), in the anti-Bolshevik uprising that broke out in Murom in July 1918 and was organized by the White Guard underground. However, the Cathedral of the Transfiguration, which was in it, continued to function as a parish church for two more years. The monastery cemetery, where civilians were buried, also remained open.

In the twenties, there was a question about transferring the monastery premises to the jurisdiction of the Murom Museum of Local Lore, but by the end of the decade a military unit was located in them, and several buildings were occupied by the city administration of the NKVD. The shrines of the Spaso-Preobrazhensky Monastery (Murom) were partially transferred to museum funds, and most of them were simply destroyed or plundered.

Return of the monastery (more precisely, its ruins) to the bosom of the church

The process of returning the believers to their original property began in 1990, when representatives of the initiative group created in the city addressed in an open letter to the leadership of the city executive committee with a request to transfer the Spaso-Preobrazhensky monastery (Murom), whose address: st. Lakina, 1 a, in the possession of the newly created monastic community. Their initiative was supported by Academician D.S.Likhachev, who turned to the top church leadership for assistance.

Overcoming the difficulties that arose on this path took almost five years, but, finally, the military unit stationed on the territory of the monastery moved to a new location, vacating all the premises that have survived to this day. At the same time, Hieromonk Kirill (Epifanov) became the governor of the reviving monastery.

According to his recollections, the picture presented to him during his first visit to the monastery was truly depressing. The barracks left by the military were dilapidated, and the buildings of the temples were deprived not only of their domes, but even of the roof. Considering that there was no money for their restoration, one can imagine in its entirety the complexity of the problem facing the governor.

For the second time, the monastery was rescued by the very icon of the Mother of God "The Hearted One", once brought from Athos by Archimandrite Anthony and miraculously reviving his material well-being at that time. And although this time it was not found in Greece, but in the funds of the local museum, where it was kept for many years, the miracle was repeated with amazing accuracy - crowds of pilgrims again reached for it, and along with them the flow of funds that could not allocate for the restoration of the shrine in the city of Murom.

The Spaso-Preobrazhensky Monastery in the period from 2000 to 2009 also received significant financial support from the Accounts Chamber of the Russian Federation, thanks to which it was possible to complete the entire planned complex of restoration work. Today it has been restored in all its original form and again acquired the significance of one of the most significant religious centers in Russia.

Spaso-Preobrazhensky address and travel arrangements

Currently, a large and important work has been completed. Revived after decades of spiritual decline that reigned in the country, the Transfiguration Monastery (Murom), a photo of which can be seen in this article, attracts not only believers heading to it, first of all, to worship shrines, but also those who, without identifying with religion, he shows interest in the past of our country.

The complex of historical buildings is undoubtedly attractive for everyone. It consists of five objects, the main of which is the cathedral, built in 1552 thanks to donations made by Ivan the Terrible to the Transfiguration Monastery in Murom. The schedule of services resumed in it after the completion of work, in general, corresponds to the schedule of services in all Orthodox churches in the country. On weekdays, they start at 8:00 in the morning and at 17:30 in the evening. On holidays and Sundays, a Late Liturgy at 10:00 is added to them.

You can learn about the history of the monastery and everything that happened within its walls over the centuries from the stories of qualified guides who conduct excursions in it. Those who are attracted to the monastery by religious feelings should contact: Murom, the Pilgrimage Center of the Transfiguration Monastery for organizing trips. You can contact him through the monastery's website. Those wishing to independently organize their pilgrimage are also welcome in this monastery, located at st. Lukin, 1 a.

Monastic shrines

Numerous groups of pilgrims come to the Spaso-Preobrazhensky Monastery, which includes both common rooms for male and female departments, and separate rooms for visiting families. And this is quite natural, given the significance of the shrines kept within the walls of the monastery.

In addition to the icon of the Mother of God "The Hearing Hearts", which was already mentioned in the article, all those who arrived have the opportunity to bow to one of the most revered icons of the holy Reverend Seraphim of Sarov. It was written at the beginning of the last century, immediately after his canonization by the sisters of the Diveyevo monastery founded by him, and contains a particle of the holy relics of the elder. In 2006, a silver shrine with the relics of Saint Reverend Ilya of Murom, who became the prototype of the famous hero - the hero of legends and epics in the folk epic - was added to these shrines. Also, the whole history of the monastery is perceived as a wondrous song of the prophetic boyan, revived and made visible in our days.