The monastery, which will be discussed further, rightly occupies the place of one of the most beautiful Russian monasteries, which, as is known from the most ancient sources, was originally a men's monastery. Now it is known as Alekseevo-Akatov Convent. It is the oldest in the Voronezh region; its history goes back to the very beginning of the 17th century.

Temple in honor of victory over enemies

The monastery is located next to the Voronezh reservoir in the private sector next to the Chernavsky Bridge. Once upon a time, in a deserted forest thicket on Akatova Glade, two miles from the city, it was decided to build a temple. It received its name in honor of the memory of the first Russian saint, Metropolitan of Moscow Alexy. In 1620, enemies (Lithuanians and Cherkasy) came to this land. Residents, repelling the attack, founded a church on this site in honor of the victory. This day just fell on the day of remembrance of St. Alexei. This is how the Alekseevo-Akatov Monastery in Voronezh got its name (the schedule of services there can be found below).

Foundation of the monastery hermitage

Initially, this rather uninhabited place was based on desert habitation and was named after an ancient document “New Hermitage of Metropolitan Alexy the Wonderworker of Moscow.”

Hegumen Kirill became the first From the very beginning of its creation, the future Alekseevo-Akatov owned a church assembled from “ancient dumplings”, in which there were only five cells for the abbot and four elders. Their names are still known: Abbot Kirill, elder monks Theodosius, Savvaty, Avraamiy, Lavrenty, Nikon. Over time, people began to settle next to the newly formed wooden monastery and built their houses nearby. By the 17th century, the monastery had its own hayfields, lands, serfs and fishing. In 1674, using the income from trades, the brethren decided to build the first stone church and destroy the old wooden one.

In 1700, the Assumption Church was annexed to the monastery, and along with it the lands of the Assumption were transferred to it.

Arrangement of the monastery

This monastery turned out to be the only monastery in the city. Its rector had the rank of archimandrite. At the beginning of the 18th century, Archimandrite Nikanor brought to the monastery a copy of the ancient icon of the Most Holy Theotokos “Three-Handed”, which over time began to be revered as miraculous.

From 1746 to 1755, under the abbot Ephraim, the second floor was erected, and a temple was located in honor of the icon of the Vladimir Mother of God. Then borders were organized in memory of Saints Anthony and Theodosius.

During the reign of Catherine the Great, the Alekseevo-Akatov Monastery in Voronezh was given second class in importance. He began to be supported at the expense of the state (714 silver rubles per year), 8 acres of land and a lake remained in his possessions.

A well-known fact is that in the 18th century, Schemamonk Agapit (hieromonk Avvakum in the past), who received a blessing from Saints Tikhon of Zadonsk and Mitrofan, lived within the walls of the monastery, and retired military nobleman Georgy Mashurin, who later became a reclusive monk.

Over time, the monastery expanded, new buildings and structures in the form of towers were built.

At the beginning of the 19th century, Avdotya Vasilievna Anikeeva donated a large sum of money to the monastery, with which a new stone church was erected in the Byzantine-Russian style. The lower part of the temple was consecrated in 1812, the upper - in 1819.

Revolutionary time

After the revolution, the temple was destroyed and all the jewelry was confiscated. In the 20s, another abbot was replaced by a jealous opponent of the renovationist movement, Peter (Zverev), and at the same time, Archimandrite Innocent (Beda), sent from Moscow, appeared in the monastery.

The Alekseevo-Akatov Monastery of Voronezh was not closed, like many others, and therefore the center of the spiritual life of the city is concentrated in it.

In 1926, the rector and archimandrite were detained by representatives of the new government and sent to the Solovetsky camp. There they rested with the Lord. The next rector, Bishop Alexy (Buya), was accused of organizing underground anti-Soviet agitation; he served a considerable amount of time in camps and was shot in 1937. In the 1930s, mass arrests of another 75 monks took place. All of them were canonized as saints in 2000 as Russian new martyrs.

In the winter of 1930, according to the requirements of the Alekseevo-Akatov plant, the monastery was closed, the ringing of bells was prohibited, and the bells were melted down. And then in 1931 all the monks were kicked out and the icons were burned. Only the miraculous icon of the Mother of God, called the “Life-Giving Spring,” which was kept in the main Intercession Cathedral of Voronezh, survived. She was returned to the monastery with the blessing of Bishop Mythodius only in April 1991. The icon of the Mother of God “Three-Handed” was irretrievably lost.

The Great Patriotic War began, and during the occupation of the city, the gate bell tower was destroyed. In 1943, the entire monastery courtyard was developed for housing. The bell towers contained stables and warehouses. Already in the 60s, the monastery was used by artists, setting up their workshops in it.

In 1970 there was a local history museum here. The Treasury building was destroyed. The wooden building - the abbot's house on the second floor - was given to the needs of the collective farm, and then completely dismantled.

Renaissance

In the 80s, the temple began to be revived. It was returned to the jurisdiction of the Voronezh diocese in 1989. First, the old bell tower and some surviving buildings were restored, but the cemetery with tombstones was barbarically destroyed. Next, a two-story church was re-erected. The gate bell tower was not completed to its previous 50-meter height, but only the second tier was left and crowned with five domes. Cells, outbuildings, and a chapel for the blessing of water were rebuilt. The remains of the rulers were reburied.

On November 4, 1990, a convent was opened for the holiday in honor of the icon of the Kazan Mother of God. Until 1992, the abbess of the monastery was Abbess Lyubov, and then Abbess Varvara came.

The residence of the diocese was moved from the Intercession Cathedral to the Alekseevo-Akatov Monastery from the Intercession Cathedral, where Metropolitan Sergius (Fomin) of Voronezh resides. In the residence there is a house church with an icon of the Most Holy Mother called “The Sign”.

One of the most revered icons in the monastery is the image of the Mother of God “Life-Giving Spring”.

Alekseevo-Akatov Monastery (Voronezh). Icons

On September 7, 1997, on the feast of the Presentation, the Sretenskaya Vladimir Icon of the Mother of God began to flow myrrh. The blessed ointment comes out from the scroll of the Infant Jesus and the Rod of the Mother of God.

The icon of the Great Martyr Panteleimon the Healer is miraculous and healing; it also began to exude myrrh in 1997. And at the same time, the icon of St. Pitirim of Tambov, which was painted at the beginning of the 20th century and transferred from the rural parish church to the Aleksevo-Akatov Monastery on the long-awaited day of the opening of the monastery, was renewed. Since the icon was old and was stored inappropriately, the letters on it turned gray and were practically unreadable. But one evening after the service, the image brightened, the background acquired a blue tint, and the letters became golden. During the morning Liturgy, the image began to stream myrrh.

Myrrh-streaming icons of the monastery

Since 1997, another This is an icon of Mitrofan of Voronezh. It was also donated by the rural parish of the village. In 2002 it was updated. Myra came from the panagia of St. Mitrofan.

In the church there is also an icon of the Most Holy Theotokos “Consolation in Sorrows and Sorrows.” This is a copy of the miraculous icon from the Athos Russian St. Andrew's Skete. In June 1999, the icon also began to exude myrrh.

The Kasperovskaya Icon of the Mother of God also streams myrrh. Since February 27, 200, nine streams of peace have been issued from the hand of the Blessed Mary and the scroll and head of the Child Jesus. The relics of Russian holy martyrs, who have been canonized since 2000, are also carefully preserved in the church.

Alekseevo-Akatov Monastery (Voronezh). Schedule of services

Divine services in the monastery are held every day. On ordinary days, the morning Liturgy begins at 7.30, the evening Liturgy at 17.00.

On the twelve holidays, memorial Saturdays and Sundays, Alekseevo-Akatov changes the schedule of services. On these days, two morning services are served at 6.00 and 8.30, and evening services are also held at 17.00.

In 2009, the holy relics of the blessed elder Feoktista (Shulgina), whom Voronezh residents especially revered and love to come to the Alekseevo-Akatov convent of Voronezh to her grave, were transferred to the monastery cemetery. It is necessary to add to the schedule of services at the monastery that every week memorial services are served at the grave of the righteous woman and the Voronezh archpastors. Every day the Divine Liturgy is celebrated in the monastery, and a prayer is offered “for the city and the people.” Priests perform church sacraments, conduct sermons and minister to parishioners. A lot of people visit the Alekseevo-Akatov convent in Voronezh. You can order your requirements here at any time.

Conclusion

The nun sisters constantly read the indefatigable Psalter and commemorate the living and the departed. You can come here on an excursion; it is held both for residents and specifically for out-of-town pilgrims. They get acquainted with the history of the ancient monastery against the background of the church and history of the Voronezh region. Issues related to spiritual morality and modern life are also discussed.

By prior agreement, the monastery can accommodate up to 25 people (preferably women) for an overnight stay. It is also possible to hire workers.

The Voronezh Alekseevo-Akatov Monastery was founded in 1620 according to a vow of the townspeople in gratitude to the Lord for the victory granted to them over the numerous army of Lithuanians and Cherkasy (as the Cossack detachments that were in the service of the Polish-Lithuanian state were called at that time). This event coincided with the day of remembrance of St. Alexy of Moscow, so the temple, first wooden, and later replaced by stone, and the monastery were dedicated to this saint. The monastery received the name “Akatov” after the name of the area on which it was built – “Akatova Polyana”, which was a forested hill on the bank of the Voronezh River.

The first abbot of the monastery was Abbot Kirill. Historical information about the monastery is very scarce. It is known that initially life in the monastery was built on the principles of desert living, but later a communal charter was introduced. During the reign of Empress Catherine II, the monastery was classified as class II. The number of its inhabitants was always small and did not exceed 30 people.

The life of the brethren of the monastery proceeded quietly and secretly; little information about it has been preserved. The names of the abbots are known, but documentary evidence about them is mostly scanty. So, from the beginning of the 18th century, the abbots of this then only male monastery in the city had the rank of archimandrite. Since 1796, this position began to be traditionally combined with the position of rector of the Theological Seminary, and since 1842, after the establishment of the Ostrogozh Vicariate, the monastery was under the control of the suffragan bishops of Ostrogozh (in 1842-1854 and then from 1867).

The names of some of the monastery's inhabitants deserve special attention. It is known that Hieroschemamonk Agapit, who was previously the cell attendant of St., became involved in the Alekseevsky Monastery for ten years. Tikhon, later – restorer of the eldership in Zadonsk. Another cell attendant of the saint, Ivan Efimov, also stayed here for some time. Hieroschemamonk Tikhon (in the world - Mikhail Krivskoy) began his monastic path in the Alekseevsky Monastery, who later became the first monk and elder of the Tikhonovsky monastery near the Zadonsky Monastery.

The monastery was closed in the spring of 1931 (the official date is unknown, but by the summer of that year there were no monks left in Akatova Polyana). Shortly before the closure of the monastery, Archimandrite Innokenty (Beda), glorified by the Council of Bishops of the Russian Orthodox Church in 2000, who was the rector of the monastery in 1926, Archimandrite Tikhon (Krechkov), the rector of the monastery in 1927-1930, Hieromonk Georgy (Pozharov), Hieromonk Kirill (Vyaznikov) served here ), Rev. Confessor Archimandrite Ignatius (Biryukov), Hieromartyrs Fyodor Yakovlev and Sergius of Gortyn. Its last rector, Archimandrite Tikhon (Krechkov), along with other clergy and laity, was shot in the vicinity of the city on August 2, 1930.

After the closure of the monastery, the holy place was abandoned to destruction and desecration for many years.

In 1989, the Alekseevo-Akatov Monastery was transferred to the Voronezh diocese and restoration work began in March of the same year. In July 1990, the blessing of His Holiness Patriarch Alexy II was received to open a convent in Voronezh, to which the complex of buildings of the Alekseevo-Akatov Monastery was transferred.

The first abbess of the monastery was Abbess Lyubov (M.V. Yakushkina). Since April 15, 1992, the monastery has been ruled by Abbess Varvara (Sazhneva Z.F.), one of the first nuns of the monastery, who took monastic vows in 1992 and was elevated to the rank of abbess in 1993.

The main temple of the monastery is the two-story Alekseevo-Vladimir Cathedral. The first stone temple was built in 1674. Subsequently, it was rebuilt many times, and by the middle of the 19th century it fell into disrepair and was dismantled in 1879. The surviving tented bell tower, built at the same time, has survived to this day. The new two-story temple was built in 1812-1819 according to the design of the provincial architect I.I. Volkov in the style of classicism. Initially, the upper church was dedicated to the Resurrection of the Lord, and the lower one was consecrated in the name of St. Moskovsky Alexy. Therefore, the historical name of the temple is Alekseevo-Voskresensky. Currently, the lower church is consecrated in the name of the Vladimir Icon of the Mother of God, and the upper church in the name of St. Moskovsky Alexy. The two-story temple and the ancient bell tower are a historical and cultural monument of the 17th-19th centuries. federal significance.

In 2015, the church in the name of St. Sergius of Radonezh, which was located in the building of the gate bell tower, built in 1879-1880, and was the abbot’s house church. The building of the gate bell tower has been partially preserved, the upper tier with the spire was destroyed in the 1930s, and at the level of the second floor it is completed with five cupolas. Currently, early Liturgies are served in the St. Sergius Church on Sundays and twelve feasts.

Since 1999, the Vvedenskaya Church, located behind the fence of the monastery, has been assigned to the monastery, built in 1780 - one of the most beautiful in the city, and is a historical and cultural monument of the 18th century. federal significance. Its architectural appearance bears clear features of the school of B. Rastrelli. The building is currently undergoing restoration, but before that early Liturgies were celebrated in the church and religious services were served.

Nowadays, all the surviving buildings of the monastery have been restored and new ones have been built: chapels (the consecrated chapel - in 1992, in honor of the icon of the Mother of God “Assuage my sorrows” - in 2010, in honor of the new martyrs of the Alekseevo-Akatov Monastery - in 2007).

Of the shrines of the Alekseevo-Akatov Monastery, the miraculous icon of the Mother of God, called the Three-Handed One, was especially revered, which was subsequently lost during the years of persecution.

The main shrine of the monastery is the icon of the Mother of God “Life-Giving Source” from Athos writing of the first half of the 19th century. The image repeatedly streamed myrrh: the first time this miraculous phenomenon was noticed was on September 7, 1992, on the eve of the Feast of the Presentation of the Vladimir Icon of the Most Holy Theotokos.

The icons of the Most Holy Theotokos “Consolation in Sorrows and Sorrows” (also myrrh-streaming), martyr are venerated in the monastery. and the healer Panteleimon (with a particle of relics), St. Pitirim of Tambov (with a particle of relics), in 1997 this icon was miraculously renewed. Among the shrines of the monastery are icons with particles of relics: St. Nicholas the Wonderworker, St. Seraphim of Sarov, priest. Peter (Zvereva), archbishop. Voronezhsky, military center Barbarians, St. Chariton the Confessor. In the temples of the monastery there are ancient icons of St. Andrew the First-Called (XVII century), Onuphrius the Great (XVII century), the righteous youth Artemy Verkolsky (XVIII century), Iveron Icon of the Mother of God with stamps (beginning of the 19th century).

The precious shrines of the monastery are the ark with particles of the relics of St. Mitrofan of Voronezh, Tikhon of Zadonsk and Saints Cyril and Mary of Radonezh, as well as three other arks with particles of the relics of more than 70 saints of God, the ancient Shroud of the Savior, the shroud from the tomb of St. Mitrofan of Voronezh, part of the stone on which St. Petersburg prayed. Seraphim of Sarov.

Special mention should be made of the necropolis of the monastery, where in 1993 the honorable remains of the bishops who ruled the Voronezh Diocese in the 18th - early 18th century were transferred from the Comintern Cemetery. XX centuries: Metropolitan Pachomius (Shpakovsky), Archbishop Arseny (Moskvin), Archbishop Seraphim (Aretinsky), Archbishop Veniamin (Smirnov), Archbishop Anastasy (Dobradin). It is reliably known that the holy martyr Archbishop Tikhon (Nikanorov) was buried here. The graves of the bishops were originally located in the cemetery of the Mitrofanovsky Monastery, closed in the 20s and destroyed during the Great Patriotic War, and in 1956 their remains were transferred to the Comintern cemetery, where they rested until 1993. Bishop of Grodno and Brest Paisiy (Obraztsov), who in recent years lived in Voronezh in retirement, was buried together with the Voronezh rulers.

In 2009, the honorable remains of the blessed old woman Feoktista Mikhailovna (Shulgina), especially revered by Voronezh residents, were transferred to the cemetery of the Alekseevo-Akatov Monastery. Every week on Mondays, memorial services are held at the graves of the righteous woman and the archpastors of Voronezh.

Divine services are held in the monastery daily. The beginning of the Divine Liturgy on weekdays is at 7.30 a.m. On Sundays, twelfth holidays and memorial parental Saturdays, two Liturgies are served: early - from 6.00 a.m., late - from 8.30 a.m. The beginning of the evening service (vespers, matins) is at 17.00 p.m.

Alekseevo-Akatov convent in Voronezh is one of the oldest Orthodox shrines that has survived to this day. Initially, the monastery was for men, but over time it became a women’s monastery. Today the building is not only a historical monument, but also a place of pilgrimage for hundreds and thousands of Orthodox Christians.

Story

The foundation of the monastery took place in 1620. The construction was a kind of gratitude from the city residents for the victory in the battle with Cherkassy and Lithuanians. At the beginning, the brotherhood of the monastery (together with the abbot) consisted of 7 people. Over time, the number of novices increased, and the number of buildings also increased.

Theodosius (abbot of the Assumption Monastery), at the request of Abbot Kirill, who served in the Alekseevo-Akatovo monastery, gave part of the land into the possession of the new brethren. Theodosius himself, with several other novices, moved into the walls of the recently built monastery.

In 1630, another temple was located in the monastery's possession - the Mother of God of Vladimir. A limit was established within its walls, named after the patron of the monastery.

From the day of its foundation, the monastery’s possessions included the village of Rozhka (today Otrozhka), located across the Voronezh River. In 1634, the possessions expanded: the villages of Mamon Verkhniy and Nizhny were included here. From 1629 the territory began to be populated by peasants. Initially, in the vicinity of the villages there were only 4 courtyards. In 1676 their number increased to 45.

By royal decree of Peter 1 in 1700, in order to free the territory for state needs, the Monastery of the Assumption was annexed to Alekseevo-Akatovo. In 1742, the management of the monastery rested on the shoulders of the Ostrogozhskys (vicar bishops). Since 1796, the abbot served as rector of the theological seminary at the monastery.

Catherine 2 in 1764 took away the monastery estates to replenish the state treasury. Some monasteries reserved the right to receive salaries, the size of which depended on the class awarded to the shrine. On the territory of Voronezh, only the maiden Pokrovsky and Alekseevo-Akatov monasteries were awarded this honor.

In 1784-1812, a church made of stone, 2 floors high, was built. In 1812, the lower church (the icon of the Mother of God of Vladimir) was consecrated, in 1819 – the upper one (St. Alexei). Services are still held within the walls of the church today.

At the end of the 19th century (1879-1880), a bell tower consisting of 4 tiers was erected in the northwestern part of the monastery. With the advent of Soviet power, the new bell tower was destroyed, and the old structure returned to use.

During the period of active closure of Orthodox churches on the territory of the state (20s of the 20th century), it was the Alekseevo-Akatov Monastery that became the center of the spiritual revival of Voronezh. Divine services, meetings of the Orthodox clergy were held here, and a school functioned.

The monastery was closed in 1931. The lower floors of the main church served as a garage. At various times, artistic workshops, food warehouses, living quarters and even stables were located here.

The bell tower (as an ancient historical monument) was taken under protection in the late 70s. In 1986, restoration work was carried out on its territory. After 3 years (1989), all the buildings of the monastery were transferred to the ownership of the Voronezh diocese.

In the spring of 1990, restoration work began within the walls of the monastery. The restoration was carried out using photographs and old drawings, since the building was virtually completely destroyed by vandals. In June 1990, Patriarch His Holiness Alexei 2 blessed the opening of the Alekseevo-Akatovo women's monastery. The first service within the walls of the renovated monastery took place in the fall of the same year.

In January 1992, the first 10 sisters of the monastery were tonsured at the monastery. Among them was nun Varvara, who became abbess in April 1993. In 1999, the Church of the Presentation, located nearby, was transferred to the monastery.

origin of name

The monastery is named after the first Orthodox saint of the Russian land - Alexei. The day of the memorable battle and victory over the tribes, in honor of which the monastery was built, was also the day of memory of St. Alexei.

The construction of the monastery began on Akatova Polyana (a wooded, uninhabited area two miles from the city). This is where the name of the monastery came from: Alekseevo-Akatov.

Monastery Cemetery

There is a cemetery in the southern part of the churchyard. In the old days, monks of the monastery and noble nobles were buried here. In 1772, a ban on burials near parish churches came into force. Because of this, the cemetery of the Alekseevo-Akatovo Monastery began to grow rapidly.

The governor of Voronezh (winter 1773) is buried on the territory of the cemetery, as evidenced by the inscription on the monument. In 1784, the funeral of Father Palladius, a teacher at the monastery seminary, took place.

Use of the cemetery continued into the 19th and 20th centuries. Tulinov (leader of the province), Labzin (zemstvo secretary), Tsvet (scientist) and others found eternal peace here. As part of the anti-church policy, the cemetery was demolished by the Soviet authorities. In the early 90s, a symbolic necropolis was created on the territory of the destroyed shrine.

Shrines of the monastery

• One of the largest shrines of the monastery is the “Life-Giving Spring”.

The icon depicts the Mother of God emerging from the water. Mary holds the Child in her arms. The shrine has been within the walls of the monastery since 1991. In September 1992, on the eve of the Feast of the Presentation of the Vladimir Most Holy Theotokos, the icon began to stream myrrh.

• Within the walls of the monastery there is an icon of Tambov Pitirim, created at the beginning of the 20th century.

It was given to the temple on the day of its opening by the rector of the village church as a gift. Due to inappropriate storage conditions, the image on the icon was practically indistinguishable. In the evening of 1997, after the evening liturgy, the rector of the temple noticed that the image had brightened and the inscription had become readable. The next day, during the service, the icon began to stream myrrh.

• In the monastery, another miraculous icon exudes myrrh. This is an image of Saints Mitrofan of Voronezh and Tikhon of Zadonsk. In 2002, the icon was restored, after which the shrine began to flow myrrh.
• In the Alekseevo-Akatovo Monastery there is a copy of the icon of the miraculous Athos, St. Andrew's Russian Skete, called “Consolation in Sorrows and Sorrows.”

In the summer of 1999, the icon began to stream myrrh, releasing images of myrrh from the eyes in a stream. Later, the icon also released myrrh for some time, but with less abundance.

In the monastery there are icons with small particles of the relics of the holy martyr Peter Zverev, Confessor of the Venerable Chariton. In 2000, Peter Zverev was canonized. In February 2004, the icon with his image, as well as particles of his relics, was transported to the walls of the convent.

Patronal holidays

Alekseevo-Akatov Convent honors the following patronal feast days:

• February 25 – death of Saint Alexei of Moscow;
• June 2 – discovery and transfer of the relics of Saint Alexei;
• June 3 – icon of the Mother of God of Vladimir (in memory of the salvation of the city of Moscow during the Khan’s invasion of 1521);
• July 6 – icon of the Mother of God of Vladimir (in memory of the salvation of the city of Moscow during the Khan’s invasion of 1480);
• September 8 – Presentation of the icon of the Mother of God (salvation during the invasion of 1395);
• October 18 – Moscow Council of Saints: Alexy, Hermogenes, Jonah, Philip, Peter;
• August 12 – Voronezh Confessors and New Martyrs.

Schedule of services

Divine services within the walls of the Alekseevo-Akatovo convent are held daily.

• On weekdays and Saturdays, liturgies are celebrated 3 times: morning (07:30) and 2 evenings (16:00 and 17:00).
• On Sunday there are 2 services in the morning: early (06:30) and late (08:30) liturgies. Evening services on Sunday are no different from those held on weekdays.

For major religious and patronal holidays, a separate schedule of services is drawn up. Liturgy hours may change, so the holiday schedule must be found out in advance.

How to get to the convent in Voronezh

There are several ways to get to the Alekseevo-Akatovo women's monastery. From the center you can walk to the embankment, and you will see the construction of the shrine from afar.

You can use public transport services. Buses No. 6m, 6, 52, 62, 41, 90, 60b, 79, 68a, 120a, 101 go in the direction of the monastery. You need to get off at the Manezhnaya stop. Bus number 58v runs on a different route. If you travel by this route, you must carefully monitor the “Emancipation of Labor” stop.

Minibuses No. 37a, 77k, 312a, 386 go to the monastery. You need to get off at the Manezhnaya stop. It is possible to use the services of trolleybus No. 8 (same stop).

Contact details

To contact the monastery when clarifying questions you are interested in, please provide contact information:

• address – Voronezh, Osvobozhdeniye Truda street, 1;
• phone – 55 18 24;
• Email - [email protected].

Photos

Today, the convent in Voronezh is not only a huge spiritual monastery of the Orthodox Church, but also part of a historical heritage that dates back more than one century. Divine services are held within the walls of the monastery churches, but some restoration work continues today. It was not possible to completely restore all parts of the monastery after the destruction of the buildings by time and vandals.

The Alexievo-Akatov Monastery, one of the oldest monasteries in the Voronezh diocese, was founded in 1620 according to the vow of the townspeople, in gratitude for the victory granted to them over the numerous army of Lithuanians and Cherkasy. This battle took place on the day of remembrance of St. Alexy, Metropolitan of Moscow and All Russia, the Wonderworker, to whom the temple of the monastery was dedicated. The site for construction was chosen on Akatova Polyana - a deserted, forest-covered hill two miles from the city, which gave the name to the new monastery. Its founder and first abbot was Abbot Kirill, who twenty years earlier (in 1600) founded a monastery in Voronezh in honor of the Dormition of the Blessed Virgin Mary. The monastery was built on the principles of desert living, as evidenced by an ancient document - the so-called tale of Abbot Theodosius, in which the monastery is referred to as “the new desert of Oleksei Metropolitan of Moscow the Wonderworker.” In a short time, a church (“tree of dumplings”), the abbot’s cell and four cells for the elders, also wooden, were built.

Initially, the brotherhood consisted of seven monks, including the abbot (history has preserved their names: hegumen Kirill, the “black priest” Joseph, the elder monks Savvaty, Theodosius, Abrahamy, Nikon and Lavrenty). Subsequently, the number of inhabitants increased somewhat, especially after the abolition of the Assumption Monastery, which, during the short but memorable period of Emperor Peter I’s stay in Voronezh, found itself in extremely cramped circumstances, in close proximity to shipyards. Throughout the 17th – early 19th centuries. The Alexievo-Akatov Monastery remained the only men's monastery in the city. From that time on, its abbots had the rank of archimandrite.

The name of one of them - Archimandrite Nikanor - is associated with the appearance in the Alexievsky Monastery of its main shrine - the miraculous icon of the Mother of God “Three-Handed”, brought from the New Jerusalem Resurrection Monastery, where Archimandrite Nikanor began his monastic path and in recent years was rector. This icon, which was a copy of an ancient image, was especially loved by the people of Voronezh, who believed in its miraculous power.

During the reign of Empress Catherine II, who sharply reduced the number of monasteries, the Alexievsky Monastery was classified as second class. According to his staff, he was supposed to have 17 people. Eight acres of land and a lake for fishing were left behind the monastery.

We have very scant information about the life of the monastic brethren of this time, but with sufficient reason we can mention among the inhabitants of the Alexievsky Monastery Schemamonk Agapit (in those years - Hieromonk Avvakum), later a revered elder of the Trans-Don region, an ascetic of piety. It is known that for ten years this godly monk, who at one time received the blessing of Saint Tikhon and his co-secretary, schemamonk Mitrofan, labored within the walls of the Voronezh monastery.

A few decades later, the name of another Zadonsk ascetic was associated with the Alexievsky Monastery: there is information that the young nobleman Georgy Alekseevich Mashurin, who later left military service, initially entered here as a Zadonsk recluse, whose ascetic life and whose letters, repeatedly published, influenced many seeking salvation.

In general, information about the Alexievo-Akatov Monastery in the 18th–19th centuries concerns the more external, official side of its life. The most famous are the works of the abbots in the construction and beautification of the monastery, their spiritual and educational activities (since 1796, this position traditionally began to be combined with the post of rector of the theological seminary; since 1742, the monastery was under the control of the suffragan bishops of Ostrogozh). Archimandrite Hilarion (Bogolyubov) compiled “Description of the Voronezh Alekseevsky Akatov second-class male monastery” (1859), the most complete for its time. The end of the 19th century was marked by a special flourishing of educational activities within the walls of the monastery, largely thanks to the works of its rector, His Eminence Vladimir (Sokolovsky), who had extensive missionary and pedagogical experience. At this time, the Diocesan School Council and the Diocesan Committee of the Orthodox Missionary Society operated at the monastery, a teacher’s and regency school was located, Sunday religious and moral readings were held with light paintings, and a wonderful boys’ choir was created (Vladyka Vladimir himself paid a lot of attention to their training).

Throughout the 18th–19th centuries, the monastery continued to be built and decorated. In 1804–1819, a two-story stone church was built, which has been preserved and is now operational. The lower church was consecrated in 1812 in the name of St. Alexy (currently in honor of the Vladimir Icon of the Mother of God), the upper one in 1819 in honor of the Resurrection of Christ (now in the name of St. Alexy). Construction was carried out according to the design of the provincial architect I. Volkov with donations from the merchant widow Evdokia Anikeeva. The former, also stone, temple was dismantled in the 70s of the 19th century. The bell tower that remains from it is currently the oldest building in Voronezh (1674).

History is silent about the life of the monastic brethren, their labors and prayerful exploits, secret sorrows and consolations. Only a few names have reached us; no photographs have survived (perhaps they never existed). This life is hidden in Bose. But the very revival of the monastery almost a century later is not evidence that their labors and prayers were not in vain?

The fiery trials that befell the Russian Church in the twentieth century did not escape the Alexievsky Monastery. Previously little-known, in the 20s, when many churches in Voronezh were closed or occupied by schismatic renovationists, for some time it became the center of the spiritual life of the city, the seat of the diocesan bishop. Metropolitan Vladimir (Shimkovich), a humble elder-archpastor, a staunch defender of Orthodoxy in the face of the atheistic authorities, lived and was buried here in 1926.

On a nearby street there was the house of the holy martyr Peter (Zverev), which has survived to this day, whose short (about a year) ministry in Voronezh became one of the brightest pages in the history of the city. The monastery was a place where Vladyka often performed divine services and delivered sermons that gathered many believers, who saw in His Grace Archbishop Peter a true servant of God, a guardian of the purity of Orthodoxy and church statutes, “perfect in zeal and love for God, in pity and love for people.” . The rector of the Alexievsky Monastery at that time was Archimandrite Innokenty (Beda), the person closest to the Vladyka, his cell attendant and co-secretary, who was exiled with him to the Solovetsky camp and there reposed in the Lord in 1928 (a year before the Hieromartyr Peter).

In 1930, the last rector of the Alexievo-Akatov Monastery, Archimandrite Tikhon (Krechkov), accepted the cup of suffering prepared for him for Christ, accused of allegedly counter-revolutionary activities and shot in the vicinity of the city on August 2, on the day of remembrance of the Prophet Elijah of God. The surviving protocol of his interrogation is indisputable evidence of firmness in faith and deep, unostentatious wisdom. Behind the seemingly simple answers, there is a clear denunciation of the atheists: “Neither I nor others said that to have anything with the atheists means crucifying Christ... While in the villages, I did not talk about the persecution of religion, but such there were conversations among the peasants...” Together with the abbot, the brethren of the monastery, hieromonks Georgy (Pozharov) and Kosma (Vyaznikov), and priests Theodore Yakovlev and Sergius Gortynsky, who served in the monastery, suffered. All of them were canonized at the Council of Bishops of the Russian Orthodox Church in 2000 as new martyrs.

In the summer of 1931, the Alexievo-Akatov Monastery was closed. There is no documentary information left about the fate that befell its last inhabitants. From that time on, for several decades, the holy place was desecrated and destroyed. All the property of the monastery, liturgical utensils, revered icons (including the miraculous image of the Most Holy Theotokos “Three-Handed”), library and archive were confiscated and disappeared without a trace. The temple and other monastic buildings were used in various, often inappropriate, ways. At various times there were residential apartments, art workshops, warehouses, and stables here. The graves in the monastery cemetery were subjected to desecration, which was subsequently razed to the ground and overgrown with weeds. Above this sad picture of desolation rose an ancient bell tower, which was taken under protection as a historical monument back in the 70s and partially restored in 1986.

Restoration work began here in 1990, after the transfer of the monastery to the Voronezh diocese. With the blessing of His Holiness Patriarch Alexy II, a women's monastery was opened on this site. On November 4, 1990, on the day of the celebration of the Kazan Icon of the Mother of God, the first Divine Liturgy was served in the church of the renovated monastery. On January 4, 1992, the first tonsure of ten sisters was performed, including nun Varvara (Sazhneva), who became abbess in April of the same year and was elevated to the rank of abbess in April 1993.

Currently, more than fifty sisters serve the Lord in labor and prayer at the monastery. Several nuns constantly live and work in the monastery's farmstead, located not far from the city, where they lovingly care for cows, calves and poultry. There is a plot of land in the countryside where the sisters go for seasonal work. Since 1994, there has been a children's Sunday school in the monastery, where children from 5 to 15 years old study. The sisters teach them the Law of God, the Church Slavonic language, the basics of painting and church singing.

On the territory of the monastery, all surviving buildings (temple, bell tower) were restored, cell buildings, a refectory, a chapel for holy prayers and a chapel in honor of the New Martyrs of Voronezh with mosaic icons were built. New ones were made to replace the lost temple paintings. First, a group of Voronezh icon painters under the leadership of Vadim Gladyshev painted the lower church. For several years, work continued on the painting of the upper church, made using the fresco technique by Yelets icon painter Vladimir Marchenko. Upon completion of the work, the temple was re-consecrated by His Eminence Sergius, Metropolitan of Voronezh and Borisoglebsk, on the day of remembrance of St. Anthony (Smirnitsky), glorified as a locally revered saint in 2003.

In 1999, the Vvedenskaya Church (formerly a parish church before its closure), one of the most beautiful churches in Voronezh, was transferred to the Alexievsky Monastery. Currently, the monastery of St. Alexis receives many pilgrims who come from different places to venerate the Voronezh shrines.