Male Tikhvin Bogorodichny Assumption Monastery: photo, history, address, reviews

Male Tikhvin Bogorodichny Assumption Monastery was founded in 1560 on the personal order of the Tsar Ivan the Terrible. The executor of the tsar's will and the builder of the monastery was the Novgorod archbishop Pimen, who took upon himself all the economic and administrative concerns. But for half a century before that, a temple was built in those places for the miraculous icon, which was revealed in 1383 and became one of the main shrines of the Orthodox world.

The image that came from biblical times

This miraculous icon, with which the entire history of the monastery is inseparable, is unique in that its creation is associated with the name of the holy evangelist and apostle Luke. According to legend, the image was written by him during the time of the Blessed Virgin in Jerusalem. Even seven decades before the fall of the Byzantine capital of Constantinople, the icon of the Will of God was moved from there to the shores of Ladoga and in 1383 appeared to the gazes of pious fishermen who threw the nets into the cold waters of the northern lake.

It was called Tikhvinskaya, at the place of her stay, and soon the glory of the miracles revealed through her by the Blessed Virgin spread throughout Russia. In honor of such a marvelous gift, sent down by the grace of God, the monastery was laid, over the gates of which the inscription confirming the year of construction has survived to our days - 7068th from the creation of the world, which corresponds to 1560 according to our calendar, which starts from the Nativity of Christ.

The first centuries of the monastery's existence

The dramatic events unfolded around the walls of the monastery in 1613. The Swedish invaders led by Field Marshal Jacob Delagardi besieged the monastery and did their best to seize it. However, the defenders, commanded by experienced Russian governor Prince Semyon Prozorovsky, managed to repel their attacks and hold out until reinforcements arrived.

During the first and a half centuries of its existence the monastery was rebuilt several times, but by the beginning of the 18th century its ensemble was mainly formed. The main and most ancient building is the Assumption Cathedral, erected before the monastery itself. Male Tikhvin Bogorodichny Assumption Monastery was for many years the place of permanent residence of the shrine.

The temple is a gift of the Moscow prince

Historical materials testify to the reverence with which the grand dukes, kings and priests of the church treated the Tikhvin Shrine, seeing in it the guarantee of further strengthening of Orthodoxy. The ruler of Russia in 1505 donated funds for the construction of a stone church for her. It was around him that the Tikhvin Mother of God Assumption Monastery was later established . Photo of this unique building is given in this article.

The history of its erection is connected with the names of two architects - Ivan Fryazin, who, despite the Russian name, came from Italy, who came to the service of the Moscow prince, and our compatriot - Novgorodian Dmitry Syrkov. As a result of their joint efforts, a five-domed church was erected, crowned with domes - bulbs. In terms of it, he represents an elongated quadrilateral with three semicircles, in which altars are located.

Frescoes and carvings of the work of ancient masters

Very interesting is the painting of the cathedral that survived for many years. Its author is a famous icon painter of the late XVIII century - Login Shustov. His frescoes, painted over the images that were lost before, created by the masters of the Novgorod school in the XVI century, reached us in excellent condition.

One of the sights of the cathedral, in which the male Tikhvin Bogorodichny Uspensky monastery stores the shrine sent to him, is a carved iconostasis - a work of masters of the XVII century. Despite the fact that it is filled with icons of modern writing (ancient originals are in the collections of the State Russian Museum), it can be attributed to the unique examples of applied art.

Travel miraculous image overseas

The famous icon, kept in the temple, experienced amazing events already in the XX century. It is known that after the October armed coup, the temples of the monastery were transferred to the renovation church, and in the thirties they were completely closed. The miraculous image of the Virgin became part of the museum exposition. During the war the city was occupied by the Germans, and when they retreated they took the icon out of Tikhvin and sent to Pskov.

The further way of the icon ran through Riga, Libava and Jablontsi, until it reached the end of the war in Germany, on the territory of the American occupation zone. From there the icon was taken by Metropolitan John to America and for a long time was in Chicago. In his will, he ordered to return it to a historical place only after the male Tikhvin Mother of God Uspensky Monastery has been completely restored and monastic life will resume in it.

When, with the onset of democratic changes in the country, the attitude to religion changed radically, the whole complex of monastic buildings was handed over to believers. This happened in 1995. At the same time, a miracle-working image returned from overseas, so miraculously revealed more than five centuries ago in the waves of Lake Ladoga. Now it can be seen in the middle of the temple, on one of the pillars supporting the roof.

Gate Church, survived hard times

One can not help mentioning one more building, which is of great artistic and historical interest. This is the gate church of the monastery, which remained the last in the Soviet period to continue its activities throughout the province. It is known that in 1669 the main entrance to the monastery was decorated with a stone tower, called the Vvedensky Gate. Two years later, in its upper tier, a church was built, where they placed a shrine, for the worship of which the stream of pilgrims did not run out to the monastery. In 1860-1865, a wooden staircase leading to the image was replaced by a stone staircase, built according to the design of the famous architect NL Benois and named "Krylychko".

Monastery in our days

As it was said above, during the Soviet period the monastery was closed, and its buildings were used for a long time for household needs, until in the seventies they were transferred to the disposal of the local history museum. Tikhvin Bogorodichny Assumption Monastery, whose history in many ways resembles the fate of other Russian monasteries, once again became the property of the church only thanks to the victory of perestroika and the subsequent changes.

Today, among hundreds of Russian monasteries, reborn after a period of hard times and newly built, a worthy place is occupied by the one that was laid in honor of the famous icon for the entire Orthodox world. Like many years ago, the glory of him and his people far exceeded the edge of the province. This is the Tikhvin Bogorodichny Assumption Monastery.

The comments left by the visitors of the holy monastery speak of the high continuity of the present generation of monks and their predecessors who have devoted themselves to the search for ways to save the soul. Many pilgrims also testify to the blessed assistance given to them through prayers before the miraculous image.

Advice to future pilgrims

A natural question of interest to all who wish to visit the Tikhvin Bogorodichny Assumption Monastery - how to get there? It is not difficult to do this. You can use either an electric train departing from the Moscow railway station of St. Petersburg, or an intercity bus leaving the embankment of the Obvodny Canal of the Northern Capital. Owners of the same personal transport can get there by driving along Murmansk highway M118 to the river Volkhov. Turning to the right, along highway A 118 they will soon arrive in Tikhvinsky Bogorodichny Assumption Monastery, whose address: Tikhvin, ul. Tikhvinskaya d. 1.