The Valdai Iversky Bogoroditsky Holy Lake Orthodox Monastery, located on the Selvitsky (Ryabinov) Island of Valdai Lake, became one of those that were founded in the 17th century after a half-century break caused by the hardships of the Time of Troubles.

View of the Iversky Monastery from the South Gate. 2013

The creation of the monastery was preceded by truly providential events and, undoubtedly, influenced not only the fate of the monastery itself, but also the course of Russian history, the fate of the Russian Orthodox and Ecumenical Church.

On the example of the monastery, the process of uniting the primordially united Orthodox peoples who lived in Russia, Belarus, and Ukraine is most clearly presented. The Iberian Monastery gave unique examples of not just living together, but also the amazing co-creation of Russian, Belarusian, Ukrainian masters, laymen and monks. The monastery was the first (and later two more monasteries created by the patriarch: the New Jerusalem and the Cross monasteries) showed that the Third Rome was not a pure theory, but a concrete act. In the 17th century, on Russian soil, it was created by His Holiness Patriarch Nikon, who collected and inherited the Orthodox power and holiness of Greece, Palestine, Constantinople, concentrating them in specially marked, sacred places in Russia. Moreover, the first such point was marked on the most ancient Russian land - Novgorod, in Valdai.

It should be noted that at all times our people clearly understood why on the most powerful tower of the Iberian monastery, Nikonovskaya, something was built that cannot be found anywhere else in Russia - a single-headed gilded eagle, which here is not a heraldic symbol or a sign of foreign statehood. Nikon's enemies saw in this eagle a claim to the sole power of the church and the patriarch in Russia and made reproaches to the Holy One, why, they say, this eagle is single-headed, and not double-headed, which it has always been in Russia. The double-headed eagle meant the unity of the state and the church, the authorities of the worldly (sovereign) and spiritual (patriarch). And if in the patriarchal Iberian monastery the eagle was single-headed, they believed in the Nikon opposition, then Nikon excludes one of the branches of power from the essence of Russian life, and, obviously, excludes royal, autocratic power. Others, also disagreeing with His Holiness, saw in the single-headed eagle a symbol of the Polish-Lithuanian state and noted this as a sign of treason, especially since there was a war with Poland at that time. The patriarch blessed the tsar for the Polish campaign, and he himself raised the Polish symbol over his monastery and the Valdai royal palace possessions. Yes, in addition, he brought captive Poles and "refugees from the Polish border" to Valdai, whom he made the core of the monastic brethren.

Indeed, “from beyond the Polish border” many came to Valdai, to the Russian Patriarch for protection, “coming from under the Poles”, becoming refugees, so as not to “stand under the Uniyats”. These were the most steadfast and sincere Orthodox Christians of Belarus and other neighboring lands. Their appearance in Valdai was very important in the arrangement of the new monastery, it was important for strengthening it with well-established, praying shrines, it was important for the spiritual strengthening of the elders who had extensive monastic experience. At the same time, the single-headed eagle was a sign of the unification of Orthodoxy into a single force - the Third Rome. It is also noteworthy that the Iberian monastery was founded exactly 200 years after the fall of the Second Rome, Byzantium, inheriting its tradition of gathering the Orthodox world around itself, which was emphasized by the top of the Nikon tower. Traditions claimed that as long as the Nikon Tower holds a single-headed eagle above it, until then Orthodoxy will be strong in the world, Orthodox states and peoples will be strong.

The book of the Iberian press, which tells about the history of the creation of the monastery, is called symbolically - "Paradise of the Mind". The book includes materials written by His Holiness Patriarch Nikon himself, for whom the theme of heaven on earth was very important. The patriarch directly points to the similarity of this place to paradise. And the point is not only in the God-given beauty of Valdai, but also in the power of grace, which does not let go of itself: If anyone does not want to believe this, let him tempt with things: I remember the grace of God and I’m tempted to know the kindness of places for monastic cohabitation, but nowhere is such a red sight; If someone would by skill desire to see that holy place temporarily, I think that no one will desire to leave it forever” 1 .

Small Synodicon of the Iversky Monastery. XVII-XVIII centuries. Museum of the county town. Valdai

Nikon saw these places earlier, when he was Metropolitan of Novgorod. Even then, he realized that Valdai was suitable for monastic life like no other place. Soon, the thoughts about the need to mark these places as a monastery were strengthened by several circumstances at once.

In 1652, in accordance with the conciliar decision and the will of Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich, Metropolitan Nikon of Novgorod went to the Solovetsky Monastery to transfer to Moscow the relics of St. Philip, Metropolitan of Moscow and All Russia. The saint suffered during the reign of Ivan the Terrible for denouncing the royal iniquities and cruelties. In a special letter of repentance, compiled on the model of a letter written to St. John Chrysostom, Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich (largely according to Nikon's teaching) repented for his "great-grandfather" John Vasilyevich, recognized the guilt of the tsar and expressed respect for the martyrdom of the saint. Nikon read the royal letter before the tomb of St. Philip and offered repentance on behalf of the king for the iniquity of his ancestor. Metropolitan Nikon with a solemn procession returned with the relics of St. Philip, who performed many miracles and healings, to Moscow. On the way, in a dream vision, the slain Saint Philip appeared to him and blessed his intention to build a monastery in Valdai, “contributing and strengthening for this good deed” 2 .

Then Nikon made a vow to St. Philip to fulfill his dream vision and to build a monastery on the Valdai "foretold island" 3 .

In the spring of 1652, when Nikon was on a Solovki trip, Patriarch Joseph reposed. Upon Nikon's return with the relics of St. Philip to Moscow, the primatial rank 5 passed to him, "former elevated to the highest and great throne" 4 .

At the beginning of July 1653, on the anniversary of the transfer of the relics of St. Philip, during the all-night vigil, Patriarch Nikon again clearly presented how he received the blessing of the great hierarch for the construction of the Valdai monastery. And then Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich “prayed prudently” to help fulfill the promise. The sovereign approved the intention of his "common friend" and granted his palace lands in the region of Valdai 6 for the establishment of the monastery.

Iberian Monastery. Engraving by A. Stepanov based on a drawing by A. Makushev. 1824. Museum of the county town. Valdai

The Patriarch gives his blessing to deal with the affairs of the new monastery, Archimandrite of the Novgorod Holy Spirit Monastery Jacob, known to Nikon as a “skillful master” 7 , and already in August 1653 he writes him orders to prepare everything necessary for the future monastery 8 .

At the same time, the patriarch sends craftsmen to Valdai, "the masters of the structure" in order to choose a place "to create a monastery."

“They walked and walked a lot and looked everywhere: and having found a single island among others, it’s not very big, but it’s very red and surrounded by fishing: and having come announcing me about the holy place, I commanded the forest to visit it, it’s already over the summer the transient and the present and winter approaching…” 9 Masters not only chose a place, but also made a plan of the island and future buildings on it. In September 1653/54 10, both Patriarch Nikon and Archimandrite Jacob had this plan. His Holiness sends a letter to Valdai, in which he blesses the construction of the Iversky Monastery, and sends from Moscow the Iberian icon and many things necessary for "church needs" 11 .

This blessed patriarchal letter emphasizes that “the Most Holy Theotokos and the miracle-worker Philip deigned to be a monastery in that place” 12 .

According to a legend that has existed in Valdai for many centuries, on one elevated place of Ryabinovy ​​Island, when approaching the present monastery, the Holy Mother of God appeared to the founders of the monastery and indicated exactly where to build the monastery. This place is still revered by pilgrims today and is called the Mother of God Hill.

Icon of St. James of Borovichi and St. Tikhon with the Iberian Icon. Beginning of the XX century. Museum of the county town. Valdai

In a letter given in 1654 by Patriarch Nikon to Archimandrite Dionysius, it is written that the island is not only very beautiful, but also “for the cohabitation of monastic life”, and also “it is very necessary for the monastery building” 13.

Iberian construction begins with the erection of temporary wooden buildings and the request of the most holy one so that only "not to belittle the monastery" 14 .

Vasily Naumov 15, an apprentice stone worker who arrived from Moscow in September 1653/54, plans to place the original wooden buildings in such a way that they do not interfere with future stone construction.

In October 1653/54, the monastery was given a blessed letter from Metropolitan Macarius of Novgorod for the construction of a wooden cathedral church in the name of the Most Pure Mother of God of Iver and a wooden church with a warm meal (the word “refectory” is now more commonly used) in the name of the miracle worker Philip, Metropolitan of Moscow and All Russia 16 . In mid-October 1653/54, the cold collegiate church was ready. For this purpose, a wooden temple was brought from the village of Edrovo 17 . This was done not only “for the sake of haste”, but also on the basis of the established tradition to establish an old church in a new place, transferring the grace of Orthodoxy.

They hurried with the construction of the temple in order to have time to complete it before the onset of winter cold. Seeing the picture of construction, the patriarch worries: “It would be nice to add more space for the monastery, so that it would be more spacious for every measure” 18 . Nikon makes a "scale painting" for the temple - about 10 sazhens, determining to build it "on basements with porches", on the model of the Novgorod Kirillov or Solovetsky monasteries 19 .

Cathedral in honor of the Iberian Icon of the Mother of God (1655–1656), the bell tower of the monastery (1680s) and the Ritual Court of the 17th century. 2015

In order to speed up the construction, it was ordered to completely prepare the logs for construction right in the forest, collecting them into mansions and transporting ready-made cells "along the winter path" to the monastery.

The first monastery church was completed in October 1653/54, and the porches around it were added later, in April 1654 20 . For this church, in September 1653/54, all the necessary “church utensils” 21 were delivered from Moscow, in which the Iverskaya Icon of the Mother of God occupied a special place - an exact list of the miraculous image on a cypress board, overlaid with a gold frame with precious stones, sent earlier by the archimandrite of Iverskaya monastery on Athos Pachomius at the request of the then archimandrite of the Novospassky Monastery, the future Patriarch Nikon.

The royal gates were also delivered, “lined with camphor silver” 22 . Already in March 1654 they were replaced by new ones lined with gilded copper 23 . The Basma gates were transferred to the refectory church, where they existed at the beginning of the 20th century, being in the church in the name of the Descent of the Holy Spirit on the apostles 24 .

The biggest event of the beginning period of the construction of the monastery and the Iberian temple was the transfer of holy relics to Valdai.

On February 25, 1654, Patriarch Nikon arrived at the Iberian Monastery. By this time, a silver-gilded reliquary had been arranged with his care. His Holiness personally transferred from the old dilapidated shrine to the new relics of the holy righteous Jacob of Borovichi, which had just been delivered from Borovichi to the Iversky Monastery. The reliquary was installed in a specially designated place for it in a wooden cathedral church 25 . The transfer of the relics of the Monk Jacob, as a shrine highly revered locally, regionally, as well as particles of the relics of the All-Russian saints, primarily the Moscow hierarchs Peter, Alexy, Jonah, Philip, was undertaken with the aim of glorifying, and most importantly, establishing the new monastery, whose Christian power is now prayerfully preserved by these holy prayers, who became the heavenly patrons of the Iberian Monastery. At that time, as the patriarch himself writes, there were 52 inhabitants in the monastery - 26 monks and the same number of novices 26 .

Window of the Rector's building (2nd half of the 17th century), decorated with glazed tiles. 2015

His Holiness bakes a lot “for the sake of brotherly peace” 27, constantly repeating: “For God’s sake, be merciful to the brothers, and to the peasants, and to all who live in that holy monastery” 28, “and take care of the brethren, for God’s sake, and rest, as if their relatives' children" 29 . The names of the first Iberian tonsurers are known: Diodorus (in the world Dmitry) and Varukh (in the world Vladimir). They were sent by the patriarch to be tonsured at the Iberian Monastery in September 1653/54 30 .

In a letter sent by Metropolitan Macarius of Novgorod to the Iversky Monastery in October 1653/54, the order and sequence of the consecration of the first monastery churches were described 31 . Since the consecration of the Church of the Most Holy Mother of God of Iberia, Vladyka has blessed “vespers and matins, and masses to serve for six weeks on all days, without translation” 32 . It is proposed to consecrate the church of St. Philip with a meal in the same way, but not simultaneously with the cathedral church, but no less than six weeks after the consecration of the first church, so that it would not be a day “without singing” and that services at that time would take place only in it .

Having approved the Iberian Cathedral Church with an Orthodox prayer, after several months of the winter cold, the refectory church was also laid. The antimension was given to him by Metropolitan Macarius back in October 1653/54, simultaneously with the antimension for the Church of the Iberian Mother of God.

According to the vow given during the Solovetsky trip, the patriarch consecrates the refectory church in the name of St. Philip 33 . The construction was carried out in the spring of 1654: “And you would cut a meal against our previous decree, what kind of drawing was given to you; and you would be ordered to make the ceiling lamellar, instead of a ceiling; but to chop the meal together with the church, and not chop it to the old church” 34 . The same patriarchal charter determined the need to make a porch near the cathedral church and transitions from it to the refectory chamber, as well as to build a new large bread-box 35 .

In October 1653/54, the patriarch informs the monastery: “And the sovereign tsar and empress empress empress, they have great faith in the house of the Most Holy Theotokos, and their sovereigns have many mercy, and henceforth they promised to keep faith and mercy” 36. And in fact, on December 8, 1653/54, a royal refusal letter was signed on the assignment to the Iversky Monastery of several rows in the region of Novgorod, Borovichi, Vyshny Volochok, Ostashkov, as well as the Borovichsky Yakovlevsky Monastery 37 . In March 1654, the sovereign transferred to the monastery an even greater number of estates, including the village of Valdai, which he renamed Bogoroditino 38 .

Burials behind the main cathedral of the Iversky Monastery. Photo from the beginning of the 20th century. Museum of the county town. Valdai

Materials for the Iberian construction were procured within the confines of the monastery. Already in the autumn of 1653 - in the winter of 1654, material was being prepared not only for wooden buildings being built in the most urgent manner, necessary for housing and services, but also for future stone construction 39 .

By the spring of 1655, everything was ready for this. Masons, carpenters, blacksmiths, tinkers came to the Selvitsky Island of Valdai Lake from all regions of Russia ... But master Vasily Naumov was not among those who came to the Iberian construction site at that crucial moment.

Many circumstances, including the pestilence of 1654-1655, made adjustments to Nikon's plans and the course of construction. It was at this time that the name of the apprentice stoneworker V. Naumov (possibly who died of a “deadly ulcer”) disappears from the monastery documents, and in May 1655, an apprentice stoneworker from Kalyazin, Averky Mokeev, appears at the construction site.

In 1654-1655, in the Kalyazinsky Trinity-Makarevsky Monastery, the patriarch sheltered the royal family from the epidemic. The sovereign was very grateful to him: “greater than before ... he began to repay with his royal love” 40 . At this time, the grateful Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich was signing en masse letters of commendation to the patriarch for the Iversky Monastery 41 .

The oak gates of the Iversky Cathedral are a preserved detail of the original decoration (2nd half of the 17th century). 2015

In Kalyazin, Patriarch Nikon met Averky Mokeev, an apprentice stone worker, taking him to his Valdai construction site. His Holiness demanded from the monastic authorities "to do stone work according to the old salary" 42 . But the subtleties of the originality of the construction project, conceived and embodied in architectural plans and models by another master, Mokeev had to constantly explain. And this was most often done by the patriarch himself.

A huge role in organizing the construction process was played by the patriarchal bailiff boyar son Artemy Tokmachev. The archimandrites, governors, treasurers and craftsmen changed, but it is important that during the entire patriarchal period there was always a person at the monastery who knew the history of architectural designs, the course of construction, the intricacies of crafts and was able to negotiate with the saint, and with the brethren, and "with working people." The patriarch composed the so-called "mandatory memory" for A. Tokmachev, which he dutifully executed, trying to "take care of the stone structure" 43 .

The main monastery church was built in two construction seasons. Apprentice stonemason A. Mokeev, masons and bricklayers left Valdai for the off-season. A few masons remained "for the sake of making bells for shoes" 44 , i.e. help in creating a brick core and a clay casing for a grandiose bell, conceived by Patriarch Nikon. The chief evangelist of the Iversky Monastery cast in September 1656/57, the sovereign master Alexander Grigoriev 45 . In September-October, when the bricklayers had already left the construction site, the carpenters finished covering the cathedral roof, placed wooden domes over the side porches, and the silversmiths prepared temple crosses 46 .

In the report for the season of 1656, A. Tokmachev reports that in addition to the main temple, 7 new cells, 12 warm huts were built, work is underway to build powerful wooden walls with 10 towers and 4 gates. In addition, during this season, 730,740 bricks were made, almost all of which went to the construction of the cathedral, as well as cell ovens and "kilns for bell making" 47 .

On August 15, 1656, the still unfinished cathedral was consecrated by the rite of small consecration by Patriarch Macarius of Antioch, who arrived at the monastery. Paul of Aleppo, who was present at this event, describes a rare procedure for laying the thrones of the temple and gives one of the first descriptions of the monastery 48 .

Domes of the Iversky Cathedral. 2015

The solemn consecration of the church took place on December 16, 1656/57, in the presence of His Holiness Patriarch Nikon, who was co-served by Metropolitan Macarius of Novgorod, Metropolitan Pitirim of Krutitsk, Archbishop Lavrentiy of Tver and other archimandrites, abbots, and priests.

The Iberian Icon of the Mother of God, placed in a cypress case, was installed in the cathedral iconostasis on the left side of the royal doors, as the main temple icon 49 .

Paul of Aleppo wrote: “The icon is beyond any surprise, it strikes the eyes and mind of the viewer: there is no one like it even in the treasuries of the king, nor in his churches…” 50

Among the events that preceded the celebrations of the glorification of the Iberian Icon and the consecration of the main temple of the monastery, the resettlement in 1655 to Valdai from Belarus of the inhabitants of the Kuteinsky Orsha Epiphany Monastery and members of the Kuteinsky Brotherhood at this monastery was important. Their arrival in the Iversky Monastery largely determined its further development.

Belarusian monks went to Russia under the leadership of the recognized and revered elder Joel, who founded and equipped a number of Orthodox monasteries, which were destined to become a stronghold of Orthodoxy in Belarus and Lithuania. Elder Joel himself departed to another world on the way to Valdai, bequeathing to bury him in the Iberian monastery intended for him to live. He wished "even after his death to maintain extreme obedience to the great archpastor" 51 .

Carved columns of the gates of the Iberian Cathedral. 2015

Here it is necessary to deviate from the chronology and talk about the Iversky necropolis. Thoughts about its creation in the main temple of the Iversky Monastery and near its altar were indicated by Patriarch Nikon already at the very beginning of construction.

The idea of ​​death as a new birth for the Kingdom of Heaven, which is very important for the Christian worldview, is already emphasized by the very location of the burial places - in the eastern part of the monastery: as in the City of the Lord - the graves are in the east, where the gardens are. On the Valdai Iver, the image of the Garden of Eden, Vertograd, Paradise on Earth, arranged behind the main temple (to the east of it), is combined with the place where the Iberian inhabitants and monastic guardians from the laity are buried forever.

The abbots of the monastery were buried inside the temple, and this is seen as the continuity of the ancient Christian tradition, reminiscent of the fact that the physical end of a person's life is a transition to another world. And it is the Church that ensures this transition, linking the worlds below and above. The resting places in the temple and near it provide an opportunity to give a constant prayerful commemoration, thereby appealing to God's intercession for these departed.

The chronological framework of the Iversky necropolis can be traced from 1655 to 2012.

The very first temple burial was the burial of Igumen of the Epiphany Kuteinsky Monastery Joel Trutsevich in the spring of 1655. He created and equipped the stronghold of Orthodoxy in Belarus and Lithuania 52 . Under his control was not only Kuteinsky, but also other monasteries, including Buynitsky Holy Spirits. Hegumen Joel transfers the inhabitants and members of the brotherhood formed at the Kuteinsky and Buynitsky monasteries to Valdai 53 . It should be noted that the temples at the refectory chamber of the Iversky Monastery were consecrated in the same name as the main thrones of these monasteries: the Church of the Epiphany and the Holy Spirit Church, in which icons, church utensils, vestments, books brought by Belarusians from their churches to Valdai were gracefully equipped.

The Royal Gates and a fragment of the iconostasis of the Iberian Cathedral. 2015

Hegumen Joel happened to keep piety in White Russia and, saving him, lead his monks out of the oppression of the Uniates to Russia, to Patriarch Nikon in the monastery.

The abbot did not reach the Valdai Monastery, having departed to the Lord on the road, in the town of Boldino, but he bequeathed to rest in the Iberian Monastery.

In 1656, in his efforts to consecrate the main Iberian church, his saint made a special point to indicate the need to solemnly remove the temple grave of hegumen Joel, who was buried behind a high place in the eastern part of the porch 54 . And at the beginning of the 20th century, a slab with an inscription worn away from time at the place of his burial was a special relic of the Iberian monastery 55 .

In the monastery sacristy, and then in the Nikon Museum, an iron paraman with a cross worn by Abbot Joel 56 was reverently kept.

Soon, his disciples and associates, who became Iberian archimandrites in the 17th century, were buried next to Abbot Joel in the porch of the temple. Let's name them.

Archimandrite Dionysius II - from the governors of the Kuteinsky monastery, the successor of hegumen Joel. He ruled the Iberian monastery from March 1655 in the rank of hegumen 58 , and in August 1655 he was consecrated archimandrite by His Holiness Patriarch Nikon 59 . In February 1658, he beat the patriarch with his forehead, asking him to dismiss him, due to old age and infirmity, from the archimandrite. His Holiness gave his blessing to remain in the archimandrite “until… God is pleased to live,” with the release of old age from church services and rules 60 . On August 26, 1658, Archimandrite Dionisy reposed blissfully 61 .

Church of Michael the Archangel (1683–1685) above the inner monastery gates. 2015

Archimandrite Joseph I was a short term archimandrite; having retired, he died on April 6, 1660 62.

Even under Archimandrite Dionysius II, Hieromonk Filofey 63 was the governor of the Iberian monastery. He was consecrated to archimandrite by His Holiness Patriarch Nikon in 1658/59. He died on April 18, 1669 and was buried in the Iberian Church 65 .

Painting of the Iversky Cathedral. Restoration of the beginning of the XXI century. 2015

In 1669, the former abbot of the Buinitsky monastery Theodosius was promoted to Iberian archimandrite. In the table charter given to him by Metropolitan Pitirim of Novgorod, it is said: “It is fitting for such a pastor to be God-loving and human-loving, and church fulfillment without laziness to be diligent, meek and humble, sober and chaste, govein, hospitable and instructive, not a drunkard, not quarrelsome and not a crook, a watcher, not an envious, not a lover of money ... take care of those who are under him, and drive mental wolves away from the flock of divine words and prophetic and apostolic and fatherly traditions with slings, and act all divine and sacred rites ... ”66 Archimandrite Theodosius died, at rest , October 18, 1672 67 .

As early as May 1672, another archimandrite 68 was in the Iversky Monastery, the successor of Father Theodosius, who was Abbot of Iversky for a long time - Father Eumenius, who died on July 19, 1681 and was buried in the cathedral church 69 .

Archimandrite Zosima, one of the governors of Iberian, after the death of his father Evmeny, was elected from among the brethren according to the Kuteinsky charter, and was not an archimandrite for long. Reposed in 1682 70 .

In monastic documents for August 1682, Joseph II is mentioned as an archimandrite 71 . He rested on January 6, 1692 72 .

In connection with the death of Archimandrite Joseph II, the brethren appeal to Patriarch Adrian with a request to bless Hieromonk Theognost, a tonsured Iberian, chosen from among them according to the ancient Kutein rank 73 . Chosen in this way, Archimandrite Theognost died on October 28, 1693, and was laid to rest in church 74.

On the bell tower of the Iversky Monastery (2nd half of the 17th century.). 2015

Probably, archimandrites Benjamin I, Filaret, Seraphim, Avraamy, Triphyllius 75, who ruled the monastery in the first half of the 18th century, were buried in the Iberian Church, but no documentary evidence of this was found.

Archimandrite Abraham, who was transferred to Iver from the Paleostrovsky Monastery in 1733, left a special mark on the history of the monastery. He managed the Iversky Monastery until 1747. Under him, the monastery received complete independence from the Alexander Nevsky Lavra, carried out active construction activities, the arrangement of temples and their shrines, pilgrimage buildings, outbuildings. In 1742, Archbishop Ambrose of Novgorod and Velikolutsk awarded Archimandrite Avraamy with a silver gilded pectoral cross with particles of holy relics for his efforts in furnishing the Iversky Monastery.

The burials of the abbots of the Iversky monastery of the 19th century are known:

Veniamin II (Zhukov), in the monastery since 1809, from the archimandrites of the Kirillo-Belozersky Monastery (+ May 14, 1811) 76 ; Gerasim (Gaidukova), in the monastery since 1822, from the archimandrites of the Vyazhishchi monastery and the stewards of the Novgorod Bishop's House (+ February 25, 1829) 77 ; Innokenty II (Areshnikov), in the monastery since 1840, from the archimandrites of the Kirillo-Belozersky Monastery (+ September 28, 1847) 78 ; Lawrence (Makarov), in the monastery since 1854, from the abbots of the Kiev-Vydubitsky monastery (+ July 2, 1876) 79 .

A description of the burial place of Archimandrite Lavrenty has been preserved. It was located in the western part of the cathedral porch, to the left of the entrance to the temple, and was marked with a marble slab and an icon of the heavenly patron archimandrite with the image of the holy archdeacon Lawrence. This image was placed in a marble frame along with a maternal blessing - the icon of the Akhtyrskaya Mother of God, with which Archimandrite Lavrenty never parted. Over the place of his repose, lovingly arranged by his spiritual children, an unquenchable lamp burned 80 . Everyone who entered the temple prayerfully commemorated Father Lavrenty, beloved by everyone and who took great care of the monastery.

Unfortunately, the tombstones over the graves of the abbots of the Iversky monastery in the porch of the temple have not been preserved. Information about burials was obtained from written sources.

Silhouette of an angel with a pipe on the spire of the Skitskaya tower of the 18th century. Photo by M.V. Nashchokina. 2014

Now a place is being arranged for the Iberian necropolis in the monastery garden, behind the cathedral, fragments of tombstones, recently discovered on the territory of the monastery, have been brought together. In the Soviet years, the necropolis was destroyed. But out of the many destroyed graves, two mundane burials miraculously survived, made in the 1860-1870s with the blessing of Archimandrite Lavrenty: I.V. Kopylov-Orlov and the Panaev family 81 . Since these are the only surviving old burials, we will describe them in detail.

Ilya Vasilievich Kopylov-Orlov (1795–1862) 82 was buried in the southeastern part of the Iversky Monastery, behind the altar of the main cathedral, in August 1862. In September 1863, through the efforts of Archimandrite Lavrenty, a monument was erected on his grave, ordered by the widow of Kopylov-Orlov, Praskovya Ivanovna. In the summer of 1863, she lived at the invitation of her spiritual mentor, Fr. Lawrence on the Iver 83. The monument to the anniversary of the death of Ilya Vasilyevich, which fell on August 20, 1863, was not yet ready.

In a letter to Praskovya Ivanovna dated September 13, 1863, Archimandrite Lavrenty writes: “The monument that lay like a stone on your heart is now splendidly flaunting in its place, day and night visible from my windows. Your poetic, Christian idea has been fulfilled, for your patience it is completely satisfactory in my opinion ... "84

The monument was a dark granite lectern covered with a white marble shroud with gilded fringes. On the lectern lay an open Gospel with the text: "Come to me, all you who labor and are burdened, and I will give you rest." A gilded cross 85 rose above the lectern. During the Soviet years, the golden fringe, the cross and the Gospel were lost. The sketch of the monument was prepared by the actor I.I. Sosnitsky.

On the south side of the lectern is engraved: “Ilya Vasilyevich Kopylov-Orlov. He died on August 20, 1862, in the 70th year. On the east side is the epitaph:

Lord, at that hour when the trumpet
Doomsday will sound,
Accept the deceased slave
To their blessed villages 86 .

I.V. Kopylov-Orlov was an actor in the Alexandrinsky (1825–1828) and Maly (1828–1848) theaters, worked in Odessa, Kyiv, Kaluga, Serpukhov and other places87. He was a nobleman, which is quite rare in an acting environment, he was brought up in the Mining Corps 88.

In 1835, at the age of 42, he married 19-year-old actress Praskovya Kulikova, a graduate of the Moscow Theater School, who had been playing at the Maly Theater since the age of 15.

Ilya Vasilyevich's unbalance, irascibility, habit of subordinating everyone to his desires made, in the end, their marriage impossible 89 . Having lived together under the same roof (both home and stage) for 16 years, they broke up, officially continuing to be considered spouses.

Archimandrite Lavrenty, calling Praskovya Ivanovna "a bird in the sky", encourages her to leave stage 90 in 1860, and after the death of Ilya Vasilyevich blesses her second marriage. At the same time, he writes from Iver: “You married the first husband as a human being, or according to the flesh, and for the second according to your soul, at will, to work hard and be useful not to yourself, but to your neighbors. You saw the cold dawn from the first marriage, for it was in ordinary forms, and the second in the forms of morally self-sacrificing, believe me, it will bring you abundant fruit. PI Orlova-Savina devotes herself to charity, helping churches and monasteries, and Christian service 92 . The Archbishop of Tver Filofey even once said to her: “Why did you go only to Moscow or Iver, you should pray to the saint Nilu ...” 93

In addition to money, she donated stones to decorate the oklad, made in 1866 for the Iberian icon 94 , and icons for the main temple of the monastery 95 were arranged by her. Her attitude towards Kopylov-Orlov was also a peculiar act of mercy and Christian love. In 1862, she assigned him for treatment to the Maximilian Hospital in St. Petersburg, visited him, bought medicines and paid for doctors, took care of organizing his travel to Borovichi. Having received the news that Ilya Vasilyevich is in a serious condition, she immediately leaves for him. Praskovya Ivanovna arrived two hours before his death, having managed to say goodbye and pray not only for him, but also for the Lord to forgive them both, who were unable to arrange their lives and therefore suffering. After her prayer and words of forgiveness, he quietly died 96 .

Archimandrite Joseph with the priests of the Valdai district near the Rector's building. Photo from the beginning of the 20th century. Museum of the county town. Valdai

Not wanting to leave the deceased in a strange city, where there would be no one to remember him, she ordered him to be taken to the Iberian Monastery, where she often visited herself and where, with the blessing of Metropolitan Isidor, a relative of Ilya Vasilyevich - V.A. Tegleva, "old noblewoman" lived , as the abbess of Leushin Taisia ​​says about her 97 . She was the spiritual daughter of Archimandrite Lavrenty, "a God-loving widow who did much good to the elder" and arranged his grave, located in the western part of the gallery of the main church 98 . “The humble widow,” as Father Lavrenty called her, 99 also took care of the grave of Kopylov-Orlov.

In 1870, with the blessing of Archimandrite Lavrentiy, the Panaev family burial vault was built in the Iversky Monastery, located in the northeastern part of the monastery, in the garden. It is an elegant chapel, rising on a high plinth, inside of which the actual tomb is located. There, under three stone sarcophagi, the ashes of members of the Panaev family rest. The entrance to the tomb is through the western lower small door, above which there is a large paneled door leading to the chapel. A two-flight light metal staircase descends from the right and left sides of the entrance to the chapel. All four facades are decorated with triangular pediments. The complex tent form of the roof ends with a low tent topped with a cross.

The tomb was erected by Valeryan Alexandrovich Panaev (1824–1899), cousin of the famous I.I. Panaev (1812–1862), journalist, writer, co-editor of the Nekrasov magazine Sovremennik. V.A. Panaev, like his brother Ippolit, who also took part in the construction of the tomb, was a railway engineer. The brothers graduated from the Corps of Railway Engineers and decided to serve at the Nikolaev railway under construction, taking part in the survey, design, and operation of the Moscow-Petersburg railway 100.

Panaev was also the author of books on economics and railway construction, a publicist, and the creator of the musical, so-called "Panaevsky" theater in St. Petersburg. With the money earned by him and his brother Ippolit on the construction of the Kursk-Kiev railway, they decided to build a tomb with a chapel for their mother, Elena Matveevna Panaeva (nee Lalaeva), who was buried in the Iversky Monastery 101 .

Soon, quite unexpectedly for V.A. Panaev, another burial place had to be prepared here - for his youngest daughter, Valentina.

Necropolis of the Iversky Monastery. Modern look. 2014

Valentina Valerianovna Schulenburg (1855–1875) died after childbirth. For less than a year and a half, she was married to Count Ivan Karlovich Schulenburg (1850–1891), a lieutenant of the Cavalier Guard Regiment, a friend of P.P. Diaghilev, who married another daughter of V.A. Panaev, Elena.

The boy (Sergey Shulenburg) who remained after the death of Valentina was raised by his grandmother, Sofya Mikhailovna Panaeva (1830–1912).

Valentina Shulenburg (nee Panaeva) in her youth gave the impression of a serious, silent, rarely laughing person 102 . Recalling the last months of her life, E.V. Diaghileva notices that her usual silence disappeared at those moments when she saw little Seryozha Diaghilev (the future “great impresario” - S.P. Diaghilev), for whom she had a touching tenderness. Whenever she came to see her sister Elena, she immediately went to the nursery and spent the whole time of her visit talking to her nephew Seryozha. During these moments, she spoke non-stop. And the boy looked at her with his huge black eyes, hugged her neck, thoughtfully stroked her cheek and said: “Aunt Lina, why are you so velvety?” 103 And it was impossible to find a better definition for Valentina Valerianovna. All her peculiar beauty, and everything that was put on her, and the way she spoke, looked - everything seemed exactly velvet.

She named her son, born on May 20, 1875, in honor of Seryozha Diaghilev - Sergey, and on June 11 she was no longer 104. In turn, Elena Valerianovna, in memory of her deceased sister, named her soon-to-be-born son Valentine. Valentin Pavlovich Diaghilev (1875–1929) - graduate of the Academy of the General Staff, professor, master of military history - will be martyred in the Solovetsky camps. In the same year, 1929, the life of S.P. Diaghilev, who was a special light in the life of Valentina, will also end.

The death of Valentina severely undermined the health of his father, V.A. Panaev 105 . Perhaps Ippolit Panaev hinted at this in his dedication to his brother:

... But thinking about everyone, you remembered your own,
For the good of them, he built a lot of plans
And everyone took care to arrange them -
He arranged for us - but he upset himself ... 106

Arranging the affairs of his relatives, he also took care of his deceased brother, Iliodor Alexandrovich Panaev (1819–1886), who was buried next to his mother and niece in the Iversky Monastery 107 . Iliodor Panaev was an amazingly musical person, dreamed of becoming a great violinist and did everything possible to make his son Achilles Panaev (1862–1919) 108 . He gave the name to his son following the example of Paganini, whom he admired all his life and who called his son Achilles.

Ensemble of the Iversky Monastery with the gate church of Michael the Archangel (1683–1685) and the Nikonovskaya (Mikhailovskaya) tower of the 1680s. 2015

The Panaevs, their children and relatives made large donations to the Iversky Monastery for the maintenance of the tomb and the commemoration of relatives. Elena Valeryanovna's father-in-law, Pavel Dmitrievich Diaghilev (1808–1883) was also a permanent contributor to the monastery 109 . From distant Perm, he made frequent pilgrimages to Iver. In 1858 he brought to the monastery a new silver reliquary for the relics of the holy righteous Jacob of Borovichi. Cancer, arranged by the "zeal of willing donors" and made by the St. Petersburg master A. Verkhovtsev, weighed 3 pounds 29 pounds 5 spools. At the most difficult moment of the journey, P.D. Diaghilev had a miraculous vision of the holy righteous Jacob of Borovichi and was a witness to his invisible help 110 .

The Iberian burials of the Panaevs and I.V. Kopylov-Orlov are connected with the fates of the remarkable Russian people, to whom the Lord granted the eternal right to be intimately connected with both Iver and the wondrous old man and prayer book Archimandrite Lavrenty, who in 1876 found eternal rest in the same monastery.

In the Iversky Monastery, in addition, there is a common mass grave (behind the northern monastery wall) and several personal burials (behind the altar of the main church) of the soldiers of the North-Western Front, who were treated in the monastery hospital in 1941-1943. Today inside the monastery grave crosses mark the graves of Likharev Semyon Mikhailovich (1926–1942) and Yegorov Vasily Yegorovich (1895–1943).

Behind the altar of the main temple are the burial places of today's inhabitants of the monastery. Here are buried those who died in December 2002 during a car accident: Hieromonk Nil (Mikhailov), 09/25/1968 - 12/09/2002; Hieromonk Sergius (Biryukov), 12/06/1972 - 12/19/2002; novice Sergius (Astrakhantsev), 11/18/1974 - 12/09/2002. In 2006, another burial appeared. Archpriest Alexy (Bulanushkin), 01/20/1951 - 10/19/2006, the uncle of Hieromonk Sergius (Biryukov), who was buried here earlier, was buried next to the dead Iberian brothers.

In 2008, Hierodeacon Alexander (Samuylov) was buried on the monastery churchyard, 04/07/1952 - 09/19. 2008. He always sought solitude, but everyone knew him, first of all, as an amazing hard worker, a gardener who lovingly worked in the monastery greenhouses, which he himself built.

On June 30, 2009, the monastery said goodbye to its first abbot, on whose shoulders lay the most difficult job of reviving the Iberian Monastery - abbot Stefan (Popkov), 07/07/1946 - 06/30/2009. He came to the monastery having extensive experience of monastic life and pastoral service. But the monastery as such did not yet exist, it had to be created again after many years of oblivion and spiritual loss...

Wooden crosses with carved inscriptions "Eternal Memory" marked two monastery burials dating back to 2012. Under one of them rests the ashes of the most gentle and respected worker, who for many years carried the obedience of a cattleman and was certainly respectfully referred to by his first name and patronymic - Mikhail Mikhailovich Shcherba, 09/01/1953 - 07/17/2012. And after 11 days, another burial took place in the monastery. The nun Matrona (Bogorosh), who lived in the Iberian monastery at rest, rested in the Lord, 11/6/1930 - 07/28/2012.

The interior of the monastery museum in the Nikon Tower. 2015

Let us return, however, to the times when Belarusian monks appeared in the Iberian monastery. They brought their holy images and books, vestments and church utensils. They delivered to Valdai a drukarnya, where the famous printer Spiridon Sobol worked in Kutein, which served as an impetus for the spread of book business in Russia.

Belarusians shared the secrets of tsenina (how to work with glaze), and soon multi-colored tiled tiles appeared in many parts of Russia. The Kuteins also introduced the Russians to wood and stone carving techniques.

The Belarusians brought, in addition to unique material monuments, also gifts that were much more valuable for arranging and strengthening the church. They introduced the strict order of the Kutein monastic life. It is no coincidence that from the moment the Belarusians appeared in Valdai in 1655, the Iberian archimandrites, abbots, and treasurers, as a rule, were Kuteins. On Ivera, the Kutein rank of ordination to the archimandrites from among the worthy monks only of their own monastery was established. In 1692, Metropolitan Kornily of Novgorod tried to place an archimandrite from another monastery in the Iberian monastery, but the elders wrote back to Patriarch Adrian with a request not to violate the ancient cenobitic kutein rite 111 . The patriarch did not object.

The most important Nikon buildings of the Iversky Monastery and the arrangement of the inner monastic life fall on the time of the archimandrite of the Kuteinsky elder Dionysius, who, following Joel, first accepted the Kuteinsky abbess, and then the Iberian abbess. Later, in order to further strengthen the brethren of the Iversky Monastery, the abbot Philotheus and brother Severian (both from the Kuteins) were sent to Mogilev, Kutein and Kyiv to select the brethren needed in the Iversky Monastery 112 . Thus, in September 1657/58, the elder of the Kiev-Mezhigorsk monastery Joachim Savelov, the future patriarch Joachim 113, appeared in the Iversky Monastery.

In 1689, according to the nominal census of the brethren, 178 monks were listed in the Iversky Monastery, among which immigrants from Belarus and Ukraine are especially noted 114 . True, this was preceded by the exodus of Belarusians (as well as all other inhabitants of the Iberian Monastery) to other monasteries. This was due to the deprivation of Nikon of the patriarchal rank in 1666/67, his exile for life and the closure of the monasteries he created 115 . Archimandrite Philotheus and the brethren were evicted from the monastery at that time. In 1667, he writes: “We endure encroachment on many things that they see us as implacable according to the former Patriarch Nikon” 116 . However, on October 26, 1668/69, the royal charter to the Iversky monastery followed, confirming it among those correctly created and returning its former estates to it 117 . At the same time, a letter followed, restoring Archimandrite Philotheus to his position in the Iberian Monastery 118 .

The monastery, which had been abolished, quickly fell into disrepair, and in the 1660s-1670s it was forced to carry out restoration work on buildings erected in the Nikon era. In 1671, the work of the water supply system was restored, which was carried out by Afonka Fomin and his comrades 119 . At this time, stone bakeries and kvass breweries are being built, work is underway at the refectory. The monastery archers Afonka Fomin, Mikhalka Danilov, Danilko Fedorov are busy with the construction.

Lacking the former highest patronage, the Iversky Monastery was not able to count on construction personnel who arrived at the construction site from other regions, as well as on those material resources that Patriarch Nikon issued at one time for construction. But, having significant land holdings, the property rights to which were returned to the monastery in 1668–1669, the monastery gradually raised the necessary funds for the construction of such significant buildings as the Church of the Archangel Michael, the Rector's, Viceroyal, Fraternal buildings, the bell tower. Thus, the ensemble of the main square of the monastery was finally formed. The grandiose plans of His Holiness Patriarch Nikon have found their final form.

Samples of ancient ceramics in the museum of the monastery. 2015

Active construction at the end of the 17th century was brought to life by a change in the attitude of the secular authorities towards the personality of His Holiness Patriarch Nikon, his return from exile and restoration to the patriarchal rank 120 .

The monastery, however, was waiting for new tests. In 1700, a fire destroyed the church of Iakov Borovichsky with a hospital. Only two years later, a new two-story stone church of Iakov Borovichsky with cells and a refectory was built in its place. On May 11, 1704, an even more terrible fire broke out, in which the main temple, the refectory church, iconostases, the library and other buildings were badly damaged. Burnt tiled architraves were knocked off the facade of the Rector's Building, the windows were torn apart, the walls were plastered and whitewashed - the building stood in this form for more than 300 years. In 2007, the tiled decoration of the Rector's cells was restored. The décor was modeled after a 17th-century tiled architraves, fragmentarily preserved on the eastern wall of the building.

From 1704 to 1710, repairs were carried out in the main temple, and upon completion, the cathedral was consecrated in the name of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary. Saved from the fire, the miraculous Iberian Icon took a new place in the temple - at the right pillar. At the left pillar they placed a shrine with the relics of the holy righteous Jacob of Borovichi. Later, these two main shrines were placed under wooden carved gilded canopies. In a niche arranged in the southern wall, particles of holy relics and 4 silver arks with the relics of Moscow saints, brought in 1654 to the Iberian Monastery by His Holiness Patriarch Nikon, were placed.

But not only the fires of the beginning of the 18th century were a test for the monastery. In 1712, by decree of Tsar Peter I, the Iverskaya monastery was assigned to the St. Petersburg Alexander Nevsky Monastery 122 under construction, where the most valuable things from the Iberian sacristy were transferred. Land holdings were also signed off in favor of St. Petersburg. The Iversky Monastery fell into disrepair and desolation.

In 1730, by the highest order of Empress Anna Ioannovna, the Iberian monastery received independence from the Lavra. The lands were returned, but the things taken to St. Petersburg were never returned 123 .

By 1764 the monastery was listed as the second in the Novgorod diocese. The monastery had 4275 acres of land, 7113 peasants. However, Catherine's secularization of church and monastery lands brings the monastery into ruin: all land holdings are again torn away. But in 1778, the Highest Decree was issued in connection with measures to strengthen economic methods for the maintenance of monasteries, according to which the Iversky Monastery again received the right to use land 124 .

The plight of the monastery was aggravated by the fire of 1825. Appointed at that time as Archimandrite Gerasim Gaidukov, he did everything possible to revive the monastery. Much for the prosperity of the Iversky Monastery in the 1850-1870s was prepared by Archimandrite Lavrenty Makarov 125 . The spiritual glory of Iver was acquired by many inhabitants. Hieromonk Lavrenty, who for a long time served as a cell-attendant under Archimandrite Lavrenty, was revered as a perspicacious and wise elder, with whom the abbots of the monastery held advice 126 . The famous silent and prayer book of Iberian Pakhomiy Valdaisky was known for his humility and diligence. He died, like Seraphim of Sarov, in prayerful kneeling 127 . Monk Nikon, who was named after being tonsured in memory of His Holiness Patriarch Nikon, was a Valdai merchant N.A. Dubinin in the world 128 . He spent 30 years researching the healing properties of the Varnitsa salt springs, discovered by Patriarch Nikon three versts from Valdai 129 , spent his entire fortune on their study 130 , and having left the world for the Iberian Monastery, he did not leave this work.

In 1906-1907 spiritual writer S.A. Nilus lived and worked on Iver 131 . In 1908, on the occasion of the 250th anniversary of the presence of the Iberian Icon in Valdai, he published his "Tale of the Miraculous Iberian Icon" in a separate book.

Letters from S.A. Nilus from Optina Hermitage to the abbot of the Iversky Monastery, Archimandrite Joseph 133 have been preserved. In 1912, S. Nilus again came "to the God-saved and God-loved Valdai", settling near the Iversky Monastery 134 . In the most difficult times of persecution, he found shelter and peace in the Iberian Monastery.

Archimandrite of the Iversky Monastery Joseph (Nikolaevsky). Photo from the beginning of the 20th century. Museum of the county town. Valdai

Many guests came to the Nilus. E. Kontsevich left memories of a trip to the Iversky Monastery on October 12, 1913: “We went to the monastery in a roundabout way on horseback and rode 7 versts instead of three, if we had sailed straight, on a boat. On this day, the eve of Her feast, the Iberian Icon of the Mother of God returns to the monastery for the whole winter, going around several counties during the summer, visiting all the cities, villages and villages along the way.

Upon arrival, towards the end of the day, we went along with the procession to the shore of the lake to the monastery pier to meet the icon. It was a dark autumn evening. They waited not so long: here, against the background of the blackening expanse of water, colored lights appeared - lanterns with which the boat with the icon was decorated. The boat approached the shore and moored. The procession received the icon, and it was carried to the winter temple with candles and singing. On the way, the icon was carried over individual pilgrims, bowed to the ground” 135 .

It describes the return of the miraculous icon from the procession on the eve of the feast of the Iberian Icon of the Mother of God. By this day, the icon will certainly return to Iver after long wanderings, which annually lasted from May to October. A participant in the events draws attention to the long-established custom - to carry the icon over the heads of the worshipers. It was an all-Russian tradition, but in connection with the meeting of the Iberian icon, a special ritual developed. People came out to meet the icon carried in the procession, with new household towels in their hands. Near the icon, the ends of the towels were sewn together - one common long towel was obtained - a white road for the Iverskaya Guide. Then the towels were raised on their hands over the heads of people, and from them, thus, a “gate” was created for the Iberian Goalkeeper. The Iberian icon was led along the towels, she made a detour over the heads of the worshipers, taking them under her Veil. Then the towels were embroidered, each took his own towel home and kept it at the Bozhnitsa. This is seen as a folk interpretation of the texts of the Akathist to the Most Holy Theotokos in honor of the miraculous icon of Her Iberian: “You, as if having an invincible power, cover and protect us, Lady, from all enemies visible and invisible”; "Rejoice, our hope and protection"; "Rejoice, our fence"; "Rejoice, consolation in our journey"; “Rejoice, sudden help to those in distress on the way, on land and on waters”; “Rejoice, opening the entrance to everything blessed”; “Rejoice, good Goalkeeper, who opens the doors of paradise to the faithful” 136.

By the beginning of the 20th century, the Iversky Monastery, in addition to temples and cell, household services in the monastery itself, had a stone church in the name of the Iberian icon at the Lykoshino station of the Nikolaev railway and two chapels: one - stone in the name of Jacob Borovichsky in Valdai, the other - wooden, set near the ferry at the entrance to the monastery islands. At the monastery there was a literacy school for 10 orphans who lived all year round in the monastery. They received from the monastery a room with heating and lighting, servants, tea, sugar, ready-made clothes, shoes, and meals in the monastery refectory.

In 1918, there were 68 inhabitants in the monastery, of which: archimandrite - 1, hegumen - 1, hieromonks - 15, hierodeacons - 8, monks - 9, novices - 10, living on probation - 14, orphans of boys - 10. daily worship. The monastery was in possession of 1021 des. 51 cells earth. The capital of the monastery was 138,143 rubles. 28 kop. Blacksmith, locksmith, carpentry, and shoe shops worked at the monastery. There was a library that contained 605 books 137 .

Beginning in January 1918, the authorities constantly requisitioned bread, cabbage, and cattle from the monastery. On July 15, 1918, during the requisition of bread, the food detachment went on an armed assault on the monastery. The monks sounded the alarm. A popular uprising began. In these events, Archimandrite Joseph was seriously wounded. The counter-revolutionary action was suppressed by the troops, a state of emergency was introduced in Valdai, arrests and executions began. In connection with these events, Menshikov, a remarkable writer and leading publicist for the Novoye Vremya newspaper, who lived on an estate near Valdai, General V.A. Kosagovsky, and others were shot.

Iversky Monastery from the West Gate

In 1919 the monastery was transformed into the Iverskaya labor agricultural artel. The brethren worked hard about this for a long time, wishing thereby to preserve the monastery. The artel consisted of 70 people, had 5 hectares of monastic lands and 200 hectares occupied by gardens, orchards, arable land, and pastures. Artelnikov had a tractor, 12 cows, 10 horses, agricultural implements 139 at their disposal.

On January 1, 1919, the confiscated earlier "all precious and ancient sacristy vessels and things" were returned to the monastery, on the basis of which the Nikon Museum was created, located in the porch of the Church of the Archangel Michael 140 .

In 1927, the People's Commissariat of Agriculture surveyed the Iverskaya labor artel. It was noted that the labor community is "too closely connected with the Iberian miraculous icon." This was the reason for the removal of the labor artel from registration, after which it was proposed to "clear the territory of the monastery from the non-labor element."

Hieromonk Fr. “The kindest father Nikita”, as the famous publicist MO Menshikov 142 spoke of him, happened to manage the monastery economy in the most difficult years for the monastery. In 1930 he was arrested, there is no information about his further fate, but his special luminosity is still remembered today. M.O. Menshikov asked his children that when they have their own children, one of them will definitely have to be named Nikita in memory of the Iberian hieromonk. The publicist's great-grandson was baptized under that name 143 .

By 1930, the activities of the monastery and the monastic labor artel were completely stopped, its inhabitants left Iver.

In the 1930s, the Strochpromartel for deaf and dumb disabled people was located on the territory of the monastery. From 1941 to 1943 - an evacuation hospital for soldiers and commanders of the North-Western Front, then - a recreation center for war invalids. In the post-war period, a children's sanatorium-forest school was opened here. In the late 1960s, the monastery buildings were occupied by a recreation center of one of the Novgorod enterprises.

In 1991, the Iversky Monastery was transferred to the Novgorod diocese.

The arrangement of spiritual, monastic life began with the Divine Liturgy, which took place on the main feast of the Iversky Monastery, which falls on July 28 (August 10). Several thousand worshipers, together with Vladyka Novgorod Archbishop Lev and the clergy of the Novgorod diocese, for the first time in many decades of godless years, went through a procession around the monastery. Transferred to this day from the Peter and Paul Church of Valdai, the icon of the Iberian Mother of God was the first, before all the monastery inhabitants, came to Iver and remained there forever as the main shrine of the monastery, its patroness and intercessor.

Today, at the beginning of the 21st century, looking at the panorama of the restored Iberian Monastery, one involuntarily recalls the words of the son of Patriarch Macarius of Antioch, Archdeacon Paul of Aleppo, who visited here in 1656, noting the exclusivity of Iver: “We marveled at this blessed place and its pleasant location: in truth, there is no one like it in the world, and in the future it will become an example for all ages” 144 .

Notes

1 Nikon, patriarch. A word of benefit about the creation of the monastery of the Most Holy Theotokos of Iversky and the Holy New Confessor and Hieromartyr Philip, Metropolitan of Moscow and All Russia, the miracle worker, who is on the Holy Lake, and about the transfer of the relics of the Holy Righteous Jacob, who was previously named Borovechesk // Paradise of the mind. Type. Iversky Monastery, 1658/59. pp. 64-64 v. 2 Acts of the Iversky Svyatoozersky Monastery (1582–1706), collected by Archimandrite Leonid. No. 40 // Russian Historical Library. T.5. SPb., 1878. Stb. 83.3 Ibid.4 Ibid. Stb. 84.5 Lobachev S.V. Patriarch Nikon. SPb., 2003. S. 97-112.6 Acts ... No. 40. Stb. 84.7 Leonid, archimandrite. Historical sketch of the Iberian Svyatoozersky monastery in its patriarchal period (from 1653 to the end of 1666) // Russian Historical Library. T.5. Stb. 3.8 Acts ... No. 16. Stb. 35-36.9 Nikon, patriarch. The word is beneficial... S. 53v.-54.10 Hereinafter: in the 50s of the 17th century. in Russia, the "September style" of the calendar operated, i.e. The New Year starts on September 1st. Therefore, the events that took place at that time from September to the end of December are usually denoted through a fraction: first, the year according to the now accepted "January" style, and then - according to the "September style."11 Acts ... No. 18. Stb. 37-38.12 Ibid. Stb. 37.13 Acts ... No. 40. Stb. 83.; Ambrose, archimandrite. History of the Russian hierarchy. T.IV. M., 1812. S.270.14 Acts ... No. 18. Stb. 37.15 Ibid. Stb. 38.16 Acts ... No. 20. Stb. 39-41.17 Tikhomirov M.N. Novgorod chronograph of the 17th century // Novgorod historical collection. Issue. VII. Novgorod, 1940. P.86.18 Acts ... No. 21. Stb. 43.19 Ibid.20 Acts ... No. 18. Stb. 38.21 Acts ... No. 21. Stb. 42-44.22 Acts ... No. 18. Stb. 37-38.23 Acts ... No. 36. Stb. 68.24 Silin P.M. Historical description of the Valdai Iversky Svyatoozersky Bogoroditsky first-class monastery. SPb., 1885. P. 41; Slezskinsky A.G. Iversky Monastery (From a summer trip) // Valdai Iversky Svyatoozersky Bogoroditsky Monastery. SPb., 1999. P.47.25 Ambrose, archimandrite. History ... S. 218-219; Leonid, archimandrite. Historical essay ... Stb. 29-30.26 Leonid, archimandrite. Historical essay. … Stb. 6.27 Acts ... No. 39. Stb. 80.28 Acts… No. 21. Stb. 44.29 Acts ... No. 36. Stb. 69.30 Acts ... No. 18. Stb. 38.31 Acts ... No. 20. Stb. 40-41.32 Ibid. Stb. 41.33 Acts… No. 40. Stb. 83; Ambrose, archimandrite. History ... P.270.34 Acts ... No. 41. Stb. 87.35 Acts… No. 41. Stb. 88.36 Acts… No. 21. Stb. 44.37 Acts ... No. 29. Stb. 53-54.38 Acts. No. 44. Stb. 100.39 Acts… No. 24. Stb. 47-48; No. 35. Stb. 65-66; No. 41. Stb. 87-88; No. 43. Stb. 90.40 Shusherin John. News of the birth and upbringing and life of His Holiness Nikon, Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia. M., 1871. P.32.41 Acts ... No. 51. Stb. 114-121; No. 53. Stb. 121-126; No. 55. Stb. 131-133; No. 56. Stb. 134-135.42 Acts ... No. 62. Stb. 158.43 Acts… No. 105. Stb. 305-307.44 Acts… No. 80. Stb. 203.45 Ibid. Stb. 204-207.46 Ibid. Stb. 203.47 Acts… No. 83. Stb. 217-218.48 Pavel of Aleppo. Journey of Patriarch Macarius of Antioch to Russia in the middle of the 17th century. Issue. IV. M., 1898. P.64.49 Acts ... No. 87. Stb. 226-234.50 Pavel of Aleppo. Journey… С.57.51 Leonid, archimandrite. Historical sketch ... P.11; Nikon, patriarch. A beneficial word… С.69.52 Zverinsky V.V. Materials for historical and topographic research on Orthodox monasteries in the Russian Empire. T.I. St. Petersburg, 1892. S. 172.53 Nikon, patriarch. The word is beneficial ... S.71.54 Acts ... No. 98. Stb. 293.55 Leonid, archimandrite. Historical essay ... Stb. 11.56 General ledger. Sacristy inventory and church inventory of the Valdai Iversky first-class monastery. 1904. P. 414v.; Silin P.M. Historical description of the Valdai Iversky Svyatoozersky Bogoroditsky first-class monastery. p.54; Franz D.D. Catalog of the Nikon Museum in the Iversky Monastery near the city of Valdai. Novgorod, 1920. P.20.57 Silin P.M. Historical description ... P.40.58 Acts ... No. 57. Stb. 37; Leonid, archimandrite. Historical essay ... Stb. 11-13.59 Ibid… Stb. 15-16.60 Acts… No. 106. Stb. 307.61 Ambrose, archimandrite. History of the Russian hierarchy. T. IV. M., 1812. P.283.62 Ibid.63 Acts ... No. 117. Stb. 323.64 Leonid, archimandrite. Historical essay ... Stb. 26.65 Silin P.M. Historical description ... P.62.66 Acts ... No. 435. Stb. 1067.67 Ambrose, archimandrite. History ... S.283; Silin P.M. Historical description ... P.62.68 Acts ... No. 316. Stb. 806.69 Acts… No. 337. Stb. 849; No. 338. Stb. 850.70 Acts… No. 337. Stb. 849; No. 339. Stb. 851.71 Acts… No. 341. Stb. 856.72 Ambrose, archimandrite. History ... S.283; Acts ... No. 383. Stb. 927.73 Acts… No. 368. Stb. 927.74 Ambrose, archimandrite. History ... S.284; Peter (Zverev-Bogdanov), archimandrite. Description of the first-class Iversky Bogoroditsky monastery of the Novgorod diocese. SPb., 1850. P.45.75 Ambrose, archimandrite. History ... S.284.76 Ibid. S.287; Peter, archimandrite. Description… P.48; Silin P.M. Historical description… P.64.77 Peter (Zverev-Bogdanov), archimandrite. Description… P.49; Silin P.M. Historical description… P.65.78 Ibid.79 Silin P.M. Historical description ... P.65; Biography and letters in Bose of the deceased father, Archimandrite Lavrenty, rector of the Iversky Bogoroditsky Valdai Monastery, Novgorod province / Comp. A.F. Kovalevsky. M., 1887. S. 28-51.80 Biography and letters ... S. 50-51. 81 Yakovleva N.P. Iberian burials // Chelo. 2000. No. 2. pp. 41-44.82 According to the recollections of the wife of I.V. Kopylov-Orlov, in June 1862 he was 67 years old, i.e. the date of birth can be considered 1795 or 1796. It is written on the grave monument (perhaps this was done erroneously when making the tombstone) that the deceased died at the age of 70, i.e. the date of his birth may be 1792 or 1793.83 Orlova-Savina P.I. Autobiography. M., 1994. P.363.84 Biography and letters ... P.104.85 Orlova-Savina P.I. Autobiography. P.357.86 Yakovleva N.P. Grave monument in the monastery // Leninsky way. 1990. 20 Oct. No. 126 (10209). P.3.87 Theatrical Encyclopedia. T.IV. M., 1965. S. 207-208; Orlova-Savina P.I. Autobiography. P. 193-220.88 Orlova-Savina P.I. Autobiography. S. 17, 396.89 Ibid. pp. 17, 18, 135, 138-139, 217.90 Biography and letters… pp. 97-98.91 Ibid. P.114.92 Vasiliev A.V. Talented, smart, conscientious artist // Valdai. 1995. 10 Oct. No. 118 (10962). P.3.93 Orlova-Savina P.I. Autobiography. P.352.94 Biography and letters… P.110.95 Main book… P. 41-42.96 Orlova-Savina P.I. Autobiography. pp. 356-357.97 Memories of Abbess Taisia, abbess of the Leushinsky Monastery, about Archimandrite Lavrenty (Makarov) // Valdai ascetic. M., 1997. P.151.98 Biography and letters ... P.51.99 Ibid. P.108.100 Memoirs of Valeryan Alexandrovich Panaev // Russian antiquity. 1893. T.80. pp. 560-568; 1901. V.107. P. 32, 285-287.101 Dyagileva E.V. Family record about the Diaghilevs. St. Petersburg; Perm: Dmitry Bulanin, 1998. P.160.102 Ibid. P.77.103 Ibid. P.124.104 Ibid. pp. 129-131.105 Ibid. P.133.106 Ibid. P.164.107 Ibid. S.201.108 Ibid. P.257.109 Main book… P.45.110 Dyagileva E.V. Family record ... S.160.111 Acts ... No. 383. Stb. 927-928.112 Acts… No. 88. Stb. 240, 242.113 Acts… No. 93. Stb. 276.114 Acts… No. 358. Stb. 886-887.115 Acts… No. 262. Stb. 721-726.116 Acts… No. 252. Stb. 684-685.117 Acts… No. 434. Stb. 1048-1066.118 Acts… No. 435. Stb. 1067-1071.119 Sivak S.I. Apprentice stonework Afanasy Fomin // Architectural Heritage and Restoration. M., 1984. S.244.120 Acts ... No. 436. Stb. 1071-1074.121 Acts… No. 412. Stb. 997-999.123 Peter (Zverev-Bogdanov), archimandrite. Description… S. 20-21.124 Ibid. pp. 21-22.125 Biography and letters ... pp. 3-51; Kovalevsky A. Biography of Archimandrite Lavrenty // Valdai ascetic. M., 1997. S. 3-64.126 Unknown Nilus / Comp. R. Bagdasarov, S. Fomin. M., 1995. T.I. pp. 30-31.127 Lives of domestic ascetics of piety in the 18th and 19th centuries. August. Kozelsk: Ed. Vvedenskaya Optina Hermitage, 1994. P.590.128 NGM KP 37795 / 3.7.129 Acts ... No. 41. Stb. 87.130 Dubinin N.A. Medical-mineral mud of the Valdai Upland // Proceedings of the Highly Approved Russian Society for the Protection of National Health. Issue. XIII. T.5. SPb., 1890. S. 91-96.131 Strizhev A.N. The rank of nature is conquered // Towards the light. 1993. No. 3-4. P.21.122 Runkevich S.G. Alexander Nevsky Lavra. 1713–1913 SPb., 1997. S. 41, 57.132 Nilus S.A. The legend of the miraculous icon of the Mother of God of Her Iver Apparition and of the miraculous Icon of Her Iver, in the Theotokos Iversky Valdai Monastery of the Novgorod diocese. Sergiev Posad, 1908.133 Yakovleva N.P. Valdai letters of S.A. Nilus // Abstracts of reports and messages of the final scientific conference. Novgorod, 1997. S. 29-31.134 Nilus S.A. On the banks of the river of God. Notes of the Orthodox. Sergiev Posad, 1916. T.II. P. 16-18.135 Unknown Nilus ... P.29.136 Yakovleva N.P. Procession with the Iberian Icon // Orthodox Valdai. 2006. No. 29 (41). C.1. 137 GIANO. F.481. Op. 1. Unit ridge 140. P. 27-28, 37.138 Yakovleva N.P. Bishop Joseph of Valdai in memoirs, letters, diaries // Chelo. 2000. No. 3. pp. 8-12.139 GIANO. F.481. Op. 1. Unit ridge 427. P.6.140 Ibid. P.7.141 Yakovleva N.P. Torch people. In memory of Hieromonk of the Iversky Monastery Fr. Nikita // Chelo. 2000. No. 3. pp. 5-6.142 Menshikov M.O. Materials for the biography // Russian archive. T.IV. M., 1993. P.162.143 Menshikova O.M. Monk Nikita // Our heritage. 1997. No. 42. P.47.144 Pavel of Aleppo. Journey ... P.61.

Nadezhda Yakovleva, Senior Researcher, Valdai Branch of the Novgorod Museum-Reserve

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There are many wonderful places in the world. In some you can relax the body, and in others - the soul. But there is also a place in Russia where both body and soul ascend to heaven. This is the monastery of the Iberian Icon of the Mother of God in Valdai. It belongs to the Orthodox male cloisters. Founded on the Selvitsky Island in the Novgorod region, not far from the city of Valdai. It is one of three that were built on the initiative of Patriarch Nikon. The city of Valdai has long been known as a center for bell-making. The beauty of this region is associated not only with its nature, but also with the architecture of the monastery.

The history of the founding and choice of the place of this monastery bears many different facts. So it was recreated in the likeness of the Iberian monastery from Mount Athos. Patriarch Nikon saw it and offered to make a copy in Russia. For which Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich even allocated money from the treasury. But the place was chosen because of a vision that came to him while traveling for the relics of Metropolitan Philip to Solovki. Already in the summer of 1653, the construction of the shrine began, and in the autumn two wooden churches were erected: Warm and Cathedral. The first abbot was Dionysius.

When Nikon first came to Valdai, he renamed the village into the village of Bogoroditskoye, and called the lake itself Holy. Before that, he lowered the cross and the Gospel to its bottom. In his letter to the king, the patriarch wrote that he saw a sign over the lake - a pillar of fire. And he called the monastery Svyatoozersky.

A year later, the construction of stone structures of the monastery began. In 1654, the relics of Jacob Borovichsky were transferred here. And then a royal charter was given, according to which the shrine belonged not only to Valdai Lake with islands, but also to nearby estates.

After the brotherhood of the Orsha Kuteinsky Monastery moved to the monastery, the development of bookbinding and book printing began.

In 1656, the construction of the Assumption Cathedral was completed, which in 2008 was renamed in honor of the Iberian Icon of the Mother of God.

shrines

Among the shrines of the monastery of the Iversky Monastery in Valdai, they note:

• Iversky (Assumption) Cathedral,
• Church of the Archangel Michael of God
• refectory with the Church of the Epiphany,
• The Iberian Icon of the Mother of God, which was painted on Mount Athos,
• particles of holy relics.

The schedule of services and other detailed information for pilgrims can be found on the official website of the monastery.

How to get to the Iversky Monastery in Valdai

The Iversky Monastery is located in the Novgorod region, 10 km from the city of Valdai. You can get to it in two ways:

• by train
• machine.

If you chose the first option, then take the Pskov-Moscow train and get off at the Valdai station. Further, a motor ship floats to the monastery or a taxi rides. If you are on your way from St. Petersburg, the train St. Petersburg - Moscow stops at Uglovka station. Get off at it and take a taxi to the monastery.

How to get there by car

If you drive from Moscow, along the Moscow - St. Petersburg highway, then you need to turn at the turn to the city of Borovichi. And if you drive from St. Petersburg, then you will pass the city of Valdai and turn onto the highway to the city of Borovichi. Follow it for about 2 km and turn left. It is this road that will lead to the monastery.

In winter, locals advise walking to the island across the river on ice. Cool breeze, frost, beautiful views and peace will help you tune in to prayer and distract your thoughts from everything worldly. Many who have been there speak of the indescribable beauty and ringing of the Valdai bells that are carried over the water. And really, what could be better? That is why it is necessary to come and see these wonders.

May the Lord keep you!

You will also be interested in watching a video about the holy monastery in Valdai:

Iversky Monastery (Russia) - description, history, location. Exact address and website. Reviews of tourists, photos and videos.

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The main Orthodox attraction of Valdai - the Iversky Monastery - is located on the Selvitsky Island of the Valdai Lake. The monastery was founded in the middle of the 17th century in the likeness of a monastery on Mount Athos.

Today, on the territory of the Valdai Iversky Monastery there are the Cathedral of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary, the Epiphany Church, several Gate Churches, a chapel with a tomb, a Pilgrimage Center, as well as economic and administrative buildings.

The Iversky Monastery is open for visits from 6:00 to 21:00. For tourists and pilgrims, the staff of the monastery conducts daily excursions. True, you need to pre-register by phone and indicate the number of people in your tour group. In the Iversky Monastery, tourists are provided with accommodation in the guest building (with overnight stay and meals), but these issues should also be agreed with the Pilgrimage Center.

You can get to the island where the Iversky Monastery is located by boat. It runs daily: on weekdays, the ship "Zarya-211" departs from the Valdai pier at 10:00, 12:00, 14:00 and 16:00, on Saturday and Sunday - at 9:00. A ticket for the ship costs 100 RUB.

After visiting the Iversky Monastery, you can go for a walk along the Valdai Lake on the same boat.

The ride lasts about an hour (departure from the island at 17:00) and costs only 250 RUB.

Prices on the page are for November 2019.

As part of the XIV Znamensky Educational Readings - the regional stage of the XXV International Christmas Educational Readings "1917 - 2017: lessons of the century", at the section "The Church in Cooperation with Law Enforcement Agencies", which took place on November 22, 2016 at the Sunday School of the Church of St. book. Alexander Nevsky of Veliky Novgorod, Konstantin Vladimirovich Zilinsky, representative of the Commission for the canonization of clergymen and laity of the Novgorod diocese who suffered for their faith in the 20th century, made a report:

The Bolsheviks, who came to power in 1917, did not hide the fact that their goal was not just a social reorganization of society, but a complete change in human consciousness, the education of a new person, a person “free” from any, as they said then, “religious prejudices ".

Already in one of the first Soviet decrees - in the "Decree on Land", adopted on the second day of Soviet power, large-scale anti-church measures were provided. The nationalization of all lands was proclaimed: along with the landowners', appanage, monastic and church lands with all "living and dead inventory", manor buildings and all accessories. That is, already on the second day of Soviet power, all church property was taken away from the Church with one stroke of the pen: initially, however, only on paper, but from January 1918 in reality.

How this happened on the Novgorod land, in particular in the Borovichi and Valdai districts, is given by the reports of the deans in 1917-1918.

“... Looting, seizure of alien land and even robbery are now a common occurrence. They justify their pogrom actions by the right “given” to them, but at the same time they think about this right: “We wouldn’t have to answer for this later,” they often say. Hence, lies and hypocrisy became an ordinary phenomenon ... ”(from a report of 1917 by the priest Feodor Kondratov, dean of the 2nd district of the Borovichi district).

“... Recently, the state of piety has changed for the worse. Soldiers returning from the war, being shaken in their faith by various renegades, have a bad influence on the rest of the population ... ”(from a 1917 report by the dean of the 5th district of the Borovichi district, the priest of the Tikhvin church in the village of Lyubon Vasily Krasnopevkov).

Priest Mikhail Zimnev, dean of the 1st Valdai district, in a report for 1918 reports: “... The situation of the clergy is difficult. The high cost of life, material deprivation. Many clerics were in dire need of bread and were starving. Plus moral tests. The Orthodox faith was persecuted, and the ministers of the Orthodox faith - the pastors of the church - began to be persecuted. Slander, mockery, verbal and printed abuse began to be heard against the shepherds ... Many shepherds were arrested, others languish in prisons, and some were shot. The priest of the Vvedenskaya Church has been in prison for no one knows why since August 23. The priest of the Borovno church, Sergei Mikhailovsky, was accused of inciting the people against the Soviet regime and was almost sentenced to death by the court ... Many psalmists of the district left their jobs due to difficult material and moral living conditions. The psalm-reader of the Zimogorsk church, Ivan Romanovsky, died of constant malnutrition…” But the priests continue to carry out their pastoral duties, “who most dearly and above all honor their very service out of love for their neighbors for their salvation.”

One of the brightest confessors of the Faith of Christ on the Novgorod land was, without any doubt, Bishop Joseph of Valdai, dean of the monasteries, the last rector of the Valdai Iberian Monastery. His reports to the Novgorod Spiritual Consistory recreate a picture of the revolutionary events of the first years of Soviet power.

On February 26 (this is 4 months after the October Revolution), Bishop Joseph reports:

“I have the honor to inform the Consistory that the peasants, with the permission of the Volost Land Committees, have already begun to cut wood in the monastery dachas of the Korotsky, Uspensky and Borovichsky monasteries, and fishing in the Uzhinsky Lake belonging to the Iberian Monastery has been leased by the Committee in addition to the monastery, no monastic protests are accepted.”

And a few days later, on March 1, 1918, he describes in detail what happened in the city of Borovichi:

“As a result of the Decrees of the Consistory of February 12 and 23 of this year, Nos. 1454 and 1971, I have the honor to report that I and the Rector of the Borovichi Holy Spirit Monastery were promptly informed that the commissars of the city of Borovichi on January 19 were going to describe all the property of the monastery in the monastery and the church, that the people did violence to them and beat them. This beating of the commissars was the reason why the Soviet of Workers' and Soldiers' Deputies in the city of Borovichi imprisoned two hieromonks and a monk on the mere suspicion that they allegedly stirred up the people; and the Rector were kept under house arrest for several days. But this Council had previously decided to close all the monasteries and churches in the Borovichi district. The people knew this, and therefore, when all the commissars with the police came to describe the monastery, the people, probably thinking that they had come to close the monastery, arbitrarily knocked down the locks at the bell tower, rang the alarm and beat the commissars. By this untimely act, the people did not render assistance to the monastery and caused only one disaster. The Bolsheviks got angry and ordered the monastics and novices to look for jobs and places for themselves and clear the monastery by February 23rd. Three hierodeacons, on the basis of such an instruction, have already left the monastery to look for another place for themselves, the novices have also left. Petitions were filed for the release of hieromonks from prison, but the Bolsheviks themselves put the intercessors in prison. A lot of citizens were also planted. Now one hieromonk, treasurer Benjamin, has been released from prison, but the Bolsheviks forbade him to serve and sealed him in a cell for no reason, simply out of their own arbitrariness. Hieromonk Misail is still in prison. At present, only one sacristan, hieromonk Pavel, is serving in the monastery, the rector is in poor health, hierodeacon Joasaph also refuses to serve due to illness, and monk Anatoly, also recently released from prison, and sings, and reads, and sings in church. Bread and potatoes were taken away from the monastery and a complete famine ensued. There are almost no incomes, since the pilgrims are afraid to go to the monastery, fearing to go to prison. The notarial documents were taken away by the Bolsheviks and the tenants do not pay rent. Although the 23rd of February has passed, the Bolsheviks have so far done nothing with respect to the monastery, and the position of the monastery remains uncertain. Since the same fate awaits the Zhelezkovskaya hermitage, I ask the Consistory to indicate where to place the brethren of the hermitage, in case they also have to leave the hermitage. At the present time from Valdai to Borovichi on the train. they don’t let you on the road, and they don’t give you tickets, and it’s very difficult and dangerous to ride a horse; and in the spring, due to the lack of bridges, it’s impossible to get to Borovichi at all, so I don’t have the opportunity to often travel to Borovichi and come there when exceptional circumstances immediately require.

Dean of the monasteries, Iversky monastery

Rector Archimandrite Joseph

On July 17, 1918, the brethren of the Iversky Monastery sent a report to the bishop, which he received on July 20:

“We have the honor to humbly inform Your Eminence that on July 2 (15) at four o’clock in the morning, the Soviet authorities arrived at our monastery to requisition bread. Taking bread, they invited Fr. the rector to accompany the bread in the city of Valdai on the lake on a boat, and near the shore near the city of Valdai, citizens opened gunfire, during which Fr. the abbot was wounded by a bullet in the left side, below the heart. The patient's condition was recognized by doctors as serious, and he is currently in a hospital in the city of Valdai.

The testimony of the well-known Russian journalist M.O. Menshikov (1859-1918), who lived during this period in Valdai. On July 16, 1918, he makes an entry in his diary:

“Yesterday, a popular riot broke out in Valdai, which was already extinguished by the evening. The Red Army soldiers, discharged from Demyansk, decided to take away the supply of bread from the monastery. We arrived at night with machine guns, began to smash the gates, fire at the bell tower, assuming that the ringer was ringing upstairs (and he was pulling a rope into a small bell from below). When shots were heard, the lakeside population woke up and rushed to the rescue. Not so much the Valdai people, but it seems that the zimogors and peasants from the nearest villages were zealous. ( True, shootingyut for organizing the uprising of the publicist M.O. Menshikov, General V.A. Kosagovsky, as well as the merchant son N. Savin, who was among the rebels.) They plundered the arms depots, which, however, were not guarded by anyone ... It was already late in the afternoon, around 3, when I was walking from the post office ... I saw gangs of 15, 20 people carrying guns (some two, some three) with bayonets and without bayonets, old, rusty, broken, obviously not fit for use, and at the same time there was a general complaint that there were no cartridges. Hey Rosea! It is difficult to imagine a more curious "uprising" than this, but the matter was complicated by a bloody incident. The people forced the Red Army soldiers to return 48 p. of bread to the monastery, but when they were riding in a boat and carrying the archimandrite, in order to safely get out of trouble under cover of him (they ordered him to get on the boat: they won’t shoot at you, they say, archimandrite), from the shore, the defenders of the monastery banged from a machine gun, and poor Fr. Joseph was badly wounded in the side. It is unlikely that he will survive... In the evening the Latvians arrived as pacifiers, martial law has been declared today, there will be searches, searches for stolen weapons and executions...”.

On the same day, in a letter to O.A. Fribes M.O. Menshikov writes about the bloody events in Valdai and "a small popular uprising in the folk style", giving quite a few details of this day. Concerning Archimandrite Joseph, among other things, he notices that during the skirmish, he broke three ribs and a lung.

There were earlier attempts to requisition bread from the monastery. On the eve of the fatal uprising, a thousand-strong crowd of women and peasants defended the monastery's bread, which fed the entire district. The monastery gave bread to all those in need. Including the family of M.O. Menshikova was saved from hunger by monastic feeding. The publicist notes that the archimandrite dreamed of feeding the people until July 25, if the remnants of bread were not requisitioned. Father Joseph said that the people's bread, the peasants donated it to the monastery on the condition that it feed the pilgrims. The pastor did just that. (Recall the above message from Archimandrite Joseph about the famine in the monastery - Comp.)

In a letter to O.A. Fribes dated July 17, 1918 M.O. Menshikov, in addition to the previous message, reports that the archimandrite, whom he visited in the hospital, is alive and there is even hope for his recovery if there is no pericarditis. And then he continues: “If he recovers, then you are obliged to come to Valdai and visit this righteous monk, who almost became a martyr for the people and the church.”

The postscript made by M.O. Menshikov to the previous letter addressed to O.A. Fribes: “People are already saying that the archimandrite was wounded not from a machine gun, but the Bolshevik (who was with him in the boat) hit him in the side with a revolver. They are very sorry."

People pitied him both as a beloved pastor and as a passion-bearer, namely "a martyr for the people and the church." True, at the same time, an element of legend is added to the biography of Father Joseph. Already during his lifetime, multi-variant folk legends about the events of July 15, 1918 and the role of the Iberian archimandrite in them began to be born.

Over time, when there were no direct eyewitnesses of what happened, the versions of the legends became more and more fantastic and contradictory. So, according to one version, the archimandrite was arrested, sent to Valdai in a boat, wounded and thrown (?) by the Bolsheviks into the water of Lake Valdai. According to another, he was wounded by stones (?) during the procession and sent to the hospital.

Of particular interest is the point of view of people who saw with their own eyes what was happening that day in Valdai.

Memories of this event have been preserved by the military commissar for the economic part of P.I. Sergeev, who took part in the requisition of bread from the monastery on July 15. He writes that the monastery gave residents 1-2 kilograms of bread daily. The executive committee, having learned about this, decided to “stop biting” and confiscated bread in favor of the state. But the enemies of the revolution, as P.I. Sergeev, spread a rumor that the monastery was being robbed. When the boats set sail from the monastery shore, the surplus-owners noticed the people gathered on the Valdai shore and thought that they were solemnly welcomed. As a sign of greeting, they gave a volley of rifles upwards. In response, a machine gun fired from the Valdai coast, while the archimandrite, according to P.I. Sergeyev, was slightly wounded. The grain boats turned back to the monastery. P.I. Sergeev called in the troops. The Latvians who arrived put down the uprising. (The firing range of the Maxim machine gun of the 1910 model, which was in service with the Russian Imperial Army during the First World War, was 2700 meters according to its tactical and technical characteristics. From the Valdai to the monastery coast, assuming that the shooter was at the water's edge and not farther, the distance is greater, therefore firing from a machine gun from the Valdai coast could not cause any harm to the Red Army soldiers who were in the boat, for this reason nothing is said about the wounded or killed Red Army soldiers from the boat... Therefore, Vladyka could only be wounded by a single shot by someone of those who were in the boat with him. - Compiler).

Naturally, at that time no one conducted any investigative actions on these facts.

In 1919, the construction of the so-called Nikon Museum began on the territory of the monastery. At this time, a campaign was carried out throughout the country to open the relics of the Holy Saints of God. This bitter fate did not escape the Valdai Iversky Monastery.

The name of Bishop Joseph is associated with one of the most tragic and not fully studied pages in the history of the Valdai Iberian Svyatoozersky Bogoroditsky Monastery, namely, the mysterious disappearance of the relics of the holy righteous Jacob of Borovichi the miracle worker.

The conditions for the existence of monks are clearly visible from the report of the Rector of the Valdai Iversky Monastery, Archimandrite Joseph, to His Eminence, His Eminence Arseny, Metropolitan Arseny of Novgorod and Starorussky / Stadnitsky / dated February 1, 1919.

“...At the monastery, a museum of church antiquities and art from monastic things is being arranged, the curator of which I have been temporarily appointed for the time being. But from the attitude of the Soviet government towards the monastics, it is clear that the position of the Iberian Monastery and the monastics in the future is critical, if the Queen of Heaven Herself does not preserve and intercede ... "

Thirteen days later, Archimandrite Joseph wrote the following report.

« His Eminence His Grace Alexy, Bishop

Tikhvin Rector of the Valdai Iversky Monastery

Most respectful report

I dare to most respectfully convey to Your Eminence that, as I have privately learned, representatives of the Valdai Soviet authorities will soon arrive at the Iversky Monastery to examine St. relics of James the Righteous. The holy relics were wrapped in white silk Chinese damask by His Holiness Patriarch Nikon and are still kept that way, dressed over the damask in a children's surplice.

I sincerely ask for your instructions on what to do with such an order from the secular authorities. I received a certificate from the Novgorod Department of Public Education that all things and monumental monuments, such as buildings, etc., having artistic and historical significance, are taken into account and guarded by the Provincial Department of Public Education and no other records without the knowledge of this department are unacceptable. Maybe this document can be presented when the members arrive to inspect St. relics.

Your Grace's humblest novice Archimandrite Joseph

February 14/27 day 1919 No. 37 "

The above document very well shows that Archimandrite Joseph, under the most difficult conditions, fulfilled the rule set forth in the Nomocanon on the primacy of ecclesiastical authority over secular. This is what paragraph 2 of the Determination of the Holy Council of the Orthodox Russian Church "On measures to end discord in church life" of April 6 (19), 1918 read.

"2. Clergymen who oppose their diocesan Bishop, who is in canonical unity with the highest church authority, and in doing so turn to the court of civil authority, or in their disputes with persons in command of the church hierarchy on church matters, who turn to civil authority for help, are prohibited from serving, with betrayal to the church court, and then, in case of non-repentance in the above acts, they are expelled from the dignity. (Ap. 55 IV Sun. 8; 9 VI Sun. 34 Carth. 12:29)." (Collection of Definitions and Decrees of the Holy Council of the Orthodox Russian Church 1917 - 1918 Moscow 1994. P. 119 - 120).

A few days later, an examination of the relics of the Holy Righteous Jacob of Borovichi was carried out in order to eliminate the reasons for mockery.

" Act

1919 March 9 / February 24. We, the undersigned: Rector of the Valdai Iberian Monastery Archimandrite Joseph, Rector of the Valdai Trinity Cathedral Mikhail Nikolsky, Abbot of the Monastery Hieromonk Arkady, Onago Treasurer Hieromonk Serapion, Hieromonk Jonah and (inaudible - K.Z.) Monk Benjamin in accordance with the resolution of His Eminence dated February 18. This year 1919, No. 434, they examined the relics of Jacob the Righteous Borovichi Wonderworker and found: the relics, resting in a silver reliquary, are dressed in a white satin surplice, and (inaudible - K.Z.) are sewn up in a white silk damask. Upon opening the damask, the lying bones of a young man were found, lined with cotton wool, and the dried skin was clearly preserved on the skull and both ears, nose and eyes were missing. One hand, from which, apparently, part and four fingers were taken, has one finger, which, like the whole hand, is covered with dried skin, the other hand has retained all five fingers folded for (inaudible - C.Z.) blessing, fingers, hand and part of the arm from the elbow to the hand is covered with dried body and skin, and the nails are clearly preserved on the fingers, the other bones are arranged in the order in which they are placed in the human body, only the feet on both legs are missing.

Valdai Iversky Monastery Rector Archimandrite Joseph

Rector of the Valdai Cathedral Archpriest Mikhail Nikolsky

Viceroy Hieromonk Arkady

Treasurer Hieromonk Serapion

Hieromonk Jonah

Monk Benjamin"

On October 29, 1926, the secret Decree of the Novgorod Gubernia Administrative Department No. 1045 was published with the following content:

“The Gubernia Administration Department reports that, in accordance with the decree of the Novgorod Gubernia Executive Committee of April 3, 1919, the relics located in the St. Sophia Cathedral in Novgorod and in some points of the Novgorod province, such as Bologoye, Valdai […], were opened.

Gubadminotdel considers it necessary, on the basis of the circular of the People's Commissariat of Justice of August 25, 1920, to transfer the relics in the buildings of cults of the Novgorod province to local museums: along the mountains. Novgorod - to the Museum of Church Antiquities, and in other places - to the Historical Museums, if the working masses express their desire for this.

The following document speaks about the attitude of His Holiness Patriarch Tikhon to the seizure of church valuables at that time:

“We praise and kiss Archimandrite Nikodim, rector of the Yuryev Monastery in Novgorod, who, with divine inspiration, donated valuables worth many millions of rubles from the monastery for a holy war against the Teutons (Germans).

We angrily reject and punish with excommunication from the Church even the voluntary donation of sacred robes and cups: it is important not what to give, but to whom to give. Reading the lines of Our message, indicate this to your flock at meetings where you can and should fight against the seizure of valuables. We allow only scrap and pendants from images to be given away ... "

The next test for Vladyka Joseph was the seizure of church valuables in connection with the famine in the Volga region.

« Protocol

Meetings of the Commission for the seizure of valuables from churches to help the Volga region as part of the chairman. K.D. Mitropolsky, P.I. Krasavin and M.P. Nikolsky, in the presence of collaborators. Petrograd music dep., head. Nikon. the museum of D.D. Franz, with representatives of the brethren of the Iversky Monastery, headed by Bishop Joseph of Valdai, with the Council of the Collective of Believers of the Iversky Monastery (comrade Bulyshkin (v. Shuya), Iv. Ivanov, Al. Petrov (Dolg. Beards)).

Having examined all the church buildings of the Iversky Monastery with their valuables, as well as the Nikonovsky Museum located in the Iversky Monastery in order to seize jewelry in favor of the Volga region, they found that all things in the museum are not subject to seizure according to the Instructions of the All-Russian Central Executive Committee of 28 / III - 22 g as objects, having historical and highly artistic value.

According to the instructions for representatives of the department of museums of the Glavnauka and its local bodies, acting on the basis of a decree on the liquidation of church property dated 2/I-22, published in the Izvestia of the All-Russian Central Executive Committee dated 6/I-22, No. liquidation of valuables of antiquity, ending in 1725” and $4 “Ancient temples with their interior decorations, ancient iconostases, icon cases, lampadas, chandeliers, etc., which constitute in general an ensemble of artistic historical significance, must remain inviolable. In these cases, no separate seizures of museum items are allowed. The Assembly recognized that the churches of the Iversky Monastery as a whole are highly artistic and historical monuments of the seventeenth century (1600 - 1700), which is why, on the exact basis of the above $$ instructions, no removals of valuables that violate the general artistic historical ensemble of this monument can be made. » That is, Vladyka Joseph and the brethren of the monastery, under incredibly difficult conditions, tried to act in accordance with laws that did not contradict the canons of the Church. Metropolitan Arseniy of Novgorod and Staraya Russa had already been exiled outside the Diocese at that time, and it was not possible to contact him.

Bishop Joseph actively opposed renovationism.

On May 24, 1924, on behalf of His Grace Seraphim, Bishop of Krestetsky, temporarily administrator of the Novgorod Diocese, a report was made to His Holiness Patriarch Tikhon on the state of affairs in the Novgorod Diocese, in which it was said (Office of Patriarch Tikhon 218/310 - 311): “.. .Reverend Joseph, Bishop of Valdai - things are going extremely well. There were no Renovationists in the district at all, except for Archpriest Zimnev, who very soon was frightened by the people's anger and now does not show himself in anything ... "

Until the very last minute of his earthly life, Vladyka steadfastly carried out his archpastoral ministry in the Valdai land.

Father Joseph departed to the Lord in the house of P.F. Vakhrushev on Exemplary Mountain in Valdai, where he lived the last years of his life. Probably the most beautiful view of the Valdai Lake and the Iversky Monastery opened from the window of his room.

On December 4, 1930, His Eminence Bishop Joseph in Valdai celebrated the feast of the Entry of the Most Holy Theotokos into the Temple. Ten days later, on December 14, 1930, he blissfully passed away. Having truly Christian humility and modesty, he bequeathed to bury himself as a simple monk. The words of Mikhail Osipovich Menshikov (1859-1918) were written on the grave of Bishop Joseph near the Church of Peter and Paul in the city of Valdai: “Faith in God is confidence in the highest good. The loss of this faith is the greatest misfortune that can befall a people."

Here it is appropriate to say a few words about the birthplace of Vladyka Joseph.

The future Bishop of Valdai Joseph (John Vasilyevich Nikolaevsky) was born in 1862 in the family of the priest of the Church of the Resurrection of Christ Vasily Petrovich Nikolaevsky, located in the estate of G.R. Derzhavin in the village of Zvanka, Novgorod district, Novgorod province, present-day Chudovsky district, Novgorod region. The place of Vladyka's birth is indicated by the entry in the text from the protocol on the deprivation of his voting rights in 1925. His mother, Anna Andreeva, having lost her parents, was raised by her older brother, sexton of the same church, Ivan Andreev. John was the third child. He had two sisters Anna and Maria. Here is what information about parents, grandfather, sisters and date of birth is recorded in the Gazette of the Zvan Church for 1864. “... Priest Vasily Petrov Nikolaevsky Deacon’s son, after completing the course of sciences in 1847 from the Novgorod Theological Seminary, was dismissed with a Certificate of the II category, 1851 July 7 days by His Grace Anthony Bishop of Old Russian and a cavalier, promoted to this Church of the Resurrection of Christ to the present place August 31 days for diligent service and very good behavior is allowed by His Eminence during the priesthood to use a loincloth. He has a diploma and a certificate for the award - 39 years old. His wife Anna Andreeva is 29 years old. Their children: Anna - 9 years old Marya - 6 years old John - 1 ½ years old. You dare to know your duties well. Very good behavior. I'll see son-in-law. Tried and was not fined.

On July 26, 2015, the remains of Bishop Joseph of Valdai, with the blessing of Metropolitan Lev of Novgorod and Staraya Russian, were solemnly, with a large gathering of people, reburied in front of the altar of the Iversky Cathedral of the Valdai Iversky Svyatoozersky Monastery.

At the end of the liturgy, a memorial service was performed in front of the ark with the ashes of the ever-remembered Bishop Joseph, after which, to the singing of the funeral trisagion, he was transferred to the monastery cemetery, where he was interred.

At the end of the litia for the dead at the monastery cemetery, Metropolitan Leo addressed the worshipers in the Iberian Cathedral with the archpastoral word.

Vladyka explained the meaning of the passage from the First Epistle of the Holy Apostle Paul to the Corinthians, which was read during the service, and which was dedicated to the topic of division in the Church (1 Cor 1:10–18). The apostle called on the faithful to unity and unanimity, recalling that Christ was not divided in Himself, and all were baptized in His name, entering through the doors of the baptismal font into the bosom of the one Church. The Lord Himself commanded the disciples to be united when He warned: “If a kingdom is divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand” (Mark 3:24).

So it was in apostolic times, so it is done today. When divisions occur, great sadness visits people, which was confirmed by the history of our Fatherland in the 20th century. Believers, however, remember that division in the Church is a sin which, according to the words of St. John Chrysostom, is not cleansed even by the blood of martyrdom and tears the unwoven tunic of Christ.

Vladyka Leo commemorated the Christian feat of the abbot of the Valdai Monastery, Bishop Joseph of Valdai, who suffered for his faith and remained faithful to Christ and his pastoral duty until the last minutes of his life.

The male Valdai Iversky Monastery is famous for the miraculous icon preserved in the Assumption Cathedral, as well as for the gilded domes of this Orthodox church. The place for the monastery was chosen by the reformer of Russian Orthodoxy, Patriarch Nikon, when he was Metropolitan of Novgorod. The picturesque Selvitsky Island on the Valdai Lake, named Saint Nikon, became the site of the construction of one of the three monasteries founded by this primate of the Russian Orthodox Church.

The model for the construction of the monastery on Lake Valdai, or the Holy, was the Greek Iberian Monastery on Mount Athos, and its full name sounds like the Valdai Iberian Svyatoozersky Bogoroditsky Monastery. It was decided to place it on an island in the center of the lake.

Selvitsky Island in the southern part has an artificial connection with the largest island of the reservoir - Ryabinov, which in a similar way communicates with the mainland coast. On the western coast of the island, a monastic boat mooring was built, near which the Holy Gates of the main entrance were located.

The laying of the monastery took place in 1653, after the approval of the plan by Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich Romanov, who allocated funding from the state treasury. The consecration of the finished stone Assumption Cathedral took place at the end of 1656 personally by Patriarch Nikon.

The incomplete fifteen years of his patriarchate were full of many innovations - church books and icons were brought into line with Greek canons, bows were introduced from the waist and the sign of the cross of three fingers was introduced. All this led to a split of believers, the emergence of Old Believers.

Nikon sought equal participation of the church in government of the state with the tsar, which Alexei Mikhailovich decisively rejected, and the patriarch was disgraced, and then deposed, followed by exile.

The general view of the Iberian Monastery on the Selvitsky Island of Valdai, or the Holy Lake, has been preserved since ancient times. A man-made isthmus with a bridge connects with the neighboring island of Ryabinov, and that one with the mainland.

The rest of the buildings of the Valdai Iversky Monastery were built later than the Assumption Cathedral, as well as the fortress wall enclosing the monastery, with a total length of more than a kilometer. The contour of the walls almost repeated the outlines of the Selvitz Island, separating almost 6 hectares of its territory.

The glacial origin of the reservoir determines the almost complete absence of a current, a calm water surface and an abundance of coastal vegetation.

In the current appearance of the monastery, one can see a convenient entrance from the south side, a parking lot for tourist buses and a separate car parking for the monastic brethren and clergy. The territory of the island is almost devoid of vegetation, except for the western and part of the northern coast. The glacial origin of the reservoir determines the almost complete absence of a current, a calm water surface and an abundance of coastal vegetation.

According to Orthodox canons, the main entrance to the territory of the monastery is located on the western side. The holy gates are made in the form of an arched passage in a two-story building, the upper tier of which is the gate church of St. Philip. He is famous for his service in the Solovetsky Monastery as abbot, and then for his service as the Moscow Metropolitan.

Philip protested against the cruel methods of Ivan the Terrible's rule, for which he was removed from his rank and secretly executed by the tsar's henchman Malyuta Skuratov. Canonized by the Orthodox Church on the eve of the start of construction of the Iversky Monastery, the gate church was named in his honor.

The central volume of the church is covered with four gable roofs with a spherical vault between them. On the vault there is an octagonal drum and a dome crowning it - a dome with a cross. The left wing is a stairwell, on the right on the ground floor there is a church shop.

Adjacent one-story buildings accommodate residential monastic cells. Above the entrance arch there is a copy of the icon of the Iberian Mother of God - the Gatekeeper, or the Gatekeeper.

It so happened historically that the Valdai Iberian Monastery has two Holy Gates, built in an earlier period, turned out to be inside the territory. Between both entrance structures there is a paved path with lanterns along it.

The second arched entrance was built in a massive rectangular building, on the ceiling of which was built the church of the Archangel Michael, the leader (archangel) of the heavenly forces in the fight against the devil. The gate temple has a relatively small square base with an octagonal turret on the roof, on top of which there is a blind drum with a dome and a cross.

On both sides, premises for various purposes were attached to the gates, the entire building forms a transverse dividing line between the western and eastern parts of the monastery territory.

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One of the vital buildings on the territory of the monastery was the refectory, built in an ensemble with the Church of the Epiphany immediately after the Assumption Cathedral. A warm temple was necessary for holding divine services in the winter; Nikon himself ordered that it be provided in the monastery complex.

The building is built as a two-story building, with utility and storage facilities located below, and a refectory hall on the second floor. The front porch on the western side consists of a canopied staircase, parallel to the wall and fenced from the outside, arched openings are made in the fence. The southern porch is decorated with faceted columns supporting the shelter portal.

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On the east side, the Church of the Epiphany adjoins the refectory - a single-domed temple with a square lower tier and a tower of 8 faces with window openings, a blind drum on a hemispherical roof, a dome with a cross on top. Decorations around the window openings - stylized kokoshniks and double arches above the windows, like some other elements, are made in red, contrasting with the white walls.

The three-tier hipped bell tower of the Valdai Iversky Monastery is combined on a single base with the rector's building for the residence of higher clergy. The buildings stretched along the southern monastery wall. The square of the second tier passes into the octagon of the belfry, on the wall of which there is a clock.

Every 15 minutes, the bells chime, which is heard throughout the island. The bell tower is crowned with a tent in the form of a sharp octagonal pyramid with dormer windows (chandeliers) on each side, a blind drum at the top and a dome with a cross.

The rectory building has two residential floors and a basement. A distinctive feature of this building is the tiled decoration of the window openings.

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The main and oldest building of the Iversky Monastery is the cathedral, first named after the miraculous icon, then renamed the Assumption and acquired its original name already in the new millennium. A feature of the temple architecture of the Nikon era is a covered gallery on all sides of the building.

The main (western) entrance to the cathedral is decorated as a small chapel, the side chapels have two floors each and double-sided entrance stairs. Rectangular in plan, the building consists of three naves, divided internally by retaining columns (pillars).

On the eastern side of the temple, it has three altar apses, inside of which there is a three-part altar. Five large domes with gilded domes complete the majestic construction of the Cathedral of the icon of the Iberian Mother of God. A complete impression of the appearance of the cathedral can be obtained by viewing the slider.

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The domes of the Assumption Cathedral of the Valdai Iversky Monastery now shine for a long distance in good weather.

The domes of all five domes of the Assumption Cathedral from the time of its construction until 2008 were covered with copper sheets, which are characterized by gradual oxidation with the acquisition of a dark color. In order to increase the attractiveness of the appearance of the cathedral, the Novgorod diocese decided to cover the domes with gold leaf, which was carried out during the last restoration of the temple.

Three thousand packs (books) of the thinnest sheets of precious metal were used for gilding, 4 grams each, that is, 12 kilograms for the entire scope of gilding work.

The richness of the interior decoration of the Cathedral of the Valdai Iversky Monastery, updated during the last restoration. The massive entrance doors of the Assumption Cathedral are decorated with filigree wood carvings.

The main shrine of the Valdai Iversky Monastery is the miraculous icon of the Iberian Mother of God that gave it its name. The relic is placed in a conspicuous place at a height convenient for viewing on the right pillar closest to the iconostasis. At the foot of the pillar there is a separate platform for worshipers.

The precious casing of the holy image leaves only the faces and hands of the characters open, but they are quite expressive. The pedestal in front of the location of the image is convenient for both kissing the icon and kneeling in front of it.

The icon located in the island temple is supposedly a list (an exact copy) made directly in the Iberian monastery on Mount Athos in Greece. The Greek monastery founded by the Georgians, which miraculously found a miraculous icon floating on the waves, allegedly presented the image to the Russian Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich, who handed it over to the Assumption Cathedral.

The origin of the original icon is not known for certain, the legend says that it was painted by the Evangelist Luke. One of the apostles who described the life of Christ is indeed known as the first icon painter who depicted the Mother of God.

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The paintings of the walls and columns, as well as the images of the five-tiered altar iconostasis, were more than half lost during the period of persecution of religion and restored in a more modern icon-painting manner. Also, thanks to the skill of the restorers, richly decorated supporting pillars appear in all their splendor - columns that take the weight of the upper tier of the building.

The covered gallery encircling the altar is also used to place images of Orthodox saints with candlesticks opposite.

One of the attractions of the monastery territory is the ancient oak growing here, which is mistakenly considered to have grown from the acorn of the oldest tree on the planet, described in the Bible, but attracting increased attention of tourists visiting the temple. There is a legend that a tree was grown from the acorn of the famous Mamre oak, or Abraham's tree.

The sacred oak on the banks of the Jordan River is over 5,000 years old and witnessed the meeting of Abraham with God in the person of the Holy Trinity. The relationship of the Valdai tree with this relic is not possible, because the oldest tree on the planet has not produced acorns for a long time, at least during the period of oak growth in the monastery (about 250 years).

The oak on the territory of the Iversky Monastery attracts visitors, among other things, due to the Slavic belief about energizing from trees. It has become a tradition to lean back against the trunk, supposedly replenishing vitality, including embracing the oak with a whole group of people around the entire circumference of the trunk.

For monks, such rites seem pagan and intolerant on the territory of the monastery, but it is embarrassing to directly prohibit them. Therefore, a copy of the miraculous icon was fixed on a tree so that people would kiss it instead of the old custom. However, the ancient tradition of distant ancestors is still alive.

At the end of a short review of the Valdai Iversky Monastery, its future visitors are invited to check their own assimilation of the material presented. The published slider contains a number of pictures. They filmed from different directions objects covered in previous materials, as well as those left without description, including the unmentioned Printing Tower, where Nikon developed local printing. The high square building is crowned with a pyramidal roof of complex configuration, a drum and a spire with a weather vane.

Nothing was said about the towers in the monastery wall, one of which is depicted. It is necessary to determine the location of this structure, based on the design of the adjacent walls and using the title image of the survey. In the same way, you can identify all other objects of the Valdai Iversky Monastery, no matter from what angle the picture was taken.

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A kind of quiz arranged for visitors to our site does not pursue the goal of testing school work. A playful event is designed to arouse interest in what is being described, to encourage him to visit and personally examine it. The Valdai Iberian Monastery, its wonderful surroundings are worth it, and the trip will bring indelible impressions.