Zachatievsky Stavropegial Convent: history, how to get

The first monastery in Russian history for women only. It is also the oldest, founded in 1360. The Conception Monastery is located in Moscow and is known as a place in which prayer brings childbearing. High-ranking persons came here at all times, who for a long time could not conceive children. And after visiting the monastery, women miraculously became pregnant and had babies.

History

The date of foundation of the religious institution is 1360. Despite the fact that the monastery is historically considered the first women's monastery, before that, similar monasteries also existed, but in all cases only at the men's cloisters. The monastery was founded by the Grand Duke of Kievan Rus Yaroslav the Wise, and his first sheared nun was the granddaughter of the prince - Anna (also known as Yanka).

The construction of the wooden church building was carried out with the permission of the Metropolitan of Moscow, whose name was Alexy. And first, the sisters settled in the monastery, they were called Mother Superior Juliania, the nun Eupraxia. The construction was dedicated to the Monk Alexy, due to which later the monastery was called Alekseevskaya. It introduced and applied a special charter of cohabitation of nuns.

A century later, in 1514, Vasily the Third ordered the architect Aleviz Fryazin from Italy to design a cathedral cathedral dedicated to the Conception of St. Anne.

In 1547, misfortune happened, and a big fire razed the Alekseevsky monastery to the ground.

Then Ivan the Terrible ordered the burnt convent to be transferred to other lands - in Chertol. Here it was safely erected and operated until the 19th century. Today, on the historical site of land under the burned out Alekseevsky monastery, the Cathedral of Christ the Savior rises. But in those tragic years, some nuns did not leave the old prayer place, remained to live in a burned-out building and stubbornly pray for its revival. The monastery was restored and began to be called the Conception Monastery.

Even in those distant times, in this monastery they began to ask God mainly about the birth of children.

In 1584, by decree of Fyodor Ivanovich Godunov, they began the construction and restoration of the monastery in its old place. Then the Cathedral of Conception of St. Anne was built of stone and with it a church dedicated to the birth of the Blessed Virgin Mary.

However, troubled times again led to the loss of the monastery, which nevertheless was soon built again. In 1696, with the financial support of the stolnik A.L. Rimsky-Korsakov erected the Church of the Savior of the Miraculous Image. Baroque dominated in its architectural style. And since the steward was the owner of all the surrounding lands, the Church of the Savior was the house church for him and received parishioners.

From 1766 to 1768 near a stone tent on the graves of the women who founded the monastery (whom the believers very much revered and remembered), a small temple was erected, named after the icon of the Mother of God. A century later, it was qualitatively rebuilt and greatly expanded, and the church entered the complex of the Cathedral of the Nativity of the Virgin.

After 40 years, the monastery became very dilapidated, and it was dismantled to the foundation. By 1807, the magnificent Cathedral of the Nativity of the Virgin, and with it a monastery, grew on this site. The building of the latter was consecrated in 1813. The architects of the Kazakov brothers gave it a neo-Gothic style (according to documents, authorship of architects has not been confirmed to this day).

The Patriotic War of 1812 came, by the end of which the monastery was completely ruined. But by the power of believers it was restored again. By 1850, an almshouse was built at the monastery, and a temple of the Descent of the Holy Spirit was erected nearby.

20th century

In 1918, with the advent of Soviet power, the notorious decree on the nationalization of real estate and land belonging to churches began to be applied. This monastery was also closed, and most of the nuns were sentenced to exile in Siberia. Some of the sisters were simply expelled from the monastery walls without housing.

In 1922, the Bolsheviks completely looted the legendary convent, but failed to take away the faith from the nuns, and the monastery remained operational. It is known that on March 16, 1925, it was here that the Patriarch of All Russia Tikhon served with the last service in his life, 9 days after which he died.

By 1927, the monastery was closed, and its premises and lands were given to various state institutions, including a prison, as well as a children's colony. By 1934, everything related to the convent was razed to the ground, and the temple of the Descent of the Holy Spirit was completely rebuilt as a school building. All valuable icons and other relics (including the miraculous image of the Mother of God) were transported to the church of the Prophet Elijah, located in Moscow on Obydensky Lane. A small community of nuns also moved to the same church.

Finally, in the 1960s, the church was proclaimed an architectural monument and completely restored. And only in 1991 began the revival of the monastery.

In 1995, the monastery again became stavropegic, which means direct submission to the patriarch of all Russia.

In 2001-2005 installed the dome of the temple of the Descent of the Holy Spirit. The mayor's office of the capital ordered in the same period to demolish all the buildings of the Soviet era and carry out archaeological research in search of historical finds.

The construction of the Conception Monastery began in 2005, on November 25. On this day, Patriarch Alexy II solemnly and with prayer laid the first stone of the temple. For the construction in honor of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary, the architectural project of A.N. Obolensky. The construction was carried out at the expense of businessman D.E. Rybolovlev. And only in 2010 the cathedral was consecrated by Patriarch Cyril.

And according to her, the oldest Zachatievsky monastery continues to be rebuilt and rebuilt. An almshouse has already been erected, a shelter is operating at the monastery, a sewing workshop and a bakery are organized. The library and its own publishing house have also been launched. A daily service is held in the temple.