Old Golutvin Monastery: description, history and photos

This quiet monastery is located on the outskirts of Kolomna, in a picturesque place where Oka meets the Moscow River. The place where the Old Golutvin Monastery stands is really sacred, it was chosen by monks for the founding of the monastery in the beginning of the XIV century. By order of Dmitry Donskoy, the first stone was laid, although historians are arguing about the date. Some call 1374, others - 1385, but this changes little.

History of the holy place

The Old Golutvin Monastery is not just a quiet monastery. In the past, this is a strategically important object that was designed to protect not just the road, but the most popular trade route. That is why the monastery grew rapidly and developed, and the period of the highest flowering reached the beginning of the XVII century. At this time he becomes the richest of his kind, which, of course, leads to claims on his land. In this regard, at the end of the XVIII century the monastery was deprived of its possessions and fell into decay. Only with the beginning of the XIX century it began to recover, but after the revolution the building was given to the hostel and only in 1994 the Moscow diocese was returned. However, let us take a closer look at the past of the monastery.

origin of name

Why is the monastery called "Staro-Golutvin Monastery"? Historians still do not agree, but there is a generally accepted version according to which the prefix "old-" appeared relatively recently, when the brothers of the Golutvin Monastery were resettled and a new monastery was formed. That is, the automatically restored monastery has become old. Today, the buildings on its territory have been completely restored, the walls and towers are being restored.

Founder of the monastery

It was Sergius of Radonezh who became his founding father. Under his leadership, the first temple was laid, from which only the parts of the basement reached us. According to legend, this place was chosen by Sergius of Radonezh because the source suddenly sprang here. Be that as it may, his role in the creation of the monastery is not forgotten. This is said about the monument, as well as the greatest respect to that insignificant part of that first church that has survived to this day.

Architectural ensemble

Each tourist has his own interest in the ancient monastery. Someone wants to come in contact with a special world of monks, for others it's just an informative excursion and an inspection of a monument of ancient architecture. Be that as it may, there really is something to look at. The Old Golutvin Monastery (Kolomna) is stunningly beautiful, besides it is the largest in the whole region. The largest building is the main temple, dating back to the beginning of the XVIII century. It is located on the site of an old stone cathedral, which was no longer subject to reconstruction. By the same time of construction is a beautiful wall or a fence with intricate towers. All earlier buildings are completely lost today.

The Old Golutvin Monastery (Kolomna) was rebuilt for the most part in the 19th century. In the first half of it was built Sergievsky temple. A little later, the Eastern (fraternal) corps and the bell tower were erected, and the gate church was erected. Gradually grew and economic outbuildings, which are necessary for the brothers living in the monastery.

The most recent buildings were the Western Corps, which served as a hotel for pilgrims, as well as an Orthodox seminary.

Visit to the monastery today

Epiphany Staro-Golutvin Monastery (Kolomna) invites as true believers who seek unity with God, and ordinary inhabitants. Every Sunday at 5:00 pm a water-moleben is performed. You can choose the day and time of the visit based on what you are interested in. Particularly attended are evening services, and in the morning often only brothers and novices are. Not all tourists come here to join the quiet life of monks, more often people are interested in this object as a cultural and historical monument. The time of visit is not regulated, you are free to simply walk around the territory, go to the temple, participate in the worship or make donations.

Landscapes and sights

Do not forget to take a camera with you if you decide to go to the epiphany Staro-Golutvin Monastery; Kolomna itself is extremely beautiful, green and quiet, but its outskirts are particularly picturesque. And one of the most attractive places is the monastery. Especially we love tourists the main temple of the monastery. All mass worship services are performed here, for monks of the monastery there is an opportunity to pray in more secluded places. What else, besides the natural beauty and grandeur of this ancient monastery, is Kolomna famous? The Epiphany Old-Golutvin monastery is very interesting for tourists with its shrines, which we will now talk about.

Abode of the believer's eyes

Of course, a religious person is primarily interested in the temple as a house of God. Ancient large monastery has considerable wealth in the spiritual sense of the word. Here is a huge library, which is studied by all the novices and mentors. In addition, the Epiphany Staro-Golutvin Monastery keeps shrines that are very important for every believer. These are miraculous relics with parts of the crown of thorns and the cross of the Savior. Here are buried the relics of many holy saints.

It is for the sake of not only seeing but also touching these great shrines that a large number of pilgrims come here. Not every monastery has such a rich history, even the land itself is different - holy, namolennaya, healing.

Abode of the eyes of ordinary man in the street

The Old-Golutvin monastery lives its own, quiet and very special life. For an ordinary tourist information about the life of the monastery is difficult to obtain. The only thing you can meet with is the schedule of services before the front door. It is usually closed, though not at the castle, which causes some confusion among tourists. Upon entering, you find yourself on the territory of the monastery. In front of you is a neat alley that leads to the main square. Before you in all its glory - Staro-Golutvin Bogoyavlensky Monastery. On the right are the majestic Epiphany and Sergius Temples. In fact, they do not represent anything special. Simple quadrangular buildings with turrets and domes. However, you need to look deeper into a story that shows the true grandeur of this monastery. On the left are the fraternal corps, a simple white building with openwork porches. Vvedensky temple adjoins to it. Its bell tower was built in the beginning of the XIX century. The height of the bell tower is about 50 meters. If you have time, then it's worth spending time here, contemplating a tall bell tower against a bright blue sky. The spectacle is amazing and fascinating. You probably will be surprised that there are a lot of flowers and greenery, flowerbeds and flowerpots on the territory of the monastery. Meanwhile, the brothers themselves, who live in the monastery, almost never seen. Between the temples is a monument to the founder of the monastery, Sergius of Radonezh. Right behind the beautiful monument there is a row of flower beds, and a little further - a perfectly preserved fence with Gothic towers. The wall of red brick and intricate towers create a contrast with white, simple walls of the most temples.

What we see today is the creation of the hands of 18th-century masters. All earlier buildings were completely lost, only fragments of the basement and the basement part from the original version were preserved. In the vicinity of the Epiphany Cathedral there is the church of St. Sergius of Radonezh, to which adjoins the abbot.

In the distance is the monastery's own apiary, but close to the hives is undesirable for their own safety. And completely separately, behind a high ancient fence, the Kolomna theological seminary has settled down.

How to get to the monastery

Most often, his visit includes a program of excursions to the Golden Ring of Russia. The Old Golutvin Monastery is located, the photo of which will not convey the special atmosphere that reigns here, in the ancient Moscow town called Kolomna. The distance from Moscow is only 100 km. If you choose the route by train, it runs from the Kazan station to Golutvin station. Since it has one name with the monastery itself, it's easy to remember. The journey takes about 2 hours. Upon arrival at the station, you will walk about 2 km, and if you do not want to go on foot, you can go two bus stops. After the stop "Bochmanovo", which you need to get out, turn left and after walking several hundred meters, you get to the gate of the monastery.

Reviews of tourists

Unlike many ancient temples, which are appreciated by tourists for fancy decoration or an abundance of ancient icons, everything here is completely different. Temples of a quiet monastery do not abound with gilding, frescoes or icons, here people believe in a different way, sincerely, without external shine. To understand the atmosphere that reigns here, you need to feel it on yourself, understand, comprehend, live. Some say that visiting the monastery helped solve personal problems, others got rid of serious illnesses, while others simply had a good time and plunged into the history of the ancient monastery. This excursion should be prepared in advance, because there is no guide here, and therefore there will be nobody to tell and show. Today, the territory is undergoing restoration work, reconstructing walls, towers and some elements of buildings. That is, over time the monastery will become even more beautiful. Regardless of whether you are a believer, here it is worth visiting at least once.