Savior Transfiguration Monastery, Murom: history and photos

From the top of the hill on which the Savior-Transfiguration Monastery of the city of Murom is located, the divine beauty of immense fates opens. These truly epic lands remember many saints who shone in the Russian land. God's heavenly protectors of the family Peter and Fevronia glorified God here, the hero Ilya of Murom had accumulated his powers and the humble elder Serafim of Sarov often visited here. The land of the Murom and the monastery remember a lot, which has become an integral part of its history.

The first ray of Orthodoxy in the Murom lands

The Transfiguration Monastery in Murom, which is the oldest in Russia, was founded by Prince Gleb Vladimirovich, the son of Prince Vladimir, who brought the light of Orthodoxy to the Russian land. Having received in 1015 from his father in possession of the city of Moore, whose inhabitants at that time were still drowned in the darkness of paganism, the young prince believed it was good not to stop there, but to establish his yard by climbing up the Oka and choosing for him a place on a steep, overgrown thick Forest shore.

A zealous Christian, he soon ordered the erection of a temple next to his prince's house, and when among the age-old pine trees his log walls rose, he was concerned with the salvation of not only his soul, but all those pagans, the ruler and lord of whom he was. Baptism of such a vast and lost in the forests of the region is a difficult and time-consuming task, so the Lord instructed him to begin enlightening the land of Murom from the founding of the monastery.

Evidence of handwritten monuments of the past centuries

About when and by whom the Savior-Transfiguration Monastery (Murom) was founded, is described in detail in the ancient manuscript monument, which reached us from the 16th century. Another historical document of the 12th century also testifies to this ancient origin of the monastery. It tells that in 1096, near the monastery walls, another Murom ruler, Prince Izyaslav Vladimirovich (the son of Vladimir Monomakh), died in battle with Prince Oleg.

The ancient manuscripts were preserved and the death of another pious prince Yury Iziaslavovich, who ruled from 1162 to 1174. The place of his repose, as evidenced by the Ipatiev Chronicle, became the Savior-Transfiguration Monastery in Murom, in whose territory a new church was erected by his command and a bell tower was installed. About whether it was stone or log, as its predecessor, built by Prince Gleb - is unknown. It is said only that it was in her that his body was buried.

The chronology of the historical document, which mentions the Savior-Transfiguration Monastery (Murom), is the chronicle of the end of the 15th century. It tells how in 1467 the Novgorod boyar Fedor Boretsky - the son of the famous posadnik Marfa, who led the struggle of the free city of Novgorod for independence from the Moscow principality, before death was honored to receive monastic tonsure at the monastery. It should be noted that it was in the customs of that time - on the threshold of death to renounce all earthly and in the "angelic order" to move to another world.

The city that became a military camp

During the victorious campaign against the capital of the Kazan Khanate, undertaken by Ivan the Terrible, one of the routes of the Russian army followed through Murom. The Savior's Transfiguration Monastery was the site of his stay for two weeks, during which rafts and plots were built to cross the Oka.

Historical chronicles report that in July of that year the city looked like a military camp. On the streets, numerous marching tents were shattered, covered with battle flags, and everywhere the warriors could be seen, and the sound of the guns could be heard. Here, the king watched from the height of the left bank, on which the monastery was located, for the crossing of separate parts through the Oka, to where the Sakan forests began.

Sovereign's oath

In those days the host of Ivan the Terrible was replenished with the Murom squad. Tradition says that when the monastery left the monastery, the emperor swore, in case of a victory over the foe, to build in it a stone church. As you know, this campaign ended with the capture of Kazan, and in 1655, according to his word, not one but several temples were erected, among which the Spassky cathedral stands out, for which the tsar sacrificed precious church utensils, books, icons and rich vestments.

Despite repeated perestroika, this cathedral has survived to the present day, and in general has preserved its original appearance. At the sight of it, even a cursory glance is enough to make the outlines of the Moscow Assumption Cathedral come to mind, they are so close in their architectural features. This is the five-domed, so characteristic of the Moscow style of that era, and the modest ornamentation of the facades, and the strict, concise proportions of both buildings, creating the impression of solidity and harsh simplicity.

It is known that the Savior-Transfiguration Monastery in Murom owes much to Ivan the Terrible with his economic prosperity. The Emperor wrote to his property numerous patrimonial estates - landed estates with serfs, who became his property. By their labor the peasants saved the brethren from taking care of their daily bread, allowing it to indulge only in soul-saving deeds.

The raid of foreign robbers

In one of the historical chronicles dating from 1637, there is a record that in 1616, that is, at the very beginning of the reign of Mikhail Fedorovich, the first sovereign of the Romanov dynasty, an armed Lithuanian detachment commanded by Alexander Lisovsky was captured by Moore. The Spaso-Preobrazhensky Monastery, which survived the Time of Troubles relatively safely, was looted these days, and those of the villagers who resisted the enemy were killed. The name of this leader of the cavalry detachment, who repeatedly tainted itself with the plunder of the civilian population, went down in history and became a synonym for violence and arbitrariness.

Defied rebellion

A dramatic and full dramatic page in the history of the monastery was the events that resulted from the church reform carried out by Patriarch Nikon. As is known, among the innovations that he carried out, there were significant changes in the order of worship, the introduction of new church books translated from Greek, the replacement of the old two-fingers with the cross sign on the three-fingers and much more.

This reform, rational in its essence, but carried out hastily and ill-conceived, provoked a protest in the broadest layers of society and caused a schism in the church, the consequences of which are felt to this day. As evidenced by historical chronicles, in those days one of the strongholds of the Old Believers became the Transfiguration Monastery (Murom).

His rector, Archimandrite Anthony, repeatedly appealed not only to the brotherhood he led, but also to the inhabitants of the city with appeals, in which he condemned the changes that violated the usual order of church life that had been established for centuries. A special critique was the demand to be baptized with three fingers. He even sent a message to Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich, in which he detailed all the claims in relation to the ongoing reform.

So furious about the tragedy, in his opinion, of ancient piety, the shepherd did not take into account one extremely important thing - the reform was not only approved by the tsar, but was carried out under his personal patronage. Consequently, criticizing her, he went against the will of the king, and at what time in Russia it went away with impunity?

What happened was to be expected. In 1662, the obstinate was removed from the management of the monastery, and after a while was summoned to Moscow, where his case was examined by the Local Council that was passing at the time. He was not helped either by publicly repenting, nor by past pastoral merits. For his insolence and free-thinking, he was deprived of his rank and sent to obedience in a remote and poor monastery, where he spent the rest of his days.

The following decades in the life of the monastery

Very fertile in the economic life of the monastery was the last decade of the XVII century. This was due to generous donations, repeatedly introduced into his treasury by Metropolitan Varsonofy - a descendant of the old kind of wealthy merchants from Murmansk Chertkovs. His bounty was erected a stone abbot and the reconstruction of the Pokrovsky church, which was in need of repair.

The reign of Peter I was not filled with significant events that have become part of the history of the monastery. The only significant innovation during this period was the opening on its territory of the only educational institution in the city - a school where priests' children were trained. Even though the number of students in it was small, her merit is obvious, since it was she who became the first hotbed of literacy in this vast region.

The hardships of Catherine's time

The Spaso-Preobrazhensky Monastery (Murom) underwent many difficulties and adversities during the reign of Catherine II. His economic well-being severely undermined her policy of secularization, that is, the withdrawal from possession of monastic lands, often the main source of income for their owners. Deprived of him allotted to him in the days of Ivan the Terrible, the monastery began to decline.

The situation was complicated by the fact that on the basis of the decree, which was received from St. Petersburg in 1765, the manor Borisoglebskaya monastery, which was located nearby, was abolished, and its inhabitants were transferred to the Transfiguration Monastery (Murom town). Revenues from this, of course, did not increase, and the number of mouths increased. It was necessary for the God-loving monks to tighten their cassocks even more tightly.

Miraculous Athos icon

The band of trials sent to the monks for their former pride lasted until the seventies of the next century, when Archimandrite Anthony (Ilyin) was appointed abbot of the monastery. Finding the economy in a very deplorable state, this humble, but very practical pastor began by going on a pilgrimage to St. Athos, there to seek help from the Heavenly forces.

His prayers were heard, and back he returned with the miraculous icon of the Mother of God "Skoroposlushnitsa", which immediately attracted crowds of pilgrims and thereby ensured the flow of funds into the monastery treasury. Thanks to this, during the following years it was possible to restore and bring in a proper form all the dilapidated by that time monastery buildings.

In addition, in 1892, near the southern wall of the monastery, a three-storey brick building was erected, in which brother cells were housed, and in 1907 another church was built, this time in honor of the martyrs of Chersonesus. This was the last building undertaken in the monastery. The catastrophe was inexorably advancing, crushing the great empire to the dust and for many decades tearing the Russian people from its spiritual roots.

Under the yoke of the God-seeking authorities

Soon after the armed coup that took place in 1917, the Transfiguration Monastery (Murom), whose address was henceforth designated by the name of the revolutionary IN Lukin, was closed. The reason for this was the participation of his rector, Bishop Mitrofan (Zagorsky) in the anti-Bolshevik uprising that broke out in Murom in July 1918 and was organized by the White Guard underground. However, the Cathedral of the Transfiguration there for two years continued to function as a parish church. The monastery cemetery was also open, where civilians were buried.

In the twenties there was a question about the transfer of monastery premises to the Murom Museum of Local Lore, but by the end of the decade they housed a military unit, and several buildings were occupied by the city administration of the NKVD. The shrines of the Transfiguration Monastery (Murom) were partially transferred to museum funds, and in the majority simply destroyed or looted.

Return of the monastery (more precisely, its ruins) to the bosom of the church

The process of returning to the faithful their original property began in 1990, when representatives of the initiative group established in the city appealed in an open letter to the leadership of the city executive committee with a request to transfer the Transfiguration Monastery (Murom), whose address is: Lakin, 1 a, in possession of the newly created monastic community. Their initiative was supported by Academician DS Likhachev, who applied for assistance to the higher ecclesiastical leadership.

Overcoming the difficulties that have arisen along this path took almost five years, but, finally, the military unit, quartered on the territory of the monastery, moved to a new place, having freed up all the premises that have survived to this day. Then the governor of the resurgent monastery was Hieromonk Cyril (Epifanov).

In his recollections, the picture presented to him on his first visit to the monastery was truly depressing. The barracks abandoned by the military were half destroyed, and the buildings of the temples were deprived of not only domes, but even roofs. Given that there was no money to restore them, it is possible to imagine in all its complexity the complexity of the problem facing the governor.

The monastery was rescued by the same icon of the Mother of God "Skoroposlushnitsa", brought back from afon by Archimandrite Antony and miraculously revived his material well-being. And although this time it was not found in Greece, but in the funds of the local museum, where it was stored for many years, the miracle was repeated with astonishing accuracy - crowds of pilgrims again reached out to it, and along with them the influx of funds that could not To allocate for the restoration of the shrine of Murom.

The Spaso-Preobrazhensky Monastery in the period from 2000 to 2009 also received significant material support from the Accounting Chamber of the Russian Federation, thanks to which it was possible to complete the entire planned complex of restoration works. Today it has been restored in its entire original form and has again acquired the significance of one of the most significant religious centers of Russia.

Spaso-Preobrazhensky Monastery (Murom): address and organization of trips

A large and responsible work has now been completed. Revived after decades of spiritual decline prevailing in the country, the Holy Transfiguration Monastery (Murom), a photo of which can be seen in this article, attracts not only believers who are heading to it, first of all, to worship shrines, but also those who, Not identifying with religion, shows interest in the past of our country.

For all, undoubtedly, the complex of historical buildings is attractive. It consists of five objects, the main one being the cathedral, built in 1552 thanks to the donations that Ivan the Terrible brought to the Transfiguration Monastery in Murom. The schedule of services resumed in it after the completion of the work, in general, corresponds to the schedule of services in all Orthodox churches in the country. On weekdays in the morning they start at 8:00, and in the evening at 17:30. On holidays and Sundays, a late liturgy is added to them at 10:00.

About the history of the monastery and everything that happened over the centuries in its walls, you can learn from the stories of qualified guides who conduct excursions in it. Those who are attracted to the religious feelings, for the organization of trips should be addressed: Murom, the Pilgrimage Center of the Transfiguration Monastery. You can contact him through the monastery's website. Those who wish to organize their pilgrimage are also awaited in this monastery, located at ul. Lukin, 1 a.

Monastic shrines

In the Savior-Transfiguration Monastery (Murom), whose hotel includes both common rooms for men and women's offices, as well as separate for visiting families, numerous groups of pilgrims annually gather. And this is quite natural, given the significance of the shrines kept within the walls of the monastery.

In addition to the icon of the Mother of God "Skoroposlushnitsy", which was already mentioned in the article, all those who arrived have the opportunity to bow to one of the most revered icons of the holy Monk Seraphim of Sarov. It was written at the beginning of the last century immediately after his canonization by the sisters of the Diveevo monastery founded by him and keeps a particle of the holy relics of the elder. In 2006, to these relics was added a silver carcass with the relics of St. Ilya of Murom, who became in the people's epic the prototype of the famous hero - hero of legends and epics. Also the whole history of the monastery is perceived as a wonderful song of the prophetic boyan, revived and became visible in our days.