Valdai. Iversky monastery

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, 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.

Last weekend I was on a bus pilgrimage trip to the Valdai Iversky Bogoroditsky Svyatoozersky Monastery and the city of Valdai. I invite you to participate virtually with me on this trip. (All photographs taken with a Canon PowerShot SX 240 HS digital camera.)

History of the monastery

The Valdai Monastery became the first monastery built in Rus' after the Time of Troubles. Having ascended the Patriarchal throne on July 25, 1652, Patriarch Nikon expressed his intention to found a monastery on Valdai Lake to Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich. The latter approved the plan of the Patriarch and allocated funds from the treasury for the construction of the monastery.

In the summer of 1653, two wooden churches were built and ready for consecration. The cathedral church was consecrated in honor of the miraculous icon of the Iberian Mother of God, and warm - in the name of St. Philip, Metropolitan of Moscow. The Patriarch appointed Archimandrite Dionisy as the first abbot of the monastery.

When he first visited the monastery under construction, Nikon renamed the Valdai settlement into the village of Bogoroditskoye, and also called Valdai Lake Holy, having previously consecrated it and lowered the Gospel and the cross to the bottom. The monastery itself, in addition to the former name, was called Svyatoozersky.

Church of St. Michael the Archangel

By the beginning of 1654, according to Patriarch Nikon himself, there were already 26 monks and the same number of laborers in the monastery.
To glorify the monastery, by order of the Patriarch, the holy relics of Jacob of Borovichi were transferred. At the same time - in 1654 - arks were brought to the monastery with particles of the relics of the Moscow saints Peter, Jonah and Philip, and many other saints.

Church of Philip, Metropolitan of Moscow.<

In 1656, the first stone building of the monastery, the Assumption Cathedral, was completed. In the same year it was consecrated. A copy of the miraculous Iberian Icon of the Mother of God was also brought here from Moscow.

Cathedral of the Iberian Icon of the Mother of God (former Assumption Cathedral)

Cathedral of the Epiphany.

Bell tower, House church in the rector's chambers of the Iversky Monastery

Church of Iakov Borovichsky, Tomb of the Panaevs with a chapel (Seraphim of Sarov?)

Rector's building (view from the east) with the bell tower in the background

Iberian icon

The Iberian icon, located on Mount Athos, became famous for many miracles. The rumor about the miraculous image spread throughout Russia through pilgrims. His Holiness Patriarch Nikon, while still an archimandrite of Novospassky, turned to the archimandrite of the Iberian Athos Monastery, Pachomius, with a request to send a copy of the miraculous Iberian Icon of the Most Holy Theotokos, as well as to take and send the exact plan of the Iberian Athos Monastery. By this time, the idea to create New Athos on Russian soil dates back.

In response to this request, a moleben was served on Mount Athos by a brethren of 365 people before the beginning of the writing of the icon. The icon painter Iamvlih Romanov painted a copy of the Iberian icon, and a year later the icon, accompanied by Athos monks, arrived in Moscow. On October 13, 1648, in Moscow, the Iberian Icon was solemnly received by Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich and the Patriarch in the presence of a large gathering of people. The icon was brought to the Iversky Monastery in 1656 for the consecration of the Assumption Cathedral.

According to Paul of Aleppo, this icon "... beyond all surprise, strikes the eye and mind of the viewer: there is no one like it even in the tsar's treasury, nor in his churches, for we have seen all the icons ...". The value of the decorations of this icon at that time reached more than 44,000 silver rubles. Patriarch Nikon forbade all icon painters to make lists and copies of it.

Restoration of the monastery

Archbishop Lev of Novgorod and Starorussky made great efforts to return the monastery to the Novgorod diocese. In 1991, His Holiness Patriarch Alexy II of Moscow and All Rus' visited the monastery. In the Assumption Cathedral, he performed a prayer service before the returned Iberian Icon of the Mother of God. The monastery was transferred to the Novgorod diocese in disrepair. The destruction of temples and buildings was so significant that many pilgrims who visited the monastery did not believe in the revival of the Iberian monastery.

Abbot Stefan became the first abbot of the monastery after the transfer of his diocese. During the years of his governorship of the abbot, the general clutter of the territory was eliminated, the people who lived there were resettled, the daily celebration of worship was resumed, and the beginning of the external and internal arrangement of the monastery buildings was laid.

In 1995, several bells were donated during the All-Russian festival of bell ringers on the territory of the monastery. The number of monks more than doubled, and soon the first monastic vows took place.

In 1998, Archbishop Leo consecrated the Church of the Epiphany. Services were resumed in the Assumption Cathedral; both temples have temporary iconostases.

In June 2002, the vicegerent obedience was entrusted to Hieromonk Nil, but the time of his labors in his new capacity turned out to be tragically short: at the end of 2002, in his haste to a festive divine service in Veliky Novgorod, he and two monks of the monastery died in a car accident. Now the abbot of the monastery is Archimandrite Ephraim (Barbinagra).

Article from 6 -th volume of the "Orthodox Encyclopedia" (p. 515-520).

(Novgorod and Staraya Russian diocese), on one of the islands of Lake Valdai. 3 km from the town of Valdai, Novgorod region.

17th century

The idea of ​​founding a monastery in honor of the Iberian Icon of St. Theotokos ("Portaitissa") arose at Bud. Patriarch Nikon, probably during the years of rectorship in the Novospassky Moscow mon-re. In 1648 archim. Nikon asked Archim. Pachomius of the Iberian Monastery on Mount Athos, complete the list from the miraculous icon and send it to Moscow along with the plan of the Iberian monastery, “in order to build a similar one in Russia, according to the location of the onago.” According to the testimony of the archdeacon. Paul of Aleppo, Nikon intended to build a monastery in Athos architectural traditions, he wanted to sew the vestments of the brethren according to "Greek customs". In the beginning. In the 50s, already being the Metropolitan of Novgorod, during one of his trips to Moscow, Nikon drew attention to the surroundings of Valdai Lake, favorable for the construction of the monastery. In 1652, traveling to Solovki for the relics of ssmch. Met. Philip, Nikon had a vision - ssmch. Philip blessed Nikon to build on one of the islands of the Valdai lake. monastery. After being placed on the Patriarchal throne, Nikon told the tsar about his intention to found a monastery in honor of the Iberian Icon and received support. An island was soon chosen (“not particularly large, but very beautiful, surrounded by fisheries”), and in Aug. 1653 The Patriarch sent to Valdai a "worthy old man-builder" - archim. Novgorod Holy Spirit Monastery Jacob and "with him the boyar son from his Patriarchal house and other people needed for construction, giving them enough gold, silver, church utensils and books for the new monastery" ( Shusherin. S. 52).

By the autumn of 1653, a warm wooden church was built in the name of St. Philip, Mr. Moscow, and the cathedral church. in honor of the Iberian Icon, 28 Sept. In 1653, Nikon granted the Cathedral the image of the Mother of God (“enclosed with chasing, gilded with stone” - Acts. No. 18). Soon a wooden belfry, fraternal cells, and household services were installed. Royal letters 17 Nov. and 8 Dec. 1653, May 6, 1654, etc. in addition to the palace village. Valdai with the lake were attributed to the monastery "forever motionless" several. Novgorod rows, Borovichsky monastery with land, Korotsky Pokrovsky and Lissitzky monasteries with land in Derevskaya Pyatina, Starorussky monastery with land and old Russian salt pans, p. Borovichi, Vyshny Volochek, pits Vydropuzhsk, Edrovo, Yazhelbitsy, etc.

Together with the Kutein monks, many artisans moved to Valdai from Orsha, Mstislavl, Kopos (Kopysi) and others, who in 1655 began to produce colored tiles for V. m. from local clay; at the head of this production was the "philistine from Kopos" Ignat Maksimov. Tiles were sold, in particular, to the Tikhvin Big and Zelenetsky Mon-ri, the Novgorod Bishop's House. In 1658, the best of the masters were transferred to the New Jerusalem monastery, but in 1663-1666. the tiling business in V. m. was continued. Up to now time partially preserved tiles on one of the architraves of the rector's building, erected in the 80s. 17th century

During the years of the primacy of Nikon, V. m. was under his special patronage. In March 1654, the Patriarch sent a charter to the monastery (not preserved), in the same year the abbot was granted the rank of archimandrite and the right to perform divine services “in a service cap, with a policeman, and with a sulk, with ripids, and with a carpet, and with autumn” (Acts No. 40), the Patriarch made numerous contributions to the monastery: books (The Works of St. Gregory the Theologian and Synodik - in 1655), liturgical and household utensils (chalice, a set of 6 silver glasses, silver and gilded feet now housed in the New Jerusalem Museum). There are also known contributions to the V. m. Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich (a silver censer and a star, now in the New Jerusalem Museum), Patriarch Joachim (altar Gospel, ed.: M., 1681). Monastic peasants and servants were removed from the judiciary of local orders and zemstvo chiefs and were under the jurisdiction of the abbot of the monastery in all cases, except for murder, robbery, theft, these grave crimes were dealt with in the order of the Grand Palace, duties collected from the monastic estates were also received there . All monastic buildings in towns and villages were freed from public lodging and supply, the mon-ry did not pay trade duties. In the 1st floor. 60s 17th century the number of brethren of V. m. increased to 200 people. After the deposition of Patriarch Nikon at the Great Moscow Cathedral of 1666-1667. all the monasteries founded by him, including V. m., were transferred to the jurisdiction of diocesan bishops, then closed, as organized “not according to the charters of the holy fathers”, the brethren were sent to other monasteries, the estates entered the treasury. But already in 1668, its rector, Archim. Philotheus with the brethren, the monastery again received all the privileges and land holdings.

During the 2nd half. 17th century active construction was going on in the mon-re. In May 1657, the construction of the 2nd stone monastery church began - in honor of the Theophany of the Lord with a refectory, in the porch of the church there was a chapel in the name of St. Nil Stolobensky; the refectory located to the right of the cathedral closed the monastery square from the north. In 1668-1669. to Epiphany Ts. utility rooms were added from the north. In 1670-1671. south of the wooden c. St. Philip (1653) with a refectory (since 1672 it was called a hospital), a wooden church was built. St. Jacob Borovichsky, which burned down in 1700 along with the hospital, and in its place (in the north-east corner) by 1708 a stone church of the same name with a 2-story building of hospital cells was erected. Filippovskaya c. moved to app. St. gate (built in 1656, rebuilt in 1874-1875). South of the Bogoyavlenskaya Ts. a stone 3-tier bell tower (1679-1689) with 13 bells was installed; to the left of it - a 2-storey stone wing of fraternal cells (1679-1689); in app. parts of the mon-rya - a 2-storey fraternal building on the cellars ("Nikonovsky"); 2-storey stone building of living cells adjoining the Patriarchal Tower (1683-1689). In 1684-1689. to the east of the bell tower, a stone rector's building was erected, to the west - the Archangel Gate with a stone gate over the gate. arch. Michael (1683-1689); in 1685-1689 - the Mikhailovskaya (Patriarchal) tower, in which economic services were arranged, in 1686-1688 - the treasury building, which connected the Mikhailovskaya tower with the Mikhailovskaya c.

XVIII - beginning. 20th century

To the beginning 18th century V. m. fell into decay, in 1712 it was assigned to the Alexander Nevsky Lavra under construction, in 1730 it again gained independence (part of V. m.'s property remained in the Lavra sacristy: 4 gold altar crosses, priestly vestments with pearl mantles , mitres adorned with diamonds and pearls, 2 large bells and many household items). K ser. 18th century V. m. owned 7113 peasants and 4275 dess. arable land; in 1764, all the estates of the mon-rya were transferred to the College of Economy, V. m. was assigned to the 1st class. 5 monasteries were assigned to the mon-ryu, the mon-ry had courtyards in Moscow and Novgorod.

In the XVIII-XIX centuries. active construction and restoration work continued in the mon-re. In a fire on May 11, 1704, the Assumption Cathedral was damaged. Iberian Icon of the Mother of God and the relics of St. Jacob Borovichsky were taken to the c. arch. Michael and were there until the full restoration of the cathedral in 1710. In the middle. 18th century the old murals were knocked down and the cathedral was repainted. In 1747, the Church of the Epiphany was rebuilt and divided into 2 floors; in honor of the Descent of the Holy Spirit on the apostles. In the 1st third of the XVIII century. a fraternal corps was erected, which joined the c. arch. Michael. By this time, the monastery was divided by buildings into 2 parts: east. (monastic square with temples and main buildings) and west. (household yards). In 1731-1763. instead of wooden monastery walls, stone ones with towers were built: Cooking, Kvasovarennaya, Blacksmithing and South-East.

After the fire of 1825, construction and repair work was carried out in the mon-re, which changed the original appearance of many others. buildings. During the repair of the Assumption Cathedral in the 30s. 19th century a significant part of the painting turned out to be lost, a new painting was made in the technique of oil painting by the Ostashkov masters I. and A. Mitin; in the 2nd floor. 19th century 2 more repairs of the temple were carried out with the renewal of painting. In 1830-1831. on the spot walls, a living building was built, and then a building for stable cells. In the 60s. 19th century in the southwest In the corner of the monastery, a stone hospice building was built in place of the wall. In 1873-1874. the stone gate church was dismantled. St. Philip and a new temple of the same name was built in its place. In con. 19th century a stone tomb chapel-vault was erected in the monastery garden. In the 19th century the stone horse and hospitable towers and the system of courtyard walls were also built anew.

The abbots and inhabitants of the V. m. were Bud. bishops: Aaron (Eropkin), Damaskin (Askaronsky), Anthony (Znamensky), Theophylact (Rusanov), Justin (Vishnevsky), Ambrose (Protasov), Ambrose (Rozhdestvensky-Veshchezerov), Vladimir (Uzhinsky). Among the elders of V. m., the silent monk is known. Pachomius († 1886), who acquired the gifts of prayer and clairvoyance. Dr. revered ascetic was the rector V. m. archim. Lavrenty (Makarov; 1854-1876), who previously served as the governor of the Kiev-Pechersk Lavra. Archim. Lavrenty established religious processions with the miraculous Iberian Icon of the Mother of God in Valdai, Demyansk, Borovichi and in the districts of Novgorod and neighboring provinces. In 1848, after the procession, the strongest cholera epidemic stopped; in memory of this event, in 1849, by the decision of the Synod, the annual procession from the monastery around the city of Valdai and the performance of prayer services from July 28 to August 6 were approved. Processions were also made on patronal feasts - the Assumption of the Mother of God, Epiphany, on the day of memory of St. Jacob Borovichsky (October 23). In 1858, under the care of archim. Lawrence, a new reliquary was made for the relics of St. Jacob, a new golden riza with precious stones for the Iberian icon. At archim. Lawrence, the iconostasis of the Assumption Cathedral was gilded, all monastery churches and residential buildings were repaired, and a hotel for pilgrims was built. After the discovery in 1861 of the relics of St. Tikhon of Zadonsk in the homeland of the saint in the village. Korotsky, Valdai u. was founded by women. cenobitic community, in the creation of which Archim. Lawrence took an active part. Archim. Lawrence is buried in the west. porch of the Assumption Cathedral.

To the beginning 20th century under V. m., there was a literacy school for 10 orphaned boys who lived in mon-re. By 1918, the number of brethren V. m. was approx. 70 people - monks and workers, the monastery owned approx. 5 hectares of monastic lands and 200 hectares of orchards, orchards, arable land, pastures.

1917-2003

Belfry of the Valdai Iberian Monastery. 1679-1689 Photo. 2002

Belfry of the Valdai Iberian Monastery. 1679-1689 Photo. 2002

The last rector of V. m. before the closing of the monastery was archim. Joseph (Nevsky), consecrated in 1921 as Bishop of Valdai, vicar of the Novgorod diocese. In June 1918, the brethren and parishioners of the V. m. resisted a police detachment that was trying to describe and seize the monastery's food supplies, archim. Joseph managed to prevent bloodshed. In the autumn of 1918, the gold riza from the miraculous Iberian icon, other ancient precious utensils, and things of Patriarch Nikon were seized from the V. m. 1919 the valuables were returned to the monastery. Soon, the monastery workers, united in a "working committee", seized the keys to the monastery storerooms and began to manage in the mon-re. In 1919, the V. m. was transformed into the Iverskaya labor artel. At the same time in the premises app. The Nikon Museum was placed on the wall, which was headed by the archaeologist D. D. Franz, from 1924 - I. F. Lukashevich (a guide to the museum was published in 1920). By the decision of the collegium of the Petrograd department for museum affairs on February 22. In 1921, the buildings of the V. m. "with all the church property located in it, were recognized as having exceptional historical, domestic and artistic significance." At the same time, a public opening of the relics of St. Jacob (their present location is unknown). In 1927, the labor artel at the V. m. was liquidated for "connection with the Iberian miraculous icon." The abbot was arrested and exiled to Rybinsk, then lived in the city of Valdai, 6 former. residents of V. m. 30s served in the villages of the Valdai region. The monastery premises housed a museum, workshops, in 1941-1945 - a hospital, then a home for the disabled - participants in the war, a forest school for children with tuberculosis, from the 70s - a recreation center. By the beginning of the restoration work in 1959, most of the buildings of the V. m. L. E. Krasnorechev.

In 1991, the V. m. was transferred to the Novgorod diocese, and the igum became the first governor. Stefan (Popkov). In the same year, Patriarch Alexy II of Moscow and All Rus' visited the monastery. His Holiness the Patriarch served a prayer service in the Assumption Cathedral in front of the Iberian Icon of the Mother of God. Divine services began to be performed in the Church of the Epiphany. By Aug. In 2003, the Assumption Cathedral and the Epiphany Church were restored in V.M., in which 2 altars were consecrated: in honor of the Epiphany and St. Nile of Stolobensky, the gate church of St. Philip of Moscow, bell tower, Nikonovsky building, fraternal cells. Located in present. time in the monastery of the Iberian Icon of the Mother of God - one of the lists from the miraculous icon, which was preserved in the Valdai church. apostles Peter and Paul and was transferred to the monastery (modern location of the ancient miraculous icon unknown). By Sept. 2003, approx. 30 inhabitants, the duties of the governor were performed by the priest. Nikandr (Stepanov). A museum of the history of the monastery is being created in the mon-re.

Arch.: SPbFIRI RAS F. 181 [Archive of the Valdai Iversky Monastery]; GA Novgorod region F. 481. Op. 1. D. 427, 956 // RGADA. F. 280. Op. 3. D. 203 [Officer's inventory of the Valdai Iversky monastery, 1763].

Lit .: Iversky Valdai Monastery - past and present. B. m., b. G.; Description of the first-class Iversky Bogoroditsky monastery of the Novgorod diocese. SPb., 1844; Dubinin. Bell production in Valdai // Tr. comis. on the study of handicraft industry in Russia. 1882. Issue. 8. Dep. 4. S. 146-149; Biography and letters in Bose of the deceased father Archim. Lavrenty, rector of the first-class Iversky Bogoroditsky Valdai Monastery. M., 1887; Silin P. M. The celebration of the consecration of the cathedral church in the Valdai Iberian Mon-re. Novgorod, 1898; He same. Valdai Iversky Bogoroditsky Monastery. SPb., 1892; He same. East description of the Valdai Iberian Svyatoozersky Bogoroditsky Monastery. Novgorod, 1889. Borovichi, 19123; Ilyin M. A. On the history of architectural composition Rus. mon-ray of the 17th century // Ezheg. Institute of Art History. M., 1954. S. 279-297; Alferova G. IN. On the issue of construction activities Patr. Nikon // Architectural heritage. 1969. No. 18. S. 30-34; Sivak WITH. AND. Ivan Isaev - builder of the Iversky Monastery // PKNO, 1978. M., 1979. P. 456-458; she same. Apprentice stonework Afanasy Fomin // Architectural Heritage and Restoration. M., 1984. S. 236-246; Belonenko IN. WITH. From the history of books in the Iberian monastery in the 17th century. // Lit-ra Dr. Russ: Source study. L., 1988. S. 197-207; Istomin E. G., Krasnorechev L. E. Iberian miracle. L., 1982; Valdai Iversky Svyatoozersky Bogoroditsky Monastery / Author-comp. N. N. Gervais. St. Petersburg, 2002; Vdovichenko M. IN. Cathedral of the Valdai Iberian Monastery // Novgorod Antiquities. M., 2002. S. 256-279; Rogozhkin E. AND. Personal belongings and contributions of Patriarch Nikon from the fund of precious metals of the New Jerusalem Museum // Nikon Readings in the New Jerusalem Museum: Sat. Art. M., 2002. S. 47-56.

N. N. Gervais

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 universal 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 Rus'. 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 Rus' - 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 Rus'. 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, who also disagreed with the Holy One, saw in the single-headed eagle a symbol of the Polish-Lithuanian state and noted this as a sign of treason, especially since at that time there was a war with Poland. 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 have the temptation 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 Rus'. 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 reverence 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, the Archimandrite of the Novgorod Holy Spirit Monastery Jacob, known to Nikon as a “skillful owner” 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 the winter approaching…” 9 Masters not only chose a place, but also drew up 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 Rus' 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", following 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 fully 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 Iberian 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 setting 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 St. James, as a shrine highly revered locally, regionally, as well as particles of the relics of 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 for the brethren, for God’s sake, take care 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 “is not a day without singing” and that services at that time 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 favor, 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 Borovichi 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 among those who came to the Iberian construction site at that crucial moment was not the master Vasily Naumov.

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. Archimandrites, governors, treasurers and craftsmen changed, but it is important that during the entire patriarchal period there always remained 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 were covering up the cathedral roof, placing wooden domes over the side porches, and the silversmiths were preparing 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 temple 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 Krutitsa, Archbishop Lavrenty 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 Rus' 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 Iversky 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 altars 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 arranged.

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

Hegumen Joel happened to keep piety in White Rus' and, saving him, lead his monks out of the oppression of the Uniates to Rus', 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 shepherd 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 herd of divine words and prophetic and apostolic and paternal 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 Theognostus, 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 Vasilyevich 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 now flaunts magnificently 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 Lavrenty, 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 united 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 called 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 those 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 Rus'.

Belarusians shared the secrets of tsenina (how to work with glaze), and soon multi-colored tiled tiles appeared in many parts of Rus'. 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 appoint an archimandrite from another monastery to the Iberian monastery, but the elders wrote back to Patriarch Adrian asking him 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 Varnitsky salt springs, discovered by Patriarch Nikon three versts from Valdai 129 , spent his entire fortune 130 on their study, 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 the Iberian 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 popular 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, abbot - 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 have been busy with 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, “all the precious and ancient sacristy vessels and things” confiscated earlier 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. The icon of the Iberian Mother of God, transferred to this day from the Peter and Paul Church of Valdai, was the first, before all the monastery inhabitants, to come 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 Pavel 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 Rus', the miracle worker, who is on the Holy Lake, and about the transfer of the relics of the Holy Righteous Jacob, who was previously called 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 Rus', 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

Valdai has always attracted tourists with its magnificent nature, unique national park and nature reserve. But the main point of any excursion to these places is Iversky in Valdai. This main Orthodox attraction is located on the Selvitz Island.

History of the Iversky Monastery (Valdai)

This monastery was built by order of Patriarch Nikon. This happened in the 17th century. The construction of the monastery was approved by Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich. The clergy said that the patriarch had a vision during a trip to Solovki, which was a pillar of fire that marked the construction site of the monastery. In architectural terms, it was created in the image of the male Iberian monastery, located on Mount Athos in Greece.

By 1653, two wooden churches were built, which were consecrated in honor of Philip of Moscow and the icon of the Iberian Mother of God. Later, the stone Assumption Cathedral and the Church of the Archangel Michael were erected and consecrated. In addition, many small buildings for household purposes appeared here.
The royal charter secured the surrounding lands for the monastery - the villages of Vyshny Volochek, Borovichi, Yazhelbitsy, as well as some nearby monasteries.

In 1655, the brethren of the Kuteinsky Monastery (Belarus) completely moved to the monastery, along with their own. They even brought printing presses with them. From that moment, printing began to develop here.
(the founder of the monastery), during his visit, he renamed Valdaisky Posad, calling it the village of Bogoroditsky, and he called the local lake Saint. Since that time, the monastery acquired a second name - Svyatoozersky.
In 1656, the construction of the Assumption Cathedral was completed, which was consecrated in the same year.

For a long time, Valdai has been famous for its measured and calm life. The Iversky Monastery successfully functioned as a temple. So it was before the October Revolution, when it began to decline. The miraculous icon was taken away from the monastery in 1927, and the monastery itself, together with the monastic community (70 people), was transformed into a labor artel. Later, there was a historical-archival and local history museum, a school for children with tuberculosis, a home for disabled veterans of the Great Patriotic War, and a recreation center.

Recovery

The monastery, which was in disrepair, was returned to the Novgorod diocese in 1991. His first governor (after the return of the monastery) was hegumen Stefan.
The President of Russia arrived at the solemn liturgy at Valdai. The Iversky Monastery (you see the photo in this article) was consecrated in honor of the icon of the Iberian Mother of God in 2008 II. In the same year, it was decided to gild the domes of the Iversky Cathedral.

Restoration

During the years of decline and desolation, the Iversky Monastery (Valdai) has practically lost its temple painting. It was a laborious and painstaking work to restore it. It ran for almost five years. The surviving areas were carefully cleared and fortified. Artists-restorers completed the lost compositions. In addition, saints and cherubs were painted on the altar windows. The frescoes of the upper part of the altar were restored in 2009 according to old samples.

Some compositions had to be recorded several times in order to maintain a single style. During the restoration work, the masters managed to recreate almost three thousand meters of unique temple painting. The restoration was completed in 2011.

Description of the Iberian Cathedral

Everyone who comes to Valdai Island must visit the Iversky Monastery. And they begin their acquaintance with the monastery from its main cathedral. Iversky Cathedral (formerly Assumption) is a six-pillared, five-domed, three-aisled structure built in the form of a square with three apses.

On four sides, the temple is surrounded by a gallery, characteristic of all the buildings of Patriarch Nikon. The gallery has a porch, and on the north and south sides there are two two-story tents with crosses. The vaults of the temple are supported by six large pillars. Previously, the altar had choirs made of wood, but they have not survived to our time. Now the choirs in the temple are stone, located above the door at the entrance.
The church is decorated with frescoes of the 19th century, restored by the master restorers of the Kitezh enterprise.

At the entrance to the church, you can see a story about how the Iberian icon got into the holy monastery, as well as the appearance of the incorruptible relics of St. James.
The altar (XVII century) is set on stone pillars, and a step made of stone adjoins it. The throne is decorated with chasing, and above it is a carved canopy.
On a mountainous place, the Savior is depicted sitting on a throne. The prophet John the Baptist and the Most Holy Mother of God are coming to him. On two sides of this image are the twelve apostles.

Valdai, Iversky Monastery: Church of the Epiphany with a refectory

Presumably this grandiose building with a refectory was built in 1669. Its modest decoration favorably sets off the strict temple facade. The lower windows are framed by thin columns and small, simplified kokoshniks.

The building of the refectory consists of two floors. On the first (semi-basement) floor there were storage facilities, and on the second floor there was a spacious refectory, utility rooms and a kitchen.

The refectory is a one-pillar chamber, which is covered by a vault with stripping over the windows and doorways. Arched passages connect it with the Church of the Epiphany. It is located on the east side of the refectory. This is a two-height cubic one-domed temple with a two-tiered faceted apse.

Bell tower

A picturesque complex of buildings stretches along the southern wall of the monastery, which consists of two buildings - the governor's and the abbot's. Between them is the monastery bell tower.

This tent structure was built in the 17th century. Much later buildings were added to it. After a terrible fire in 1825, the appearance of the bell tower changed: the tent was dismantled, and a dome with a spire appeared instead. After a recent restoration, the bell tower acquired its original appearance.

Church of Philip the Metropolitan

This is a gate church, which was erected in 1874 on the site of an ancient temple. The church is a quadrangle with beveled corners and symmetrical aisles, gabled facades and a large dome mounted on a faceted drum.

Features and eclecticism are visible in the composition of this temple and its decorative design.

Icon of the Mother of God

Hundreds of pilgrims annually come to the Iversky Monastery (Valdai). The icon of the Iberian Mother of God is the main shrine of the monastery. The holy face is an exact copy of the Iberian icon, which is located in the Athos monastery in Greece. It was completely different from the original. She was brought to the monastery by the monks Cornelius and Nicephorus. The icon impressed with its luxurious decoration. The cost of jewelry in those days was estimated at 44 thousand rubles in silver. Holy Patriarch Nikon imposed a ban on icon painters from making copies and lists from it.

The novices of the monastery claim that they have repeatedly witnessed the miracles that this icon showed (healing from diseases, preventing disasters). During the terrible cholera epidemic (1848), the icon protected the inhabitants of the monastery from a deadly disease. Since then, every year on July 28, a religious procession has taken place. They pray to the Mother of God for consolation in grief, solving problems, a rich harvest, and healing. Each person can turn to her, not only by visiting Valdai, but also at home. The Valdai Mother of God will help everyone who lives with God in their hearts and believes in his great power.

Iversky monastery today

Every year more and more pilgrims, as well as ordinary tourists, visit Valdai (Iversky Monastery). Guests are fascinated by the beautifully landscaped grounds. Parking is provided at the entrance for guests, which on weekends can hardly accommodate everyone who wants to visit the holy monastery.

The monastery is open for visits daily, from 6.00 to 21.00. For tourists (and pilgrims), the staff conduct study tours. In the monastery they are accommodated in the guest building (with meals and overnight), however, these issues should be coordinated with the Pilgrimage Center in advance.

How to get there?

Many tourists would like to visit the Iversky Monastery (Valdai) today. How to get there? We will talk about this below.

The monastery is located on the Selvitz Island, which can be reached by the regular motor ship "Zarya" or by a special excursion boat.
In addition, the island can be reached by car by crossing the bridge located near the village of Borovichi.