Biryulevsky Monastery. The “killer hurricane” beheaded the highest bell tower for the second time. Unique monastery bell tower

Forty-two kilometers northeast of Moscow, on the banks of the Vori River, Nikolo-Berlyukovsky is located, which, along with most of the holy monasteries of Russia, has experienced both periods of prosperity and years of desolation. Both the anger and mercy of those in power were clearly reflected in his fate. And today, when the people have woken up after decades of atheistic madness, people again need him as the guardian of their primordial spiritual values.

The first monks on the Vore River

There is an opinion among historians that the Nikolo-Berlyukovsky Monastery originates from caves dug here by the first monks who came here in the 12th-13th centuries. Despite the fact that in the Russian lands, cave dwelling, due to climatic conditions, was the lot of only a relatively small circle of the most ardent ascetics, examples of this monastic feat can be found throughout our history.

It has been established that in ancient, even pre-Christian times, there was a pagan temple on the shore, and the first inhabitants of the monastery, having settled in these places, erected two churches in the place of the idols they had defeated - in the name of St. John the Baptist and St. Nicholas the Wonderworker of Myra. In this regard, the history of the foundation of the Kiev-Pechersk Lavra involuntarily comes to mind, where the first buildings were erected on the site of idols thrown into the Dnieper waters.

Hieromonk-fire victim

The place chosen was not far from the village of Berlino (in subsequent years Avdotino), so the monastery they founded was initially called St. Nicholas Berlin Hermitage. Its history began to actively develop after the appearance of Hieromonk Varlaam in these parts, who came here at the beginning of the 17th century, when the Russian land was engulfed in the fire of the Time of Troubles. Previously, he was a resident of the Stromynsky Assumption Monastery, located near the village of Fryanovo, but devastated by the Poles and burned by them in 1603.

It is interesting to note that it was after its appearance in historical documents of that era that the monastery began to be called the Nikolo-Berlyukovsky Monastery. Researchers have no definite opinion about the origin of this name. Popular rumor connects it with the name of a certain robber named Berliuk, who hunted in these parts and then repented, which means “wolf”, or simply “beast”.

Whether this legend has any real basis is unknown, especially since attributing the founding of monasteries to former repentant villains has become part of the folk tradition. An example of this is the famous one, also allegedly founded by the robber Opta.

The beginning of the monastic community

About how Father Varlaam began his monastic service on the banks of the Vori, only fragmentary information has been preserved, which was brought to us by documents of that era. However, it is known that soon after the ascetic dug an earthen cell for himself and, having settled in it, devoted himself to fasting and prayer, other monks from ruined monasteries began to come to him, and along with them lay people who wanted to devote their lives to serving God. Gradually the number of desert inhabitants began to increase.

It is also known that one day two venerable elders appeared to Father Varlaam - Abbess Evdokia, who headed the nearby Assumption Monastery of the Baptist, and her treasurer Juliania. They brought an ancient icon of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker as a gift to the monastery.

For this holy image, Elder Varlaam and the brethren erected a wooden chapel, cut from the trunks of a pine forest spread around. Residents of the surrounding villages soon learned about the appearance of the shrine and began to come to the Nikolo-Berlyukovsky Monastery in large numbers. Very soon, through prayers in front of the image, miracles began to happen, and many sufferers received healing.

The first stone building of the monastery

As the number of pilgrims who wanted to venerate the miraculous icon and heed the instructions of Elder Varlaam increased, the hitherto meager monastic treasury was replenished. Several years passed, and with donations from pilgrims and contributions from the boyars who visited the monastery, a stone church was erected on the site of the former chapel, consecrated in the name of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker.

In 1710, since the monastery (Nikolo-Berlyukovsky) did not yet have official status by decision of the diocesan leadership, the temple received the status of a metochion of the Moscow Chudov Monastery, and several monks, led by abbot Pohomius, arrived from the capital to serve in it, as well as for the general arrangement. This was a significant step towards recognition of the monastery by the Moscow Patriarchate.

The patriarchal order to establish a new monastery came seven years later, and, having received official status, the hermitage was removed from the jurisdiction of the Chudov Monastery. History has preserved the name of the first, he was Hieromonk Diodorus, who devoted twenty years to serving God within the walls of the monastery entrusted to him.

Abbot dissident

In 1731, he was replaced by Hieromonk Josiah, who enjoyed great authority among the princesses Maria and Theodosia - the sisters of the late Tsar Peter I. The fate of this faithful son of the Russian Orthodox Church was tragic. He had the courage to openly oppose the policies of Empress Anna Ioannovna, who ruled in those years.

As is known, the decade of her reign was characterized by the dominance of foreigners in all government structures and the general pro-Western orientation of politics. Being a patriot of Russia, Father Josiah was not afraid to publicly denounce both the empress herself, who trampled on national interests, and her corrupt officials. For his dissent, he was exiled to an eternal settlement in Kamchatka, where he soon died, unable to withstand its harsh climate.

Seditious Monastery

Many monks also fell into disgrace, according to denunciations received by the Secret Chancellery, who “favourably listened” to their abbot. True, the sentence against the brethren was not so severe, and the authorities limited themselves to deporting them to other monasteries. However, since then the monastery itself (Nikolo-Berlyukovsky) began to gradually decline. In Russia, secular power has always had priority over ecclesiastical power; it is natural that a monastery, tainted by political sedition, could not count on the support of the Holy Synod.

First abolition of the monastery

The position of the monastery did not change for the better in subsequent reigns. Moreover, in 1770, under Catherine II, who, as is known, pursued a policy of secularization, that is, taking away church lands, the Nikolo-Berlyukovsky monastery was completely abolished, and the Nikolsky Church located on its territory received the status of a parish church.

Only after nine years, thanks to numerous appeals from local residents and representatives of the clergy, by decree of the Moscow Spiritual Consistory, the monastery (Nikolo-Berlyukovsky) regained its rights. However, the former free-thinking of his brethren was not in vain - the monastery received the status of a provincial desert, that is, it was deprived of any material support from the church authorities and had to exist solely at the expense of its own resources. At that year, there were eight such superfluous monasteries in the Moscow diocese.

Under the patronage of Metropolitan Platon

Hieromonk Joasaph was appointed rector of the revived monastery - a man who was not only deeply religious, but also possessed extraordinary economic and business acumen. He managed to earn the trust of the outstanding church figure of that time, Metropolitan Platon (Levshin), who enjoyed great influence at court, and, thanks to his support, received a blessing and, importantly, funds for the construction of a new church in honor of the Holy Trinity. When the construction was completed, Metropolitan Platon personally consecrated it, and made a significant contribution of liturgical books and various utensils.

A century of active construction of the monastery

After the death of Abbot Joasaph in 1794, the monastery continued to expand. Throughout the 19th century, various buildings for both liturgical and economic purposes were erected on its territory. In 1835, the foundation stone of the Cathedral of Christ the Savior took place, which later became the architectural center of the monastery complex.

In addition, the most notable buildings are: the gate stone church built in 1840 in honor of Basil the Great, as well as the bell tower erected in 1851, onto which a bell weighing more than a thousand pounds was raised. In addition, two years later the brethren solemnly consecrated a new stone church, built with donations from the merchant F. F. Nabilkin.

Unique monastery bell tower

The end of the 19th century was marked by the construction of the most grandiose structure for which the Nikolo-Berlyukovskaya hermitage became famous throughout Russia. The monastery managed to find funds and opportunities for the construction of one of these buildings. This structure, built according to the design of the Moscow architect Alexander Stepanovich Kaminsky, is unique both as an architectural monument and as a bold engineering project.

Its height is eighty-eight meters, and on top it was crowned with a cross, cast by master Shuvalov from red copper and weighing more than six hundred kilograms. All construction was carried out with voluntary donations from the capital's merchants Samoilov and the Lyapin brothers.

Second abolition of the monastery

In 1920, the anti-religious campaign undertaken by the new authorities reached Avdotino. The Nikolo-Berlyukovsky Monastery was closed, most of its buildings began to be used for various economic needs, and the main church was turned into a parish church. A year later, intensifying atheistic activity, the authorities banned religious processions, and in 1922 they confiscated valuables.

All silver utensils were requisitioned, including vessels, frames for icons and liturgical books, as well as pectoral and altar crosses. The last time the Divine Liturgy was celebrated in the church was in February 1930. Throughout the subsequent period, until the beginning of the nineties, the buildings of the monastery were used for purely economic purposes.

Revival of the monastery

The beginning of the revival of the monastery should be considered the autumn of 1992, when a religious community was created and registered at the Cathedral of Christ the Savior. However, restoration work in it took considerable time, and the first liturgy was served only in 2004. This event marked the beginning of a new historical period into which the Nikolo Berlyukov Monastery entered. The schedule of services that appeared on his door after a long break became the first sign of the coming spiritual renewal. At the same time, the temple, bell tower and part of the monastery territory were officially transferred to the newly formed community.

An important stage in the revival of the monastery was the decision of the Holy Synod, adopted at its January 2006 meeting. According to his decree, the church, which had previously operated as a parish church, was again transformed into the Nikolo-Berlyukovsky monastery. Photos of the monastery, returned to believers after sixty years of abuse, are presented in the article. They speak for themselves.

Works started in the monastery

There is still a long work ahead to restore everything that was so mercilessly destroyed, and it has already begun. Soon after the monastery was given official status, a fifteen-meter dome topped with a gilded cross was raised to the top of the bell tower. Once again the symbol of Christ’s atoning sacrifice shone over the monastery.

In 2011, the brethren of the monastery began to implement a unique project - the creation of the “Romanov Walk of Fame”. According to the authors' plans, monuments to representatives of the dynasty that ruled Russia for three hundred years should be erected on it. Today, the first four monuments have been erected in this memorial, created as a tribute to the memory of the Romanovs.

Church services, which in previous years attracted thousands of pilgrims to the Nikolo-Berlyukov Monastery, have also been fully restored. The schedule of services of the Cathedral of Christ the Savior generally corresponds to the schedule established for most churches. On weekdays, midnight, matins and hours begin at 6:00, Divine Liturgy - at 8:00, vespers - at 17:30. On holidays, the schedule may change, but this can be found on the monastery website.

Nikolo-Berlyukovsky Monastery - how to get to it?

Despite the fact that the builders and restorers of the monastery still have a lot of work to do, one can already see a significant number of pilgrims coming here not only from Moscow and nearby cities, but also from all over the country. For those who wish to visit the Nikolo-Berlyukovsky Monastery, we inform you that the address is: Moscow region, Noginsk district, Avdotino village. You can get to it by bus No. 321 from the Shchelkovskaya metro station to the stop in the village of Avdotyino. Another option: by electric train from Yaroslavsky station to Chkalovskaya station, and then by the same bus No. 321.

Katerina ★★★★★

(30-05-2016)

Holy place! Thankful!
We visited here on May 29th and were so happy. Mother Cherubima, a nun, told the touching story of the monastery and its revival. The refectory is wonderful! Delicious pies, awesome potatoes, Ivan tea is very tasty. I bought everything for myself.
The refectory is located behind the Walk of Fame, where there are monuments to the rulers of the House of Romanov.
The lower underground temple was impressive, damp, cold....and prayerful.
I really liked the abbot of the monastery Evmeniy. An open priest, very tactful, I met him on the way from the refectory. Grace!
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I want to return to this monastery again.

Elena ★★★★★

(19-03-2016)

There is such a priest in this monastery that in 2-3 years the entire territory will turn into paradise. God bless you!

November 23, 2015, the Bell Tower was consecrated! Worth it, beauty! They vacated the hospital, completely. It immediately became more spacious, but apparently there was even more work - the area of ​​the monastery has increased! The Avenue of the Kings has expanded to Pavel. In the Cathedral of Christ the Savior, it’s also nice to look at (however, there is only the central part in the iconostasis), especially at the design of the Icon of the Kiss of Jesus Christ by Judas. Well, in the Church of the Archangel Michael in the basement, it’s the most comfortable place. It’s worth looking at the changes! For a change for the better - 5!

Igor ★★★★★

(4-12-2014)

I came to the monastery for the first time in 2008. Now I try to come to the liturgy every Sunday. Previously, only the lower temple was open. Amazing place. Once you've been there, you don't want to leave.

Avtodor ★★★★★

(2-07-2014)

I recently found out about this monastery and stopped by. As of July 2014, the bell tower is completely covered in scaffolding and is undergoing active restoration. Once the restoration is complete it will be very beautiful. The Cathedral of Christ the Savior without scaffolding, the lower church was opened. The area is quite well-groomed, there is a small refectory with tea and pies. Not the most famous monastery in the Moscow region, but definitely worth a visit.

The monastery is being actively restored. There are services in the church and there are many parishioners. At the entrance to the monastery territory and up to the temple, the Walk of Fame of the Romanov House is filled with busts of representatives of the dynasty, with explanatory plaques. The bells are still not on the ground. The bell tower has not even begun to be restored. It is amazing in its height. According to local residents, they cannot resolve the territorial dispute - part of the monastery buildings is still occupied by a psychiatric hospital.

The place is very pleasant, quiet, calm, majestic. The road is good, the nature around is simply amazing, especially now, in the fall. It’s just a pity that the monastery itself is being restored, and, apparently, very slowly. The temple, for example, has been restored since 2004 (judging by the inscription on it) and it is still in the forests. Most of the area around the temple is occupied by some kind of building materials. This gives you the feeling that you’ve come to a friend’s dacha who is having renovations done. But you can admire the beautiful bells that still stand right in the yard. ... continuation src="/jpg/plus.gif">

And, most importantly, take a walk along the opposite bank of the Vori River, there is a wonderful forest and the best view of the monastery.

★★★★★

(13-09-2012)

The monastery is being restored, and there is a holy spring nearby in the forest. Beautiful nature. It is a little depressing that there is still a psychiatric hospital next door to the monastery since Soviet times...

Evgesha83 ★★★★★

(23-08-2011)

Yes, really beautiful places. The height of the bell tower (105 meters) is amazing.
Behind the monastery there is a cemetery, and in the cemetery there is a chapel. Near the chapel, two entrances to the underground “labyrinth” were dug. When you come down, the spirit is mesmerizing. Brick walls and marble floors. To go to the “dungeon”, bring along walkie-talkies and flashlights, and it would also be a good idea to take oxygen cylinders with you; after walking a hundred meters underground under the cemetery, it’s already hard to breathe.
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description with diagram.

Valery ★★★★★

(6-07-2011)

We often visit this temple. The attitude of the temple servants towards the parishioners is impressive. Very kind, friendly and, against the backdrop of Moscow churches, humane. Lighted up my car. To the question: how much does this service cost? I received an answer - how much will you give. And in Moscow churches they announced 5-15,000 rubles. I gave as much as I could. I received gratitude and now, whenever I am there, I try to donate as much as possible and do it with joy.

The most impressive thing for me was even the not yet restored bell tower. Beautiful! Otherwise, the monastery is now a construction site. The church is being restored, the foundation is being laid for some new building. Near the fraternal building, an old iconostasis is leaning barely noticeably against the wall. You won't notice it right away.

Tatyana ★★★★☆

(11-04-2011)

We visited the monastery again on 04/09/11. Indeed, restoration is proceeding very slowly. So far, only one church and a powerful bell tower have been given to the monastery. The church has so far been renovated only on the outside; services are held in the basement.

The monastery is huge in area and is in a state of constant restoration. The bell tower is visible from afar, and when they put a cross on it, it was very noticeable. I drive past it all the time. I’ve also been to Voskresensky many times and walked around the church grounds.

I have been observing the restoration in the monastery for many years, because... I often pass by. She walks very slowly. I visited this place for the first time on a tour. The architecture is interesting, there are also positive changes. The main temple has been almost restored; in its basement, a warm temple with brick vaults has been created from scratch, very interesting from the point of view. technical and architectural solutions. A cross was installed on the bell tower several years ago, but the work on its restoration has hardly moved forward.

Yulia Albertovna ★★★★★

(6-09-2010)

Yes, it’s really beautiful! We go there very often! There’s a refectory there at the monastery, very tasty kvass and honey, and you can also buy milk (cow’s, goat’s), sour cream there. The water at the source is just great!!! I recommend it to everyone, (heals feet)

Natalia ★★★★★

(17-04-2008)

We love visiting this monastery when passing through. A strong impression is left by the suddenly opening view of the monastery walls and (of course) the bell tower, if you drive from the highway.
Perhaps, when everything is restored, it will also be beautiful, but, in my opinion, now it is its “unrestored brick” state, the grass and young trees growing on the bell tower that give the monastery complex a special charm. Characteristically: on the wall next to the bell tower there is a sign “Caution, bricks are falling.”
By the way, about the source...

Story

The location for the monastery was always chosen very carefully. The ascetics walked for a long time through forests and swamps until, finally, they found that saving desert where their souls calmed down. The chosenness where the monastery was founded remained with it forever. That is why people, coming today to the ruined monasteries, continue to feel a special grace here. Around the 9th – 10th centuries, the territory of the modern Bogorodsky district of the Moscow region was inhabited by Slavic tribes. Led by the legendary leader Vyatko, the Vyatichi settled in the Oka River basin. In the “Tale of Bygone Years,” it says: “And Vyatko lived with his family in Otsa, from whom he was nicknamed Vyatichi.” Advancing from the south, the Vyatichi reached Moscow land. The Vorya River divided the possessions of two Slavic tribes - the Vyatichi and the Krivichi. A distinctive feature of the Vyatichi was the presence of a clan system, the construction of dwellings in inaccessible forests. Religious beliefs: pagan idols, natural phenomena, worship of the souls of the dead and the burials of relatives.

From the middle of the 12th century, a large colonization of these places began, foreseen by the great Prince of Kyiv Yuri Vladimirovich Dolgoruky, and especially by his son, the Holy Russian Prince Andrei Yuryevich Bogolyubsky, who himself created the entire White Suzdal Rus' with great and populous cities and villages. People eagerly moved to the Zalesskaya land from Kievan Rus, which suffered from constant raids by nomads. The settlers received land, benefits and the right to establish settlements. They not only expanded roads, but also built many new cities and fortifications in Zalesye.
The era of Christianization of the region was beginning, requiring not only simple missionary preachers, but great men, prayer books, educators, orators, theologians who could, in word, deed, but most importantly by the personal example of their life path, convert lost pagans to Christ. The Great Kiev Dormition Pechersk Lavra took a great part in this matter. The monastery of Saints Anthony and Theodosius of Pechersk possessed a whole host of enlighteners and teachers of the word of God: “many monasteries were established by princes and boyars and from wealth, but they are not the essence of tatsi, the essence of the monasteries was established by tears, fasting, prayer, vigil.” The Kiev-Pechersk Monastery became a center of spiritual education and a Christian academy for all of Rus'.
Under the Holy Blessed Prince Andrei Bogolyubsky in the northeast, there was widespread patronage of the church by secular authorities, real material support was provided, extensive construction of churches and the founding of monasteries took place.
The conversion of the Vyatichi to Christ took place at the turn of the 11th-12th centuries through the works of the Venerable Kuksha of the Pechersk Wonderworker and his disciples. The most relevant idea for educated Russian people of that time was the idea of ​​the special chosenness of Rus', which “in recent times” came to God. A deep awareness of their personal responsibility before God attracted Orthodox missionary monks to areas inhabited by pagans (Kuksha and Pimen of Pechersk, St. Abraham of Rostov, Saints Leonty and Isaiah, bishops of Rostov and St. Gerasim of Vologda). The Monk Kuksha was killed by zealots of paganism, but managed to sow the seeds of the faith of Christ among the warring tribes of the Vyatichi.
On the site of a vast forest on the banks of the Vori River near the Stromynsky tract there was a large Slavic settlement, and on the top above the Vorey River on a hill there was a cult pagan center. The picturesqueness of this place, its convenient geographical location, the mighty forest above the river, the deep karst caves - of course, first attracted Christian missionaries, and after the Christianization of the region, monastic hermitages.
The Stromynsky tract is an ancient road that began in the city of Suzdal and went west-southwest. Vladimir Monomakh in his “Instructions for Children” wrote that he passed to Zalesskaya Rus through the Vyatichi. This happened in 1101-1102. Thanks to Vladimir Monomakh, it was extended to the city of Kyiv, and in the 12th-13th centuries the road turned into a busy artery of northeastern Rus'.
Today we do not know for sure when exactly the monastics settled here, the names of the first founding fathers of the Berlyukovskaya monastery, but most likely this happened at the end of the 12th - beginning of the 13th century.
The monastery of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker arose near the caves and occupied a vast area of ​​​​the forest above them. Most likely, at that time there were two temples in the monastery: a cave temple in the name of St. John the Baptist and St. Nicholas the Wonderworker on the site of discarded pagan idols. The settlement of Berlino was located nearby, thanks to which the monastery began to be called St. Nicholas Berlin Hermitage (monastery).
An interesting mention, which none of the researchers have yet paid attention to, exists in all historical descriptions of the Nikolaev Berlyukovskaya Hermitage. The list of abbots of the monastery includes the builder Theodoret. He is the only one of all who is written in a handwritten description of the desert. It is said about him that he later was the Bishop of Tver around 1572 (hence, when the Berlyukovskaya Hermitage did not exist - the author of the description of the Hermitage is L.I. Denisov). As a result of careful research, it was discovered that Theodoret was the abbot of the Makaryevsky Kalyazin Monastery from 1571 to 1573, and the Bishop of Tver and Kashin from 1573 to 1578, but he came to the Kalyazin Monastery from the monastery of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker, where he was a builder. A handwritten description of the desert and a handwritten synodik have not reached us or have not yet been discovered, but it is extremely interesting which Nikolaev monastery Bishop Theodoret was from. If the data is confirmed, this will be a true fact proving the existence of the Berlyukovsky Monastery in the 16th century.
At the beginning of the 17th century, Holy Rus' suffered God's permission. Invasion of foreigners, civil war within the country. It seemed that the country was about to perish, but from the basements of the Moscow Miracle Monastery the call of Patriarch Hermogenes was heard. The call was addressed to all Russian people. The power of the Spirit has won. The country was liberated and the Romanov dynasty reigned.
Hieroschemamonk Varlaam came to the steep bank of the Vori River from the Stromynsky Trinity Monastery, devastated by the Poles. Tradition adds that Father Varlaam came around 1606. He built a wooden chapel, where the ancient image of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker was installed. After the departure of the Polish-Lithuanian conquerors, the monastics also returned here. It was necessary to build everything anew: both the monastery and the settlement, which were equally burned and devastated by the invaders. For some reason unknown to us, new settlers began to build on the other side of the monastery - this is how the village of Avdotino appeared. In the first years after the Time of Troubles, therefore, after 1613, the Lord blessed the intention of Father Varlaam to build a new temple. Through his efforts and with the assistance of local residents, a stone church was erected in the name of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker. Soon Hieroschemamonk Varlaam passed away into eternity.
Tradition has not preserved more detailed information about Hieroschemamonk Varlaam. The elder’s grave also remained hidden from us, but from that time on, the forest in which the temple was located began to be called Chernichiye.
In the Scribe books of the Moscow district and Zamoskovsky volosts for 1631 it is written: “In the Chernogolovsky volost there was a wasteland, that there was a village of Berlino on the river on Vora, arable lands and church lands that there was a temple of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker...”. In the parish books of the Patriarchal Order for 1680 it is stated: “St. Nicholas the Wonderworker’s church land, in the wasteland that was the village of Berlino on the Vore River...”.
After the death of Patriarch Adrian on October 15, 1700, Emperor Peter I appointed Bishop of Ryazan Stefan (Yavorsky) as locum tenens of the Patriarchal Throne. In the same year, the church lands of the Church of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker were transferred to the lands of the Moscow Miracle Monastery. Several brethren were sent to live at the monastery under the command of Abbot Pachomius. Soon a God-loving layman, a merchant Vikul Martynov, was found who expressed a desire to rebuild a temple in the name of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker. A decree of the Moscow Theological Dicastery was issued for the construction of the temple, signed by Archimandrite Anthony of the Chrysostom Monastery.
So “... 1714, on the 31st day of May, by decree of the Great Sovereign, and by petition of the bourgeois settlement Vikula Martynov and the investors, they were ordered to build again the church of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker on the painted church land of St. Nicholas, and in the meantime that church will be built from that land to take from him, the petitioner, with quitrent money...”
In 1719, there is an interesting message in the resolution of His Grace Metropolitan Stefan Yavorsky on the matter of rebuilding a church in the name of John the Theologian on the site of a chapel assigned to the Nikolaev Berlyukovskaya Hermitage, where it is said: “to give a decree against petitions for the construction and consecration of the Church of God and to issue an antimension , the arrangement of that church was for the monk Pitirim, only with the blessing of the Nikolaev Hermitage, the builder Vasily.”
Maybe this builder Vasily was the same Vikula Martynov. Thus, in 1719, the Church of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker was already a monastery. Soon the monastery was expelled from the Chudov Monastery and assigned to the Stromynsky Assumption Monastery. Hieromonk Diodorus is appointed rector of the monastery.
Today, in the monastery, a bell cast under Abbot Diodorus has been miraculously preserved from these times.
In October 1731, Hieromonk Josiah (Samghin) became the new builder of the desert. He came from an ancient merchant family. In 1708 he entered the Sarov Hermitage and in 1711 was tonsured there. Josiah's guarantors were princesses Maria and Theodosia, sisters of Peter the Great. He was a devout ascetic and fearless defender of Orthodoxy. Josiah had a particularly negative attitude towards everything foreign. He also did not approve of Western influence on Orthodoxy. I always set the venerable Kiev-Pechersk fathers and their firmness in faith as an example to everyone. He was friendly with the Moscow holy fools who lived in the palace of Tsarina Praskovya Fedorovna. In 1730, he went to a deserted cell, located in the forest several miles from the monastery. Here they form a small monastery, where some brethren settle. His departure was due to a serious illness. In 1731, he received a decree appointing him to the position of rector of the Nikolaevskaya Berlyukovskaya Hermitage. Along with Josiah, part of the Sarov brethren arrived. Thus, the Providence of God united these two great abodes. Hieromonk Josiah became the spiritual father of many famous figures of his era: Anastasia Ermilovna Matveeva, the Dolgoruky and Odoevsky families, as well as Alexei Vasilyevich Makarov, an actual privy councilor and former chancellor of Peter the Great. The builder Josiah wisely led the brethren along the path of salvation and was not afraid of the voice of truth, where it was required in defense of Orthodoxy and monasticism, and the Lord allowed him the difficult path of suffering for the faith.
The reign of Empress Anna Ioanovna was distinguished by a great attraction to everything foreign. Josiah fearlessly denounced this state of affairs. “Nowadays, as you can see, many noble people have deviated from strange teachings in various ways.” These words show that Fr. Josiah was a true patriot; he was not afraid to speak out sharply and harshly in the name of truth. The abbot also performed tonsure into monasticism, not refusing those who wished to perceive the angelic image. “What does it matter that nowadays it is forbidden by decrees to cut hair. It is more certain to us that it is written in the Gospel, that he who comes to me I will not cast out.” In April 1734, the builder, Hieromonk Josiah, was removed from his post and exiled to Kamchatka for eternal settlements; several brethren were sent along with him into persecution. The rest were distributed to monasteries, and the hermitage was closed by the highest decree. Shortly before this, one of the brethren will say great words: “God is merciful, sometimes after the fall there will be a rebellion, and even such that it will be greater than before.”
In 1742, the rector of the Sarov Hermitage, Hieromonk Dositheus, wrote in one of his letters about Father Josiah: “... he had a long-term residence in a virtuous life, immaculate and indestructible.”
The performance of a miracle is given by the grace of God to those people who, through their lives in Christ, have achieved the fullness of faith. Their great martyrdom will never be lost.
On March 15, 1779, by decree of the Moscow Spiritual Consistory, the monastery was approved as a provincial hermitage. Hieromonk Joasaph, a man of strict and ascetic life, was appointed as the builder. On September 17, 1779, His Eminence Plato wrote a decree to the builder Joasaph what should be done. He asked the abbot to make all the buildings from stone, and to make every effort to widely restore the monastery. The Lord inscribed with his own hand: “God will correct all this with His help from above, the diligence of the Builder and God-loving investors. If God wills, the order of nature will be overcome.”
The New Builder, through faith and love, strict monastic life and his courtesy, managed to gain the favor of the local population and those of the neighboring owners who then lived on their estates next to the monastery. With their contributions they contributed to the beginning of the era of construction. Families: Lopukhins, Dolgorukis, Tyufyakins, Saltykovs and Count A.R. Bruce, contributed to the renovation of the monastery. In December 1779, the Synod issued a Decree on the approval of the Berliukov Hermitage among the eight monasteries supported by the Diocese. In 1780, two chapels were assigned to the desert:
1st in the village of Psarki, 10 versts from the monastery;
2nd in Moscow, in the name of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker at the Kamenny Bridge, where a courtyard was formed.
In 1786, the old church in the name of the Holy Trinity was dismantled in the monastery and a new one was founded according to the plan drawn up personally by the Reverend Plato. The cathedral was quickly rebuilt and consecrated by Metropolitan Platon, who sent books, utensils and many things to the sacristy from Moscow for it.
In 1787, a chapel in the name of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker was added to the desert in Moscow at the German Market in Elokhov.
The zealous and active builder Joasaph tried with all his might to justify the trust of his Archpastor and with the assistance of benefactors, the number of which increased through his efforts during his 15-year reign. New stone abbots' and fraternal cells were erected, and a large number of monastics gathered in the monastery.
On April 1, 1794, the builder Joasaph passed away into eternity. Bishop Plato saw him off on his way. On August 28, 1796, His Grace Plato visited the hermitage and consecrated a monument over the elder’s grave.
His work was continued by his brother, the new builder, Hieromonk Nikolai (1794-1806). Through his efforts, a stone fence was built around the monastery with stone gates and a fraternal refectory with all its accessories. By order of His Grace Plato, the church in the name of the Kazan Icon of the Mother of God was moved to the desert cemetery from the village of Toporkova.
The subsequent years did not leave much of a construction mark on the architecture of the monastery, but it was an extremely important spiritual stage. Its name is "Peshnosh period". With the blessing of Metropolitan Platon, during this period the builders in the desert were hieromonks from the St. Nicholas Peshnosha Monastery:
Pachomius 1806-1811
Ioannikiy 1811-1827
Nicholas II 1827-1828
A strict dormitory was established in the desert. These builders worked hard and gloriously for the glory of God, the brethren and the Holy Monastery. They raised worthy husbands. The 19th century can be called the “golden age” - the era of construction and spiritual work in the desert. The beginning of Berlyuk cave digging was laid. Since 1806, Hieromonk Maxim (in the world, a merchant son from Tver, Nikita Vasilyevich Pogudkin) has been laboring in the desert. It was he who became the founder of the cave-digging company “Loving silence, he began to dig caves for himself.” Indeed, in Russia, the most complete embodiment of Christ-like humility was the cave monastery.
On March 28, 1828, Hieromonk Anthony, a monk and former treasurer of the Solovetsky Monastery, became rector. The life of the monastery flowed prayerfully and measuredly until the Almighty became willing to glorify the deserts in a special spiritual way. On May 24, 1829, the great shrine and miraculous icon “The Kiss of Jesus Christ by Judas” was discovered and the blind woman Tatyana Ivanovna Kuznetsova was healed from the image. On June 16, 1829, the miraculous icon “The Kiss of Jesus Christ by Judas” was solemnly transferred from the bread store to the Trinity Church. The transfer took place with a large gathering of people in a religious procession and with the ringing of all the monastery bells.
On July 29, 1829, Hieromonk Venedikt (Vasily Semenovich Protopopov) was appointed to the position of rector of the desert. Being a decisive and active man, Father Benedict managed to gain the participation and trust of both Metropolitan Philaret of Moscow, the monastery brethren, and the surrounding residents. The time of Father Benedict's abbotship became an era of great construction in the monastery.
From 1830 to 1832, construction was underway on a stone cell building “...in which sixteen cells were built...furnaces with elaborate stove beds...”, and from 1832 to 1833 in the city of Moscow, behind the Bolshoi Kamenny Bridge, a new stone chapel with a stone building “... above the chapel the copper cross and apple are gilded.” At this chapel in the name of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker, a courtyard was built.
In 1834, after devastating fires in the city of Bogorodsk, citizens resorted to heavenly intercession and asked to bring the miraculous icon of the Savior from the Berlyukov Hermitage. The Holy Synod gave permission, and the icon took part in the great religious procession on October 1, 1834, the day of the Intercession of the Virgin Mary. This was the beginning of the Berliuk religious processions with the approval of the Holy Synod and the blessing of Metropolitan Philaret of Moscow and Kolomna. From the very beginning, the abbot, Hieromonk Benedict, led a great deal of work in the monastery to glorify and compile all the descriptions of the discovery of the icon and the miracles from the image. Since 1829, with the great participation of Metropolitan Philaret, Father Benedict compiled a detailed documentary description of everything significant that happened in the desert and related to the miraculous image. He carefully recorded with great accuracy everything that happened, all cases of healing, signing these papers with the council of monastery elders. In the future, the rector, Hieromonk Benedict, will put a lot of effort into organizing religious processions and expanding their geography to neighboring counties.
In August 1835, construction of a cathedral church began in the desert in honor of the miraculous image of the Savior. The initiator, benefactor and patron of the construction will be the Moscow merchant Afanasy Emelyanovich Shchekin. With the blessing of Metropolitan Philaret, Hieromonk Benedict issued an “Appeal to Orthodox Christians who love the splendor of the temples of the Lord,” which said “... A fair number of miracles attract pilgrims from Moscow and other towns and cities... I decide to begin the construction of a new Cathedral Temple in the name of Christ the Savior, kissed by Judas …The grains of wheat are small, but from the totality of many of them bread is made…”. During the construction of the temple, Father Benedict blesses the carrying of the miraculous icon to all local district churches so that everyone can venerate this image. From 1835 to 1837, work was underway to build a stone building for dining with a cookhouse, bakery and cells. In May 1840, the construction of a temple over the holy gates of the desert in the name of Basil the Great began, completed with the money of an unknown benefactor in the same 1840 “... On it, a head made of white iron, a cross, an apple, burrs and a spoon under the head are gilded with flint on copper " Along with the construction of the temple, a new stone monastery fence was built on the eastern and northern sides.
September 19, 1840 “The builder Benedict, in respect of the labors, successes and improvement of the Monastery and brotherhood, was promoted to abbot...”.
In 1828, Makar, a serf of the Moscow merchants Kumanins, came to the desert and was released for his good life. In 1837, he was tonsured a monk with the name Athanasius, and on March 9, 1841, in the Trinity Church of the Desert, he was tonsured into the schema with the name Macarius. The spiritual adviser to Abbot Benedict, Schemamonk Macarius, worked hard on the construction of the Cathedral of Christ the Savior. Having a reputation as an honest person, he knew many representatives of the merchant class in the city of Moscow. These acquaintances contributed to large donations for the construction of the temple of the Kumanin, Lepeshkin, Zheludev and Morozov dynasties. Many representatives of these dynasties joined the brotherhood of the desert. In his free time, he dug caves on the bank above the Vorey River near the monastery. There, Schemamonk Macarius miraculously found a holy spring, set up several cells, and in recent years was often there. Many people came to him for advice, he accepted, consoled, and instructed everyone. Schemamonk Macarius died on April 1, 1847.
In 1842, the construction of the Cathedral of Christ the Savior was completed; in 1844, a stone chapel was built in the village of Novye Psarki. October 1844 was marked by the beginning of the construction of a temple in the name of All Saints on the site of the appearance of the miraculous icon of the Savior with stone hospital and abbot's cells. “The fraternal wooden meal with a bakery, which had fallen into complete disrepair, in which the Icon of Christ the Savior was glorified by Miracles, in memory of this blessed event, was built church in the name of All Saints...daily reading of the Psalter for the departed treasure makers...".
In 1848, the construction of the cold cathedral in the name of Christ the Savior was completed. A stone 36-meter “temple with five domes, of which the middle one is gilded on copper to look like flint, a cross and apples through fire, and four domes are made of white iron... the steps and pulpit are made of white stone. The cathedral is covered with iron...the altar, dome and vaults are painted with paintings and arabesques, the walls are covered with color...". The temple was consecrated in 1848 by Metropolitan Philaret.
In 1851, the bell tower “for a large bell... 1005 pounds... and with it a fence on the western side...” was started and completed. On the large bell of 1005 poods there was an inscription “Established during the reign of the Most Pious Sovereign Emperor Nikolai Pavlovich, Autocrat of All-Russia and with the blessing of His Eminence Philaret Metropolitan of Moscow under the abbot of the desert, Benedict, October 1851, 3 days.” In the same year, 1851, the formation of a large hotel for pilgrims with a store and shop for the needs of pilgrims and spiritual needs was completed. In 1852, the chapel in the name of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker was completely rebuilt in the city of Moscow on the German market with a stone house and cells. On June 29, 1853, Metropolitan Philaret consecrated the church in the name of All Saints, completed at the expense of the sacrifices of the merchant Fyodor Fedorovich Nabilkov. The Church of All Saints is “stone, single-domed, with a tent-shaped dome and with choirs, which are accessed from the abbot’s cells; it has a two-tiered iconostasis, covered with tulle and gilded with polyment with carvings...”
Hegumen Benedict was elevated to the rank of archimandrite in 1853, and in December of this year large renovation work began in the Church of the Kazan Icon of the Mother of God. The iconostasis in the church was rebuilt, and extensive work was carried out to improve the territory of the monastery forest, where the Kazan Church was located and where the elder caves for prayer were located “... the monastery forest, at the end of which the said Kazan Church is located, is not fenced off; Those who live in the factory and in the village behind the forest always walk through the forest in the summer; they have laid many paths along it, as a result of which the roots of the trees are exposed, and many of the trees have already dried up. Therefore, both to save the forest, and because the Refectory building on one side faces the designated forest with windows, and does not have a special fence, it is necessary to make a log fence around the forest, on three sides, starting from the corners of the stone monastery fence, from pointed stakes..." These works in the monastery grove were the last major works under Archimandrite Benedict. But I would like to point out not only the architectural construction, but also the great spiritual life that flowed into the Berlyukovskaya monastery under this “mighty spirit abbot.”
Hieromonk Theodoret lived a wonderful and interesting life. He was born in 1783 and in 1815 entered the Trinity-Sergius Lavra, where he became a monk. In 1827 he moved to the Berlyukovskaya Hermitage, where he lived for 36 years. He witnessed the miracle of the appearance of the icon. A student, friend and interlocutor of Schemamonk Macarius, he was similar to him in the strength of his exploits and life. At the end of his life, depressed by the years and suffering from a serious illness, he lay on his back for six years, unable to move. All this time he said prayers and spiritually cared for the brethren and many people who came to him. He was kind to everyone and gentle. He died on February 27, 1863 and was buried next to Macarius at the Kazan Church.
During these years, a considerable galaxy of elders of highly spiritual life worked in the desert, Hieromonk Irinarch, Schemamonk Varlaam, Schemamonk Nikolai - the blind man, Hieromonk Porfiry - the Athonite, Hieromonk Boniface, Schemamonk Arseny.
On June 1, 1855, Archimandrite Benedict passed away into eternity and was buried in the crypt of his brainchild, under the Cathedral of Christ the Savior. The epitaph was written on the tombstone:

He is in heart, word and deed
Served the Creator and neighbor,
The Lord, seeing his works
In His name, he built a magnificent temple
And his ashes are tired
He rested under the arches of this temple.

Soon after the burial of Abbot Benedict, the cathedral hieromonk of the desert Veniamin and the hieromonk of the Gethsemane monastery of the Trinity St. Sergius Lavra Parthenius were appointed temporary administrators of the desert.
On June 24, 1856, an official decree of the Consistory followed

“Hieromonk Parfeniy was appointed to the Builders of the Berliuk Hermitage of the Gethsemane Skete.” He spent his childhood in a family of Old Believers and learned to read and write. Upon reaching adulthood, he took monastic vows from the Old Believers under the name Paisiy, and visited all the famous Old Believers monasteries. Having realized his errors and sincerely repented of them, in 1839 he joined the Orthodox Church of Christ in Moldova in the Vorona Monastery. In 1839 he took monastic vows on Mount Athos with the name Pamva, and in 1841 he received the schema with the name Parthenius. In 1843 he visited Jerusalem, Palestine and Constantinople. In 1847, with the blessing of the Athonite elders, he arrived in Siberia in the city of Tomsk. There, in the Tomsk Bishops' House, with the blessing of His Grace Athanasius, Bishop of Tomsk and Yenisei, he wrote his notes on his wanderings. In 1856, his book “The Legend of Wandering and Traveling in Russia, Moldova, Turkey and the Holy Land” was published. It was a huge success and was noticed by all the great writers of that time. Historians S.M. Solovyov and M.P. Pogodin, writers M.E. Saltykov - Shchedrin, F.M. Dostoevsky, I.M. Turgenev and many other outstanding writers and critics gave their positive reviews.
Father Parfeniy worked hard and prolificly for the good of the development of the Berlyukov Hermitage. He was engaged in bookbinding work at the monastery, set up an icon-painting workshop, taught the brethren how to ring bells, wrote books and apologetic works. His main concern was the monastery forest above the caves of the elders, where the abbot planned to build a monastery for monks seeking greater solitude. He began the construction of a wooden cell building.
In 1858, he completely rebuilt the Kazan Church in the cemetery from beautiful wood, on a stone foundation, and on its bell tower, with the money of benefactors, he hung a bell of 120 poods. In this church there was an ancient copy of the icon of the Mother of God of Kazan, surrounded by the life and very revered by the surrounding population as the Miracle-Working “... this church, in addition to those donated by the priest of the village of Chashnikov on the Petersburg road, Tikhon Vasilyevich of Perm, 1000 rubles in silver, was built at the monastery’s expense, completed construction under the builder of Parthenia and consecrated by His Eminence Philaret, Metropolitan of Moscow and Kolomna on the 10th day of September 1857...”
Father Parfeniy put the sacristy and library of the monastery in order, personally took care of book bindings, and wrote many apologetic and accusatory works on the conversion of schismatics to Orthodoxy. He started teaching the Greek language and bell ringing in the desert. Metropolitan Philaret also treated Parthenius with great respect. In 1860 he was awarded the golden pectoral cross.
Hieromonk Joseph (1860-1865), a monk of the Trinity-Sergius Lavra, also did a lot for the monastery. He carried out work in the Trinity Cathedral. During 1860-1864, a new, magnificently crafted rosewood iconostasis with walnut carvings, gilding and carved figures of cherubs and seraphim at the top was erected. It was made by the Moscow master Pavel Varfolomeevich Alekseev, and he also carved the rosewood choirs. In 1863, a gold tunic, the contribution of the Moscow merchant Ivan Stepanovich Kulaev, was placed on the Miraculous Icon of the Kiss of Jesus Christ by Judas. The image itself was in a chased silver gilded robe. The crown on the Savior in the form of radiance is decorated with diamonds, the circle on the image is decorated with large rhinestones, and in the corners with large stones. At the top there is an inscription in enamel in stones. The local icon of Christ the Savior sitting on the throne was in a silver and chased robe. The crown and radiance are framed with rhinestones and stones. In the hands of the Savior is a silver scepter. The robe was a gift to the monastery from Ivan Semenovich Solovyov. In front of the icon of the Savior on the throne hung a massive silver lamp of ancient workmanship. At the top of the ball there is an Angel with a silver cross, at the bottom there is a bunch of grapes. The lamp was richly decorated. The three chains on which she hung were made of silver. There is an inscription on the lamp that it is a gift to the monastery from Count Dimitry Nikolaevich Sheremetyev. The silver in these creations was 3 pounds 18 pounds 70 spools. The icons in the Trinity Church were made by the famous icon painter from the Sergius Lavra, Hieromonk Simeon. This iconostasis was remarkable in that it was double-sided, that is, it also faced the altar. The local icons in the lower tier were all in silver vestments, decorated with stones and placed in bronze frames.
Over the course of its history, Berlyukovskaya Hermitage has collected a large number of ancient icons in its churches. The icon of the Almighty, with Metropolitan Philip and Patriarch Nikon fallen in prayer, the second half of the 17th century, the ancient image of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker, it was she who was still in the chapel of Hieroschemamonk Varlaam in the 17th century, an interesting image of Byzantine writing - the icon of Emmanuel, the image of the Kazan Icon of the Mother of God with Nicholas The Wonderworker and Paraskeva Friday.
In the Church of St. Basil the Great there is an icon of the Miraculous Image in a silver robe with a signature that was painted by Larion Ushakov, and there is also an icon of the Kursk Sign of the Mother of God in a silver robe, Moscow work of 1735 and is the contribution of Princess Olga Mikhailovna Koltsova-Mosalskaya.
The builder Joseph built a temple over the caves of the elder schemamonk Macarius in the name of the Cathedral of John the Baptist of the Lord. This temple was connected to the caves of the elder. A unique cast-iron iconostasis with icons on copper sheets was installed in the temple in 1863, with donations from the Moscow merchant Nikita Vasilyevich Shchennikov and his wife Margarita Grigorievna. The icons were dedicated to the Egyptian church fathers, Mary of Egypt and the Kiev-Pechersk monks. The consecration of the temple took place on November 15, 1865.
In November 1865, a new rector of the desert was appointed. He became hegumen Jonah (1865-1870), who was tonsured at the Solovetsky monastery and who was the abbot there.
He was a man of very strict rules, awarded many awards for his work. He had a gold pectoral cross from the Highest Cabinet, a second pectoral cross from the Holy Synod, a third bronze on the Vladimir Ribbon and a bronze medal in memory of the military events of 1853-1856 on the St. Andrew's Ribbon and for repelling an attack by English ships from the Solovetsky Monastery. He introduced strict life and rules of the Solovetsky monastery into the hermitage.
In 1866, he completely completed the decoration of the Cathedral of Christ the Savior and all the finishing work in the basement under the cathedral. The basement was designed by the architect Nikolai Ilyich Kozlovsky. Ivan Semenovich Solovyov and his brothers took over all financial work. The Solovyov brothers donated silver - gilded banners - to the cathedral. In 1867-1868, between the corner building of the hotel and the corner horse yard in the background, a 2-story house with a stone first floor was built for visiting poor travelers. A free refectory was set up here, served every day.
In 1869, a wooden bridge on stilts was built across the Vorya River for travel. Inside the caves, above the well of the elder Schemamonk Macarius, a hydropulse was installed to raise the water supplied to the bowl that stood under the icon of the Mother of God Life-Giving Spring. At the Church of John the Baptist, cells above the caves were finally completed and equipped.
In 1870, Abbot Jonah, feeling bodily ill and having worked hard for the glory of the desert, asked for rest and went to live on Athos, and subsequently became rector of the Vvedenskaya Makaryevskaya Zhabynskaya Hermitage.
The builder of the desert was Hieromonk Nil (1870-1880) from the Nikolaev Ugreshsky Monastery. He was originally from the Ryazan merchants Safonov. He zealously continued the splendid arrangement of the monastery, for which on April 8, 1873 he received a pectoral cross from the Holy Synod.
In 1878, the old Church of the Holy Trinity was dismantled and a new one was founded.
From the time of the builder of the Nile, memories have been preserved of the visit to the desert of Archimandrite Nikolaevsky Ugreshsky Monastery Pimen. “On June 29, 1876, on Peter’s Day, I served a festive all-night vigil and liturgy in the Berlyukov Hermitage. At the all-night vigil, everyone wore brocade vestments, and at mass, velvet: I was given an embroidered one, everyone else wore smooth velvet. In the desert the sacristy is very good, so that even in very rich monasteries there is hardly such a variety of different vestments. The monastery is very landscaped: within the fence there are paths, flowers, cleanliness everywhere; They sing well: on holidays and Sundays there is partes singing, and on weekdays there is pillar singing. The brotherly meal and clothing are sufficient. I won’t talk about the location: it is excellent and offers all the benefits for farming and living: mountains, water, forests, meadows, and solitude for monasticism.”
The end of the 19th century brought many eventful events to the history of the desert. They were connected by the time of abbot Father Adrian (1880-1902). This was the first abbot to graduate from a novice to the monastery itself.
An active person, well educated, purposeful, who loved the monastery with all his soul. In 1884, the new one-domed Trinity Cathedral with basement rooms with an oven was finally completed. There were three thrones in the temple. A magnificent gilded iconostasis was built. In the Trinity Cathedral, the icons were dressed in silver vestments. The main altar was consecrated on June 29, 1884 by Metropolitan Ioannikiy of Moscow, and Hieromonk Adrian was promoted to abbot. The cathedral was built according to the design of the architect Nikolai Vasilyevich Nikitin.
The main work of his time was the most remarkable building in the desert - a 90-meter bell tower.
It was built in just 4 years. It was designed by the famous Moscow architect Alexander Stepanovich Kaminsky. This bell tower was started on June 22, 1895 and completed on July 30, 1899.
Moscow merchants F.N. provided funds for its construction. Samoilov, brothers A.I. and I.I. Lyapins. The consecration of the bell tower took place on June 11, 1900. The upper tier of the bell tower was built according to the design of the architect Vasily Mikheevich Borin. The construction of such a marvelous creation made a huge impression on his contemporaries.
The bell tower was crowned with a huge cross made of red copper weighing 38 pounds, made on September 14, 1899 by master Ivan Fedorovich Shuvalov. On a metal board attached to the base of the bell tower was inscribed the inscription “This bell tower began construction on June 22, 1895. It was completed with brickwork with the success of the All-Honorable Abbot Adrian and other brethren with funds donated by F.N. Samoilov, I.I. and A.I. Lyapin and benefactors of this monastery in July 1899, 30 days."
On December 16, 1897, Abbot Adrian was elected an honorary member of the Bogorodsk branch of the Cyril and Methodius Brotherhood for his fruitful activities and sympathy for the needs of parochial schools.
In the second half of the 19th century, the monastery began to operate its own icon-painting workshop. Particular reverence and veneration is given to the images: “The Kiss of Jesus Christ by Judas”, “Nicholas the Wonderworker”, “Great Martyr Mina”. Since 1893, the workshop has been headed by the monk Victorin (nobleman Viktor Fedorovich von Rentel). Since 1905, Hieromonk Palladius (Petr Vasilyevich Velichkin), who graduated from the Moscow School of Painting, Sculpture and Architecture before becoming a monk.
On January 13, 1898, Abbot Adrian was elected a member of the Missionary Society of St. Mary Equal to the Apostles and St. Nicholas the Wonderworker, and was awarded medals for his constant care for the poor and needy.
In 1902, the hermitage was headed by Abbot Timolai (1902-1909). He went through a long monastic path. He was in the Pochaev Lavra for many years, a member of its Spiritual Council, went on pilgrimage to Mount Athos, then was a confessor of the Moscow Theological Academy, a confessor in the Trinity-Sergius Lavra for visiting pilgrims. He also worked a lot in the Berlyukovskaya Hermitage and energetically continued the work of construction. He built a new building for the brethren, installed a water supply system in the monastery, built a new Kazan church from centuries-old pine trees in the cemetery, and in 1909 it was consecrated by Metropolitan Vladimir of Moscow.
The time for testing was near. And it fell to the lot of the last two abbots of the desert. Since 1909, Hieromonk Peter took over the management of the desert. This personality is so high that it is not yet possible to fully see and understand his life and exploits.
It was a very difficult time for the monastery; it required enormous will, energy and fortitude from the abbot. Father Peter possessed all this. Human grief increased with incredible speed, the country strained all its strength in the fight against a very strong enemy. The First World War brought a large number of difficult problems. Refugees who have suffered a lot of grief, who have lost their homes and savings, children left without parents, wounded and mutilated soldiers, people who have gone through all the horrors of war. Many letters came to the monastery with requests, petitions, and pleas for help. Almost every day such petitions were recorded in the journals of incoming papers. And every day decrees came from the dean of the monasteries with instructions on who needed help. Appeals and appeals came from various societies, asking them to contribute. Just listing these societies could take up an entire notebook. These are the Red Cross, the Martha and Mary Convent in Moscow, the Society for Aid to the Blind, Rescue on the Waters, the All-Russian Zemsky Union and many others. There was constant financial assistance to the front. Whole hundreds of poods of grain and oats were purchased, and medicines purchased from K.I. Ferrein for the needs of the army were paid for in huge quantities. Starting from the first days of the war, the monastery sent daily carts of milk to the Shchelkovo station for workers working for the needs of the front.
Over the course of many years of its history, the desert took a very active part in a big problem - drunkenness. The hermitage was a large spiritual hospital for the treatment of this disease. People suffering from this passion lived in it completely dependently. The desert archive has preserved hundreds of names of such settlers to this day. The abbots Venidikt, Adrian, Timolai and Peter especially stood out in this field. Their experience in this problem was enormous. Hegumen Peter was an honorary member of the Bogorodsk Temperance Society. He tried to bring the light of the Lord’s love, the word of spiritual joy, meekness, humility and consolation to suffering souls. She also took part in cases of child crime. Frequent guests of the monastery were children from disadvantaged families, orphanages, who had taken the path of breaking the law. The brethren put great effort and resources into saving and admonishing them.
By the beginning of the 20th century, the desert had a huge and well-functioning economy, and a very large part of its gifts went to people. The hermits took great care of the parochial schools. Many abbots and hieromonks were awarded with awards and pectoral crosses for these works. The monastery did all this year after year, purposefully and systematically. She also helped other monasteries. A large number of pilgrims came to the monastery, especially on the days of the celebration of the Miraculous Icon “The Kiss of Jesus Christ by Judas” and St. Nicholas the Wonderworker. Everyone was offered overnight accommodation, meals and tea with treats. Processions of thousands of people came to the monastery, whole groups from various shelters and societies came. There are letters from their leaders and priests full of words of gratitude for the warm welcome and warmth while in the monastery. Hegumen Peter was the initiator of large religious processions with the miraculous icon of the Savior.
And now the troubled days have come. A terrible atmosphere of general renunciation, treason and betrayal, a spiritual and historical catastrophe and people involved in massacres of the Church, their people and country. Great Orthodox Rus', living in Christ, came face to face with evil. The great army of holy martyrs resisted evil.
Until 1920, the hermitage continued to exist as a monastery. On June 29, 1920, all the buildings of the Berlyukovskaya hermitage were transferred to Home for the Invalids No. 4. The brethren had only the Church of All Saints with cells. According to the recollections of local residents, the Komsomol squads’ favorite pastime was constant mockery of faith, expressed in incredibly sophisticated acts of vandalism. Show trials with mockery of icons and monastics constantly took place. The Cathedral of Christ the Savior was turned into a parish church. In February 1921, the tradition of Berliuk’s religious processions with the miraculous icon “The Kiss of Jesus Christ by Judas” ended. On April 5, 1922, the confiscation of valuables began in the desert, carried out by a large commission from the city of Bogorodsk and police representatives. 9 poods 4 pounds 51 spools of silver were seized from the monastery, as well as 11 diamond stones, 2 diamond brooches, 1 large diamond, 5 chrysolites and pearls. All silver frames, silver altar crosses, covers of liturgical books and much more were confiscated. The rector, Archimandrite Peter, declared his complete disagreement with the ongoing action. At this very time, Father Superior Peter was already in the rank of archimandrite. This action seems to have been the last cup in the life of Father Superior. His great authority among the entire surrounding population frightened the authorities. His fate is not yet known. Unfortunately, we do not have photographs of Father Peter and cannot describe his appearance, but we know one thing for sure: what his eyes looked like. They were very deep, very full of love, caring for people, they lived and looked into this world only for their sake. In Moscow, both chapels were taken away from the monastery. On January 5, 1923, the Berlyukovsky courtyard with the chapel of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker was closed, and on January 13, 1923, the chapel of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker on the German market was closed.
In 1923, the hermitage was headed by its last abbot, Abbot Xenophon (1923-1930). Ksenophon Gerasimovich Kosenkov, a military officer, in 1898 decides to devote his life to God and goes as a novice to the Trinity St. Sergius Lavra, and in 1912 he moves to the Moscow Danilov Monastery and takes monastic vows there, leaving his name. The years of Father Xenophon's abbotship came at an extremely difficult time. Now it is even difficult for us to understand and comprehend everything that the brethren had to experience during these years. The life of the monastery passed under the constant attention of the atheists and their punitive authorities. But the most important thing is that lamps were lit in the monastery and services were held. The residents of the village of Avdotino provided great assistance to their native monastery. The Cathedral of Christ the Savior was supported by a church council headed by its chairman Grigory Afanasyevich Olkhov. Living in the name and for the monastery became his life’s work.
On February 9, 1930, the last Divine Liturgy took place within the walls of the monastery. 200 people gathered for the prayer meeting. After the service, Abbot Xenophon addressed the people with a sermon. It was a sermon from a man of great courage, faith, and love for people. “Orthodox, how long will you endure, you are hungry, they are gathering you into the collective farm in order to take them away more easily, you believe these false prophets, communists, this power is not from God, do not listen to it and do not go to the collective farm... We are now living out the last days and we won’t even go up to the temple of God, you need to confess and receive communion..." On February 18, 1930, Abbot Xenophon, Hieromonk Gorgonius, novice Grigory Arkhipovich Averyanov and chairman of the church council Grigory Afanasyevich Olkhov were arrested and taken to Moscow to Butyrka prison. They were charged under Article 58/10 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation and on March 22, 1930 they received different sentences.
Monastic life and centuries-old history within the walls of the Berlyukovskaya hermitage ended. Martyrdom is proof of the truth of the faith of Christ. The monastery and its inhabitants showed that they were ready to sacrifice everything, even their lives, in order to prove their faith and their involvement in Christ.

In 1993, the authorities refused to return the well-preserved monastic ensemble of the Church. In the same year, a cross was torn from the monastery bell tower by a storm, which was not removed even under Soviet rule.

Positive changes for the monastery came only in the 21st century. In the fall of 2002, a community was registered at the monastery Cathedral of Christ the Savior. By decree of Metropolitan Juvenaly of Krutitsky and Kolomna, Hieromonk Evmeny (Lagutin) was appointed its rector. In 2004, the Cathedral of Christ the Savior, the monastery bell tower and the cemetery area where the cave hermitage was located were transferred to the Church. On December 19, 2004, the first Divine Liturgy was served in the basement of the Cathedral of Christ the Savior. In the winter of 2006, at a meeting of the Holy Synod chaired by Patriarch Alexy II, the parish of the Cathedral of Christ the Savior was officially transformed into the Nikolo-Berlyukovsky Monastery. In August 2006, a fifteen-meter gilded dome with a cross was installed on the bell tower of the monastery. Monastic life was resumed within the walls of the monastery. In 2015, all buildings previously occupied by a psychiatric hospital were transferred to the Nikolo-Berlyukovskaya Hermitage.

Saints and devotees of piety

Holidays and honored dates

Temples and Worships

The church in the name of St. Basil the Great, gateway, stone, single-domed, was founded in the spring and completed in the fall of 1840.

This gate church was built and consecrated during the reign of the most outstanding Berliuk rector, Archimandrite (since 1853) Venedikt (Protopopov).

Father Benedict combined the various talents of the rector's office: he was an educated man, an outstanding organizer, administrator, and a wise confessor who knew how to console both a simple peasant and a noble nobleman.

Subsequently, the appearance of the temple practically did not change, with the exception of minor and minor repairs, and therefore the temple underwent virtually no changes by the 1917 coup.

Beginning in 1917, a gradual oppression of the rights of believers began, both on the territory of the entire Bogorodsky district, and on the territory of the monastery in particular. From the beginning of the 1920s, civil war invalids were housed on the territory of the monastery, who, over time and with the full support of the authorities, began to seize more and more new buildings.

In 1929, the gate church in the name of St. Basil the Great was closed: “On the closure of the gate church of the former Berlyukovsky monastery, Bogorodsky district. As a result of the request of the Moscow Regional Insurance Kassa for the transfer of the premises of the gate church of the former Berlyukovsky monastery, Bogorodsky district, for use as a club for the disabled, and taking into account the suitability of the requested church for this and the fact that the latter has not actually been used by believers for about 12 years, since they have another premises at their disposal church of the same monastery, - guided by the decree of the All-Russian Central Executive Committee and the Council of People's Commissars of April 8 of this year “On Religious Associations”, close the said church and transfer it to the Mosoblstrakhkassa as a club for the disabled, and deal with objects of religious worship in accordance with the above decree of the All-Russian Central Executive Committee and the Council of People's Commissars of April 8- April this year."

In February 1930, the monastery was completely liquidated, some of the monks were arrested, and some were evicted within three days. All churches of the monastery are closed. The general disabled people's home was reorganized into the House of War and Labor Invalids for tuberculosis patients (MosGorSo system).

In addition to the medical departments, X-ray, physiotherapy and pneumothorax rooms were opened, occupational therapy workshops and a large subsidiary farm were organized, and during the Great Patriotic War, departments for war veterans with 100 beds were again opened at the House of Invalids. Political emigrants from Spain, Bulgaria and other countries were treated here.

In 1961, the Home for the Invalids was reorganized into tuberculosis hospital No. 12 of the Moscow City Health Department, and on June 12, 1972, the Moscow City Psychiatric Hospital for patients with pulmonary tuberculosis was opened.

For many years, the administration of a psychiatric hospital was located in the gate church in the name of St. Basil the Great; in the altar of the church there was an office of the head physician. The holy gates under the temple were blocked and a room was built there for the needs of the hospital. The temple was partially redesigned, deprived of the head and cross, and completely lost all its interior decoration. In Soviet times, a two-story extension was added to the temple, which housed the hospital's emergency department.

In 2015, historical justice was completely restored. The entire monastery complex, including the gate church, was transferred to the Russian Orthodox Church. Large-scale restoration and restoration work is planned in the near future.

On the banks of the Vori River, near the Stromynsky tract, already in the 12th century there was a large Slavic settlement, and on the top above the Vorey River on a hill, there was a cult pagan center. The picturesqueness of this place, its convenient geographical location, the mighty forest above the river, and deep karst caves certainly contributed to the choice of the Vyatichi to create their pagan temple here. This settlement was located on the territory located between the modern villages of Gromkovo, Dyadkino and Avdotino. The remains of the settlement, with mounds and rich burials, were discovered during excavations in 1950-1960 by archaeologist R.L. Rosenfeld, as well as archaeological expeditions in 1964 by E.I. Dikov and 1976 by A.B. Varenov.

As a result of excavations, the remains of fortifications and houses were discovered, and mounds were explored (the Berlyuk mound group, 500 meters north of the Nikolaevskaya Berlyukovskaya Hermitage). Slavic burials were discovered in the mounds. Currently, the collection of the Kolomenskoye State Museum-Reserve contains 27 items discovered in the Berlyuki mound group. Among the items found: temple rings, bracelets, rings, necklaces, beads, as well as pottery and Venetian glass. All items date from the end of the 12th century - the beginning of the 13th century.

On the Vora River, opposite the Slavic settlement, the remains of a pier were discovered; firmly driven oak piles from the 12th century have been preserved under water to this day. The Vorya River was navigable then. The river was full-flowing even in the middle of the 19th century: “... the bridge over Vorya is dismantled at full water and replaced by a large transport.” Under the modern bridge over the Voryu River, under water, the remains of an oak bridge from the 12th century have been preserved. Geologists from Moscow State University, who carried out studies of karst caves at the request of the rector of the Nikolaevskaya Berlyukovskaya hermitage, abbot Evmeniy (Lagutin), in their conclusion they clearly stated that these caves are very ancient, of miraculous origin. As a result of the survey, it was established that these natural karst caves were formed in sandstone, and are the only ones of their kind in the Moscow region. Karst (from the German Karst, after the name of the limestone plateau Kras in Slovenia) is a set of processes and phenomena associated with the activity of water and expressed in the dissolution of rocks and the formation of voids in them, as well as peculiar relief forms that arise in areas composed of relatively easily soluble rocks in water.

Today we do not know for sure when exactly the monks settled here. But long before the Polish-Lithuanian invasion of Rus', there already existed an ancient church in the name of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker and a cemetery with it.

Archaeologist Sergei Zaremovich Chernov, who wrote a unique historical study dedicated to small, so-called “rural” monasteries, notes that from the 14th to the 16th centuries there was a flourishing of such monasteries: some disappeared after some time, others, fading away, gained strength again. It was: “The practice of spontaneous creation by the desert, many of which were only sanctioned by church authorities after a certain time.”

Some of the desert and secluded hermitages have come a long way from small forest and rural monasteries to large monasteries. The era of the appearance of such monasteries (second quarter to mid-14th century), according to S.Z. Chernov, is “poorly reflected in written sources”

The Church tried to regulate this process. At the Council of the Stoglavy under Tsar John IV, Metropolitan Macarius raised the issue of streamlining the activities of such monasteries. “Nevertheless, the custom of creating desert dwellings unauthorized by the church authorities in a modified form continued to exist later as an element of the traditional culture of the rural population of the 18th – 19th centuries. We are talking about the pious custom of cell attendance, well known from ethnographic literature, which made it possible to take the path of asceticism without being in a monastery. If an unmarried son or daughter expressed a desire to move away from worldly life and live separately from the family, relatives (a benefactor) built a cell for them. The intention to become a cell attendant or cell attendant usually met with a favorable attitude among the residents of the village, since the latter thereby had the opportunity to become more deeply involved in church life. It is very likely that the custom of cell service can be considered as the final stage in the evolution that desert living went through as an element of the Orthodox culture of the rural population. In the second half of the 14th – 15th centuries, having received the sanction of church authorities, it contributed to the flourishing of the monastic movement.”4 There is no doubt that the development and establishment of desert monasteries became a noticeable phenomenon in the life of the country. Near the monasteries, villages arose, whose inhabitants were engaged in cultivating the land, fishing, crafts and trade, and the surrounding area was actively populated. It was thanks to the ascetics who lived alone with a small number of their disciples in similar forest deserts, around which Russian people settled, lived and were spiritually nourished, that our people became a God-bearing people.

Perhaps the Nikolaev monastery on the high bank of the Vori was a similar forest desert monastery. True, all these are just assumptions; the historical process of the formation of the monastery until the beginning of the 17th century is practically unknown.

In 1606, Hieroschemamonk Varlaam settled in these places, to whom those thirsting for a silent life gradually gathered. In 1613, Father Varlaam managed, with the help of philanthropists and local residents, to build a new stone church. Thus began the spiritual revival of these places, which suffered from the invasion of Poles and Lithuanians. The temple in the name of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker became the first temple of the Nikolaevskaya Berlyukovskaya hermitage. The very first, but unfortunately unsuccessful, historically recorded mention of the Berlyukovsky caves and an attempt to arrange residence there is associated with the name of the famous ascetic of piety, Father Maxim (Pogudkin). Father Maxim was a resident of the Nikolaev Berlyukovskaya hermitage from 1806 to 1811.

In 1811, he moved to live in the Nikolo-Peshnoshsky Monastery, where he became abbot. Elder Maxim was distinguished by deep humility; he acquired many grace-filled gifts from the Lord, including the gift of clairvoyance. He corresponded with the Monk Leo of Optina and enjoyed the deep respect of His Eminence Philaret, Metropolitan of Moscow and Kolomna.

In his life it is said that he “...loving silence, he wanted to dig a cave here for himself, but the sandy soil of the earth and the water forced him to abandon this intention; the cave collapsed and remained unknown.” The next attempt to arrange cave habitation was made by the famous Berliuk ascetic of piety, Schemamonk Macarius. Despite the great fame that Elder Macarius enjoyed during his lifetime, as well as the continued veneration after his departure into eternity, very little historical information is known about this man. Even in the documents that are concentrated in Fund No. 709 of the Central Historical Archive of Moscow, there are errors and inaccuracies. “Schimonk Macarius, there was Makar Ermolaevich in the world. The master's man of the Moscow merchants Kumanins, had a wife and children, was ten of the Kumanins' children and a cook, and was released for his good life and service. He entered the Berlyukov Hermitage in 1828, was tonsured as a monk with the name Athanasius in 1839, and served as a candle maker. In 1841, he was clothed in the schema with the name Macarius and dismissed from the post of candle maker, then he began to dig caves in his free time from Divine services. Died on April 1, 1847"

There is also a description of the elder and his ascetic labors in the book of the rector of the Nikolo-Berlyukovsky monastery, Father Neil: “Among those who labored in the monastery in the last 40 years there were many venerable elders, but the elder Schemamonk Macarius was especially remarkable. He was a serf of the noble merchants Kumanins, was married, had children; For some time he was a gentleman with the Kumaninsky children, he was a cook, and when he was widowed, he was released (as was the case when serfdom still existed), and in 1828 he entered the Berlyukov Hermitage. In 1829 he was tonsured with the name Afanasy, and until 1841 he was a sveshnik. In 1841, he wished to take the schema, and was again called by his worldly name - Macarius. During free hours for worship, he went into the grove and, secretly from the brethren there, dug a cave in one mountain, which, of course, was not very easy for him (for the soil was ferrous and hard) and carried the earth on his hands, not having the necessary tools for this. He dug a well inside the cave... Elder Schemamonk Macarius died on April 1, 1847, being an example of meekness, humility and non-covetousness until his death. His memory is still revered in the monastery, and many of the pilgrims visit his grave and diligently serve requiem services.” So in these two descriptions two completely different dates of tonsure into monasticism are given. As a result of painstaking work with archival documents, it was possible to establish that by decree of the Holy Synod No. 8772 of July 22, 1837, in the name of the rector of the Nikolaev Berlyuk Hermitage, Abbot Venedikt (Protopopov), it was allowed to tonsure novices Ilya Leontyev and Makariy Ermolaev into monasticism. The decree in the desert was received on September 11, 1837. On October 6, 1837, Abbot Hegumen Venedikt reported to the Moscow Spiritual Consistory: “On the tonsure of novices Ilya Leontyev and Macarius Ermolov into monasticism. The first was tonsured on September 25 and was named Leonty, and the second was tonsured on October 1 and was named Athanasius.” In these documents, attention is also drawn to two different spellings of the surname of the future elder (Ermolaev and Ermolov). To date, it has not been possible to establish more precisely the correct spelling of his last name.

With the blessing of the abbot of the monastery, Father Venedikt (Protopopov), monk Afanasy fulfilled his obedience to collect money for the construction of the Cathedral of Christ the Savior of the Nikolaev Berlyukov Hermitage. This can be explained by the fact that having lived for many years in Moscow in the Kumanin family of merchants, the future elder earned a positive reputation with his behavior and, undoubtedly, was in good standing in this pious family. On March 9, 1841, monk Athanasius was tonsured into the schema with the name Macarius.

Father Macarius began digging his cave next to the cemetery wooden church in the name of the Kazan Icon of the Mother of God. This temple was transported to the Berlyukovskaya hermitage with the blessing of Metropolitan Platon (Levshin) and installed on the territory of the monastery fraternal cemetery located above the caves. In the temple there was a very revered image of the Kazan Icon of the Mother of God: “In the middle of the monastery grove, on a stone foundation, there is a wooden church with a bell tower, in the name of the Kazan Icon of the Mother of God, which was plastered inside and out and consecrated by Metropolitan Philaret of Moscow, 4845 rubles were spent on reconstruction. silver, in this church there is an ancient copy of the icon of the Kazan Mother of God, which is revered by the surrounding residents"

Elder Macarius was buried near the Kazan Church in 1847: “Against the western wall of the Kazan Church rests the ashes of Schemamonk Macarius, who was distinguished by his holy, ascetic life and extraordinary diligence. His hands dug caves somewhat to the right of the Kazan Church on a slope. One must be amazed at the labors and patience of the pious elder. The soil of the earth, in which he did not dig, but broke out, or, better to say, hollowed out caves, is extremely hard, containing iron ore.” Subsequently, a wooden chapel on pillars was built over the grave of Elder Macarius. This chapel is indicated on the “General plan of part of the properties belonging to the Nikolaev Berlyukovskaya hermitage, located in the Moscow province of the Bogorodsky district of the 3rd camp.” This plan was drawn up by the architect Vasily Mikheevich Borin on September 2, 1907. On the plan opposite the western wall of the Kazan Church there is a “Wooden chapel on pillars over the grave of Schemamonk Macarius.”

Leonid Ivanovich Denisov, who visited the hermitage in 1898, wrote: “The pilgrims who visit the monastery also visit the grave of Schemamonk Macarius (died in 1847), take from there sand and pieces from the stone tombstone for healing from toothache, which they receive by faith.”

The veneration of Elder Macarius among the brethren of the desert and pilgrims coming to the monastery, as well as among the local population, has always been great. Thus, an unknown person under the pseudonym “Pilgrim”, who visited the desert in 1912, noted that the tombstone on the elder’s grave is a landmark: “It is all eaten away by teeth, since there is a belief that this stone relieves toothache. The monks forbid gnawing the stone and, if not for supervision, the monument would have been eaten long ago without a trace.”

In 1855, the territory of the monastery forest, located above the caves with the temple in the name of the Kazan Icon of the Mother of God and the monastery cemetery, was surrounded by a wooden fence. In 1858, under the abbot of the monastery, Hieromonk Parthenia (Ageev), next to the Kazan temple, a wooden fraternal building was built on a stone foundation, for the brethren who desire a more strict ascetic lifestyle.

The construction of a stone church in the name of the Cathedral of the Baptist and Baptist of the Lord John began in 1861. In 1861, the Moscow merchant Nikita Vasilyevich Shchennikov turned to the rector of the monastery, Hieromonk Joseph (Ivanov), and announced that he wanted to build a church in the monastery in the name of St. John the Baptist of the Lord: “... on the southwestern side, behind the fence of the monastery at the bottom of a mountain covered with spruce and pine forest, with two cells next to it”

Nikita Vasilievich became a merchant in 1851. A reference book about persons who received merchant certificates (for 1872) in the section “Merchants of the 2nd Guild” about N.V. Shchennikov it is said: “53 years old, a merchant since 1851. Residence of the Pyatnitskaya part, 2 blocks, in Klimentovsky Lane, in the house of his wife. Trade in tape goods, City part, in canvas row, No. 59. Has shops in the City part in Holshchovoy row, No. 8, 9, 10, 11 and 12"

Nikita Vasilyevich donated three thousand silver rubles for the construction of the temple. Nikita Vasilyevich explained his desire to build a temple in caves with repeated dreams in which John the Baptist, who appeared to him, personally pointed out this divine command. Construction of the temple took place from 1861 to 1864 according to the design of the famous architect Nikolai Ilyich Kozlovsky.

Nikolai Ilyich Kozlovsky was born in 1791 in Moscow into a noble family. In March 1802 he entered the architectural school of the Kremlin Building Expedition as a 3rd grade student with the rank of sub-office clerk. In December 1808 he received the rank of collegiate registrar. In May 1815 he was appointed to the Commission of Buildings in Moscow as an architectural assistant. In March 1832 he received the title of architect. He worked in Pyatnitskaya, Yakimanskaya, Gorodskaya, Serpukhovskaya, Khamovnicheskaya, Arbatskaya and Presnenskaya parts of Moscow, as well as creating facades for philistine buildings in Zvenigorod, Mozhaisk, Serpukhov, Bogorodsk, Kolomna, Bronnitsy and Voskresensky Posad. Since 1852, senior architect and member of the Board of the 4th district of communications and public buildings in Moscow. In 1857 he was elected an honorary free fellow of the Imperial Academy of Arts. He died on May 12, 1878 in Moscow with the rank of full state councilor. He was buried on the territory of the Moscow Donskoy Monastery.

In 1864, according to a drawing by architect N.I. Kozlovsky, a cast-iron gilded iconostasis weighing 180 pounds with icons on copper was manufactured at the Siberian Kasli plant. The iconostasis was made with donations from Nikita Vasilyevich and his wife Margarita Grigorievna Shchennikovs and cost a thousand silver rubles.

The final decoration of the temple was completed in the spring of 1865. The temple was consecrated on November 15, 1865 by the rector of the monastery, Hieromonk Isaiah (Morozov).
The temple had a façade overlooking the Voryu River, while its altar part was a cave and was built on the site of the cell of Schemamonk Macarius. In 1867-1868, under the abbot of the monastery, Abbot Ion (Beloborodov), a stone cell building was built, connected to the cave temple and caves. A hydropulse was installed above the source of Schemamonk Macarius to raise the water. Next to the temple, there was a separate entrance to the caves, which were diligently visited by pilgrims. Above the entrance to the caves there was an image of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker and poems written in memory of Elder Macarius.

The temple building was a cubic volume with a hipped roof, on which one dome rose on a high octagonal base with a cross on top.

Thus, by 1868, the cave hermitage at the Nikolaevskaya Berlyukovskaya hermitage was fully equipped. The monastery had two churches (a stone one in the name of the Cathedral of the Forerunner and Baptist of the Lord John and a wooden one in the name of the Kazan Icon of the Mother of God) and two cell buildings (a stone one attached to the temple in the name of the Cathedral of the Forerunner and Baptist of the Lord John and one wooden one located next to the temple in name of the Kazan Icon of the Mother of God). On the square, in front of the entrance to the temple in the name of the Cathedral of the Baptist and Baptist of the Lord, another holy spring was built, over which a wooden canopy was built.
In 1869, under the abbot of the monastery, Abbot Ion (Beloborodov), two lithographs were published (by A.V. Morozov and I.A. Beloborodov), on which, together with the monastery, the cave skete was depicted. In different years, the inhabitants of the St. John the Baptist monastery were many famous Berlyuk elders, among whom I would especially like to highlight the tonsures of the Holy Mount Athos, Hieroschemamonk Porfiry and Schemamonk Sosipater. They arrived at the monastery under the abbot, Father Parthenia, both were well acquainted with him, and became residents of the monastery.

But the history of the monastery was not long. Living in cell buildings, as well as cave living, existed until the mid-1870s, when, as a result of the harsh policies of the abbot of the desert, Hieromonk Nil (Safonov), it was eliminated.

Most of the inhabitants, holding extremely ascetic views, were forced to leave the desert. Thus, one of the most respected inhabitants of the monastery, serving as the fraternal confessor, Hieroschemamonk Porfiry, in 1872 was forced to leave the monastery and move to live in the Serpukhov Vysotsky Monastery. Schemamonk Sosipater also left the monastery.

Father Abbot Nil, who held negative views on cave living, pursued a policy aimed at creating a powerful cenobitic monastery. Therefore, the history of the monastery can be limited to 1840-1870.

The temple with its cell building existed until the end of the 1950s, when it collapsed as a result of the dismantling of its walls by local residents.

On May 2, 2007, on the feast of St. John of the Ancient Cave, research work began on the steep bank of the Vori River at the site of the cave temple. This place was a huge garbage dump. All this was undertaken by us with the sole purpose of saving the unique cast-iron gilded 180-pound iconostasis. Everyone went to work: from the rector and the brethren, to the parishioners and residents of the village of Avdotino.
And then an amazing view opened up of the iconostasis standing on the church floor, the cave temple, and underground passages. As a result of the work, underground caves that served as homes for hermit monks were partially opened and cleared. The picture of the former monastery temple has been revealed, but detailed research and archaeological work remains to be done.

The stone three-altar cathedral in the name of the Holy Life-Giving Trinity was erected and consecrated on the site of an old dilapidated church in 1786 according to a plan personally approved by the Archbishop of Moscow and Kolomna, His Eminence Platon (Levshin), who put a lot of effort into the organization and prosperity of the Berlyuk monastery. In the warm winter cathedral in In the name of the Holy Trinity there were two more thrones: in the name of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker and the Great Martyr Mina.

On June 16, 1829, the miraculous icon “The Kiss of Christ by Judas” was transferred to this temple from the wooden monastery bakery, in which the miracle of healing of the blind woman Tatyana Ivanovna Kuznetsova took place.

In 1859-1864, under the abbots of Hieromonks Parthenia (Ageev) and Joseph (Ivanov), extensive repair work was carried out at the Trinity Cathedral. The dome of the cathedral was replaced, the temple was painted by masters of the Trinity-Sergius Lavra, and a new 5-tier iconostasis was built with donations from the merchant Ivan Pimenovich Tyulyaev.

In 1878, under the rector, Hieromonk Nil (Safonov), the cathedral was dismantled, since it could no longer accommodate all the pilgrims and pilgrims within its walls.

The new cathedral was founded in the summer of 1878 with the blessing of the Metropolitan of Moscow and Kolomna, His Eminence Innocent (Veniaminov), and according to the design of the famous Moscow architect, restorer and archaeologist, one of the founders of the Moscow Architectural Society and its chairman, Nikolai Vasilyevich Nikitin (1828-1913).

The main work on the construction of a new cathedral in the name of the Holy Trinity fell on the shoulders of the rector (he ran the monastery in 1881-1902) Hieromonk Adrian (Razzhivin).

The new three-altar stone cathedral, with an oven in the basement, was built with magnificent choirs and a large sacristy on a much larger scale and without the bell tower that was in the previous church.

The consecration of the main altar of the cathedral took place on June 29, 1884 in a solemn atmosphere and with a large crowd of people. The celebrations were led by His Eminence Ioannikiy (Rudnev), Metropolitan of Moscow and Kolomna. On this day, during the Divine Liturgy, Hieromonk Adrian was elevated by Bishop Ioannikis to the rank of hegumen.

Two side altars in the name of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker and Great Martyr Mina were consecrated in September 1884 by Bishop Misail (Krylov) of Dmitrov.

In the main building, a new magnificent three-tiered gilded iconostasis was built, the outside was lined with rosewood, the columns and carvings of walnut wood, the carved Cherubs and Seraphims were gilded. The inside of the iconostasis was made of walnut wood.

The monastery’s miraculous icon “The Kiss of Jesus Christ by Judas” remained in the cathedral throughout the winter until 1929, and thousands of sufferers flocked to the monastery to venerate it, receiving healing according to their faith.

His Holiness Patriarch of Moscow and All Rus' Pimen (Izvekov) repeatedly prayed before this icon, devoting his heartfelt poems to this image of the Savior.

The abbots of the monastery, as well as benefactors and benefactors and many famous people of the Bogorodsky district were buried near the cathedral.
The Winter Stone Cathedral in the name of the Holy Trinity in the Berlyukovskaya Hermitage is a single-domed stone eclectic building with elements of Byzantine and Old Russian influences in the design of the facades.

The temple, despite its impressive size, was built much lower than the main monastery cathedral church in the name of Christ the Savior. A large drum, topped with a dome, rests on a squat quadrangle, the roof of which is decorated with kokoshniks. The main parts of the temple: the altar, the temple itself and the refectory are marked on the façade with porticoes in the Old Russian style. The western entrance was specially designed in the form of an ancient Russian belfry.

The temple is a monolith, rectangular in plan, with a somewhat squat volume. It is adjoined from the east by three separate semicircular apses, and from the west by a two-story porch. A massive drum with a high dome rises above the hipped roof.

Various elements of ancient Russian architecture are actively used in the decorative decoration of the temple: kokoshniks, pointed and semicircular arches, perspective portals, arcature belts, columns made of figured bricks, etc., which creates an elegant appearance of the building. Each of the facades has a keel-shaped pediment, under which icons were located in a rounded icon case. The vertical division of the facades is created by slender columns assembled into pilasters. Horizontal division is carried out by several rows of cornices cutting the columns. The semicircular windows are framed with lancet rods, the porch is designed in the form of a three-lobed pediment. Particular expressiveness of the temple is given by the canopies of the porches, decorated with figured valances and resting on cast iron columns.

Trinity Cathedral is an original example of religious architecture of the eclectic period. At the end of the 19th century, architects often turned to the ancient Russian heritage in search of a new figurative language, experimenting and mixing styles. There are quite a lot of such churches in Russia, but still, among their number, the Cathedral in the name of the Holy Trinity seems to be one of the interesting experiments in this area.
During the period of atheism, the Trinity Cathedral, like all other churches of the monastery, was looted, desecrated, redesigned and used for other purposes. All the interior decoration was lost, almost all the frescoes were destroyed.

In February 1930, the monastery was completely liquidated, some of the monks were arrested, and some were evicted within three days. All churches of the monastery are closed, including the Cathedral of the Holy Trinity.

The monastery housed first the House of Invalids, and later the House of War and Labor Invalids for tuberculosis patients (MosGorSo system).

In addition to the medical departments, X-ray, physiotherapy and pneumothorax rooms were opened, occupational therapy workshops and a large subsidiary farm were organized, and during the Great Patriotic War, departments for war veterans with 100 beds were again opened at the House of Invalids. Political emigrants from Spain, Bulgaria and other countries were treated here.

In 1961, the Home for the Invalids was reorganized into tuberculosis hospital No. 12 of the Moscow City Health Department, and on June 12, 1972, the Moscow City Psychiatric Hospital for patients with pulmonary tuberculosis was opened.

For many years, the cathedral housed a dining room for sick people, and a dishwasher was installed in the altar. The cathedral was completely redesigned for the needs of the dining room, with a large number of small rooms for storing supplies of vegetables and other products, as well as with the arrangement of other small utility rooms and workshops.

In 2015, historical justice was completely restored. The entire monastery complex was transferred to the Russian Orthodox Church, including the partially rebuilt, redesigned cathedral in the name of the Holy Trinity, with its interior destroyed.

Currently, with the blessing of His Eminence Juvenaly, Metropolitan of Krutitsky and Kolomna, major restoration work is being carried out in the cathedral.

The Church of All Saints with two buildings was founded in October 1844 on the western side of the monastery, on the spot where the miraculous icon of the Savior was found in 1829.

The temple was founded with the diligence of the abbot, Abbot Venedikt (Protopopov), and with the blessing of His Eminence Philaret (Drozdov), Metropolitan of Moscow and Kolomna.

Two-story stone cell buildings adjoined the temple on both sides. Upon completion of construction, the right building became the abbot's building, the left one housed a monastery hospital for sick and elderly brethren, a pharmacy, and later there was an infirmary for wounded and sick soldiers of the Russian-Japanese War (operated from 1905 to 1907).

The main donor for the construction of the temple at the site where the miraculous image of the Savior was found was the famous philanthropist, first-class merchant and honorary citizen of the city of Friedrichsgam (now the city of Hamina in Finland) Fyodor Fedorovich Nabilkov.

The design of the temple with buildings was drawn up by the architect E.P. Pascal. Architect (born in France) Eugene (Eugene) Frantsevich Pascal (1791 - 1861) is known as the author of the design of the monumental gates of the Alexander Garden in Moscow with golden double-headed eagles and its high fence.

On April 25, 1845, by decree of His Imperial Majesty from the Moscow Spiritual Consistory, a project was approved for the construction of a building of hospital cells with a special church attached to them.

The stone one-domed church in the name of All Saints was solemnly consecrated on June 29, 1853 by Metropolitan of Moscow and Kolomna Philaret in the presence of numerous pilgrims, the brethren of the monastery and distinguished guests.

The pillarless quadrangle of the temple rises above the side wings, ends with a number of semicircular hidden zakomaras, the hipped roof is crowned with a bulbous dome on a faceted light drum, the base of which also serves as semicircular kokoshniks. The decorative decoration of the church, as well as the entire building, is quite modest; it is built on a combination of classicism and baroque elements characteristic of eclecticism: strict classical platbands are complemented by figured sandals (a decorative decoration that is located above the door or window, protrudes from the plane of the wall and emphasizes the special style of the whole houses when decorating the facade with decor), rusticated blades divide the entire facade of the building into three parts. The eclecticism of the architectural appearance of the building is softened by the fact that the arched elements were borrowed mainly from the Moscow Baroque, and the classical ones from Peter the Great's architecture. Both styles were distinguished by restraint and severity. One could even say that in general the image of the building and the church is unique due to its sophistication and severity. Under the temple there are two basements with openwork bars on the windows.

Until 1930, the temple was used for its intended purpose, prayer life took place there, while some other churches already belonged to the House of General Invalids (later the House of War and Labor Invalids for tuberculosis patients, since 1972 the Moscow City Psychiatric Hospital for patients with pulmonary tuberculosis) .

Like other churches of the monastery, it was desecrated, completely redesigned and re-equipped for the needs of the above-mentioned organizations. In 2015, along with all other buildings and churches, it was transferred to the Russian Orthodox Church.

The discovery of the icon “The Kiss of Jesus Christ by Judas” in the monastery and the subsequent numerous healings from this image caused a large influx of pilgrims and pilgrims to the monastery. The monastic Trinity Cathedral in which the miraculous image was located did not accommodate everyone and those praying were forced to stand outside the temple. This situation prompted the idea of ​​the Moscow merchant and close friend of the rector Venedict Afanasy Emelyanovich Shchekin about the construction of a new cathedral church in the name of the miraculous icon of the Savior. A.E. Shchekin expressed his idea in writing to the abbot of the monastery and attached 15 thousand silver rubles to it. In August 1835, with the permission of the Moscow Spiritual Consistory and with the blessing of Metropolitan of Moscow Philaret (Drozdov), the ceremonial foundation stone of the temple took place. Soon after the laying, an “Appeal to Orthodox Christians who love the splendor of the Lord’s churches” was published on behalf of the rector of the monastery, Hieromonk Benedict and the brethren: “Rejoicing in this, flowing into our monastery to the whole-bearing Icon, we feel sacred sorrow because the fiery zeal of the admirers cannot be satisfied due to the lack of space in the present temple of the monastery. It often happens that travelers are forced to stand outside the church during the Divine Liturgy due to the crowd of people... having asked for the blessing of His Eminence Metropolitan Philaret, I decide to begin building a new cathedral church in the name of Christ the Savior kissed by Judas.” The temple was built with donations from: Afanasy Emelyanovich Shchekin, Princess Olga Mikhailovna Mosalskaya, Princess Varvara Mikhailovna Naryshkina, Countess Anna Sergeevna Sheremeteva, Countess Maria Sergeevna Zorina, Varvara Sergeevna Kaverina, Davyd Ivanovich Shirokov, Pyotr Nikitich Zheludev, Irodion Vasilyevich Vorobyov a, Ivan Fedorovich Boldin, Varvara Gavrilovna Tyulyaeva, Ivan Simeonovich Labzin, Grigory Timofeevich Tatarnikov, Vera Mikhailovna Alekseeva, Vasily and Simeon Logginovich Lepeshkin, as well as the merchant dynasties of the Solovyevs and Savelyevs and many Orthodox Christians.

The temple was built according to the design of the Moscow architect Fyodor Mikhailovich Shestakov. The construction of the temple was completely completed in 1847: “Stone, about five heads; of which the middle chapter is gilded on copper under flint, the cross and apples are gilded through fire, and the four chapters are made of white iron; on them the crosses, apples and spoons under the heads are gilded to resemble flint. The inside of the cathedral is plastered. The floor is paved with Gzhel bream, and the steps and pulpit are made of white stone. The cathedral is covered entirely with iron and painted with copper. The cathedral has three entrance porches: on the western side the platform and on the three exit steps are cast iron, and the side ones are made of white stone... The altar dome and vaults are painted with paintings and Arabesques up to the cornice, the walls are covered with color. The iconostasis, measuring 33 arshins in two tiers, is gilded and with Rococo carvings.” In the temple there was installed a carpentry iconostasis with half-columns, with Rococo carvings, at the top with a cross and a crucifix carved on it with carved images of the Seraphim - all gilded with polyment. Made with donations from the merchant Davyd Ivanovich Shirokov, who received the blessing of the Holy Synod for this godly deed. In the altar and on the walls, instead of wall paintings, sacred paintings numbering ten were installed on canvas in gilded frames.

The temple in the name of Christ the Savior was consecrated by Metropolitan of Moscow and Kolomna Philaret (Drozdov) and “with the Council of the Honorable Clergy of Moscow and the brethren of the monastery and with a large meeting of the inhabitants of the Reigning City of Moscow of the most noble families” on September 12, 1847.

In 1855, the rector of the monastery, Archimandrite Benedict, passed away into eternity and, in honor of his great services to the monastery, the saint was buried in a specially constructed crypt under the altar part of the temple. In 1862 - 1863, a cruciform basement was built under the Cathedral of Christ the Savior according to the design of the architect Nikolai Ilyich Kozlovsky, which had an extremely favorable effect on the microclimate of the temple. In 1865 - 1866, the outside of the temple was plastered and painted blue, and its interior decoration was also completed with donations from Ivan Simeonovich Solovyov and his brothers.

The temple was built in the style of late classicism with later details of the pseudo-Russian style. The brick plastered building rests on a white stone basement. Its cubic volume has no apsidal projections and is thus oriented towards all four corners of the world; On each side it is adjacent to flat vestibules. The porches along the facades are decorated with pilasters and a pediment, which once had a picturesque image on it.
In the wall openings between flat pilasters along the entire perimeter of the temple there are windows of barely light: the first consists of windows with a semicircular end and keel-shaped rods, above them there is a second light - round windows.

The temple is crowned with a powerful five-domed structure. The height of the main central drum with a hemispherical dome is equal to the height of the quadrangle, which makes the temple somewhat heavier. Above the central dome is another light drum, on which a dome with a cross is already installed. The remaining four chapters have bases in the form of octagons, placed in two tiers.

The basis for its construction was one of the projects submitted to the St. Isaac's Cathedral competition, held in Russia in the middle of the last century.
The Cathedral of Christ the Savior has always been the monastery's summer cathedral. The painting is executed in an academic manner, as was customary in church art of the 2nd half of the 19th century.

The temple consisted of a quadrangle, a refectory, a pentagonal altar and a bell tower. The main volume had an interesting design: the quadrangle at the level of the second-light windows (about 2/3 of the building’s height) turns into an octagon, covered with a faceted dome topped with a dome. The transition from the quadrangle to the octagon is designed in the form of corner overhanging cornices with a frieze.

The decorative decoration of the church was very modest: small frames on the windows of a simple shape, the entrance from the bell tower is decorated with two columns. The bell tower is low, faceted, with a small dome. The external simplicity of the church and the monolithic unity of its parts gave it originality and expressiveness.

By the decision of the Presidium of the Moscow Regional Executive Committee and the Moscow City Council of February 1, 1930 and as a result of the petition of citizens of the villages of Mizinovo and Gromkovo, Shchelkovo district, Moscow region, the Kazan Church was dismantled and refurbished.
The temple was transported to the village of Mizinovo, located near the confluence of the Lyuboseevka river and Vorya. The church housed a reading room and a club for several years. The website of the free encyclopedia Wikipedia says: “In the 1970s, it (the former church) was sold due to dilapidation for removal, and cultural work moved to the military state farm club.”

At the site of the Kazan Church, traces of a stone foundation and even parts of the walls remained for a long time, as evidenced by the memories of local residents, as well as the stories of the famous, unfortunately deceased, local historian Evgeniy Alekseevich Andrianov (1922-1998).

Visits to many shrines of our Fatherland and abroad are organized on a regular basis: Israel, Egypt, Greece and Mount Athos, Italy, Turkey, Georgia, etc.

photo gallery

Romanov Walk of Fame.

In 2011, the rector of the Nikolo-Berlyukovsky Monastery, Hegumen Evmeniy (Lagutin) and the leaders of the Revival of Cultural Heritage Foundation A.N. Panin and S.Ya. Vaksman decided to implement a large-scale project to create a “Romanov Walk of Glory” on the territory of the monastery.

This project was conceived with the sole purpose of reviving the patriotic spirit of the people of our country. It is important that until now, despite the favorable situation in the field of studying original documents in archives, the truth about many of the country’s outstanding heroes is hidden, slandered and distorted.

Patriotic education is the source and means of the spiritual, political and economic revival of the country, its state integrity and security. Nowadays there is a lot of talk about patriotism, but this project is not a tribute to fashion, the work is not for the sake of pathos or PR. This is a primary and important task, the task of popularizing Russia’s glorious past. With this project we pay tribute to the memory of our great ancestors and compatriots.

Since 2011, the monastery and the Revival of Cultural Heritage charitable foundation have been working closely with the sculpture workshop of Mikhail Leonidovich Serdyukov from the city of Kropotkin. Thanks to this cooperation, the idea was born to implement a project on the territory of the monastery, within the framework of which to open an alley with monuments to members of the House of Romanov - Sovereigns, Grand Dukes and Duchesses.

The project is being successfully implemented thanks to the joint efforts of the monastery and various public and patriotic organizations, as well as private individuals who provide financial assistance to this cause.

The author of all the monuments on the Romanov Walk of Fame is the sculptor, Honored Artist of Russia, a graduate of the sculpture department of the Moscow State Art Institute named after V.I. Surikova Alexander Alekseevich Apollonov.

photo gallery

Church history cabinet

In the Moscow region, on the border of the Shchelkovo and Noginsk districts, on the banks of the Vorya River there is the village of Avdotino. Around 1606 it was here that the Berlyukovsky Monastery (Nikolo-Berlyukovsky Monastery).

In those distant years, the lonely wanderer monk Hieromonk Varlaam, according to legend, was the founder of the monastery. He built a chapel and placed in it an icon of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker. later he was joined by two old women - Avdotya (the village was named after her) and Ulyana (Ulyana Mountain near the village) ...

Photo 1.

After the end of the Time of Troubles, Varlaam rebuilt a stone temple in the name of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker. Varlaam rested here.
In the 1700s, the monastery was assigned to the lands of the Moscow Chudov Monastery and several families of monastery peasants were sent to live and live.

Photo 2.

They are the ones who build horse and cattle yards on the territory. A new church is being built at their expense.

Its name - Berlyukovsky- the monastery received it from a hermit who was rampant in the area, nicknamed Berlyuk (Biryuk) for his bestial appearance. It was he who, after the death of Varlaam, had power over the inhabitants of the monastery. Berliuk was a “bandit” for a long time, but only once did he kill the “wrong” merchant, for which he would have been quickly caught and...

Photo 3.

The history of Berliuk is not truly known. It is only known that they helped him escape from prison, in which he was languishing awaiting execution, for telling and decreeing a cache of looted treasures...

Photo 4.

Whether for a long time or for a short time, the hermitage existed “neither waver nor waver,” until in 1779 Archbishop Plato headed the hermitage. He invited Elder Luke as abbot, who upon arrival and seeing the surrounding reality was so upset that he did not live in his cell, but settled in the village next to the monastery - Avdotino...

Photo 5.

Hieromonk Joseph was quickly appointed in his place. He turned out to be an active comrade and away we go! A flowering garden, the Holy See Cathedral, abbots' and brethren's cells, premises for pilgrims, and many master's buildings. Construction is in full swing!

Photo 6.

Joasaph died at the monastery. He was buried within the monastery fence. His brother, Nikolai, steadfastly took up his cause. He completed the stone fence and erected a refectory.

Photo 7.

After the death of Plato, the monastery was headed by Metropolitan Philaret. Under him, a stone five-domed church was built in the name of Christ the Savior. A single-domed church with a hipped dome was erected in the name of All Saints. later a church was built in the name of St. Basil the Great above the Holy Gate.

Photo 8.

After 1917, the Nikolo-Berlyukovsky Monastery housed a psychiatric hospital, which remains there to this day. In 1993, the authorities refused to return the well-preserved monastic ensemble of the Church. In the same year, a cross was torn from the monastery bell tower by a storm, which was not removed even under Soviet rule.

Photo 9.

By the way, the great Russian writer M. Yu. Lermontov often visited his beloved at the Nikolsko-Timonino estate. Having once visited the Berlyukovskaya hermitage with her, he wrote the poem “In Voskresensk”, referring to the village of Voskresensk not far from the monastery ( By the way, I’ll tell you about him in the next LiveJournal report). Mikhail Yuryevich made the following note to this poem: “Written on the walls of Nikon’s home.”

Photo 10.

Thank you for your attention, as well as the informative reading on the resources.

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Moscow has not seen such hurricanes for a hundred years. And besides the seemingly funny (especially if you watch them from the monitor) flying stops and trees, there is also something that will give you chills.

People died.

Many people.

The most ordinary Muscovites and residents of the Moscow region, who went about their business. Our friends and neighbors - ourselves. For some reason they just happened to be in our place.

May God rest their souls.

And we all understand perfectly well that it is not the road workers who are to blame for poorly securing road signs and traffic lights (although, of course, they are to blame) and not the officials who did not control (although these too), and not even the Ministry of Emergency Situations, which did not notify about the storm (however , and it is to blame), and not relatives and colleagues who could hold, help, protect, and not even the dead themselves.

At the same time, many believers nod to heaven. It's guilty. And even non-believers are sarcastic.

Where was He when the hurricane was killing people?

Or did He direct this cruel wind?

And others, who are more malicious, notice: this same God did not even spare his Orthodox Christians - a cross fell from the dome of the Church of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary in Korolev.

How can we understand this? Especially those who don't understand?

Well, the options that come to many minds are clear: a cruel God punishes both his own and others, even those who have nothing to do with him - that is, non-believers. And how can we escape from Him? To renounce somehow more thoroughly, with humor and blasphemy, maybe he won’t touch?

Or maybe, on the contrary, the Orthodox have so soiled themselves here with their sins that God has to admonish them, and so harshly in a fatherly way that both their children and their neighbors suffer.

I will try to answer with the neophyte fervor of a believing sinner who baptized his son in this very temple in Korolev.

Where he was? On the cross. Our Lord is not a punishing and cruel God, but a God of sufferers, sinners and those who cry. He Himself cried and suffered.

Did God send a hurricane? People have long moved away from God (more precisely, they were persistently asked to do so) and live in their apartment - a huge world. And the manager of this world - the Prince of this world (mystically speaking) - is not God at all.

Yes, the Lord “allows”, that is, allows disasters and even wars to happen - but who arranges them? Is it the father’s fault when the children, who long ago moved from their parents’ house, destroyed the entire apartment? Should he have checked every day and hour whether they turned off their gas and turned off their water? No. “You are young, free people, live as you see fit, and if anything happens, we will help,” this is what the wise, respected fathers say.

Are the Orthodox Christians to blame for their sins - so much so that innocent people died because of them? Yes, they are guilty. I am personally to blame. It’s so disgusting, disgusting, and un-Christian that we live that it’s strange that this cross didn’t fly off the dome and pin us to the ground like beetles. And He did not pour down the fierce fire of His wrath from above. Innocents suffered instead of us. Forgive us - and accept our prayers and modest donations.

What is a hurricane? Is the movement of the hand of God? Or vice versa? Christ fights with the eternal Enemy, whom the prince of this world (John 12:31) calls “the prince of the power of the air” (Eph. 2:2; Church Glorious translation). The Apostle Paul says: “Our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in high places” (Eph. 6:12). The word for peace in Greek is "cosmos".

Why did the cross fall off? Yes, because from time immemorial the cross on the bell tower was the highest place. Lightning struck there, and a storm fell upon them - black, not at all Divine energies.

Like a watchtower, a roadblock - this cross and temple took the first blow. In churches, remember, the last handful of nomads who survived the raids were closed - and often churches became their last home.

Maybe this cross fell, protecting us, as the cross on our neck protects us from an enemy bullet?

He fell, but didn't fall.

Fell to get up.

And we will rise.

If we don't fail.