Novo-Golutvin Monastery. Holy Trinity Novo-Golutvin convent diocesan convent Temples and churches

Holy Trinity Novo-Golutvin convent- the largest on the territory of modern Russia, operating since 1989. This is the first Orthodox convent opened in the Moscow diocese.

Now the monastery is home to 90 novices and nuns, who, under the leadership of Abbess Ksenia (by the way, a graduate of the Faculty of Journalism of Moscow State University Ksenia Zaitseva), perform various obediences, including repair and construction work. They sew, and knit, and glue, and plan, and draw, and sing, and bake, and milk cows, and meet the president, and treat Patriarch Alexy and Margarita Terekhova in their medical center, and manage to be friends with the astronauts. Valentina Tereshkova gave them a real camel (in winter he takes children on sleigh rides), they also do photography (they are regularly exhibited in the conference hall of the city of Kolomna), and they fire ceramics, and they designed their website in such a way that any programmer would envy... They have not abandoned life , from the world - on the contrary, they came to him, but in a different form. To be more useful, we came to love and to know that we are loved. It’s not for nothing that they are called: Brides of Christ. In 1993, the women's choir of the Holy Trinity Novoglutvinsky Monastery took part in Boris Grebenshchikov's concert in Kolomna.

...The scattered bodies of the dead were black on the dirty, trampled snow. The broken ones were burning out wooden walls cities. Plumes of smoke rose and on the square separating the Kremlin from the settlement, a large fire was burning, surrounded by a crowd of slanted people in pointed hats. And on the fire lay the body of Kulkan, the youngest son of the great Genghis, killed by a Russian arrow under the walls of Kolomna. Together with the murdered khan, the Tatars burned alive forty Kolomna girls and his two favorite horses. And three days later the horde moved on - to Moscow, leaving behind the ashes of Kolomna, which seemed to be lost forever...

However, the united Rus' grew stronger and stronger. Kolomna became one of Dmitry Donskoy’s favorite cities. Here he not only married the Nizhny Novgorod princess Evdokia in 1366, but also in the terrible August 1380 he gathered troops for the decisive battle on the Kulikovo Field. And in 1382, as a monument to the victory in this battle, the Assumption Cathedral was erected in Kolomna.

“Kolomna town is a corner of Moscow,” Russian people used to say. This “corner of Moscow” has indeed been preserved in some places in all its pristine purity and charm, and in terms of the revival of spiritual life, it has perhaps surpassed the capital, which - to be honest! — has always been a showcase of the country's lifestyle. But true spirituality behind the glass is being emasculated.

One possible version of the origin of the name of this city is from the old Russian word “kolo”, which means circle. Echoes of this word can be heard in such familiar words as “rotate”, “about”, “about”. The city is locked in a narrow fork between the waters of Moscow and Oka; in addition, inside this fork the Kolomenka flows into Moscow, narrowing the circle even more, and the even smaller Repinka flows into the Kolomenka with a chain of interconnecting lakes. The circle is almost complete.

Moscow is the mother of Russian cities. But Kolomna, located on the right bank of the Moscow River, at its confluence with the Oka, about 110 kilometers southeast of Moscow, is only thirty years younger than the capital. The first mention of the city in chronicles dates back to 1177. After Kolomna was annexed to the Moscow Principality in 1301, it quickly became part of the capital’s defense system from the south.

In the 1770s Catherine II visited Kolomna. She liked the city, and the Empress ordered its improvement “according to a regular plan,” for which M. F. Kazakov was sent to Kolomna. It was in Kolomna that he first tried out those architectural techniques that he later widely used in his famous Moscow buildings. Here a school of Kazakov’s students was formed - Rodion Kazakov, Ivan Egotov, Konstantin and Pyotr Polivanov. A monument to their work in Kolomna is the center of the old city - a brilliant ensemble of Russian classicism. And, probably, then the saying was born - “Kolomna town is a corner of Moscow.” Perhaps the format of this image is not supported by the browser.

In 1525-1531, by order of Prince Vasily III, a Kremlin was built in the city. It was an irregular polygon with a perimeter of about 2 km with 17 towers, 4 of which were roadways. And, according to the testimony of contemporaries, it was not inferior in its beauty and fighting qualities to its prototype - the Moscow Kremlin.

Unfortunately, the Kolomna Kremlin has not remained intact to this day. Now only 2 fragments of walls and 7 towers are intact: Granovitaya, Marinkina (drawing by Viktor Lukyanov), Pyatnitskaya, Pogorelaya, Spasskaya, Semenovskaya and Yamskaya. This is a translucent historical ghost, whose real outlines can only be fully grasped in your imagination.

As expected in ghost stories, mysterious legends hover around the Kolomna Kremlin. For example, about “Marinka Tower”.

In 1610, after the murder of False Dmitry II, his widow, Marina Mnishek, was captured, she was brought to Kolomna and imprisoned in the Kolomna Tower of the Kremlin. According to one legend, Marina, possessing witchcraft spells, turned into a magpie and flew away through the loophole window. According to another legend, Marina died in the Kolomenskaya Tower, chained to the wall. Since then, the tower has been nicknamed Marinkina. They say that at night her moans and lamentations can still be heard from this tower.

If you walk around Cathedral Square in a circle counterclockwise, you will inevitably find yourself in front of the Novo-Golutvinsky Convent - the largest in modern Russia, which was revived almost from seventy years of oblivion in 1989, almost two centuries after its founding. This is the first Orthodox convent opened in the Moscow diocese.

The main church of the monastery is Trinity. It was built in 1680 in the Moscow Baroque style and was subsequently remodeled several times.

The Trinity Church was connected by a passage with the Bishop's building, built at the end of 1682 on the initiative of Archbishop Nikita on the site of the former episcopal palace. Renovated after the fire of 1777, it received the forms of early classicism. In 1823, a small warm Sergievskaya (Pokrovskaya) Church was attached to its northern end.

The monastery was closed by 1920. Its buildings successively housed an infirmary, then a dormitory, and communal apartments. In the churches there were sewing workshops, and later – workshops of the Union of Cinematographers. The looted churches and buildings fell into disrepair, the monastery cemetery was desecrated. Perhaps the format of this image is not supported by the browser.

In 1989, a revival began in the deserted and abandoned shell of the monastery. All buildings of the 17th-19th centuries required major repairs, and the monastery courtyard needed clearing from the landfill.

The beginning of a new life?

By decision of the Holy Synod, Abbess Ksenia was appointed abbess of the monastery. But before that there was tonsure, and then much of what Mother Ksenia now recalls:

“...The Bishop says: “And now we will begin the ascetic life in Kolomna.” He didn’t let me come to my senses.

...In a white shearing shirt, which is then kept for the rest of your life, you crawl on your knees to the altar. And already at the very pulpit you need to lie down - spread out with a cross. When I lay down, I had one thought: I could finally rest.

When Vladyka left, I remained in the temple. The first night passed like one breath. Praying is always very difficult. All sorts of everyday thoughts distract me... And then suddenly the whole world moved away somewhere, so easily, my soul was literally burning with the fire of prayer. Three nights passed like this. My strength was almost exhausted, but when I finally left the temple, there was such bitterness that it was over... And another life is approaching.”

Another... In her former life, a Muscovite, a professor's granddaughter, the daughter of a career military man, Irina Zaitseva, after school, entered the aviation institute. Then she left him, went to Leningrad, and took up painting. But all this was not the same. And what “that”, Irina could not answer either to those around her or to herself.

“Love a book - a source of knowledge.” Irina, now a student at the Faculty of Journalism of Moscow State University, began to read - Berdyaev, Father Sergius Bulgakov, Shestov and other little-known philosophers at that time, whom now, it seems, everyone reads. But then... Then one thing became clear: we need a road that leads to the temple. And the road led the pilgrim to the monastery. A men's monastery; there were no women's monasteries in Russia a quarter of a century ago (or not yet?).

I chopped wood, served it in the refectory, washed the floors. An axe, a shovel, icy buckets, an ice hole, mountains of laundry... I was tired beyond words, but peace of mind still did not come...

“There was a tragedy. I was unable to use my intellect to answer the questions that reality posed. Because these issues were resolved in the field of spiritual culture. And the spirit was deaf-blind and dumb. This is it, mine, but for some reason it doesn’t accept me. So the soul cried. Not from the hardships of monasticism, no! My culture suffered a collapse, which did nothing to help me stand before God. I suddenly realized that I could not pray. I prayed with my mind - and my brains were splitting from the strain. And my heart was silent..."

Mother Superior Ksenia can now explain everything. And culture, our pride, is purely secular, worldly, which is infinitely far from God. And monasticism, which requires knowledge of a completely different culture. And how these incongruous things are combined in the sisters of the monastery entrusted to her. Everything is clear, everything is explainable. Everything is from God.

“Life without God was well known to us from our school and student years. And life with God, with the desire to understand who He is, against whom the world “lying in evil” is fighting so much, opened up a new “standing in truth and truth”, where the “rebellious” person calmed down, finding wise answers to all his difficult questions.

Coming to monasticism in the 20th century can be compared to a world cataclysm, when the entire previous “school” worldview is destroyed, which the soul does not want to come to terms with, feeling the lie in it. The thirst for truth and righteousness, justice and eternity, the thirst for meeting with the One who is beyond this immoral nightmare that overwhelms both youth and old age, brought many to the monastery, even long before we were able to comprehend and understand what monasticism is. They just felt with all their souls that there was something dear and close here, but with their minds it was not immediately possible to understand why it was here.

Now it’s funny to remember the first questions of the builders, one of whom seriously asked: “Where are we going to build the guardhouse?” I was surprised and asked: “Why?” “Well,” he answered competently, “you will punish the sisters and put them in prison.”

Yes, for most of us - alas and ah! — the wildest ideas about monastic life are still preserved, drawn partly from the works of... militant atheists, partly from classical literature. And since neither atheists nor classicists have ever lived in monasteries, the idea has developed accordingly: from a bunch of idle gluttons and debauchees (I apologize to the believers) to absolute ascetics alien to everything worldly, immersed in prayer (I apologize again to the believers).

“... Such was the idea of ​​monasticism that, at best, it was a “labour penal colony”, at worst, a “high security prison,” but no one thought that none of us would ever go to prison without permission, and what if a person goes to a monastery, which means he has some other motives for his actions.

And many people talk about monasteries without knowing either Christianity, or, moreover, those issues of monastic life that they have the courage to talk about, but they were taught that way, they talk that way, and often the inertia on which it is so easy to slide leads a person to a real prison of false views, from which few people are going to get out, due to the same inertia of existence.

So, where is freedom and where is prison? The modern moral degradation of man in the freest, from a humanistic point of view, countries and the obvious decline of spirituality there show that external freedoms without a “restraint” not only do not elevate a person, but often serve as one of the most powerful means of his spiritual and moral decay.

From here it turns out that those who talk most about freedom (without God) are not free, and those who say that they are healthy without God are unhealthy, but sick, because we all have the nature of soul and body, affected sin. Knowing this, Christianity teaches “not only to prevent the disease from progressing, but also to contribute to the healing of a person, his salvation.”

And on this path, monasteries should be centers of piety, but the life of the monastery for the “world” remains a mystery.

Monasticism is a marvelous structure of the soul, it is the gift of such knowledge that provides the key to understanding the true meaning of life, paving the way to a good and inspired state...”

But the path to this very state, kind and inspired, passed through land devastated and desecrated by long decades of “creative work for the benefit of humanity.” The first novices, arriving in Kolomna, saw a littered wasteland with the remains of buildings. It was as if there were no people here after the next Tatar-Mongol invasion.

Although the buildings that had not yet collapsed to the foundation were occupied by gardeners, who dug everything into beds and cellars, but never achieved any decent harvests. The earth did not want to give birth - and that’s all. Nettles, burdocks, weeds - anything except potatoes and vegetables. What was not stolen into bricks was burned, mostly because of drunken eyes. Ancient temple peeled to shingles inside and out...

That’s when they needed something that now surprises casual visitors to the monastery: guard dogs.

Life is in ruins, without even a hint of a normal fence... And the people around are different, including those who are accustomed, God forgive me, to dragging everything that is in bad shape. Nuns shouldn’t take guns for self-defense! Life itself suggested: we need dogs. And almost the last representatives of the unique, already dying out Buryat-Mongolian breed appeared at the monastery - hottosho-banhar (yard wolf, shaggy).

These dogs are not only good watchmen and security guards, but also excellent shepherds: they will gather a stray herd, take the cattle to their places, and protect them from uninvited guests.

Now the monastery nursery is famous throughout Russia. His pets have repeatedly won prizes at numerous dog shows. And then journalists were trying to find out who could write more wittily about the “dog life” of the Kolomna nuns.

Who remembers these articles now?

The Vyatka horses were initially luckier: they were no longer laughed at. Moreover, this one, one of the oldest Russian breeds, has long been listed in the Red Book... These were the ones who ran in postal troikas and carried tipsy revelers through the streets of Moscow and St. Petersburg. The experts just shrugged their shoulders: the Vyatkas died out a long time ago, they realized it too late.

It turned out it was not too late. A farm of an enthusiastic horse breeder was found in Udmurtia. From there, five years ago, the first Vyatkas arrived at the monastery - horses, as they say, for all occasions. You can harness them to a cart and graze cows on them. They make no worse shepherds than dogs. The horse itself looks after the herd and, if one of the cows is going somewhere, it will run up, bite the side and return it to its place. In addition, they are completely non-confrontational, this is the kind of horse that you can approach from both the front and the back, and tie your tail in a bow.

But before that—the herd, the farmstead, the horses—we still had to live to see. And not just survive, but transform the ruins in a vacant lot into a thriving abode. “By the grace of God,” the administration of Kolomna quite quickly resettled the entire random public. Five, then ten, then twelve nuns, until exhaustion, cleared the wasteland with ant-like steps. They rebuilt the temple and the “bishop’s” building, the area equal to the residential building, where one hundred nuns, nuns and novices live today.

Abbess Ksenia taught that a monk builds his life through work and honesty and, therefore, they will live and build as God directs. And their own masons, carpenters, plasterers, restorers, artists appeared...

In 1990, in the basement of the Trinity Church, a church was consecrated in honor of Blessed Xenia of St. Petersburg. The temple vaults were painted by the sisters, and in 1999 a unique ceramic iconostasis made in the monastery ceramics workshop was installed. The products of this workshop, as well as others - embroidery, icon painting, jewelry, carpentry - cannot be described, they must be seen, and not even in photographs.

However, only a person who knows nothing at all about Russian monastic craftswomen can be surprised at this. I’m not surprised: for as long as I can remember, there’s been a carpet hanging over my bed, embroidered by nuns from near Samara at the end of the nineteenth century. They created it as a gift to my great-grandfather, a zemstvo doctor who cured the abbess of cataracts. The colors are still bright, the roses on the carpet have been blooming for almost a century and a half...

And the former wasteland in the Kolomna Monastery is blooming. On a land that did not want to bear even potatoes, a unique garden bears fruit: apple trees, pears, apricots, cherries, cherry plums, grapes, sea buckthorn. And there’s no need to even talk about the actual flowers. From early spring to late autumn, replacing each other, all the colors of the rainbow shimmer in the monastery gardens. And the aroma flows, it seems, from any blade of grass.

Although... not only flowers smell fragrant.

“...Some time ago we went to Kolomna, to the Novo-Golutvinsky Convent. We walk around the church, kiss the icons, write notes for the prayer service. I am standing near the icon of Panteleimon the Healer. And suddenly I smell the most beautiful, pleasant aroma. I'm starting to look for where this scent comes from. I approach the icons. It doesn't seem to be from them. I approach the hanging Shrouds. On one is the Dormition of the Mother of God. On the other - Christ in the Tomb. The aroma comes from both of them. There are flowers below. I think we need to check, otherwise atheists will say that it is the flowers that smell, and not the Shroud. Smelled the flowers. They are already dry. They don't smell. I come closer to the Shroud. The aroma intensified. I kissed first one, then the other. I ask my friend if he smelled this aroma. He replied: of course, I felt it. And he confirmed that the aroma came from the Shrouds.

This is such a modern miracle..."

There are other miracles. In 1995, a boarding school was organized at the monastery for the residence, training and education of orphans and children left without parental care. Ensuring the functioning of the school is carried out by the sisters of the monastery. Currently, more than 50 children live and study there.

In 1997, a charitable Orthodox medical center was opened at the monastery in honor of Blessed Xenia of St. Petersburg, in which the sisters of the monastery, by the way, are highly qualified specialists, provide free medical care to the population. The nurses see up to 3 thousand patients per year.

The monastery operates a children's Sunday school, where children study the history of the Church, piety, church singing, and the Law of God.

We received a farmstead fifteen kilometers from Kolomna. Only now this is a farmstead, but then there were ten hectares of clay field, which, of course, was not needed by anyone. What can really be grown on clay?

As it turns out, almost everything. Now the sisters grow almost all the necessary agricultural products on their subsidiary plot in the village of Karasevo, where the monastery’s farmstead is located. And not just potatoes and vegetables. There is a dairy shop and a cheese factory. Your own milk, sour cream, cottage cheese, eggs.

Everything is of excellent quality, as they say now, “environmentally friendly”. I agree, it's clean. And incredibly tasty. Only ecology, it seems to me, has nothing to do with it; it is the same around the whole of Kolomna. But for some reason the products are different.

Another miracle? Please. In 2001, on the territory of the monastery, a wooden, all carved, chapel was built at the small temple of St. Xenia the Blessed (Kronstadt) - the patroness of the monastery. A fountain with holy water, marvelously inlaid with mosaics. Silk embroidered icons. Lamps made of Gzhel ceramics. Everything was done by the labors of the sisters of the monastery, and describing it is as pointless as a dawn or a moonlit night. No matter what words you choose, everything will be wrong, you need to see it all with your own eyes. Better yet, pray in this chapel, in complete privacy and silence. It is quite possible.

Baptisms take place in the same chapel. Another revelation for born atheists: christenings where, it would seem, they renounce everything worldly. However, people are baptized and married in the main church. I saw with my own eyes how the marriage union of two very elderly people, spouses with more than half a century of experience, was consecrated. And I saw their unusually younger and prettier faces. Not a tribute to fashion - a need of the soul. As, indeed, everything that happens within the walls of the monastery.

The nuns embroider the icons themselves. Among them is the image of St. Feodor Ushakov - Admiral of the Russian Fleet. He never suffered a single defeat in his entire life and has long been considered the patron saint of sailors. The temple also houses the miraculous icon “Quick to Hear.”

“For many of the sisters living in the Holy Trinity Novo-Golutvinsky Monastery, their first visits to the temple, their first meeting with the monastery, revealed the deep meaning of the parable from the Gospel about the merchant who, having found one “pearl of great price,” decided to sell everything he had . Indeed, we wanted to part with everything “former”: with a future prestigious job, with a stay in Moscow, where everyone is so eager; with a house in which we all love both mother and father so much, and I wanted to plunge into this new atmosphere. The “new way of life,” consisting of early morning prayers, labor at various “obediences,” and a monastic meal, ended with an evening service with strict monastic singing, awareness of the joy of a new existence with God! Therefore, “renunciation of the world” does not look like some kind of tragedy, a terrible loss, on the contrary, it is really that “pearl of great price” for which you can leave everything “former”.”

There is, as I already wrote, for some reason an almost unshakable idea that nuns leave the world for a monastery. In this monastery there is no sense of detachment from the worldly, nor the inaccessibility of the new life of the “brides of Christ” to ordinary lay people. But this is apparent simplicity and accessibility. In reality, everything is much more complicated.

“There is a world as the quintessence of passions. In this sense, the monastery left the world. Therefore, we wear black, as if funeral, clothes, symbolizing death. But this is the death of the soul to sin. Through this there is a birth of something that will come into contact with eternity, that will go into eternity. There is a creation of that personality who in spirit is on the same radio wave as Divine grace. But there is communication with the world through artists and scientists, which is necessary in these difficult times, almost similar to the apostolic ones, when nothing is clear and we must together look for ways to salvation.”

Yes, everything is very difficult. First, knowledge and faith are mutually exclusive. Even when it was said in Ecclesiastes that “...in great wisdom there is much sorrow, and he who increases his wisdom increases sorrow in his heart.” And it is impossible to comprehend with the mind what is not amenable to such comprehension. But…

But frequent guests at the monastery are astronauts. It would seem that they should know many things better than others: no one physically came closer to God than them. Did they see him? No, we didn't. Do they believe? Yes, they believe, stronger than many others. Although they do not imagine the Lord sitting on a cloud surrounded by a host of heavenly powers.

“What we are faced with - and we are faced with the Revelation of God - is amazing. Here is Christ - in him there are two seemingly incompatible natures: human and Divine. The Most Holy Theotokos is both the Virgin and the Mother of God. For ordinary consciousness these are incompatible things. Much about Christianity goes beyond simple, logical thinking. The Apostle John says: it is foolishness to the world. The Lord says: blessed are the pure in heart. That is, the path is not in the number of theological books read and services performed, but in a pure heart, which is created with great effort. All these are unusual, non-standard moments that need to be felt and understood.”

Feel and understand... Sometimes it seems that this understanding comes. For example, on a late moonlit evening on the territory of the monastery, in extraordinary peace and quiet, when you really feel something in your heart.

But to experience this feeling all your life? Is this possible?

“One of the main motives of life in a monastery is sincerity. And in a sincere state, a person cries, and is offended, and is perplexed, and swears. The task is to understand your sincere state. There is often an old person operating within us, for whom it is difficult to act according to the law of love, but according to the law of egoism it is easy. I love myself, I feel sorry for myself, but I don’t know anyone else. Therefore, there must be constant reforging, remaking oneself. It's complicated…"

Of course it's difficult. Even a person who has lived most of his life and seems to be able to resist many, many worldly temptations. And for young girls who haven’t really seen life... Aren’t temptations oppressive? And no one is tempted to leave the monastery, although the hood doesn’t seem to be nailed to the head?

Mother Ksenia

“It always amazes me how people seek some kind of satisfaction in the fact that, oh, someone ran away, someone went to give birth from a monastery. There is a moment of some kind of internal ugliness in this. Yes, there were cases when the mother protested, the father pulled out his daughter, they shouted: it was better for her to become a harlot than to live in a monastery. We've been through a lot. It is amazing that sisters who came to the monastery knowing nothing suddenly become such great warriors. Well, what is our flesh, which always wants to eat? Wants to sleep and doesn't want to work? Our soul, which received skills from childhood: to value ourselves, to humiliate others? And you need to destroy all this in yourself and build a house on a completely different foundation. It has its own colossal internal culture. I often say: sisters, how lucky you are that you have all already been given the opportunity to enter this culture of thinking, while others who are outside this do not even know what they are deprived of. Life in a monastery is constant inner creativity...

...You are all looking for sedition, “dangerous relationships,” unhappy love in monasticism... A person cannot help but commit fornication, which means he is either mentally ill or lying! But why would you lie? Live in peace! They don’t pay wages here, they work from dawn to dusk, they sleep for three or four hours... They could have a great life. A person goes to a monastery of his own free will. By vocation. But passions and sins... haven’t gone away, you have to fight a lot with yourself. But here there is peace, light, freedom, joy. And the feat in this is no greater than in a real marriage.”

But in our worldly understanding, there is no freedom in a monastery. Everything requires Mother’s blessing; each nun is assigned her own obedience in the morning. You need to account for everything - to the same mother, and not only in your actions. In thoughts, in dreams, even in sudden desires. And everything sinful must be prayed away, not formally, but from the heart, day and night. And this is freedom?

And this is truly freedom. Nobody forced me to take monastic vows.

For some reason, we don’t think about how unfree we are in worldly life, how dependent we are on a great many people whom we don’t even know. You can’t do this - your neighbors will judge you. This is also impossible - it is illegal. And this is impossible - no money, no opportunities, no strength.

And all the same: outside the monastery there is freedom, outside the monastery walls there is no freedom. Who are we deceiving? And it’s still unclear how you can give up the joys of gastronomy, a sip of wine, a cigarette, for the rest of your life. It is not clear how one can pray from morning to evening and from evening to morning, while also doing business. It’s incomprehensible, incomprehensible, incomprehensible... And where diseases suddenly come from is unknown, and why people always die suddenly, always at the wrong time...

“And prayer brings you back from death to life. How many people suffer from bodily illness, but if anyone has the boldness to ask for healing, it is given to them. For example, in Tabor, in the Greek monastery, there is an icon of the Mother of God, simply made of paper, but all hung with photographs of people who received healing from blood cancer through prayer in front of this icon.

How many hospitals are being built for the mentally ill, and, ultimately, only those who through repentance and prayer turned to the Wisdom of God find a way to get out of there..."

Think about it: people with an unhealthy psyche have been called mentally ill from time immemorial. The word itself contains the concept that it is the soul that is sick, and it is not the soul that is trying to heal, but some purely physical manifestations of the disease. Treat the soul with pills? Let's say psychiatrists still know what they are doing, but...

But ten years ago, an article appeared - a sensational discovery by scientists from the V. M. Bekhterev Institute: “Prayer is a special state of a person, absolutely necessary for him,” where the theses of a St. Petersburg scientist, Doctor of Biological Sciences and Candidate of Medical Sciences, head of the Laboratory of Psychophysiology named after. V.M. Bekhterev Professor V.B. Slezin and Candidate of Medical Sciences I.Ya. Rybina. These theses were presented at a worldwide conference held at the University of Arizona, USA, entitled “Recent Advances in the Science of Consciousness.”

The noticeable interest of scientists from many countries and different scientific directions was aroused by the message about the discovery of a spiritual phenomenon - a special state of a person during prayer. Before this discovery, “science knew three states of a person: wakefulness, slow and fast sleep, now another state has become known - the fourth - the “prayer state”, which is as characteristic and necessary for the human body as the three previously known to us. In a person’s life, transitions from one state of consciousness to another are observed, there are systems of inhibition and shutdown, but when, by the will of a person, the fourth physiological state of the brain necessary for him is absent, then, apparently, some negative processes occur.”

“I remember very well that when I began to pray, there was a feeling that all my inner “darkness,” well concentrated over the years of atheism, began to seethe like a volcanic avalanche, and beat me with nightmarish colorful dreams and scratched my heart with passions and fears: don’t pray, you’ll pray.”

“During real prayer, there is a departure from reality,” the scientists write, “which leads to the destruction of pathological connections. By moving away from the world, from images of pathology, a person contributes to his recovery. The fourth state is the path to harmony.”

“How important it is in our time, when there are so few apologists for the Truth, to hear from the lips of scientists: “I dare to say that the fourth state (prayer) allows or helps a person to remain human!” The saints knew the essence of the state of prayer, understanding that every feeling is mixed with “its own poison,” as a consequence of our fallenness, as a consequence of our arbitrary consent, although here too the action of the fallen spirit is seen. Like some kind of poison, despair and hopelessness are mixed with contrition about sinfulness, hard-heartedness with renunciation, voluptuousness with love... “A person cannot separate this poison from a good feeling, but with prayer, in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, pronounced with faith from a contrite heart, this poison is separated; from the light of Christ the darkness from the heart is dispersed, the resistive force becomes visible; from the power of Christ the influence of the enemy disappears, and a natural state remains in the soul, not always strong, not always pure, but serene and capable of bending under the active hand of God?

Science has confirmed this great effect of prayer: “the liturgical organization of consciousness is the path to self-preservation and normal life of the human community. Currently, only the Church remains faithful to the true laws of human life in God, as the Cosmic regulating and life-giving principle.”

“The world is looking for miracles, some sensory phenomena from the heavenly world, but the main miracle, through which we can be involved in this world incessantly - prayer and the ability to pray implanted in the soul - is not sought or revealed in itself. Many people, tormented by the problems they have created for themselves through their sins, do not go to a confessor who can really help them, but end up “confessing” to a psychologist.

And psychologists, with their advice, seem to throw patients into the middle of a river that they need to cross. As a result, the unfortunate people either drown in this river, or still swim to the other bank, but the current takes them very far from the place where they wanted to be. (Elder Paisios)."

It's difficult to add anything to this. Of course, now we cannot expect that people who grew up in absolute godlessness will suddenly, instantly acquire the same consciousness, the same mentality as their ancestors a century ago. Such miracles do not happen. But…

But, really, it’s worth going to Kolomna in order to touch (or most) a completely different life. Who knows, maybe something will be revealed there that can, if not heal, then at least calm our restless, restless souls.

Truly, the ways of the Lord are mysterious. Including those that lead us to true faith.

The Holy Trinity Novo-Golutvin Convent arose on the territory of the Kolomna Kremlin during the time of Emperor Paul I in 1799. Then, by decree of the Holy Synod, Kolomna Bishop Methodius was transferred to Tula, and the episcopal residence remained empty.

To preserve the bishop's courtyard in Kolomna (where the authorities were going to build military barracks), Metropolitan of Moscow Platon (Levshin) ordered the brethren of the Golutvin monastery to be resettled there. The Novo-Golutvin Holy Trinity Monastery was formed, which included the empty Staro-Golutvin and Bobrenev monasteries.

From 1819 to 1829, the monastery was ruled by Archimandrite Arseny (Koziorov). During his management of the monastery, the current bell tower was built in 1825. It had 8 bells.

The monastery bell tower is one of the best works of the Empire style in Kolomna. Despite the difference in appearance, the belfry of the Novo-Golutvin Monastery combines surprisingly well with the cathedral bell tower, together with the Assumption Cathedral, creating an ensemble of fantastic beauty.

The main temple of the Novo-Golutvin Monastery is the Trinity Cathedral, built in 1705. On the north side of the church there was a porch with a platform and 14 steps.

In its basement, where there was a storeroom with three mica windows, there is a church dedicated to Blessed Xenia of Petersburg.

In the 1680s, at the same time as the Bishop's Palace, the house Church of the Intercession was also erected. In the 1770-1780s, the architect M.F. Kazakov created a project for the reconstruction of the entire courtyard, the main place in which was given to the Church of the Intercession. The temple is dressed in “Gothic” decor, trying to transfer the style of the European Middle Ages to Russia.

The monastery was closed by 1920. Its buildings successively housed an infirmary, then a dormitory, and communal apartments. In the churches there were sewing workshops, and later - workshops of the Union of Cinematographers. The looted churches and buildings fell into disrepair, the monastery cemetery was desecrated.

Now there are 90 novices and nuns living in the monastery, who, under the leadership of Abbess Ksenia (a graduate of the Faculty of Journalism of Moscow State University Ksenia Zaitseva), perform various obediences. They sew, and knit, and glue, and plan, and draw, and sing, and bake, and milk cows, and meet the president and the patriarch. They do photography, fire ceramics, and have designed their website in such a way that any programmer would be jealous.

The Orthodox Church is open in the monastery medical Center named after Saint Blessed Xenia of Petersburg. The reception is conducted by nuns - professional doctors. Actress Margarita Terekhova was treated here.

On the territory of the monastery, in the kennel “Convent” created by the nuns, the rarest breed of Mongolian-Buryat dogs, as well as Central Asian shepherd dogs, are kept and bred.

The attraction of the monastery is the camel Sinai, donated by female cosmonaut Valentina Tereshkova. On the territory of the monastery farmstead, located 17 km from Kolomna, the sisters breed purebred Vyatka horses brought from Udmurtia. There is an animal lovers club at the monastery. On the Nativity of Christ, the sisters harness horses and a camel for children to ride.

In 1993, the women's choir of the Holy Trinity Novo-Golutvinsky Monastery took part in Boris Grebenshchikov's concert in Kolomna.

The Holy Trinity Novo-Golutvin Monastery, the youngest of the Kremlin monasteries, is located in the center of the ancient Kolomna Kremlin. Many of its buildings are much older, since it was founded on the site of the bishop's house, mentioned in the scribe books of 1577-1578. From 1350 to 1799 On the territory of the monastery there was a bishop's residence, where the bishops and archbishops who ruled the Kolomna diocese lived.

Scheme of the Kremlin and the 15th walk (including all previous ones)

Plan of the Novo-Golutvin Monastery
1. Church of the Life-Giving Trinity (in the basement - the Church of St. Blessed Xenia of Petersburg)
2. Church of the Intercession Holy Mother of God
3. Bell tower
4. Chapel of St. Equal to the Apostles Prince. Vladimir and St. VMC. Anastasia Pattern Maker
5. Chapel of St. blzh. Xenia of Petersburg and St. right blzh. Matrona of Moscow
Other buildings of the monastery:
6. Holy Gate
7. Cell (formerly bishop) building (XVII century)
8. Office space
9. Office space
10. Office space
11. Seminary building (XVII century)
12. Abbot's corps
13. Walls and towers of the fence (XVIII century)

The Kolomna diocese was established earlier than 1350, after the Mongol invasion of Rus'. Its beginning dates back to the reign of Ivan Danilovich Kalita (1328-1340), at the latest - to the reign of Simeon the Proud (1340-1353). It belonged to the 3rd class of dioceses and had 10 monasteries and 931 churches. In 1655, Patriarch Macarius of Antioch stayed in Kolomna. From a letter from his secretary, the Syrian Pavel of Aleppo, we learn about what the bishop's house looked like in the 17th century. “The bishop’s house is very large and surrounded by a wooden wall. The bishop passes to the cells from the southern door of the church along a high staircase and a long wooden gallery located at a great height from the ground; Sometimes, when we walked along it, a view of fields and villages at a long distance opened up before us, for the gallery was completely open. The cells, or rather the bishop's palace, are built of excellent stone and wood and also hanging (like the churches); Some of them are for winter, others are for summer. The summer cells have galleries opening onto the garden, in which wonderful apples grow, rare in their beauty, color and taste...”

“The winter chambers consist of many rooms, some of which lead to others. They are built of planed, tightly knit, wonderful wood and have doors that are tightly fitted and carefully fitted, covered with felt and leather... All the windows have movable shutters, tightly fitted; during the day they are opened and inserted into the windows of the stone glass frames of this country; (Probably these mica frames) At night these frames are removed and in their place they are placed in the windows, shutters covered with felt, so that cold air cannot penetrate through them. Each cell has a brick stove for lighting a fire, with iron doors; These stoves are fired in winter to heat rooms. Also, in each cell there is an iconostasis with images, not only inside, but also outside above the door, even above the staircase door...”

“The building of the bishop's order is vaulted, again built of stone; here is his treasury. This bishopric owns land - villages with many peasants. In the bishop's house there is a large prison with iron chains and heavy stocks for criminals. If one of the bishop’s peasants does something wrong: steals or kills, then he is brought here, put in prison and punished... with death or blows, depending on his guilt. The governor has no power over them... Three hundred archers belong to the bishopric... When a bishop travels somewhere, they accompany him wherever he goes..."

The bishop's building (with the house church of St. Sergius of Radonezh) and seminary buildings were built in the early 1680s under Archbishop Nikita of Totemsky.

Bishop's Corps

Seminary building

In the description of the bishop's court in 1701 it is said about them: “On the right hand from ... the holy gates in the western country there are new unfinished chambers with two dwellings measuring from the outside a length of forty by eight fathoms without an arshin and those chambers from the outside at the ends with a diameter of seven fathoms " In 1734, the architect Ivan Michurin drew up descriptions and estimates for the repair of all the buildings of the bishop's courtyard that were damaged by a big fire. According to this description, the “upper apartment” contained 16 chambers, four vestibules and 2 closets. In the “lower apartment” there were 14 chambers, including one “emergency”, two living rooms, 7 hallways, 1 closet and one kitchen.

Already in our time, the ancient appearance and interiors of the bishop's chambers have been restored. At the northern end of the building on the lower floor there were two single-pillar chambers. The second from the north, the “cross” chamber of the second floor, was occupied by the house Church of the Annunciation. The church had a carved wooden iconostasis (burned down) and a tiled stove. A vaulted front porch with three landings and staircases led to the vestibule room adjacent to the church from the east. The second floor of the building was connected by a covered wooden gallery on stone pillars to the Trinity Church.

Repairs to the chambers were carried out in 1742. They underwent a more serious restructuring after the fire of 1777. The alteration of the facades and interiors was carried out under the leadership of the architect Count Sheremetev, Alexei Mironov. Old Russian building forms gave way to classical ones. After the construction of the buildings of the bishop's court of the Novo-Golutvinsky Monastery, the building was occupied by the cells of the brethren and the archimandrite. In 1816, part of the premises on the first floor was provided to the bursa (dormitory for students at the seminary). The Annunciation Church was abolished.

A small two-story house facing the Assumption Cathedral is the most ancient building The bishop's house, which has survived to this day. It was rebuilt after its abolition in the 1770s. Church of the Intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary.

Left: the building of the former Church of the Intercession; in the center: the bell tower of the monastery (behind it: Pokrovskaya Ts.) 1995

In 1705, the Trinity Church was built, made in the Moscow Baroque style.

In 1728 in Kolomna (according to the regulations of 1721), the foundation was laid for the establishment of a theological seminary, which was finally constructed by Bishop Cyprian in 1739 on the territory of the bishop's residence. Her students were the children of the local white clergy. The best of the students were sometimes sent to the Moscow seminary, and they were obliged, after completing the Moscow course, to teach in their native seminary. Among the students of the Kolomna Seminary is Filaret Drozdov, Metropolitan of Moscow, and publicist of the 70s. N. Gilyarov-Platonov.

The Kolomna Seminary was located in close proximity to the bishop's house, in a two-story stone building with basements, built in the 1680s. under Archbishop Nikita and rebuilt in the 19th century. The former seminary building has been preserved - now it is the cell building of the Holy Trinity Novo-Golutvinsky Convent.

Under Bishop Savva of Kolomna (Shpakovsky, d. 1749), teaching at the seminary began to be conducted by specially assigned teachers from Kyiv schools. Until the end of the 18th century. Theological schools were the basis of education in Russia - not only spiritual, but also secular. General education subjects were taught in the elementary grades, and theology in the older grades. Seminarians studied languages ​​constantly, in all classes. Many disciplines were taught in Latin. This made learning more difficult, but provided a classical education and access to world literature.

The full course of study in seminaries consisted of eight classes. The number of years, sometimes quite considerable, in which a student completed the entire course depended on his abilities and diligence. The lower classes (“infima” and “fara”) were usually called informatoriums. Next came grammar (they studied for 2 years), literate and syntactic ("syntaxima"), in these classes they usually studied for a year in each. We studied in philosophy and rhetoric classes for 2 years.

The highest class is theological. The norm for this class was 4 years of study. According to their internal routine, strict discipline and dormitory system, the first seminaries in the 18th century. in many ways they resembled monasteries. The rector, the prefect (his deputy), as well as the guards and students lived together. The pupils were isolated from a free home environment and rarely saw their relatives.

In 1799, Emperor Paul issued a decree that the Kolomna bishop, who ruled the churches in Tula, Moscow and Ryazan provinces, manage only churches in the Tula province. The Kolomna diocese was abolished, and the bishop was transferred to Tula. To the empty bishop’s house by the highest decree of Emperor Paul I “in respect of antiquity, as much as for this bishop’s house, ... also for the decency of this very ancient city…” in 1800, the staff of the Epiphany Golutvin Monastery, which was located on the outskirts of Kolomna, was transferred, headed by the rector, Archimandrite Varlaam. The decree also ordered that “all the churches and buildings located in that house be transferred to his department.”

Metropolitan of Moscow Platon (Levshin), fearing that the empty bishop's house would not suffer the fate of the first-class Simonov Monastery, abolished in 1788, in whose buildings the barracks were located, hastened to carry out the decree. The new full-time monastery was immediately assigned the second class, which allowed the abbots to be elevated to the high spiritual rank of archimandrite and support up to 17 monks. Both cathedral churches were assigned to the monastery: Assumption and Tikhvin. . In memory of the roots - the Epiphany Golutvin Monastery - and after the main temple, the monastery began to be called the Trinity New Golutvin Monastery. Another name is found in archival documents: Kolomna Monastery.

The life of the inhabitants of the monastery, preserved thanks to Metropolitan Platon, was not easy. The buildings were far from in ideal condition, and there were many neighbors. All buildings needed serious repairs, but due to lack of funds they were carried out only when necessary. Thus, in order to improve the learning and living conditions of the students of the theological school in 1800, in the seminary building it was necessary “to build two sheathed and covered porches with good and strong staircases opposite the two entrance halls, and in these porches to create a closet and a toilet in decent shape with clean work,” to block roof with two layers of planks, repair the doors, install partitions in three rooms. The cost of the work under the contract concluded with the merchant of the 3rd guild, Fyodor Vasilyevich Shkarin, amounted to 200 rubles.

The Metropolitan’s fears were confirmed less than three years later, when on September 12, 1803, he received a letter from Count A.A. Arakcheeva. The count reported that the Kolomna bishop's house was convenient “to accommodate two squadrons of cuirassiers with horses and all accessories.” Metropolitan Platon was able to reasonably refuse the transfer of buildings, concluding the letter with the words: “I do not find any benefit of my own in this, but as an unworthy shepherd of that city, I am zealous for the common good of the church and for the honor of that city.” Having received a refusal, Count Arakcheev did not insist, which he notified the bishop about on October 14, 1803.

M.G.Abakumov

In 1823, on the site of the dismantled front porch and stairs, a brick house church of St. Sergius of Radonezh the Wonderworker was built (later consecrated in the name of the Intercession of the Mother of God) with a chapel of the Transfiguration of the Lord.

In 1825, Archimandrite Arseny erected a 55-meter bell tower, which became the second tallest in Kolomna.

In 1871, the monastery found itself in “complete decline and poverty in all respects.” About 15 rubles in silver were found in the monastery cash register. The reason for the desolation of the monastery was in its regular structure (regular monasteries received financial support from the state treasury), which is why the Novo-Golutvin Monastery “never came to the hearts of the residents of Kolomna.” Such “monasteries have been criticized for the fact that life in them is built on self-interest and freedom in relation to duties,” when “customs replace the statutes established by the church and the holy fathers.”

On November 26, 1871, in a solemn ceremony, Bishop Leonid (Krasnopevkov) of Dmitrov opened a hostel in the Novo-Golutvin Monastery (the hostel monasteries existed due to donations and income from the work of the monks). With the financial support of Gury and Ekaterina Rotin, the appearance of the monastery was transformed. - Patrons of Rotin helped the monastery not only with money, but also donated in 1876 a two-story house with a land plot of 526 fathoms, which brought an annual income of up to 3 thousand rubles.

For 1915-1916, the monastery capital was 61,670 rubles.

The established monastic life was destroyed overnight as a result of the October Revolution of 1917. The property of the monastery, including the 181 acres of land that was owned, was nationalized. From the beginning of 1919, part of the premises was occupied by the district and city police departments. To some extent, this saved the monastery from a worse fate, since on June 16, 1919, at a meeting of the board of the management department of the Kolomna district executive committee, the issue of creating a concentration camp in the Novo-Golutvin monastery was brought up, but this plan was prevented by a hospital temporarily located in the monastery. The population began to settle in the cells.

Soon after the closure of the monastery, the question arose about the safety of the monastery archive, where, according to experts, there could be documents from the day the monastery was founded. The archival files were located in the fence tower, but the premises were opened and the files with the files were scattered. What happened to the valuable documents in the future is unknown.

In the spring of 1922, the vestry of the Novo-Golutvin Monastery was included in the “List of monasteries, cathedrals and churches that store exceptional historical and artistic values, subject to the management of the Main Museum of N.K.P.”, but nevertheless the seizures were carried out. According to the members of the commission, 4 silver censers, a three-candlestick, an anointing and an oil pan, a vessel with an instrument, 8 lamps, a tabernacle, a cross and vestments with a total weight of 2 pounds 10 pounds 24 spools were “superfluous” in the temple. Pearls were removed from the miter, “the quantity and weight of which is not determined by either weight or count. The seizure could not stop services in Trinity Church.

Photo by William Broomfield. 1992 Left: bell tower of the monastery; further away in the center: Trinity Center; in the background in the center: c. John the Evangelist; right: cells. (View from the bell tower of the Assumption Cathedral) 1992

In the program developed by specialists of the Mosoblstroyrestavratsiya trust in 1971, an important role was assigned to the Novo-Golutvin Monastery. The former bishop's building and the consistory building were supposed to be used as hotel rooms for future tourists, and the red corner and administration of the complex would be located in the seminary building. The basement of the Trinity, as a variant of the Intercession Church, was allocated for a restaurant. The top of the restored Trinity Church was planned for a museum. When landscaping the area, it was planned to create an orchard, approximately the same as it was in the 18th century. The priority object of restoration could be the bishop's corps.

Intercession Church - view from Cathedral Square. 1989

By 1982, the bishop's corps was evicted, and architects K.V. immediately began measuring and research work. Lomakin and V.A. Mozzherov. To do this, it was necessary to clear the premises from late partitions and floors, knock down the plaster, and remove the backfill from the vaults. During the work, numerous fragments of tiles from the 18th to 19th centuries were discovered in construction waste. After gluing and sketching, the restorers handed them over to the Kolomna Local Lore Museum.

Photograph by William Broomfield 1992

From that time on, the stage of revival of the monastery began under the direction of the abbess, Abbess Ksenia (Zaitseva), comparable in significance to the entire previous history of the Novo-Golutvin Monastery. They rebuilt the temple and the “bishop’s” building, the area equal to the residential building, where one hundred nuns, nuns and novices live today. The monastery park has four cars, a jeep, two buses, several trucks, and two tractors. Plus a camel. Sinai was brought from Egypt as a baby and given to the astronauts.

The monastery has a ceramic workshop, a medical center (the reception is conducted by nuns of the monastery - specialists in therapy, neuropathology, homeopathy), an icon painting workshop, and an embroidery workshop. Operates: Sunday school, animal lovers club, gardening society. In addition to the newspapers: "Pebbles", "Agronomic Bulletin", "Medical Bulletin", "Pedagogical Bulletin", more than 60 titles of books on various topics have been published. The nursery raises Central Asian Shepherd Dogs (30 dogs have the title “Champion of Russia”) and the Vyatka breed of horses, listed in the Red Book.

Concert performances of the choir as part of the Saxon-Bohemian Festival in Germany in June 2000 at the invitation of the Russian international center cultural and scientific cooperation in Berlin, Dresden, Wroclaw, introduced foreign listeners to the beauty of the liturgical singing of the Russian Orthodox Church.

In Kolomna, in the middle of the wooden Kremlin, the Novo-Golutvin Holy Trinity Convent is located. Walking around Cathedral Square, you will certainly come across it. Today it is one of the largest located on the territory of modern Russia. Being the youngest of the Kremlin monasteries, it was founded in 1799 in the city of Kolomna and is the first Orthodox nunnery to open in the Moscow diocese.

Scribe books 1577-1578. provide information that the monastery was built on the territory where the bishop's residence used to be located from 1350 to 1799. Bishops and archbishops who ruled the Kolomna diocese lived in the residence. It is these data that give grounds to assert that in fact some of the buildings of the Novoglutvinsky monastery are much older. After the abolition of the diocese in 1799, the Holy Trinity Monastery was founded inside the Kolomna Kremlin.

The main temple, which has survived to this day, but has been remodeled several times, is Trinity. It was founded in 1680 in the Moscow Baroque style. Later, new buildings and buildings were created around the temple, which formed the basis of the Holy Trinity Monastery.

Story

The Kolomna diocese was formed even before the arrival of the Mongols. The first mention of it dates back to the reign of Ivan Kalita, that is, 1328-1340. At this time, it had ten monasteries and 931 churches.

From the letters of the Syrian Paul of Aleppo, secretary of the Patriarch of Antioch Macarius, we learn what the bishop's house of the 17th century was like.

Very large and surrounded by a wooden wall; The episcopal palace was built from the strongest stone and good wood - this is the description of the residence given by the Syrian. He was amazed by the long wooden gallery, rising above the ground and intended for the passage of the bishop from the southern doors of the church to the cells. He pays great attention to the Russian master carpenters who managed to build such warm rooms.

The heyday of the bishop's courtyard

At the end of the 17th century, Nikita of Moscow and Kashira became archbishop. It was under him that the heyday of the bishop's courtyard was celebrated. The new buildings built under him were the Bishop's House, the premises of the Discharge Order and the Trinity Cross Church, which are located on this moment main buildings of the complex.

By 1728, a theological seminary was built in Kolomna, where the children of the local clergy studied. The most gifted students were sent to Moscow to continue their studies, with the condition of their subsequent return to the seminary as teachers and professors.

After the Kolomna diocese was abolished in 1799 by order of Emperor Paul I, the bishop was transferred to the Tula province. Fearing that the former bishop's house might be abolished, Metropolitan Platon (Levshin) of Moscow hastened to carry out the decree and transfer the brethren from the Epiphany Monastery here as soon as possible. After these events, the new monastery in Kolomna is called Novo-Golutvin, which also has another name Kolomensky, and the one located on the outskirts is Staro-Golutvin.

19th century

Due to the fact that the monastery was built in honor of the Holy Trinity, it began to be called the Holy Trinity Novo-Golutvin Monastery, and at the beginning of the 19th century it could contain no more than 17 people, since it was assigned class 2. Two churches - Tikhvin and Assumption, were also annexed to the monastery. Archimandrite Varlaam became the rector.

A few years later, the fears of the Metropolitan of Moscow and Kolomna were confirmed - a letter from Count A. A. Arakcheev indicated intentions to create stables on the territory of the former Bishop's residence. But the Metropolitan, although with great difficulty, still managed to defend the buildings. The architect who developed the plan for placing cuirassiers on the site of the bishop's house was I.A. Selikhov. This plan has been preserved to this day in the archives of St. Petersburg.

Life in the monastery began to boil. The buildings required repairs, a large number of inhabitants required urgent accommodation, and unforeseen circumstances, such as bad weather conditions for a long time or a sudden hurricane that instantly tore off the roofs, added to the hassle. Therefore, there was always enough work.

Since 1823, even larger-scale construction began, already under Archimandrite Arseny (Koziorov). Built in a pseudo-Gothic style, the brick church in the name of St. Sergius of Radonezh was one of the newly built buildings of the monastery.

In addition, almost simultaneously with the construction of the church, a gate was erected on the north side, one of the fence towers in the north-west of the monastery, as well as the second highest bell tower in Kolomna, which was more than 50 meters high.

Archimandrite Tikhon (Uglensky)

The series of successive abbots continued until 1846, when this post was taken by Archimandrite Tikhon (Uglensky), who served here for at least 25 years. Seriously interested in the history of the Russian split Orthodox Church, he spared no expense in acquiring literature or manuscripts concerning this issue. Subsequently, part of the rare books he acquired was transferred to the library of the Moscow diocese, and the rest were sold, the money was transferred to the monastery.

In gratitude for his many years of service, Abbot Tikhon was awarded the Order of St. Anna, 2nd degree. But despite all this, some historians believe that he did not know how to manage a household, and therefore, after the death of the archimandrite, the monastery fell into disrepair. As proof of this point of view, the memoirs of the Ugresh abbot Pimen (Myasnikov) are cited.

Novo-Golutvin Monastery becomes a dormitory

Reform was obvious and inevitable. In addition, an important background was the opinion that appeared in society that the institution of monasticism should be eliminated altogether. Metropolitan of Moscow and Kolomna Innokenty (Veniaminov) seriously took up the solution to this problem. He believed that the extinction of monasteries was due to a decline in the level of morality. Therefore, the best way out of this situation would be to transfer all the monasteries into a series of dormitories.

Since 1871, the Novo-Golutvin Monastery has become a communal monastery and already numbers about 50 monks. Patrons of Rotina provided great assistance in the reorganization of the monastery. They helped not only financially; in 1876, they donated a house of several floors with a plot of land, which brought a considerable annual income to the monastery.

Training of currently famous personalities

It should also be noted that the 19th century became a kind of “golden age” for the Novoglutvinsky monastery, because it was then that many now famous personalities studied and were active here.

Protopresbyter of the Assumption Cathedral of the Moscow Kremlin Nikolai Alexandrovich Sergievsky (1827-1892) I started my studies here. Later he became a professor of theology at Moscow University and the founder of one of the spiritual magazines, Orthodox Education, and wrote many works on religious topics.

Future professor of the Theological Academy in Moscow Nikita Petrovich Gilyarov-Platonov (1824-1887) also studied in Kolomna, and then left memories of the life and customs of the Kolomna School. Particularly etched in his memory were the moments when students were punished by one of the teachers.

Vasily Grigorievich Tolgsky (1842-1909), a church teacher, after completing his studies at the Kolomna Theological School, he studied at the Moscow Seminary, and later became a priest in 1864. Despite financial difficulties and the inability to properly provide for his family, Father Vasily managed to set up a school at his own expense and organize a choir, which included schoolchildren and peasants.

The year 1894 was marked by the graduation from the Kolomna Theological School Ivan Nikolaevich Derzhavin, Hieromartyr Ioan (1878-1937); taught at a parochial school. In 1930, he was sentenced to exile for three years; he was sent to serve it in the North. Upon his return, he served in one of the rural churches in the Moscow region. In 1937, he faced arrest and execution.

Alexander Vasilievich Orlov (1890-1937) He was also a student at the Theological School in Kolomna. Afterwards he studied at the Moscow Theological Seminary, graduating in 1909. In 1911 he became a priest. In 1937 he was arrested and falsely accused. He served his sentence in Taganskaya prison. In October of the same year he was shot.

Liquidation of the Novoglutvinsky monastery

As for the life of the monastery, with the beginning of the 1917 revolution it changed dramatically. During the period from 1918 to 1921, 673 monasteries were liquidated on the territory of Russia, including the Novoglutvinsk monastery. All churches were separated, and all property of the monasteries henceforth became public property. Even the personal belongings and awards of the rector of the Leonidas temple were taken away and handed over to the people. 16 monks and 14 novices found themselves without shelter.

It was important for the monastery that in 1919 almost all the premises were given over to state administration, in particular to the district police. This is what saved the buildings from complete destruction.

And by May it was decided to reorganize the monastery into a colony like a contraception camp. And despite the conditions being quite favorable for this - a fairly high fence, small cells used as cells - a quick transformation was not possible. Soon the premises of the monastery turned into a hospital. And later, after new failed attempts to organize a concentration camp on the territory of the monastery, the cells began to be populated by local residents.

After the closure of the temple, the problem of preserving the monastery archives, which testified to the history of the monastery almost from the day of its foundation, became acute. As it turned out, the monastery documentation was located in the security tower; two living quarters were specially allocated for it. Subsequently, the files were sealed, but no one knew what happened to them next, since there were no locks on the door of the building, and they closed it simply by twisting it with wire.

The employees of the Glavmuseum made every effort to preserve the monastery and the monastery archive, which were one of the most important historical values. Despite all attempts, by 1922 most of the property was confiscated to the Volga region famine relief fund. But even this did not stop services from being held in Trinity Church. In 1928, Hieromonk John (Bolagurov) managed to begin the restoration of the temple under the guise of a religious community.

But by the end of the 20s. XX century The Kolomna City Council was obliged to rent all buildings and objects of worship and enter into agreements with groups of believers about this. This event did not spare the Holy Trinity Monastery either. After some time, the Novo-Golutvinskaya Church was closed, many icons disappeared, and the premises were severely destroyed or subjected to nationalization. For example, in 1934, the city financial department sold a bell tower to one of the Kolomna factories. 1940-1950s - the time when Trinity Church was rented from a sewing and repair factory.

A real chance to preserve the remaining property of the monastery appeared in 1971 after a restoration program was created, which involved the creation of a historical and architectural reserve, where the Novo-Golutvin Monastery played a major role. It was planned to create hotel rooms for future tourists, administration, restaurants and the like on the site of the former bishop's house.

But these plans were never implemented, although restoration work at the Holy Trinity Monastery began. Master architects V.A. Mozzherov, V.V. Teplyakov, S.P. Orlovsky got down to business. Of course, the craftsmen had to face great difficulties during the restoration. Residents had to be gradually evicted from the buildings in order to cover as large an area as possible with repairs.

Due to the fact that it was unclear how the repaired premises were supposed to be used further, the work dragged on for quite a long time. But with the advent of restructuring the political and economic life of the state, prerequisites appear for the restoration of spiritual and religious freedoms. Gradually, churches began to pass into the hands of believers, and church life was restored.

Patronage of the Russian Orthodox Church

Only in 1989 were the buildings, which were in very disrepair, returned to the monastery. The main goal the return of the premises was the creation of a women's dormitory. Subsequently, there was an active organization of restoration work in the monastery.

The Holy Synod decided that Abbess Ksenia becomes the abbess of the monastery.

Starts in 1989 new life monastery - the monastery comes under the patronage of the Russian Orthodox Church. From this moment on, the idea of ​​creating the first Orthodox convent arose, which had not existed before that moment. The restoration of the Bishops' Corps begins. The restoration of the monastery and the establishment of monastic life was still difficult, because both construction skills and housekeeping skills were practically absent. But nevertheless, the sisters did everything possible that was in their power - they cleared away rubbish rubble and helped new residents settle into the now newly rebuilt places. The beginning of a new monastic life was the first service in the Trinity Monastery.

Along with the improvement of the monastery, the administration of the city of Kolomna has new worries. Political figures and cultural figures are beginning to take an interest in the temple, and every year the number of guests and pilgrims to the monastery is growing inexorably. Such changes meant that the Holy Trinity Monastery became a landmark of the city.

Monastery today

Today, the Novoglutvinsky monastery includes several churches:

• Firstly, Church of the Holy Trinity. The first service in the newly revived monastery took place here during the celebration of the Presentation of the Lord on February 15, 1989. From that moment on, the Trinity Church began to symbolize the revival of spiritual life in Kolomna.
• Secondly, Temple in honor of the Intercession of the Mother of God. For quite a long time, the Intercession Church was in a state of desolation and ruin. To consecrate it, there was a need for repair work, namely dismantling the internal partitions that appeared here during the Soviet period, as well as cleaning the walls and vaults from layers of paint and whitewash, under which paintings of the 19th century had been located for a long time.
• Third, Temple in the name of St. Blessed Xenia of St. Petersburg. In 1990, Metropolitan Juvenaly of Krutitsky and Kolomna blessed and consecrated the church in honor of Blessed Xenia of St. Petersburg. It cost the nuns a lot of work to paint the temple vaults. In 1999, a ceramic iconostasis was installed in the temple.
• Fourthly, Temple in honor of the Dormition of the Mother of God (Metochion). In 1990, on the territory intended for running a household farmstead, a temple was erected in honor of the Dormition of the Mother of God. Monastic life is now beginning to boil here too.
• And finally, fifthly, Church of the Holy Trinity (Metochion).On the territory of the monastery courtyard of the Holy Trinity Novoglutvinsk monastery, a church with a bell tower was erected, consecrated in honor of the Most Holy Trinity. On Sundays and holidays The Liturgy is celebrated in the church, and Sunday school classes are held.

And also some chapels:

• Chapel in the name of Equal-to-the-Apostles Prince Vladimir;
• Chapel in the name of Saints Blessed Xenia of St. Petersburg and Matrona of Moscow.

The leadership of the monastery is carried out by Metropolitan Yuvenaly. More than 80 nuns and nuns live in the monastery not only from Russia, but also from the Near Abroad. In addition, nuns from countries such as Finland, Holland, Hungary, and Poland lived and worked on the territory of the monastery.

At the monastery, an Orthodox medical center was opened back in 1997, dedicated to St. Blessed Xenia of St. Petersburg, where nuns, professional doctors, can be consulted. Over the course of a year, more than three thousand people visit the medical center.

The monastery also opened its own museum, which operates permanently. There are icons, mosaics, as well as a photo exhibition that tells visitors the history of the monastery from its foundation to the present day with all the periods of its ups and downs, destruction and restoration.

The Novo-Golutvin Monastery conducts active excursion activities - the nuns themselves organize excursions around the monastery. At the same time, there is a refectory here, as well as a small hotel for pilgrims and tourists.

There is an animal lovers club at the monastery. The main attraction of the monastery is the camel Sinai, donated by Valentina Tereshkova, a Russian cosmonaut. In the Convent kennel, which was created by the nuns themselves, a rare breed of dogs is bred - Mongolian-Buryat dogs, as well as Central Asian shepherd dogs.

A few kilometers from Kolomna there is a monastery courtyard, where the sisters are breeding the most ancient and long-listed breed of purebred Vyatka horses, brought from the Udmurt Republic, which has long been listed in the Red Book. Every year during the celebration of the Nativity of Christ, children have the opportunity to ride horses or a camel.

At the monastery compound, the sisters are also engaged in farming: they grow natural food in the garden and vegetable garden. In addition, the farmstead has its own cheese factory and dairy shop, which makes it possible to produce sour cream, cottage cheese, butter, and the like.

Among other things, the monastery operates various workshops - embroidery, icon painting, ceramics and carpentry. The nuns mastered the publishing business and also opened their own radio station, Blago.

The choir in which the sisters sing repeatedly goes to concerts and services in many churches in Moscow and other large cities of Russia. In addition, in 2000 the choir took part in the Saxon-Bohemian Festival, held in Germany.

Nuns have the opportunity to study at the Pedagogical Institute and other educational institutions. This allows them to run a children's shelter for orphan boys (village of Maloe Karasevo). Now more than 50 children are studying here. A Sunday school has also been opened, where children are taught the basics of piety, church singing, and the history of the Church.

Of great importance for the monastery is the fact that Patriarch Alexy II visited here more than once. In 2003, as President of the Russian Federation, the monastery was visited by V.V. Putin, and in 2011 by D.A. Medvedev.

Shrines

Today, the Church of the Intercession of the Novoglutvinsky Holy Trinity Convent houses revered shrines. Here are parts of the relics of many saints:

• Apostle and Evangelist Luke;
• Saint Panteleimon;
• First Martyr Stephen;
• Great Martyr George the Victorious;
• Rev. Abraham;
• noble prince Alexander Nevsky;
• Martyr John the Warrior;
• noble princes Peter and Fevronia;
• Martyr John the New;
• Great Martyrs Irina and Varvara;
• Martyr Tatiana;
• Venerable Martyr Elisaveta Feodorovna;
• Saints Cyril and Mary of Radonezh;
• Holy Blessed Matrona of Moscow.

I would like to sum it up with a statement from Abbess Ksenia. Here are her words:

Most people talk about churches and monasteries without really knowing either Christianity or the problems of monastic life. But they say this not out of ignorance, but because they were taught this way from early childhood. Therefore, it is very easy, as a result of incorrect judgments, to end up in a real “prison of false views,” which essentially does not cause any discomfort in a person, and therefore no one even tries to free himself from it.

The moral degradation currently occurring in the most tolerant and democratic countries of the world cannot go unnoticed. The solution to this type of problem can be “holding” factors. Monasticism is a special dispensation of the soul, the acquisition of such knowledge that will be the key to understanding the real meaning of life, finding the path to compassion and inspiration.

On the map

How to get to Novo-Golutvin Holy Trinity Convent

• How to get to the Novoglutvinsky Monastery by public transport: we go from the Vykhino metro station by bus No. 460 to the city of Kolomna. We get off at the “Two Revolutions Square” stop. Approximate travel time is 1.5 – 2 hours. We enter the Kolomna Kremlin from Lazhechnikov Street.
• By rail: we travel from the Kazansky railway station by electric train “Moscow-Golutvin” or “Moscow-Ryazan” to the station “Golutvin” (estimated travel time is 2-2.5 hours).
  Next, we take tram No. 3, or minibus No. 10U, or 18 to the stop “Ploshchad Dvokh revolyutsii”. We enter the Kremlin from the Yamskaya Tower.
• To get to the Novo-Golutvin Monastery by car, you need to take the Novoryazanskoye Highway. After entering (from Moscow) Kolomna you need to stick to the long central street of the city - October Revolution Street. After the railway crossing, after 500 m, turn left (where the road sign says “Epiphany Staro-Golutvin Monastery and Kolomna Theological Seminary”). After 100 m there is a final stop.

Address

• Novo-Golutvina Monastery: Moscow region, Kolomna city, Lazarev street, 9-11A

Opening hours

• Daily from 07:00 to 20:00

Phones, e-mail

• Call from Moscow and the Moscow region, Kolomna city code - 261, call from other regions - 09661.
• Office tel.fax: (nun Anastasia) 2-07-07
• Medical Center - Chief Physician Nun Catherine: 4-27-44
• Pilgrimage Center: (Irina Anatolyevna) 8-910-4678767
• You can order excursions by contacting nun Matrona: 4-75-07
• Email: [email protected]

Date of publication or update 12/15/2017

Holy Trinity Novo-Golutvin Monastery.

Address of Novo-Golutvin Monastery: Moscow region, Kolomna, st. Lazareva, 9-11A
Holy Trinity Novo-Golutvin Monastery located on the territory of the Kolomna Kremlin.
Plan of the Kolomna Kremlin.
How to get to the Novo-Golutvin Monastery on public transport : from Art. metro station "Vykhino" by bus number 460 to Kolomna - stop. on request “Square of Two Revolutions” (travel time 1.5 – 2 hours). Entrance to the Kremlin along Lazhechnikov Street.
Bus schedules from Moscow are in useful links.
By railway transport: from the Kazan station by electric train “Moscow-Golutvin” or “Moscow-Ryazan” to the station “Golutvin” (travel time – 2-2.5 hours).
Next we take tram No. 3, minibus No. 10U, 18 to the stop. "Two Revolutions Square" or any bus going to the Old Town. Entrance to the Kremlin is along Lazhechnikov Street or at the Yamskaya Tower.
How to get to the Novo-Golutvin Monastery by car: along Novoryazanskoe highway.
Website of the Novo-Golutvin convent: http://novogolutvin.ru

The bishop's courtyard was especially transformed at the end of the 17th century. under Archbishop Nikita of Kolomna and Kashirsky. He built all the main buildings of the current complex: the Bishop's House itself, the building of the Discharge Order and the Trinity Cross Church.

Holy Gates, Church of the Intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary and corner turret, Novo-Golutvin Trinity Monastery.

Back in 1728 in Kolomna (according to the regulations of 1721), the foundation was laid for the establishment of a theological seminary, which was finally constructed by Bishop Cyprian in 1739 on the territory of the bishop's residence. Her students were the children of the local white clergy. The best of the students were sometimes sent to the Moscow seminary, and the Bishop of Kolomna Gabriel (Kremenetsky) obliged them, upon completion of the Moscow course, to teach in their native seminary. Among the students of the Kolomna Seminary, it should be noted the great saint Philaret Drozdov, Metropolitan of Moscow, and publicist of the 70s. N. Gilyarov-Platonov.

Church of the Intercession in Novo-Golutvin Trinity Monastery.

The complex was mainly formed at the end of the 17th – beginning of the 18th century. On its territory there were the bishop's and seminary buildings built of stone, the Trinity Church and the consistory building, known from archival documents as the ancient Church of the Intercession. With the blessing of Bishop Theodosius (Mikhailovsky), the Church of the Intercession, which stood without services, was abolished in 1782, placing the consistory chamber there. The altar with robes, the throne and the iconostasis were moved to the church of Simeon the Stylite, which was damaged by the fire.

Trinity Cathedral (1705).

In 1799, Emperor Paul issued a decree that the Bishop of Kolomna, who governed churches in the Tula, Moscow and Ryazan provinces, should govern only churches in the Tula province. The Kolomna diocese was abolished, and the bishop was transferred to Tula. An ancient bishop's house remained in Kolomna, empty and without any means of maintenance. Metropolitan Platon of Moscow in 1800 decided to transfer here some of the brethren from the Epiphany Monastery, on the outskirts of Kolomna. Since then, the monastery that opened in the Kremlin began to be called the Novo-Golutvin Monastery, and the suburban monastery - the Staro-Golutvin Monastery.

Trinity Cathedral.

By decree of October 16, the Tula diocese was established, headed by Bishop Methodius (Smirnov), recently appointed to the Kolomna see. The spiral of history has taken an intricate turn, because a little more than 11 years have passed since Catherine II’s decree of May 6, 1788 on the annexation of the Tula governorship to the Kolomna diocese.

Trinity Cathedral.

The move to the provincial Tula of the episcopal see with many Kolomna shrines from the bishop's sacristy and seminary was hasty. In the city when the bishop arrived, “there was neither a bishop’s house, nor premises for a seminary or consistory; there were no rooms for the steward, treasurer, hieromonks and singers, as well as rooms for the bishop's servants; there were no stables, no sheds, no kitchen, not even a storeroom for the bishop’s sacristy and utensils.” Residents of Kolomna reacted to the changes with pain in their souls.

Bell tower.

The staff of the second-class Epiphany Golutvin Monastery, headed by its rector, Archimandrite Varlaam, was transferred to the empty bishop’s house by the highest decree of Emperor Paul I “in respect of antiquity, as well as for this bishop’s house... also for the decency of this ancient city itself...”. The decree also ordered that “all the churches and buildings located in that house be transferred to his department.”

Chapel of Vladimir Equal to the Apostles and Anastasia the Pattern Maker (2001-2002).

Metropolitan of Moscow Platon (Levshin), fearing that the empty bishop's house would not suffer the fate of the first-class Simonov Monastery, abolished in 1788, in whose buildings the barracks were located, hastened to carry out the decree. The new full-time monastery was immediately assigned the second class, which allowed the abbots to be elevated to the high spiritual rank of archimandrite. In memory of the roots - the Epiphany Golutvin Monastery - and after the main temple, the monastery began to be called the Trinity New Golutvin Monastery. Another name is found in archival documents: Kolomna Monastery.

The Metropolitan’s fears were confirmed less than three years later, when on September 12, 1803, he received a letter from Count A.A. Arakcheeva. The count reported that the Kolomna bishop's house was convenient “to accommodate two squadrons of cuirassiers with horses and all accessories.” Metropolitan Platon was able to reasonably refuse the transfer of buildings, concluding the letter with the words: “I do not find any benefit of my own in this, but as an unworthy shepherd of that city, I am zealous for the common good of the church and for the honor of that city.” Having received a refusal, Count Arakcheev did not insist, which he notified the bishop about on October 14, 1803.

The life of the inhabitants of the monastery, preserved thanks to Metropolitan Platon, was not easy. The buildings were far from in ideal condition, and there were many neighbors. The former seminary building housed the Kolomna Theological School, some of the premises were occupied by teachers and priests of the Assumption Cathedral as apartments. All buildings needed serious repairs, but due to lack of funds they were carried out only when necessary.

Larger-scale construction work began in 1823 under Archimandrite Arseny (Koziorov). To the northern end of the former bishop's building, he added a brick church in the name of St. Sergius of Radonezh with a chapel in honor of the Transfiguration of the Lord (now the Church of the Intercession). Built in pseudo-Gothic style, it served as his house church.

During construction, the northern part of the bishop's building, including the single-pillar living chamber, which was located on the ground floor, organically fit into the temple building. It is possible that the northern gate and the northwestern fence tower were built at the same time, which served as the entrance to the temple from the Cathedral Square. In 1825, Archimandrite Arseny erected a 55-meter bell tower, which became the second tallest in Kolomna.

The largest bell was decorated with images of the Holy Trinity and St. Sergius of Radonezh and the inscription in a circle “1827 July 1st day, this bell was poured in the city of Kolomna in the second-class Novoglutvin monastery by the diligence and cost of Kolomensky 2nd guild of the merchant Kiprian Maksimovich Kislov, in Moscow at the factory Nikolai Samgin weighs 259 pounds. 32 pounds, master Akim Vorobyov." Exactly one year later, a 126-pound bell with the image of the Holy Trinity and St. Cyril of Jerusalem was donated by the Kolomna merchant Kirill Maksimovich Kislov. The six smaller bells on the monastery belfry did not have images or inscriptions about the donors, which is why they were not particularly noted in the inventories.

After a series of changes of abbots, in December 1846, the diocesan authorities moved Archimandrite Tikhon (Uglensky) from the Dmitrov Boriso-Gleb Monastery to Novo-Golutvin, where he served for more than a quarter of a century. The rector was interested in the history of the schism in the Russian Orthodox Church and spared no expense in purchasing books and manuscripts on this issue. Over time, he donated some of the rare books from his collection to the Moscow Diocesan Library, bequeathed the rest to be sold, and the proceeds to be transferred to the monastery.

According to the testimony of people who knew Tikhon, he was distinguished by “high spiritual qualities that are capable of attracting anyone and forever tying him to himself. Simplicity, courtesy, childlike simplicity and kindness, kindness, directness, excluding any possibility of any ulterior motive or duplicity.” The rector's many years of service were recognized in 1863 with the Order of St. Anne, 2nd degree, and in 1869 with the same order, adorned with the imperial crown.

Archimandrite Tikhon did not manage the monastery's economy well enough. “Having neither the determination nor the strength of character necessary for a ruler, he was constantly under the influence of others and, like a submissive child, fulfilled the desires of others, neither to his own honor, nor to the benefit of the brethren and to the obvious harm of the entire monastery.” According to the recollections of Archimandrite Pimen (Myasnikov), the dean of the Ugreshsky monasteries, after his death on February 7, 1871, the monastery found itself in “complete decline and poverty in all respects.”

In the monastery treasury there were about 15 rubles in silver, and the property of the deceased remained for a hundred rubles. Of course, the well-being of the monastery and its authority among the population largely depended on the personality of the abbot, his ability to lead the community, and get along with the authorities and the public. But in this case, Pimen saw the reason for the desolation of the monastery in its regular structure, which is why the Novo-Golutvin Monastery “never came to the hearts of the residents of Kolomna.”

Such “monasteries have been criticized for the fact that life in them is built on self-interest and freedom in relation to duties,” when “customs replace the statutes established by the church and the holy fathers.” Metropolitan of Moscow and Kolomna Filaret (Drozdov) considered it necessary to introduce a cenobitic charter, but not everywhere, since “due to circumstances, it is necessary to preserve both types of monasteries.” The reason apparently lay in the mute resistance of the monastics to the introduction of a hostel. Filaret saw a way out in convincing the abbots to take the initiative. A good example is the Nikolo-Ugreshsky Monastery, in which, at the request of the Metropolitan, abbot Hegumen Pimen (Myasnikov) introduced a hostel in 1852.

The need for monastic reform was obvious. This became especially acute in the second half of the 19th century with the emergence in society of the opinion that due to the loss of the ideal of Orthodox asceticism, the institution of monasticism was not needed.

In May 1871, the old Golutvin abbot Sergius (Sveshnikov) became the rector of the Novo-Golutvin monastery. It took several months to prepare the monastery, and on November 26, 1871, exactly on the feast of St. Innocent the Wonderworker of Irkutsk and the name day of Metropolitan Innocent, Bishop Leonid (Krasnopevkov) of Dmitrov opened the hostel in a solemn ceremony. With the financial support of Guriy Rotin, the appearance of the monastery was transformed for this event. Then, at the beginning of 1872, the wooden gallery connecting the bishop's building with the Trinity Church was completely redone. In its place a more modern one arose, supported by two stone arches and glazed frames.

At the same time, with funds donated by the Moscow merchant Vasiliev, it was possible to paint the walls of the Trinity Church. With the financial help of Gury and Ekaterina Rotin, the monastery, “transformed into a dormitory, rose from the ruins and was so quickly renewed and came to a flourishing state,” and the active work of Abbot Sergius was rewarded with the long-awaited elevation to the rank of archimandrite.

Parishioners flocked to the thriving monastery, where the number of residents reached 50 people, and a public school for 40 people was opened here for their children. For his services in the spiritual department, Archimandrite Sergius was awarded the Order of St. Anne, 3rd and 2nd degree, and for organizing the hospital and helping to care for the wounded in the Russian-Turkish war, he was awarded the sign of the Russian Red Cross Society. The administrative abilities of the Kolomna abbot were so obvious that the diocesan authorities in 1881 appointed him dean of the cenobitic monasteries of the Moscow diocese. Two years later, Sergius was transferred as abbot to the Joseph-Volotsk monastery.

The 53-year-old sacristan of the Trinity-Sergius Lavra, Archimandrite Ioannikiy (Postnikov), appointed in his place, was given the monastery where “all the churches were put in perfect order; the sacristy became not only sufficient, but abundant; all buildings have been renovated, the bishop's house has been repaired and brought into the best possible shape, the meal and cells have been arranged in the best possible way; harmonious singing and correct reading were introduced, services began to be performed in accordance with the regulations without the slightest deviation.”

Archimandrite Ioannikiy, fulfilling the position of rector of the monastery, also showed concern for the students of the theological school. He became one of the founders of the Brotherhood of Righteous Philaret the Merciful, founded in 1886, whose goal was to help poor students, and until his death in August 1889, he chaired the Brotherhood Council. Subsequent abbots preserved the traditions established by Archimandrite Sergius and increased the welfare of the monastery.

The established monastic life was destroyed overnight as a result of the October Revolution of 1917. Based on the decree of the Council of People's Commissars of the RSFSR of February 2, 1918 “On the separation of church from state and school from church,” all religious organizations were deprived of the rights of a legal entity, and all church property was declared national property. Buildings and objects necessary for worship could be transferred to religious societies for free use, but this did not apply to monasteries.

To some extent, this saved the monastery from a worse fate, because... A circular order from the provincial department of administration dated May 23 obligated the city authorities to immediately begin setting up a forced labor camp. For example, such camps in Moscow were organized in the Spaso-Andronikov Monastery, Novospassky Monastery and Ivanovo Monastery. So in Kolomna, “after a long search it turned out that there was no more suitable premises like the Kolomna Monastery.” There were probably good reasons for this, after all, it was the center of the city, a decent-sized area, surrounded by a fence, many small cell rooms that could easily be turned into cells.

Without delaying the matter, on June 16, 1919, at a meeting of the board of the management department of the Kolomna district executive committee, the issue of creating a concentration camp in the Novo-Golutvin monastery was brought up. The quickest release of premises occupied by the police with their transfer to the Brusensky Monastery was entrusted to the Housing and Land Department. But the matter did not move forward, and on July 15, the head of the management department of the Kolomna district council N.S. Nilov stated that the establishment of a concentration camp would most likely be delayed for a long time.

Now the hospital temporarily located in the monastery was in the way. The board returned to the issue again on August 9, and in order not to mark time, it was decided to begin at least drawing up estimates for the adaptation and re-equipment of the premises. In the next report dated August 18, N.S. Nilov expressed the need, without waiting for the hospital to be closed, which, in his opinion, occupied only 1/8 of the premises, to begin installing bars and installing locks on the doors. Fortunately for the city and the monastery, for some reason the construction of the concentration camp did not take place, and the population began to settle in the cells.

Soon after the closure of the monastery, the question arose about the safety of the monastery archive, where, according to experts, there could be documents from the day the monastery was founded. It turned out that the archival files are located in the fence tower, from where, for better preservation, member of the commission for the protection of ancient monuments V.G. Ero and transferred them for temporary storage to two specially designated living quarters. After some time, researcher at the Moscow Provincial Archive E.P. Shishkina discovered that the premises had been opened and the case files were scattered. In the presence of a member of the Kolomna Commission for the Protection of Antiquities K.V. Klimov and employee of the Kolomna district executive committee P.E. For Chupakova, the premises were sealed again, due to the lack of a lock, the eyes were twisted with wire, and what happened to the valuable documents in the future is unknown.

The ancient buildings of the monastery and church property did not go unnoticed by specialists who did everything possible to preserve the cultural heritage. With their help, in the spring of 1922, during the campaign to confiscate church valuables to help the famine-stricken Volga region, the sacristy of the Novo-Golutvin Monastery was included in the “List of monasteries, cathedrals and churches that store exceptional historical and artistic values, subject to the maintenance of the Main Museum of N.K.P. ."

In December 1927, the Kolomna City Council was entrusted with the responsibility of concluding agreements with groups of believers for the rental of buildings and objects of worship. The employees of the department were loyal to believers and did not interfere with the provision of leases for existing churches in Kolomna and Bobrov. At this time, there were four officially closed churches: the Church of the Transfiguration, All Saints, the Assumption and the Holy Cross Cathedral of the Brusensky Monastery, as well as the prison chapel.

When concluding agreements, the religious community was required to submit lists of registered members. As a rule, their number was small. For example, the Trinity Novogolutvinsk community in 1929 had 77 registered members, a little more were in the Church of St. Nicholas Gostiny in Kolomna, the Church of the Trinity on Repna in Kolomna, the Church of Peter and Paul in Kolomna, the Church of John the Baptist in Gorodishchi in Kolomna.

Over time, the last Novo-Golutvinskaya church was closed. The icons known from the 1887 metric have disappeared: the Holy Trinity, one painted in 1707 by the “competent” icon painter of the Armory Chamber Tikhon Filatiev, the other, made on a cypress board with the image of the Kolomna Kremlin at the bottom, the icon of the Sign of the Blessed Virgin Mary with stamps depicting its history apparitions and views of Novgorod with the Kremlin wall and churches, the locally revered icon of St. Sergius of Radonezh, etc. The buildings and structures were finally used by numerous residents and organizations. Some buildings became property.

For example, the bell tower, sold in April 1934 by the city financial department to the Kolomna gramophone plant. In the 1940-1950s, the Trinity Church was rented out to a sewing and repair artel, Sergievskaya - to the Mosoblkhudozhfond workshop. For decades, the ancient buildings were worn out. The new owners made doorways, niches for shelves, and installed numerous partitions. The preservation of the monument of religious architecture could not be helped by the decisions of the Council of Ministers of the RSFSR, which were not supported by deeds, decisions of the executive committee of the Moscow Regional Council and the Kolomna City Council, which repeatedly approved the “Lists of architectural monuments subject to state protection in the Moscow region.”

The opportunity to receive real state protection and enter into a restoration program appeared at the federal monument with the adoption by the Council of Ministers of the RSFSR of the decision of May 6, 1968 on the creation of a historical and architectural reserve in Kolomna. In the program developed by specialists of the Mosoblstroyrestavratsiya trust in 1971, an important role was assigned to the Novo-Golutvin Monastery. The former bishop's building and the consistory building were supposed to be used as hotel rooms for future tourists, and the red corner and administration of the complex would be located in the seminary building.

The basement of the Trinity, as a variant of the Intercession Church, was allocated for a restaurant. The top of the restored Trinity Church was planned for a museum. When landscaping the area, it was planned to create an orchard, approximately the same as it was in the 18th century. The priority object of restoration could be the bishop's corps.

Grandiose plans did not come to fruition, but this did not prevent restoration work from starting in 1973 in Novo-Golutvin.

The dilapidated bell tower was completely plastered, restoring the lost rustication. In the bell tier on the south side, masons laid brick on the sides of the opening that had been hewn when the large bell was thrown down in the 1920s. The spire and dome were covered by Kolomna specialists, and the complex configuration of the spire pedestal was made by Moscow coppersmith A.I. Morozov.

In 1977, the integrated brigade of N.I. Shepelev, consisting of V.S. Akhtyrko, A.B. Vinogradov, A.A. Goryachev, L.A. Zhernovkov, N.P. Krivoshapov, K.V. Lomakin, I.G. Savin, having restored the blades with the internal arcade of the northern wall of the fence, began the restoration of the Trinity Church, which was liberated shortly from the civil defense warehouse.

The bosses of the Kolomna enterprises provided invaluable assistance to the restorers. By decision of the executive committee, a heavy machine tool manufacturing plant was assigned to the monastery. Patronage assistance included the provision of transport, construction materials, territory planning, and removal of construction waste. The Lenin subbotniks, led by engineer L. Silina, were especially bright. Contrary to the prevailing stereotype, the factory workers worked with enthusiasm, and not under pressure.

To expand the scope of work and improve living conditions, residents were gradually evicted from the monastery buildings. By 1982, the bishop's corps was evicted, and architects K.V. immediately began measuring and research work. Lomakin and V.A. Mozzherov. To do this, it was necessary to clear the premises from late partitions and floors, knock down the plaster, and remove the backfill from the vaults. During the work, numerous fragments of tiles from the 18th to 19th centuries were discovered in construction waste. After gluing and sketching, the restorers handed them over to the Kolomna Local Lore Museum.

The restoration of the bishop's corps dragged on for years, largely due to the uncertainty of its further functional use. There were a lot of ideas floating around: either adapting the building for a hotel, or for a music school. Uncertainty led to restoration work being carried out sporadically.

Given the current situation, a strong-willed decision was necessary. And it is being adopted taking into account the restructuring of the country’s political life that began in 1985 and the created prerequisites for religious freedom in the USSR. At the request of the leadership of the Russian Orthodox Church in some cities, churches began to be handed over to believers. The celebration of the 1000th anniversary of the baptism of Rus', which took place at the state level, intensified the process of transferring religious buildings to religious associations.

Kolomna did not stand aside, and already on December 29, 1988, at a meeting of the Council for Religious Affairs under the USSR Council of Ministers, the proposal of the executive committee of the Moscow Regional Council of People's Deputies on the transfer of the Novo-Golutvin monastery complex for the needs of the Moscow diocese was considered. The attached list of buildings in the complex included the Assumption Cathedral, the Tikhvin Church and the tented bell tower. The issue was resolved positively and the first monastery complex in the Moscow region was transferred to the use of the Russian Orthodox Church for the organization of a female monastic community.

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Patronal holidays.

Holy Trinity Day - on the 50th day after Easter, the patronal feast of the Trinity Church.

Intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary - October 1/14, patronal feast of the Intercession Church.

Dormition of the Blessed Virgin Mary - August 15/28, patronal feast of the Assumption Church in the monastery courtyard in the village of Karasevo.

Memorial Day of Saint Blessed Xenia of Petersburg - January 24/February 6, patronal feast day of the Church of Blessed Xenia of Petersburg.