Svir monastery. Alexander-Svirsky Monastery. Prayers to the Holy Venerable Alexander of Svirsky

There are a great many holy places in Russia that attract not only pilgrims, but also tourists. Some temples are located in the middle of megalopolises, while others require a long, very difficult journey.

One of these holy places, located far from transport routes, but no less significant for this, is the Monastery of Alexander Svirsky.

You will find the official website of the monastery in this publication. The monastery is located among forests in the north of the Leningrad region. Tourists, still unfamiliar with this holy place, but who want to go to church services, ask - where is the Siversky Monastery in St. Petersburg? The correct name of the monastery is Holy Trinity Alexander-Svirsky Monastery. Now don't get lost!

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The monastery complex was founded at the end of the 15th century in the depths of impenetrable forests on the shores of Lake Roshchinskoye in the middle of Obonezhskaya Pyatina on the border of Novgorod and Pskov lands. Representatives of the Finno-Ugric peoples lived on these lands: Karelians, Vespas, Chuds. Then these lands were often subjected to raids by both Novgorodians and Pskovians.

The monastery was founded by Saint Alexander of Svirsky at the end of the 15th century in the sparsely forested Olonets region among the settlements of pagan peoples - Karelians, Vepsians, Chuds. Even during the life of the founder, the monastery developed as two connected to each other, but independently located complexes (branches): Trinity with fraternal cells and Preobrazhensky - next to the cemetery. They are connected by a road running along the lake

Note: the monastery is one of the oldest in northwestern Russia.

The new monastery quickly gained fame. Those who suffered, sought peace, and needed guidance made pilgrimages here. The importance continued to grow, and over time the Svir monastery complex received the name “Northern Lavra”.

The history of the monastery is inextricably linked with the history of Russia. There were heydays, oblivion, renunciation of everything secular, prayers, labor, churches were erected and destroyed, years of peace were replaced by war, monasteries were presented with rich gifts, and plundered. And then everything was restored again.

Do you know that: There were more than 8 temples on the territory of the complex, the altars of which were richly decorated. The monastery library kept a rich collection of rare manuscripts. More than three dozen small monasteries were subordinate to the Svirsk monastery.

During the years of decline, the most valuable things were preserved from the shrines and former riches - the relics of St. Alexander of Svirsky. And the population consisted of several monks.

The incorrupt relics of the Holy Venerable Alexander of Svirsky

At the end of the 20th century, the remains of the monastery complex with the surrounding areas returned to the holy brethren. But the condition of the buildings was appalling. It took decades to restore part of it. Even now, almost two decades later, only part of it has been restored. Work continues. But the monastery lives, services are held in the churches, and the bells have been returned to the belfries. The number of pilgrims has increased over the years.

Founder of the Alexander-Svirsky Monastery

The monastery was founded among the northern Russian forests by the Monk Alexander Svirsky, who is a native of these places.

Born on June 15, 1448 into a family of poor peasants, from a young age he dreamed of devoting his life to serving God. At the age of nineteen, against the wishes of his parents, the young man went to Valaam. To the monastery. On the way, having crossed the Svir River, on the shore of Lake Roshchinskoye, he heard a mysterious voice, announcing that he would create a monastery in this place

This is interesting: Saint Alexander, who received the worldly name Amos at birth, comes from a peasant family. He was the third child in the family. The boy grew up serious beyond his years. Amos was pious, observed fasts, and practiced asceticism. It got to the point that his mother Vassa asked him to moderate his own torture. The meeting with the monks of the Valaam monastery determined the future life of the young man: he went to Valaam, secretly leaving his father’s house. On the way to Valaam, near the shores of a forest lake, he received a sign: someday he would have to build a temple.

After 13 years on Valaam, Amos takes monastic vows, becoming Alexander. The newly minted monk begins to seek solitude, but the abbot of the monastery is in no hurry to bless Alexander. With God's help, Alexander receives a blessing. He spends the next 7 years on Holy Island, located in the northern part of Lake Ladoga.

Interesting fact: Among the prayers, the Mother of God appears to Alexander and reminds him of his vow to build a temple. Alexander hits the road.

On the shore of Lake Roshchinskoye, a hermit sets up a hermitage for himself. He lived for 7 years eating what was available in the forest. Alexander was tempted by fallen spirits, but the power of life-giving prayer with holy fire cleansed his soul.

People learned about the righteous man from the boyar Zavalishin, who met the hermit while hunting. The meeting influenced the boyar so much that he began to supply the monk with everything he needed.

Note: Thanks to rumors, suffering people came to Alexander, seeking salvation in prayers and silence. Over the years, the number of people only increased. The sufferers united and founded a monastery, thanks to a command from above. The Monk Alexander was elected the first rector.

The saint's life ended in 1533, and he was buried near the walls of the monastery.

Miracle of the Appearance of the Holy Trinity

One night in 1508, which Alexander, as usual, spent in prayer, the Life-Giving Trinity appeared to him. The holy men commanded him to found a temple, and the Holy Spirit indicated the place where it should be built. With the blessing of the Saint, he first built the Church of the Life-Giving Trinity. Later, the Svirsky Monastery was built in its place.

Icon "Appearance of the Holy Trinity to Alexander of Svirsky"

Discovery of the relics of St. Alexander of Svirsky

The 17th century in the history of Rus' is known as the Time of Troubles; it was filled with tragic and dramatic events: the war against the Polish-Lithuanian invaders, the change of the royal dynasty, the restoration of destroyed cities and temples. And since the history of the monastery is inextricably linked with the history of Russia, it fully survived the raids, destruction, and devastation. The Poles and Lithuanians also did not leave the monks alive. But after the signing of a peace treaty with the Principality of Poland-Lithuania, the lands along Lake Ladoga, including the Obonezh Pyatina, remained under the control of the Russian state.

The relics of the saint were found on April 17, 1641. They were placed in a silver gilded shrine in the Church of the Transfiguration, where they rested until 1918, providing many healings to everyone who “flowed to them with faith.”

The monks who had newly arrived on the shores of Lake Roshchinskoe found only the miraculously surviving St. Nicholas Church. The new abbot Theodoret, with the help of royal patrons, began work on restoring the devastated Holy Trinity Monastery. It is known that donations for the construction were made by representatives of the Rurikovich, Romanov, and Godunov dynasties. Thanks to their help, bells were cast and Trinity Cathedral was restored.

It is worth noting: the revival of another cathedral, the Transfiguration Cathedral, was accompanied by signs. For two days in April 1641, lightning shone in the sky above the site of restoration work, accompanied by peals of thunder. And then, when digging a pit for a new wall, workers discovered a coffin, over which the earth had formed a vault in the image of a cave.

A passing monk became aware of the find. The monk suggested that this could be the coffin with the body of the venerable father Alexander of Svirsky, so he went to inform Abbot Abraham, who was then rector of the monastery, about it. The abbot went out with the brethren to see the miracle. When the coffin was opened, the brothers present felt a fragrance emanating from the body.

Take into account: the body of Alexander Svirsky, a hundred years after his death, was untouched by decay. The clothes have also been preserved unchanged. The monks noted that the skin had acquired a shade of sunny amber. At the same time, it flowed myrrh and emitted the smell of flowers.

The brothers experienced holy horror from what they saw. They drew up a description, and especially noted that the deceased looked asleep, but not dead. The facial features were completely recognizable, which were the same as on the icons painted during the life of the monk.

The body of the first abbot, dressed in robes, was transferred with all the ceremonies to a new coffin. The old one, unlike the body, has almost completely decayed. Only the board on which the body lay remained intact.

Worth considering: For the recovered relics, Tsar Mikhail Fedorovich donated a silver shrine, in which they were kept until the mid-19th century, when a new one was made. Now fragments of the old shrine are in the collections of the Russian Museum. A silver shrine with the relics of St. Alexander was kept within the walls of the Transfiguration Cathedral, near whose walls they were found.

The most severe tests occurred in the 20th century. After the October Revolution of 1917, churches were closed, destroyed, and abandoned. Many valuables became the basis of private and museum collections, or were simply stolen. Some of the shrines were lost forever.

Over the 500-year period of its existence, the monastery suffered many disasters, but the most tangible began in 1917, when it was not an external enemy, but ignorance, betrayal, and the destructive force of atheism that destroyed the shrine and its material values. During the Great Patriotic War, the fascist invaders caused significant damage to the monastery complex

It is important to know: priceless copies of books and scrolls stored in the monastery library were also either simply thrown into a landfill or burned. The bells were thrown from the belfries. The monks were expelled or shot.

The new authorities handed over the buildings to secular organizations. What was located here: a hospital for the mentally ill, a prison, a prison, barracks. There were periods when a state farm operated on the territory.

This is interesting: The monastery ceased to exist in 1925. The relics were removed from the shrine. After the monastery was closed, the relics were first sent to the nearest town of Lodeynoye Pole, and after that they were kept for a long time within the walls of the Leningrad Military Medical Academy.

The buildings were also seriously damaged during the war. The Germans spared nothing.

Second discovery of the relics of the saint

The saint's relics were returned to the place where they were first found in November 1998. The event was the result of many years of painstaking work. The work was carried out thanks to the unshakable faith that it was impossible to destroy them, because they were marked by God's grace. The people who organized the search were sure that the true relics were securely hidden.

After eighty years of oblivion, the incorruptible relics of St. Alexander of Svirsky were returned to the Holy Trinity Monastery. They are still there to this day.

Good to know: For almost 80 years the relics of the saint were kept in the Military Medical Academy. Found archival materials and comparative studies confirmed the authenticity of the relics.

Restoration work in the monastery

Architecturally, the monastery is an ensemble of two complexes: Preobrazhensky and Troitsky, which are located not far from each other. The temples were built in the Novgorod style with some influence of the Rostov style.

The work carried out revived one of the most interesting monuments of ancient Russian architecture of the 16th century

It is worth noting: after the second discovery of the relics and the transfer of the monastery to the monks, the monastery began to be revived. The monks returned here, and pilgrims began to flock here.

Restoration work has been carried out over the past two decades, which required significant material investments. Restoration work was complicated by the fact that over more than five centuries of history the buildings were built on, rebuilt, church paintings were painted over, and new ones were applied. Also, practically no documents containing data on the original appearance of the temples have been preserved.

Current state

Currently, the complex surrounding the Transfiguration Cathedral has been almost completely restored. It is here that the relics of St. Alexander are kept. The Preobrazhensky complex is available for inspection, but it should be noted that this complex also serves as a cemetery for deceased monks.

Transfiguration Cathedral of the Holy Trinity Monastery of Alexander Svirsky. Here lie the relics of St. Alexander of Svirsky

Take note: work ahead on the restoration of the Trinity ensemble, where you can see the cathedral itself, the beautiful belfry and the Church of the Intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary.

Today the monastery greets visitors with snow-white churches under green domes with golden crosses. The complex is laconic, but this only increases its attractiveness.

Temples of the monastery

On the territory of both ensembles of the monastery there is:

Trinity Cathedral

Initially it was five-headed. The Iveron Cathedral, located on the territory of the Valdai Monastery, was chosen as the prototype. The modern snow-white building with one green dome is the fourth in a row. It was erected in the same place where St. Alexander, after the miracle of the appearance of the Holy Trinity, built a temple. Construction was completed in 1695. Three years later, the temple was consecrated.

The stone Cathedral of the Life-Giving Trinity or Trinity Cathedral was built in 1695-1698, but before that there was a wooden church on this site, built by the founder of the monastery himself in 1509

The following have survived to this day:

• iconostasis with icons;
• wall paintings dating from the beginning of the 18th century.

Iconostasis of the Trinity Cathedral of Alexander Svirsky Monastery

Restoration work on the cathedral continues to this day. Now you can see the restored cathedral without icons, ritual objects, or paintings.

Belfry

A belfry with three tiers and three tents was erected in the middle of the 17th century next to the Trinity Cathedral. The building rests on a quadrangular foundation. During construction, a striking clock was installed on the upper tier. During the reconstruction, the belfries, two centuries later, were dismantled.

Reconstructions in the 19th century deprived the belfry of its unique silhouette: both side tents were dismantled. During restoration work in the 1970s, it was returned to its original appearance.

Today, a white-walled belfry with bells under three tents also stands next to the temple.

Church of the Intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary with refectory

The construction of the church was started by Saint Reverend Alexander himself. It is the only original stone building to have survived five centuries.

Perhaps the church survived the centuries because it was built with faith - the church was built from bricks, which was done by the monks themselves. And the construction was supervised by master Ignatius, whom Tsar Ivan the Terrible himself sent from Moscow for stone work.

The lower floor served as storage space. Here the monk also rested at night. The church has one apse.

Church of the Intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary (Alexandro-Svirsky Monastery)

Note: The architectural style is a mixture of North Russian styles: Suzdal, Novgorod, Vologda.

The window openings are unique, letting in a lot of light.

Under the foundation, fragments of the monastery refectory have been preserved - two ovens from the time the monastery was founded. These facilities are available to visitors.

Church of St. John of Damascus

To the north of the Trinity Cathedral, the Church of St. John of Damascus was erected, another name is “Hospital”. Founded at the beginning of the 18th century, it fell into disrepair at the beginning of the 20th century. It was restored through human donations. It looks miniature compared to the cathedral.

Temple in the name of John of Damascus in the Alexander-Svirsky Monastery

Transfiguration Cathedral and Church of Zechariah and Elizabeth

The Transfiguration Church looks more impressive than the Trinity Church. The five-domed cathedral has two chapels. The right aisle is the Church of Zechariah and Elizabeth, which the architects connected with the cathedral by a transitional gallery.

The stone Transfiguration Cathedral was built in 1644

Note: a fire in 1784 destroyed the original structure, and subsequent renovations completely changed the appearance of the church. The tented bell tower erected above the church has not survived to this day.

The building of the Transfiguration Cathedral is a mixture of styles: during the reconstruction, the original Novgorod style was supplemented with extensions in the Baroque style with fragments of classicism inherent in the Byzantine style. It was constantly being rebuilt and completed. The modern temple is the result of reconstruction and repair work that lasted throughout the history of the cathedral. All that remains of the original building is the window above the southern entrance, and the exterior can only be seen from the apses - flanked by extensions whose height is lower than that of the main building.

Built above the entrance to the Preobrazhenskaya part of the monastery in the 18th century. The building style is Novgorod. The walls are whitewashed with white paint, the dome is green.

Gate Church of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker

Bell tower

At the beginning of the 20th century, as a result of beautification work funded by benefactors, an elegant bell tower was built in the image of Byzantine churches. A large bell was placed on the top tier of the bell tower, sounding in a triad minor.

Bell tower of the Transfiguration Cathedral

The bell tower is the last building erected before the October Revolution.

Shrines of the Alexander-Svirsky Monastery

The main shrine is the relics of St. Alexander of Svirsky, which are kept in the right aisle of the Transfiguration Cathedral. The shrine has life-giving power. People who attach themselves to them feel how their lives change: ailments go away, problems are solved, the soul receives relief.

The biggest event in the life of the reconstructed monastery was the discovery in 1998 of the relics of St. Alexander of Svirsky. The relics of the founder of the monastery were discovered in St. Petersburg in the anatomical museum of the Military Medical Academy. As soon as they began to serve a prayer service to the saint, the relics began to flow abundantly with myrrh. In the autumn of the same year they were transferred to their native monastery

Note: People turn to the Saint for healing from serious illnesses and infertility. Those who have decided to move away from secular life and accept clergy turn to the Reverend with prayers.

Source of Alexander Svirsky

On the territory of the Preobrazhenskaya part there is a well with healing holy water. The water maintains a constant temperature all year round. Water from the source also helps with serious illnesses.

Information for pilgrims and tourists

When planning a trip or pilgrimage, it is necessary to study organizational information. It should also be taken into account that the weather at the site of the monastery is very changeable.

Map of the surrounding area of ​​the Alexander-Svirsky Monastery

Geographically, the Svirskaya monastery can be found on the map near the village of Staraya Sloboda, Lodeinpolsky district, Leningrad region. The nearest town (about 20 km) is Lodeynoye Pole.

How to get there

You can get to the monastery either independently or as part of organized groups.

A few kilometers after the bridge over the Svir River you will be greeted by this sign on the highway

The easiest way to get there is by car. From St. Petersburg, Murmansk, you need to turn near the “Svirskoye” sign on the Murmansk highway (252nd km of the highway).

Also from the town of Lodeynoye Pole, take a local bus to the village of Staraya Sloboda, then walk about 1 km. You can get to the city of Lodeynoye Pole by train or bus. It is best to check the current schedule at railway and bus stations.

You can also use intercity buses traveling in the direction St. Petersburg - Petrozavodsk - Murmansk, get off the bus near the turn with the sign “Svirskoe”, and then you need to walk almost 6 km along an asphalt road.

Where to stay

If the trip is supposed to take many days, then you can stay at the Pilgrimage Compound, or rent a room in village hotels. There are also recreation centers on the shores of Lake Roshchinskoe, where you can also rent a house with a bathhouse.

Pilgrimage Compound of Alexander Svirsky Monastery

It is best to contact the monastery’s pilgrimage service before your trip to check availability in advance.

Where to have lunch

In the village of Staraya Sloboda there are cafes where you can eat tasty and relatively inexpensive food.

Cafe and hotel "Palomnik" in the village of Staraya Sloboda

You can also buy delicious monastic pastries of very high quality. The baked goods are made in compliance with the recipe and production technology. Here you can also buy bread from the monastery, which is baked according to all the canons of bread baking. In addition, the monastery operates a refectory for pilgrims.

Official site

The website contains information about the monastery, its history, and visiting times. In the “contacts” section you can find out the phone number of the Pilgrimage Service and email address, thanks to which you can contact the monastery services and get answers to your questions.

Visiting times, schedule of services and patronal feasts

The monastery complexes are open for visits daily from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Tours inside churches are only available between services.

With the blessing of His Grace Mstislav, Bishop of Tikhvin and Lodeynopol, Priest Mikhail Zheltov celebrated the Divine Liturgy in the ancient rite/old rite in the Lyudmilov Edinoverie parish at the “cave” church in the courtyard of the Alexander Svirsky Monastery

Divine Liturgies are celebrated on weekends from 10 a.m.

It is important to know: Prayers to Saint Alexander of Svirsky are performed only on Saturdays from 7 a.m.

The all-night vigil also takes place only on Saturdays from 5 pm. Daily services begin at 6 am.

It is best to check the exact service schedule in the monastery itself.

Important patronal feasts are:

Rules of conduct on the territory of the monastery

When visiting the monastery, the same rules apply as in the territories of all other Orthodox churches:

When the relics of St. Alexander Svirsky

Access to the relics is open daily in the right aisle of the Transfiguration Cathedral from 10 am to 5 pm. On Sunday, access is open from noon to 5 pm.

Veneration of the venerable relics of St. Alexander of Svirsky, resting in the Transfiguration Cathedral

Conclusion

A visit to the Svirsky monastery complex allows you to touch the origins of Russian culture and see examples of original Russian architecture. Communion with the holy relics of St. Alexander of Svirsky fills the soul with light, expelling from it the spirit of hopelessness, dissolving despondency. Those seeking healing find it by touching the holy relics. Prayers help those who are sincere in their faith.

The Alexander-Svirsk monastery was favored by almost all the kings, starting with Ivan the Terrible, who especially revered the Monk Alexander. The rulers made generous contributions and donations, thanks to which the monastery acquired the largest bells in the Olonets region, as well as a precious silver shrine

The beauty of the northern region will also not leave anyone indifferent, making you want to return here again and again. Here on the shore of a quiet lake you can spend a few days, which will allow you to touch the eternal and become a little better.

Alexander-Svirsky Monastery. At Reverend Alexander's. sergsmir wrote in May 11th, 2016

1.

Bird's eye view of the monastery.
Photo from Yandex.
Pilgrimage excursion from St. Petersburg to the Alexander-Svirsky Monastery. One-day. May 7. We left at 7.30 am.

2.

54 more photos:
Our bus. As it turned out, the air conditioning on the bus did not work. In connection with this, the Chinese, who were supposed to be transported around St. Petersburg, refused such a bus. And I wouldn’t even have noticed if the driver hadn’t said so.

3.

Gateway Church of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker with the gate image of St. Alexander, coming to the Holy Trinity.

4.

5.

Transfiguration Cathedral with chapels of St. Alexander of Svirsky, St. Prophet Zechariah and rights. Elizabeth, St. Nicholas the Wonderworker.

6.

Frescoes on the Transfiguration Cathedral.
The Appearance of the Holy Trinity, the Transfiguration of the Lord and the Icon of the Mother of God "The Sign".

7.

Fresco "Appearance of the Holy Trinity to St. Alexander of Svirsky" on the altar wall of the Transfiguration Cathedral.
Twice in the entire history of mankind the Trinity God was revealed to the bodily human gaze - the first time to Saint Abraham at the Oak of Mamre, signifying the great mercy of God towards the human race; the second time - on Russian soil to the holy Venerable Alexander of Svirsky.

8.
The Monk Alexander is one of the few Russian saints who was canonized soon after his righteous death - namely, after 14 years, a rare case in the history of Orthodoxy. His disciples and many of his admirers were still alive, so the Life of St. Alexander was written, as they say, “hot on the heels” and is particularly authentic.

9.

Entrance to the Transfiguration Cathedral to the relics of St. Alexandra.

10.

Cancer, in which the relics of St. Alexander rest. 1901
Photo from the monastery website.

11.

The relics of the saint were found on April 17, 1641. They were placed in a silver gilded shrine in the Church of the Transfiguration, where they rested until 1918.
In 1918, an armed detachment of Bolsheviks under the command of the Latvian rifleman August Wagner carried out the seizure of the relics. Instead of a “wax doll,” they discovered incorruptible relics. The relics were removed from the monastery on December 20, 1918, according to Zinoviev’s orders. Their further trace is lost until 1998.

12.

St. Alexander Svirsky, 16th century icon.

13.

Until 1997, the relics were hidden in the Military Medical Academy of St. Petersburg, where they were kept under the label of an “unnamed exhibit” that was not registered in the meticulously compiled catalogs of the anatomical museum. On July 28, 1998, the relics of the great Russian saint, St. Alexander of Svirsky, were rediscovered.

Immediately after receiving the conclusion, a prayer service to the saint was served in the X-ray room. Those present “witnessed the beginning of the myrrh-streaming of the relics, accompanied by a strong fragrance.” Especially the relics of the Monk Alexander streamed myrrh when placed in the temple after a long imprisonment, on the days of the first Divine Liturgies for the saint. The flow of myrrh and the fragrance were so strong that bees from nowhere flocked to this smell of flower honey, they swarmed around the feet of the Reverend, crawled along the windowsill located next to the shrine. This fact caused great surprise among television operators who filmed this story for the NTV channel. The aroma of myrrh was in the altar, and three bees even got into the Chalice with Communion - they had to be rescued.

The relics of St. Alexander Svirsky are unique: the body is completely undecayed (!), which happens extremely rarely. And, perhaps, this is the only case when even those parts of the face that are exposed to decay in ordinary people in the first place - the soft tissues of the lips, nose and ears - are not touched by decay. The researchers were able to conclude: “The similarity of the subject’s face with early iconographic images of St. Alexandra". “Not only the intravital modeling was preserved, but also the skin of the face - not wrinkled and dried out, but very smooth and elastic; The skin color is light, with a yellowish-amber tint.”
Many believe that the uniqueness of the preservation of the relics testifies to the special relationship of the Holy Trinity to St. Alexandru.

14.
In the Transfiguration Cathedral there is an icon of St. Spyridon of Trimythous.
This saint defended the Holy Trinity at the council in an unusual way.
At the 1st Ecumenical Council, Saint Spyridon presented against the Arians clear proof of Unity in the Holy Trinity. He took a brick in his hands and squeezed it: fire instantly came out of it, water flowed down, and the clay remained in the hands of the miracle worker. “Behold, there are three elements, and the plinth (brick) is one,” said St. Spyridon then, “so in the Most Holy Trinity there are Three Persons, and the Divinity is One.”

15.

16.

Chapel of the Holy Trinity.

17.

Inside the chapel. Place of the appearance of the Holy Trinity.

18.

Kolokolenka. The inner part of the bell tower is about 6 meters.

19.

View from the bell tower to Lake Roshchinskoe.

20.

The first bell was cast in 1901, weighing 532 pounds 5 pounds. There was an inscription on the bell:
"My voice excites the sleeping,
Hurry to the temple to the Creator,
Calls them away from vanities
To the merciful Father."
In 2004, a new bell was raised; it weighs 9 tons. The tongue weighs 300 kilograms.

21.

On Bright Week, everyone can ring the bells. Whether you can or can’t, it doesn’t matter. Moreover, two monks teach those who wish to make the correct call.
Women and children ring small bells. Men prefer to ring the big bell. After swinging, the tongue hits the bell after the 4th time.

22.

Transfiguration Cathedral. View from the bell tower.

23.

Chapel of the Holy Trinity, the gate church of St. Nicholas and in the distance the Trinity complex.

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Pilgrims rang bells all day.

25.
Alexander's construction of a well in the desert.

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Chapel-well today.

27.
The most interesting find was at the bottom of the well - a wooden box in which a black stone was placed. It turned out that this is a special device for filtering water.

28.

Monastery pier on Lake Roshchinskoe. Autumn 2008, high water.
Photo from the site.

29.

Panteleimonsky monastery of the Alexander-Svirsky monastery.

30.

Roshchinskoye Lake.

31.
Church in pre-Soviet times.

32.

Skit today. Pilgrims are not taken here.
Photo from the site.

33.

Military memorial and burial places of Soviet soldiers killed in October 1941.

34.

Transfiguration Cathedral.
Photo from Yandex

35.

Transfiguration complex of the Alexander-Svirsky Monastery from a bird's eye view.
Photo from Yandex.

2. Trinity complex of the Alexander-Svirsky Monastery:

36.

Trinity Cathedral. 1695-1697.

37.

Entrance to the cathedral.

38.

Gallery in front of the entrance to the cathedral.

39.

Frescoes in the Trinity Cathedral. Photo from the site.

40.

The fact of updating the frescoes after the revival of monastic life in the Alexander-Svirsk monastery was recorded.

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42.

Christ the Pantocrator.

43.

Belfry. 1646

44.

Church of St. John of Damascus.

45.

Church of the Intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary with a meal (1533-1536). Place of the appearance of the Blessed Virgin Mary. The place of the saint’s prayerful deeds (his cell).
Photo from the site.

46.

The place of prayer exploits of Alexander Svirsky.

47.

Place of appearance of the Mother of God St. Alexandru. Church of the Intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary.

48.

Church of St. John of Damascus, Trinity Church, belfry, Church of the Intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary.
Photo from the site.

49.

Turn onto the road to the Vvedeno-Oyatsky Monastery. The Vvedeno-Oyatsky Monastery is located 100 kilometers from Alexander-Svirsky.

3. Vvedeno-Oyatsky Monastery is located 100 kilometers from Alexander-Svirsky.

50.

Church of the Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary into the Temple in the Vvedeno-Oyatsky Convent.

51.

The chapel where the parents of St. Alexander of Svirsky, St. Sergius and St. Varvara are buried.

52.
Sarcophagi with the relics of St. Sergius and etc. Barbarians.
St. Alexander Svirsky is often compared to St. Sergius of Radonezh. Parents of Rev. Sergius also became a monk. Buried St. Kirill and etc. Maria is 12 kilometers from the Holy Trinity Lavra.
Photo from the site.

53.

Bell tower in the Vvedeno-Oyatsky Monastery.

54.

In this place stood the native house of St. Alexandra. Since 1831 the chapel.

55.

They say that a certain entrepreneur in the early 1990s tried to organize the sale of mineral water from this source. However, the source quickly dried up and the enterprise did not take place. When attempts to commercially use the water were abandoned, the source began to flow again. At the moment, a chapel has been built above the source, and a swimming pool is located near the pond into which the mineral water flows.

Today the lake has fallen into decay, there is a lot of mud. Actually, there is not even a bath here, because water is supplied through pipes and a shower is provided.

At 6 pm we left for St. Petersburg.
It is best to come for 2-3 days. There is a lot of bustle in one day.

56.

How interesting. I accidentally took a photo of the church from the bus.
It turned out that this was the church of St. Alexander of Svirsky in the village of Pasha on the banks of the Pasha River.
The rite of great consecration and Divine Liturgy in the Church of Alexander Svirsky in the village of Pasha. November 4, 2015.

It’s amazing how our whole family used to drive past this monastery every summer on vacation to Ladoga and never stopped there. This past Saturday we fixed that. Having started from the city at 11 o'clock, we were there around 13:30.

The Holy Trinity Alexander Svirsky Monastery is located 260 km from St. Petersburg and 21 km from the regional center of Lodeynoye Pole. The monastery was founded by the holy venerable Alexander of Svirsky at the end of the 15th century in the remote Olonets region. The strengthening of the Orthodox faith in this region became possible thanks to the strict, pious ascetic lifestyle of the founder of the monastery. People began to flock here: both monks and those seeking prayerful help. Even during the life of the Monk Alexander of Svirsky, the monastery took shape as a union of two settlements: at the fraternal cells - the Trinity complex, at the monastery cemetery - Preobrazhensky. Both complexes today represent a single monument of architectural structures of the 16th-19th centuries.
The monastery is located in a picturesque location on the high shore of Lake Roshchinskoye. Most of the buildings are well preserved, demonstrating the high skill of the architects who built them
Here is the main shrine of the monastery - the incorruptible relics of St. Alexander of Svir.
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The car was left in the parking lot, not far from the entrance. Entrance to the monastery territory is only on foot. Near the entrance there is a cafe named Pilgrim, we will return to it on the way back and have a very tasty lunch :)
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Over the 500-year period of its existence, the life of the monastery outwardly differed little from the life of other monasteries in Rus': prosperity and decline, enemy invasions, fires, looting, restoration of churches and strict monastic life, incessant prayers and work. In better times, the monastery had 8 churches, a rich sacristy, expensively decorated icons, a rich book depository with ancient manuscripts, scrolls and books.
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First of all, we went to the Preobrazhensky complex. There we met a guide, with whom we quickly gathered a small group of people like us.

Historians of the 19th century called the monastery the Northern Lavra, it controlled 27 monasteries and the desert of this region. There were years when, after destruction, only the main shrine remained in the monastery - the relics of St. Alexander of Svirsky, and several monks (beginning and end of the 19th century).
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There was also a very bad time (1918), when there was no shrine or monks in the monastery. The relics were taken away, the monks were dispersed, some of them were shot, including the rector, Archimandrite Evgeniy /Trofimov/. Instead, on the territory of the monastery: prisons, barracks, nursing homes, a state farm, a psychiatric hospital, boarded-up churches and the black eye sockets of the windows of former fraternal cells.
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The new inhabitants, who settled in the monastery in 1997, had to work hard - they inherited a ruined monastery. The biggest event in the life of the reconstructed monastery was the discovery of the relics of the founder of the monastery - St. Alexander Svirsky incident on July 30, 1998.
It must be said that the relics were not found easily either; after a long search, they were found in the Military Medical Museum, where they were in storage, without even a catalog number. When they were found, they wanted to conduct an examination to see if they were genuine, but the monks began to read prayers and the relics were myrrhized.
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In front of the entrance there are these stands with very important words
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View of the Trinity part of the monastery
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Beautiful
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But let's return to the Preobrazhenskaya part. On the right is the Transfiguration Cathedral, where St. the relics of the Monk Alexander, the Wonderworker of Svir, with a chapel in his name. This cathedral was built in 1641, under Abbot Abraham, and the chapel in 1716.
A little to the left is a small extension to the cathedral - this is the Church of St. Prophet Zechariah and Elizabeth, near the cathedral, with a small bell tower above it, built in 1668
On the western side of the fence there is a massive stone bell tower of rather elegant architecture; height from the base is 21 fathoms; built in 1903–1904
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Let me tell you about St. Alexander Svirsky.
Twice in the entire history of mankind the Trinity God (Holy Trinity) was revealed to the bodily human gaze - the first time to Saint Abraham at the Oak of Mamre, signifying the great mercy of God towards the human race; the second time - on Russian soil to the holy Venerable Alexander of Svirsky. The Monk Alexander is one of the few Russian saints who was canonized shortly after his righteous death - namely, 14 years later. His disciples and many of his admirers were still alive, so the Life of the Monk Alexander was written, as they say, “hot on the heels” and is particularly authentic, there are no “pious schemes” in it, it reflects the unique face of the holiness of “all Russia, the wonderworker Alexander.”
Rev. was born. Alexander on June 15, 1448 in the village of Mandera on the Oyat River on Novgorod land, opposite the Ostrovsky Vvedensky Monastery. They named him Amos. His parents Stefan and Vassa were poor, pious peasants; they gave their children a Christian education. When Amos came of age, his parents wanted to marry him, but he only thought about leaving the world for the sake of saving his soul. He learned about the Valaam monastery early and often remembered it and, finally, by the will of God, he met the Valaam monks. Their conversation lasted for a long time about the holy monastery, about its rules, about the three kinds of life of monastics. And so, inspired by this conversation, he decided to go to “northern Athos.” Having crossed the Svir River, on the shore of Lake Roshchinskoye, the Reverend heard a mysterious voice, announcing to him that he would create a monastery in this place. And a great light dawned on him. When he came to Valaam, the abbot received him and tonsured him with the name Alexander in 1474. He was then 26 years old.
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Alexander continued to asceticize in Valaam, amazing the strictest Valaam monks with the severity of his life. At first he labored in a hostel, then in silence on the island, now called the Holy Island, and spent 10 years there. On the Holy Island there is still a narrow and damp cave, in which only one person can hardly fit. The grave that the Monk Alexander dug for himself has also been preserved. One day, while standing in prayer, Saint Alexander heard a divine voice: “Alexander, get out of here and go to the place shown before, where you can be saved.” The Great Light showed him a place in the southeast, on the banks of the Svir River. This was in 1485. The monk placed his hut on the shore of Lake Roshchinskoe.
In the 23rd year of the Saint’s settlement in the desert, a great light appeared in his temple and he saw three men entering him. They were dressed in light clothes and illuminated by the glory of heaven “more than the sun.” From their lips the saint heard the command: “Beloved, as you see Him speaking with you in Three Persons, build a church in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, the Consubstantial Trinity... I leave you My peace and give you My peace.”
A chapel was subsequently built at the site of the appearance of God the Trinity.
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On the other side of Lake Roshchinskoye there is a monastery.
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The places here are certainly very beautiful and peaceful.
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The Holy Relics of St. Alexander are located in the Transfiguration Cathedral.
Miro is also a symbol of Divine mercy and grace.
Myrrh appears as a result of a special supernatural phenomenon - myrrh flow. It flows inexplicably from the remains of the saint, either from his tomb or from his image. This is an amazing event. And it seems even more surprising after the research conducted by biochemists. It turns out that myrrh contains those components that are part of a living organism, in particular, it contains 75 mg of animal protein per 100 ml. This means that the saint’s flesh remains alive, and by the will of God, synthetic processes can begin in it - but we are given to see only the result of a miracle being performed - a drop of peace.

Pilgrims from all over Russia come here to venerate the relics.
people, after they prayed and fell before the relics of St. Alexander

By the way, it’s also surprising that all the way to the monastery the sky was covered with clouds, but here the sun was shining
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Let's move on, otherwise the guide over there is already waiting for me.
On the territory of the Preobrazhenskaya part there is a candle shop where you can buy candles, icons, sand from the place where the Holy Trinity appeared, order prayers for health and peace, buy a bottle of holy water (you can get it in the chapel in front of the entrance)
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the clouds came out like pictures
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Family photo for memory
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What would it be like without me :)
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and we went to the Trinity part of the monastery
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before entering it I turned around to take a picture of the view
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The most ancient building of the monastery is the stone Church of the Intercession of the Mother of God, built by St. Alexander in 1533. Its construction was carried out with donations from Tsar Vasily III. The church with a refectory and belfry is made in the Novgorod style. Stone Transfiguration Cathedral with the chapel of St. Alexander of Svirsky (1644). She is on the right in the photo.
On the left is the Trinity Belfry
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they are
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On the left, the stone Cathedral of the Life-Giving Trinity was built in 1791, but previously there was a wooden church on this site, built by the founder of the monastery himself, and consecrated in 1509.
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The residential buildings of the monastery are still undergoing renovations after Soviet-era renovations.
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Trinity Cathedral, already the fourth in the place where the Monk Alexander, at the command of God, originally built a church in the name of the Holy Trinity. It was built in 1695, under Archimandrite Hermogenes, and consecrated on August 29, 1698 by His Grace Job, Metropolitan of Novgorod. It has a chapel of the holy apostles Peter and Paul.
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In 1708, the inside of the cathedral was decorated with wall paintings, under the then Archimandrite Theodosius. This painting was resumed under Archimandrite Paul, in the fifties of the last century *).
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It's very beautiful here and you can take pictures
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The frescoes on the walls illustrate almost the entire Bible
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The singing cathedrals sang a couple of songs for us, it gave us goosebumps
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on the left is the door to the monastic monastery where St. Alexander lived, it’s cramped inside, there’s sand on the floor, bare walls
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Most of the text with

WITH The Holy Trinity Monastery of St. Alexander of Svirsky made a strong impression.
This Orthodox monastery is located in the Leningrad region, 21 km from the city of Lodeynoye Pole on the shore of Lake Roshchinskoye.

There will be two posts about this monastery. The monastery consists of two separate monasteries - Troitsky and. They stand opposite each other at a distance of only 300 meters. This post is about Trinity (above is a link to Preobrazhensky). The monastery still belongs to the state, but is controlled by the Russian Orthodox Church.

There is a large car park here. There is a whole ancient settlement behind this wall, but now you will see everything for yourself...

From the middle of the 17th century, the Vvedeno-Oyatsky Monastery was assigned to the monastery.

"Representation" of the convent)))

Cafe "Pilgrim"... by the way, the pastries here are simply amazing... very tasty.

In the fall of 1918, the monastery was captured and plundered by security officers, and its rector, Archimandrite Evgeny (Trofimov), was shot in the city of Olonets.

During the years of Soviet power, the monastery was used as the Svirlag Gulag. One of the prisoners is the famous philosopher A.F. Losev. There were children's and disabled homes here.

For some time, the monastery housed a technical school, and since 1953 the Trinity complex has housed a psychiatric hospital.

The restoration of the monastery began in 1997. Behind the powerful walls of the former fraternal building there is still a psychiatric hospital.

Old Sloboda.

And this is the second “fortification” of the Transfiguration Monastery or “New Sloboda”))) there will be a next post about it.

View of Roshchinskoye Lake.

The monastery was founded by Saint Alexander of Svirsky at the end of the 15th century in the sparsely forested Olonets region among the settlements of pagan peoples - Karelians, Vepsians, Chuds. Soon Alexander Svirsky had students.

Even during the life of the founder, the monastery took shape as two connected, but independently located complexes (branches): Trinity with fraternal cells and Preobrazhensky - next to the cemetery. They are connected by a road running along the lake.

In the 23rd year of the saint’s settlement in the desert, an event occurred that was forever included in the annals of church history. Alexander Svirsky was visited by the Divine Trinity. A great light appeared in the temple, and Alexander saw three men coming down to him. From their lips the saint heard the command: “Beloved, as you see Him speaking with you in Three Persons, build a church in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, the consubstantial Trinity.” .

Trinity Cathedral (XVII century).

Here you can shoot any historical film... you don’t even need to make scenery, everything is like in the Middle Ages, there are not even electrical wires.

Church of the Intercession with a refectory (XVI century)

Three-tent belfry (XVII century).

Everything is being restored quite actively, part of the monastery is in the woods.

The Church of the Intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary is the oldest building of the monastery. It was built with the participation of Alexander Svirsky himself in 1533 with donations from Tsar Vasily III.

I went inside... restoration work is still going on here.

As I understand, this temple is still under restoration... the iconostasis is already standing, but the icons have not yet taken their places.

In 2012, with the blessing of the Bishop of Tikhvin and Lodeynopol Mstislav, the Festive Bishop's Choir was created. It consists of graduates of higher musical institutions of the CIS countries. Among the compositions performed: ancient Byzantine chants and Znamenny chants, liturgical music of the 19th-20th centuries, Russian, Ukrainian and Belarusian folk songs.

And how the monks sing here... I was lucky to catch the singing, but I only filmed the very ending, I couldn’t resist. I took it off secretly, from the stomach)))

View from the window.

Place of exploits...

A year before his death, the monk called all the brethren to him and appointed four monks after him: Isaiah, Nicodemus, Leontius and Herodion to elect one of them as abbot. Rev. died Alexander was born on August 30, 1533, 85 years old, and according to his dying will, he was buried near the Church of the Transfiguration of the Lord on the right side of the altar. In 1547, Alexander Svirsky was canonized.

After 107 years and 7 months from the date of the death of St. Alexandra, namely in April 1641, abbot of the Svirsky monastery Abraham and his brethren, intending to build a stone church over his grave in accordance with the royal command, dismantled the dilapidated church in the name of the saint, where the tomb placed over his body was located. When they were digging a ditch for the eastern side of the church, the shovel of one of the monks suddenly hit the lid of the coffin. The find was reported to the abbot, and he, having gathered all the brethren, hurried to inspect the coffin. As soon as they opened the top board of the coffin, a fragrance suddenly filled the air; The clothes on the person lying in the coffin - the mantle and the schema - were intact, and a wooden staff also lay nearby. The body turned out to be undecayed, and part of the beard was visible from under the material covering the face. These were the relics of St. Alexandra. The abbot immediately ordered a new coffin to be made and, after transferring the holy relics into it, he transferred them to the Church of St. Nicholas.

Soon the abbot sent monks to report this event to Metropolitan Athos of Novgorod, and he, in turn, reported the news to Tsar Mikhail Fedorovich. In 1644, the holy relics were transferred to a precious shrine, donated to the monastery by personal order of the king.

After the revolution, the relics were taken by the Bolsheviks to Lodeynoye Pole, after which in 1919 the shrine with the relics was sent to Petrograd. At the same time, the destruction of false relics was staged in front of witnesses, but the true remains of St. Alexandra were transferred to the jurisdiction of the People's Commissariat of Health.

According to the staff of the Department of Normal Anatomy of the Military Medical Academy, during the years of the revolution an exhibit appeared in their museum, which remained unregistered in the extensive catalogs of the museum. Such a position of an “exhibit” in such a museum was an exceptional phenomenon, and this was clearly done to hide the relics. Probably, not only the evil will of the Bolshevik leadership was at work here, but also the good will of the head of the department V.N. Tonkov, who by his convictions was not a “militant atheist.”

And only in December 1997 the relics were returned. After this, a long examination procedure began. The first thing that scientists immediately dismissed was the version of artificial mummification of the body. The examination report, which clearly indicates natural mummification, was signed by leading specialists of the Military Medical Academy. The volume of this study took 45 pages of typewritten text, and its general conclusion is that the examined body is, without a doubt, the relics of St. Alexander Svirsky. But they are kept in the neighboring Preobrazhensky Monastery; there will be a next post about it with photos of the relics that stream myrrh.

And you can even walk under the building...

Entrance to the Trinity Cathedral...

Filming is allowed inside. Was amazed...

Posted Wed, 03/09/2014 - 06:25 by Cap

Holy Trinity Monastery of St. Alexander of Svirsky - an Orthodox monastery in the Leningrad region, an architectural monument.
Located 21 km from the town of Lodeynoye Pole on the shore of Lake Roshchinskoye ().
The monastery was founded by Saint Alexander of Svirsky at the end of the 15th century in the sparsely forested Olonets region among the settlements of pagan peoples - Karelians, Vepsians, Chuds. Soon Alexander Svirsky had students. Even during the life of the founder, the monastery took shape as two connected, but independently located complexes (branches): Trinity with fraternal cells and Preobrazhensky - next to the cemetery. They are connected by a road running along the lake.

The small stone Church of the Intercession with a refectory in the Trinity part is the most ancient building of the monastery. It was built with the participation of Alexander Svirsky himself in 1533 with donations from Tsar Vasily III.

From the middle of the 17th century, the Vvedeno-Oyatsky Monastery was assigned to the monastery.
In 1764-1786, the Trinity branch of the monastery served as the residence of the bishops of Olonets and Kargopol, vicars of the Novgorod diocese.

Since 1873, the abbot of the Svirsky monastery was granted to the bishops of Olonets and Petrozavodsk, and a viceroy was established in the monastery. Since 1890, the monastery was again made independent and communal with a special abbot-archimandrite.
In the fall of 1918, the monastery was captured and plundered by security officers, and its rector, Archimandrite Evgeny (Trofimov), was shot in the city of Olonets.
During the years of Soviet power, the monastery was used as Svirlag, an orphanage and a home for the disabled. For some time, the monastery housed a technical school, and since 1953, the Trinity complex has housed a psychiatric hospital.

The restoration of the monastery began in 1997.
The courtyard of the Alexander-Svirsky Monastery is currently located in the Vesyoly village of the Nevsky district of the city of St. Petersburg.

Saint Alexander Svirsky
In the history of mankind, two greatest manifestations of the merciful God to the bodily gaze, reflected in iconography, are known - to the Old Testament forefather Abraham at the Oak of Mamre and to the Russian saint, St. Alexander of Svirsky. In the deep virgin forests of Karelia, more than 500 years ago, the Lord appeared to the humble monk Alexander in the form of Three Angels, and to this day we can feel at the site of this event a special, or, as they said in former times, “deeper” grace.
It was here, on this Holy Land, the second Palestine, where the Epiphany took place, that the Holy Trinity Monastery of Alexander Svirsky was built.

The Monk Alexander is one of the few Russian saints (Vepsian by origin) who was canonized shortly after his righteous death - namely, 14 years later. His disciples and many of his admirers were still alive, so the life of the Monk Alexander was written, as they say, “hot on the heels” and is particularly authentic, it contains no “pious schemes”, it reflects the unique face of the holiness of “all Russia, the wonderworker Alexander.”

Brief life of St. Alexander of Svir, the wonderworker
(Compiled by monk Athanasius. 1905 July 12 days)
Alexander-Svirsky Monastery, Olonets province.
Rev. Alexander Svirsky the wonderworker was born St. Alexander on June 15, 1448 in the village of Mandera on the Oyat River on Novgorod land, opposite the Ostrovsky Vvedensky Monastery. They named him Amos. His parents Stefan and Vassa were poor, pious peasants; they gave their children a Christian education. When Amos came of age, his parents wanted to marry him, but he only thought about leaving the world for the sake of saving his soul. He learned about the Valaam monastery early and often remembered it and, finally, by the will of God, he met the Valaam monks. Their conversation lasted for a long time about the holy monastery, about its rules, about the three kinds of life of monastics. And so, inspired by this conversation, he decided to go to “northern Athos.” , on the shore of Lake Roshchinskoye, the Reverend heard a mysterious voice, telling him that in this place he would create a monastery. And a great light dawned on him. When he came to Valaam, the abbot received him and tonsured him with the name Alexander in 1474.
He was then 26 years old. The novice monk zealously began to strive in labor, obedience, fasting and prayer. Then his father came to Valaam looking for him; The monk managed not only to calm the irritated father, but also to convince him to become a monk along with his mother. And the parents obeyed their son. Stefan took his hair with the name Sergius, and his mother with the name Varvara. Their graves are still venerated in the functioning Vvedeno-Oyatsky Monastery.

Alexander continued to asceticize in Valaam, amazing the strictest Valaam monks with the severity of his life. At first he labored in a hostel, then in silence on the island, now called the Holy Island, and spent 10 years there. On the Holy Island there is still a narrow and damp cave, in which only one person can hardly fit. The grave that the Monk Alexander dug for himself has also been preserved. One day, while standing in prayer, Saint Alexander heard a divine voice: “Alexander, get out of here and go to the place shown before, where you can be saved.” The Great Light showed him a place in the southeast, on. This was in 1485.
There he found “the forest was very red, this place was full of forests and a lake, and red everywhere, and no one there had ever lived before.” The monk placed his hut on the shore of Lake Roshchinskoe. Half a mile away from it there is Lake Svyatoe, separated from it by Stremnina Mountain. Here he spent several years in complete solitude, eating not bread, “but the potion growing here.” God revealed his lamp to boyar Andrei Zavalishin, and through him later to many people. The monastery began to grow, and the fame of the gift of insight and healing of physical and spiritual ailments given to its abbot soon spread throughout all the surrounding lands. During his lifetime, the Orthodox people blessed Alexander of Svirsky as a saint. Appearance of the Holy Trinity St. Alexander Svirsky

incorruptible relics of St. Alexander of Svirsky

In the 23rd year of the Saint’s settlement in the desert, a great light appeared in his temple and he saw three men entering him. They were dressed in light clothes and illuminated by the glory of heaven “more than the sun.” From their lips the saint heard the command: “Beloved, as you see Him speaking with you in Three Persons, build a church in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, the Consubstantial Trinity... I leave you My peace and give you My peace.”
At the site of the appearance of God the Trinity, a chapel was subsequently built, and to this day the human soul trembles at this place, thinking about the closeness of God to His people. What is striking in the Life of St. Alexander is that despite the great abundance of divine visits given to him, he always remained a humble monk, wanting to serve the brethren and simple villagers who came to the monastery in everything.

Several years before the death of the Reverend, God put into his heart the good idea of ​​creating a stone church in honor of the Intercession of the Most Holy Theotokos with a meal. And then one night, when the laying was already completed, at the end of the usual prayer rule, the Reverend saw an extraordinary light that illuminated the entire monastery, and at the foundation of the Church of the Intercession, on the altar, in royal glory, the Most Pure Mother of God sat on the throne with the Eternal Child, surrounded by a host of ethereal forces heavenly. The monk fell face down on the ground before the majesty of Her Glory, since he could not contemplate the radiance of this inexpressible light. Then the Most Pure Lady commanded him to stand up and consoled him with the promise to remain constant with the Monastery and to help those living in it in all their needs, both during the life of the Reverend and after his death.
“A year before his death, the Reverend, calling all the brethren to him and announcing to them that the time would soon come for his repose from this temporary, sad and sorrowful life into another eternal, painless and always joyful life, appointed after him four priestly monks: Isaiah, Nicodemus, Leontius and Herodion for the election of one of them as abbot. Then, until his death, he did not cease to teach his brethren to live a godly life. The Monk Alexander died on August 30, 1533, at the age of 85 years from birth and, according to his dying will, was buried in the funeral desert, near the Church of the Transfiguration of the Lord, on the right side of the altar.In 1547, he was canonized.

Everyone who had various ailments, coming to his honest tomb and falling with faith before him, received abundant healing: the blind received their sight, the paralytic were strengthened in their limbs, those suffering from other diseases received a complete recovery, demons were driven away from the possessed, childbearing was given to the childless.
Our All-Good God, wondrous in His Saints, glorifying His Saint in this temporary life, creating with his hand signs and wonders, deigned to place his incorruptible, honest and holy body after death, like a great luminary, in His Church, so that it would shine there with its glorious miracles."

Trinity Cathedral (XVII century) Alexander-Svirsky Monastery

Church of the Intercession with a refectory (XVI century)

Three-tent belfry (XVII century)

The Holy Trinity Alexander Svirsky Monastery is located 260 km from St. Petersburg and 21 km from the regional center of Lodeynoye Pole. The monastery, founded by the holy venerable Alexander of Svirsky at the end of the 15th century in the remote Olonetsky region in virgin dense forests, among the pagan indigenous population of Korels, Vepsians, Chuds, very quickly gained fame. The strengthening of the Orthodox faith in this region became possible thanks to the strict, pious ascetic lifestyle of the founder of the monastery. People began to flock here: both monks and those seeking prayerful help. Even during the life of the Monk Alexander of Svirsky, the monastery took shape as a union of two settlements: at the fraternal cells - the Trinity complex, at the monastery cemetery - Preobrazhensky. Both complexes today represent a single monument of architectural structures of the 16th-19th centuries.
The monastery is located in a picturesque location on the high shore of Lake Roshchinskoye. Most of the buildings are well preserved, demonstrating the high skill of the architects who built them, but all of them today require extensive restoration work.

The most ancient building of the monastery is the stone Church of the Intercession of the Mother of God, built by St. Alexander in 1533. Its construction was carried out with donations from Tsar Vasily III. The church with a refectory and belfry is made in the Novgorod style. Stone Transfiguration Cathedral with the chapel of St. Alexander of Svirsky (1644). The stone Cathedral of the Life-Giving Trinity was built in 1791, but previously there was a wooden church on this site, built by the founder of the monastery himself, and consecrated in 1509. The Church of Sts. prophet Zacharias and Elizabeth was built in 1685. The Church of St. John of Damascus was built in 1718. The stone chapel of the Holy Trinity was built on the place where, according to legend, the Most Holy Trinity appeared to St. Alexander of Svirsky. Tsars, grand dukes, Russian emperors, noble boyars and nobles, and merchants made large contributions to the construction of churches and monastery buildings. Information about each of them was recorded by the careful hand of the monks in the “Census Books”. Most of the monastery archive has been preserved and is housed in the National Public Library, the Library of the Russian Academy of Sciences and in three historical archives of St. Petersburg.

Over the 500-year period of its existence, the life of the monastery outwardly differed little from the life of other monasteries in Rus': prosperity and decline, enemy invasions, fires, looting, restoration of churches and strict monastic life, incessant prayers and work. In better times, the monastery had 8 churches, a rich sacristy, expensively decorated icons, a rich book depository with ancient manuscripts, scrolls and books. Historians of the 19th century called the monastery the Northern Lavra, it controlled 27 monasteries and the desert of this region. There were years when, after destruction, only the main shrine remained in the monastery - the relics of St. Alexander of Svirsky, and several monks (beginning and end of the 19th century).
There was also a very bad time (1918), when there was no shrine or monks in the monastery. The relics were taken away, the monks were dispersed, some of them were shot, including the rector, Archimandrite Evgeniy /Trofimov/. Instead, on the territory of the monastery: prisons, barracks, nursing homes, a state farm, a psychiatric hospital, boarded-up churches and the black eye sockets of the windows of former fraternal cells.

The new inhabitants, who settled in the monastery in 1997, had to work hard - they received a ruined monastery. The biggest event in the life of the reconstructed monastery was the discovery of the relics of the founder of the monastery - St. Alexander Svirsky incident on July 30, 1998. Through his prayers and help the ancient monastery is being revived. The churches, part of the buildings and the territory of the Preobrazhensky and Trinity complexes were put in order, and the liturgical life of the monastery was established.

Brief description of the monastery at the beginning of the 20th century.
The Alexander-Svirsky Monastery is located in the Olonets district of the Olonets province, on the right side of the Svir River, 6 versts from it, 16 from the city of Lodeynoye Pole, 84 from the city of Olonets and 20 versts from Lake Ladoga, on the large post road from Lodeynoye Pole to Olonets and Petrozavodsk. The pine forest surrounding the monastery area on all sides, the proximity of the Svir River and the two large lakes located at the monastery: Roshchinskoye and Svyatoye, an elevated and dry location - all this gives the Svirsky monastery and the area it occupies a beautiful appearance and contributes to healthy, well-dissolved air.

The foundation of the Svirsky monastery dates back to 1506 A.D. The founder and first abbot of the monastery was the venerable and God-bearing father Alexander - as can be seen from the life of the monk, written 11 years after his death by one of his closest disciples, abbot Herodion.
Very little information has been preserved about the original history of the Svirsky Monastery; the lapse of time, and most importantly, the destruction of the monastery in the middle of the 17th century, known from monastic records as the “Lithuanian Devastation,” as well as the fire of 1784, destroyed many precious monuments and documents relating to the history of the monastery, especially the first times of its existence.
View of the Alexander-Svirsky Monastery. Olonets province. and the county. The Svirskaya monastery itself was made up of two separate monasteries, at a distance of about 130 fathoms from one another. And to this day they are separated by special fences and bear special names, according to the churches built in them. One of them is called Trinity, and the other, where the saint’s hermitage was located, is called Preobrazhensky.

From the time of the monk himself until 1764, the Trinity Monastery served as a place of residence for Svir monks with a rector at their head. In 1764, with the establishment of St. Petersburg vicars in the Olonets region, called Olonets and Kargopol, this monastery was designated as the seat of suffragan bishops, with a consistory and seminary located in it; The Trinity Cathedral was turned into a cathedral, and the Transfiguration Monastery, according to the states established in 1764, was made an independent second-class monastery, with the name of the Trinity Alexander-Svirsky Monastery.
After 24 years, i.e. in 1787, the Trinity Monastery, with the closure of the Olonets Vicariate, remained part of the state and was assigned to the Alexander-Svirsky Monastery; since which time he has been under the supervision of the abbots of the Alexander-Svirsky Monastery. From 1803 to 1870, the Theological School was located in the Trinity Monastery.
From the time of the founder and first abbot, Rev. Father Alexander, until the establishment of the states, i.e., until 1764, the Svirsky monastery was a cenobitic monastery, and from 1764 to 1800 there was a staff position in it. In 1800, the hostel was restored for the second time, which continued until 1873, in which, with the appointment of the Olonetsky bishops as abbots of the Svirsky monastery, it again became full-time and remained so throughout the entire period of episcopal abbotship, i.e. until 1890, in which, by decree of His Holiness Synod of July 8, No. 2,242, determined: “The Alexander-Svirsky Monastery, having been removed from the personal management of the bishop, should remain independent, under the control of the archimandrite, so that the brethren of this monastery in their internal life would be guided by the rules of community life that have long existed in it "
So the Svir monastery became a hostel for the third time; the regular position, twice installed in the monastery, led it to an extremely sad state, as can be seen from the monastic archival files.

Monastery buildings.
I. In the Trinity Monastery.
Alexander-Svirsky Monastery. Olonets province. Trinity Cathedral and Church of St. John of Damascus.
1. Trinity Cathedral, already the fourth in the place where the Monk Alexander, at the command of God, originally built a church in the name of the Holy Trinity. It was built in 1695, under Archimandrite Hermogenes, and consecrated on August 29, 1698 by His Grace Job, Metropolitan of Novgorod. It has a chapel of the holy apostles Peter and Paul. In 1708, the inside of the cathedral was decorated with wall paintings, under the then Archimandrite Theodosius. This painting was resumed under Archimandrite Paul, in the fifties of the last century *). In 1892, the rector Fr. Archimandrite Agafangel carried out significant repairs to the entire cathedral, both outside and inside.
2. The church in honor of the Intercession of the Most Holy Theotokos, with a meal, began to be built by the Monk Alexander himself *). Under this church, under its stone vaults, already blackened by time, traces of the monastic fraternal kitchen of the first times have been preserved, namely, two huge ovens, each 5 1/2 arshins wide; These ancient monuments can still be seen today.
3. Bell tower between the Trinity Cathedral and the Intercession Church; when it was built is unknown, but we must assume that together with the Trinity Cathedral.
4. The Church of St. John of Damascus, on the northern side of the fence, was once a hospital, built in 1716. Over time, this church fell into complete destruction, but, thanks to the diligent efforts of the current rector, Fr. Archimandrite Agafangel, and generous donations from various God-loving benefactors, in 1896 it was again renewed and decorated with wall paintings; and in it there is an eternal (vigilant) reading of the Psalter about the benefactors of the holy Alexander-Svirsk monastery.

5. A two-story building with a gate on the western side, 72 fathoms long, in which: a) Bishop’s chambers with a house church in the name of St. Nicholas, b) Governor’s premises, c) 46 rooms for housing pilgrims and craftsmen from the brethren and d) there are 4 workshops below.
6. A two-story building on the eastern side, 68 fathoms long, in which: a) a living room for receiving pilgrims, b) a strange reception room, c) meals for pilgrims, men's and women's, d) a cubical room and e) premises for hotel workers and craftsmen - 48 rooms in total.
7. A two-story building with a holy gate on the south side, 48 fathoms long, containing: 8 cells, two workshops and two sheds *). All three of these corps, during the recent period of bishops' abbotship, presented a pitiable appearance and were approaching destruction. Church buildings also required major repairs; but the All-Good God, through the prayers of His saint, the Reverend Alexander, helped the current abbot, Father Archimandrite Agathangel, to bring the entire Trinity Monastery into the splendid state befitting a holy place, and the ancient monastery stands as if it had just been rebuilt. The area occupied by the Trinity Monastery comprises 4064 square fathoms.

II. In the Transfiguration Monastery.
Alexander-Svirsky Monastery. Olonets province. View of the Transfiguration Cathedral, in which the relics of St. Alexander the Wonderworker of Svir.
1. Transfiguration Cathedral, where St. the relics of the Monk Alexander, the Wonderworker of Svir, with a chapel in his name. This cathedral was built in 1641, under Abbot Abraham, and the chapel in 1716. In 1900, Father Archimandrite Agafangel built an extension of 4 fathoms to the western side of the cathedral. in length, width 7 fathoms, height on the level with the cathedral. The floor is made of wood; a choir with turned wooden railings was built for the brethren. The entire temple, both outside and inside, has been refinished; the walls, vaults and floors are painted with oil paint. In 1903 and 1904, the entire cathedral was painted inside with picturesque images; the chapel was refinished and also painted. The iconostases were again gilded and the carvings were corrected in some places; the icons have all been restored.
2. Church of St. Prophet Zechariah and Elizabeth, near the cathedral, with a small bell tower above it, built in 1668, under Abbot Macarius. In 1899, under the care of Fr. Archimandrite Agafangel, this church was renovated both outside and inside.
3. The chapel at the monastery, in memory of the appearance of the Holy Trinity to the Monk Alexander, was built under the authority of Archimandrite Paul; Currently, both outside and inside have been restored.
4. To the western side of the fence there is a new massive stone bell tower, of rather elegant architecture; height from the base is 21 fathoms; built in 1903-1904 by Father Archimandrite Agafangel, tireless in the work of beautifying the Svir monastery, with funds acquired from various benefactors *).

Received the name of the monastery and St. Alexander Svirsky

About the internal state of the monastery, the monastic economy and the means of maintenance.
the maintenance of the cenobitic regulations had a beneficial effect on the Svir monastery. The brethren currently living on the monastic probation and the “God-givers”, i.e., those in waiting, are more than 200 people, including: hieromonks, counting those in the monastery courtyard in St. Petersburg, 19 people (of which 2 abbots and 1 hieroschemamonk), 12 hierodeacons, 18 monks, 20 ryassophore novices, 150 godmothers, of whom 40 were minors, mostly orphans from peasants in nearby parishes of Olonets district.
Each of the brethren, working to the best of his ability for the common good, receives from the monastery everything he needs for life. Those who have holy orders, in addition to their priestly duties, also perform other positions, such as: treasurer, confessor, sacristan, housekeeper, junk worker, and others.
Monks, novices and saints, depending on the abilities of each, go through the obedience given to them, such as: singing, sexton, bell ringer, refector, hostess, gatekeepers, etc.; others work in workshops: carpentry, metalworking, painting, blacksmithing, bookbinding, tailoring, shoemaking and others, and some read the Psalter in shifts for departed benefactors, work in the prosphora, bread, cookery, carry firewood, brew kvass, serve the elderly, the sick and pilgrims in the living room, or perform other chores. Of the minors, 28 are among the singers, and the rest are trained in various skills.
Divine services are performed with all accuracy according to church regulations. Matins begins at 4 o'clock and continues until half past 7 o'clock; After Matins, there is an early liturgy in a row, and a late liturgy begins at 9 o’clock and continues until 11. Vespers takes place at 5 o'clock in winter, and at 6 o'clock in summer. After the evening meal in the church, a rule is read, consisting of prayers for the coming sleep, a commemoration and Jesus prayers, with bows, modeled on the rule performed in the Valaam monastery. On Sundays and holidays, small vespers begins at 5 o'clock, and after Compline with canons and akathist, immediately, without leaving the church, the all-night vigil begins, which sometimes ends around midnight.

lake on the shore of the monastery

There is a fairly decent pharmacy in the monastery, which is managed by a paramedic who is constantly with it. All sick members of the brethren, as well as pilgrims, are provided with immediate medical assistance. Poor residents coming from nearby villages are also provided with the necessary medicines free of charge and the necessary medical advice.
The economy of the Alexander-Svirsky Monastery consists of arable farming, gardening, hay cutting, forestry and cattle breeding.
Arable land 108 acres; but the soil is sandy, requiring quite a lot of fertilizer; The bread received with it is never enough for annual food, even with a good harvest.
There are about 8 acres under the vegetable garden; The vegetables obtained from the garden are enough each year to provide food for the brethren and pilgrims for a year, and even the surplus goes for sale. There are 141 acres under mowing; The hay cuttings on the Svir stubble are good, but due to the distance from the monastery, they require vigilant supervision of the working people. The amount of hay harvested from them, even with the addition of spring straw, is not enough to feed all the livestock.
The monastery has up to 40 horses with foals, and up to 100 heads of cattle.

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SOURCE OF INFORMATION AND PHOTO
Team Nomads
http://svirskoe.ru
Hierodeiac. Anfim, I.D. Solovyova Alexandrov Svirsky Monastery in Honor of the Holy Trinity // Orthodox Encyclopedia. Volume I. - M.: Church and Scientific Center "Orthodox Encyclopedia", 2000. - P. 608-610. — 752 p. — 40,000 copies. — ISBN 5-89572-006-4
Soykin P.P. Alexander-Svirsky monastery in Olonets district // Orthodox Russian monasteries: A complete illustrated description of Orthodox Russian monasteries in the Russian Empire and on Mount Athos. - St. Petersburg: Resurrection, 1994. - pp. 153-154. — 712 p. — 20,000 copies. — ISBN 5-88335-001-1
Svirsky Monastery // Encyclopedic Dictionary of Brockhaus and Efron: In 86 volumes (82 volumes and 4 additional ones). - St. Petersburg, 1890-1907.
Galkin A.K. Alexander-Svirsky Monastery as a residence of suffragan bishops and a center of spiritual education // St. Petersburg Diocesan Gazette. Vol. 34. 2006. pp. 11-15.
http://www.svetochtour.ru/
Wikipedia website
Pilgrim's Handbook.

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