Spaso-Prilutsky Monastery is one of the largest religious buildings in the Russian North. It was named after the Spassky Church of the monastery and the river bend (hay bows), where it is located. Today it is a complex of architectural monuments of the XVI-XVIII centuries of republican significance.
A bit of history
Spaso-Prilutsky Monastery (Vologda Oblast) appeared on this land in 1371, north of Vologda, along the road leading to Beloozero, near the village of Vypryagovo. Its founder is considered the famous Russian saint, the patron saint of Vologda Dimitry Prilutsky. He erected a wooden church in the monastery, and next to it, wooden cells were built for monks.
The peasants, who previously owned these lands, Ilya and Isidor Straightened out, as history testifies, were happy to give these territories for a good cause. According to contemporaries, Spaso-Prilutsky Monastery (Vologda) has always enjoyed the favor and great respect of the Grand Dukes John III, John IV, Vasily III.
When John III went to Kazan (1503), he took from the monastery the icon of Dimitri Prilutsky, painted by Dionysius. Returning with a victory, he decorated the icon with silver and gold. The Spaso-Prilutsky monastery was visited by Vasily III with his wife Elena Glinsky (1528) during a pilgrimage to Russian monasteries.
An altarpiece wooden cross - 140 cm high, decorated with numerous carvings made on white bone and covered with gilded basma - was taken by John IV from the monastery during the campaign to Kazan (1552). Historians connect this Kilikievsky cross from the monastery with ancient Kilikia located in Asia Minor. Now it is stored in the Vologda Museum. According to historian S. M. Soloviev, Dimitry Prilutsky created a monastery on the paths that led from Vologda to the North Ocean. The Spaso-Prilutsky Dimitriev Monastery in the 16th century turned into one of the most famous and richest monasteries in the north of the country.
Architecture
In the center of the monastery is the bell tower and Spassky Cathedral. It was the first temple built of stone in the city. To make its construction progress faster, Ivan the Terrible, by his decree, ordered the monastery to be exempted from duties. Construction work was completed in 1542. In the same year, the Spaso-Prilutsky Dimitri Monastery, as well as the cathedral built, was visited by John IV.
The cathedral is very reminiscent of Moscow religious buildings. This is a cube-shaped temple, two-story, three-apid, four-pillar. It is crowned with five helmet-shaped heads, which are located on round-shaped drums. At the base of the drums, a cornice is installed, which is decorated with an ornamental slot. The first floor has a vaulted ceiling, its cross-shaped arches support four pilasters, their cornices hold three zakomary semicircular in shape.
According to researchers, the western porch appeared here until the XVII century. South and north were erected later, in 1672. The porch of the western porch is composed of two pitcher-shaped stone pillars and two half-pillars. They support two arches that are located on each side. On the west side of the porch you can see the pediment. A fresco is painted on its smooth surface.
The cathedral markedly dominates the surrounding buildings and stands out for its stately appearance. The cubic monumental volume, set on a high basement, looks very impressive. Galleries surround the cathedral from three sides, and three apses from the east.
The walls of the temple are divided by flat and wide shoulder blades into three beds. Above them rise two tiers of semicircular large zakomars with a small keel in the middle. Unlike the capital's temples, it is made with the emphasized modesty inherent in northern architecture. You should pay attention to a very concise decorative solution to the facades.
The decoration of the drums, which consists of the runner’s belts, arches, niches and curbs, is somewhat more diverse. In September 1811, a fire occurred from a candle forgotten in the temple. All the interior decoration burned out. Burnt and some chapters.
During the French invasion of the capital (1812), the sacristy of the patriarchs of Novospassky, Chudov, Ugreshsky, Znamensky, Novodevichy, Pokrovsky, Voznesensky monasteries, the Trinity-Sergius Lavra and some cathedrals of Moscow were stored in a charred building. Values were in the cathedral until the liberation of the capital.
Cathedral restoration
From 1813 to 1817, restoration work was carried out in the temple. Correcting the damaged chapters, it was decided to give them a pitcher-like shape. The charred walls were completely restored.
Ivan Baranov - the Yaroslavl master - with eight assistants inside plastered the walls of the cathedral. A peasant from Vologda M. Gorin in 1841 made a new chapter of the cathedral and a spire for the bell tower. On the lower floor of the cathedral were the tombs of the Uglich princes John and Demetrius, who were exiled by John III to prison in this northern city and Demetrius of Prilutsky. In the monastery, John took tonsure and received the name Ignatius. The tombs of the Monks Ignatius and Demetrius of Prilutsky are completely restored today - they are the shrines of the monastery, reverently venerated by the brethren and pilgrims.
Gate Church
The central gate of the monastery, the gate church located above them, as well as part of the wall, were erected after the construction of the Cathedral of the All-Merciful Savior. They adorn the entrance to the Spaso-Prilutsky monastery from the side of the road leading to Kirillov, Belozersk and Arkhangelsk.
The gate church was consecrated in the name of Theodore Stratilates in 1590, but later it was renamed in the name of the Ascension of the Lord (1841). According to the records of the 17th century, which the Spaso-Prilutsky monastery stores (Vologda Oblast), it appears that a stone chapel with four openings in which bells were installed was added to the gate church. The chapel had a wheel watch with a fight.
In 1730, the chapel was converted into a small bell tower. A quadrangle with four windows has survived to this day, on which an octal of a ringing was built. In 1914, the only vestibule bell hung there, weighing 52 pounds. He was cast from an old bell-copper master Chartyshnikov (1876). The building is decorated with belts, niches, arches, a runner and a curb on the drum and walls. Such a decor, in which one can notice the influence of Novgorod and Moscow, is quite characteristic of northern temples made of stone of the XV – XVI centuries. The walls are divided by one shoulder blade into two beds.
Assumption Church
Today, the Spaso-Prilutsky Monastery (Vologda) has on its territory a unique wooden Assumption Church, appeared here in the first half of the 16th century. She was transported from the Alexandro-Kushta monastery, which was located near the village of Ustya, on the Kushta River.
This is the oldest monument of wooden architecture of the Russian North. Its architectural form underlines the dynamic aspiration up. A large octagon rises above the cruciform volume in the center, expanding from above. It is called a tumble. The octagon is crowned by a slender and tall tent and a small cupola. Lateral parts (more lowered) come to the end with gracefully curved roofs. The silver color of individual wooden planks (melech), which cover the roof and the tent, is perfectly combined with a velvety brown tint of logs. All forms of construction are inextricably linked. They form a solid and harmonious look.
Church of All Saints
Spaso-Prilutsky Dmitriev Monastery has another interesting church. At first it was a hospital, as it adjoined the hospital building. One-headed, one-story two-light. It was built in 1721 and consecrated in the name of the Three Saints. Much later (in 1781) was renamed in the name of All Saints.
Bell tower
Pilgrims and brethren of the monastery’s belfry are especially proud of the Savior-Prilutsky Monastery (Vologda Oblast). The first such construction was built along with the cathedral. It adjoined the northwest wing. But it was soon dismantled. A new one, existing today, was built in 1654.
In 1736 there were eighteen bells on it. The most important of them weighed more than 357 pounds. In addition, there was also a vest bell. Its weight exceeded 55 pounds. On it was an image of the princes John and Demetrius of Uglich. The bells were cast in 1738 by the townsman John Korkutsky. In the upper octagon, a wheel watch was installed with a fight. The premises of the lower powerful foursome were adapted for the church and cells.
Vvedensky church
Covered passages connect Spassky Cathedral with a complex of buildings. One of them is the Vvedensky church. This is a one-headed two-story building with a meal adjacent to it. The time of its construction, unfortunately, is not known for certain. In the monastery records of 1623, it is already described as stone.
The lower floor is still occupied by the temple. In 1876, a chapel was built in this church, consecrated in the name of the Great Martyr Barbara. It should be noted that with its decor, which is executed in the form of kokoshniks, it is perfectly combined with the Spassky Cathedral and the Gate Church of the Ascension. Decorative belts made of balusters, curbs and niches give the church a very elegant look.
Catherine's Church
To the east of the Vvedensky church (ten meters) there is a small stone church in the name of the Great Martyr Catherine and St. Prince Vladimir. It was built in 1830 at the expense of the landowner from Vologda V. Volotsky. It was built over the graves of his relatives, who were buried here.
Walls and Towers
The Vologda Spaso-Prilutsky Monastery in the 17th century was surrounded on three sides by a fence made of wooden beams. At that time, only the central gate and a small section of the wall that adjoined them were stone. This was one of the reasons for the ruin of the monastery in 1612-1619. The Savior-Prilutsky Monastery, the photo of which you can see in our article, was completely fenced with stone walls with towers in 1656. They were built according to all the rules of construction science of the XVII century.
The monastery walls in the plan have the configuration of a quadrangle (irregular). Hexagonal towers are built at its corners, which are interconnected by high fortified walls. From the north, the main stone gates and the Gate Church were built. On the western side is a rectangular Water Tower with separate gates leading to the river. In the south wall there are small (third) gates, which today are laid with brickwork.
Corner towers are significantly extended from the plane of the walls. They were intended for all-round defense. Mounted loopholes (mashikuli) are arranged in tiers in the outer wall of the towers. Corner towers inside, in the center have stone pillars. These are the supports of the rafters of the tent, and inter-tier communications and the base for the observation towers.
The walls are equipped with devices for conducting upper and lower battles. On the inner side along the stone arches there is a platform for the upper battle. It is a move around all the walls. The total length of the walls is 830 meters at a height of seven and a half meters.
Today, not only pilgrims, but also ordinary travelers visit the Spaso-Prilutsky Monastery (Vologda). Opening hours are convenient for visitors. We will talk more about this later.
Outbuildings
The Savior-Prilutsky Monastery in the XVII century was ravaged several times. So, in December 1618, the detachments of the hetman of the Shelkovodsky and Cossack chieftain Balovny alive burned 59 monks in the refectory, more than two hundred people died during this attack.
Lithuanians and Poles hosted the monastery for three days. They plundered and destroyed property, partially burned the monastery’s archive. And the next year the monastery was ruined. This time it was performed by the Siberian prince Aleevich, who arrived to “guard” the monastery with Cossacks and Tatars. Another "guard" - Muraza with the Tatars, hosted the holy monastery for nine days.
In 1618, the Lithuanians burned the refectory and services, as well as most of the monastery premises. They stole cattle, once again plundered property, burned villages, killed peasants who lived in the vicinity of the monastery. In 1645, in the monastery, instead of the lost wooden cells and the refectory, they built a stone one-story building with monastic cells with a common refectory. For their construction, the master masons from the Spaso-Yaroslavl monastery were invited.
The two-story stone building is an ancient supervising cell. On the second floor there were abbot dwellings, on the first floor there were cellars. The cells of the abbots are connected to the Vvedensky church by a covered passage.
To the west of the Gate Church, another dry stone building was erected in 1718, which was later rebuilt into a two-story building of the winter rector’s chambers, and later a guesthouse was located here.
To the east of Nadvratnaya in 1720 a stone two-story Kelar building was built. Later, the pantries of the monastery were arranged in it. The residential fraternal building stretches along the northern wall, which ends on the east side with the All Saints Church. It was built for a rather long time (XVII – XVIII centuries), the facade was decorated in 1790. Today it houses the cells of the fraternity.
Monastery Closure
In Soviet times, the Spaso-Prilutsky monastery did not escape the sad fate of religious buildings in Russia. In 1918, the monastery was searched and an inventory of all property. In part of the buildings, the Red Army were stationed. During the Civil War, the tower of the monastery played the role of explosives depots. Once, only timely measures taken allowed to extinguish the ongoing fire in time and save this priceless historical and architectural monument. Until 1923, church values were withdrawn from the monastery, which, inter alia, went to help the starving Volga.
The county executive committee decided to evict Archimandrite Nifont (Kursin), novices and monks were removed from the monastery, and parishioners who expressed dissatisfaction were repressed. Residents of Pryluk and surrounding villages asked the authorities for permission to dismantle the monastery walls for bricks, but their application was rejected.
In the summer of 1924, the agreement with the community was terminated, and the monastery itself was finally closed. All works of art were handed over to the city museum, the rest of the property was transferred to state institutions. In the 30s, the monastery of Svyato-Prilutsky was turned into a transit prison for dispossessed, who were then taken to the northern camps of the Gulag.
From the beginning of the 50s to the end of the 70s, military depots were located within the walls of the monastery. At different times in the monastery was a cinema, a house for the disabled. In the mid-fifties, the collapsing and deserted buildings of the monastery began to be gradually restored. Experts say that the work was carried out very efficiently, so many buildings were returned to their original appearance.
Since 1979, it became part of the Vologda Museum-Reserve Spaso-Prilutsky Monastery. A tour of its territory was included in the program of the museum "Revival of the monastery." In mid-June 1990, after the monastery was closed, a procession for the first time took place to the Gorbachevsky cemetery, where the Lazarus church is located. In August of that year, the Gate Church of the Ascension was transferred to the Russian Orthodox Church. And in 1991, the diocesan monastery was opened again.
On the day of memory of Dmitry Prilutsky (February 24, 1992), the monastery was returned to the ROC completely. Gradually, life began to be revived in the monastery, monastery buildings were repaired, bells and iconostases were restored. Divine services are held daily. On the territory there is a courtyard, a Sunday school.
In the monastery there is a branch of the Orthodox Theological College of Vologda. It trains clergy for the Diocese of Velikoustyuzhsk and Vologda. Every year there are Demetrius readings gathering educators and clergy.
Since 2014, the rector of the Spaso-Prilutsky monastery is Metropolitan Ignatius of Kirillov and Vologda. The brotherhood of the monastery is about 20 people, here live workers and several civilian employees.
Excursions
We inform everyone who wants to visit the Spaso-Prilutsky Monastery (Vologda) opening hours.
- On weekdays (Monday to Saturday) - from 10.00 to 17.00.
- On Sunday - from 12.30 to 17.00. On patronal days, excursions run from 14.00.
Savior-Prilutsky Monastery: opening hours (services)
On weekdays:
- Matins - 5.00.
- Liturgy - 7.00-7.30
- Confession is held in the left half of the temple.
- Vespers - 17.00.