Not far from the city of Chekhov, eighty kilometers from Moscow, lies the Ascension of the David David Deserts. The monastery is located on the banks of Lopasni, which flows into the Oka, on a high and picturesque white-stone mountain. It was founded in May 1515 by the Rev. David. Near the monastery (Talezh village) is its courtyard.
A bit of history
According to historians, Rev. David belonged to the princely family of Vyazemsky. His real name is Daniel. At the age of twenty, he decided to leave for the Pafnutievo-Borovsk monastery, where he lived for more than twenty years.
In 1515, David founded the monastery, now known as the Ascension of the David Deserts.
During the reign of Ivan the Terrible, the construction of a large stone church of the Ascension of the Lord began. But he was not destined to be completed. There are objective reasons for this. Initially, the monastery and its territory were attacked by Lithuanians and Circassians, who burned and destroyed many valuables, destroyed existing buildings and plundered all supplies. At the behest of Patriarch Joachim, the temple was completely demolished. Joachim ordered in his place to build a new temple. A stone church grew above the tomb of David. There used to be a wooden chapel in this place. Its size was not too large.
At the very end of the XVII century, another chapel was built on the territory of the monastery, next to the Arbat Gate. It existed a little over a century. Then in its place spread the monastery courtyard.
The Holy Ascension David Deserts until the middle of the 18th century belonged to various monasteries. The main reason for this situation is low income. Deserts owned a few wealthy estates, bringing very little money. There were not enough funds at all - even to support the temples and the monastic fraternity. In 1765, a chapel was added to the desert, located at the Moskvoretsky Gate. Previously, it belonged to the discontinued Morchugovsky desert. There was an icon of the All-Merciful Savior in this chapel .
At the same time, the David Deserts received another chapel, which was located at the Kaluga outpost. At the end of the 18th century, housing was built in the cloister for a significantly expanded fraternity. By the beginning of the 20th century, about a hundred monks lived there. Among them was Alexy, who at one time predicted the end of the Sevastopol War.
David's Desert in the 19th Century
The beginning of the 19th century was marked by a noticeable improvement in the condition of the monastery. The Church of St. Nicholas, which was in a terrible state, was completely demolished and rebuilt again. There are many new small outbuildings.
The iconostasis has been completely renewed in the Church of the Ascension of the Lord. By the middle of the century, the Znamensky temple was rebuilt, and the old bell tower was also restored. For her, a bell was cast, the weight of which exceeded 205 pounds.
The end of the 19th century was marked by the opening of the male parish school. By the beginning of 1900 include the construction of the Cathedral of the All-Merciful Savior.
The monastery in the Soviet years
Like dozens of monasteries in the Moscow Region, the Ascension David Desert Monastery was closed in 1929. An agricultural college functioned here, and in the rooms where the monks used to live, hostels for students were organized.
Ancient temples turned the new power into garages and warehouses. St. Nicholas Church has become a gathering place for atheist societies. They began to arrange anti-religious disputes and hold discos.
The Assumption Cathedral has turned into a sports hall. A red flag was hoisted on the bell tower. Holy graves were excavated, and tombstones were used as the foundation for a new dormitory. The fence of the monastery was completely destroyed, as well as the domes on the temples.
Holy Ascension Monastery: recent history
The David Deserts remained in complete desolation until 1992. At this time, began to raise funds to restore the holy place. At the monastery in 1995 a rector appeared. This place was taken by Hieromonk Herman. Prior to that, he served as head of the Intercession Church.
First of all, he began preparing the cathedrals for a full day of worship, since in those days the liturgy was not performed. With two novices, the abbot began to prepare one temple.
In 1995, the first liturgy was held at the monastery. Soon a long-awaited event took place - on June 1 of that year, the decision of the Holy Synod was announced that monastic life resumes in the desert, and Herman received the rank of abbot, and he was given the abbot's baton.
In 1996, the Istomina couple presented the monastery with a belfry of seven bells. She was consecrated by Bishop Juvenal.
In the winter of 1997, restoration work began in the desert. In 1998, the monastery donated a bell that weighs a ton. It was installed on June 5th.
In 1999, the domes of cathedrals and churches were completely restored, and the Znamenskaya Church was consecrated. In 2003, they consecrated the Ascension Cathedral. It completely restored the iconostasis.
The relics of St. David were transferred to the Znamensky Church, and then restoration work began.
At the same time, more than two hundred fragments of the relics of God's saints were collected in the monastery. In the desert, the particles of the Vestments of the Virgin and the nail from the crucifixion of Christ are stored. By the end of 1999, the interior decoration, the domes of the cathedrals, the pond and the fence of the monastery were restored.
Abode today
At the entrance to the village of New Life, for one of the turns, you will have a magnificent view. From this place, the Holy Ascension David Deserts is perfectly visible - the entire architectural ensemble and its residential buildings.
After 63 years of desolation, the monastery came to life. The Orthodox community, organized in the village of New Life, was given the Cathedral of the All-Merciful Savior.
The David Desert Monastery was not easy to rebuild. The abbot of the monastery faced a lot of problems, but did not back down from his goal. In 1995, Father Herman was brutally murdered. According to the official version, the crime was committed for the sake of profit - the monastery safe was robbed.
The magnificent restoration of the monastery is overshadowed by various rumors that envelop this process. The priests are accused of accepting large donations for the restoration of the monastery from people of dubious reputation. These are Gennady Nedoseka and Anton Malevsky. Today in the cemetery of the monastery you can see their graves, which differ from other burials in their luxury. Malevsky is the former Russian “aluminum king” and leader of the criminal group Izmailovo, Nedoseka is an employee of the administration of the city of Chekhov, with a very dubious reputation. Despite everything, thanks to the help of these, not the most righteous, people of David's deserts, they were restored.
Desert tour
You can enter the monastery through the Holy Gates. A gate bell tower rises above the entrance. Its height is more than 70 m.
You will see an unusually well-groomed, clean territory. Here is a small but very picturesque pond. Sparkling church domes are reflected on its mirror surface. This place is very different from other cloisters. Look at the photo. Ascension David Deserts is built up with buildings that are painted in warm, but at the same time saturated colors (orange, yellow, pink).
The main structures of the desert:
- Assumption Gate Church.
- Znamenskaya church.
- All Saints' Refectory Church.
- Cathedral of the All-Merciful Savior.
- Znamenskaya church.
- Temple of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker.
- Ascension five-domed church.
The walls of the Church of the Sign are painted in orange, St. Nicholas - in yellow. The Ascension Cathedral conquers with its whiteness, the Assumption Church attracts with a delicate pink and beige hue.
They were built at different times, but surprisingly very harmoniously combined with each other. In addition, in the desert there is a monastery cemetery. Not only monks are buried here. For example, D.S.Dokhturov, a hero of the Russian-French war (1812), rests on a graveyard.
Today, the monastery has 12 inhabitants. His abbot is hegumen Sergius (Kuksov). A liturgy is held every day in the monastery.
Znamenskaya church
In this temple, before the October Revolution, there was a coffin with the relics of Moses Ugrin. He was brought to the monastery by Metropolitan of Moscow - Plato. Unfortunately, to this day it has not survived. The main attraction of the church is the ancient icon of the Blessed Virgin Mary. With her the Monk David came into the wilderness, and here he found his repose.
In addition to the miraculous icon, many shrines are kept here. To the left of the altar is a carved cancer with the relics of David. According to the inhabitants of the desert, after the death of the saint, he began to come to people in dreams, to heal them.
To the left of the entrance is the head of a baby from Bethlehem (one of the 14 thousand killed by decree of King Herod), particles of the relics of St. Sergius of Radonezh.
Ascension Cathedral (1682)
A two-pillar, five-domed brick temple with bypass galleries. Built with the help of Patriarch Joachim. The basis for it was the unfinished cathedral of the late 16th century. In the southern gallery is the Assumption aisle. Restored at the end of the last century. Re-consecrated in 2003.
Holy grove
The inhabitants of the Ascension Monastery of David's Desert are especially proud of the linden grove. Rev. David himself planted it. But this is not only why it is dear to the Orthodox. According to legend, David planted all the trees upside down, and they all took root. So the Rev. sought to show everyone the power of God.
Holy spring
Not far from the holy monastery, in the small village of Talezh, there is its compound. This place is famous for a unique source. The David Deserts, according to believers, is a truly unique place. The mentioned spring is consecrated in the name of Rev. David. For hundreds of years, he quenched the thirst for pilgrims. Orthodox came here from all corners of the Russian land to drink life-giving moisture. She was blessed by the prayers of David, who walked to this source on foot from the desert. On the courtyard is the temple of the saint, there are baths. All who have visited this place leave here peaceful, with a particle of God's grace in their souls.
The healing properties of water
The source (David's Desert), according to the clergy, is famous for numerous miraculous healings of seriously ill people. According to them, bathing in its waters can cure very terrible ailments.
David's Deserts: how to get there
To visit this holy place, you can use your personal car or public transport. Many pilgrims dream of coming to these places and seeing with their own eyes what the David Deserts (monastery) is. How to get here, we will tell you. To do this, take the train going from the Kursk station and drive to the Chekhov station. Then you need to take the bus number 36 and get to the village of New Life.
This path can also be overcome on the intercity bus, which follows the route “Moscow – Nerastannoye”. In addition, the village can be reached from the metro station Yuzhnaya.
If you plan to travel by car, you will need to go along Simferopol highway, before it intersects with A-108, turn left (onto Kashira), then follow the signs.
If you are planning to visit the David Deserts, then you need to know that you should be dressed appropriately: the woman's head should be covered with a scarf. Men in the "beach" in the monastery will not be allowed.
Guest reviews of the monastery
The restored and restored Holy Ascension Davidian Deserts does not leave anyone who visited it indifferent. Most of the guests of the monastery are delighted with how carefully and reverently in the desert they relate to the ancient church relics, as they honor the monastery charter. Many emphasize the benevolence of the clergy who speak lovingly about the monastery and its history.
However, there are also negative reviews. As a rule, they are associated with the use of “unrighteous” money during the restoration of the monastery and the burial of people on its territory who at one time had problems with the law. It must be said that ordinary parishioners, pilgrims, residents of nearby settlements also took part in the restoration of the desert (in addition to these people).
Be that as it may, the David Deserts (visitor reviews confirm these words) is a unique monument of history, architecture of our country. Therefore, we recommend that you definitely visit this monastery.