A beautiful temple on Vasilievsky Island attracts attention with its majesty and beauty. Monastic farmsteads have long been located here, and today there is Optina Deserts, a farmstead in St. Petersburg. Pilgrims, clergy, tourists come here to touch the shrines and experience the powerful atmosphere of collegiality and faith.
Desert Optina Monastery
As far back as the 15th century, not far from Kozelsk a man’s monastery was formed - Optina deserts. It is known that a certain group of hermits started the monastery, but the first years of the monastery’s history are poorly studied. This territory has long been controversial and passed from hand to hand. Only from the end of the 18th century does the actual formation of the monastery begin. The monastery becomes a real spiritual center, many books and icons were born here, pilgrims came here to receive help in the faith and an impulse to a virtuous life. The monastery has always been known for its care of the poor and sick. In the 19th century, such prominent thinkers as F. M. Dostoevsky, Vl. Solovyov, K. Leontyev, L.N. Tolstoy visited here three times. Many clergymen found their calling here, including Pavel Florensky. In 1987, the monastery survived its rebirth after decades of oblivion in Soviet times. The monastery is regaining its former importance and expanding, and therefore the idea arose to open a new place - a courtyard in St. Petersburg.
The idea of opening the Compound
Compound is a certain branch of the monastery, which is located far from the main monastery. Usually, deserts were created to accommodate pilgrims and priests, as well as to solve various administrative and economic tasks. Optina deserts (farmstead in St. Petersburg) was needed so that priests and elders from the monastery could stay in the city during their trips on various issues. Even before the revolution, the monastery authorities considered opening a desert in the capital, St. Petersburg, but the coup prevented these plans from being realized. In 1999, Archimandrite Yevlogiy, the governor of the monastery, turned to the administration of St. Petersburg with a request to allocate a temple to accommodate the monastery compound. It was a time of active return of the cathedrals under the control of the church, and the idea was received quite favorably. So it was announced that Optina Desert would appear - Compound (St. Petersburg).
Discovery story
The authorities of St. Petersburg offered the governor several options for consideration, and his eyes settled on an old prayer spot on Vasilyevsky Island, where the Kiev-Pechersky Compound was once located. When the representatives of the monastery went around the territory of the former compound, they were depressed - the condition of the buildings was terrifying. Here in Soviet times, a public skating rink was located, at which the famous Leningrad school of figure skating was born and went through the stages of formation and take-off. From constant dampness, the buildings quickly deteriorated and required urgent repairs. The monks were not accustomed to struggle with difficulties, and they actively set about restoring the courtyard, attracting parishioners and donors. Today is the question: “Optina deserts, compound in St. Petersburg - how to get there?” ceased to cause bewilderment, and every resident of the city knows that a beautiful temple over the Neva - this is the compound of the famous monastery.
Compound today
Optina Pustyn (farmstead in St. Petersburg), a photo of which can be seen in many guidebooks due to its beauty and historical significance of the place, today is a well-functioning enterprise. On the territory of the courtyard, the majestic temple of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary was restored, which survived a very difficult and long restoration. Today, there are daily services. Services are often conducted by leading clergymen of the country. Also, numerous buildings have been partially restored and partially rebuilt here. There is a Sunday school, a gymnasium, the Orthodox Institute of Religious Studies and Church Arts, and the Ubrus gold-sewing workshop at the courtyard. There is a male choir, a pilgrimage center with a hotel and cafe. In the courtyard there are a lot of different events: meetings, discussions, concerts. This is a true spiritual and educational center. The pilgrimage center Optina conducts excursions around the monastery, the Church of the Assumption, St. Petersburg and the suburbs, organizes trips to holy places. In 1999, in the desert, a suburban residence was opened in the village of Sosnovy Bor, Vyborg District.
Church in honor of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary
Optina deserts (compound in St. Petersburg) was built around the Church of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary. The church was built by the forces of the Kiev-Pechersk Compound in the late 19th century. At this place, another temple previously existed, which was moved to the Fontanka embankment. The church is made in the pseudo-Russian style, its walls are lined with stone - granite and sandstone on the outside, and inside are painted by Moscow artists Snegirev, Yakovlev and Strunnikov. Outside, the temple is also decorated with a mosaic from the workshop of V. A. Frolov. The church has a number of valuable icons with particles of the relics of Optina elders and healers. The beauty of divine services in the cathedral is emphasized and enhanced by the singing of the male choir of the courtyard.
Compound Country Estate
In 1999, Optina Pustyn (a courtyard in St. Petersburg), whose address is Lieutenant Schmidt embankment, 27/2, is now well known to everyone, received a 40-hectare plot near the village of Sosnovy Bor, Leningrad Region. These lands were intended for the creation of a monastery and the management of a subsidiary farm. The monks cleared the territory, created a large livestock complex, in which, in addition to cows, pigs and goats, even raccoons and ostriches live. On the territory of the country estate, there is a pond in which novices breed Japanese carps. In 2006, a church was laid in honor of the holy Rev. Ambrose of Optina, it was consecrated in 2016. The monks also rebuilt the Temple in honor of the holy noble Grand Duke Alexander Nevsky, who was not far from the village of Sosnovy Bor and since Soviet times has not been used for its intended purpose. Now there are regular worship services.