One of the oldest and most beautiful architectural monuments of the 16-19th centuries is located in the capital. This is the Don Monastery. In Moscow, perhaps, everyone knows him. But for the guests of the city will be interesting and useful information about what he represents and how to get here.
Where is?
The history of the creation and development of the monument is very interesting. And where is the Donskoy Monastery in Moscow? The address is as follows: Donskaya Square, 1-3. If you go here by public transport, it will be more rational to get by metro: along the Kaluga-Riga branch to the Shabolovskaya station. Then you should go out and, turning right, go along Shabolovka street to the first T-shaped intersection (intersection with the 1st Donskoy passage). Then again to the right and, without turning anywhere, go along the monastery walls. The main entrance of the monastery is located on the side of Don Square.
1. The Great Cathedral.
2. The Small Cathedral.
3. The bell tower with the church of Zechariah and Elizabeth.
4. Tikhvin Church.
5. Kitchen (XVIII century.).
6. Church of St. John Chrysostom.
7. Archimandrite chambers (XVIII century.).
8. The Church of Tikhon.
9. Church of St. Alexander Svirsky.
10. Church of St. John Climacus.
11. Cells.
12. Theological seminary (XVIII century.).
13. The chambers.
14. Fraternal cells (XVIII century.).
15. The chapel.
16. Church of the Archangel Michael.
17. Hospital cells.
18. Household building.
19. Household. building.
20. The fence of the monastery.
21. The tomb of Levchenko.
22. Church of St. George the Great Martyr the Victorious.
23. Church of Alexander Nevsky.
24. The tomb of the Simple.
25. The fence tower.
26, 27. The towers of the wall.
28. The fence tower.
29.30. Tower wall.
31. The fence tower.
32, 33. The towers of the wall.
34. The fence tower.
35, 36. The towers of the wall.
37. Museum of military equipment.
38. High reliefs from the Cathedral of Christ the Savior.
39. Arbor.
40. Mosaic icon.
41. Obelisk, traffic sign.
Construction History
It is not known exactly when the Donskoy Monastery was created. Most historians are inclined to believe that it was founded in 1591. Other experts believe that this happened a little later: in 1592-93. The legend about the circumstances of this godly deed of four hundred years ago has survived to this day. At the end of the 16th century a mobile fortification of the Russian troops was located here, or, as it was called then, “walk-city”. This nomadic city train convoy had its own camp church, founded in honor of St. Sergius of Radonezh. The main shrine in it was the Don Icon of the Mother of God, the same one, as the legend says, by which the great elder blessed Prince Dimitry Ioannovich to fight with the Tatar-Mongols, which went down in history called the Battle of Kulikovo. Later, she gave the name of the monastery, built here by Tsar Fedor Ivanovich in 1593 in honor of saving the city from the Crimean Khan Gaza II Girei.
The icon of the Mother of God of Don has survived to the present day. It is located in the Tretyakov Gallery. Since
Khan Giray was expelled from the city walls with shame, our capital has never been attacked by Tatars. And the Don Monastery in Moscow became the final link in the defensive ring of the city along with the Novodevichy and Danilov Monasteries.
Cloister in antiquity
An interesting fate at this monastery. There were years of desolation in his life, there was a heyday, when he became one of the richest and most privileged monasteries of Russia. In the era of the Great Troubles, he was captured and plundered by Polish troops led by the hetman Khodkevich. Over the next few years, desolation reigned here. The monastery of the Romanovs was restored: Tsars Mikhail Fedorovich and Alexei Mikhailovich. Since that time, the Donskoy Monastery in Moscow has become a favorite place of prayer for sovereigns. His address is well known to all Orthodox people. Processions are made here. The lands of the monastery are expanding. New stone buildings are being erected. The monastery becomes one of the largest, richest and most revered in the country. In 1698, according to the vow of the sister of Tsar Peter I, a new beautiful cathedral was erected here in honor of the Don Icon, which is now called the Great.
Funded the construction of the royal treasury. The walls of the temple were richly decorated. They were painted by the famous Italian Antonio Claudio. A large carved 8-tier iconostasis with icons painted in the style of "Fryzhsky writing" has survived to this day. On August 21 of the same year, the cathedral was consecrated by Metropolitan Tikhon. At the same time, a wall with twelve towers was erected here, resembling the fence of the
Novodevichy Convent. In 1712, under the altar of the Great Cathedral, the Church of the Presentation of the Lord was consecrated. The funds for its construction were donated by the king of one of the regions of Georgia Archil, who was subsequently buried here with his sons. Since that time, this church has become the tomb for many Georgian cultural and political figures. In addition, the Donskoy Monastery maintains contact with Ukraine. Thus, at this time, the monastery becomes not only a spiritual unifying center, but also a political one. The 18th century for the monastery is the heyday. He becomes a rich feudal economy, managing vast lands and many serf souls. New buildings appear. A magnificent architectural ensemble is being formed, which can be seen in our time. Necropolis is being built. The monastery becomes the resting place of many celebrities of our time. Looking ahead, it is worth mentioning that at different times it became the burial place of the Georgian kings David, Matvey and Alexander, the philosopher P. Chaadayev, poets M. Kheraskov and A. Sumarokov, writer V. Odoevsky, historian V. Klyuchevsky, architect O. Bove , artist V. Perov, writer I. Shmelev, philosopher I. A. Ilyin and general A. I. Denikin. Here, in 2008, the famous Russian writer A. Solzhenitsyn was buried. And the
cemetery of the Donskoy Monastery arose in Moscow in 1591. Now it is divided into Old and New. This will be described below.
The Plague Riot Tragedy
In 1771, one of the most widely known gloomy events of that time took place here. We are talking about the murder in the walls of the monastery of Archbishop Ambrose. It was a terrible time - a plague riot in the country. A monstrous epidemic was raging, killing thousands of lives. There is an opinion that the plague was brought to Moscow from the Black Sea countries during the Russian-Turkish war. The disease developed rapidly, covering all new territories and houses of the capital. Mortality increased every day. People were in a panic. There were not enough coffins. On the streets of Moscow, one could see the sick, both healthy and dead. Moreover, corpses are often simply thrown out of the houses. They lay right on the street. Under such conditions, the plague quickly conquered all new territories. Doctors often could not help the sick. People sought salvation in faith in the Lord. People gathered daily at the Barbarian Gate in Kitai Gorod near the miraculous Icon of the Mother of God of Bogolyubsky. Both the sick and the healthy kissed the shrine, helping to spread the epidemic. Archbishop Ambrose, aware of this, forbade prayers, and ordered the icon itself removed. The raging crowd the next morning after that went to smash the Miracles Monastery in the Kremlin. And soon the rebels got to the Donskoy monastery, within the walls of which Ambrose took refuge.
The rebels killed the archbishop, and then began to destroy the houses of the nobility and quarantine outposts. Three days later, the popular rebellion was suppressed. On the orders of Catherine II, the murderers of Ambrose were executed by hanging on Red Square. The plague epidemic claimed nearly 57,000 lives.
19th century change
Recall that in 1764 the monastery received the status of stavropegic. This means that from now on he obeyed the Holy Synod and had the right to independently choose the archimandrite. In the 19th century, the fate of the monastery has changed dramatically more than once. The history of the Donskoy Monastery makes a new round. In Moscow in 1812 desolation reigned. Many residents by this time left the capital. The French, led by Napoleon, advanced. It was obvious to everyone that the enemies would occupy the city. Soon this happened. The Don cloister was plundered by the French. The fire that raged in 1812 in Moscow destroyed many houses and cultural monuments. But soon the restoration of the city began. The monastery was also reconstructed. At the beginning of the century, the monastery houses the Spiritual Censorship Committee, which was later moved to the Trinity-Sergius Lavra. Since 1834, there has been a religious school that trained candidates for seminarians, and since 1909, a school for training novices. Also in the monastery at this time there is an icon-painting chamber named after Selezneva. It trains artists, painters, perform work on orders. The church of the Archangel Michael and the Church of John Chrysostom are being built on the territory of the monastery. Every year on August 19 in this era is celebrated the Day of the Don Icon. On this day, a procession to the monastery from the Assumption Cathedral of the Kremlin takes place. Currently, there is a gold sewing workshop. People who want to understand the art of embroidery with gold threads tend to get to the Donskoy Monastery in Moscow. Reviews of tourists say that the beauty of the products of the local craftswomen is simply amazing. The courses in the studio will help to master the ancient technique of face and gold sewing, which since ancient times was used to paint objects of church utensils.
After the October Revolution of 1917
Century 20 brought a lot of tests to the community. The revolution in October 1917 contributed to the fact that the Don Monastery in Moscow was officially closed. However, services in the temples here continued for some time. Further, various Soviet institutions are located here, and later - a children's labor colony. It is known that people who seized power in the country at that time, not only did not favor the clergy, but also staged cruel persecution of believers. In the 1920s, anti-religious exhibitions were held within the walls of the monastery. A little later, the so-called Anti-Religious Museum of Art was even opened here. In May 1922, Patriarch Tikhon was brought here as a prisoner. Here he spent most of his time imprisoned. Despite constant arrests and psychological pressure from the Soviet government, Tikhon managed the Church during this difficult period for her. He managed to do a lot for the unity of the Russian people. The patriarch sharply condemned the seizure of church values ​​by the state, urged believers to defend the desecrated and "now oppressed our holy mother." In December 1924, an attempt was made on Tikhon, who lived in the cell of the Donskoy Monastery. Two intruders entered here to kill the Holy One. The door was opened to them by the cell-man Yakov Polozov. He was killed by intruders. In 1925, Tikhon fell ill and died in March at the Annunciation. The burial of the saint took place in the Small Cathedral. Looking ahead, it is worth noting that in 1989 Tikhon was canonized. In 1964, a branch of the Research Museum of Architecture named. Schuseva was turned into a Donskoy monastery. In Moscow, its main link was located on Vozdvizhenka. In 1946, divine services resumed in the Small Cathedral. In 1991, the monastery was transferred to the Moscow Patriarchate. At the same time there was an arson attack by an attacker of the Small Cathedral. During the repair work during the excavations, the relics of St. Tikhon were discovered. They were laid in gilded crayfish and moved to the Great Cathedral, where they are stored to this day.
Architectural ensemble
Here we can distinguish the following:
• The Great Cathedral. Created in 1686-1698 in honor of the Don Icon of the Mother of God. It features a distinctive architecture. It is five-headed with a large gallery around the perimeter.
• Small Cathedral. Built in 1591-1593 in honor of the Don Icon of the Mother of God. It is made in the style of a one-headed temple of Russian architecture of the XVI century.
• Church of St. Alexander Svirsky. Located east of the Great Cathedral. It was built in 1796-98 at the expense of Count N. A. Zubov over the grave of his father, who was a senator during his lifetime. It is a temple-tomb of the Zubov family. It is made in the style of classicism, like many of the buildings that now make up the Don Monastery. In Moscow, photos of this rotunda can be seen at the exhibitions of famous photographers.
• Church of the Tikhvin Icon of the Mother of God. Built in the years 1713-14. Located above the northern gate of the monastery.
• Church of the Archangel Michael. Year of construction - 1714. Located in the corner of the southern part of the monastery. It is a family tomb of the Golitsyn family.
• Church of St. John Chrysostom. It was built by V.P. Gavrilov, V.D.Sher and M.P. Ivanov according to the project of the architect A.G. Vincent in 1888-1891. Made in the Byzantine style. It is the tomb of the Pervushins. Located in the northern part of the monastery, the one that is closed to access.
• Gate bell tower. Years of construction - 1730-53. Located above the western gate.
• Church of St. Tikhon. Created in 1997. It stands on the site of the former novice gardens. The lower temple is the tomb of the Shevchenko family.
• Church of Prince Alexander Nevsky. This is a modern building. Built in 2006.
• Water sanctuary well. Nowadays it is not used due to the unsuitability of water for drinking.
• Chapel. It was created in the late 19th century in honor of the miraculous salvation of the royal family during a train accident on October 17, 1888. It was located outside the monastery. To our days, unfortunately, has not been preserved.
Everything that now makes up this monastery is sacred to us. The Don Monastery in Moscow is our cultural and spiritual heritage, which must be protected.
Monastery Necropolis
This structure occupies most of the territory of the monastery. It appeared at the end of the 17th century. N. M. Karamzin in his book “History of the Russian State” mentions that the cemetery of the Donskoy monastery in Moscow in his time was the burial place of the noble elite and wealthy merchants. On the monuments of the necropolis, one can meet such high-profile famous surnames as Grushetsky, Vyazemsky, Golitsyn, Trubetskoy, Cherkassky and others.
Many famous writers, poets, politicians, scientists and architects found their last refuge. Among them, A. P. Sumarokov, P. Ya. Chaadaev, M. M. Kheraskov, V. I. Maykov, V. O. Klyuchevsky, and others. According to rumors, many famous figures of the White movement were buried in the necropolis (P. N. Krasnov, K.V. Rodzaevsky, G.M. Semenov, etc.). Here are the graves of relatives of A.S. Pushkin: uncle Vasily Lvovich, sister Sophia and brother Paul, grandmother and aunts. During the period of repression, corpses of those who were executed or tortured in the Lubyanka were brought here by truck. Here they were cremated. There is information not documented that the necropolis of the Donskoy Monastery in Moscow is the burial place of the ashes of M. N. Tukhachevsky, V. K. Blucher, A. V. Kosarev, M. N. Ryutin, V. Meyerhold and many others. New graves appear. So, in 2000, the ashes of the writer I. S. Shmelev were reburied here, in 2005 - the philosopher I. A. Ilyin and General A. I. Denikin. In 2007, the ashes of Lieutenant General of the White Movement V.O. Kappel were transferred here. In August 2008, the famous Russian public figure and writer A. I. Solzhenitsyn rested here. Everyone can pay tribute to these people by visiting their graves. Address: Moscow city, Donskoy monastery. How to get here was described above.
White Warrior Memorial
The monument was unveiled on May 24, 2009. Many famous White movement activists are buried here: General A. I. Denikin with his wife, General V. O. Kappel and philosopher I. A. Ilyin with his wife. The initiative to create the monument belongs to Russian President Putin V.V., who, having seen the unfortunate burial places of the white generals, instructed to make new gravestones. Then Vladimir Vladimirovich personally oversaw the construction of the memorial, approving new sketches of the plates. It took specialists only two weeks to erect it. The monument is a small granite site with five tombstones.
On the opening day, he was consecrated by Patriarch Cyril. The President made a speech at the ceremony on the unity of Ukraine and Russia. Thus, the Don Monastery in Moscow once again became a unifying center between fraternal peoples. A photo of the memorial is presented here.
Shrines of the Don Monastery
There are many ancient monasteries in Moscow that attract us with their beauties. Why is it worth visiting this one? Here you can see the following shrines and worship them:
• Don Icon of the Mother of God. It is a spiritual pearl, the main value of the monastery. According to legend, it was she who blessed Sergius of Radonezh, Prince Dmitry Donskoy, to fight with the Tatars. The first mention of it dates back to the middle of the 16th century. The image is currently stored in the Tretyakov Gallery. But every year on September 1, on a festive day, she is delivered to the Donskoy Monastery for worship.
• The holy relics of Tikhon, stored in a gilded crab here in the Great Cathedral.
• Icons of the Mother of God “Feodorovskaya” and “Sign”. To worship these shrines, many believers seek to visit the Donskoy Monastery in Moscow. These icons are considered miraculous.
• List of the Don image of the Blessed Virgin Mary. These are letters of Simon Ushakov from 1668, miraculously preserved during the 1991 fire. Decorated with a special canopy.
• Mosaic icon of St. Nicholas. It is stored in the tomb of Levchenko.
• The grave of the cell-keeper, who served St. Tikhon, Jacob Polozov. Located at the walls of the Small Cathedral. It was Jacob who opened the cell's doors to attackers who came to kill Archbishop Tikhon. As a result, Jacob died.
Temples of the monastery are active. Parish Trebs of the Donskoy Monastery in Moscow are performed regularly. It also organizes excursions.
Don cemetery "Old"
It arose in 1591. The cemetery is located in the south-west of Moscow. Its area is approximately 13 hectares. Famous politicians, scientists, writers, Decembrists, participants in the war of 1812 were buried here. By the beginning of the 20th century, it turned out to be crowded. Therefore, it was necessary to enclose a large territory behind the southern wall of the monastery in order to expand its borders. So there was a cemetery, which was called "New". It has its own separate entrance. At the eastern wall of the "Old" cemetery, you can see high reliefs that were removed from the Cathedral of Christ the Savior and preserved from destruction. Burials as such are not being done here these days. Anyone who wants to visit the Dmitry Donskoy monastery in Moscow and the "Old" cemetery on its territory will find it useful to find out that it is open from 08.00 a.m. to 6.30 p.m. daily.
Don cemetery "New"
It was formed, as already mentioned above, at the end of the 19th century. Before the revolution in October 1917, the "New" cemetery of the Donskoy Monastery in Moscow was the burial place of mainly intelligentsia: professors, scientists, various officials. In 1927, the first columbarium and crematorium in the capital was equipped here. Documentary evidence has reached our days that V. I. Lenin in 1918 ordered the purchase of equipment for cremation of corpses abroad. The following year, the most intense of the years of the Civil War, the current government announced a competition for the best crematorium project. Soon this institution was built here. It is known that only soldiers who died in hospitals during the Second World War were cremated at least 15,000. In the depths of the cemetery stands a stele in memory of all those who were tortured and killed during the years of repression. The corpses of people from Lubyanka and from Lefortovo were brought here by hundreds on trucks for burning. Currently, traditional burials are being held here, burial urns in the ground, in open and closed columbarium.
We made acquaintance with the architectural buildings that make up the Donskoy Monastery in Moscow. A map of their location is also presented here.