July sixteenth from Khotkovo, a small town outside Moscow, a procession began in Sergiev Posad, led by Patriarch Kirill. This procession marked the beginning of the festivities in honor of the 700th anniversary of St. Sergius of Radonezh.
Why was Khotkovo chosen?
The city of Khotkovo, Moscow Region, was not chosen by chance. In the St. Nicholas Cathedral, which is located on the territory of the Intercession Monastery (the oldest monastic monastery in Russia), the relics of the parents of St. Sergius of Radonezh, the Monks Cyril and Mary, are buried. It was here that they took the tonsure and here they ended their earthly existence. Their holy relics have been resting in this monastery since 1337.
Pokrovsky convent
If not many know Khotkovo, then the majority of Orthodox believers are familiar with the Pokrovsky Monastery. But the address of its location - Khotkovo, Moscow region. Today the exact date of when the monastery was founded is unknown. She is considered the first annalistic mention of him. And this is 1308.
From a small monastery consisting of a church and several wooden buildings, over the years, by the middle of the 19th century, the Pokrovsky monastery turned not only into a significant monastic monastery with numerous novices, but also into a large architectural ensemble.
During the years of Soviet power, the monastery was closed. Many of its buildings were badly damaged, as they were used for other purposes.
Monastery today
In 1992, the monastery began its new revival, because it was again transferred to the Orthodox Church. The buildings of the monastery were also restored.
The most ancient revived object on the territory of the monastery was the Holy Gate with the Baptist Church. It was built in 1799. Another of the oldest surviving buildings of the Khotkov Monastery is the Intercession Cathedral.
With its architecture, it is an example of a five-domed church, which were built in the era of classicism. Today it is the main decoration of the monastery. In 2011, the cathedral was re-painted, a new dome was erected over it.
Now, in addition to the Cathedral in honor of the Intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary, the monastery has the St. Nicholas Cathedral, the Gate Church of St. Mitrofan of Voronezh, the three-part Holy Gate with the Church of the Nativity of the Baptist built on top of them and many other buildings. The nuns and novices live in the monastery. There is an orphanage, Sunday school, icon painting and sewing workshops, there is a subsidiary farm.
Pilgrims who go to the Trinity-Sergius Lavra always visit the monastery in Khotkovo (Moscow region) to bow to the relics of Cyril and Mary.
Either a village or a farm
Until 1917, such a settlement as Khotkovo (Moscow region) did not exist at all. A lot of small villages and hamlets were scattered along the Morozov and Mitin volosts in those days. However, after the revolution, Khotkovo began to grow. A Council of Workers' Deputies was even created there, because many factories and factories worked in the vicinity. The land was nationalized and most of it was handed over to the peasants.
Soon Khotkovo became the center of the volost, an urban-type settlement where a copper foundry, weaving mills, and artels worked. The city of regional subordination Khotkovo became in 1949.
Khotkovo, Moscow Region: Attractions
Without a doubt, the main attraction of the city is the Pokrovsky Khotkov Monastery, on the territory of which, by the way, a museum operates.
The Orthodox and sightseers are also attracted by the Church of St. Alexis the man of God, or, as it is also called, the Gorbunov church. It was built in the village of Gorbunovo, which eventually became part of the city. The stone church, which has been preserved to this day, was built by the architect Ivan Safonov. It was consecrated in 1863.
The local history museum of Khotkovo, Moscow region is also of interest.
Not far from the city is the Abramtsevo Museum Estate, which for some time was the property of the Russian writer Sergei Aksakov. The estate was visited by I.S. Turgenev, N.V. Gogol and other creative people of that time. When she moved to the wealthy industrialist Savva Mamontov, the artistic life in her did not freeze. After all, this man was also a philanthropist, an art lover. An Abramtsevo art circle was created, in which famous artists, musicians, and poets gathered.
Having visited Khotkovo (Moscow region), a souvenir photo should also be taken from the village of Radonezh, where Sergei Radonezhsky, who is the founder of the Trinity-Sergius Lavra, spent his childhood. Attention is attracted by the Transfiguration Church, a kind of cross in front of it, a very interesting monument to Sergius of Radonezh, established in 1989, ramparts and a source of holy water, where the fonts were built.
For information, the Transfiguration Church is a courtyard of the Trinity-Sergius Lavra.
Khotkovo, Moscow Region: how to get there
This city of regional subordination is located 60 kilometers from Moscow in the Sergiev Posad district (11 kilometers from Sergiev Posad). The river on which it stands is called the Page, which belongs to the Klyazma basin. The population of the city is more than 20 thousand people. Among the enterprises in Khotkovo, the most famous and significant are JSC Electroisolit and the Central Research Institute of Special Engineering.
There is a railway station in Khotkovo , so it can be reached via the Moscow - Yaroslavl line.
By car, you need to go along the Yaroslavl highway. The trip promises to be interesting.