Russia is a huge country, our immense homeland. It would be blasphemy for a lifetime to see only your city and its surrounding territories. Sometimes it is better to prefer a trip to your native country to rest in Turkey or Egypt. You can start with the chic city of the Nizhny Novgorod region - Vyksa. From this article you will learn about all the interesting places in this city that are definitely worth a visit.
Iversky monastery
Vyksa Iversky Monastery was founded in 1863 by the Monk Elder Hieromonk Barnabas. During his life, he was very revered, and after death, at the end of the 20th century, he was reckoned among the saints. Barnabas encouraged Nizhny Novgorod merchants to donate funds to open a female monastery, where he transferred the Iveron icon to the Mother of God, in honor of which they called the monastery.
The place on which the monastery was built is called the "chosen heart." There is a legend in the city that at night people noticed burning candles and a bell ringing there. In 1880-1894, the construction of the Life-Giving Trinity Cathedral in the Russian-Byzantine style was underway, the architect of which was Peter Vinogradov. The monastery complex also includes the main Iversky and Assumption Cathedrals, a bell tower, an almshouse and a large number of outbuildings.
One of the reasons for the construction of such a large monastery was that after the reform of 1864, unemployment increased and female labor was paid very low. Poor peasants came to the cities and could hardly find work. The only way out for many women, especially from the lower strata, was the monasteries.
The buildings of this attraction Vyksa erected for about fifty years. The economy was enough: horse and stockyards, vegetable gardens, shops, a beekeeper and a candle factory. In 1917, the monastery consisted of about 100 nuns and 400 novices. Later, the monastery began to be destroyed. In 1919 it was completely closed. In 1924, the brick fence and the entire Iversky temple were dismantled in order to build an outpatient clinic and a city hospital. In 1927, the Trinity Cathedral and the bell tower were blown up. At the same time, the nuns did not want to leave their monastery, remaining in cave cells, because of which, during the explosion, they were forever buried under the ruins.
The resumption of the monastery
On October 14, 1992, the monastery began to revive after the religious community of the Church of the Iberian Mother of God was again registered in the city. On the day of the feast of the Iverskaya Icon on February 25, 1993, the first liturgy was served in one of the former buildings of the monastery. The ruins began to clear and gradually restore them. On June 1, 2012, the bells were raised. In 2014, the bell tower was opened to visitors. It offers gorgeous views of the city.
Museum of the history of the metallurgical plant
This attraction of Vyksa originates in 1960. It is not only a museum of one plant, but also a museum of local lore throughout the city. It is also part of the Batashev-Shepelev estate complex and occupies two floors of his house. Unfortunately, the interiors of buildings where various Soviet organizations worked in the past are no longer there. But the halls were renovated and now they look modern and very beautiful.
Exposition
The museum of the history of Vyksa Metallurgical Plant presents various archaeological finds that help plunge into the atmosphere of the past factories and the city with might and main. Here you can find out about all the former owners of the estate, see household items of peasants living in Vyksa, paintings from the collections of the owners of the estate, as well as modern works of urban artists and other ancient artifacts. In the historical department there are various photographs, documents and other objects.
In a separate hall of this Vyksa attraction, there is an exposition dedicated to the Sukhovo-Kobylins family, who owned the estate after the Shepelevs. The next room is dedicated to Peter the Great, it is his huge portrait that adorns the building, in particular this room. There is a legend saying that the Batashev brothers honored the Emperor so much that they even ordered his portrait from a famous Dutch artist for his estate.
Another hall was allocated for art cast iron exhibits. Here are exhibited his samples of weapons, statuettes, frames for mirrors, reliefs and candlesticks. A separate room is also devoted to various paintings from both the Batashevs' collection itself and contemporary masterpieces. Since 2012, various temporary exhibitions have been held in a separate room.
The hunting lodge of Batashev
This place was used for recreation and entertainment of the Batashev family. Initially, it was built to improve the health of the son of Ivan Batashev, who suffered from a mental illness. Later, the factory owners came here to relax and hunt.
The estate of Batashev-Shepelev
This attraction of Vyksa is perhaps the main one in the city, its heart. It is the brothers Ivan and Andrei Batashev who, it can be said, founded Vyksa. Catherine the Great gave them privileges for the construction of metallurgical plants here. When the granddaughter of Ivan Batashev married the general Shepelev, the estate received its name and surname. Under these owners, the park and the estate itself flourished. But the time came when the plants fell into decay and completely ceded the imperial treasury. People from the English Mining Company tried to revive the factories, but this was possible only by the beginning of the 20th century under Anton Lessing.
The estate was only the center of the Batashevs' possessions. They built a wooden house, a huge park, menageries and greenhouses. The park was a fortress theater and large ponds.
This park is now an adornment of the city of Vyksa, Nizhny Novgorod Region. True, now there is no theater that burned down, no greenhouses. In the days of the Soviet Union, various attractions, a stadium and a cafe were installed here. The ponds remained intact and became objects of the Unified State Register of Cultural Heritage of the Russian Federation.
All structures of the estate of Batashev-Shepelev are painted in yellow and white, the roofs are green. The house houses the Museum of History described above. In front of the house there are busts made of bronze of the founders of the estate - Andrei and Ivan Batashev, Dmitry Shepelev and Anton Lessing.
There are many other attractions in the city, but these are worth visiting first. They allow you to fully plunge into the atmosphere of the history of Vyksa.