About the monastery

The Intercession Of The Blessed Virgin

Previously we talked about Wretched houses, we shall move to the feast in memory of the miraculous appearance of Our Lady. Theotokos appeared to the fool in Christ St. Andrei and his follower St.Epiphany in Vlahern Temple (Constantinople, y.911). It is important to mention the image of this divine vision of the fool in Christ St. Andrei who was Slav by origin, about the establishment the feast of Pokrov Russia and about ancient churches, which had been constructed to memorize this miracle.

The Intercession Of The Blessed Virgin

Vlachern Church of the Holy Virgin. In honor of the Holy Virgin’s visitation in this temple, the Orthodox Church established the Feast of Intercession. It is the famous church in the history of Eastern Christianity, was once standing at the imperial palace in the Constantinople suburb of Vlaherna, near the Golden Horn Bay

Previously we talked about Wretched houses, we shall move to the feast in memory of the miraculous appearance of Our Lady. Theotokos appeared to the fool in Christ St. Andrei and his follower St.Epiphany in Vlahern Temple (Constantinople, y.911). It is important to mention the image of this divine vision of the fool in Christ St. Andrei who was Slav by origin, about the establishment the feast of Pokrov Russia and about ancient churches, which had been constructed to memorize this miracle.

According to legend, this phenomenon is depicted on icons. We do not know any Greek depictions, so we shall talk only about Russian ones that we know about. The Mother of God is depicted with hands raised in prayer asking Her Savior for blessing. She stands on a cloud over the Holy doors. Two angels hold a prostrate veil or omophorion over her.

There are three Saints in armored vestments at the throne behind the right pillar of the temple, and two angels behind the left pillar.

In the lower row of the icon, on the left side, there are  the faces of the Saints, led by John the Baptist; on the right side, there are faces of the Saints with the fool in Christ St.  He shows his vision to the St. Epiphany, who depicted as a deacon with a book in his hands. On the roof of the church we can see St. Demetrius of Thessalonica, St. Cosmas and Damian. This is the Icon of Novgorod's painting, XIV century, three spans. You can find it the Mirovarnaya Chamber of the Synodal House in Moscow.

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Cover of the Mother of God. From the Zverin Monastery. 1399

A similar image occurs among the Novgorod icons of the 16th century. Later painted Moscow icons (one of them is the icon in the temple of the Intercession Monastery too) differ from the oldest Novgorod's painting. The Mother of God, surrounded by the faces the Saints, overshadows her veil in the temple herself, overshadows her veil everyone standing in the temple. Among them are the king Lev the Wise and the queen Zoya, the priesthood Patriarch Tarasy. On the pulpit there is a sweet-bearer deacon Roman holding in his hand a charter with contakion: «The Virgin is in the Church today» etc., which reminds us of the song that was once sung on the Feast of the Nativity of Christ. Apparently, the sweet-bearer, remembered by the Russian Church on the day of the Intercession, belongs to the face of the celestials, because he lived five centuries before this vision. Besides the Saints, laymen are depicted listening to the all-night vigil at the Blachernae temple, where the Virgin appeared. It was questioned in the “Stoglav”, whether should one write on the icon of the Intercession of the Mother of God kings, princes, saints and the people in the lower row. The answer followed: «according to the most famous painters of Greece and Russia, countless people were depicted on the icons of the Intercession of the Mother of God praying for the whole world». Though in the ancient Novgorod icon, as we have seen, only the Saints are depicted, only the phenomenon was probably originally written, and in the later icons the phenomenon was connected with the event. The image of the miraculous appearance of the Mother of God is so different at different times and places.

Speaking about the Celebration, it is important to mention the fact that we cannot find it in festal Menaion, in the Greek kondakar of the 13th century, and the newest menologies. During the Times of Troubles in the Greek Empire this Celebration didn’t have a chance to get it’s complete church liturgical type, albeit the beginning of his celebration comes from Constantinople. Our homeland adopted this feast in memory of the patronage of the Mother of God, categorized it as polyleic and all-Russian.

Words in the festive canon (canto 8; song 8) lead to the probable conclusion that the Metropolitans of the Greeks resumed celebration of this holiday in Russia due to their Greco-Slav origin: «Pray for us», they say, «for us, who glorified the Feast of the Intercession in Russia». The establishment of its prologue in Russia also happened thanks to one of our ancient metropolitans: «You listen to us; you hear all our terrible thoughts and not merciful visions, you trust us, you are standing up for us. You want to be without a holiday, and your holy Cover will not remain without a holiday! » This holiday was established on October the first in the rules of church singing of XIII century; it was named to be new in Milyutinskaya Menaia. The churches in memory of the Protection of the Mother of God began to be built in other Russian cities after the establishment of this spiritual celebration in Kiev.

People in Vladimir in XII, Suzdal in XIII, Novgorod, Pskov and Tver in the XIV century already prayed in churches dedicated to this miraculous phenomenon of the Mother of God, while the temples in honor of this holiday were still unknown in Moscow.

The Grand Princely Intercession Monastery in the old Sadekh was mentioned in 1479. The first Pokrovsky monastery in Moscow was destroyed by fire; it did not leave any traces either in the area or in history. The conquest of Kazan by Tsar John Vasilievich on the Feast of the Intercession of the Mother of God was celebrated by the construction of the Intercession Cathedral in Kitay Town in 1552.

Repulsion of Vladislav army’s attack was celebrated by the construction of the first cathedral in the village Rubtsov near Moscow. This cathedral was renamed, according to the temple, Pokrovsky.

Some of the Moscow streets are named «Pokrovsky» after the name of churches erected to the glory of the Intercession of the Mother of God.  The Varvarskay Street used to have the name «Pokrovskaya» in XVII century, this street runs from Pokrovskaya hill to the Pokrovskiy Cathedral (the Protection of Our Most Holy Lady Cathedral). Pokrovskiy Cathedral rises at the head of Pokrovskaya Steet in Beliy Gorod.


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The Establishment of the Intercession Monastery

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© 2010. All rights reserved. Pokrovsky Stavropigialny womens monastery of the intercession Outpost of the city of Moscow

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New martyrs of the monastery of the intercession

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Matrona Of Moscow

News and events

Before the construction of the monastery

The name of the Pokrovsky Monastery by Bozhedomsky provokes us to precede its historical description with a brief review of the Wretched houses on whose place it was erected in Moscow, and the remarks about the feast of the Protection of the Mother of God to whom it is dedicated. Both Wretched houses and the feast of the Protection of the Mother of God are closely connected with the history of the monastery in spiritual and civil ways.

The Wretched house

In Moscow, as well as in other Russian cities, since the old days, Wretched houses (also cold “Skudelnitsy”) were built to bury wanderers, Jews, who came from distant countries to worship God in the Temple of Jerusalem. There were no special cemetery there, in case of sudden death. In Russia, such places were called «skudelnitsy», «wretched houses», «zhalniki», «buivischa» and «gnoischa». Bodies of the poor, wanderers which had been caught by sudden and violent death were brought here and put in the sheds with pits. In comparison, others, admonished before the demise of St. Secrets, were buried near by the churches.

The Intercession Of The Blessed Virgin

Previously we talked about Wretched houses, we shall move to the feast in memory of the miraculous appearance of Our Lady. Theotokos appeared to the fool in Christ St. Andrei and his follower St.Epiphany in Vlahern Temple (Constantinople, y.911). It is important to mention the image of this divine vision of the fool in Christ St. Andrei who was Slav by origin, about the establishment the feast of Pokrov Russia and about ancient churches, which had been constructed to memorize this miracle.

The Establishment of the Intercession Monastery

The royal Pokrovsky on the Wretched Houses monastery was founded in honor of this feast of the Mother of God. It has replaced wooden Velikoknyazheskiy monastery in the Sadeh Beliy Gorod, at the Semenovskaya outpost. The original founder of the Bozhedsky Pokrovsky Monastery was Tsar Mikhail Feodorovich.

Necropolis of the Intercession Monastery

The churches on the western side are surrounded by a cemetery. The graves of the dead are here on God's nave, under the protection of the Mother of God and under the cross.

The abbots, brethren and parishioners of the monastery until 1929

Monks of the Intercession Monastery. 1928

Sit (from left to right): Hieromonk Mefody (Ivanov), Hieromonk Nathanael (Skalkin), Archimandrite Veniamin (Milov), Hieromonk Theodosius (Tarasov), monk Methodius (Laskin).

Stand (from left to right): Seryozha, about. Yermei, Hieromonk Evtikhy (Tarasov), Hieromonk Nile (Bolotov), Foka Karpovich Shnyruk - regent, Kolya, hieromonk Danakt (Kalashnikov), Grigory Khokhlov - watchman

The Athos monks, who lived in the Pokrovsky monastery

Besides the already mentioned martyrs Danat (Kalashnikov), Hilarion (Tsurikov) and Iaon (Laba), other Athos monks lived in the Pokrovsky monastery; there were more than 20 people. All of them were exiled from the Holy Mountain because of the teaching, called “The Name-Seekers”.

Important events of the monastery that happened before 1872.

There were not too many events in the history of this monastery. The most important events are: 1) the Wretched house was transformed into to the convent, 2) It was given to the Krutitskaya and then to the Moscow dioceses; 3) It was turned from «bozhedomsky» to «school» monastery.

Monastery before closing. 1917-1929

For many years, the Intercession Monastery was a relatively small abode, located on the outskirts of Moscow - at the Intercession Outpost, where 50 monks lived in the 19th and early 20th century. St. Innocentiy, Metropolitan of Moscow, in 1870 gave the monastery the status of missionary.

Convent renewal, 1995

His Holiness Patriarch Alexy II of Moscow and All Russia blessed to resume the Pokrovsky Stauropegial Convent, he appointed the nun Feofania (Miskina) the abbess of the monastery.

The first visit to the Intercession Monastery by His Holiness Patriarch Alexy II

The first visit to the Intercession Monastery by His Holiness Patriarch Alexy II. 13 october 1996.

Lithium on the grave of the blessed old Matrona

His Holiness Patriarch Alexy II of Moscow and All Russia is serving lithium on the grave of the blessed old Matrona. Danilovskoe cemetery. 4 March 1998

Uncovering of relics of St. Matrona

On March 8, 1998 on the Week of the Triumph of Orthodoxy occurred the invention of the holy relics of the Blessed Matrona at Danilovskiy Cemetery with the blessing of Patriarch Alexei II.

Great consecration of the Intercession Church

Great consecration of the Intercession Church in Pokrovsky Stauropegic Convent by His Holiness Patriarch Alexy II. 1998

Elevation of nun Feofania to the abbess

His Holiness Patriarch Alexy II of Moscow and All Russia elevated a nun Feofania to the rank of the Abbess of the Intercession Convent. 4 April 1998

The great consecration of the crosses

His Holiness Patriarch Alexy II made the great consecration of the crosses of the Resurrection and Intercession churches. Pokrovsky Convent. 4 April 1998

The transferring of the relics of the blessed elderess Matrona

On April 30, 1998, with the blessing of His Holiness Patriarch Alexy II during the solemn chanting of the Easter troparion "Christ is Risen from the Dead ..." the transfer of the holy remains of the Blessed Matrona to the Church of the Holy Fathers of the Seven Ecumenical Councils was accomplished. In the evening, the brothers of the monastery served a funeral vigil.

Meeting of the Icon of the Mother of God "The Seeking of the Lost"

The abbess Theophany and nuns meet the icon of the Mother of God "The Seeking of the Lost." The icon was painted in 1915.

Matrona never left this icon. This icon of the Mother of God is in Moscow, in the Intercession Convent since 1998

The first church service at the metochion in the village of Markovo

The first church service at the metochion of the Intercession Convent in the village of Markovo. Church of the Kazan Icon of the Mother of God. November 4, 1998

The Canonization of the St. Blessed Matrona of Moscow

Upon the order of Patriarch of Moscow and all Russia Alexey, blissful Matrona of Moscow (Nikonova Matron Dmitrievna. 1881 – 1952) was canonized as a local saint on May, 2nd, 1999.

A farmstead to the Trinity-Lykovo

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