Mozhaisk Luzhetsky Nativity of the Virgin Mary Ferapontov monastery. Mozhaisk

But now the time has come for the revival of the ancient monastery. Luzhetsky Monastery was transferred to the Russian Orthodox Church in 1994. On October 23, 1994, in the premises of the refectory Church of the Presentation of the Virgin Mary into the temple, the first hierarchal service was held, led by Metropolitan Juvenaly of Krutitsky and Kolomna. It is significant that on that Sunday the Gospel was read about the resurrection of the son of the widow of Nain (Luke 7:11-16). Then it seemed that the monastery was awakening to a new life in the bosom of the mother Church, like a young man resurrected by the Lord and given to his mother. But when, after five centuries of being kept hidden, the relics of the founder of the monastery, the Monk Ferapont, were found, the gospel story about the young man awakening from the sleep of death took on a different meaning.

After the return of the monastery, a cross was established at the supposed burial site of the Monk Ferapont, and pink and white clover, not sown by anyone, bloomed around it. It also seemed like a miracle that the thickets of burdock, which filled the entire territory of the monastery, could not drown out this fragrant carpet. In 1997, during the opening of the foundation of the Ferapontov Church, they discovered the place where the tomb had previously been located over the grave of the saint. On May 26, 1999, with the blessing of Metropolitan Juvenaly of Krutitsy and Kolomna, the relics of St. Ferapont were found.

Before the start of work at the foundation of the destroyed church, Archbishop Gregory of Mozhaisk, co-served by the council of clergy, served a prayer service, at which all those present asked the Lord for help in the work underway and for the blessing to not touch the honest relics of His saint with sinful and unworthy hands.

The excavation of the soil began on the right at the foundation of the salt in the south-eastern corner of the destroyed temple. They began to dismantle the base on which the shrine had once been placed above the saint’s tomb. The first three rows of bricks, held together with cement mortar, date back to the Soviet period. This was a platform for a machine installed on the site of the tomb, because the church of St. Ferapont was turned into a workshop after the closure of the monastery. Next came brickwork with lime mortar, which used bricks from the 18th century that were already in use. Some of them preserved fragments of frescoes, some had a figured shape, which was explained by the numerous reconstructions of the temple. After the fifth row of this masonry was removed, the commission began to doubt whether work was being carried out in that place? Rows of bricks followed one after another. The eleventh row was exposed. A pit (small excavation) made along the edge of the masonry revealed four more rows of bricks in depth. The situation required expanding the entire excavation, and after a short time, to the left of the supposed burial site and almost opposite the royal gates, at a depth of about one meter, the contours of a grave pit filled with gray-brown clay were revealed. A little deeper, the contours of a wooden dugout log of an anthropomorphic shape were discovered, characteristic of the funeral rites of medieval Rus' in the 15th–16th centuries. This happened around six o'clock in the evening. The slight error in determining the burial place was now explained simply. The location of the shrine in the temple was in accordance with tradition, but we must remember that the temple was erected over the grave of the monk and the foundation could not have been laid by the builders close to the burial.

Let us turn to the conclusion of the Commission's Acquisition Act. “Based on historical sources and monastic tradition, indicating the location of the saint’s grave on the right at the solea in the temple of St. Ferapont, as well as archaeological information, the discovered remains should undoubtedly be recognized as the holy relics of the founder of the Luzhetsky monastery - St. Ferapont of Mozhaisk.”

For obvious reasons, the official document could not include a description of the phenomena and events that accompanied the acquisition, which are difficult for the Christian soul to explain by coincidence. Throughout the work, the canon with the akathist to St. Ferapont and the Psalter were continuously read. The discovery of the burial place occurred on the sixth song of the canon when the words were read: “The Lord your God has removed corruption from your body, and to Him you sang with a voice of praise and confession.” Along with this, it is necessary to mention the unusually large drops of rain that irrigated the work site, when the entire deck was exposed, and the light fragrance that spread at the same time. People decided to dig further without a break, but the wind, which raised clouds of lime dust, and the rain that hit the monastery, forced everyone to leave for the Nativity Cathedral. The clergy again sang an akathist to the saint. With the end of the akathist, the rain stopped...

Work at the excavation site continued, and very soon the holy relics were discovered. They were raised by Bishop Gregory of Mozhaisk and transferred to the cathedral church.

At that time, services were performed in the only consecrated monastery church - the gateway Church of the Transfiguration of the Lord. It was here that the holy relics of St. Ferapont rested after their discovery. “Rejoice, faithful guardian of the monastery, in which your body rests; Rejoice, having delivered this monastery from destruction,” is sung in the akathist to St. Ferapont. The Luzhetsky monastery, saved by the prayers of the Monk Ferapont from many troubles and misfortunes, from complete destruction, having received the visible blessing of its founder in the discovery of his holy relics, began to be reborn. Both means and benefactors were found. The monastery gradually began to rise from its dilapidated state. In the shortest possible time, the territory of the monastery was cleared of debris and landscaped.

On June 9, 1999, a solemn celebration of the memory of St. Ferapont and the discovery of his holy relics took place. The service was held in the open air, led by Metropolitan Juvenaly of Krutitsky and Kolomna. That day the monastery was full of worshipers, despite the thirty-degree heat, which melted the candles, so that it was impossible to put them on the candlestick. The holiday was remembered with joy akin to Easter. And it became even more joyful from the fact that the Monk Ferapont was now in his monastery and visibly, with holy relics.

“Thank God that another shrine has been found. The people of God will flock to the relics of St. Ferapont, the founder of the Mozhaisk Luzhetsky Monastery, now resting in the monastery, asking for prayerful intercession and strengthening on their life’s path from the ascetic of the Russian land,” wrote His Holiness Patriarch Alexy of Moscow and All Rus' on the Act of Finding the Relics presented to him II. On July 6, 1999, His Holiness was one of the first to make a pilgrimage to the newfound shrine.

The celebrations on the occasion of the discovery of the holy relics ended, and painstaking work began on the restoration of the cathedral church of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary. We had to restore the roof again, cover the domes, and install crosses. The reconstruction of the cathedral gallery began with the construction of the front porch. The cathedral was once painted by masters of the school of Dionysius, but only fragments of the painting were preserved and restored, allowing us to say that one of the themes of the ancient wall painting of the cathedral was scenes from the Apocalypse. Modern masters of icon painting have completed work on a four-tiered iconostasis. Graduates of the St. Petersburg Academy of Arts painted the icon “St. Ferapont in the Life” with sixteen hallmarks, on four of which we see the saint’s contemporaries and prayer companions: St. Theodore, Archbishop of Rostov, St. Sergius of Radonezh, Cyril and Martinian of Belozersky. The uniqueness of the icon lies in the fact that one of its hagiographical marks depicts for the first time an event in modern church history - the discovery of the holy relics of St. Ferapont. The temple icon “Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary,” like the entire iconostasis, was painted anew and also has its own peculiarity - stamps with lists of the most revered icons of the Mother of God.

On the occasion of the 190th anniversary of the Patriotic War of 1812, an icon appeared in the local row of the iconostasis, which had never existed before in Mozhaisk - “Mozhaisk Saints”. It depicts standing “in the air” above the holy churches of the Mozhaisk land: the patron saint of the city, Saint Nicholas of Myra, with a sword and hail in his hands; Saints Macarius, Metropolitan of Moscow, and New Martyr Demetrius, Archbishop of Mozhaisk; New Martyr Archpriest Constantine; noble princes Theodore of Smolensk and Dimitry Donskoy, who once began to reign in the Mozhaisk inheritance; Reverends Ferapont of Mozhaisk and Rachel of Borodino. Above the saints are depicted two angels carrying the Kolotsk Icon of the Mother of God, revealed in 1413 near Mozhaisk.

Here, in the Cathedral of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary, in a carved wooden shrine now rests the relics of the founder of the monastery, St. Ferapont of Belozersky and the Wonderworker of Mozhaisk. The restoration of the church named after him is a matter of the future.

But, as it turned out, the donor’s older ancestor is also related to monastic history. The princely family of the Vadbolskys descends from the princes of Belozersky, who in the 14th century began to submit to the Moscow prince. It is interesting that Prince Yuri Vasilyevich Belozersky-Sugorsky was the very governor of Mozhaisk Prince Andrei Dmitrievich, who persuaded the Monk Ferapont to leave Beloozero and come to Mozhaisk.

To this day, the Mozhaisk land is connected by an invisible thread with Belozerye, so dear to the heart of the Monk Ferapont. In the Luzhetsky Monastery, on the site of a necropolis devastated by atheists, a memorial wooden cross was erected with the inscription: “To the blessed memory of the holy monks, all the brethren, builders and beautifiers.” It was carved many miles from Mozhaisk - miles that were covered by the Monk Ferapont six centuries ago. They cut the cross on White Lake, in the monastery of his friend and fellow priest, St. Cyril.

The good news is that the Luzhetsky Monastery can be proud of not only new shrines - some of its ancient relics are miraculously returning here. In 1686, Patriarch Joachim made a rich contribution to the monastery sacristy - an altar Gospel, overlaid with gilded silver. “This Gospel has a gilded silver front panel, of good chased workmanship, weighing up to 4 pounds, and the spine and back panel are also chased, gilded, but copper; it is in a large sheet, printed in 1681,” this is how the monastery chronicler Archimandrite Dionysius described this holy Gospel at the end of the 19th century. After the revolutionary upheavals of the 20th century, the richest sacristy of the monastery ceased to exist. There is evidence of how, in godless years, precious frames were torn off from liturgical books of the 16th–18th centuries. Could the shrine have been preserved in those monstrous conditions? It turns out she could. The Holy Gospel lay unclaimed and unrecognized for many years in one of the two unclosed churches in Mozhaisk - the Church of Elijah the Prophet. Then, at the end of the 20th century, it was bound and transferred to the Luzhetsky Monastery. On December 30/January 12, 2000, on the day of remembrance of St. Macarius, Metropolitan of Moscow, the patriarchal gift was placed on the throne of the Transfiguration Church for the first time. During the Divine Liturgy, while reading the indicated conception, the abbot of the monastery drew attention to the word written in old ink at the bottom of the page. It turned out to be the beginning of a loose-leaf entry. The entire forty-page entry read: “This / book / the great / Cyrus / Joachim / Patriarch / of Moscow / and all / Russia / and the northern / countries / gave / to the monastery / of the Most Holy / Mother of God / in the temple / of / Her Nativity / in Luzhetskaya / monastery / like / is / in the city / Mozhaisk / in eternal / remembrance / of their parents / from the universe / 7104 / summer / month / March / and from that / monastery this book / may not be stolen / by anyone / forever. / Amen amen. / Be it, be it.” Strongly the high priest's word! The holy book returned to where it was destined to remain forever.

Traditions, maintained over previous centuries and seemingly forgotten in the godless decades of the 20th century, began to be resumed under Abbot Boris (Petrukhin), appointed rector of the Luzhetsk monastery in 1994. This worthy shepherd gave a lot of both physical and mental strength to the monastery. From a “state-protected” architectural monument, as the monastery was perceived by the Mozhaisk residents, it again became a place of prayer. The revival of the monastic monastery entailed the revival of human souls, their cleansing from sin and vice. When on June 7, 2001, on the eve of the day of remembrance of St. Ferapont, crosses were installed over the new gilded domes of the Cathedral of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary, the author of these lines happened to hear the statement of one far from young man on a regular bus: “Wow, what a beauty! I didn’t see and didn’t imagine that we have such beauty here nearby. I look and even want to put a cross on myself.”

“The House of the Most Pure Mother of God of Her Honorable and Glorious Nativity and the Venerable Ferapont in Luzhki in Mozhaisk,” whose rector has been Abbot Methodius (Sokolov) since October 2005, continues to transform, thanks to the feasible assistance that parishioners, pilgrims and benefactors provide it. But the works of human hands are powerless without the prayerful intercession of a host of holy saints of God, our saints and pious compatriots.

Prince Andrei Dmitrievich wanted to build a house for saving souls in his city and called upon the Monk Ferapont. “The will of the Lord be done,” said the holy elder and came to Mozhaisk. And the monastery was built. Then everything was as in the Gospel parable: “...and the rain came, and the rivers overflowed, and the winds blew and rushed against that house, and it did not fall, because it was founded on rock” (Matthew 7:24-25). Prince Andrei, souls thirsting for salvation are again drawn to the house of God.

Account of the Mozhaisk Luzhetsky Ferapont Monastery:
account 4070381053000140325
Monastery INN 5028008200
Branch of MAKB "Vozrozhdenie" Mozhaisk
BIC 044611475
Cor. sch. 30101810800000000475
Bank INN 5000001042

The article for publication was kindly provided by the Historical and Educational Society in Memory of St. Ferapont. In the near future, the brochure “Mozhaisk Luzhetsky Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary Ferapontov Monastery” published by this society will be published. A complete selection of currently known materials about the Mozhaisk Luzhetsky Monastery and its founder, the Venerable Ferapont of Belozersk and Mozhaisk, will be published on the website of the Luzhetsky Monastery

There are many ancient monasteries in Russia. One of the most famous is Luzhetsky, located near Mozhaisk on the banks of the Moscow River. This interesting Orthodox complex annually attracts hundreds of tourists and believers, most of whom consider it one of the few places in Russia that has preserved the spirit of the old pre-revolutionary Orthodox monasteries.

When and by whom was it founded?

Many ancient chronicles tell about how the Luzhetsky Monastery in Mozhaisk developed (its photos are presented on the page). The first stones of this interesting complex were laid in 1408. The founder of the monastery was the student of Sergius of Radonezh, Ferapont Belozersky.

By the time the Luzhetsky Monastery was built, the elder was already 70 years old. This monastery was founded at the request of Prince Andrei Mozhaisky.

Brief biography of Father Ferapont

This Orthodox saint was born near Volokolamsk in 1337. His parents were of a boyar family. In the world, the future founder of the Luzhetsky Monastery was called Fyodor Poskochin. The saint decided to become a monk already in adulthood. He took monastic vows at the Moscow Simonov Monastery. He was blessed by his then father Fyodor, who was the nephew of Sergius of Radonezh. Presumably he was tonsured a saint in 1385.

In the Simonov Monastery of St. Ferapont became friends with another righteous monk, Father Kirill. Together they founded a monastery on the shores of Beloozero. According to legend, the Mother of God herself indicated the site for the construction of the new monastery to Father Cyril. The Belozersky Monastery was founded by the monks in 1398. It was in this monastery that Father Ferapont spent the next ten years of his life, until he was invited by Prince Andrei to found a new monastery.

Construction of the monastery

Arriving in Mozhaisk, Father Ferapont blessed the place where the construction of the monastery was planned. The complex was built with the money of Prince Andrei. Many monasteries on the territory of Rus' were built of wood. Stone was initially chosen for the construction of religious buildings of the Luzhetsky Monastery. The Cathedral of the Nativity of the Mother of God was the first to be built. At the same time, cells were erected for the future brethren.

Father Ferapont Belozersky himself was appointed the first archimandrite of the new monastery. The Luzhetsky Bogoroditsky Monastery remained the place of residence of the saint for 18 years. Elder Ferapont died in 1426 at the age of 95. Ferapont was canonized in 1547. The elder was buried at the northern wall of the Cathedral of the Nativity of the Virgin. Later, a temple was built over his grave. Currently, only the foundation remains of this structure.

Brief biography of Prince Andrei

The Russian ruler, by whose decree the Ferapontov Luzhetsky Mozhaisk Monastery was built, was the third son of Dmitry Donskoy. He became Prince of Mozhaisk in 1389. These lands were bequeathed to him at the age of seven by his dying father. In addition to Mozhaisk, his possessions included such cities as Kaluga, Iskona, Galichichi and Beloozero, where Father Ferapont lived for a long time.

The idea of building a monastery came to Prince Andrei for a very simple reason. The fact is that in the vicinity of the main city of his lands there were no large monasteries dedicated to the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary. After the construction of the monastery, this ruler helped its archimandrite in every possible way. Prince Andrei Mozhaisky died six years after the death of Father Ferapont - in 1432.

Creation of a new ensemble

Today the Luzhetsky Monastery complex (Mozhaisk) includes, of course, many more buildings than there were under Father Ferapont. The current ensemble of the monastery began to be created in 1523 on the initiative of the then archimandrite Father Macarius of Moscow. At the request of this priest, the Church of the Virgin Mary, which had stood for about a hundred years, was demolished. In its place a large five-domed Cathedral with a gallery was built. The temple was painted by masters from the school of Dionysius specially invited for this purpose. Unfortunately, only isolated fragments of those frescoes have survived to this day.

In 1692, with the support of Patriarch Joachim, a three-tier bell tower was built on the territory of the monastery. The main donors to the monastery at that time were representatives of the Savelyev family. Later they were buried on the first tier of this structure. Unfortunately, their tombstones, like the frescoes in the Cathedral, have not been preserved.

What kind of buildings the Luzhetsky Monastery consisted of (photos of the modern complex presented on the page clearly demonstrate its scale) in the past is not known for certain. But there is a charter according to which between 1569 and 1574 four royal children were sent to the monastery. This means that at least 4 churches operated on the territory of the monastery.

Temple of St. Ferapont

This church was built directly over the relics of the founder of the Luzhetsk monastery. When exactly it was laid is also unknown. Some researchers suggest that the temple could have stood on the territory of the monastery during the life of the saint. Others believe that it was built at the beginning of the 16th century. Precise references to the existence of this monastery are found only in documents of the late 16th century.

Luzhetsky Monastery in the Time of Troubles

During the Lithuanian invasion of 1605-1619. the monastery was seriously damaged. All churches were completely destroyed. The disaster was so serious that for another 7 years after this, services were performed only in the Cathedral. From this largest temple in the complex, as well as from all the others, the Lithuanians removed a huge number of icon frames, sacred vessels and other valuable church utensils. Fortunately, Father Ferapont’s coffin remained intact at that time. The monastery was restored in subsequent years mainly through donations.

Monastery under the French

The Luzhetsky Monastery suffered another disaster during the war with Napoleon. The French who captured Mozhaisk placed the Westphalian corps of General Junot in the monastery. As a result, the monastery was turned into a kind of carpentry shop.

Like the Lithuanians, the French stole many expensive items of church utensils from churches and the Cathedral. However, fortunately, this time the invaders did not cause much damage to the monastery. For example, the Church of St. Feraponta was completely ready for consecration within a month after the brethren returned to the monastery.

Icon of the Head of the Baptist

In 1871, in the new chapel of the Church of St. Ferapont an iconostasis and a holy throne were built. The icon of the Head of the Baptist, miraculously preserved on the front side in 1812, was chosen as the main temple icon (its back side was heavily chopped up). The chapel was consecrated in honor of this icon in September 1871.

Like all other monasteries in the country, during the years of communist rule the Luzhetsky Monastery experienced far from the best times. In 1929 it was closed. Some of the brethren were dispersed, the other part were repressed. Before the Second World War, the monastery operated a workshop for the production of medical equipment. Above the necropolis, the authorities built garages and warehouses with inspection pits. Then for a long time the monastery stood completely ownerless.

Restoration of the monastery

Luzhetsky was transferred to the church in 1994. The first bishop's service in the newly opened Church of the Nativity took place on October 23. In May 1999, on the initiative of Metropolitan Yuvenaly of Kolomna and Krutitsy, the relics of the Venerable St. were found. Ferapont. Now they have been moved to the Cathedral of the Nativity of the Virgin.

In April 2015, a new bell weighing 2.5 tons was raised to the bell tower of the monastery. The opening of this religious building took place on August 9, 2015. Before this, the reconstruction of the bell tower lasted 10 months.

Features of the modern complex

To date, the Luzhetsky Ferapontov Monastery includes the following buildings:

cells with a rector's corps;
bell tower with the tomb of the Savelov family (1673-1692);
Cathedral of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary (1524-1547);
the foundation remaining from the treasurer's house (late 19th century);
Church of the Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary with refectory (XVI century);
northern and southern buildings in the eastern part (late 19th early 20th century);
gate church of the Transfiguration (1603);
foundation of the church of St. Ferapont;
necropolis.

The Gate Church of the Transfiguration, among other things, is famous for the fact that Boris Godunov himself was present at its consecration in 1603.

In addition to the buildings listed above, the eastern entrance gate, erected in 1780, has also been preserved on the territory of the monastery. The Luzhetsky Monastery is surrounded by a fence with towers from 1681-1684. On the territory of the complex there are also utility gates erected in the 90s of the 19th century. The necropolis includes several ancient tombstones with a forked cross and pagan symbols.

From the walls of the monastery there is a magnificent view of the Moscow River. A dam was built next to the monastery, right next to its walls.

Spring

Another attraction of the monastery is the well with holy water. It is not located on the territory of the monastery, but in the nearby village of Isavitsy. It is believed that this well was dug by Elder Ferapont himself.

The area around the spring is landscaped - there are benches and baths. A monument to Father Ferapont was also erected here. There is also a chapel and a church shop in the village. To get to the well, you need to stand in line. There are many people who want to collect holy water from the Ferapont spring.

Necropolis of the monastery

Some tourists find the monks' cemetery, located on the territory of the monastery, quite unusual. It seems that the headstones do not belong to the graves at all. The fact is that many of them have non-Christian symbols stamped on them: swastikas and Kolovrat symbols. The same stones lie in the backyard. Once they were used as material for the construction of the monastery.

Perhaps in ancient times there was a pagan cemetery on this site. And not to go far, the first builders simply used strong tombstones to erect religious buildings of the new official religion. Of course, this is nothing more than a guess. However, pagan symbols (and on some stones even inscriptions in the ancient Slavic language) could not appear out of nowhere, of course.

Mozhaisky Luzhetsky how to get there?

By public transport from Moscow you can get to the monastery from the Belorussky railway station. To do this, you need to take the train going to the Mozhaisk station, and then take a bus to the Moskva River stop.

By personal transport you should travel along to Mozhaisk. Then you need to turn towards the river following the signs. In total, the road from Moscow to the monastery takes no more than two hours.

Luzhetsky Monastery (Mozhaisk, Russia) - expositions, opening hours, address, phone numbers, official website.

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Mozhaisk Luzhetsky Nativity of the Virgin Ferapontov Monastery is the last of the city's 18 monasteries built in the Middle Ages. The rest did not survive. This cultural heritage site dates back to the 15th century; its founder, Saint Ferapont, was a student of Sergius of Radonezh. He dedicated the monastery created in 1408 to the Nativity of the Virgin Mary for a special reason - on this day the battle took place on the Kulikovo Field.

The first cathedral of the monastery was also dedicated to this holiday. Saint Ferapont was buried near its northern wall when he rested in peace at the age of 95. In 1681-1684. the monastery was surrounded by a stone fence with two gates, decorated with towers. During the Civil War it was closed, books and vestments were handed over to the Museum of Local Lore. Then the buildings housed a factory, and in 1994 the monastery was returned to the church. Many sights have been preserved within its walls.

What to see

The Cathedral of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary, one of the oldest in the Moscow region, was built in the first half of the 16th century; its appearance changed significantly in the 18th century, but the original intention of the creators is still noticeable to this day. The powerful walls are designed to last for centuries, the narrow windows resemble loopholes, and the golden domes dazzle. God's power and princely authority are embodied in this structure. The spiritual center of the cathedral is a patterned wooden shrine with the relics of St. Ferapont of Belozersk and the Wonderworker of Mozhaisk.

It is noteworthy that the foundation remaining from the dismantled church of St. Ferapont is made of ancient tombstones, on the white stone of which fork-shaped crosses are carved.

The Church of the Entry of the Blessed Virgin Mary is a refectory church of the first half of the 16th century, the hipped roof of which was replaced in the 18th century by a simple roof with a dome, and the upper part of the walls was dismantled. In the basement of the church there was a chapel of Theodore Stratilates. This building, closed in the 1920s, was used for a long time as a furniture factory. In the 90s, the churches were returned and restored.

The bell tower with the tomb of the Savelov family took 19 years to build, from 1673 to 1692. The descendants who lived in the 17th and 18th centuries rest on its first tier. The bell tower was once decorated with a massive clock, which is reminiscent of the weight shaft that remains in one of the corners of the building.

The gate church of the Transfiguration of the Lord crowns the gates, called the saints. They were erected in 1603 and, from a military point of view, strengthened the defense of the Ferapontov Monastery. During the Time of Troubles they were stormed by Polish invaders. When peace returned to Russia, the monastery was restored, and a gate church was erected with donations from pious townspeople. The temple and gates survived another assault during the Patriotic War of 1812 and were restored again. The cells with the abbot's building and the entrance eastern gate, as well as the ruins of buildings that have not survived, are also worthy of attention.

For six centuries, from the high right bank of the Moscow River on the outskirts of Mozhaisk, from an area that since ancient times was called Meadows, monastic prayer has been ascending to the Lord. For six centuries the Luzhetsky monastery has stood here - one of the pearls of that spiritual necklace, which by the Providence of God was scattered throughout the Russian land by the disciples and disciples of the disciples of St. Sergius of Radonezh and to this day shines as centers of holiness, strongholds of faith and piety.

Who stood at the origins of the monastery? What have its walls seen? What is his day like today?

The foundation of a monastic monastery in the capital of the Mozhaisk appanage principality was laid in 1408 by the prayers and labors of the Monk Ferapont, the interlocutor of the Monk Sergius of Radonezh, and the care of the appanage Mozhaisk prince Andrei Dmitrievich. Hagiographies and chronicles describe in some detail the events of six centuries ago.

The Monk Ferapont was born around 1337 in Volok Lamsky from pious parents, the boyars Poskochins, and received the name Theodore at baptism. Trying to escape the vanity of this world, he came to the Moscow Simonov Monastery already in adulthood. The abbot of the monastery, Saint Theodore, nephew of the Venerable Sergius of Radonezh, future Archbishop of Rostov († 1394; memory - November 28 / December 11), blessed him to tonsure him with the name Ferapont without undergoing a preliminary test. This happened around 1385. The Monk Ferapont had to visit White Lake on monastic business. He fell in love with the Belozersky region very much. As the life of the saint narrates, “this area was very deserted and there were many forests, impenetrable swamps, many waters, lakes and rivers,” and all this contributed to the solitude and silence that his soul longed for. This desire of the monk Ferapont to live in the desert was not hidden from the Knower of the Lord’s Heart. Soon the monk left Simonov together with his friend, the Monk Kirill of Belozersky († 1427; memory - June 9/22). After long wanderings around the Belozersk borders, the ascetics found the place indicated in a miraculous vision to the Monk Cyril by the Most Holy Theotokos. Here they erected a cross and, having sung the praises of the Mother of God, dug a dugout for themselves to live in. This was in 1397, which is considered the year of foundation of the Kirillo-Belozersky Monastery in honor of the Dormition of the Blessed Virgin Mary.

A year later, the Monk Ferapont, having moved fifteen miles away from the Cyril Monastery, settled completely secluded in a beautiful place - among the Paskoye and Borodavskoye lakes, “between which the flight of an arrow or a little more.” But the humble hermit did not have to remain silent for long: the brethren gathered and in the wilds of the Belozersk forests another monastic monastery appeared, which the Monk Ferapont dedicated to the Nativity of the Mother of God. He spent ten years in fasting and prayer in the harsh northern region and was so successful in monastic work that the fame of the ascetic elder reached the ruler of the Belozersk land - Andrei Dmitrievich Mozhaisky.

The son of holy parents, the blessed Grand Duke Dimitri Donskoy († 1389; memory - May 19/June 1) and Grand Duchess Evdokia of Moscow, in monasticism - Euphrosyne († 1407; memory - May 17/30), Prince Andrei after the death of his father as a seven-year-old boy received Mozhaisk and Beloozero as an inheritance. Having strengthened over the years and settled in his capital city, the pious prince decided to build a special monastic monastery near Mozhaisk with his support. “And he was looking,” says the life of the Monk Ferapont, “where he could find a husband, perfect in mind, to carry out this business, and he did not find around him a person suitable for such an undertaking. And then the blessed Ferapont, who created a monastery on White Lake in his homeland, came to his mind, and he realized that there was no better person to start such a business.” No matter how much the monk wanted to end his days in the silence of Belozersk, nevertheless, due to the persuasion of the brethren, he had to submit to the wishes of the sovereign prince. With the words: “The will of the Lord be done!” - The seventy-year-old old man set off on his journey. With God's help he reached Mozhaisk. The meeting between the prince and the saint was touching. Twenty-six-year-old Andrei Dmitrievich saw the old man approaching from afar and came out to meet him with the words: “God will count all your steps and reward you for your labors.”

The prince lovingly begged the monk to create a monastery near his city for the salvation of the monks. The ascetic did not dare to entrust such a big task to his ramen and humbly asked to be released back to the Belozersk brethren. But the prince was adamant in his intention: “It is easier for me, father, to lose everything than to let go of your shrine. My desire is so great, for which I called you, for the sake of God’s love, stay here with us and undertake to fulfill the desire of my soul. With your prayers, with God’s help, I want to build a house for saving souls, so that for their salvation the Lord God would forgive me the sins of my soul and deliver me from eternal torment through your holy prayers.” The saint again obeyed with the words: “The will of the Lord be done,” and soon above the water meadows on the banks of the Moscow River he found a place “very suitable for building a monastery and beautiful in itself.”

The Monk Ferapont dedicated this monastery to the Nativity of the Most Holy Theotokos. And the first twelfth holiday of the church new year was especially dear to Prince Andrei. It was on the celebration of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary on September 8 (September 21, new style) 1380 that his father, the Grand Duke of Moscow Dimitri Ioannovich, defeated the hordes of Khan Mamai on the Kulikovo field, and his mother, Grand Duchess Evdokia, built in memory of that victory in Moscow Kremlin temple in honor of the Nativity of the Virgin Mary.

Prince Andrei Dmitrievich began the construction of a stone cathedral in honor of the Nativity of the Mother of God on the site blessed by the Monk Ferapont. He decorated the house of the Most Holy Theotokos with icons and provided everything necessary. The brethren soon gathered around Abba Ferapont, the founder of the new monastery. Prince Andrei obtained the rank of archimandrite for the saint and, as the life of the saint reports, “had constant care for him, and honored him well and put him to rest in his old age, and did not disobey him in anything.” The Monk Ferapont reigned in Mozhaisk for eighteen years. At the ninetieth year of his life, in 1426 from the Nativity of Christ, he departed to the Lord. Mourned by the prince and his family, the holy elder was buried with honors in the Luzhetsky Monastery, near the northern wall of the cathedral church. Six years later, on June 2 (June 15, new style) 1432, Prince Andrei Dmitrievich also died, bequeathing to his sons “to take care of the Belozersky monasteries and the Mozhaisk Luzhetsky.” The prince, as a member of the Moscow princely house, was buried in the Archangel Cathedral of the Moscow Kremlin.

Mozhaisk came into the possession of the Grand Dukes of Moscow already in the middle of the 15th century. The sacristy of the Luzhetsky Monastery once contained tarhan letters for estates and land granted to the monastery from the Grand Duke of Moscow Vasily Ioannovich, “Tsar and Autocrat” Ivan IV Vasilyevich and Emperor Mikhail Fedorovich, dated 1506, 1551 and 1623.

The name of the first known archimandrite of the monastery after St. Ferapont was mentioned in the monastic chronicle only in 1523. This is Macarius, a monk of the Borovsky Pafnutiev Monastery, the future Metropolitan of Moscow and All Rus' († 1563; memory - December 30 / January 12). Although the period of his stay here was short - only three years, Saint Macarius never left his attention to the Ferapont monastery in Mozhaisk, making contributions to large stone construction. In the first half of the 16th century, the original stone Cathedral of the Nativity of the Virgin Mary, which had stood for a hundred years, was dismantled and a new, five-domed cathedral with a gallery was built in its place.

At the Church Councils of 1547–1549, convened through the labors of St. Macarius, many Russian saints of God, glorified by God with miraculous signs, were canonized. Among the saints revered by the entire Russian Church, the Monk Ferapont, the Wonderworker of Belozersky and Mozhaisk, was also glorified. In the Ferapontov Monastery on White Lake, through the labors of monks, the life and service of the saint were written, and in the Luzhetsky Monastery a temple was built over the saint’s grave.

Church of the Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary with a refectory. XVI century

In the census books of the city of Mozhaisk, compiled in 1596–1598 after the pestilence that devastated the surrounding area, for the first time a detailed description of the Luzhetsky Monastery is given. It had three stone churches: the cathedral of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary with the side-chapel of Macarius of Egypt, the Vvedensky with the side-chapel of Theodore Stratelates and St. John Climacus, in which “the tomb of the venerable elder Ferapont is lined with tin, gilded, on the upper panel is the image of Ferapont the Wonderworker.” The bell tower with a fighting clock, the abbot's cells and ten brethren's cells, the holy gates with holy icons on both sides were wooden. Church objects were kept in the cathedral church, the sacristy was rich in expensive vestments and silver vessels, and the library was rich in many handwritten and some printed books. “The treasury contains 478 rubles 28 kopecks and a lot of tin and copper utensils; outside the monastery there is a stable yard, and in the grain field there are 280 hundredth kopecks of rye and 240 hundredth kopecks of oats, and in the settlement there are 27 courtyards in the open.”

Being quite strong and solid, the monastery met the 17th century, the beginning of which we call the Time of Troubles. Internal unrest and invasions of foreigners shook our Fatherland. For Mozhaisk, and therefore for its main monastery, it all began in 1605, when the crowds of the self-proclaimed Tsarevich False Dmitry, heading towards Moscow, and he himself with his Polish bride Marina Mnishek spent the first days of Bright Week in the city, thereby darkening the Easter joy of the townspeople. The monastic chronicle reports that “Mozhaisk and its surroundings were subjected to constant devastation from all sorts of rebel vagabonds and from the Poles; More than once they were all driven out of these places and took possession of them again, and in 1610 the city of Mozhaisk was bought from the Pole Vilchek by the Moscow boyars for one hundred rubles, but was soon again left in the power of the Poles until they were expelled from Moscow in 1612–1613 and from the limits of Moscow." Five years later, the artillery of the Polish prince Vladislav, stationed near Mozhaisk, practically destroyed both the city and the settlement. At the same time, the Luga Archimandrite Mitrofan died a martyr. The monastery was devastated, the population in the sub-monastery settlements was beaten, all the churches were destroyed to such an extent that even a decade after the Lithuanian devastation, Divine services could only be performed in the Nativity Cathedral. But even in this cathedral church, the frames stolen by the Poles from almost all the images of the iconostasis have not yet been restored. In the monastery sacristy, instead of silver liturgical utensils, only wooden ones remained, and instead of valuable vestments, only canvas vestments. Many handwritten books were also lost. Gradually the monastery began to rise from the ruins. Archimandrite Moses (Obukhov) put a lot of work into its restoration, who “did not spare his own means, and was happy that under his abbot there were many who were zealous for the holy Luzhetsky monastery.” The monastery Contribution Book under 1644 contained an entry about the contribution of Archimandrite Moses “for his parents to the eternal wake; on the frame that they covered the image of the Most Pure Mother of God Hodegetria, in the cathedral church on the left side, and the image of the venerable wonderworker Ferapont.” Archimandrite Moses and 29 other people from the brethren of the monastery died during the pestilence of 1655.

Bell tower
End of the 17th century

Gradually, thanks to donations from various people, the Ferapontov Luzhetsky Monastery regained its splendor. The gatehouse Church of the Transfiguration of the Lord appeared in its architectural ensemble; it is mentioned for the first time in 1627. A stone two-story cell building was built. And finally, in 1692, the monastery was decorated with a four-tiered bell tower. Among the donors for its construction is the native of the Mozhaisk land, His Holiness Patriarch Joachim (Savelov; † 1690), who granted the Luzhetsky Monastery “one hundred rubles for the bell stone structure.” In the lower tier of the bell tower, in the so-called bell tent, several representatives of the ancient Savelov family were subsequently buried - benefactors of the monastery and relatives of the Patriarch, and among them, His Holiness’s brother Pavel Petrovich Savelov, tonsured a monk in the Luzhetsky Monastery with the name Peter († 1709) .

By royal order, in the first year of the 18th century, fifty pounds of bell copper were donated from the Luzhetsky Monastery for military needs. This century was also reflected in the monastic chronicle with a storm that tore the cross from one of the domes of the cathedral church, “fiery burns,” endless “corrections of dilapidations” and renovations of churches. In 1723, the Church of St. John the Climacus was consecrated in the name of the founder and leader of the monastery, St. Ferapont. An important event was the addition of the Luzhetsky Monastery to the second class of diocesan monasteries in 1764. In the list of second-class monasteries of the Moscow diocese, it was listed third after the Moscow Spaso-Andronikov and Vysoko-Petrovsky. The Luzhetsky abbot was allowed to wear a mantle with crimson tablets, serve with a legguard and a club, in a hat, on a carpet and have a staff with four silver-gilded apples. The number of brethren was supposed to be 17 people with the abbot, and for work on the monastery it was allowed to have 17 full-time ministers.

Gate Church of the Transfiguration of the Lord
Beginning of the 17th century

Traveling to Kyiv in 1804, Metropolitan Platon of Moscow and Kolomna (Levshin; † 1812) stopped at the Luzhetsky Monastery and described it this way: “This monastery is all stone; There are four churches and cells in it and a stone fence, well built, and the splendor inside the churches is not shameful; stands on a high and beautiful place on the banks of the Moscow River, from where almost the entire city is visible.” The first decade of the 19th century passed in the usual monastic works. In December 1811, the iconostasis of St. Ferapont was “resumed with painting and arrangement.” But then the thunderstorm of the twelfth year struck.

Of course, it was impossible for the monastery, located near the Smolensk Highway, along which the multilingual army of Napoleon Bonaparte was moving towards Moscow, to be unaffected by wartime disasters. As the enemy approached Mozhaisk on August 18, the city and the Luzhetsky Monastery were declared in a state of siege. On August 20, two thousand rubles in silver and copper coins and banknotes were contributed from the Luzhetsky Monastery for the benefit of wounded Russian soldiers, for which, by order of the commander-in-chief Mikhail Illarionovich Golenishchev-Kutuzov, the brethren were declared “complete gratitude.” At the same time, an “Open Letter” was issued for the free passage of the brethren in the Russian provinces.

On August 25, 1812, the day before the general battle of the Patriotic War near Borodino, the Luga monks with the treasures of the sacristy set off from Mozhaisk to Yaroslavl, where they stayed in the Tolga Monastery until the end of October. In their native monastery, meanwhile, the headquarters of the Westphalian corps of General Junot was located. There were up to four thousand enemy troops in the monastery. It is well known how the godless conqueror treated Orthodox shrines: many altars were desecrated and shrines were desecrated. The Luzhetsky Monastery was no exception. During the retreat, the French even wanted to blow it up, but the regular servant of the monastery, a peasant from the sub-monastery settlement Ivan Matveev, who ran immediately after the enemy left to the cathedral church and saw that there was a fire in the cathedral, the iconostasis was burning, and there was gunpowder in bags on the windows, all these I collected the bags and took them out.

The monastery of St. Ferapont did not disappear from the face of the earth this time either, but the brethren, returning from Yaroslavl on November 10, found it in a deplorable state. Only in the fence of the monastery were two hundred and twenty holes for cannons broken, and inside... Here we give the floor to the monastery treasurer, Hieromonk Joasaph († 1827), under whose control the Luzhetsky Monastery was in 1812: “... upon my arrival... I found: the Church of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary burned, even all the tickling fell off the walls; in the altar, on a high place, on the right side there was a carved cross and remained intact, only smoked, and on the left side the image of the Virgin Mary of Vladimir burned; and the monastery is completely littered with dead cattle, which were shot by the French during their escape; warm church robbed - Presentation of the Most Holy Theotokos into the temple, in which the rye was threshed, the iconostasis and holy images are intact, only many iron nails are stuffed into the images, in the church of St. Ferapont there was carpentry, full of shavings, the tombstone image of St. Ferapont was demolished; The reliquary, the canopy, the iconostasis and the holy images were all intact, the throne and the altar were taken away, which was cleaned, the water was blessed and sprinkled, and the hours, Vespers and Matins began to be served, which made the people very happy.”

Within five years, the brethren of the monastery, led by Father Joasaph, managed to put the monastery devastated by the conquerors in order. Already on November 19, 1812, permission was received for the full consecration of the refectory of the Vvedenskaya Church. The cathedral church was reconsecrated at the end of June 1815. The Church of the Transfiguration of the Lord was restored in 1817. But the echo of the Patriotic War of 1812 reverberated for a long time within the walls of the Luzhetsky Monastery. In 1820, Treasurer Joasaph consecrated the Church of the Savior on Borodino Field, built by the widow of the Borodino hero Margarita Mikhailovna Tuchkova. Since 1827, Metropolitan of Moscow and Kolomna Philaret (Drozdov; † 1867, memory - November 19 / December 2) the Luga monks were obliged to perform daily Divine services there. Until 1873, when the Spaso-Borodinsky Monastery, by order of the diocesan authorities, established its own clergy, the Luga brethren steadily fulfilled this obedience, praying for the soldiers who laid down their lives for the faith, the Tsar and the Fatherland.

In 1837, the heir to the throne, Tsarevich Grand Duke Alexander Nikolaevich, the future Emperor Alexander II, took part in this commemoration when he came to the Borodino field. On the way back from Borodino, His Highness deigned to visit the Luzhetsky Monastery, where, greeted by the brethren with the ringing of bells, he listened to the litany and many years in the cathedral church, and then, proceeding to the church of St. Ferapont, venerated the saint’s shrine.

Four outbreaks of cholera were witnessed in Mozhaisk in 1830–1870. Through prayers, including those of the Luga brethren, this terrible disease receded. In 1871, when the first cholera cases appeared, the miraculous icon of the Kolotsk Mother of God was lifted and brought to the city and to the Luzhetsky Monastery from the Kolotsk Assumption Monastery (fifteen versts from Mozhaisk). The epidemic stopped and never returned.

In the same year, in the church of St. Ferapont, a chapel was consecrated in honor of a local shrine - an icon depicting the venerable head of John the Baptist on a platter, miraculously preserved after the destruction of the monastery by the French in 1812. The icon was deeply chopped with an ax, but the face of the Forerunner and Baptist of the Lord remained untouched.

Also revered in the monastery as a miraculous wooden altar cross with a carved crucifix, it remained intact during a fire caused by the French in the altar of the cathedral church, in which the altar and altar, as well as the altar icon of the Mother of God, were burned. In 1858, this cross was covered with a silver frame and decorated with four bronze images: at the top - the Lord of Hosts, on the right side - the Mother of God, on the left - the Apostle John the Theologian and below - the Monk Ferapont. On the reverse side of the cross were attached two metal plaques describing the miracle of preserving the cross and indicating that this cross was built by Archimandrite Anthony of Luga († 1692) in 1681.

Alas, these shrines have not survived to this day. The numerous treasures of the monastery’s sacristy, as well as the events of the centuries-old monastic history and the people who participated in them, are known largely thanks to the Luga archimandrite Dionysius (Vinogradov; † 1898). From 1874 to 1893 he headed the Luga brethren. Enumerating the works of Archimandrite Dionysius would take a lot of time, so we will mention only a few. Having studied and systematized the monastery archives, he restored many Luga traditions. At the monastery of the Monk Ferapont, the ancient lives of its founder began to be collected and republished, the ancient icons of the saint were restored, and new ones were painted - wall, lectern, hagiographic. Icons of the saint - both lithographic, and on enamel, and on cypress boards - became available to ordinary pilgrims. A prayer, service and akathist to the Belozersk and Mozhaisk miracle workers were printed. Cases of the saint's miraculous intercession through prayers before his holy tomb began to be recorded. The twice-a-year celebration of the memory of St. Ferapont was resumed - not only on May 27, but also on December 27 (old style), according to the oldest records about that.

And the second founder of the monastery, Prince Andrei Dmitrievich of Mozhaisk, was given due veneration. Every year on June 2 (old style), on the anniversary of the prince’s death, his commemoration was established. The name of the blessed Prince Andrei, as the founder of the monastery, began to be remembered in litanies. On August 14 (old style), 1882, they commemorated the 500th anniversary of the birth of the prince who founded the Luzhetsk monastery. At the same time, an exact copy of the image of Mozhaisk Prince Andrei Dmitrievich, located above the place of his burial in the Archangel Cathedral of the Moscow Kremlin, appeared in the monastery, written on a zinc board - full-length, in princely purple, with a halo around his head.

Under Archimandrite Dionysius, an annual commemoration of all previously deceased brethren was also established (January 15, old style), commemoration of the benefactors of the monastery on certain days and months, and daily reading of the eternal synodik. Temples were renovated, the territory of the monastery and the cemetery were put in order.

Landscaping work continued under Archimandrite Veniamin (Averkiev; † after 1919), who was appointed rector of the Luzhetsky Monastery in 1904. The 500th anniversary of the Ferapont Monastery was approaching. Archimandrite Veniamin paid the main attention to the monastery churches. The central dome and five crosses of the Cathedral of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary were gilded, as well as the royal doors and vestments on the seven local icons of the iconostasis. The cathedral was decorated with wall paintings - biblical paintings and ornaments. In the church of St. Ferapont, a bronze shrine with a silver top plate was placed over his tomb; a lattice was made to the shrine. In the Church of the Presentation, the iconostasis was re-gilded and painted pale pink. The churches were replenished with new church utensils.

Anniversary celebrations of 1908
In the center is the Metropolitan of Moscow
and Kolomensky Vladimir (Epiphany)

The anniversary celebrations in 1908 at the Luzhetsky Monastery lasted three days. The main celebration took place on May 27 (old style). After two days of cloudy weather, the sky cleared, and the influx of pilgrims to the monastery increased. These were not only residents of Mozhaisk and surrounding villages, but also pilgrims from Moscow and other cities. The holiday turned out to be grand. Two early liturgies were served in the monastery: in the church of St. Ferapont at five o’clock in the morning and in Vvedenskaya at half past six. After the first liturgy, a religious procession headed to the well of St. Ferapont in the village of Isavitsa. At the same time, from the city churches of Mozhaisk, after the early liturgies served in them, religious processions headed to St. Nicholas Cathedral. There, joining the citywide procession with the temple icons of the Trinity, Ascension, Joakimanskaya, Ilinskaya churches, it headed to the Luzhetsky Monastery. The carved image of “Nicholas of Mozhaisk”, known throughout Russia, led this highly solemn procession. The monastery greeted the religious procession with the good news for the late liturgy, which was performed by Metropolitan of Moscow and Kolomna Vladimir (Epiphany; † 1918) with a large assembly of clergy and in the concelebration of Bishops Trifon of Dmitrov (Turkestanov; † 1934) and Bishop Anastasius of Serpukhov (Gribanovsky; † 1965). 25 January / February 7). The service was attended by Moscow Governor-General V.F. Dzhunkovsky, Chairman of the Mozhaisk District Zemstvo Council Count A.P. Uvarov, District Marshal of the Nobility A.K. Varzhenevsky, City Starosta A.A. Petrov and many other representatives of the city and zemstvo. A deputation from the 141st Mozhaisk Infantry Regiment arrived from Orel for the celebration. At the end of the Divine Liturgy, the clergy and everyone who arrived at the monastery walked around the monastery in a solemn religious procession, and then, according to the monastery tradition, the pilgrims received a treat - bread and kvass. Books with the life of St. Ferapont and the history of the Luzhetsky monastery founded by him were also distributed. On the solemn day of celebrating the 500th anniversary of the monastery, by order of the city authorities, there was no trade in Mozhaisk.

Only nine years have passed since the anniversary of the Ferapont Monastery. The October Revolution broke out, and a monstrous change took place in the minds of many Mozhaisk citizens. The monastery, which had withstood foreign invasions, famines and pestilences for five centuries, had to face the most terrible and prolonged test. It was not foreigners who took up arms against the ancient monastery, but people who had lived for years near its old walls and suddenly became zealous fighters against the “damned past.”

Since 1918, most of the territory and monastery premises were already occupied by Red Army soldiers (guard company). On January 3, 1919, an agreement was signed between a group of citizens of the city of Mozhaisk and surrounding villages, on the one hand, and the Mozhaisk Council of Workers' and Peasants' Deputies, on the other, on the transfer for free, perpetual use of the churches and liturgical property located in the Luzhetsky Monastery under certain conditions. Believers pledged to “not allow: political meetings hostile to Soviet power; the pronunciation of hostile sermons and speeches.” The believers were also required to “pay from their own funds all current expenses for the maintenance of the monastery, such as: repairs, heating, insurance, payment of debts, taxes, and local taxes.” Meanwhile, the monastics were gradually forced out of the monastery and communal apartments were set up in the fraternal cells for the families of Red Army soldiers. The “masters of the new life” did not like the proximity to the monastery. It was believed that the existence of the community was allowed only because “so as not to offend the dark, downtrodden religious feeling of the population.” Complaints about the community of believers and requests for its closure began to be sent to the Presidium of the Moscow City Council: “The religious community in the church of the former Luzhetsky Monastery, located within the walls of the guard company, performing their religious rites of service, sometimes accompanied by a procession of the cross and constant ringing of bells, causes extreme inconvenience and the further inadmissibility of such cohabitation in the same fence of hostile in life and the spirit of the times of the Red Army unit and a religious cult, which combination undoubtedly affects the cultural and educational education of the Red Army unit.”

In addition, starting in 1925, commissions began to visit the monastery in order to decide the fate of its property. A petition was filed with the Main Science Department for the transfer of exhibits from the sacristy of the Luzhetsky Monastery to the museum of the local region.

Meanwhile, 1926 was approaching and with it the 500th anniversary of the blessed death of the founder of the monastery. From the notes of Mozhaisk local historian Nikolai Ivanovich Vlasyev († 1938), who was subsequently repressed, we learn how the monastery prepared for this date. “At the monastery cathedral, on the day of the 500th anniversary of St. Ferapont, the roofs are painted with copper,” he wrote, “and in the church of Ferapont, the nuns of the Spaso-Borodinsky Monastery are cleaning the images and utensils on the same day, June 9, 1926.” At the same time, “the monuments of the 16th and 17th centuries of the cemetery, white stone, were partially broken into pieces by the Ukomkhoz on May 25, 1926 for the city’s pavement, together with the tombstone of the Savelovskaya tomb under the bell tower and stacked,” stated N.I. Vlasyev. The treasures of the sacristy were taken to the regional museum of local lore, and cemetery tombstones were used to pave the streets.

The year of the final closure of the monastery, or the year of the cessation of services in the monastery, should perhaps be considered 1929. According to the protocol of the Moscow Regional Executive Committee and the Moscow Council of Workers', Peasants' and Red Army Deputies dated November 11, 1929, “due to the acute need of the military unit for premises for a canteen and club,” it was decided “to close the church of the former Luzhetsky Monastery and transfer its building to the establishment of a canteen and club for the military unit.” The monks remained in the monastery as long as possible, and after expulsion they settled in nearby villages.

What happened in Mozhaisk on June 9, 1931, on the day of remembrance of St. Ferapont, cannot be called anything other than the apotheosis of the persecution of monastics. On this day, the investigation was completed and an indictment was drawn up in the case of the former abbot of the Luzhetsky Monastery, Archimandrite Guriy (Mishanov), who was accused of leading an “anti-Soviet group of nuns” in the city of Mozhaisk “and directing anti-Soviet activities... expressed in systematic anti-Soviet agitation and disruption political and social events of Soviet power in the village." Together with Archimandrite Gury, 24 nuns of the Spaso-Borodinsky and Vereisky Sergiev-Dubrovsky monasteries, as well as the priest of the village of Pushkino, Priest Nikolai Strakhov, were convicted under Article 58-10 of the Criminal Code of the RSFSR. The convicts were sentenced to various terms of imprisonment, some to deportation to Kazakhstan. The further fate of the clergy and most of the nuns is unknown.

Archimandrite Gury took monastic vows at the Ferapont Monastery in 1912, was a choirboy, then a sacristan, and from 1928 - the abbot of the monastery. He is known as the author of the last life of St. Ferapont published before the revolution. The line of archimandrites of the Luzhetsky monastery, coming from its founder, the Monk Ferapont, was interrupted there.

In the early 30s of the 20th century, the monastery housed a school for a closed children's institution of the NKVD, or simply a colony for street children. In 1935, the Mozhaisk district executive committee decided to transfer the “completely empty former Luzhetsky monastery for a pioneer camp and kindergarten” to plant No. 1 named after. "Aviakhima". However, the Presidium of the Moscow Regional Council left the monastery “behind the NKVD authorities.” It all ended with the fact that in the churches of the monastery, including in the church of St. Ferapont, a fittings factory was located; On the site of the necropolis there were warehouses and factory garages with inspection pits.

Luzhetsky Monastery
Photo. Mid-20th century

Over time, the building of the church of St. Ferapont, where his holy relics lay hidden, turned out to be so disfigured that the Rosproektrestavratsiya institute, which paid attention to the Luzhetsky Monastery in the 60s, considered it impossible to restore the temple in its previous form, and therefore it was decided to dismantle its dilapidated walls. The Nativity Cathedral, the Vvedenskaya and Transfiguration churches, the bell tower, the fence with towers were put in order by the restorers at the cost of considerable effort. But without the revival of prayer life in the monastery, the process of destruction of churches only stopped for some time. The territory of the monastery was overgrown with weeds, the foundation of the Ferapontov Church, and with it the burial place of the monk, were under a layer of construction debris mixed with earth, and under the same weeds.

Let us turn to the conclusion of the Commission’s Act on the Discovery: “Based on historical sources and monastic tradition, indicating the location of the saint’s grave on the right at the solea in the temple of St. Ferapont, as well as archaeological information, the discovered remains should undoubtedly be recognized as the holy relics of the founder of the Luzhetsky monastery - St. Ferapont of Mozhaisk.” .

“Thank God that another shrine has been found. The people of God will flock to the relics of St. Ferapont, the founder of the Mozhaisk Luzhetsky Monastery, now resting in the monastery, asking for prayerful intercession and strengthening on their life’s path from the ascetic of the Russian land,” His Holiness Patriarch Alexy of Moscow and All Rus' wrote on the Act of Finding the Relics presented to him II. On July 6, 1999, His Holiness was one of the first to make a pilgrimage to the newfound shrine.

The celebrations on the occasion of the discovery of the holy relics ended, and painstaking work began on the restoration of the cathedral church of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary. We had to restore the roof again, cover the domes, and install crosses. The reconstruction of the cathedral gallery began with the construction of the front porch. The cathedral was once painted by masters of the school of Dionysius, but only fragments of the painting were preserved and restored, allowing us to say that one of the themes of the ancient wall painting of the cathedral was scenes from the Apocalypse. Modern masters of icon painting have completed work on a four-tiered iconostasis. Graduates of the St. Petersburg Academy of Arts painted the icon “St. Ferapont in the Life” with sixteen hallmarks, on four of which we see the saint’s contemporaries and prayer companions: St. Theodore, Archbishop of Rostov, St. Sergius of Radonezh, Cyril and Martinian of Belozersky. The uniqueness of the icon lies in the fact that one of its hagiographical marks depicts for the first time an event in modern church history - the discovery of the holy relics of St. Ferapont. The temple icon of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary, like the entire iconostasis, was painted anew and also has its own peculiarity - stamps with lists of the most revered icons of the Mother of God.

On the occasion of the 190th anniversary of the Patriotic War of 1812, an icon appeared in the local row of the iconostasis that had never existed before in Mozhaisk - “Mozhaisk Saints”. It depicts standing “in the air” above the holy churches of the Mozhaisk land: the patron saint of the city, Saint Nicholas of Myra, with a sword and hail in his hands; Saints Macarius, Metropolitan of Moscow, and New Martyr Demetrius, Archbishop of Mozhaisk; New Martyr Archpriest Constantine; noble princes Theodore of Smolensk and Dimitry Donskoy, who once began to reign in the Mozhaisk inheritance; Reverends Ferapont of Mozhaisk and Rachel of Borodino. Above the saints are depicted two angels carrying the Kolotsk Icon of the Mother of God, revealed in 1413 near Mozhaisk.

Currently, the next step is the restoration of the bell tower. None of the old monastery bells have survived, but new bells have been cast at the expense of benefactors, including half-ton and one-ton bells. In the lower tier of the bell tower there is a chapel for remembrance of the dead. A crucifix made of white Italian marble was presented to her by the People's Artist of Russia, sculptor Vladimir Vladimirovich Glebov-Vadbolsky, in memory of his ancestor, Prince Fyodor Fedorovich Vadbolsky, a monk of Feodosia, who was the abbot of the Luzhetsky Monastery from 1702 to 1704. But, as it turned out, the donor’s older ancestor is also related to monastic history. The princely family of the Vadbolskys descends from the princes of Belozersky, who in the 14th century began to submit to the Moscow prince. It is interesting that Prince Yuri Vasilyevich Belozersky-Sugorsky was the very governor of Mozhaisk Prince Andrei Dmitrievich, who persuaded the Monk Ferapont to leave Beloozero and come to Mozhaisk.

The good news is that the Luzhetsky Monastery can be proud of not only new shrines - some of its ancient relics are miraculously returning here. In 1686, Patriarch Joachim made a rich contribution to the monastery sacristy - an altar Gospel, overlaid with gilded silver. “This Gospel has a gilded silver front panel, of good chased workmanship, weighing up to 4 pounds, and the spine and back panel are also chased, gilded, but copper; it is in a large sheet, printed in 1681,” is how the monastery chronicler Archimandrite Dionysius described this holy Gospel at the end of the 19th century. After the revolutionary upheavals of the 20th century, the richest sacristy of the monastery ceased to exist. There is evidence of how, in godless years, precious frames were torn off from liturgical books of the 16th–18th centuries. Could the shrine have been preserved in those monstrous conditions? It turns out she could. The Holy Gospel lay unclaimed and unrecognized for many years in one of the two unclosed churches in Mozhaisk - the Church of Elijah the Prophet. Then, at the end of the 20th century, it was bound and transferred to the Luzhetsky Monastery. On January 12 (December 30, old style), 2000, on the day of remembrance of St. Macarius, Metropolitan of Moscow, the patriarchal gift was placed on the throne of the Transfiguration Church for the first time. During the Divine Liturgy, while reading the indicated conception, the abbot of the monastery drew attention to the word written in old ink at the bottom of the page. It turned out to be the beginning of a loose-leaf entry. The entire entry on forty pages read: “This / book / the great / Cyrus / Joachim / Patriarch / of Moscow / and all / Russia / and northern / countries / gave / to the monastery / of the Most Holy / Mother of God / in the temple / of her honorable / Nativity / in Luzhetskaya / monastery / like / is / in the city / Mozhaisk / in eternal / remembrance / of their parents / from the universe / 7104 / summer / month / March / and from that / monastery this book / may not be stolen / in any way / in eyelids. / Amen amen. / Be it, be it.” Strongly the high priest's word! The holy book returned to where it was destined to remain forever.

In the village of Isavitsy, near the monastery, “a source of clear, icy water, remarkable in its abundance and healing power,” was covered with earth and littered with garbage. This well, once dug, according to the monastic chronicle, by the hands of the Monk Ferapont, was found and put in order.

Historical science claims that the first wells appeared in Rus' at the turn of the 14th–15th centuries. Previously, people used river or spring water. Taking this into account, it can be argued that the well is, if not the first, then one of the first on Mozhaisk land. For a long time, as the monastery chronicle testifies, “the sick, overcome by all sorts of ailments, came here and drank this water, firmly believing that, through the prayers of the saint of God, some miraculous power was hidden in it, healing all sorts of ailments.” As in former times, pilgrims go to the saint’s well.

Hegumen Methodius (Sokolov), abbot of the monastery. Christmas service.
January 7, 2008

“The House of the Most Pure Mother of God of Her Honest and Glorious Nativity and the Venerable Ferapont in Luzhki in Mozhaisk” continues to be transformed, thanks to the feasible assistance that parishioners, pilgrims and benefactors provide it. But the works of human hands are powerless without the prayerful intercession of a host of holy saints of God, our saints and pious compatriots.

Elena Semenishcheva

Rev. Ferapont (in the world Fedor) b. OK. 1337 in Volokolamsk from the pious parents of the boyars Poskochin. Around 1377, he secretly left his father's house and came to the newly built Moscow Simonov Monastery, where he received tonsure from St. Theodore, nephew of St. Sergius of Radonezh.

In addition to the elder, his friend, St. Petersburg, served as good advisers and models of monastic life for Ferapont. Kirill and especially St. Sergius, who often visited the Simonov Monastery. Around 1397 prpp. Ferapont and Kirill, leaving the Moscow monastery, retired to the north. After many wanderings, they arrived in the Belozersk region and finally found the place that was indicated by St. Cyril in a vision of the Blessed Virgin Mary. The hermits erected a cross here and dug a dugout for themselves.

But soon, at the inspiration of God, St. Ferapont went to a secluded place (15 fields from St. Cyril) and settled there. Devotees of desert living began to come to the ascetics - this was the beginning of two later famous monasteries: Kirillo-Belozersky and Ferapontov. When the rumor about the monasteries reached the prince who owned Belozerye. Andrei Mozhaisky, he was inflamed with the desire to establish a monastery in his capital city and begged St. Ferapont to become its founder. Here, on the banks of the Moscow River, in memory of the northern monastery, the prince erected a wooden church, consecrating it in the name of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary. According to some information, already in 1420, on the site of a wooden one, he erected a stone cathedral. May 27 (June 9), 1426 St. Ferapont reposed and was buried near the northern wall of the cathedral church.

At the beginning of the 16th century. The abbot of the monastery was the tonsured monastery of the Pafnutievo-Borovsk monastery, Macarius (Leontyev), the future head of the Russian Orthodox Church. Before leaving the monastery for the Novgorod See, he made a large contribution, for which in the period 1526-42. A new Nativity Cathedral and a refectory with a tented Vvedensky Church were erected. Around 1547 a c. was erected. Transfiguration of the Lord over the Holy Gate (late 15th – early 16th centuries). In 1549, on the initiative of Metropolitan. Macarius and Sovereign John IV The Council of the Russian Orthodox Church ranked St. Ferapont to the ranks of saints. At the end of the 16th century. A stone church was built over the grave of the saint in the name of St. John Climacus (In 1723, rebuilt and consecrated in honor of St. Ferapont). At this time, the monastery served as a guard fortress to the west. borders of the Moscow state. It was strengthened by Boris Godunov. During the Great Troubles, it was repeatedly ruined by Polish-Lithuanian invaders.

In 1681-92. the monastery was surrounded by a stone wall with 6 towers (renovated in 1761-68). At the same time (1673-92) a 4-tier hipped bell tower (35m high), the Brethren's building and the Rector's chambers were erected, which, like the Treasury building (1814), were greatly rebuilt in the 19th-20th centuries.

In 1812 the monastery was plundered and devastated. Westphalian Corps General Junot set up a barracks in the Vvedensky Church, a carpentry workshop in the church. St. Ferapont, and in the refectory and cell there are stables. When the enemy retreated, the temple servant managed to prevent the fire by extinguishing the iconostasis of the cathedral church that was engulfed in fire and removing the bags of gunpowder scattered everywhere.

The monastery was closed in 1926. In 1928, the destruction of the center began. St. Ferapont with the chapel of the Beheading of John the Baptist (the temple was finally dismantled in the 1960s). During the Great Patriotic War, the monastery housed a hardware factory and a workshop for a medical equipment plant. The fraternal cells were occupied for housing. During the occupation, a prisoner of war camp was set up here.

In 1961-65. restoration work was carried out. In 1992, a summer labor camp of the Pan-Orthodox youth movement was located on the territory of the monastery, and in 1994, the House of the Most Holy Theotokos in Luzhki again became a house of monastic prayer. At the supposed burial place of St. Feraponta abbot. Boris (Petrukhin) approved the cross and soon pink and white clover, not sown by anyone, bloomed around it among the burdock thickets. The holy relics of the monk were fragrant, strengthening Christ’s little flock of inhabitants and parishioners of the monastery. In 1997, the foundations of the temple of St. Ferapont. It was they who served as a guideline for determining the burial place of St. Ferapont. On May 26, 1999, his holy relics were found, and on July 6 of the same year, His Holiness Patriarch Alexy II made a pilgrimage to the found shrine.

Painstaking work began on the restoration of the Cathedral Church of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary. We had to restore the roof again, cover the domes, and install crosses. The reconstruction of the cathedral gallery began with the construction of the front porch. The cathedral was once painted by masters of the school of Dionysius, but only fragments of the painting were preserved and restored, allowing us to say that one of the themes of the ancient wall painting of the cathedral was scenes from the Apocalypse. Modern masters of icon painting have completed work on a four-tiered iconostasis. Graduates of the St. Petersburg Academy of Arts painted the icon “St. Ferapont in the Life” with sixteen hallmarks, on four of which we see the saint’s contemporaries and prayer companions: St. Theodore, Archbishop of Rostov, St. Sergius of Radonezh, Cyril and Martinian of Belozersky. The uniqueness of the icon lies in the fact that one of its hagiographical marks depicts for the first time an event in modern church history - the discovery of the holy relics of St. Ferapont. The temple icon of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary, like the entire iconostasis, was painted anew and also has its own peculiarity - stamps with lists of the most revered icons of the Mother of God.

None of the old monastery bells have survived, but new bells have been cast at the expense of benefactors, including half-ton and one-ton bells. In the lower tier of the bell tower there is a chapel for remembrance of the dead. A crucifix made of white Italian marble was presented to her by the People's Artist of Russia, sculptor Vladimir Vladimirovich Glebov-Vadbolsky, in memory of his ancestor, Prince Fyodor Fedorovich Vadbolsky, a monk of Feodosia, who was the abbot of the Luzhetsky Monastery from 1702 to 1704. But, as it turned out, the donor’s older ancestor is also related to monastic history. The princely family of the Vadbolskys descends from the princes of Belozersky, who in the 14th century began to submit to the Moscow prince. It is interesting that Prince Yuri Vasilyevich Belozersky-Sugorsky was the very governor of Mozhaisk Prince Andrei Dmitrievich, who persuaded the Monk Ferapont to leave Beloozero and come to Mozhaisk.

In the Luzhetsky Monastery, on the site of a necropolis devastated by atheists, a memorial wooden cross was erected with the inscription: “To the blessed memory of the holy monks, all the brethren, builders and beautifiers.” It was carved many miles from Mozhaisk - miles that were covered by the Monk Ferapont six centuries ago. They cut the cross on White Lake, in the monastery of his friend and fasting companion, St. Cyril.

In 1686, Patriarch Joachim made a rich contribution to the monastery sacristy - an altar Gospel, overlaid with gilded silver. “This Gospel has a gilded silver front panel, of good chased workmanship, weighing up to 4 pounds, and the spine and back panel are also chased, gilded, but copper; it is in a large sheet, printed in 1681,” is how the monastery chronicler Archimandrite Dionysius described this holy Gospel at the end of the 19th century. After the revolutionary upheavals of the 20th century, the richest sacristy of the monastery ceased to exist. There is evidence of how, in godless years, precious frames were torn off from liturgical books of the 16th–18th centuries. The Holy Gospel lay unclaimed and unrecognized for many years in one of the two unclosed churches in Mozhaisk - the Church of Elijah the Prophet. Then, at the end of the 20th century, it was bound and transferred to the Luzhetsky Monastery. On January 12 (December 30, old style), 2000, on the day of remembrance of St. Macarius, Metropolitan of Moscow, the patriarchal gift was placed on the throne of the Transfiguration Church for the first time. During the Divine Liturgy, while reading the indicated conception, the abbot of the monastery drew attention to the word written in old ink at the bottom of the page. It turned out to be the beginning of a loose-leaf entry. The entire entry on forty pages read: “This book was given by the great Cyrus Joachim, Patriarch of Moscow and all Russia and the northern countries, to the monastery of the Most Holy Theotokos in the Church of Her Honest Nativity in the Luzhetskaya Monastery, which is in the city of Mozhaisk, in eternal remembrance of his parents from the universe in the 7104th summer of the month. March and from that monastery may this book not be stolen for ever. Amen amen. Be it, be it." Strongly the high priest's word! The holy book returned to where it was destined to remain forever.

It can be argued that the well is, if not the first, then one of the first on Mozhaisk land. For a long time, as the monastery chronicle testifies, “the sick, overcome by all sorts of ailments, came here and drank this water, firmly believing that, through the prayers of the saint of God, some miraculous power was hidden in it, healing all sorts of ailments.” As in former times, pilgrims go to the saint’s well.

In April 2015, a new bell weighing more than 2.5 tons was installed on the bell tower. The blagovest depicts icons of especially revered Russian saints - the Savior, the Mother of God, Nicholas the Wonderworker, Ferapont of Mozhaisk.

On August 9, 2015, after a 10-month reconstruction, the opening of the bell tower took place, under which is the tomb of the Savelov family.