Simonov Monastery. Temples of my city. Simonov Monastery Simonov Monastery schedule for March

Results from a walk 2 weeks ago.

Simonov Monastery- a male stauropegic monastery, founded in 1370 by the disciple and nephew of St. St. Sergius of Radonezh - St. Fedor on the lands that were donated by the boyar Stepan Vasilyevich Khovrin (monastic name - monk Simon - from which the name of the monastery comes).
In 1379 the monastery was moved to its current location; in the same place (in Old Simonovo) the Church of the Nativity of the Virgin Mary has been preserved (there will be a separate post about it).
1.

From the walls of the Simonov Monastery came a whole galaxy of outstanding ascetics and church leaders: St. Kirill Belozersky (1337-1427), St. Jonah, Metropolitan of Moscow (?-1461), Patriarch Joseph (?-1652), Metropolitan Gerontius, Archbishop John of Rostov. In the 16th century, the theologian St. Venerable lived and worked in the monastery. Maxim Grek.

In former times, the monastery was one of the most famous and revered in Russia: a huge number of people and rich material contributions flocked here. The monastery was especially loved by Tsar Fyodor Alekseevich (the elder brother of Peter I), who had his own cell here for solitude.

In 1771, the monastery was abolished by Catherine II and, due to the spreading plague epidemic at that time, it was turned into a plague isolation ward. Only in 1795 was it restored to its original quality at the request of Count Alexei Musin-Pushkin.
After the arrival of Soviet power in 1920, the monastery was abolished. In 1923, a museum was established in the monastery, which existed until 1930. The director of the museum, Vasily Ivanovich Troitsky (1868 - 1944), established relations with the church community: he allowed services in one of the monastery churches in exchange for the provision of watchmen and janitors at the expense of the community.

In January 1930, a government commission recognized that some of the ancient buildings on the territory of the monastery could be preserved as historical monuments, but the cathedral and walls should be demolished. The explosion occurred on the night of January 21, exactly on the sixth anniversary of the death of V.I. Lenin. Five of the six churches were blown up, including the Assumption Cathedral, the bell tower, the gate churches, as well as the Watchtower and Tainitskaya towers with their adjacent buildings. All the walls of the monastery were dismantled, except for the southern one, and all the graves on the territory of the monastery were wiped off the face of the earth. On the site of the ruins of the “fortress of church obscurantism,” as Ogonyok magazine wrote, in 1932-1937 the Palace of Culture of the Moscow Automobile Plant (DK ZIL) rose.
2.

The new walls of the monastery, which have partially survived to this day, and some of the towers, which can still be seen today, were built in 1630, while the new fortress included fragments of the old fortress built by Fyodor Kon. The circumference of the monastery walls was 825 m, height - 7 m. Of the surviving towers, the corner tower “Dulo”, topped with a high tent with a two-tier watchtower, stands out especially.
3.

4.

The other two surviving towers - the pentagonal "Kuznechnaya" and the round "Salt" - were built in the 1640s, when the monastery's defensive structures, damaged during the Time of Troubles, were being rebuilt.
5.1979

6.

7.

Simeon Bekbulatovich, the baptized prince of Kasimov, was buried in the monastery cathedral. Blinded in 1595 through the machinations of Boris Godunov, in 1606 he was tonsured on Solovki and died in the Simonov Monastery under the name of the schema-monk Stefan. The son of Dmitry Donskoy, Konstantin Dmitrievich (monastically Cassian), the princes of Mstislavsky, Temkin-Rostov, Suleshev, and the boyars Golovins and Buturlins were also buried here.

On the territory of the Simonov Monastery there was an extensive necropolis, where the poet D. V. Venevitinov, the writer S. T. Aksakov, his son K. S. Aksakov, the composer A. A. Alyabyev, the famous bibliophile and collector A. P. Bakhrushin, were buried. uncle of A.S. Pushkin - N.L. Pushkin, as well as numerous representatives of old Russian noble families.

In the 1930s, the necropolis was completely destroyed by the Bolsheviks. The remains of the poet D.V. Venevitinov and writers S.T. and K.S. Aksakov were transferred from his devastated cemetery to Novodevichye. The workers who opened the graves were struck by the fact that from the left side of Sergei Timofeevich Aksakov’s chest, in the area of ​​his heart, the root of a huge birch tree was growing, covering the entire Aksakov family grave.

The refectory of the Simonov Monastery was built in 1680 at the expense of Tsar Fyodor Alekseevich by an artel of masons led by Parfen Petrov. It included fragments of the previous building in 1485. During the construction of the new building, Parfen Petrov, a master who built in the traditions of the first half of the 17th century, used details of ancient Moscow architecture that were not to the liking of the monastery authorities. They filed a lawsuit against the master, and three years later the refectory was rebuilt in the bright, individual style of the Moscow Baroque. This time the work was supervised by the famous Moscow master Osip Startsev, an outstanding architect of the late 17th century who built a lot in Moscow and Kyiv.
The new refectory of the Simonov Monastery became one of the most significant buildings of the late 17th century. The lavishly decorated building was brightly painted “in chess” - a painting style that imitates faceted stonework.
8.1910s

9. 1979

10.current state

11.View of the altars of the Tikhvin Church from the east, 1979.

12.current state

13.window decor

14.entrance to the temple

Nowadays there is a community for the deaf and dumb in the church; services are held with sign language interpretation.

15. old buildings on the territory of the monastery

16.malt

Cathedral of the Assumption of the Mother of God - blown up in 1930. Now here is the cultural center "ZiL"
- c. All-Merciful Savior - blown up in 1930.
- c. Nicholas the Wonderworker - blown up in 1930.
- c. John the Patriarch of Tsaregrad - blown up in 1930.
- c. St. Alexandra Svirsky - blown up in 1930.

Bibliography
-P.G. Palamarchuk "Forty Forties", Volume I

Simonov Monastery was founded in the second half of the 14th century and was considered one of the most significant and rich in the Moscow region. Now it is located within Moscow, in the Southern Administrative District of the capital.

Wealthy people donated substantial amounts of money to the monastery, and crowned heads visited it. Tsar Fyodor Alekseevich was even assigned a cell in which he loved to retire from worldly affairs. On the territory of the monastery there was also a necropolis, where eminent figures of art and Russian culture, as well as representatives of revered noble families, found eternal peace.

What is the story about?

The monastery was founded by the Monk Feodor, who was the nephew and devoted disciple of His Holiness Sergius of Radonezh. Construction work began in the 14th century on lands that were donated for a good cause by the Moscow boyar Khovrin. During his monastic tonsure he was named Simon. The name of the monastery came from this name.

During its complex, centuries-old history, the monastery was not only the spiritual cradle of Orthodoxy, but also an important outpost providing protection on the approaches to the southern borders of Moscow. It was well fortified, and more than once its walls became a barrier holding back enemy hordes. However, during the Time of Troubles, the richest Simonov monastery suffered barbaric destruction and devastation.

By decree of Her Majesty Catherine II in 1771, the monastery was abolished. This time coincided with the outbreak of a plague epidemic that swept through Moscow and killed hundreds of its inhabitants. The monastery premises became a refuge for isolated patients. Only a little more than two decades later, thanks to the petition of A. Musin-Pushkin, the monastery again regained its church status and began to live its former life.

In the 20s, during the Soviet period, the Simonov Monastery again had to go through liquidation. For 7 years, museum exhibitions were located here, and even church services were allowed to be held in one of the churches.

But in the 30s, by decision of a government commission, the monastery walls, five churches, a bell tower and other buildings were demolished. More than two thirds of the entire architectural ensemble was lost irretrievably.

What can you see in the monastery today

Everything returns to normal. In the 90s of the last century, the monastery returned to the fold of the church and began to be revived. Partial restoration work was undertaken on some buildings.

Unfortunately, only a small part of the ancient buildings has survived to this day: fragments of the southern fortress wall with several surviving towers, refectory buildings: an old and later building with a church, a fraternal building and a number of outbuildings.

The surviving monastery walls, which included part of the older fortress structure, erected, according to scientists, by Fyodor Kon, date back to the 30s, and the three towers - to the 40s of the 17th century. Particularly noteworthy is the corner tower called “Dulo”. Its top is crowned with a tent structure with a two-tiered sentinel superstructure. The “salt” vase resembles the “Dulo” in its architectural design, but is much more modest in size and decor. The smallest tower is “Kuznechnaya”, it is located in the spindle, that is, in the preserved wall, has a pentagonal shape and is also equipped with a small observation point in one tier.

The structure of the refectory is designed in the Moscow Baroque style and is decorated with paintings imitating faceted stonework. The main facade is completed with a stepped gable, characteristic of Western European architecture. Adjacent to the refectory is a small church. The outbuildings and cellar building are now used as workshops.

The Simonov Monastery is of spiritual, architectural and historical value, attracting numerous believers and curious tourists.

On the occasion of City Day in Moscow, a project of free excursions was launched: Walking around Moscow. It turned out that the project was so necessary that they decided to make such walks regular. At the beginning of autumn, I already visited two excursions; I especially liked the visit to the Sviblovo estate. This time I managed to get on the tour of the Mysteries and Legends of the Simonov Monastery. To my surprise, I had not heard of such a place in Moscow, so I happily went to discover the sights of the capital that were new to me. We were also interested in the fact that they promised to show us the burial place of the heroes of the Battle of Kulikovo and the famous composer A. Alyabyev. We met with the guide near the Avtozavodskaya metro station. And immediately the story began about what used to be located in these places. Many centuries ago there were dense forests here that belonged to the boyar Stepan Khovrin. In 1370, he gave part of his possessions to the nephew of Sergius of Radonezh, Fedor, and he founded a monastery in them. Since Stepan Khovrin also became a monk and took monastic vows under the name Simon, the monastery was named Simonov. After some time, Fyodor left the monastery and founded a new Simonov monastery a little to the side. Its architectural ensemble took centuries to form and almost all of it was destroyed in the 1930s. What can be seen now is only a small part of its former splendor.

Simonov Monastery in Moscow

On the way to the monastery, we were shown two unusual buildings on Leninskaya Sloboda Street - these are the former railway stations of the Lizino station, passenger and freight. They were built in 1915 at the expense of the youngest son of a large railroad rich man P.G. von Derviza. Indeed, the silhouettes of the buildings are very reminiscent of the stud farm on the Ryazan estate of Pavel Pavlovich von Derviz in Starozhilovo. Both there and here the buildings were supposedly built according to the design of the famous architect F. Shekhtel. They also told us the story behind the name of the station. The fact is that the famous writer, author of “The History of the Russian State” N.M. Karamzin loved to walk in Simonova Sloboda. In 1792, he wrote a very popular story, “Poor Liza,” which tells about the unhappy love of a girl, because of which she drowned herself in Sergius Pond near the Simonov Monastery. After the book was published, a real “lisomania” began in Moscow: lovers came to the pond and swore their love to each other, lonely girls and romantic young men wrote poems on nearby trees. Lizina Square, Lizina Dead End and Lizino Station appeared in the area.

Only at the end of the 50s. In the 20th century, this station was closed because the need for it disappeared. Now it would not even occur to an ignorant person that these two beautiful houses were once station buildings. Finally we come to one of the towers of the Simonov Monastery.

Simonov Monastery in Moscow

Now there are only three of them left, but previously the monastery was surrounded on all sides by a high wall with five towers. At all times, the Simonov Monastery was a very powerful and well-defended fortress, which was the first to meet the enemy on the approaches to Moscow. Its walls repelled the attacks of the troops of Khan Kazy-Girey, stood in the way of Ivan Bolotnikov, suffered greatly from the Polish-Lithuanian invaders and the Napoleonic army, but were destroyed by their own people. From the former outpost, only the southern wall and three towers have survived: Kuznechnaya, Solevaya and Dulo. They were built in the 17th century on the foundations of more ancient structures.

Simonov Monastery in Moscow

At the most powerful tower, “Dulo”, you can see huge boulders left over from the old walls. It turned out that it is currently impossible to enter the territory of the monastery. This is the first time I have seen that ordinary people were not allowed into the monastery. Even my group and I were only allowed to stand against the wall for five minutes. Photography is also strictly prohibited. In general, such secrecy only raises the suspicion that some dark things are going on on the territory of the Simonov Monastery. We had to examine the preserved architectural objects through a barbed wire fence. Two buildings attract the most attention. The first is a huge building called Sushilo.

Simonov Monastery in Moscow

It served for the economic needs of the monastery. Some European influence can be traced in its architecture. It is reminiscent of Dutch houses, as is the preserved refectory. This is the second stunningly beautiful building of the Simonov Monastery, which immediately catches your eye. It was built under Tsar Fyodor Alekseevich, the elder brother of Peter the Great, who also loved everything European.

Simonov Monastery in Moscow

The work was supervised by the famous architect Osip Startsev. In one of the towers of the refectory there were the king’s personal chambers, and in the other the church. Previously, this building was richly painted, let's hope that over time its appearance will be restored. Now the Tikhvin Church is located inside - the only thing that can be freely visited in the monastery.

Simonov Monastery in Moscow

The main cathedral of the monastery - the Assumption, as well as the tall bell tower, which at that time was the tallest building in Moscow, were blown up in 1930. Now on the site of the temple there is the ZIL House of Culture. At the same time, one of the oldest cemeteries in Moscow was destroyed, where Peter the Great’s friend and comrade-in-arms Peter Golovin, composer A. Alyabyev, poet D. Venevitinov, representatives of such famous noble families as the Urusovs, Naryshkins, Tatishchevs, Buturlins and many others were buried. Now, on the site of the cemetery, under the walls of the monastery, a small city park has been created, where townspeople walk with strollers, children ride down the slides, not even imagining that many generations of quite famous families are buried under the park.

Simonov Monastery in Moscow

Opposite the Simonov Monastery, if you walk through the park, you can go to the Church of the Nativity of the Virgin Mary.

Simonov Monastery in Moscow

It was in its place that the old Simonov Monastery appeared. The first church was founded here in 1370; later it was naturally rebuilt many times.

Simonov Monastery in Moscow

It was here that the heroes of the Battle of Kulikovo were buried, including the famous heroes Peresvet and Oslyabya. After the revolution, the compression workshop of the Dynamo plant was located in the temple building. Only for the Olympics in 1980 did the authorities remember the heroes of the Battle of Kulikovo and decided to find their graves. Excavations were carried out on the territory of the temple, and the remains of several dozen people were discovered. A symbolic tombstone was installed above them.

Simonov Monastery in Moscow

By the way, adjacent to the walls of the temple are gravestones brought here from the destroyed cemetery near the walls of the Simonov Monastery.

Simonov Monastery in Moscow

Ancient buildings are now tightly surrounded by modern business centers, townhouses and shopping complexes. Therefore, not everyone will be able to navigate and find all the historical sites of Simonova Sloboda on their own. All the more valuable are such public projects that allow Muscovites to get to know their city better.

Towers and walls of the Simonov Monastery

Almost nothing remains of the former grandeur and grandiose plan, which was embodied over centuries - only three red brick towers. They have large cracks and need urgent restoration. The tent, renovated in the early 2000s, further emphasizes the neglect of the ancient walls: the tiles are new - the brick is kept on its word of honor.

The “salt” tower is the first thing that catches your eye if you walk along East Street. It is covered with ancient tiles. Since tsarist times, the tent of the “Salt” tower has not been updated. The tower is connected by a massive southern wall to the other two. All these are the remains of the most powerful outpost in the south of Moscow.

From behind the walls, dilapidated, shapeless buildings of the industrial zone and warehouses appear. But it's on the other side. And on this one there is a neat park with a children's playground and paths. On the site of a former cemetery.

I stop at another tower – “Kuznechnaya”. She is the smallest. Pentagonal. Such a small hulk. Apparently, they wanted to renovate it a couple of years ago. But the liquid scaffolding seems to soon collapse on its own. It, like the round “Salt”, was built by the architect Konstantinov in the 1640s. At this time, the monastery was actively rebuilt: the defensive structures that had been damaged during the Time of Troubles were strengthened.

The panorama of Moscow from the high and steep bank is still impressive. It is no coincidence that the tallest bell tower in Moscow was erected here. We can now appreciate the view from the fifth tier of the famous and lost belfry only from old photographs.

I approach the most powerful of the survivors - the Dulo tower. It was erected by the “sovereign master” Fyodor Savelyevich Kon. “Dulo” is the nickname or name of the Tatar leader. He was killed by an arrow fired from this tower.

Fyodor Savelyevich also built walls. The height of the southern wall, preserved by some miracle, in some places reaches 7 meters. But what remains is rather a quiet greeting from the past.

The Dulo tower has 16 sides. The horse built on a grand scale and to last. The ribs of the tower are decorated with blades. They give the majestic structure a harmonious appearance. This is to speak in the language of a historical reference book. And to put it as it is, the entire tower, despite its majesty, is slowly settling and falling apart.

The walls of the monastery held the defense more than once, exhausted the enemy and were the first to meet enemy fire. And there were enough enemies

But let us be fair and careful in our conclusions: the walls and towers of the Simonov Monastery are a real masterpiece of Russian fortification thought. They held the defense more than once, exhausted the enemy and were the first to meet enemy fire. And there were enough enemies. In 1591, the Simonov Monastery took part in repelling the attack of Khan Kazy-Girey. In the fall of 1606, the monastery prevented, and quite unsuccessfully, the advance of Ivan Bolotnikov’s troops. In 1610–1613 it was ruined – “almost to the ground” – by Polish-Lithuanian invaders and fell into disrepair. And in 1812 the monastery suffered from the French. Then the temples and sacristy were looted, and precious manuscripts were lost.

But in the 20th century, the monument, huge in design and by construction standards, was almost destroyed... by their own people.

The length of the monastery walls was 825 meters, the height was 7 meters. To summarize: in the modern architectural ensemble of the monastery, three towers have been preserved: “Dulo”, “Kuznechnaya” and “Solyana”.

Deep history in superficial strokes

And it all began in 1370. His disciple and nephew Theodore founded the Simonov Assumption Monastery. The location for the future monastery was chosen on a picturesque hill located downstream of the Moscow River. These lands were donated by boyar Stepan Vasilyevich Khovrin. When he was tonsured, he received the name Simon - hence the name of the monastery. But this is just a version.

A whole galaxy of ascetics and patriarchs emerged from the walls of the monastery: St. Kirill of Belozersky, St. Ferapont of Mozhaisk. There were also St. Jonah, Metropolitan of Moscow and All Rus', St. Gerontius, also a metropolitan, and Patriarch Joseph... By the way, Jonah became the first metropolitan installed in Rus' without the Patriarch of Constantinople. This happened in 1448. And of course, one cannot help but say that the first Patriarch of Moscow and All Rus', Job, came out of the Simonov Monastery.

It is noteworthy that some inhabitants of the Simonov Monastery came here by the will of the sovereign. Around 1510, by direct royal decree, Vasily Kosoy Patrikeev (monastically Vassian) was appointed to the monastery. And of course, the famous Maxim the Greek lived here.

It was in the Simonov Monastery that St. Kirill heard the voice of the Mother of God, who ordered to go to Beloozero

The first on this list, Saint Cyril, heard the voice of the Mother of God in the Simonov Monastery. And a miracle happened like this. He became the archimandrite of the Simonov Monastery, but soon left his abbotship and secluded himself in a cell. One night, while listening to the akathist, he heard the voice of the Mother of God: “Kirill, get out of here and go to Beloozero. There I have prepared a place for you where you can be saved.”

Simonov Monastery was one of the richest in Rus'. Until 1764, he owned about 12 thousand peasants. Several small monasteries and deserts were assigned to the monastery.

It is known that Patriarch Filaret in 1624 wrote a decree to Grigory Vasilyevich Zamytsky in Ostashkov: he demanded that the peasants of Rozhkovskaya Sloboda, the estate of the Simonov Monastery, be allowed to fish in Lake Seliger. The document says that this practice existed before, and the quitrent was paid to the order of the Grand Palace.

Fishing by the peasants of the Simonov Monastery in Lake Seliger for rent did not suit the Ostashkovsky (apparently, the sovereign) peasants, therefore the Simonovsky peasants were forbidden to fish in the lake. This conflict of interest happened four centuries ago.

Even in the Simonov Monastery, Peter the Great’s elder brother, Fyodor Alekseevich, had his own cell. And the famous collector of manuscripts and Russian antiquities, Count Alexei Musin-Pushkin, petitioned Catherine II in 1795 to have the Simonov Monastery reopened after its abolition due to the plague that had decimated the population. So the plague isolation ward was again turned into a monastery.

In past centuries, these landscapes and this area attracted great writers, great poets and famous artists.

In a pond that was located not far from the monastery, Nikolai Karamzin drowned his Lisa. Apollinary Vasnetsov worked here and Konstantin Ton worked here. Alexander Pushkin was also here, but this is a sad story, which will be discussed below...

High classic and luxurious baroque

The ensemble of the Simonov Monastery was finally formed by the middle of the 19th century. But already in 1685, the famous Moscow architect Osip Startsev built the famous Refectory Chamber in the monastery.

The Tikhvin Church, opened today, is that same refectory.

Initially, the architect Parfen Petrov took on the work of its construction. But the customer did not appreciate the master’s work: he did not like the motifs of ancient Moscow architecture. It came to court. Three years later, another architect, Osip Startsev, remade what Petrov had built and created the most impressive monument of the Moscow Baroque in its form and scope.

The architect gave free rein to his imagination and built a spacious observation deck. In size it was not inferior to the large quadrangle of the church. And here is what Mikhail Yuryevich Lermontov wrote about this architectural solution:

“Further to the east, on three hills, between which the river meanders, there are wide masses of houses of all possible sizes and colors; a tired gaze can hardly reach the distant horizon, on which groups of several monasteries are depicted, between which Simonov is especially notable for his hanging platform, almost between heaven and earth, from where our ancestors watched the movements of the approaching Tatars.”

Another bold architectural solution has survived to this day - the stepped gable.

The northern façade was decorated with windows with intricately shaped frames. This can be seen from the photographs that have reached us. But another bold architectural solution has survived to this day - the stepped gable. Its design is in the spirit of Western European mannerism.

The above-mentioned Apollinary Vasnetsov depicted just the described part of the building on the canvas “Simonov Monastery. Clouds and golden domes." This is 1927. Barely made it.

Even in black and white, everything is fabulously beautiful. And this is what the Tikhvin Church looked like with the famous gables during the Soviet years.

And Western European mannerism, which miraculously penetrated beyond the thick fortress walls of the Simonov Monastery, has brilliant examples in Florence. Take, for example, the wonderful Laurentian Library. It was built by Michelangelo with his students Giorgio Vasari and Bartolomeo Ammanati. The echo of that wave in architecture is now frozen on the roof of the Tikhvin Church. So until the end, by the way, and not restored. In this sense, it is not far from its sister towers.

The famous bell tower of the Simonov Monastery was less fortunate. More precisely, no luck at all. And this five-tier bell tower was erected in 1839 by Konstantin Ton. They say he loved Simonov very much. The bell tower was 9 meters (and according to some sources, 12) higher than “Ivan the Great”. Designed in the Russian-Byzantine style, it became the highest in Moscow: 90 meters. Simonov Monastery has turned into a real architectural pearl.

Now one can only imagine what kind of ringing rang over the bend of the Moscow River when the monks called people to worship. By the way, the largest bell weighed more than 1000 pounds - that’s 16 tons. The atheists removed this colossus and melted it down. But even old photographs convey the grandeur of the bell tower. There's a lot to see. This, for example, is her very first photograph. It was made in 1852.

The bell tower will be blown up and dismantled into bricks. And then they will destroy the necropolis

And here is an old postcard of the Simonov Monastery. The author is the artist-engraver Louis-Pierre-Alphonse Bichebois... Louis-Pierre-Alphonse, by the way, perfectly understood and appreciated beauty and scale. Thanks to his work, we know how the Alexander Column was raised on Palace Square in St. Petersburg.

The bell tower will be blown up and dismantled into bricks. And in a year the famous monastery necropolis will be destroyed.

Buried necropolis

My soul told me long ago:
You will rush through the world like lightning!
You are given to feel everything,
But you won't enjoy life.

These are the lines of the wonderful Moscow poet Dmitry Venevitinov. He died at 21. But he managed to become a great romantic.

In 1826, Venevitinov wrote a brilliant poem in which we find the lines:

This is the hour of final suffering!
Listen: the will of a dead man
Terrible as the voice of prophecy.
Pay attention: so that this ring
They did not remove the cold hand; –
Let my sorrows die with him
And they will be buried with him.

Venevitinov’s “will” was not fulfilled. There really was a ring. More precisely, a ring from Herculaneum. It was given to the dying poet by the Slavophile Alexei Khomyakov. Alexander Sergeevich Pushkin also came to his funeral at the Simonov Monastery. After a “lightning-fast” life, Dmitry Vladimirovich’s ashes were disturbed. The terrible “will of a dead man” was violated in 1930. The ring was taken and is now kept in the Literary Museum.

The ashes of Sergei Timofeevich Aksakov, the author of “The Scarlet Flower,” were also disturbed. The bodies of both writers were exhumed and reburied at the Novodevichy cemetery. But Venevitinov’s relatives were less fortunate. Their graves were destroyed. Like hundreds of others. They were not moved. All the remains were mixed with earth. Class enemies - representatives of the old noble Russian families: Zagryazhskys, Olenins, Durasovs, Vadbolskys, Soimonovs, Muravyovs, Islenevs, Tatishchevs, Naryshkins, Shakhovskys, who were buried here - were not needed by the new Bolshevik “Russia”. And under the foundation of the library of the ZIL House of Culture there is the burial place of an associate of Peter the Great, the first holder of the Order of St. Andrew the First-Called - Fyodor Golovin. This House of Culture was built on the foundation of the five-domed Assumption Cathedral of the Simon Monastery.

Together with the tombstones, the Assumption Cathedral and other churches disappeared forever - before the revolution, there were six churches with 22 altars in the monastery - the Watchtower, and Taininskaya.

The arrival of the deaf-blind and mute and the new life of the Simonov Monastery

The Simonov Monastery began to come to life in the 90s of the last century. Thanks to the enormous energy and superhuman efforts of Archpriest Andrei Goryachev, rector of the Church of the Tikhvin Icon of the Mother of God. He began to restore both the destroyed monastery and the lost necropolis.

A major examination has already been carried out to separate human and animal remains: the bones were randomly scattered throughout the monastery and covered with earth and construction debris. After a short tour of the monastery, Father Andrei and I went down to the Musin-Pushkin tomb. Valentin Platonovich, a relative of the same Alexei Ivanovich Musin-Pushkin, who persuaded Catherine II to open the Simonov Monastery. Valentin Platonovich built two two-story chapels of the temple.

Another tombstone with the surname “Tolokonnikov” caught my eye. Made of black granite. It, like hundreds of others, lay underground for 60 years. And right opposite the entrance to the Tikhvin Church there are several more gravestones. Apparently, so that the memory does not fade.

People with disabilities come here to worship services: some cannot hear, and some cannot see and hear at the same time

I came to the Simonov Monastery to talk with Father Andrei Goryachev about the deaf-blind community. People with disabilities have been coming here for services for more than 20 years: some cannot hear, and some cannot see and hear at the same time. And there is a very strong community here.

After the interview, Father Andrei gave a short tour of the temple. It will appear later. First, I wanted to introduce readers to this amazing place, where the walls, towers and temple that have miraculously survived to this day are ready to tell many stories. I would like to listen to them.