Zvenigorod. Savvino-Storozhevsky Monastery. Savvino-Storozhevsky stauropegial monastery stauropegial monastery Savvino Storozhevsky monastery where is it located

At the request of Zvenigorod Prince Yuri Dimitrievich, son of Dimitri Donskoy.

The monastery experienced its greatest prosperity in the middle of the 17th century, when Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich chose it for “the sovereign’s own pilgrimage.” The monastery is rebuilt, receives the status of a Lavra, and becomes one of the most famous, rich and revered monasteries in Russia.

In 1650, a royal decree was issued on the beginning of major construction work in the monastery. “The miracle worker Savva Storozhevsky ordered Nikita Mikhailovich Boborykin and clerk Andrei Shakhov to build a stone city around the entire building, measuring 357 fathoms according to the drawing, and in that city there are seven towers.” The Savvino-Storozhevsky Monastery was conceived and created by architects of the 17th century as a single architectural and artistic ensemble, combining extraordinary picturesqueness with amazingly accurate use of the terrain, logical placement of temples, residential and commercial buildings. Pavel of Aleppo compared it with the monastery of St. Sergius: “The monastery of St. Sava is smaller than the Trinity, but built according to its model. As I would call that one a groom, so this one a bride, and truly this is so, as we saw with our own eyes.”

Savvina monastery was always under the patronage of first the Grand Dukes of Moscow, and later - the sovereigns of the House of Romanov, and its founder was revered as the “Prayer Book for God’s Chosen Kings.”

In 1919, the honest relics of St. Savva (found in 1652) were opened and taken out of the monastery, and it itself was closed; on its territory there was a concentration camp, a colony, a sanatorium, and a museum. In 1995, the Savvin Monastery was opened with the rank of stauropegial, and in 1998 the honorable relics of St. Savva of Storozhevsky returned to the monastery.

An orphanage, theological courses, a publishing house, a pilgrimage service have been opened at the Savvino-Storozhevsky Monastery; the brethren provide for soldiers serving on the border and in “hot” spots. Every year the monastery of St. Savva is visited by more than half a million guests.

Cathedral of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary. 1405

The white-stone Nativity Cathedral is one of the few surviving monuments of early Moscow architecture. The paintings of the temple date back to the beginning of the 15th - mid-17th centuries with renovations from the 19th - early 20th centuries. The early layer of frescoes was created by masters from the circle of St. Andrei Rublev on the altar barrier and pillars, the entire volume of the cathedral was painted by masters of the Armory Chamber of the Moscow Kremlin by order of Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich. The frescoes of the “royal isographers” were updated in oil by the Palekh artel. The iconostasis of the “royal” masters of the mid-17th century has reached us in almost its original form. On the right side, on the salt, rest the relics of the founder of the monastery, St. Savva of Storozhevsky. In the 16th century, a chapel in honor of St. Sava was added to the cathedral from the south, in the 17th century - a porch tent from the west and a covered two-story gallery from the south, and in the 19th century, a porch was erected from the west side.

Until the beginning of the 15th century. The only stone building of the monastery is the Cathedral of the Nativity of the Mother of God. In 1407, the Rev. was buried in this cathedral. Savva. The cathedral was built of white stone in 1405 at the expense of Prince Yuri Dimitrievich. The cross-domed, four-pillar, single-domed temple is one of the few surviving monuments of early Moscow architecture. The facades, the top of the apses and the drum are decorated with belts of white stone carvings. The portals are perspective with a keeled top. Completion with three tiers of zakomar in the 18th-19th centuries. was replaced by a hipped roof, restored as a result of restoration in 1972. The onion dome dates back to the 17th century. In the interior, the walls, pillars and vaults are covered with frescoes from 1656, executed by “royal isographers” led by Stepan Ryazants and cleaned in 1970-1971. from later entries. The iconostasis is the work of the same masters. Above the southern porch there is a sacristy, originally connected by a covered passage to the royal palace.

Belfry. 1652-1654

The Belfry building is the tallest in the monastery. It has an original four-tier, three-span structure, ending with four stone tents with domes. In the second tier there is a church in the name of the Holy Trinity (now in honor of St. Sergius of Radonezh). The two upper tiers are for bells. The bell ensemble consisted of 19 bells, cast in the 17th - 18th centuries. Only one bell has survived to this day - the Sentinel. In the central large opening there was a 35-ton Great Annunciation Bell, cast in 1668 by master Alexander Grigoriev. Now in its place is the newly cast Blagovestnik.

Cathedral of the Nativity. Interior of the narthex

The porch tent of the Nativity Cathedral was built in the 17th century. The paintings were updated by the masters of the Palekh artel for the 300th anniversary of the House of Romanov in 1913. The family tree of our Savior Lord Jesus Christ is illustrated on the vaults; on the walls are selected saints and fragments of the life of St. Savva Storozhevsky. Under the southwest window, in the cathedral itself, is the site of the original burial of the Monk Sava.

Cathedral of the Nativity. Holy shrine with canopy over the relics of St. Savva of Storozhevsky

The holy relics of St. Savva, the founder of the monastery, were found on February 1 (January 19), 1652. And they rested in an oak shrine. Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich wanted to transfer the incorruptible relics of the Monk Savva into a silver gilded shrine, but did not have time to do this. In 1680, his son Tsar Fyodor Alekseevich fulfilled his father’s vow. A century later, court councilor Nikolai Vladimirovich Sheremetev installed a wooden canopy over the shrine. With the blessing of the Holy Synod of 1847, a new canopy made of applied silver was installed at the expense of pilgrims, which was solemnly consecrated by Metropolitan Philaret of Moscow on July 30 (17). On this day, a locally revered holiday was established, and an annual religious procession was held between the monastery and the Skete. After the blasphemous opening of the relics in 1919, the shrine and the canopy were lost and recreated in the year of the 600th anniversary of the founding of the monastery.

Trinity Gate Church. 1651

The Trinity (originally Sergius) gate church is a pillarless, hipped church typical of the 17th century. It was built on a high basement, where there is a wide staircase - the main entrance to the monastery. The church was consecrated on December 1, 1651. It is considered the last tented church in Russia in the 17th century, because Patriarch Nikon in 1652 banned the construction of such temples, as not corresponding to Byzantine traditions: “... tents are more befitting of boyars’ towers than the temples of the Lord.” The church was connected by a covered passage to the Tsarina's chambers and was the queen's home church. It is small in size and has excellent acoustics due to the use of voice boxes.

The wide staircase of the basement turns left at a right angle and leads out to the Cathedral Square of the monastery. The basement is built in such a way that only one Nativity Cathedral is visible from its depths. With every step, with every step, the cathedral seems to grow out of the hill, increasing in size and getting closer to the viewer.

Palace of Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich. 1650, 1674-1676

The palace was erected on the site of the original fraternal cells. Upon completion of construction, it was an extended [approx. 110 m.) a one-story building on a basement consisting of seven cages, four of which had a second floor. Along its entire length, the palace was built under Princess Sofya Alekseevna. Here were the chambers of Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich and his retinue, and then fraternal cells and chambers for the highest guests who visited the monastery in the 18th - early 20th centuries. In the chambers hung portraits of Russian sovereigns who visited the monastery. The northern part of the Palace was dismantled in the 19th century. Now the Palace houses theological courses, the monastery's pilgrimage service and a church shop.

The Queen's Chambers. 1652-1654

The Tsarina's Chambers is a palace built in 1652-1654. for the first wife of Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich, Tsarina Maria Ilyinichna Miloslavskaya, can be called a unique structure. And not because civil buildings were never built in monasteries, much less royal palaces. But because this building has retained all the unique charm of a residential tower of the 17th century - the ancient shape of window and doorways, a delightful white stone carved porch, a cozy interior with a suite of vaulted rooms and painted portals when moving from one room to another. This one-story building (in ancient times had a second wooden floor) was placed to the left of the main entrance to the monastery on the slope of a hill, therefore, on the side of the fortress wall, it had a basement that served for economic purposes.

Water Chapel. 1998

Built with the blessing of His Holiness Patriarch Alexy II in the year of the 600th anniversary of the founding of the monastery on the altar of the ancient church of St. John Climacus. This temple was erected at the hospital buildings of the monastery by order of Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich and dismantled due to dilapidation at the end of the 18th century.

Bath over the spring of St. Sava. 2003-2004

The bathhouse was built over the spring of St. Savva near the ancient monastery dam on the Storozhka River.

Monk Sava's monastery. Temple of St. Savva Storozhevsky. 1862

The monastery is located a kilometer from the monastery on the site of the solitary prayers of St. Savva. Under the altar of the temple there is a cave where the founder of the monastery retired to pray.

The buildings of the Skete were built in the early 1860s. at the expense of Pavel Grigorievich Tsurikov, a merchant of the 1st guild and a hereditary nobleman.

Red Tower. 1650-1654

The most beautiful tower is the Red one above the Holy Gate. It, unlike other towers (faceted), is rectangular in shape, two-story (on the second floor was built the Church of Alexy, the man of God, the heavenly patron of Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich).

The Red Tower, together with the nearby gateway Trinity Church, forms an unusual main entrance to the monastery. Two gates of the tower lead to the monastery courtyard, which, in turn, leads to the basement of the Trinity Church.

Fortress walls. 1650-1654

According to the decree of Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich, a “stone city” was erected in the Savvino-Storozhevsky Monastery. Construction began, as was customary, with the construction of fortress walls. Their length is 760 m, height up to 8 m, thickness up to 3.5 m. The walls have three rows of loopholes and a battle passage gallery, in the corners there are 7 towers (6 have survived).

There are two gates leading to the territory - front and utility. The front, or Holy, gates are located on the eastern side, and the utility gates cut through the thickness of the northern wall. Of the 6 surviving towers, 4 have a name.

The eastern tower is called the Red Tower; the southwestern tower, which served as a grain warehouse, is Zhitnoy; south-eastern economic - Vodovzvodnoy; the southern one, protruding outward at an angle, is Usovaya; The western tower, which was not preserved, located near the hospital wards, was called the Hospital Tower. The towers had a hipped roof covered with planks.

Using materials from the book “Savvino-Storozhevsky Monastery”, publishing council of the Savvino-Storozhevsky stauropegic monastery.

The monastery was founded in 1398 near Zvenigorod (50 km from Moscow) on the high bank of the river. Moscow on Mount Storozhe, which was a defensive fortification of the Moscow Principality. It was founded by the Monk Savva, the Zvenigorod wonderworker, one of the first disciples of the Monk Sergius of Radonezh, at the request of the Zvenigorod Prince Yuri Dmitrievich, the second son of the Great Moscow Prince Dimitri Donskoy.

There were two main construction periods in the history of the monastery: the first - from the end of the 14th to the beginning of the 17th century, the second - the mid-17th-19th centuries.

Initially, a small wooden church of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary and a cell attached to it were built. The good fame about the life of the Zvenigorod abbot spread far and wide, and monks flocked to the monastery, seeking spiritual guidance. New cells were built. The monastery was surrounded by a wooden fence with a gate on the north side.

Prince Yuri Dmitrievich of Zvenigorod revered the Monk Savva and patronized the monastery. The prince received the saint's blessing for a long military campaign against the Kama Bulgars and, according to the prediction of the Monk Savva, returned victorious. In gratitude, villages and hamlets in Zvenigorod and Ruza districts were given to the monastery for the establishment of the monastery.

Around 1405, a white stone church was built, at the entrance of which in 6915 (according to modern chronology - 1406/1407) the Monk Savva, canonized at the Makarievsky Cathedral of 1547, was buried.

To the north of the cathedral you can see the foundations of ancient buildings. During excavations 1955-1957. managed to find out that at the beginning of the 16th century. Prince Yuri Ivanovich of Zvenigorod built the Holy Gate with a temple in the name of St. Sergius of Radonezh and a refectory on this site. Restorers have uncovered the apse of the temple and one-fourth of the basement floor of the refectory.

The church and refectory, which suffered during the Troubles, were dismantled during the renovation of the monastery in the middle of the 17th century.

At the beginning of the 17th century. The monastery was damaged during the Polish-Lithuanian intervention. “The Monastery of the Most Pure Mother of God and the monastic villages were destroyed, the monastery’s treasury money and horses and all sorts of monastic supplies and bread were taken, abbot Isaiah and his brethren were fenced off and burned with fire.” The monastery and the Zvenigorod district were plundered by the troops of two impostors - False Dmitry I and False Dmitry II, as well as the Polish prince Vladislav.

The monastery began to be revived already under the first Tsar from the Romanov dynasty - Mikhail Fedorovich and his father Patriarch Filaret, who came on pilgrimage to the “House of the Most Pure One on the Watchman” and through the prayers of St. Savvas received healing from their ailments.

In 1650, Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich issued a decree on the construction of a new monastery ensemble on Mount Storozhe, which began the second construction period in the monastic history. Already in the spring - autumn of 1649, the necessary construction work was carried out in the Nativity Cathedral and the paintings were done anew on a golden background.

At the same time, brick factories were founded near the monastery, which provided the construction with large-sized bricks.

In 1650-1656. The main buildings and fortress walls were built (length 760 m, height 8-9 m, thickness - about 3 m) with 7 towers, of which six have survived to this day. The following churches were built in the monastery fence: (1651-1652), later reconsecrated in honor of the Life-Giving Trinity; Preobrazhensky (second half of the 17th century), as well as (1650s), and, and other buildings.

Within the walls of the monastery there was a so-called “hospital monastery” with hospital cells and the Church of St. John the Climacus, the foundations of which have been preserved. Under the mountain and on the northern side of the monastery there was a living room and utility yards, fish ponds, mills and other outbuildings.

Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich often visited the monastery in his youth, but regular royal pilgrimages to the monastery on Storozhi began in 1649. The second tsar from the Romanov dynasty chose the monastery as his residence. Monastic tradition explains his special zeal for the monastery by the miraculous intercession of the Zvenigorod wonderworker - the salvation of the king while hunting from a fierce bear.

One of the most important events of the reign of Alexei Mikhailovich was the discovery of the honest relics of St. Savva of Storozhevsky, which took place on January 19 (February 1 - new style) 1652. In memory of this event, which was witnessed by hundreds of the first people of the state, as well as numerous brethren of the monastery, by royal decree, it was cast by master I. Falk at the Moscow Cannon Yard The Annunciation Bell (more than 1344 poods), the fate of which is unknown. In memory of another event - the church council that condemned Patriarch Nikon - a new Blagovestnik (more than 2125 pounds) was cast by the “sovereign cannon and bell maker” Alexander Grigoriev.

Under Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich, the monastery became a Lavra and was subordinated to the personal office of the tsar, the order of Secret Affairs. According to the charter, it was equated to the Trinity-Sergius Monastery. 19 monasteries were assigned to the Savvino-Storozhevsky Monastery.

Under Tsar Fyodor Alekseevich, he was called “the sovereign’s room and first-class.” During the Streltsy, the so-called Khovansky, rebellion, Princess Sophia took refuge in it with her younger brothers, princes Peter and Ivan.

During the synodal period, the monastery gradually lost its position, privileges and a significant part of its land holdings. The sovereigns continued to visit it: Empress Elizabeth Petrovna (1749), under whom the court preacher Archimandrite Gideon was the rector of the monastery, as well as Empress Catherine II (1762 and 1775). Under Catherine II, Metropolitan Platon (Levshin) carried out a project to locate within the walls of the monastery a theological educational institution - a seminary, which was located in the royal palace.

In 1764, all land holdings of the monastery were subject to secularization. It was ranked as a first class monastery with a staff of 33 monks.

During the Patriotic War of 1812, a battle was given to the enemy near the monastery, which delayed the advance of the French troops towards Moscow for 6 hours. From August 31 to October 15, 1812, the monastery was occupied by the enemy.

Thanks to the miraculous intercession of the Monk Savva - the appearance of the Zvenigorod saint to the commander of the 4th corps of the French army, Viceroy of Italy Eugene Beauharnais - the holy relics remained intact, although the monastery was seriously damaged during the enemy invasion.

After the war, the monastery was revived, including through generous royal donations. In 1839, Emperor Nicholas I and the Grand Dukes visited him, and later Emperor Alexander II the Liberator visited him several times.

Installation in honor of St. Savva of Storozhevsky's new holiday in memory of the transfer of his relics to a new canopy is associated with the name of the outstanding church hierarch, Metropolitan Philaret (Drozdov). This event occurred on July 17, 1847.

A special mark on the life of the monastery was left by its rector, Bishop Leonid (Krasnopevkov), and a significant part of the repair work in the monastery was carried out at the expense of a famous Zvenigorod benefactor, the owner of a cloth factory in the village. Ivanovskoye, Zvenigorod district P.G. Tsurikova.

In the 19th century A major work on the history of the monastery was published in three editions, written by one of the most prominent representatives of the Moscow church historical school - the rector of the Moscow Theological Academy S.K. Smirnov.

Special patronage of the monastery on Storozhi was provided by Grand Duke Sergei Alexandrovich, Moscow Governor-General, and his wife Grand Duchess Elisaveta Feodorovna, now canonized.

In 1898, the 500th anniversary of the Savvino-Storozhevsky Monastery was solemnly celebrated.

In 1918, in Zvenigorod, as a result of the actions of local authorities who requisitioned part of the monastery’s property, an armed conflict occurred, resulting in casualties. The abbot of the monastery, Abbot Macarius (Popov), clergy, and laymen were convicted in the “Zvenigorod case.” In March 1919, the blasphemous opening of the relics of St. Savva caused protests from the brethren and residents of the city. Arrests followed. The relics of St. Savvas were confiscated, the monastery was closed.

During Soviet times, the monastery housed various institutions: military units, a sanatorium, and a museum.

Part of the relics of St. Savva Storozhevsky was kept in the Uspensky family. In 1985, the shrine was transferred to the Moscow St. Daniel Monastery.

In 1995, the monastery was revived. During the celebration of the 600th anniversary of the monastery in 1998, His Holiness Patriarch Alexy II solemnly transferred the relics of St. Savva to it.

Currently, there are 30 monks and novices in the Savvino-Storozhevsky Monastery. Divine services are performed not only in the monastery itself, but also in 11 churches attached to the monastery, located in Moscow, Zvenigorod, Kubinka (Odintsovo district), the villages of Savvinskaya Sloboda, Ershovo, Molzino (Noginsk district of the Moscow region).

Through the labors of the monks, the monastery churches are being revived, the palace of Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich, the belfry, the fortress walls and towers are being restored.

The monastery has established two-year courses for adults, and a library with a reading room has been opened, the holdings of which amount to 6.5 thousand volumes.

Main literature:

• Smirnov S.K. Historical description of the Savin Storozhevsky Monastery. Compiled by S. Smirnov. - M., 1860. M.: Publishing department of the Savvino-Storozhevsky stauropegial monastery, 2007.
• Yashina O.N. Savvino-Storozhevsky Monastery. Six centuries of history. Part two XVIII-XXI centuries. Auto. text by Yashin O.N. M.: Publication of the Savvino-Storozhevsky Stavropegial Monastery, 2003.
• Kondrashina V.A.. Savvino-Storozhevsky Monastery. Photo album. Author-compiler V.A. Kondrashin. M.: Summer, 1998.
• Nikolaeva T.V. Ancient Zvenigorod. Architecture. Art. M.: “Iskusstvo”, 1978.
• Sedov D.A. Abbots and governors of the Savvino-Storozhevsky Monastery // Savvinsky readings. M.: Northern Pilgrim, 2007. pp. 134-202.
• Tyutyunnikova I.V. Savvino-Storozhevsky Monastery in Zvenigorod: Guide. M.: Northern Pilgrim, 2007.

One summer we were at a dacha in the Odintsovo district, and we decided to explore the surrounding area. And we chose the Savvino-Storozhevsky Monastery as our inspection point.
It is located near Zvenigorod. The monastery was founded in 1398 by the disciple of Sergius of Radonezh, monk Savva. The monastery is located in a very beautiful place, on the high hill Storozhe (previously on this hill there was an observation post - watchman, from which the hill got its name), above the Moskva River. The initiator of the creation of this monastery was the son of Dmitry Donskoy, Zvenigorod Prince Yuri Dmitrievich.
The first buildings - a wooden church and cells - were surrounded by a simple fence. The prince provided land to the monastery and granted a number of privileges.

In 1405, a white stone Church of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary was built in the monastery. This temple was painted by students of Andrei Rublev. Until the mid-17th century, the Savvino-Storozhevsky Monastery was weakly fortified. All of its defenses were wooden. But it was still a military outpost in the west of the Moscow state. The walls and towers of the monastery, similar to fortress walls, were built in the mid-17th century. The walls were erected on a wide white stone foundation. The height of the walls is up to 8.5 m. The thickness of the walls is up to 2.7 m. The total length of the walls is 760 m. There were originally 7 towers, 6 remain.
Here is the plan of the monastery:

On the plan:
1- Cathedral of the Nativity of the Virgin Mary
2- Palace of Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich
3- Small cell building
4- Large fraternal building
5- Tsarina's chambers
6- Trinity Church
7- Refectory Church of the Icon of Our Lady of Kazan
8- Bell tower - belfry
9- Church of the Transfiguration
10- Refectory
11- Treasury Corps
12- Streltsy Chambers

We approached the monastery from the Red Tower. In the tower there is the Holy Gate. They were closed. They are opened only on special occasions, on major holidays.

Above the gate is a fresco with the image of the Mother of God and the Venerables Sergius of Radonezh and Savva of Storozhevsky.

After admiring this beauty, we walked along the wall. They didn’t just walk, but climbed up a narrow path. Before us is a new tower - North.

We entered the monastery through the northern passage gate

Because The monastery is active for men; when entering the territory, certain rules must be followed - women must cover their heads and wear a skirt. We went to the monastery unplanned, so I had to buy a scarf, and wrap skirts were given out at the entrance. Vidon, of course, is still the same - a colorful skirt, from under it - trousers peek out. But rules are rules, however, there were ladies on the territory who didn’t want to give a damn about them. Very unpleasant - in a holy place one could listen.
And here we are on the territory. Very beautiful! The eye is attracted not only by the temples, but also by the flower beds with daisies and poppies.

Having passed the flowers, we approach the refectory.

Opposite is a gazebo.

Behind the gazebo you can clearly see the battle passages of the fortress.

In my opinion, right now it would be appropriate to tell you that at the beginning of the 17th century, during the Time of Troubles, the monastery was besieged by the Poles and was completely destroyed. It was rebuilt in 1650-1654 by Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich Romanov. This sovereign greatly favored the monastery. He wanted to contrast this monastery with the Trinity-Sergius Lavra, he wanted to make it a place of personal pilgrimage. Together with his family and servants, Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich lived here often and for a long time. For the sovereign and empress, the Tsar's Palace and the Tsarina's Chambers were built in the monastery. More on them a little later. In the meantime, next to the refectory we see the Church of the Transfiguration. It was built in 1693 with donations from Princess Sophia (daughter of Alexei Mikhailovich).

Adjacent to this church is a four-tiered bell tower, also built in the mid-17th century.

The bell tower used to house a bell weighing 35 tons and a clock donated by Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich. In 1941, they tried to remove this most euphonious bell from the belfry and it broke. Part of the bell tongue has been preserved, which weighs 700 kg.

The clock, a gift from the Tsar, was broken by the French in 1812, but the 17th century bell that struck the hours was preserved and is still “doing” its job.

And here in front of us is the Church of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary (1404-1405). The temple stands on the highest point of the hill. It was built from local white stone.

At the end of the 16th and beginning of the 17th centuries, a chapel of Savva Storozhevsky was added to the temple; in the mid-17th century, a porch was built on both sides of the cathedral; in the mid-19th century, a front porch was added. It turns out that only the northern facade remained unbuilt. Here he is in the photo on the left

The Tsar's Palace and the Tsarina's Chambers are located on both sides of the Nativity Cathedral. The Queen's chambers are very beautiful. They were built for the first wife of Alexei Mikhailovich, Maria Miloslavskaya.

The porch of these chambers is especially beautiful (the porch is genuine!!!)

You look at him and have the feeling that you have been transported to the Middle Ages, that in just a moment the queen will appear on the porch in her luxurious clothes.

The royal palace is much larger.

Due to the unevenness of the hill, the palace is two-story on one side and three-story on the other.

Initially, it was one- and two-story; it was built on during the time of Queen Sophia. There were external staircases to the upper floors, they burned down in 1729. The wooden porches were a remake.

What can I say about the Royal Palace - we weren’t inside (to be honest, I don’t even know if the entrance is open), we were with children and our youngest, due to his age, did not appreciate this beauty and was eager for freedom. Here's what I found about it on the Internet - in 1742 the second floor burned down and only 33 years later it was rebuilt. The rich interior decoration was partially lost during this fire, and what remained was plundered by the French in 1812.
But we were in the Tsarina’s chambers. The halls are small, with vaulted ceilings, located in a suite. Some of the premises have been restored and you can see how the queen and her servants lived here. The remaining rooms house the exhibition "Ancient Zvenigorod", displaying icons, archaeological finds, coins, ancient books, household items, utensils...

Next to the Tsarina's Chambers there is a very beautiful Trinity Church, built over the Holy Gate

Under the church there is a grand staircase that goes out to Cathedral Square. Look how the vault of the passage under the Trinity Church is painted

And here are fragments of wall paintings

I hope that the painting will eventually be completely restored.

I really regret that I didn’t take such a shot. Photo from mochaloff.ru

Here's what is written about it on the Internet:
The original technique of visually revealing the cathedral through its sequential perception as one ascends the stairs has no analogues in ancient Russian architecture.

Almost opposite this staircase we saw the foundations of the old refectory and the Holy Gate (early 16th century)

My boys, of course, looked into the barred window. And almost unanimously: “Is this an underground passage???” I don’t know, I don’t know.... Maybe, although I think it’s just a basement window.

And again we walked past the Tsarina’s chambers, admiring the magnificent porch. Before us are the fraternal corps.

and small cell building

In the seventeenth century, the monastery had one large one-story fraternal building. In the nineteenth century, the entire western half of the building was dismantled and the Small Cell Building was built, and a second floor was erected above the eastern part, where, in addition to the premises for the brethren, there was a hospital, a pharmacy and a fraternal almshouse.

So we looked at the entire territory and buildings of the monastery. But we haven’t forgotten that this is also a fortress. I managed to photograph such a loophole.

And leaving the gate, we decided to walk around the entire monastery, look at all the towers and walls.
I have already shown you the Red and Northern towers.
We leave the gate, and to our left is the Vodovzvodnaya Tower.

Next to it is an observation deck. The view of the surrounding area is amazing!

Here, on the observation deck, there is a huge tree growing, next to it there is a bench. The proximity of the monastery and natural beauty invite one to connect with the spiritual.

We walk along the path along the western wall of the monastery

The roof of the Royal Palace can be seen above the wall. To our right is a sharp hillside overgrown with trees and bushes.
And here in front of us is the Zhitnaya Tower.

and small cell building

Archangel on the roof

The next tower is Rectangular.

and behind it is Eastern.

Along the narrow path leading from the East Tower,

we again went to the Red Tower, from which we began exploring the monastery.

I also want to show you the monument to Prince Yuri of Zvenigorod and St. Savva of Storozhevsky. It was installed in Zvenigorod itself.

And finally - Savvino-Storozhevsky Monastery from a bird's eye view. Cool, isn't it???

The photo is not mine, I haven’t learned to fly yet

The Savvino-Storozhevsky Monastery in Zvenigorod is one of the most beautiful and significant monasteries in Moscow and the Moscow region. Local historians claim that Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich gave it the status of the first monastery in Russia (in terms of importance and number), and only then did the Kiev-Pechersk and Trinity-Sergius monasteries receive the same status. This monastery is an absolute must for tourists to visit.

It has only one small drawback - it’s God knows where to cut to it, and it’s not on the highway, but on the concrete between New Riga and Mozhaika. The monastery is located not in the city itself, but not far from it. Having turned off the concrete road, you need to drive through the entire city along Moskovskaya Street, and at the very end of it turn right, and then along the Moscow River for another two kilometers until you see this sign on the left.

We climb a steep hill and see the gates of the monastery, which are impossible to get into by car. There is no parking here.

But if you rise even higher to these green church buildings, you will find very convenient parking nearby. From there it is two steps to the monastery.

The monastery was founded by the Venerable Savva of Storozhevsky, the Zvenigorod wonderworker, one of the first disciples of Sergius of Radonezh. Before this, for about 6 years, Savva was the abbot of the Trinity-Sergius Monastery.

The shrine is located on Mount Storozhi at the confluence of the Storozhka River with the Moscow River, two kilometers west of the city of Zvenigorod.

The monastery was founded by Savva in 1398 at the request and with the support of Zvenigorod Prince Yuri Dimitrievich, son of Dmitry Donskoy. From the very foundation of the Savvino-Storozhevsky Monastery, the prince took care of it, trying to turn it into his court monastery.

The monastery prepares the legendary kvass, infused with raisins (giving additional “wine” fermentation). Before pouring it, the saleswoman asks, “Aren’t you driving?” Kvass immediately sets in, like good mash.

Immediately upon entering we see the first such exhibition of the monastery.

And we, of course, go straight to the church store to feast on what God sent, and there is plenty of everything there. For example, the monastery sbiten.

But I don’t really want to drink hot sbiten in the heat, and I immediately became interested in this drink. Being a greedy person, I bought all types of mead at once, except for one, blue, “Moderately Sober,” which remained in one copy on the display case.

We'll go to the Provision Tower, but we won't take the buns until we get there; they'll have time to cool down and dry out. By the way, this mustachioed, bespectacled guy, who has flashed for the second time, has nothing to do with me, and looks like me like horseradish to a sausage.

The baked goods are excellent and the smells linger in the air.

We walk up the tower stairs and see this couple who have been sitting and drinking tea with bagels for many months in a row.

From the Provision Tower there is a secret exit to the monastery wall. The door is unlocked and we go upstairs.

It is impossible to go around the monastery along the perimeter of the wall, there are locked doors everywhere, but you can look at the courtyard from above.

And now we’re stuck, but we have to get down somehow. It’s very easy to fall down this ladder, especially after drinking monastery kvass.

We walk past the Refectory to the main square. On the right remains this chapel-gazebo, built on the foundation of the Church of St. John Climacus.

The Savvino-Storozhevsky Monastery ranks third in terms of attendance in Russia, second only to the Trinity-Sergius Lavra and Diveevo. Although in terms of importance, I personally would put it now in sixth place in Russia. There are many pilgrims here, and there are benches for them everywhere.

We are in the heart of the monastery. The main temple of the monastery is the white-stone Nativity Cathedral, built at the beginning of the 15th century. Abbot Savva was buried there in 1407. In the cathedral there is a shrine with his relics, which pilgrims from all over Russia come to venerate.

The monastery began with a small wooden church of the Nativity of the Virgin Mary, at which the cell of St. Savva. But in this place a long time ago there stood the Church of St. Sergius of Radonezh. That's all that's left of her.

These windows were once the first floor of the temple. Oh, how ancient they look. The foot of Ivan the Terrible himself walked on these bricks.

In the mid-17th century, Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich chose this monastery as his residence near Moscow and ordered it to be rebuilt.

At the same time, the main buildings and fortress walls were installed, the length of which was about 800 m. The work was supervised by master Ivan Sharutin. The fortress had seven towers, of which five have survived.

The monastery towers have names: Red (above the Holy Gate), Zhitnaya, Vodovzvodnaya, Usovaya, Bolnichnaya (almost not preserved).

Red Gate. The crumbling frescoes depict Sergius of Radonezh and Savva of Zvenigorod. Between them two angels are holding the Savior Not Made by Hands in their arms.

During the time of Alexei Mikhailovich, the Red Gate was the main gate of the monastery. Now they open only on major holidays.

They were arranged cunningly enough so that those entering would not see the palaces of Alexei Mikhailovich and the queen, but would see only the main temple and nothing extra.

As we can see, there is nothing like this in Russian architecture anywhere else.

The palace of Alexei Mikhailovich himself was simply huge for its time and had four buildings with separate entrances.

Already under Princess Sophia, a second floor was built with a suite of rooms along the entire length of the building. Instead of internal staircases, external stone porches were built to the second floor.

But not everywhere. There are doors on the second floor without stairs. The Tsar probably jumped down without a parachute, thinking every time: “Damn it, we still need to attach a ladder.”

The Tsarina's chambers, located opposite the palace of Alexei Mikhailovich, were intended for visits by his first wife, Maria Ilyinichna Miloslavskaya.

Now there is a museum here, which hosts quite interesting excursions, where they explain, for example, why the queen should not lose weight.

It turns out that in the time of Alexei Mikhailovich, what was valued in women above all was “plumpness and abundance,” and a skinny “worm” with measurements of 90-60-90 would have caused the autocrat nothing but disgust.

The main cathedral of the monastery is simply a miracle of art. This style is called “early Moscow architecture,” and there are only four such cathedrals in the entire Moscow region. Inside it has frescoes painted by masters from Andrei Rublev's circle.

The monastery makes the strongest impression when the peonies bloom, the aromas of which simply make your head spin.

There is an additional staircase leading to the Cathedral of the Nativity of the Virgin Mary, which seems to be forbidden to climb.

Along it you can get to the ancient monastery cemetery, where no one has been buried for a long time.

Some burials here date back to the 16th century, half a millennium ago.

Perhaps the monks know who rests here, but we will never know.

Somewhere here, in the monastery basements, Peter the Great personally tortured the captured archers after the riot.

Adjacent to the Red Gate is the gateway Trinity Church, the last temple of its kind in Rus', because immediately after that the construction of tent-roofed churches was prohibited by the church.

And adjacent to the Trinity Church is the yellow Refectory Church. Above it on the left is the Church of the Transfiguration, which was built at the end of the 17th century with donations from Princess Sophia in memory of her stay in the monastery during the Streltsy riot.

The dominant feature of the monastery is a four-tier bell tower, built in the mid-17th century. She was famous for her raspberry ringing throughout Russia. According to legend, Fyodor Chaliapin specially came to Zvenigorod to listen to the main bell and said: “This helps me sing.”

On the bell tower was the main bell of the gospel, weighing 35 tons, cast here in the monastery by master Alexander Grigoriev. They say its ringing could be heard even in Moscow. Here we see its successor - the new 37-ton bell.

The old bell broke during the Great Patriotic War, when the Nazis began to remove it. All that was left of him was his tongue, weighing 700 kg.

Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich gave the Savvino-Storozhevsky Monastery the status of the first monastery in Russia (in terms of importance and number), and only then did the Kiev-Pechersk and Trinity-Sergius monasteries receive the same status.

Mount Storozhi, on which the monastery stands, offers a majestic view of the surrounding area.

A map for those who need a map.

Fais se que dois adviegne que peut.

Cathedral of the Nativity of the Virgin Mary of the Savvino-Storozhevsky Monastery

The cathedral was built of white stone in 1405 at the expense of Prince Yuri Dmitrievich. The cross-domed, four-pillar, single-domed temple is one of the few surviving monuments of Moscow architecture at the turn of the 16th-15th centuries. The facades, the top of the apses and the drum are decorated with belts of white stone carvings. The portals are perspective with a keeled top. Completion with three tiers of zakomar in the 18th-19th centuries. was replaced with a hipped roof, restored as a result of restoration in 1972. The onion head dates back to the 17th century. In the interior, the walls, pillars and vaults are covered with frescoes from 1656, executed by a group of royal craftsmen led by Stepan Ryazants and cleaned in 1970-1971. from later entries. The iconostasis and part of the icons date back to the 17th century. In the 1650s. a single-domed Savvinsky chapel, covered with a closed vault, two porches and a western porch were added to the cathedral on the southern and western sides. Above the southern porch there is a sacristy, originally connected by a covered passage to the royal palace. Previously there was a south porch with an external staircase, the arches of the south porch were open.

Although chronicle information about the construction of the stone Nativity Cathedral in the Savvino-Storozhevsky Monastery has not been preserved, most often in the literature the quite “unconditional” date for the consecration of the temple is given - 1405. In 1389, Dmitry Ioannovich bequeathed to his son Yuri "Zvenigorod with all the volosts, and with the tamga, and with the town, and with the side, and with the village, and with all the duties." In the Zvenigorod principality he started great construction. Already in the 1390s, the amazing Assumption Cathedral on Gorodok grew here. Next it was the turn of the “own” monastery. At this time, in the Trinity Monastery, which was orphaned after the death of St. Sergius of Radonezh, Sergius’ disciple and tonsured priest, St. Savva of Storozhevsky, was in charge. Prince Yuri of Zvenigorod, godson of the “abbot of the Russian land,” often visited the monastery and, struck by the holiness of the life of the Monk Savva, chose him, as is usually stated, as his spiritual father, wishing to always have the saint next to him. The prince prayed to the monk, “may he remain with him, and may he build a monastery in his fatherland near Zvenigorod, where there is a place called Watchmen.” The elder heeded the plea of ​​the ambitious prince and, leaving the Trinity monastery, in 1398 he came to the Zvenigorod estate, founding a monastery in it in honor of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary. Soon a wooden church was cut down in the new monastery. However, Prince Yuri, who generously donated to Savvina's monastery, was not satisfied with the small, inconspicuous monastery; in “his” monastery, in the prince’s opinion, there should have been a stone church. Considering that the Monk Savva departed to the Lord in 1407 and, according to a number of testimonies, was buried in a new stone church, researchers “derive” 1405 as the most likely date for the consecration of the Nativity Cathedral of the Savvinsky monastery.

The Nativity of the Mother of God Cathedral honestly shared the joys and sorrows with the monastery itself, which in its history knew periods of both decline and prosperity. But no matter what happened, the cathedral church was always under the protection of its founder and builder, of which numerous evidence has been preserved. Under Alexei Mikhailovich, who often came here on pilgrimage, the relics of St. Savva of Storozhevsky were discovered (in 1652). It was under him that major construction began in the monastery, and an impressive royal palace grew on the western side of the Nativity Cathedral. It is curious that this palace was connected to the cathedral church by a covered passage, which led to the “small chamber”, where the king and his family usually stood during services. Now this transition does not exist. The appearance of the Nativity Cathedral changed greatly in those years - it was surrounded by a gallery from the west and south, and the chapel of St. Savva was built in the southeastern corner (1659). The gallery is “all made of stone crystal” (mica), as noted by Paul of Aleppo, who accompanied Patriarch Macarius of Antioch in the middle. 1650s. He wrote admiringly about the “amazingly brilliant gilding” of the cathedral domes. A new iconostasis then appeared in the temple - tall, carved, gilded. The icons for it were painted by “competent painters” of the Armory Chamber, Yakov Tikhonovich Rudakov and Stepan Grigorievich Ryazanets. In 1735, the ancient roof covering of the cathedral was eliminated, replacing it with a hipped roof, and a cast-iron floor was installed (“200 pounds of cast-iron was purchased for the cathedral church floor”).

In 1775, Catherine II honored the “first-class” monastery with her visit, where she attended the liturgy in the Nativity Cathedral, which was served by Metropolitan Platon (Levshin) himself, after which she deigned to dine and relax in the abbot’s chambers (“Tsarina’s Chambers”). After which she left for Moscow. In terms of the general “mood,” the 19th century monastery would have been no different from the 18th century, if not for the presence of the French in the monastery in 1812. Back in August, in anticipation of the French “guests,” the most valuable things and relics were removed from the monastery, but much remained in place - and the French staged a complete robbery. However, this is not surprising, since they acted in all Russian monasteries; The surprising and curious thing lies elsewhere: in the fact that this robbery affected all the monastery buildings, with the exception of one - the Nativity Cathedral. Its holy builder, the Monk Savva, saved his temple by appearing to the French leader Eugene de Beauharnais, who was spending the night in the royal palace, and promising him that he would return to France alive after the troops left Russia, in exchange for the fact that he would not touch the cathedral. After this, the stunned Beauharnais placed guards near the cathedral church, forbidding soldiers to enter it.

One of the most important events of the 19th century was the replacement in 1847 of the canopy over the shrine of St. Savva with a new one, bronze with applied silver, and in connection with this the establishment of a local holiday on July 17 (30) in honor of the transfer of the saint’s relics. At this time, the cathedral acquired a stone porch with a hipped roof. In the 1870s, it was equipped with oven heating, laying brick-lined ceramic pipes in the floors. The last restoration of the church before the revolutionary pogrom took place in 1912-1913. Palekh craftsmen renewed the paintings and washed the icons of the 17th century iconostasis. During the reconstruction, they abandoned the cast-iron floor and laid it with Metlakh tiles. In March 1919, Red Army soldiers and local authorities carried out a blasphemous opening of the relics of St. Savva. In April 1919, the holy relics of the founder of the Savvinsky monastery were taken to Lubyanka. This began the looting of the monastery, which was finally closed in July 1919.

An indicative fact: in 1923, the lattice that stood in front of the iconostasis of the Nativity Cathedral was removed and adapted to fence the monument to Charles Mars. The owners of the monastery constantly changed: street children, representatives of punitive authorities, military personnel, doctors, museum workers... For the Nativity Cathedral, this Soviet leapfrog ended in 1947, when the temple was transferred to the Zvenigorod Museum. Securing museum status to the cathedral made it possible to begin scientific restoration there. Since the late 1950s, temple frescoes and icons of the iconostasis created in the 17th century have been restored. The second stage of this work dates back to the 1970s. At the same time, in 1971-1973, the cathedral was restored to its original appearance - the dome of the temple sparkled with gilding, and the roof covering was restored. New times have brought new trends. In July 1990, a minor consecration of the Nativity Cathedral took place. Within the walls of the temple (still a museum!), prayer began to sound again; For the first time after a break of more than 70 years, a liturgy was celebrated in the cathedral. In August 1998, when the 600th anniversary of the Savvino-Storozhevsky Monastery was widely celebrated, the Monk Savva returned with his relics to his native monastery. The ark with the relics was placed in a renewed shrine, and the festive service was then led by Patriarch Alexy II.

The Nativity Cathedral of the Savvino-Storozhevsky Monastery belongs to the so-called “early Moscow architecture”. When figuring out the genealogy of this temple, art historians usually compare it with two churches - the earlier Zvenigorod Assumption Cathedral on Gorodok and the Trinity Cathedral of the Trinity-Sergius Lavra. All these temples were built by Prince Yuri of Zvenigorod, they are all typologically close, although upon closer examination some differences become clear. If we talk about proximity, then we should name three characteristic features of “early Moscow architecture”.

Here is a quote from architect and art critic D.Yu. Palkina: “... firstly, the optional correspondence of internal and external divisions, or a “system of displaced correspondences”, secondly, this is the use of stepped arches emphasizing vertical dynamics, and thirdly, this is a typically Moscow completion through two or more tiers of zakomar." In the Nativity Cathedral, in contrast to the mentioned Assumption and Trinity Cathedrals, we see complete correspondence of external and internal divisions. On the other hand, if in the Assumption Cathedral on Gorodok there is a vertical tendency of volume, then in the two monastery churches there is a kind of horizontal dynamics - they, thanks to the chosen proportions of the main volume, seem to slightly settle to the ground. The design of the apsidal blades is characteristic in this sense - in the Nativity Cathedral they “break off” at the level of the middle level of the three-row frieze, as if “forbidding” the emerging growth. Actually, the sensations from all three churches - despite their obvious proximity - are different: in this sense, the Nativity Cathedral looks more comfortable, intimate, simple and clear, but this is the simplicity that obviously rushes towards the “golden ratio”. In cross-section, the main volume is almost square (14.4 X 14.5 m). The temple stands on a fairly high basement - about one and a half meters high. The northern and southern facades are asymmetrical: their lateral divisions are of unequal width (the western ones are wider than the eastern ones).

External decor plays a big role in creating the image of churches of “early Moscow”. It is quite simple and stingy, finding its expression in several decorative belts, but here we see a paradox - this stinginess is almost more expressive and striking than the excessiveness and some “intrusiveness” of decoration, for example, Baroque churches of a later era. The “facade” frieze of the Nativity Cathedral almost repeats the corresponding belt of the Assumption Cathedral in Gorodok, but it becomes more planar, denser, and more geometric. There is some functionality and programming outlined here - such a frieze is easier to repeat in other temple buildings. The transition from the main volume to the drum is carried out using three rows of characteristic keel-shaped kokoshniks (zakomars in the form of kokoshniks). Most likely, they should have formed the vertical “vector” of the temple, but strangely this did not happen - the main volume of the cathedral still remains “squat”. For almost 250 years, kokoshniks were hidden under a hipped roof built in 1735. As has already been said, the main type of “early Moscow architecture” is a single-domed, four-pillar temple. In this case, the chapter rests on a light drum with high narrow loophole windows, decorated with a three-row decorative belt. This belt coincides in design with the frieze running in the upper part of the apses, with the exception of the lower row, where woven bunches of plants appeared on the drum. The apses of the Nativity Cathedral are lowered relative to the main volume, which, together with other relevant elements, forms the “squatness” of the building. A characteristic feature of the apses is the blades dividing them into parts. The apses, like the facades and the drum, are decorated with a decorative carved belt. The middle apse is twice as large in diameter as the side apses and projects significantly further to the east.

Extensions “overgrown” the temple in the middle of the 17th century, under Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich. Unlike the main building, built of white stone, they were built of brick. In the south-eastern corner is the chapel of St. Savva of Storozhevsky, stylistically trying to imitate the main building. From the south and west there is a gallery, and its southern part is built on a second floor - a covered passage from the palace of Alexei Mikhailovich once led there; later this room was occupied by the sacristy. The interior space of the Nativity Cathedral inherits the structure of the Assumption Cathedral in Gorodok. Just like in Gorodok, the four pillars here are noticeably moved towards the walls - in order to maximize the width of the central naves. However, there are differences. Firstly, the facade division with blades strictly corresponds to the location of the pylons, which in plan became square, and not cross-shaped (as in the Assumption Cathedral), and more “thin”. In addition, the choirs have disappeared. In general, in the cathedral church of the Savvino-Storozhevsky Monastery, a desire for some grandeur is noticeable. “Some,” because this, of course, is not the classical halliness characteristic of later churches, but only its “overtone,” but this “overtone” gives the Nativity Cathedral a very pleasant intimacy and coziness. Initially, the temple did not have an iconostasis; its role, as in ancient churches, was played by the altar barrier, which in 1913, during the next restoration, helped answer the question of whether the newly built cathedral was somehow decorated. The fact is that it was on the altar barrier that restorers discovered the remains of frescoes dating back, most likely, to the beginning of the 15th century, that is, to the time of the construction of the Nativity Cathedral. An art historical analysis of the discovered and later restored frescoes showed that they were created by masters from the circle of the Rev. Andrei Rublev, who, as is known, worked in Zvenigorod at that time.

In the 1430s, a wall-to-wall iconostasis appeared in the church, covering the altar barrier. The next radical reconstruction of the interior took place in the middle of the 16th century - apparently, at the request of Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich, who favored the Savvina monastery; It was then that the temple acquired an “approximately” modern appearance. In particular, the cathedral was completely painted by an artel led by icon painter Stepan Grigoryevich Ryazants and mason Karp Timofeev. The artel included 29 royal salary and feed masters, now known by name. A five-tiered iconostasis, which has survived to this day, was installed and covered the eastern pillars. The icons for the top four rows were performed by the same Stepan Ryazanets, as well as by Yakov Tikhonovich Rudakov, nicknamed Kazanets. The bottom row contains images from different periods, some of which may have been contemporary with the cathedral itself. Subsequently, new paintings appeared in the temple: in the 18th century, in 1835 and 1913. Since the 1960s, the paintings of the Nativity Cathedral have been restored several times. The surviving icons of the iconostasis have been kept in the Zvenigorod Museum since the 1960s (only the images of the local rank, as well as the decoration of the lower tier of the iconostasis and the royal doors, were lost). In 1998, on the 600th anniversary of the Savvino-Storozhevsky Monastery, they returned to their rightful place.

From the magazine "Orthodox Temples. Travel to Holy Places." Issue No. 132, 2015