Trinity-Sergius Varnitsa Monastery is a monument to the great Russian ascetic. Varnitsky Monastery as a monument to St. Sergius Varnitsky Monastery

Trinity-Sergius Varnitsky Monastery is an Orthodox male monastery in the Yaroslavl region, founded in 1427 in memory of St. Sergius of Radonezh. According to some information - on the territory of the estate of Kirill and Maria. According to others, at the place where the monk appeared to the youth Bartholomew.
Very little is known about the first centuries of the existence of the Trinity-Sergius Varnitsa Monastery. He was neither rich nor famous, and glowed like a quiet lamp, marking and protecting the place where the Monk Sergius was born and raised.

1. Cathedral of the Life-Giving Trinity
2. Cathedral of St. Sergius of Radonezh
3. Refectory Church of the Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary into the Temple
4. Gate Church of St. Cyril and Mary of Radonezh
5. Chapel of St. Sergius of Radonezh
6. Well St. Sergius of Radonezh
Other buildings of the monastery:

7. Hospice house
8. Old fraternal building
9. Rectory building (to the north) and Refectory building (to the south)
10. Southern Holy Gate
11. Worship cross
12.New fraternal building
13. Educational building (gymnasium)
14. Monastery building
15.Missionary corps and Orthodox gymnasium with a house church in the name of St. Kirill and Maria
16.Towers and fence walls
17.Monastery Pond

Trinity-Varnitsky Monastery, unofficial, 3 versts from Rostov, on the banks of the Ishni River, on the site of former salt pans. The monastery was founded in 1427, five years after the discovery of the honest relics of the abbot of Radonezh. At that time, in Rostov and its environs there were still alive people who had heard the stories of their parents about the Monks Kirill and Mary and could indicate to the founder of the monastery, Archbishop Ephraim of Rostov, the place where their home had once been located.

The settlement was quite crowded; there were three churches, of which by the end of the 18th century only one remained - in the name of St. Clement, Pope of Rome.

It is appropriate to associate the prosperity of the settlement with the salt industry. When salt mining stopped, the settlement began to empty.

Meanwhile, the monastery lived its humble life. There were no ascetics known for their special prayerfulness and insight, nor were there any shrines for which pilgrims would be willing to travel tens and hundreds of miles. And therefore it is not at all strange that for a long time he remained not just poor, but very poor, and did not have stone churches even in the 17th century, when they already appeared in many urban and “suburban” monasteries.

During the Polish-Lithuanian invasion, the Varnitsky Monastery did not escape a sad fate - the interventionists burned it and plundered it. After this, the monastery eked out a most miserable existence until 1624, when Tsar Mikhail Fedorovich gave it a charter.

In 1725, a ruling was made by Archbishop Georgy of Rostov and Yaroslavl, according to which the Varnitsky Monastery became a nunnery and the nuns of the Nativity Monastery were transferred here. The Varnitsa brethren, in turn, were moved to the Spaso-Pesotsky Monastery, which was located side by side with the Yakovlevsky Monastery and several decades later assigned to it.

The nuns in Varnitsa had a hard time. Experiencing a shortage of everything, starting with firewood and food, in the same 1725 they turned to Bishop George with a request to transfer them back to the Nativity Monastery. The request was granted, but not immediately. For six years the sisters endured hardships, laboring in a poor monastery far from the city. In 1731, monks returned to the Trinity-Sergius Varnitsky Monastery.

In 1770, construction began on a stone cathedral with a bell tower, consecrated in 1771 in the name of the Holy Trinity (like the previous wooden church).

In 1829, in the monastery chronicle, for the first time there is a mention of the new Vvedenskaya Church - in connection with the arrival of the Archbishop of Yaroslavl and Rostov Abraham, who inspected it.

In 1892, in memory of the 500th anniversary of the repose of St. Sergius, an almshouse for the elderly and poor clergy of the Yaroslavl diocese and a hospice house were built near the monastery on the south side. The buildings were created with the money of various benefactors, the first of which was the Yaroslavl Bishop Ioanafan; the Varnitsa monastery contributed 1 thousand rubles.

This record shows, among other things, that the condition of the Varnitsky monastery improved so much during the 19th century that he himself was able to do charity.

1923. On March 20, Hieromonk George (the last abbot of the Varnitsa monastery) in the Yakovlevsky monastery was elevated to hegumen and archimandrite, and on February 26, 1924, Archimandrite George, by order of the godless authorities, was evicted from his cells and the monastery.

In 1995, the monastery was returned to the Church.

In 1989, a church community of 111 citizens living in the village of Varnitsa was registered. The parish churches of the Resurrection of the Word (1814) and Saints Paisius and Uara (1893) near the Varnitsky Monastery were transferred to the church. They were repaired by the inhabitants of the Trinity-Sergius Lavra.

In 1995, by decree of His Holiness Patriarch Alexy II and at the request of Archbishop Micah of Yaroslavl and Rostov, the Trinity-Sergius Lavra took the Varnitsa monastery under its patronage. Restoration work has begun. The first abbot of the monastery was Abbot Boris (Khramtsov). Under him, a bypass road was made around the monastery. Part of the monastery premises was returned to the church.

In 2000, construction began on a new Trinity Cathedral (as similar as possible to the demolished one).

In 2002, an Orthodox gymnasium named after St. Sergius began operating in Varnitskaya Sloboda. In 2005, a department of a gymnasium with boarding accommodation for young people, students of grades X - XI, was opened in the monastery itself. This boarding school has become widely known throughout the country.

In 2014, His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Rus' consecrated the Cathedral of St. Sergius of Radonezh, the main temple of the monastery.

External view of the monastery.

Gateway Church of St. Kirril and Mary.

Cathedral and chapel of St. Sergius of Radonezh.

Trinity Cathedral, Cathedral of St. Sergius of Radonezh, Church of St. Kirril and Mary, missionary corps.

Fraternal Corps, Cathedral of St. Sergius of Radonezh, Trinity Cathedral.

Cathedral of St. Sergius of Radonezh, chapel, Trinity Cathedral.

Chapel of St. Sergius of Radonezh, Trinity Cathedral.

Abbot's corps, Trinity Cathedral, fraternal corps.

Trinity Cathedral.

Vvedenskaya Church.

Vvedenskaya Church and fraternal building.

More photos taken inside the monastery:

A worship cross at the meeting place of the holy youth with the mysterious monk.

There are very few shrines in the Varnitsky Monastery. There are no relics, no miraculous icons, or any other objects that enjoy special veneration among believers. But the fact is that the Varnitsky Monastery - with its Trinity Cathedral, built on the site of the house of the parents of St. Sergius, with a memorial cross at the site of the meeting of the holy youth with the mysterious monk, with the very ground on which St. Cyril and Maria and their God-chosen son walked, - is already a shrine.
Sources.

The Trinity-Sergius Varnitsky Monastery is beautiful with a special, welcoming beauty. His churches are somehow unusually accurately inscribed in the humble nature of the Rostov land. It is difficult to imagine that quite recently here, in the homeland of St. Sergius of Radonezh, the abomination of desolation reigned.

The Varnitsa monastery became a monument to St. Sergius on Rostov land. The Trinity-Sergius Varnitsky Monastery is unique precisely because it preserved as a saint the place of birth, physical and spiritual growth of the boy, who later became the “abode of the Holy Trinity.” There are hardly many monasteries that were founded on a place marked by the birth of some ascetic. Varnitsky is exceptional in this regard.

In the homeland of St. Sergius

Quite tall, with one golden dome, this church very organically complemented the ensemble of monastery buildings. It is this, together with the dominant bell tower, that now forms the perception of the architectural complex of the monastery from the northern side - that is, from the side of the main road to the monastery. Subsequently, when the cathedral was built in the name of St. Sergius of Radonezh, the view of the monastery from the north will benefit even more. The church of St. Kirill and Maria in 2003-06. Now it is completely ready, the iconostasis has already been installed. The church has a spacious and warm baptismal area with a large font.

The appearance of the monastery in the homeland of St. Sergius is not accidental. During his lifetime, the Abbot of Radonezh was widely known throughout the Russian Land and beyond. And in his homeland, his birth in Rostov and during the life of the great elder was the subject of reverent love. And during his visits to Rostov, the abbot of Radonezh visited his homeland, where he spent his childhood and adolescence. Therefore, the site of construction of the monastery was marked precisely in the memory of the inhabitants, brought up among the shrines for which the ancient city had long been famous. The Rostov land, it seemed, was just waiting for the all-Russian glorification of St. Sergius in order to indicate its involvement in the life and feat of the saint of God by building a monument suitable for this occasion. The Trinity-Sergius Varnitsky Monastery became such a monument. At the time of the founding of the monastery in Rostov, people were still alive who knew from their parents where the estate of Boyar Kirill, the father of the reverend, was located. Sergius. In the vicinity of the monastery, old-timers also pointed out an oak tree that grew in the place where the Angel of the Lord appeared to the youth Bartholomew. The monastery was famous for its holy healing well, called “Sergeev”. After the monastery was closed, the well was destroyed. It took a lot of work for the brethren to find it and clear it, when the monastery was returned to the Church.

It is impossible not to tell you that on July 5, 1913, on the day of remembrance of the discovery of the relics of St. Sergius of Radonezh, the Divine Liturgy in the Trinity Cathedral of the monastery was served by St. Tikhon (Belavin, 1907-1913), Archbishop of Yaroslavl and Rostov, the future Patriarch of Moscow and all Russia. During the six years of his stay at the Yaroslavl See, Saint Tikhon visited the Trinity-Varnitsky Monastery three times. When Saint Tikhon left the Yaroslavl diocese for the place of his new ministry, the inhabitants of the Varnitsa monastery presented him with an icon of St. Sergius. And 6 years later, in March 1919, by decree of the new government, the Trinity-Sergius Varnitsky Monastery was closed. The brethren were assigned to the parish church. Confiscations of monastery property began. The last entries in the “Book” are: “1923. On March 20, Hieromonk George (the last abbot of the Varnitsa monastery) in the Yakovlevsky Monastery was elevated to abbot and archimandrite,” “1924. On February 26, Archimandrite George, by order of the godless authorities, was evicted from his cells and monastery. February 27. “The persecuted Archimandrite George lives.” This is where the chronicle ends. The further fate of Archimandrite George is unknown. We also do not know about the fate of other Varnitsa monks. Where did they die, in what graves did they rest? Which of them ended their days peacefully, which accepted martyrdom? Searches in the archives have not yet yielded results, and questions remain unanswered.

But the fate of the Varnitsky Monastery is known. Even despite the fact that for many years of Soviet power the birthplace of Rev. Sergius was in desolation, a road ran through the monastery, and a landfill stank at the site of the blown-up Trinity Cathedral; the memory of the significance of this small piece of land on the banks of the Ishni River was preserved. And isn’t it an amazing miracle, once again reminding us of the special role of this place, such a rapid revival of the monastery? The revival was not even from ruins, since, by and large, there were none. And out of nothing. For the umpteenth time, the Lord gives us hope through St. Sergius. How can one not recall the return of the Church of the Trinity-Sergius Lavra in the 1940s, regarded by many believers as a promise of a future revival of religious life in a tormented country.

In the Varnitsky Monastery there are neither relics nor miraculous icons, which enjoy special veneration among believers. But the fact is that the Varnitsky Monastery - with its Trinity Cathedral, built on the site of the house of the parents of St. Sergius, with a memorial cross at the place of the meeting of the holy youth with the mysterious monk, with the very ground on which the saints walked. Cyril and Mary and their God-chosen son are already a shrine. However, it cannot be said that in the Varnitsky Monastery there are not at all and never have been “familiar” shrines for us. Were. For example, one of the most revered icons remained here for centuries, the icon of St. Sergius of Radonezh with his life - the temple image of the Trinity Cathedral. Written in the second half of the 17th century specifically for the Trinity Cathedral (this is indicated, in particular, by the stamp with the image of the Holy Trinity, placed in the top row in the very center), it was removed from the Varnitsa monastery and transferred to the Rostov museum. Now this icon, remarkable both for its artistic value and at least for its “historicity” (it’s easy to imagine how many generations of monks and pilgrims, church hierarchs and ordinary laymen prayed in front of it!), is in the museum.

In the Varnitsky Monastery itself, at least two icons deserve special attention. Both of them are of new - and very decent - writing, both with particles of relics. We are talking about the icons of St. Sergius and St. Clement, Pope of Rome. Finding the icon of St. in the Varnitsa monastery. Clement is by no means an accident, but a manifestation of “historical memory”. The fact is that in the past centuries (according to written sources - already in the 16th century) in Nikolskaya Sloboda, as Varnitskaya Sloboda was previously called, there was a wooden cemetery church in the name of St. Clement, the Pope of Rome. Subsequently, it was dismantled due to its disrepair. Now on the site of the ancient church there are two temples - the Resurrection of the Word and St. Paisius the Great and martyr. Huara. Although these churches were not previously monasteries, today they have the status of a metochion of the Varnitsa monastery. The temples were returned to the Church in 1989 - the first of all the temples in Rostov and the Rostov region.

To revive liturgical life in the churches returned to the homeland of St. Sergius, three monks were “sent” from the Trinity-Sergius Lavra - Theodore, Sergius and Nikon. They had to make a lot of efforts to make the churches suitable for holding services, since by the time they were handed over to the Church they were in a dilapidated state. In the church of St. Paisius the Great and martyr. In the first summer, windows were installed, the stoves were rebuilt and the roof was re-roofed. Funds for repairs were collected with the help of surrounding residents. They brought icons.

After many years of desolation, the Trinity-Sergius Varnitsky Monastery is being revived. The Vvedensky Church has already been restored, the Trinity Cathedral has been rebuilt. And relatively recently, a vast stone church was founded in the monastery in the name of St. Sergius. “This will be a temple,” said the monastery’s abbot, Archimandrite Silouan, in 2007, when construction was still just in the plans, “which will occupy a central place in the monastery. His Holiness the Patriarch blessed the construction and personally signed the project for the construction of this temple.” By January 2009, the foundation was laid. Of course, the completion of the cathedral is not a matter of the very near future. It is expected that it will be completed by the 700th anniversary of the birth of St. Sergius, which falls in 2014. It is enough to look at the model of the future temple to be convinced that it will indeed be very majestic and large-scale. This is especially visible when looking at the layout of the monastery as a whole. The appearance of such a temple will undoubtedly be a great event not only for the monastery itself and the surrounding residents, but also for pilgrims from afar - after all, during festive services (in particular, on the days of memory of St. Sergius) it will be able to accommodate many more pilgrims than the current one cathedral church of the monastery, Trinity.

Now the Trinity-Sergius Varnitsa Monastery - the metochion of the Holy Trinity Sergius Lavra - is under the direct jurisdiction of the Patriarch of Moscow and All Rus' Kirill.

Date of publication or update 12/15/2017

Trinity-Sergius Varnitsky Monastery.

Address of the Varnitsa Monastery: Yaroslavl region, Rostov Veliky, pos. Varnitsa
How to get to the Varnitsa Monastery: by train from Moscow from Yaroslavsky station to Rostov (202 km, 3 hours). From the station, take a bus or walk to the City Center (Kolkhoznaya Square). There, take the bus to Warnitz (10-15 minutes ride).
How to get to the Varnitsa Monastery by car from Moscow: by car along the road to Yaroslavl, after entering Rostov, turn left at the Boriso-Glebsky turn, passing through the railway crossing, turn right, after 1.5 km - the Trinity-Sergius Varnitsky Monastery.
Photo album. A story about a trip to Rostov, including to the Trinity-Sergius Varnitsky Monastery.
Plan of the Trinity-Sergius Varnitsa Monastery.
Trinity-Sergius Varnitsky Monastery: http://www.varnitsky-monastir.ru/

The history of the Varnitsa Monastery cannot be called simple. It was ruined by the Poles, eked out a miserable existence, and was almost completely destroyed during the years of Soviet power. But the troubles remained in the past, and the monastery in the homeland of St. Sergius was revived. No matter how fierce the anger was, it failed to extinguish the lamp in front of the image of the great saint of God.

The monastery was founded in 1427, five years after the discovery of the honest relics of the abbot of Radonezh. At that time, in Rostov and its environs there were still alive people who had heard the stories of their parents about the Monks Kirill and Mary and could indicate to the founder of the monastery, Archbishop Ephraim of Rostov, the place where their home had once been located. It is not known what name this village had at that time, located near the rivers Ishni and Pesoshni (the latter, overgrown with grass, is now not so easy to notice - it is visible only during the flood). In the 16th-17th centuries it was called Nikolskaya Sloboda, we learn about this from scribe books (“in the Nikolskaya Sloboda, where there were varnishes on the Ishna River...”). This name came from the Church of St. Nicholas, dismantled due to its disrepair at the end of the 17th century. At the indicated time, the settlement was quite crowded; there were three churches, of which by the end of the 18th century only one remained - in the name of St. Clement, Pope of Rome.

It is appropriate to associate the prosperity of the settlement with the salt industry. When salt mining stopped, the settlement began to empty. All that was left from the salt pans was the name by which it is still known.

Meanwhile, the monastery lived its humble life. There were no ascetics known for their special prayerfulness and insight, nor were there any shrines for which pilgrims would be willing to travel tens and hundreds of miles. And therefore it is not at all strange that for a long time he remained not just poor, but very poor, and did not have stone churches even in the 17th century, when they already appeared in many urban and “suburban” monasteries.

During the Polish-Lithuanian invasion, the Varnitsky Monastery did not escape a sad fate - the interventionists burned it and plundered it, taking out their dissatisfaction on the monks with the fact that “little was plundered” and there was nothing to take. After this, the monastery eked out a most miserable existence until 1624, when Tsar Mikhail Fedorovich gave it a charter. The condition of the monastery improved somewhat, but it was still difficult to call it prosperous.

In 1725, a ruling was made by Archbishop Georgy of Rostov and Yaroslavl, according to which the Varnitsky Monastery became a nunnery and the nuns of the Nativity Monastery were transferred here. The Varnitsa brethren, in turn, were moved to the Spaso-Pesotsky Monastery, which was located side by side with the Yakovlevsky Monastery and several decades later assigned to it.

The nuns in Varnitsa had a hard time. Experiencing a shortage of everything, starting with firewood and food, in the same 1725 they turned to Bishop George with a request to transfer them back to the Nativity Monastery. The request was granted, but not immediately. For six years the sisters endured hardships, laboring in a poor monastery far from the city. In 1731, monks returned to the Trinity-Sergius Varnitsky Monastery.

In the first half of the 1760s, the threat of abolition loomed over the monastery, but the matter ended with “little bloodshed”: it was only left to the staff, that is, at its own expense. In addition, if previously the monastery was managed by the abbot, now from now on it was the builder, which also meant a certain reduction in his status. Nevertheless, it was the last third of the 18th century that was marked by the improvement and decoration of the monastery. He didn’t have his own funds for this, but he found benefactors.

In 1770, construction began on a stone cathedral with a bell tower, consecrated in 1771 in the name of the Holy Trinity (like the previous wooden church). In 1783-86, another stone church was erected near the northern wall of the monastery - in the name of St. Nicholas. It stood for less than half a century: in 1824 it was badly damaged in a fire and was subsequently dismantled.

From the beginning of the 19th century, in the Varnitsky Monastery, according to the orders of the Yaroslavl Spiritual Consistory, a kind of chronicle was kept - “A book for notes about historical monuments that happen that can serve to continue Russian history.” Now it is kept in the archives of the Rostov Museum, and from it we can glean a lot of interesting - and sometimes priceless - information about the existence of the monastery in the 19th - early 20th centuries. Along with “epoch-making” events - such as the construction and renovation of churches, the following “biographical facts” were scrupulously entered here: “1896. July 16. The monastery was visited by His Eminence Ioannikiy, Bishop of Uglich, vicar of the Yaroslavl diocese. The Bishop examined the churches, found them in excellent condition, after which he went with the treasurer, Hierodeacon Macarius, on a boat to swim in the monastic bath. The bishop liked the bath very much.”

But here are the events from the category of “epoch-making”: “1871. From mid-June to mid-September, cholera raged, many people in Rostov and the surrounding area died. In the Varnitsa monastery, through the prayers of the intercessor of their homeland, St. Sergius, everyone remained alive and no one was sick.”

In May 1811, a strong storm swept over the outskirts of Rostov. She caused a lot of trouble to the Varnitsa Monastery, demolishing the roofs of buildings. Nothing is said in the “Book of Notes” about their immediate replacement, but under 1823 it is noted that the abbot’s and brethren’s cells were covered with sheet iron.

In 1829, in the monastery chronicle, for the first time there is a mention of the new Vvedenskaya Church - in connection with the arrival of the Archbishop of Yaroslavl and Rostov Abraham, who inspected it.

In 1831, the chronicler left the following entry in the “Book”: “There are 13 people working in the monastery: the abbot, three hieromonks, one widowed priest, one hierodeacon and seven novices.” One must think that the “population census” was done at the behest of the authorities. Further records speak mainly of visits to the monastery by hierarchs, renovations of existing buildings and contributions from benefactors.

Of great interest is the entry from 1892: “In memory of the 500th anniversary of the repose of St. Sergius, an almshouse for the elderly and poor clergy of the Yaroslavl diocese and a hospice house were built near the monastery on the south side. The buildings were created with the money of various benefactors, the first of which was the Yaroslavl Bishop Ioanafan, the Varnitsa monastery contributed 1 thousand rubles.” This record shows, among other things, that the condition of the Varnitsky monastery improved so much during the 19th century that he himself was able to do charity.

The year 1907 was marked by a visit to the monastery by “Archbishop Tikhon (Bellavin) who was newly appointed to the Yaroslavl See.” This brief note makes us shudder internally - the saint prayed in the homeland of St. Sergius. There were ten years left before the revolution and his election as Patriarch. And less than twenty - until his death. It seems not much time has passed. But - a whole life, a whole century. Here: “The archpastor was presented with an icon from the brethren of the monastery. After visiting the churches, the archbishop went to the abbot’s chambers, where he was offered tea.” There are the Cheka, the GPU, resolutions of the Central Committee of the RCP (b), interrogations, “Tikhonovism,” “opium.” Long dark night.

The sad events began in 1918. However, the “first bell” about the end of peaceful times rang back in 1915. Then the “evacuated” nuns of the Polotsk St. Euphrosyne Monastery arrived at the monastery along with the diocesan school. They remained in Varnitsy until the end of 1918. On the eve of the new year, 1919, the monastery “was occupied by people expelled from Rostov almshouses.”

A few months later, on March 1, 1919, by decree of the new government, the Trinity-Sergius Varnitsky Monastery was closed. The brethren were assigned to the parish church. Confiscations of monastery property began. The last entries in the “Book” are: “1923. On March 20, Hieromonk George (the last abbot of the Varnitsa monastery) in the Yakovlevsky Monastery was elevated to abbot and archimandrite,” “1924. On February 26, Archimandrite George, by order of the godless authorities, was evicted from his cells and monastery.

February 27. “The persecuted Archimandrite George lives." At this point the chronicle ends. The further fate of Archimandrite George is unknown. We also do not know about the fate of the other Varnitsa monks. Where did they die, in what graves did they rest? Which of them ended their days peacefully, who accepted martyrdom? Searches in the archives have not yet yielded results, and questions remain unanswered.

But the fate of the Varnitsky Monastery is known. First there was night - long and dark. Ruin of churches, destruction of the Trinity Cathedral.

The night is over. In 1995, the monastery was returned to the Church.

The Trinity-Sergius Varnitsky Monastery is beautiful with its special, welcoming beauty. His churches are somehow unusually accurately inscribed in the humble nature of the Rostov land. It is difficult to imagine that just fifteen years ago here, in the homeland of St. Sergius of Radonezh, the abomination of desolation reigned.

Cathedral in the name of St. Sergius of Radonezh.

The interior decoration of the cathedral church, although it could not compare in luxury with the cathedrals of other, richer, Rostov monasteries (for example, Spaso-Yakovlevskaya), but looked very, very worthy. The walls and vaults of the cathedral were decorated with plaster cartouches with paintings, and in each chapel there was a carved gilded iconostasis. Many icons, through the care of benefactors, were decorated with rich silver frames.

The cathedral bell tower, rising above the porch, was initially three-tiered and had nine bells. In 1892, a fourth tier was added to house the donated bell. If you look at old photographs, you can see that at the beginning of the 20th century the bell tower was crowned with an onion-shaped dome - the same size as the dome of the cathedral itself. Now the bell tower has a spire-shaped end, which it had from the end of the 18th to the end of the 19th century.

In 1930, the cathedral along with the bell tower was blown up, and even the foundation of the temple was torn down - probably so that the memory of the shrine would be completely erased from people's hearts. For a long time there was a landfill on the site of the cathedral. Now, thanks to the efforts of the brethren of the Varnitsa Monastery, workers and benefactors, it has been rebuilt.

The only church that survived the atheistic times and has survived (albeit in a completely disfigured form) to the present day is the church in honor of the Entry into the Temple of the Blessed Virgin Mary. It was erected in 1826-28 with donations from philanthropists. The main funds for its construction came from the Rostov merchant and philanthropist M. M. Pleshanov, as well as from the Bishop of Orenburg and Ufa Augustin (Sakharov), who lived in retirement in the Varnitsky Monastery. Other donors also contributed a certain amount to the construction of the temple - Rostov merchants A. A. Titov, I. I. Balashov and others.

The foundation stone of the Vvedensky Church took place on May 1, 1826, and on May 15, 1827, a cross was erected on it. At the same time, they entered into an agreement to decorate the church with paintings. Painting works were paid for by M. M. Pleshanov. In addition, his funds were used to purchase clothes for two thrones and an altar, liturgical vessels and books, and the Gospel. On October 7, 1828, the consecration of the main altar of the temple took place, and the next year two other chapels of the temple were consecrated - in the name of the prophet Elijah of God and in the name of the apostle and evangelist John the Theologian. At the porch of the temple, a guardhouse was built on one side, and a sacristy on the other side.

The Vvedenskaya Church was also maintained in decent condition mainly at the expense of benefactors. Until the end of his life, M. M. Pleshanov donated a lot to the temple. And in the early 1880s, when both the internal and external decoration of the temple had already become somewhat dilapidated, its renovation was carried out at the expense of the peasant I. A. Rulev.

Stone construction at the monastery continued throughout the 19th century. By the second half of the century, two small, cozy, provincial-looking buildings appeared in the northwestern part of the monastery - in one of them there were abbot's chambers, in the other - fraternal cells. In addition, in 1832 a new refectory building was built. It was used with material left over from the abolished warm church of St. Nicholas, erected in 1783-86 and severely damaged by a fire that occurred in the monastery on September 26, 1824.

Gate Church in the name of St. Kirill and Maria.

The church in the name of Saints Cyril and Mary above the northern gate of the monastery appeared in our days, after the return of the monastery to the Church. Actually, in the 19th century, the construction of such a church was impossible - since at that time the pious parents of St. Sergius were revered only locally, without being canonized.

Quite tall, with one golden dome, this church very organically complemented the ensemble of monastery buildings. It is this, together with the dominant bell tower, that now forms the perception of the architectural complex of the monastery from the northern side - that is, from the side of the main road to the monastery. Subsequently, when the cathedral was built in the name of St. Sergius of Radonezh, the view of the monastery from the north will benefit even more.

The church of St. Kirill and Maria in 2003-06. Now it is completely ready, the iconostasis has already been installed. The church has a spacious and warm baptismal area with a large font.

Like any monastery, the Varnitsa monastery had its own cemetery before the revolution. The remains of not only monks, but also benefactors of the monastery were buried there. In particular, many representatives of the Pleshanov and Malgin merchant families found their final refuge here, and with their donations they significantly supported the monastery. Next to the cemetery there was a vegetable garden and an orchard, where 150 apple trees were planted in 1851.

The monastery also had special buildings outside its fence - a hotel for pilgrims and a brick factory that was rented out. In addition, the Varnitsky Monastery owned two chapels. One of them, built of wood, was located at the Rostov station, the other, brick, was located near the Moscow highway.

The monastery well, which has long been famous for its beautiful clean water and was called “Sergeev”, deserves special mention. After the monastery was closed, the well was destroyed. It took a lot of work for the brethren to find it and clear it, when the monastery was returned to the Church.

A stone fence with four towers in the corners around the monastery was built in 1848-52 using monastic money and funds from benefactors. The Holy Gates were made in the southern wall, and above them was placed the painting “The Appearance of the Angel of God to the Youth Bartholomew,” made in oil paints on an iron sheet. The painting was accompanied by the inscription: “At this place the Angel of the Lord appeared in the form of a monk to the youth Bartholomew, who was also Sergius, the miracle worker of Radonezh, the founder of the great Lavra.”

It is curious that this picture was painted not by any invited painter, but by Hierodeacon Mercury, a resident of the Varnitsa Monastery, who studied at the St. Petersburg Academy of Arts before leaving for the monastery. After the revolution, both the fence and the Holy Gates were destroyed; they were restored today.

At the Varnitskaya Sloboda cemetery, not far from the monastery, there are two churches. Although these churches were not previously monasteries, today they have the status of a metochion of the Varnitsa monastery. The first of them, in honor of the Resurrection of the Word, was built in 1814 at the expense of N.A. Kekin. The second temple, in the name of St. Paisius the Great and the martyr Uar, was erected in 1890-93 under the care of A.L. Kekin. The temples were returned to the Church in 1989 - the first of all the temples in Rostov and the Rostov region.

To revive liturgical life in the churches returned to the homeland of St. Sergius, three monks were “sent” from the Trinity-Sergius Lavra - Theodore, Sergius and Nikon. They had to make a lot of efforts to make the churches suitable for holding services, since by the time they were handed over to the Church they were in a dilapidated state. In the church of St. Paisius the Great and martyr. In the first summer, windows were installed, the stoves were rebuilt and the roof was re-roofed. Funds for repairs were collected with the help of surrounding residents. They brought icons.

The Varnitsky Monastery is not rich in icons and other shrines revered since ancient times. However, being a kind of monument to St. Sergius and his parents, it in itself deserves to be called a shrine.

There are very few shrines in the Varnitsky Monastery. There are no relics, no miraculous icons, or any other objects that enjoy special veneration among believers. But the fact is that the Varnitsky Monastery - with its Trinity Cathedral, built on the site of the house of the parents of St. Sergius, with a memorial cross at the place of the meeting of the holy youth with the mysterious monk, with the very ground on which the saints walked. Cyril and Mary and their God-chosen son are already a shrine.

The Trinity-Sergius Varnitsky Monastery is unique precisely because it preserved as a saint the place of birth, physical and spiritual growth of the boy, who later became the “abode of the Holy Trinity.” There are hardly many monasteries that were founded on a place marked by the birth of some ascetic. Varnitsky is exceptional in this regard.

The pilgrim enters its gates with reverence (and of particular significance is the fact that above these gates the church of St. Cyril and Mary is now located: it’s as if we are fulfilling the covenant of St. Sergius - to bow before going to him, his parents) and heads along the road to the Trinity Cathedral. Tradition says that the cathedral stands exactly on the spot where the house of the parents of the youth Bartholomew was located. And, of course, prayer in this temple becomes a great event for the believer.

Despite the fact that for many years the birthplace of St. Sergius was in desolation, a road ran through the monastery, and a landfill stank at the site of the blown-up Trinity Cathedral; the memory of the significance of this small piece of land on the banks of the Ishni River was preserved. And isn’t it an amazing miracle, once again reminding us of the special role of this place, such a rapid revival of the monastery? The revival was not even from ruins, since, by and large, there were none. And out of nothing. For the umpteenth time, the Lord gives us hope through St. Sergius. How can one not recall the return of the Church of the Trinity-Sergius Lavra in the 1940s, regarded by many believers as a promise of a future revival of religious life in a tormented country.

However, it cannot be said that in the Varnitsky Monastery there are not and never have been “familiar” shrines for us. Were. For example, one of the most revered icons remained here for centuries, the icon of St. Sergius of Radonezh with his life - the temple image of the Trinity Cathedral. Written in the second half of the 17th century specifically for the Trinity Cathedral (this is indicated, in particular, by the stamp with the image of the Holy Trinity, placed in the top row in the very center), it was removed from the Varnitsa monastery and transferred to the Rostov museum. Now this icon, remarkable both for its artistic value and at least for its “historicity” (it’s easy to imagine how many generations of monks and pilgrims, church hierarchs and ordinary laymen prayed in front of it!), is in the museum.

In the Varnitsky Monastery itself, at least two icons deserve the pilgrim’s special attention. Both of them are of new - and very decent - writing, both with particles of relics. We are talking about the icons of St. Sergius and St. Clement, Pope of Rome. Finding the icon of St. in the Varnitsa monastery. Clement is by no means an accident, but a manifestation of “historical memory”. The fact is that in past centuries (according to written sources - already in the 16th century) in Nikolskaya Sloboda, as Varnitskaya Sloboda was previously called, there was a wooden cemetery church in the name of St. Clement, the Pope of Rome. Subsequently, due to its disrepair, it was dismantled. Now on the site of the ancient church there are two temples - the Resurrection of the Word and St. Paisius the Great and martyr. Huara.

Chronicle of the monastery.

Using materials from the magazine “Orthodox Monasteries. Travel to holy places, No. 26, 2009."

Address: Russia, Yaroslavl region, Rostov district, Varnitsy village
Date of foundation: 1427
Main attractions: Cathedral of the Life-Giving Trinity, Cathedral of St. Sergius of Radonezh, Vvedenskaya Church
Coordinates: 57°12"05.1"N 39°22"38.0"E

The history of the monastery, named after one of the most revered miracle workers in Rus', can hardly be called simple. It withstood the difficult Times of Troubles, devastation, fires, a terrible hurricane, as well as almost complete looting during the years of the struggle of the Soviet government with religion. However, today the monastery has been completely revived, and many tourists and pilgrims come here. They strive to see ancient icons, the restored Vvedenskaya Church, as well as the newly built Trinity Cathedral and St. Sergius Church, which are located where Sergius of Radonezh was born.

History of the Trinity-Sergius Varnitsa Monastery

The location for the new monastery was determined by the decision of Rostov Archbishop Ephraim. It became the village where the baby Bartholomew, the future Sergius of Radonezh, was born. And, of course, the new monastery was named after the miracle worker. This happened in early July 1427, 5 years after the relics of St. Sergius of Radonezh were found.

The family of Sergius's parents lived near Rostov, in the ancient Nikolskaya Sloboda, on the banks of the Ishna River. People here have long been engaged in salt production, hence the name “Varnitsy”. But life in the suburbs was not simple - local residents suffered raids by the Horde, as well as the consequences of internecine wars between the Rostov princes. And when young Bartholomew was barely 10 years old, the impoverished family was forced to leave his birthplace and move closer to Moscow - to Radonezh.

The first documentary evidence of the monastery dates back to 1482. It is known that until the 18th century all its buildings were wooden. And in 1685, the monastery already had a large Trinity Cathedral, a temple dedicated to Sergius of Radonezh, and cells where the brethren lived. The territory of the monastery was surrounded by a strong wooden fence.

During the offensive of the Polish-Lithuanian invaders, the monastery did not escape the sad fate of many Russian villages and deserts. It was looted and burned to the ground. After the Time of Troubles, the monastery was in poverty until 1624, until Tsar Fyodor Mikhailovich supported it with a “letter of grant.” Prosperity, let alone prosperity, was still far away, but the monastery at least recovered after the heavy looting.

Cathedral of St. Sergius of Radonezh

Documents show that starting in 1726, for five years, the monastery became a nunnery. At this time, by decision of the Rostov archbishop, nuns from the Nativity Convent were transferred here. And the monks who lived in the Varnitsky Monastery, in turn, moved to the Spaso-Pesotskaya Monastery near the Yakovlevsky Monastery.

During church secularization in the second half of the 18th century, the Varnitsky Monastery was almost abolished. But we still managed to leave him in the status of “supernumerary,” that is, self-sufficient. A little later, in the 70s of the 18th century, large stone construction began here, financed by philanthropists. First, the Trinity Cathedral was built, and then the St. Nicholas Church. However, the latter lasted less than 50 years and was dismantled in the 1820s.

In 1811, the monastery buildings were damaged by a strong storm that passed around Rostov. During it, strong hurricane winds blew off the roofs of almost all the buildings of the Varnitsa monastery. But after some time they were covered with new iron, purchased with funds from the philanthropist Countess A.A. Orlova.

Inside the monastery there has long been a cemetery, a large apple orchard and vegetable garden, a school and an almshouse. And outside the stone walls of the monastery there was a hotel, where numerous pilgrims stayed, and a brick factory, rented out by the monastery.

Holy Gate (South)

But times have changed, and in 1919 the monastery was abolished. The confiscation of the most valuable church property and relics began immediately. Over the following years, almost all the monastery buildings, including the fence, were destroyed, dismantled or blown up. And a road was built through the territory. Of all the buildings, only the Vvedensky Church and several fraternal buildings remained in a dilapidated state.

The restoration of the monastery took place in the mid-1990s, after it received the status of a metochion of the Trinity-Sergius Lavra. At the site of the destroyed Trinity Cathedral in those days there was a garbage dump, and in the broken Vvedensky Church there was a broken incubator. Over the past years, the Church of the Presentation has been completely restored, the Trinity Cathedral and the Church of St. Sergius of Radonezh have been rebuilt. A huge amount of work was done to erect the monastery fence and a new gate church, several residential buildings and auxiliary buildings.

Today the monastery is considered to have been restored almost completely, and is rightfully considered one of the most beautiful architectural ensembles of the Rostov land - a wonderful monument to the “Golden Ring” of Russia. After all, besides it, there are hardly many monasteries that were founded at the birthplace of a revered religious ascetic.

Trinity Cathedral with bell tower

Architectural monuments on the territory of the Trinity-Sergius Varnitsa Monastery

The first buildings made of stone appeared in the monastery only in the 18th century. The consecration of the stone Cathedral of the Life-Giving Trinity and the bell tower took place in 1771, when Afanasy was the bishop of Rostov. It was erected on the site of an ancient wooden temple. However, in 1930, this cathedral and bell tower were blown up by the Soviet authorities, and its foundation was razed to the ground.

After the monastery was returned to the church, the cathedral was rebuilt in 2005. This single-domed temple was built in the traditional architectural design of an “octagon on a quadrangle”. And its base is decorated with classical porticoes on three sides. Adjacent to the Trinity Cathedral is a high four-tier bell tower topped with a spire.

In the first half of the 19th century, with funds allocated by Rostov merchants, the warm Vvedenskaya Church, a fence with towers, and residential buildings were built in the brick monastery. The modern restoration of the Vvedensky Church was completed in 2002. In addition, quite recently, in 2014, a new large, majestic temple was built in the central part of the monastery, which was dedicated to St. Sergius of Radonezh.

The modern monastery also houses the abbot's building and buildings for monks, a refectory, an educational building of the gymnasium, a hospice house, the northern gate church dedicated to the parents of Sergius - St. Cyril and Mary, the Holy Gates, as well as Sergius's well, restored in 1991. Outside the walls of the monastery, where young Bartholomew met the monk, a Worship Cross has stood since 1992.

Vvedenskaya Church

Current state and mode of visiting the Trinity-Sergius Varnitsa Monastery

You can visit the monastery either as part of organized tourist or pilgrimage groups, or independently. Tours of the territory are held every day from 8.00 to 19.00, and they last from 40 minutes to an hour. On the territory of the monastery, everyone can stay in a hotel and eat in the monastery refectory.

The fraternal prayer service at the monastery begins daily at 6.15. Morning services are held on weekdays at 7.00, and on Sundays and holidays - at 9.00. Evening services on weekdays begin at 16.30, and on Sundays and holidays - at 17.00.

An Orthodox gymnasium named after Sergius of Radonezh was opened 700 m from the monastery. Children from Rostov and surrounding villages study there in grades 1-9. High school students live in a boarding house and study on the monastery territory. All education at the Varnitsa gymnasium is free.

For guests at the monastery they sell honey collected by the monks, delicious yeast-free bread and pastries, as well as aromatic kvass. In addition, the monastery has a church shop where you can purchase an illustrated book on the history of the monastery, candles and necessary church literature.

Inner courtyard of the Trinity-Sergius Varnitsa Monastery

How to get to the Trinity-Sergius Varnitsky Monastery

The monastery is located in the Yaroslavl region village. Varnitsa, from the northwest of Rostov the Great, a few kilometers from the city center.

By car. The federal highway M8, connecting Moscow and Arkhangelsk, leads to Rostov. From the capital to the city - 220 km, and from Yaroslavl - 55 km. After entering the city from Moscow, you need to turn left at the Borisoglebsky turn, drive through the railway crossing and turn right. From here it remains one and a half kilometers to the Holy Trinity Varnitsa Monastery. There is a free parking space next to the monastery.

In the village Varnitsa, now within the city of Rostov, Yaroslavl region, courtyard of the Trinity-Sergius Lavra (since 1995). The name comes from salt Varnitsa, in the XV-XVII centuries. located near the monastery on the river. Ishne. According to legend, V. m. was founded on the site of the house of the Monks Cyril and Mary, parents of St. Sergius of Radonezh. In the Life of St. Sergius, the name of his parents’ estate is missing; in the Long Edition of the Life it is said that it “was not within the boundaries of the Rostov reign, nor was it located near the city of Rostov” (PLDR. XIV - mid-XV centuries, p. 288). In A. A. Titov’s notes to the “Chronicle of the Rostov Bishops” St. Demetrius (Tuptalo) says that the V. m. was founded on July 5, 1427 by the Bishop of Rostov. Ephraim on the site where the house of the saint's father formerly stood. Sergius, but the source of this statement is unknown. E. E. Golubinsky considered the legend about the founding of V. m. in the homeland of St. Sergius is “completely new” and cannot claim “special authenticity.” Indirectly, the legend is confirmed by the existence in the monastery at least since the 17th century. throne in the name of St. Sergius; in the collection of the State Historical Museum "Rostov Kremlin" the Synodik of V. m. con. XIX century, in which the relatives of St. Sergius (R-1135. L. 2).

For the first time, V. m. is mentioned in the monastery charter of Mon-Ru in 1614 by Tsar Mikhail Feodorovich, which speaks of the existence of a monastery under the leader. book Vasily III Ioannovich (1505-1533) (IRI. T. 3. P. 500). In 1609, the monastery was devastated by the Polish. and Lithuanians detachments and gangs of robbers; restored on the initiative of the Rostov Metropolitan. Jonah (Sysoevich), in the sentinel book. 1619, the “Troyets Monastery from Varnitsa priest Ovdokim” is mentioned, who participated in the patrol. In the census book of 1678 the monastery was named Trinity Sergius, in the scribe book of 1685 the buildings of the V. m. are listed: wooden Trinity Church, tent-roofed church. St. Sergius of Radonezh, 2 gate churches - St. Nicholas the Wonderworker and Saints Cosmas and Damian, a bell tower with a clock, a fence, the abbot's and fraternal cells, in addition to the abbot and the treasurer, 4 monks lived in the monastery at that time. In con. XVI century the monk labored in the monastery. Stefan of Rostov († after 1592), in the beginning. XVIII century - bl. Stefan († after 1718), relative of the Rostov bishop. Dositheus (Glebov), who predicted the latter's episcopal service and execution.

In 1725, by decree of the Rostov bishop. Georgy (Dashkov) monastery was converted into a woman, approx. 100 sisters of the abolished Rostov monastery in honor of the Nativity of the Virgin Mary, 7 former. The inhabitants of V. M. moved to the Rostov Preobrazhensky Monastery. The wooden cells of the nuns were transported from the Nativity Monastery to V. m. In 1731, the abbess V. m. abbot. Christopher turned to the Rostov Archbishop. Joachim with a request to transfer the sisters back to the Nativity Monastery, since there was a shortage of everything in V. m., even drinking water and firewood. In 1731, V. became her husband again. By 1744, 300 people were assigned to the mon-rue. peasants In 1764, V. M. was transferred to the state with the management of builders. The composition of the brethren (up to 10 people) was unstable, the abbots often changed (from the mid-18th to the mid-19th centuries, about 35 abbots were replaced). From March 18, 1819, the Ufa bishop was in retirement in V. m. at his own request. Augustine (Sakharov), whose homeland was the village. Menagerie near V. m. In the monastery of Bishop. Augustine compiled the “Complete Collection of Spiritual Laws” (in 15 volumes) and other works; the bishop was buried in the south. walls of the Trinity Cathedral.

Until sep. XVIII century all buildings of V. m. were wooden. Oct 16 1771 Rostov bishop. Athanasius (Volkhovsky) consecrated the first stone church in the monastery - the single-domed Trinity Cathedral with chapels in the name of Saints Sergius and Nikon of Radonezh (south) and Saints Athanasius and Cyril of Alexandria (northern). From the west, a three-tier bell tower was attached to the cathedral above the porch. In 1784-1785 near the north On the walls of the cathedral, a warm stone St. Nicholas Church was erected (the former wooden St. Nicholas Church “after the removal of the holy antimension from it” was sold in 1784 “for brick firing”). In 1800, opposite the west. At the entrance to the cathedral, a two-story stone abbot's building was built (rebuilt in 1847), and in 1828 a one-story building of fraternal cells was built (rebuilt in 1897). Fire 26 Sep. In 1824, the roof and part of the iconostasis of St. Nicholas Church, and all outbuildings were destroyed. Soon, under the care of bishop. Augustine (Sakharov) and the Rostov merchant M. M. Pleshanov, according to the design of the Yaroslavl architect P. Ya. Pankov, began the construction of the stone Vvedensky Church. On May 27, 1828, the foundation stone of the temple took place, Oct. 7. the main altar was consecrated, next year the chapels were consecrated: in the name of St. John the Theologian (northern) and in the name of the prophet. Elijah (south). The iconostasis was made by the Moscow carver M. M. Ermolaev, the icons were painted by the Yaroslavl master N. Antonov, and later by the Rostov artist. N.D. Gladkov painted the walls of the temple. In 1840 for Vvedenskaya Church. Pleshanov ordered 11 silver vestments for the icons; in 1845 he donated the icons to St. Nicholas and etc. Theodora Studite. In 1854, an unknown benefactor donated an icon of St., painted in TSL, to the Trinity Cathedral of the monastery. Sergius with a particle of the relics of the monk, as well as particles of the relics of the great martyr. Demetrius of Thessalonica, John and Nikita, St. Novgorodskikh, St. Macarius Kalyazinsky. In 1848-1852. V. m. was surrounded by a stone fence with 4 towers, in 1867 above St. gate to the south Hierodiac on the wall Mercury painted on an iron sheet the picture “The Appearance of an Angel of God to the Youth Bartholomew” with the inscription: “At this place the angel of the Lord appeared in the form of a monk to the youth Bartholomew, who was also Sergius, the miracle worker of Radonezh.”

25 Sep. 1892, when the 500th anniversary of the repose of St. Sergius, the festive liturgy in V. was performed by the Uglich bishop. Amphilochius (Sergievsky-Kazantsev) in the concelebration of the clergy of 22 churches and 5 mon-rays. In the same year, under V. M., a hospice and an almshouse for the elderly clergy of the Yaroslavl diocese and a school were established. The monastery belonged to several. chapels along the Moscow road and at the Rostov railway station. At the expense of merchants V. A. Malgin and I. A. Rulev, repair and restoration work was carried out in V. m. in 1897. Thanks to donations from Rostov merchants, by the beginning. XX century capital of the monastery, kept in the state. bank, amounted to more than 60 thousand rubles. Mn. benefactors of the monastery (merchants M. M. and D. M. Pleshanov, V. A. Malygin, etc.) are buried in the monastery cemetery, at the altar of the Vvedenskaya Church.

V. m. was visited by Saints Philaret (Drozdov) (1836), Innokenty (Borisov) (1841), St. right John of Kronstadt (1894). In 1907-1913. The Yaroslavl Archbishop visited the monastery three times. St. Tikhon (future Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia), who contributed to the repair of monastery churches. 12 Jan 1914, on the day of the saint’s departure for the Vilna diocese, the inhabitants of V. M. presented the archbishop. Tikhon icon of St. Sergius of Radonezh. From 1 Oct. In 1915, in connection with the First World War, the nuns of the Euphrosyne Monastery of Suzdal were in V. m. (September 30, 1918 they were evacuated to Polotsk), and the diocesan educational institution was located.

On March 1, 1919, the V. m. was closed, silver utensils (more than 5 pounds) were confiscated from the churches. According to reports from local authorities, during the seizure of church valuables in April. 1922 in V. m. “a crowd of believers in the amount of 300 people. did not allow the seizure. The members of the commission acted forcefully” (CA FSB. F. 1. Op. 6. D. 497. L. 45). The last rector of V. M. Hierom. George and his brethren remained to live in the monastery, but were assigned to the Varnitsa parish St. Nicholas Church, on March 20, 1923 by priest. George was elevated to the rank of abbot, then archimandrite, on February 26. 1924 80-year-old archimandrite. George was forcibly evicted from the monastery along with other monks. The Trinity Cathedral with its bell tower was blown up, and the cell building in the south was destroyed. walls, fence, monastery cemetery destroyed. In the 60-90s. XX century in the rebuilt Vvedenskaya Church. there was a garage and an incubator for a poultry farm. Some of the icons and utensils that belonged to V. m., to this day. The time is stored in GMZRK.

In 1989, the parish churches of the Resurrection of the Word (1814) and Saints Paisius and Uara (1893) near V. m. were transferred to the Russian Orthodox Church; they were renovated by the inhabitants of TSL, in the present day. time attributed to V. m. In 1992, when the 600th anniversary of the repose of St. Sergius, on the site of the destroyed Trinity Cathedral in V. m. a wooden chapel was erected, above the ancient St. The well has a canopy. 13 Feb 1995 V. m. was transferred to the Russian Orthodox Church, by decree of the Priest. The Synod became the metochion of the Trinity-Sergius Lavra, and the abbot was appointed rector. Boris (Khramtsov). Apr 30 2003 Viceroy of the Trinity-Sergius Lavra, Bishop. Theognost (Guzikov) consecrated the restored Vvedenskaya Church in V. m. By July 2003, the Trinity Cathedral with a 4-tier bell tower, a two-story refectory building, and 3 walls with towers were built in the monastery. On July 29, 2003, the foundation stone for the gateway church of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker. By July 2003, 12 monks lived in the monastery, the abbot was the abbot. Silouan (Glazkin; since 1998). There is an Orthodox gymnasium, a Sunday school and a library at the monastery. By the Decree of the Holy Synod of April 16 In 2016, priest was appointed rector of the monastery. Pemen (Artyukhov). June 9, 2016 by His Holiness Patriarch Kirill (Gundyaev) Rev. Pimen was elevated to the rank of abbot.

Arch.: OR RNB. F. 775 (A. A. Titov Foundation). Unit hr. 1256, 2886; RGADA. F. 1209. Op. 1. D. 839. L. 290-290 vol.; A book for notes about historical monuments that have happened that can serve to continue Russian history // GMZRK. R-763; GAYAO, Rostov fil. F. 125. Op. 1. D. 2. L. 132, 135; F. 197. Op. 1. D. 778. L. 1, 21, 31-31 vol.

Lit.: Titov A. A . Historical description of the Trinity-Varnitsky supernumerary husband. monastery near Rostov the Great, Yaroslavl province: Motherland of St. Sergius, the Wonderworker of Radonezh. Serg. P., 1893; Yaroslavl hierarchy in the description of Archpriest. John of the Trinity // With a preface. and note. A. A. Titova. Yaroslavl, 1901. Issue. 1: Out-of-state monasteries Petrovsky, Belogostitsky and Varnitsky; Golubinsky E. E. St. Sergius of Radonezh and the Trinity Lavra of St. Sergius founded by him. M., 1909; Melnik A. G . Destroyed churches of Rostov the Great // Moscow. magazine. 1991. No. 11. P. 18-19; she is the same. Research of architectural monuments of Rostov the Great. Rostov, 1992. P. 56-57; Videneeva A. E. On the history of the Rostov Trinity-Varnitsa Monastery // Trinity-Sergius Lavra in the history, culture and spiritual life of Russia: Materials of the international. conf. 1998. M., 2000. S. 196-208; Vakhrina V. AND . Trinity-Sergius Varnitsky Monastery. M., 2001.

D. B. Kochetov