Holy Trinity Cathedral. Church of the Holy Trinity (Trinity)

Trinity Cathedral is the main cathedral church and the oldest surviving structure of the Trinity Monastery, the first stone building of the Lavra. It was erected by the Monk Nikon in 1422-23. “in honor and praise” to the founder of the monastery, St. Sergius of Radonezh (†1392) on the site of the first wooden Trinity Church. The construction of the temple was carried out with the assistance of the son of Grand Duke Dmitry Ivanovich Donskoy - Prince of Zvenigorod and Galicia Yuri Dmitrievich, godson of St. Sergius. The place where the relics of the Trinity First Abbot rest is the holy of holies of the monastery.

The council of clergy and the disciples of the blessed one with the great princes made a good decision
lay a stone church over the saint's tomb. The closest disciple of Saint Nikon together with the brethren
began with the help of Christ-loving princes who had faith, love and zeal for the saint,
build the holy temple of the Consubstantial Trinity in praise of his father.
And he erected a beautiful church, and covered it with wondrous paintings,
and filled it with decorations.

Trinity Cathedral is a small four-pillar cross-domed church with one dome and three low apses on a high basement (part of the basement is currently covered by a cultural layer). The walls of the cathedral are made of regular blocks of white stone, their thickness and massiveness is emphasized by deep perspective portals and narrow slit-like windows. Flat wide blades give the facades a three-part division and serve as structural pilasters. The smooth walls of the cathedral end with keel-shaped zakomaras, the arched masonry of which rests on the capitals of the pilasters and is separated from the plane of the walls by an additional ledge (for the first time in Russian architecture, the original interpretation of the classical order system is used in this way). The keel-shaped shape of the zakomar is repeated by two rows of kokoshniks at the base of the dome drum, which has retained the ancient helmet-shaped shape. The only decoration of the cathedral is a wide ornamental belt of three ribbons of a skillfully carved “wicker” pattern, which adorns the facades, altar apses and the drum of the dome.

View of Trinity Cathedral from north side

Despite small sizes- the height of the temple to the top of the cross is 30 m, - the cathedral creates the impression of a majestic and powerful structure. All the forms of the temple are simple and compact - the apses almost do not protrude beyond the main volume and are raised to the same height, the keel-shaped arches (kokoshniks) barely rise above the facades, the walls have a significant slope inward (up to 45 cm). The harsh beauty and laconicism of the decor - white stone carved belts with repeating motifs of woven crosses and flowers - give the structure features of perfection, which the chronicler expressed with the words: “a beautiful church has been erected.”

M. Gadalov. View of Trinity Cathedral
and Nikonovsky chapel on the eastern side. Lithography. 1853

Typologically, the Trinity Cathedral belongs to the few surviving monuments of early Moscow architecture of the late XIV - early XV centuries, when the image of a compact one-domed court-princely temple without a vestibule emerged. The cathedrals in Zvenigorod - the Assumption on Gorodok (1400) and the Nativity of the Savvino-Storozhevsky Monastery (1405), as well as the Spassky Cathedral of the Andronikov Monastery in Moscow (1427) - belong to this type. A few early Moscow churches were created at the behest of members of the grand ducal house. The construction of one of the first white-stone cathedrals in Moscow Rus' at the Trinity Monastery testified to the historical recognition of the great significance of the personality of St. Sergius and the monastery he founded.

Cover with the relics of St. Sergius of Radonezh. Beginning 15th century

Inner space The cathedral is distinguished by its amazing integrity. Soft diffuse light, coming from above from ten (instead of the usual eight) narrow windows of the dome drum, allows you to thoughtfully and leisurely contemplate the holy faces of the high five-tier iconostasis, pillar and wall icon cases, and fresco paintings. At the southern wall next to the iconostasis is the tomb of the founder of the monastery, St. Sergius. The cathedral follows the ancient Byzantine tradition of placing the reliquary with the relics of the saint in the southern part of the temple, in front of the altar, perpendicular to the iconostasis.

Design features give the monument features of unique originality. The pillars of the cathedral are strongly shifted to the east, its head is shifted towards the altar, the southern and northern portals are located closer to the apses. This architectural technique allows you to increase the space of the central nave, while at the same time making the altar part of the temple small in size. The inclination of the walls, pylons and drum of the dome towards the center of the temple, the elongated arches of the upper part of the cathedral create the impression of an increased height of the structure. The entire system of the cross-domed church here is subordinated to one task - the creation of a single, integral internal space.

The iconostasis of the Trinity Cathedral is unique. It was created at a time when in Russian church tradition a systematically thought-out and visually integral multi-tiered iconostasis was taking shape as an image of the Heavenly City, as a manifestation of the Church Heavenly Church terrestrial. This is the only complex of the early 15th century that has been preserved in the temple for which it was intended.

Iconostasis of the Trinity Cathedral of the Trinity-Sergius Lavra

The icons and frescoes of the Trinity Cathedral were made by a team of masters under the leadership St. Andrew Rublev and Daniil Cherny in 1425-1427. As the main temple icon, “in praise of St. Sergius,” the Trinity icon was painted - the great creation of Andrei Rublev and the most famous work of Russian icon painting in the world. The idea of ​​the Triune God is embodied in the icon with amazing perfection. The image is filled with deep meaning, reflecting the essence of the ascetic ministry of St. Sergius: “ so that by looking at the Holy Trinity the hateful discord of this world will be eradicated"(since 1929, the icon has been kept in the State Tretyakov Gallery; a copy is presented in the iconostasis).

The Holy Trinity. Copy of the icon of St. Andrew the Iconographer

The “Trinity” icon of St. Andrei Rublev was created as a “vicar”, that is, an icon of the lower, local, tier of the iconostasis. In the Trinity Cathedral, this row of the iconostasis was formed over the course of the 15th-17th centuries. Its formation occurred simultaneously with the appearance of icons on the walls and pillars of the cathedral and was largely determined by general process formation and development of the liturgical space of the temple, the most important element of which there was a revered shrine - a tomb with the relics of the founder of the monastery, St. Sergius of Radonezh.

In the 16th century The local row was supplemented by two icons of “the sovereign and the tsar and the Grand Duke John Vasilyevich of All Rus'’s contribution.” This is the “Trinity” icon (currently located to the left of the Royal Doors) and “the image of the local wonderworker Sergius in action, overlaid with gold.” The half-length image of St. Sergius dates back to the end of the 15th century. and refers by researchers to the works of the circle of Dionysius. This image is the earliest known hagiographic icon of St. Sergius.

St. Sergius with his life. End of the 15th century
Contribution of Tsar Ivan Vasilyevich (the Terrible)

Andrei Rublev “and his comrades” painted the icons of three rows of the iconostasis: the Deesis, the festive and the prophetic ranks. The Deesis rite includes fifteen icons with images of saints, including the warrior-martyrs George and Demetrius, whose images are associated with the tradition of the church-wide commemoration of fallen soldiers on Demetrius Saturday. The origins of this tradition go back to the prayer of St. Sergius of Radonezh, during which he remembered the names of the soldiers of Prince Dmitry Donskoy who died on the Kulikovo field.

In the festive row of nineteen icons on subjects gospel history from the Annunciation Holy Mother of God and the Nativity of Christ until the Dormition of the Blessed Virgin Mary central location occupied by two icons “Communion of the Apostles”. The prophetic row includes six paired icons with half-length figures of prophets and is the oldest known image of prophets in the iconostasis.

In 1600, by order of Tsar Boris Fedorovich Godunov, the top tier was completed - twenty-one icons of “the forefathers with cherubs, overlaid with silver.”

Newly tonsured monks of the monastery of St. Sergius in the Trinity Cathedral of the Lavra

In 1643, Tsar Mikhail Fedorovich “bestowed... the royal doors to the church” in a chased silver setting. The Royal Doors from the Rublevsky iconostasis were moved to the one built in 1635-1637. Church in the name of Saints Zosima and Savvaty Solovetsky (now located in the Sacristy of the Trinity-Sergius Lavra museum). In the local row of the iconostasis and on the southwestern pillar, signature icons of the famous master of the Moscow Kremlin Armory, royal isographer Simon Ushakov, have been preserved: “The Savior Not Made by Hands” (1674), “The Savior on the Throne” (1684), “The Descent of the Holy Spirit on the Apostles” ( 1682).

Trinity Cathedral of the Trinity-Sergius Lavra

Unlike the iconostasis, the original murals of the Trinity Cathedral have been almost completely lost, with the exception of a small fragment in the altar of the temple. In 1635, the cathedral's frescoes were renewed, preserving the iconographic scheme of the ancient painting. In subsequent centuries, the painting was repeatedly updated and covered with new records (last time - in 2002-2004).

Cancer of St. Sergius of Radonezh

Until the end of the 16th century. the relics of St. Sergius were in a wooden shrine created after their miraculous discovery (currently located in the Assumption Cathedral). By 1585, by order of Tsar Ivan IV Vasilyevich and his son Fyodor Ioannovich, a silver shrine was made for the main shrine of the monastery, decorated with applied figured embossed marks with the texts of the Life of St. Sergius. In 1730-1741 By order of Empress Anna Ioannovna, a silver canopy (weighing more than 25 pounds) was made for the shrine with the relics. The hammered lid of the shrine dates back to the 19th century. Behind the glass next to the tomb are the things of the Reverend - a schema, a staff and two wooden liturgical plates. Interior decoration The temple was modified and replenished with new precious donations over several centuries. After 1917, only the most important monuments were left in the Trinity Cathedral.

A panic attack. End of the 15th century Contribution of Tsar Ivan Vasilyevich (the Terrible)

The under-dome space of the temple is illuminated by a gilded copper chandelier from the late 15th century. works of the German workshop of Fischer. The late Gothic monument with cast figures of the Savior, the Blessed Virgin Mary and the twelve apostles is one of the many contributions to the Trinity Monastery of Tsar Ivan Vasilyevich the Terrible. From a later time are chased silver frames of icons of the forefathers' rank (1778) and icon cases with pediments around the pillars (19th century).

The bishop's seat in the altar of the Trinity Cathedral

In the altar of the cathedral, a steel gilded bishop's chair made by Tula masters of the late 18th century, donated to the Holy Archimandrite of the Trinity-Sergius Lavra, Metropolitan of Moscow Platon (Levshin), as well as a canopy made in 1809 from silver over the throne, have been preserved.

The western porch adjacent to the cathedral was first mentioned in 1584. When entering the cathedral from the porch, next to the painted portal you can see frescoes of the 16th century. with the image of Saints Sergius and Nikon of Radonezh.

Iron door, leading to the southern porch, preserved the hole from the cannonball, received during the siege of the monastery by Polish-Lithuanian troops in 1608-1610.

Burial of Prince Andrei Vladimirovich, son of Prince Vladimir the Brave
- hero of the Battle of Kulikovo. South wall of Trinity Cathedral

In the southwestern corner of the temple there is a memorial plaque over the grave of Radonezh Prince Andrei Vladimirovich (monastically Sava).

Trinity Cathedral is the main temple of the Lavra. In the architectural ensemble of the Lavra, its primacy is emphasized by the gilded roof covering and the avenue that directly connects the cathedral with the Holy Gate.

The restoration of the Trinity Cathedral began in 1925 with the dismantling of the later northern porch and the restoration of the white stone masonry of the northern facade. The work was supervised by architect D.P. Sukhov. In 1926, he restored three of the five previously hewn window openings in the apses of the temple.

In 1939-40 soundings were carried out to search for traces of frescoes of the 15th century. The restoration of the fresco painting was completed in 1953.

View of Trinity Cathedral
and Nikonovsky chapel from the southeast side

In 1954, under the leadership of architect V.I. Baldin, the restoration of the facades of the cathedral resumed: they were cleared of the canvas and oil paintings of the 18th-19th centuries pasted on them, and the ancient forms of the portals and window openings were restored. In 1966, this stage of restoration was completed by restoring the mosquito cover.

Znamenny Choir of the Trinity Cathedral Lavra

Divine services in the Trinity Cathedral are held daily:

- V weekdays:

General fraternal prayer service and midnight office at the relics of St. Sergius of Radonezh - at 5 o'clock. 30 min.; Divine Liturgy - starts at 6 o'clock. 30 min.; cathedral prayer service with akathist Mother of God- on Fridays, starting at 17:00; prayer services with an akathist to St. Sergius at the shrine with his holy relics - from 8 o'clock. 30 min. until 20 o'clock 30 minutes.

- on Sundays and holidays:

Divine Liturgy - starts at 6 o'clock. 20 minutes.; prayer services with akathist to St. Sergius - from 5 o'clock. until 6 o'clock 15 minutes. and from 8:30 a.m. until 20 o'clock 30 min.; cathedral prayer service with akathist to St. Sergius - on Sundays, beginning at 17:00.

On Easter, during the days of Great Lent and on some twelfth and patronal feasts, services will be held according to a special schedule.

Tags: History of the Holy Trinity Lavra of Sergius, Architecture

The Trinity-Sergius Lavra is one of the most ancient and revered monasteries in Russia. Its founder and first leader was Sergius of Radonezh himself, whose relics are buried in the local cathedral. The Trinity Cathedral of the Trinity-Sergius Monastery is the oldest building that has survived to this day. It is still in effect: anyone can enter and pray or stay for the service.

Trinity-Sergius Lavra

In church texts it is usually called the Holy Trinity Lavra of St. Sergius. Today it is the largest Russian monastery, which belongs to the Russian Orthodox Church. It is located on the Konchura River in the center of Sergiev Posad. Despite its solid history, it is still active and attracts pilgrims from all over the world. The monastery is stauropegial, that is, it reports directly to the patriarch.

History of the monastery - first decades

The history of the monastery began in 1337, when the brothers Bartholomew (the future Sergius of Radonezh) and Stefan, a monk of the Intercession Monastery, settled on a hill ten miles from Khotkov. Soon they built a small wooden church of the Holy Trinity, consecrated it in 1340, and several cells. All buildings took up little space and were located in the southwestern corner of the modern monastery.

A few years later, Stefan went to the Epiphany Monastery, and Sergius was left alone. Gradually other hermits began to settle near him. Soon a monastery appeared on the site of the desert. The first abbot was Abbot Mitrofan, who tonsured Sergius a monk.

At that time, the entire territory of the monastery was divided into three parts: residential, public and defensive. In the center stood the Trinity Church and the refectory, surrounded by cells. The latter were followed by vegetable gardens and other household services.

Along the perimeter there is a wooden palisade, over the fence of which the wooden church of Dmitry of Thessalonica was built. It is noteworthy that such a plan has been preserved in the Lavra to this day. Trinity Monastery quickly became the spiritual center of Rus': in 1380, before the battle with Mamai, Prince Dmitry Donskoy came here to receive a blessing.

Sergius of Radonezh died in 1392. Six months before his death, he handed over leadership to his beloved student Nikon of Radonezh.

After the death of the abbot

The further history of the monastery is quite remarkable. At the beginning of the 15th century, the monastery was plundered and burned by the Tatars under the leadership of Khan Edigei, but these were the last dark days. For the next two centuries, no one touched the monastery: it developed, was rebuilt and rebuilt, chronicles were compiled and books were copied, icons were painted. In the 15th century, in the Trinity-Sergius Monastery they created the “Life of St. Sergius of Radonezh,” which became the largest literary medieval monument.

The first stone church appeared in the 20s of the 15th century: it was a rebuilt first church of the monastery, which was built by Sergius of Radonezh. His relics were transferred here, and Andrei Rublev and Daniil Cherny were involved in the decoration. Rublev’s famous “Trinity” was written specifically for the Trinity Cathedral.

The Moscow princes did not forget the monastery: they came here to pray before the campaign, and stopped by after victories. Ivan the Terrible loved the monastery very much: he was baptized in the main cathedral of the monastery as a child, and he came here after major victories for a prayer service.

Under the king, redevelopment was carried out, white stone walls and new churches were erected, and the territory acquired modern dimensions.

At the end of the 16th century, the Holy Trinity Monastery became the largest Russian monastery. He owned almost three thousand settlements, and active maritime trade with foreign countries was conducted on his behalf.

The further fate of the monastery was no less eventful:

By the 19th century, the Sergius Lavra was one of the largest Russian monasteries and one of the richest landowners and merchants.

By the beginning of the twentieth century, the monastery was in charge of several small monasteries and hermitages, two hotels, shops, workshops, horse yards, apartment buildings, a printing house. More than four hundred monks lived in it, thousands of pilgrims came from all over the country, and many representatives of noble families rested on the territory. Unique treasures of decorative and applied arts were also kept here, and a huge library was located (at the beginning of the 20th century, it contained more than 10 thousand handwritten books, chronicles, and the first printed books).

In the 20th century

In 1918, the Trinity Lavra was turned into a labor artel in accordance with the decree “On the separation of church and state.” The following year, the monks were moved to the Chernigov and Gethsemane monasteries, the theological academy was closed, and the premises were transferred to electrical engineering courses. In the same year, the relics of St. Sergius of Radonezh were uncovered.

In 1920, despite the requests of Patriarch Tikhon, the Lavra was closed. A historical and architectural museum and the Zagorodsky Teachers' Institute (pedagogical college) were opened on its territory. Most of the premises were rebuilt and adapted for economic and residential needs.

However, experts could not allow architectural monuments of the Lavra disappear: Already in 1918, the first commission for the protection of monuments and antiquities was convened. In 1938, a young architect Trofimov was invited, who prepared a certificate about the artistic and historical value of the monastery and the need to preserve it. Based on the data he collected, it was decided to recognize the monastery as the Zagorsk State Museum-Reserve. Trofimov himself received the position of chief architect of restoration work.

The very essence of the restoration is noteworthy: Trofimov’s tasks included the restoration of each building at the moment of its highest artistic flowering. This made it possible to identify the most successful forms for each building, but did not allow the creation of a single ensemble.

Until 1950, restoration was carried out in buildings transferred to the Moscow Patriarchate in 1946, then work affected all premises. In the second half of the 50s of the twentieth century, all outside organizations were removed, and the Lavra completely returned to the hands of the patriarchy. Until 1983, the residence of the patriarch was located here. The bulk of the restoration work was completed in 1970.

In 1993, the ensemble was included in the UNESCO list. The relics of Saint Radonezh were returned to the Trinity Cathedral in 1946. The Moscow Theological Academy began work again in 1949.

Architectural ensemble of the monastery

There are more than fifty buildings on the territory of the monastery, most of which were erected in the XV-XIX centuries. There are more than a dozen temples on the territory; the most revered churches of the Trinity-Sergius Monastery are:

Also live on the premises about two hundred monks, the following institutions operate:

1. Moscow Theological Seminary;
2. Pilgrimage and excursion centers;
3. Workshops: stained glass, sewing and gold embroidery, candle making, mosaic, ceramics, carpentry;
4. Sound recording studio;
5. Publishing house;
6. Healing spring;
7. Historical Museum.

Holy Trinity Cathedral

This ancient temple laurels, which has survived to this day. It was erected in honor of St. Sergius of Radonezh by his student and leader of the Lavra, Nikon of Radonezh, in the 20s of the 15th century. The relics of the saint were transferred here, and Andrei Rublev’s “Trinity” is located here. Additionally, Nikon's chapel was added to the cathedral. The cathedral is active: they conduct daily Divine Liturgies and prayers to the saint, they immediately take monastic vows. It is included in the list world heritage UNESCO and is protected.

The Trinity Cathedral of the Trinity-Sergius Monastery is the “starting point” of the entire architecture of the monastery: the formation of the entire appearance of the monastery began with it. He is a representative of early Moscow architecture. The church itself is small, built of white stone, and has one gilded dome. Its forms are simple but elegant, carved ornaments and external icons are used as decoration. It is noteworthy that the walls of the building are inclined inward (quite noticeably) - this was required by the tapering drum.

The iconostasis was created Andrey Rublev and Daniil Cherny. They painted the walls, but the 15th century painting has not survived. Instead, a work from the mid-17th century is presented, which repeated the original one.

Information for pilgrims

To ensure that your trip to the Lavra is not in vain, you should familiarize yourself with the following information:

You also need to know where the Trinity Lavra of St. Sergius is located and how to get to it. There are several ways to get from Moscow to Trinity Church:

1. By car: along the Yaroslavl highway (M8 highway). It will turn into the Old Yaroslavskoe Highway, then into the Moskovskoe Highway and at the end into the Red Army Avenue, which will go all the way to the Lavra;
2. By bus: from the VDNKh metro station by bus No. 388 to the Sergiev Posad bus station. From there you can walk to the monastery in about 10-15 minutes. Travel time will be at least an hour and depends on road congestion;
3. By train: from Yaroslavsky railway station to Sergiev Posad station. The railway station is located near the bus station, and you can also reach your destination in a few minutes. Travel time will be approximately 1.5 hours.

Among all Russians Orthodox monasteries The Trinity-Sergius Lavra occupies a special place. This is not just the largest and one of the most famous monasteries, but also the place founded by St. Sergius of Radonezh. Thousands of pilgrims come here every day to venerate the relics of the saint in the main Holy Trinity Cathedral.

Holy Trinity Church - Orthodox church in the village of Troitskoye, Sverdlovsk region.

Decision No. 535 of the Executive Committee of the Sverdlovsk Regional Council people's deputies dated December 31, 1987, it was given the status of an architectural monument of regional significance.

Story

The church in this area of ​​the Iset basin is one of the first. The wooden temple was erected several times. The first wooden two-altar church near Lake Karasiego Bala was built in 1680 and existed until the fire of 1787. There is no information about the architect and authors of the first building project. Three years later, a new building was rebuilt, which lasted from 1790 to 1800, until another fire. The fire destroyed the property and documents of the parish; only part of the archive of receipts and expenditure books from 1751 to 1791 survived.

A decision was made to build a major temple. In 1801, the construction of a stone church began. On March 19, 1808, one of the boundaries was consecrated in the name of St. Savvaty of Solovetsky. The main temple was consecrated on July 14, 1823 in honor of St. Life-Giving Trinity.

In 1850, a crack appeared in the vault of the bell tower and there was a threat of collapse. The building was dismantled and rebuilt, adding another limit. On December 12, 1854, the new boundary was consecrated in honor of the icon of the Most Holy Theotokos “Quench My Sorrows.” In the period 1875-1880, the main part of the temple was expanded and rebuilt, under the leadership of process engineer Pavel Fedorovich Golyshev. The main church was re-consecrated by Pokhodilova on September 27, 1880, and the side chapels, respectively, on November 15, 1881 and February 20, 1886.

Until 1800, the Istok church belonged to the Tobolsk diocese and was under the immediate jurisdiction of the Ekaterinburg Spiritual Board. The parish had a wooden chapel in the village of Pokhodilova, a stone Nikolaevskaya chapel in the village of Poplygina and one wooden cross between the village and the village of Starikova. On June 24 and July 20 annually, hours and prayer services were held in the Pokhodilovskaya chapel, and two processions of the cross were held in the village: the first on the day of the Midsummer, after going to the water, to the parish cemetery to serve general and private funeral services, and the second, on the day of the Transfiguration - to cross between the village and the village of Starikova.

The church was closed in 1932, in Soviet time the building served as a warehouse. Currently, the temple is not being restored. .

Architecture

The church is a stone church with three pestles. On one axis there is a church with a faceted apse, a refectory and a bell tower. The volume of the church is crowned with a five-domed structure, a tent on a faceted drum and decorative domes of small tents on rectangular pedestals at the corners of the quadrangle. All the premises of the church are also located on the same axis: a door from a covered porch, a hall-type refectory, a summer church. At the corners of the quadrangle there are pylons that support the dome with arches and sails. Trinity Church was executed by regional architects in the manner of a master.

The most a large number of postcards were issued with views of the monastery, of which over fifty are known. This can be explained by the fact that many pilgrims came to Belgorod to venerate the relics of St. Joasaph. A particularly large number of postcards were issued by various publishers for the celebrations of the opening of the relics, which took place on September 4, 1911. They depict: a general view of the monastery, the Holy Trinity Cathedral, the Church of the Sign, the bell tower, the chambers of St. Joasaph, bishop's house, shrine with the relics of St. Joasaph, interior of the Holy Trinity Cathedral, brotherly cemetery, celebration of the discovery of the relics of St. Joasaph. The monastery was also often depicted on postcards of general views of the city.

The location of all the buildings and structures of the monastery is especially clearly visible on a postcard from an anonymous publisher, issued on September 4, 1911.

Holy Trinity Monastery. In the foreground is the bell tower (1). Behind it is the Holy Trinity Cathedral (2). To the left of the bell tower is an icon and bookstore (3). On the right is the Church of the Sign (4). To the left of the Holy Trinity Cathedral is a brotherly cemetery with a chapel (5), to the right of the Church of the Sign is the bishop's house (6) and the chambers of St. Joasaph (7). On the right behind the monastery fence is Georgievskaya Street (now the 50th anniversary of the Belgorod region), Bazarnaya Square, Preobrazhensky Tank (8), Transfiguration Church (9). In the distance is the New Russian Cemetery (10).

The monastery got its name from the main cathedral Holy Trinity Church, built simultaneously with the founding of the city in 1596 and which was a small wooden church. In 1667, by decree of Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich, the Holy Trinity Church received the status of a cathedral. In 1690, the stone Holy Trinity Cathedral was laid. In 1707 it was consecrated by Metropolitan Justin.

In 1760, Bishop Joasaph (Mitkevich) began construction of a stone bell tower to replace the old, dilapidated one. Construction was completed under Bishop Haggai (Kolosovsky).

In 1833, the Holy Trinity Cathedral was converted into a second-class male monastery. The monastery included the Holy Trinity Cathedral and the bishop's house, which were surrounded by a fence with towers. The first abbot of the monastery was Archimandrite Joasaph (in the world Joseph Minakov).

Monastery. On the left you can see the dome of the Church of the Intercession.

View of the monastery from the street. Georgievskaya (now the 50th anniversary of the Belgorod region). On the left is the bell tower (1) and in front of it is the dome of the Church of the Sign (2). In the middle are the chambers of St. Joasaph. Behind them is the Holy Trinity Cathedral (4). On the right is the building where the monks lived (5).

To the southeast of the Holy Trinity Cathedral, in the monastery fence, there was a stone Church of the Sign with a wooden vault. Its construction was caused by the need to have a spacious, warm church in the monastery. Students of the seminary, which was located opposite the monastery and did not have its own house church, also went here to worship.

The Znamenskaya Church was built and consecrated on November 10, 1835 under the abbot Elpidifor. (Benediktov). There were two altars in it: the main one - in the name of the Sign of the Most Holy Theotokos and the southern chapel in the name of St. Nicholas.

Znamenskaya Church of the Monastery

Znamenskaya Church of the Monastery.

The third church of the monastery is a house church. It was housed in the abbot's chambers. In 1864, a new house church in the name of St. Tikhon of Zadonsk was built on the southern side of the chambers. At this church. Later, part of the sacristy and the monastery library began to be located, which contained about 1,500 books of spiritual content.

Chambers of Saint Joasaph.

Chambers of Saint Joasaph.

In the year of Saint Joasaph’s birth in 1705, under Metropolitan Justin, construction began on the building in which the Saint’s chambers were subsequently located. Construction was completed in 1707. The Metropolitan placed the bishop's cells in the new premises. And in them he opened a small house church in honor of Venerable Anthony and Theodosius Pechersky.

By the time of the discovery of the relics of St. Joasaph in 1911, his chambers, except interior decoration, have been preserved unchanged. This was facilitated by the fact that when the chambers turned out to be cramped, they were expanded not by alterations, but by extensions from the south, where the bishop's house was gradually built, closely adjacent to them.

There were seven rooms in the saint's chambers. Along the main staircase, with wonderful stucco decorations, through the hallway, one entered the hall; the ceiling and slopes of the hall were painted with paintings from the life of the Saint. From the hall, through the living room, we entered a small church named after. Saint Joasaph and Saints Anthony and Theodosius of Pechersk, which was consecrated on April 15, 1914. Letters with the handwritten signatures of St. Joasaph were kept in the side rooms.

The chambers were visited by many people. On some days, especially in summer, up to six thousand people passed through them.

In 1906, the Holy Trinity Cathedral was repaired and calorific heating was installed in it.

In 1908, the pulpit of the Belgorod bishop was installed in the main altar of the cathedral.

In addition to the main altar, the cathedral had two chapels. The southern one is in honor of the Dormition of the Blessed Virgin Mary, built in 1750 under Bishop Joasaph (Gorlenko). In the southwestern side of the cathedral there was a second chapel - in the name of the Last Judgment of God. It was built over the crypt, in which until September 4, 1911 there was a coffin with the relics of St. Joasaph, according to his will and with the money of his brother, Poltava Colonel Andrei Andreevich Gorlenko.

The Holy Trinity Cathedral was a beautiful cruciform building 15 fathoms (32 m) in length and width and 20 fathoms (42.67 m) in height. Above the middle of the temple building rose a huge dome, with niches cut into it instead of windows, in which images of the twelve apostles were installed, and with four smaller domes.

Belgorod. Holy Trinity Cathedral.

Belgorod. Monastery.

Separately from the cathedral, at a distance of 9 fathoms and one arshin (19.91 m), there was a huge building of the cathedral bell tower, 20 arshins (14.22 m) in length and width and 65 arshins (46.23 m) in height. It consisted of four tiers, tapering at the top, with beautiful columns. On the fourth octagonal tier of the bell tower there was a striking clock.

Belgorod. Monastery. Cathedral and bell tower of the monastery.

The main entrance to the monastery ran through the lower tier. The third tier housed ten bells different sizes. A large festive bell weighing 1022 pounds was cast in December 1865 with the money of the hereditary honorary citizen of Belgorod Nikolai Ivanovich Chumichev at the N. T. Ryzhkova plant by master M.A. Olkhovikov in Kharkov.

One of the bells was cast in 1752 during the episcopal service of St. Joasaph at the Belgorod See.

The monastic brethren were housed in two separate buildings. In addition to these buildings, the monastery had: a candle factory, built in 1905, and two icon and book shops - one old and the other new, built in 1910 next to the bell tower, facing the monastery, one-story, covered with iron, with room for the novice.

Belgorod. Bell tower of the monastery. Belgorod. Holy Trinity Cathedral.

Based on the presence or absence of an image of this shop on the postcard, it can be approximately dated (before 1910 or after).

There were two main, especially revered shrines in the Holy Trinity Cathedral: miraculous icon Nicholas of Ratny and the incorruptible relics of Bishop Joasaph (Gorlenko) of Belgorod and Oboyansky.

The icon of Nicholas the Ratnoy was located in the wall iconostasis on the left side of the main altar of the Holy Trinity Cathedral. Every year on May 5, the miraculous icon was transferred in procession from the Belgorod Monastery to its first location in the village of Ustinka, where it remained until May 10 and was brought back to Belgorod on May 11.

According to ancient legend, this icon saved the inhabitants of Ustinka from a Tatar raid. At the beginning of the 18th century, there was a Korenskaya hermitage near the village. During one of the raids Crimean Tatars they wanted to attack the desert and crossed a long dam across the Koren River. The abbot of the monastery took the image of St. Nicholas from the Church, went out with all the monastery brethren to meet them and began a prayer service. The Tatars were so amazed by the spectacle that they began to run. Many fell from the dam into the water and drowned, the rest disappeared into the steppe.

The religious procession began from the Holy Trinity Cathedral and passed along Sobornaya Street (now Holy Trinity Boulevard) and Emperor Nicholas II (now Grazhdansky Avenue) towards the station. In front of the station the procession turned right, crossed railway and went out to the Peschansky Bridge. Having crossed the bridge, I found myself on the Volchanskaya road and moved along it to the village of Ustinka.

Street of Emperor Nicholas II. (View from the station)

On the left in the distance is the Vvedenskaya Church (1). On the right is the Assumption (Mikhailovskaya) Church (2). Behind it is the dome of the Smolensk Cathedral (3). On the right is the Transfiguration Tank (4), the Transfiguration Church (5), the men's gymnasium (6). On the left is the Botkin house (7). Next to it is the Rebinder estate (8).

Another highly revered relic of the monastery was the incorruptible relics of Bishop Joasaph (Gorlenko) of Belgorod and Oboyan. Saint Joasaph was buried in a small crypt-cave prepared by his decree in the southwestern side of the Holy Trinity Cathedral, above which there was a chapel altar in the name of the Last Judgment.

The rector of the monastery, Bishop Ioannikiy of Belgorod, collected funds to make a precious shrine for the relics of St. Joasaph and placed an order for the development of its project to academician of architecture V. Pokrovsky. The sketch of the shrine and canopy were presented to Empress Alexandra Feodorovna. Having examined the drawings and drawings, she wrote on the project: “I approve. Alexandra. May 5, 1910." According to the draft, Khlebnikov's company in Moscow made a reliquary for the relics of St. Joasaph and her shelter. It took 8 poods, 2 pounds of silver (131.86 kg) to make the reliquary. On it stood an elegantly artistic canopy. Relics of St. Joasaph was in a cypress coffin, in a shrine, on the left side of the temple.

Reliquary with the relics of St. Joasaph. Reliquary with the relics of St. Joasaph.

The most important event both in the history of the Holy Trinity Monastery and in all-Russian church life is the solemn glorification of St. Joasaph on September 4, 1911, his canonization as a saint of the Orthodox Church and the opening of the relics resting in the monastery for public worship.

On the report, to which the certificate of examination of the relics was attached, Nicholas II wrote: “Through the gracious intercession of St. Joasaph, may devotion to forefathers’ Orthodoxy be strengthened in the Russian state for the good of the entire Russian people. I accept the proposals of St. Synod with sincere tenderness and complete sympathy."

The Holy Synod decided to entrust the Metropolitan of Kyiv, together with Archimandrite Kursk and his vicars, to perform the solemn opening of the relics of St. Joasaph on September 4, 1911.

On December 22, 1910, having considered the report on preparations for the feast of the opening of the relics of St. Joasaph, the Duma decided: to re-pave the streets of Emperor Nicholas II (now Grazhdansky Avenue), Novo-Moskovskaya (now B. Khmelnitsky Avenue), Sadovaya (now Slavy Avenue) and pave Cathedral (now Holy Trinity Boulevard) street and the square opposite the convent ( now Cathedral Square). On April 1, 1911, Emperor Nicholas II ordered a loan to be issued to the city of Belgorod for the paving of streets and squares in the amount of 75 thousand rubles. Having heard the report of the council on paving the streets of Belgorod, on obtaining permission to transport 800 wagons of stone at a reduced rate, the Duma decided: to instruct the council to begin paving the streets of Vvedenskaya (now Prince Trubetskoy), Georgievskaya (now the 50th anniversary of the Belgorod region), Sheremetevskaya (now Preobrazhenskaya , part of the Market Square.

Belgorod. View of the monastery.

The square in front of the convent (now Sobornaya). Stones were brought on a cart for paving the square. On the left is the monastery. On the right is a new square and behind it is the Tikhvin (St. George) Church. The photo was taken in 1911.

Belgorod. General form monastery.

In the foreground are piles of sand and stone for paving Cathedral (Holy Trinity Boulevard) street. Next is the bell tower, the Church of the Sign and the cathedral of the monastery. The photo was taken in 1911.

About two hundred thousand people came to Belgorod for the celebrations. A quiet provincial town has turned into a big noisy city. Starting from August 30, religious processions began to arrive in the city. There were about twenty of them from different places in Russia. The religious processions from Grayvoron and Oboyan were especially crowded. Arriving guests needed to be accommodated. On the northern outskirts of Belgorod, a huge temporary settlement was set up for pilgrims. Several wooden barracks were built there and more than two thousand tents were pitched. In total in this camp in tents, barracks and right on outdoors about one hundred thousand people. There were also pilgrim settlements on other outskirts of Belgorod.

The people who arrived had to be fed. Existing taverns and canteens could not provide food for all arrivals. Therefore, in temporary settlements, food was prepared by soldiers’ camp kitchens.

Postcard with tents.

Solemn services began at the Holy Trinity Monastery on August 30. On September 2, during the liturgy that began at 9 o’clock in the morning, which was celebrated by His Eminence Nikodim, we arrived in Belgorod and proceeded to the monastery Grand Duke Konstantin Konstantinovich and Grand Duchess Elizaveta Fedorovna.

Zon Karl Rudolf. Portrait of Grand Duchess Elizabeth Feodorovna

I. E. Repin. Portrait of Grand Duke Konstantin Konstantinovich.

At the end all-night vigil, the temple remained open all night. The pilgrims venerated the relics. Many immediately received healing. On September 4, Sunday, at the end of the liturgy, the coffin was taken out of the altar, placed in the middle of the cathedral, and the prayer service began. Then the coffin was placed on a stretcher, taken out of the church in a religious procession and carried around the entire monastery.

Following the clergy were Grand Duke Konstantin Konstantinovich, Grand Duchess Elizaveta Feodorovna, a number of high-ranking officials and representatives of the local administration, led by Governor Gilchen. At three o'clock the procession returned to the cathedral. The coffin with the relics of the Saint was inserted into a silver shrine, located in the left side chapel of the temple.

Publisher A.A. Weinbaum issued a series of postcards dedicated to the discovery of the relics of St. Joasaph, which depict the events described above.

Belgorod. Procession.

Belgorod. Procession.

On September 4, 1911, an emergency meeting of the City Duma was held, at which Grand Duke Konstantin Konstantinovich was present. City Mayor I.G. Muromtsev proposed sending a telegram to Emperor Nicholas II and turned to the Grand Duke with a request to accept the title “Honorary Citizen of Belgorod,” to which Konstantin Konstantinovich gave his consent. After this, the mayor and all the vowels went to the station to see off the Grand Duke who was leaving Belgorod.

Konstantin Konstantinovich Romanov (1858-1915) - Grand Duke, military and statesman, infantry general, adjutant general, poet (K.R.), honorary member of the St. Petersburg Academy of Sciences in the category of belles-lettres. Honorary citizen of Belgorod.

In total, the celebrations in Belgorod lasted a whole week from September 2 to September 9. Hundreds of thousands of people walked on this day near the tomb with the relics of St. Joasapha. The line stretched in a long chain, encircling the cathedral several times. Belgorod has never seen such an influx of pilgrims in its entire history.

From the book by A. Tkachenko “Warm greetings from Belgorod.”

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