Monasticism offers a peculiar way of self-perfection. Monks strive to approach the ideal, revealed by the life of Jesus Christ, to holiness, to God. In addition to the usual abode, there is " Stauropegial Monastery». What this means, the parishioner can figure out by making a pilgrimage to the monastery.
monastic life
Monasticism has a long history . The first Chernets communities appeared in the 4th century, in the lower reaches of the Nile River and in the vicinity of Jewish Bethlehem. When Christianity becomes the state religion of the Roman Empire, monasteries are built on European territory.
After the baptism of Russia by Prince Vladimir in 988, the Greek monks moved to the Kievan lands. The famous settlement of the monks becomes the "Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra". Gradually, monasticism spread throughout the Slavic lands.
An Orthodox Christian who has decided to dedicate his life to prayer and ascetic deeds takes monastic tonsure. To achieve complete spiritual perfection, a monk overcomes 5 steps.
- A novice does not take a monastic vow, wears civilian clothes and gets used to the routine of monastic life.
- The "cassock" or "cassock novice" renounces the worldly name and takes a vow of obedience. The attire consists of a hood and a cassock. The monk carries a rosary in his hand.
- The chernets, who, after a symbolic tonsure, receives a new name, is allowed to wear a cassock.
- Accepting a small schema or mantle monasticism, a monk makes 5 vows: renunciation of the world, non-possession, celibacy, obedience and constant prayer.
- The Great Schema means complete renunciation of the earthly world and union with God.
Useful video: about the Resurrection New Jerusalem Stauropegial Monastery
God's grace under the supervision of the patriarch
Translated from the Greek language "Stavropegia" means "Raising the Cross". The ancient monastery, in which the patriarch erected the cross with his own hands, received the status of a "Stavropegial Monastery". In a religious jurisdiction, the meaning of the word stauropegial indicates that an ecclesiastical institution is independent of the local diocese and reports directly to the patriarch or most holy synod.
The Simonov Monastery, which appeared in 1383, was the first in Russia to receive the status of "Stavropegia" and was subordinate to the head of the Church of Constantinople. In the Russian church, "Stavropegial monasteries" were arranged by the Moscow Patriarch Nikon in the second half of the 17th century. He directly managed the "New Jerusalem", "Iverskaya" in Valdai and "Godfather" on the island of Kiy communities.
At the end of the 19th century, there were 11 patriarchal monasteries in Russia. In the next century, the list of organizations with the rights of "Stavropegia" is greatly expanded. Patriarchal separate "Stavropegic parishes" are established. As well as deaneries and farmsteads, spiritual missions and representations.
Interesting! In everyday life, the meaning of the word stauropegial indicates that the monastic affairs are managed by the dean appointed by the patriarch. The main objects of supervision of the dean are the piety and morality of the monks, proper worship and diligent management in the community!
Having visited the "Stavropegic Monastery", the pilgrim will get acquainted with the monastic life.
Communication with the monks will enrich the spiritual experience, provide an opportunity to get advice for solving everyday problems, which every person has enough of.
Male brotherhood
There are 28 monasteries in modern Russia. In 14 women's and 14 men's communities, 705 mantle monks and 365 nuns who have been tonsured in the mantle are obedient.
The following men's "Stavropegial monasteries" are located in Moscow:
- Andreevsky Monastery on Sparrow Hills has a Synodal Library with a reading room.
- Vysoko-Petrovskaya monastery on Petrovka in 2015 celebrated its 700th anniversary. In 1993, the Russian University of Orthodoxy was opened here.
- Danilov - the official patriarchal and synodal residence on Danilovsky Val Street.
- In the Don Lavra, a shrine with the relics of Patriarch Tikhon is preserved.
- The Zaikonospassky monastery in Kitay-gorod is famous for the fact that the Slavic-Greek-Latin Academy was located here, where Mikhail Lomonosov studied.
- On the Peasant Square is Novospassky, "Stavropegic Monastery".
- Future clergy receive their education in the seminary of the Sretensky Monastery. Singing cloisters make up the main choir of the Russian Orthodox Church.
Women's cloisters
To understand what a stauropegial female status in Russia is, one must remember about subordination to the patriarch.
Important! Most nuns do not aspire to advance to the next degrees of spiritual perfection!
Inokine, who has accepted the schema, is allowed to wear an apostle, a kind of head scarf with a front neckline. Moscow 
women's "Stavropegic monasteries":
- On the site of the Alekseevskaya Convent, which is now located in 2nd Krasnoselsky Lane, the Church of Christ the Savior was built in the 19th century.
- Since 2010, a singing school has been operating in the Theotokos-Nativity community.
- The Zachatievsky community is located in the Moscow district of Khamovniki.
- John the Baptist Monastery is located in Maly Ivanovsky lane, house 2.
- Pilgrims come to the Intercession Convent to venerate the relics of the blessed Matrona of Moscow.
- The Marfo-Mariinsky Convent of Mercy was founded in 1909 by Grand Duchess Elizabeth Feodorovna. A shelter for orphaned girls was created on the territory of the monastery.
- Trinity-Odigitrievskaya Zosima Desert is located 7 km from the Novofedorovskoye settlement, which is part of the city limits of Moscow.
There are 25 parishes abroad. There are 14 parishes in Europe, 4 parishes in Africa and Asia, 1 each in Australia, Antarctica and America.
When choosing a state for a tourist trip, you should pay attention to the country where "Stavropegic parishes" are open. Then a believing Russian will not have to feel like a parishioner cut off from Orthodox life.
Useful video: about the Zachatievsky stauropegial convent
Conclusion
In worldly life, one gets rid of loneliness by finding a friend or by marriage with a beloved woman. The incompleteness of existence, spiritual inferiority are overcome in monasticism by betrothal to God. Man voluntarily renounces the pleasures of earthly life in order to know the sweetness of Christ's truth.
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The word "stauropegial" does not apply to all Orthodox monasteries, but its presence in the name often raises a lot of questions from parishioners. The term comes from Greek words and refers to the definition of authority over the monastery. What is a stauropegial nunnery or male monastery? What Moscow monasteries have this status?
The word "stauropegia" comes from the words "cross" and "hoist", the literal translation sounds like "hoisting the cross." This means that the stauropegial monastery reports directly to the patriarch or synod - the governing body of the Russian Orthodox Church between Bishops' Councils. The stauropegial title of the monastery is considered the highest, since it is not subordinate to the local diocesan authorities, the administration is carried out by the patriarch's viceroy with the rank of hegumen or archimandrite.
Stauropegia can be:
- Monasteries, laurels and brotherhoods.
- Cathedrals and churches.
- spiritual schools.
History of appearance in Russia
Stauropegia have almost always existed in Russia, only their “owners” have changed:
The modern period of stauropegia began in 1984, when Patriarch Pimen granted this status to the Koretsky Convent (Rivne Oblast, Ukrainian SSR). This happened because of the conflict between the abbess and the Ukrainian Metropolitan Philaret. Subordinating directly to the Moscow and Russian Patriarch, the monastery was freed from pressure from the metropolitan.
In the 1990s, the mass transfer of monasteries to the Moscow Patriarchate began, the most significant of them were declared stavropegic. This led to the blurring of the very concept, since the Russian Patriarch himself is the ruling bishop of the Moscow diocese.
Today, 14 male and 14 female Russian monasteries are stauropegial monasteries, of which 6 male and 5 female are Moscow. On the territories of Ukraine and Belarus there are also several stauropegia, but they are governed by the metropolitans of Ukraine and Belarus, respectively.
Several stauropegia are located outside the territory of Russia, but they continue to be directly subordinate to the Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia. In 2009, the Secretariat for Foreign Institutions was established to manage them, which in 2010 was transformed into the Office of Foreign Affairs. It was headed by one of the Patriarch's vicars.
Outside the territory of Russia, stauropegia are located in:
Men's cloisters in Moscow
Below are the active stauropegial monasteries located within the city.
Andreevsky
It is believed that the monastery was founded in the 13th century as a men's monastery "near the Sparrow Hills", but it is mentioned in written evidence only in the middle of the 17th century. AT different time in it, in turn, a shelter, a prison, a hospital for the mentally ill, a cemetery and an almshouse with residential buildings were created. Under Soviet rule, the temple was closed, and the commune of the 1st Moscow factory Goznak was placed in other buildings. In 1991, a patriarchal courtyard was opened on the territory of the monastery, after 5 years the monastery was completely transferred to the patriarchate. Since 2013, the monastery has been stauropegial.
Address: Andreevskaya embankment, 2.
Vysoko-Petrovsky
It is believed that a wooden church was founded on the site of the monastery at the beginning of the 14th century under Ivan Kalita, which later grew into a monastery. Stavropegia experienced a lot in its lifetime: being still wooden, the monastery burned several times, it was devastated by the Poles in 1611 and the French in 1812, and was closed under the USSR. After the expulsion of the Polish invaders, the monastery received the status of a stauropegic one. Monastic life resumed in it in 2009.
Address: st. Petrovka, 28с2.
Donskoy
It was founded at the end of the 16th century by Tsar Fyodor Mikhailovich after the victory over the Crimean Khan Kazy-Girey: he retreated with huge losses, which was regarded as a miracle. At first, there was a small one-domed Cathedral of Our Lady of the Don, named after the icon of the same name. According to legend, this icon brought victory to Prince Dmitry Donskoy at the Kulikovo field and was transferred to the camp church during the battles with the Crimean Tatars.
Under the USSR, all churches were closed, anti-religious exhibitions were held in them and a similar museum operated for some time, then the building was given to the Museum of Architecture at the Academy of the same name. The monastery was handed over to the patriarchate in 1991.
Address: Donskaya Square, 1s3.
Zaikonospassky
The name means "Spassky Behind the Icon Row". It is believed that it was founded by Tsar Boris Godunov in 1600 on the site of the monastery of St. Nicholas the Old. The first written references date back to 1635. First of all, the monastery is known for its educational school, which "grew" into the Slavic-Greek-Latin Academy. Under the Soviet Union, it was closed; work resumed only in 1992. At the same time, the process of transferring property was accompanied by a conflict with the Russian State Humanitarian University (Russian State University for the Humanities). Today, many premises of the monastery are rented by non-church organizations: a post office, a restaurant, the Historical and Archival Institute of the Russian State University for the Humanities.
Address: Nikolskaya street, 7−9, building 3.
Novospassky
It was founded under Ivan III, who moved the monks here from the Kremlin monastery of the Savior on Bor. The popularity of the monastery came after the coming to power of the Romanovs. Under the USSR, the monastery was closed, a concentration camp was opened on its territory, then - the economic department of the NKVD. Some of the monuments were transferred to the museum at the Simonovsky Monastery. In 1960 the monastery began to restore to make a museum of restoration work. In 1991, the territory was returned to the Russian Orthodox Church.
Address: Peasant Square, 10/12.
Sretensky
It was founded at the end of the XIV century by Prince Vasily I on the Kuchkov field after a miraculous victory over Tamerlane. In the 17th century, the monastery was moved to a modern place. Initially, the monastery was a supernumerary one (supported itself), but today it is stauropegial.
Address: Bolshaya Lubyanka street, 19с1.
Stauropegia in the Moscow region
Some monasteries are located near the capital. These are oldies:
Moscow women's monasteries
Mother of God-Christmas
One of the oldest monasteries in Moscow, founded at the end of the XIV century by the wife of Prince Andrei Serpukhov. It survived several fires and reconstructions, and was closed in 1922. Under the USSR, offices and educational institutions were placed here, the cells were rebuilt into communal apartments. Silver and vestments were taken to the treasury, some of the icons were transported to the Church of St. Nicholas in Zvonari. In 1974, it was decided to build a museum-reserve of ancient Russian art here, after which restoration began.
In 1992, the main cathedral was returned to the Russian Orthodox Church, and the monastery itself was revived the following year. He was given the status of stavropegic.
Address: Rozhdestvenskaya street, 20/8, building 1.
Zachatievsky
The monastery was founded in the 60s XIV century. She bore 2 names at once: Zachatievskaya (named after the Church of the Conception of St. Anna) and Alekseevskaya (named after the throne of the church). After a fire in the middle of the 16th century, the Alekseevsky monastery was destroyed and moved closer to the center of Moscow, then moved again to the site of the modern Novo-Alekseevsky monastery. The remaining community again became a monastery in 1584 under Tsar Fyodor Ioannovich. She steadfastly survived all the misfortunes, but under the USSR it was closed: a prison and a children's colony were placed on this territory. Many buildings were demolished and a school was built in their place.
The abode returned its status only in 1995, although the building had been handed over to the Russian Orthodox Church four years earlier.
Address: 2nd Zachatievsky lane, 2с8.
John the Baptist
Its history began in the 15th century and the construction of the grand-ducal estate with its own Vladimir church. By the end of the century, the estate was empty, and a convent appeared to the south of the church. The latter was completely burned out in a fire in 1812 and was rebuilt again only in the second half the same century. In 1918, the monastery was closed: a concentration camp was set up on this land, which eventually became part of the labor colony at the GUMZ.
It received the status of a stavropegic monastery in 2002, but some of the buildings still belong to the Ministry of Internal Affairs.
Address: Maly Ivanovsky lane, 2A, building 1.
Marfo-Mariinsky Convent of Mercy
Its founder is Grand Duchess Elizabeth Feodorovna, wife of Grand Duke Sergei Alexandrovich (brother of Emperor Alexander III). The monastery was founded in 1909, shortly after the death of Sergei Alexandrovich. Construction began with money from the sale of the princess's own jewelry. The monastery was not just a monastery: it provided spiritual and medical care the needy, held educational events, gave free medicines and food.
With the advent of the Soviet Union, the monastery was closed, the nuns were expelled. It was returned to the Russian Orthodox Church in 1992. Today there is a shelter for girls, a charity canteen, patronage service. Later, a medical center was opened for the rehabilitation of disabled children diagnosed with cerebral palsy and an on-site training service for parents with terminally ill children. The status of stavropegic was received only in 2014.
Address: Bolshaya Ordynka street, 34с3.
Novo-Alekseevsky
It appeared after the division of the Zachatievsky monastery after a fire. It housed a large number of workshops and a women's school for immigrants from the South Slavic countries. But in 1926 the monastery was destroyed, having laid a road in its place. The revival began in 1991: a parish was established with the preserved Church of All Saints. In 2010, a sisterhood appeared in the name of Alexy, the man of God, after 2 years it became a monastic community.
Address: 2nd Krasnoselsky lane, 7с8.
Pokrovsky
Initially, it was a male monastery founded by Tsar Mikhail Fedorovich in memory of his father in the middle of the 17th century. The monastery easily survived many invasions and troubles, but in 1929 it was closed. A park of culture and recreation was placed on its territory. The Russian Orthodox Church received the land back in 1994, in the same year it was decided to revive the monastery in the form convent. Today the monastery is known for the relics of St. Matrona of Moscow transferred at the end of the 20th century.
Address: Taganskaya street, 58.
Convents of the Moscow region
Women's cloisters have also been preserved in the Moscow region. These include the following stauropegia:
So, a stauropegial monastery is a monastery that reports directly to the Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia. This allows her to avoid interference in the affairs of the local diocesan authorities. The status of stavropegic is the highest.
Every Lavra is a monastery. But not every monastery is a Lavra. Let's say there are about eight hundred monasteries in Russia. And there are only two laurels. It is not at all difficult to name them - Trinity-Sergius (in Sergiev Posad) and Alexander Nevsky (in St. Petersburg).
Lavra is certainly a large, male, outstanding monastery. Outstanding, first of all, for its significance in the history and spiritual life of the country. Lavra is a huge responsibility, a stronghold, the Grace of the Lord.
And in order for the monastery to grow into a Lavra, it is necessary, first of all, the will of God. Then the understanding will come among the church hierarchs, and among the laity, and among the secular authorities, they say, here, not just one of the monasteries, there is something more ... Lavra!
For example, the Holy Trinity Sergius Lavra has existed for centuries. How many spiritual deeds there are perfect, how many souls are saved, only the deeds of St. Sergius of Radonezh are worth something. And the status of the Lavra came to the monastery only in 1742. Empress Elizaveta Petrovna signed a corresponding decree. But only two years later the approval of the Holy Synod followed.
Or take the Alexander Nevsky Lavra. As a monastery, it arose at the beginning of the 18th century. Peter the Great passionately revered the blessed holy prince Alexander Nevsky, ordered to organize a monastery in his honor. The relics of the saint from Vladimir were also brought here. And the monastery became a laurel only in 1797, by decree of Paul the First. Often the Lord chooses unexpected instruments to carry out His will.
But that's all if we talk about Russia within its current borders. There are three more laurels on the territory of modern Ukraine.
The oldest of the Russian laurels Orthodox Church, of course, Kiev-Pechersk. The monastery on the slopes of the Dnieper appeared in the distant XI century. But the status of the Lavra was received by him in 1688.
The Pochaev Lavra (bearing this title since 1833) is the fourth in the Russian Empire. It is located in the modern Ternopil region. A stronghold of Orthodoxy in lands that are constantly encroached upon by Catholics, Uniates, and various sects.
The youngest of the laurels is the Svyato-Uspenskaya Svyatogorskaya, located on the picturesque bank of the Seversky Donets. The Lavra belongs to the Donetsk diocese, it received its status in 2004 with the blessing of the Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia Alexy II.
All the mentioned monasteries, as already mentioned, are for men. That's how it happened historically. There is one women's monastery, which, according to the prophecy of St. Seraphim of Sarov, will become the first women's monastery - Seraphim-Diveevsky. True, this will happen only before the very end of the world.
In almost all religions, there are both lay people (ordinary people) and the clergy, whose representatives devoted their whole lives to serving God. One of the representatives of the clergy is monasticism: monks and nuns lead an ascetic life in accordance with this oath. They can live all alone(to be hermits) or in the monasteries with the brethren.
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Classmates
Monasteries
A monastery is a community of monks that has a single charter and a complex of buildings in which the monks live, services are held and supplies are stored. From Greek, the word translates as "lonely." This community is practically torn off from worldly life: its inhabitants are fully self-sufficient: they run a household, have a garden and livestock, are engaged in needlework, the sale of which allows them to receive some profit. Also on the territory of the parish are often miraculous icons to which pilgrims come.
are divided into several types:
- An abbey is a Catholic monastery ruled by an abbot and subject to a bishop or pope;
- Lavra - the largest Orthodox men's cloisters;
- Compound - a remote representation of the monastery. For example, in Moscow there were representative offices of the Kolomna, Novgorod, Ryazan and other monasteries: the monks living here represented the interests of their monastery and collected money for them;
- Desert - a settlement remote from a city or village. Usually these were small communities that allowed them to lead a solitary lifestyle and then could grow into large monasteries. In this case, the word "hermitage" was retained in the name, for example, Voznesenskaya Davidov desert;
- A skete is a solitary dwelling for one hermit.
There are also parishes:
- Kinovia or hostel. In them, monks are not allowed to have personal property: they bear labor service for the common good (“obedience”), receiving everything they need from the monastery. The abbots are elected by the monks themselves;
- Idiorythms or non-dormitory. They differ in the presence of personal property among the monks - in fact, only the place and worship are common. Monks can work and save money, rectors are appointed by the diocesan bishop.
Another division concerns getting content:
- Established receive money for maintenance "from above" and can only contain a certain number of monks. However, the size of the content is strictly limited. Established monasteries are also divided into 3 classes, depending on the amounts issued and the opportunities provided to them. The first, privileged class, among others, includes laurels and stauropegial parishes;
- Freelancers: They are completely self-sufficient and can take on as many monks as they can support.
Stauropegial monasteries
Stavropegic monastery - what does it mean? The meaning of the Greek word "stauropegia" means "to set up a cross". Literally, the translation means that the first and main cross was established by the patriarch. This status is the highest, since the stauropegial parishes were independent of the local religious authority and reported directly to the patriarch or synod. The management of the monastery itself was carried out by the governor in the rank of abbot or archimandrite.
The first monastery of this type- Simonov's monastery in Moscow - subordinated to the Patriarch of Constantinople. He stayed in it during his visits, pilgrims immediately stopped. In Russia, until the middle of the 15th century, stavropegic monasteries were subordinate to Constantinople, which was the head of the Russian Church. From the end of the 16th century to the 20s of the 18th century, during the formation of the Russian Patriarchate, 55 monasteries received the status - they were subordinate to the Patriarch. In the years 1700-1917, these monasteries were subordinate to the Holy Synod - at the end of the 19th century there were only 6 monasteries of this type.
In 1984, the status of a stauropegic monastery was granted to the Koretsky monastery (the city of Korets in Ukraine) due to a conflict between the abbot and Metropolitan Filaret.
In the 90s of the twentieth century, when the mass transfer of churches and monasteries to the clergy began, the most significant were introduced into this status - management is carried out by the Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia. Management can be carried out by synodal institutions that have been blessed by the Patriarch.
On the territories of Ukraine and Belarus there are also several parishes and churches subordinate to the local Patriarchal Erzarch. The decision was made by the Holy Synod of States. Some cathedrals are located in other countries (England, Germany, Italy, USA, France and Estonia). Since 2009, these monasteries have been directly subordinate to the Russian Patriarch.
Most people who decide to devote their lives to the service of God become monks. They live in communities where life is subject to strict rules and regulations. There are several types of monastic communities.
Types of Orthodox monastic communities
Monastic communities, in addition to monasteries, are represented by several more types of cloisters.
Depending on the source of funds for maintenance, monasteries are divided into two groups. Established cloisters receive maintenance from the church treasury and can accept a strictly defined number of monks into their staff. Depending on the amount of allocated funds and significance in the Orthodox world, regular monasteries are divided into three classes. The prestigious first class included laurels and stauropegial cloisters.
What does stavropegy mean
The word "stauropegia" in Greek means "hoisting the cross." This concept denotes the special status of Orthodox religious organizations that are directly controlled by the patriarch or the Synod.
Stauropegic status can have:
- monasteries, laurels and communities;
- churches and cathedrals;
- spiritual schools.
The administration of the stauropegia belongs to the patriarchy. The head of the Orthodox Church leads them through his deputies: archimandrites and abbots.
Interesting! In the first stauropegial churches, the main cross was placed personally by the patriarch.
Patriarch Kirill manages stauropegial organizations in Russia
Patriarchal possessions in the history of Russia
Until the end of the 16th century, the stauropegial possessions located in the Russian lands belonged to the Patriarch of Constantinople. For the first time, the Simonov Monastery in the capital received the status of stavropegic.
During the existence of the patriarchy in the Russian state, the status of stauropegia belonged to 55 monastic communities. With the transfer of the highest church authority into the hands of the Synod at the beginning of the 18th century, the stauropegial monasteries were subordinate to this church body.
By the beginning of the 20th century, this status belonged to six monasteries, most of which were located in Moscow (Novospassky, Zaikonospassky, Donskoy, Simonov). Under the control of the Synod was the New Jerusalem Monastery near Moscow and the Solovetsky Monastery in the Arkhangelsk province.
Modern patriarchal cloisters
Today, 33 monasteries are under the direct control of the patriarch.
Female stauropegial monastic communities
For 2018, under the direct control of the Moscow Patriarchate there are 18 women's monastic communities in Russia.
The most popular are:
Male stauropegial monastic communities
The number of male monastic communities under the direct control of the patriarch is slightly less than female ones. But they include some of the most popular and famous holy places not only in Russia, but also abroad.
These include:
The cloisters and temples that have the status of stavropegia are also located outside the Russian lands. These include:
- Alexander Nevsky Cathedral in Tallinn;
- the Church of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker and the Church of the Great Martyr Catherine in Rome;
- St. Vladimir's Church in the American city of Jackson;
- parish of the Intercession Holy Mother of God in English Manchester;
- parish church of All Saints in Strasbourg;
- Church of the Intercession in Düsseldorf.
Spiritual organizations that have received the status of stauropegia are controlled directly by the patriarch through the governors. Monastic communities, temples and theological schools under the control of the patriarchate are considered the most significant and prestigious in the Russian Orthodox Church.
10 oldest monasteries in Russia
