The Solovetsky Monastery is a powerful fortress on the Solovetsky Islands of Russia. Solovetsky Monastery

Hierarchy of the Solovetsky Monastery

The chief person in the monastic hierarchy was the abbot. Before mid-seventeenth century, it was hegumen, but in 1651, Metropolitan Nikon of Novgorod, by personal decree of Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich, promoted the Solovki hegumen Elijah to the rank of archimandrite “with the right to use a miter, a club, a cuisse, ripids, autumn candles, a sulok and a carpet during the service of the Liturgy. Since that time in the Solovetsky Monastery; archimandry established forever” History of the first-class stauropegial Solovetsky monastery [reprint.ed. 1899] M., 2004 S.88 .. The candidacy of the rector was determined by the Holy Synod. Until 1865, the rector was a full-fledged "owner" of the monastery, having the right to make key decisions on any issues. In 1865, by a decree of the Synod, a special governing body was created in the monastery "in the form of a more correct future flow of affairs in the monastic administration and the economic part in the Solovetsky monastery" Ibid. P.222. - Established Cathedral. The members of the Council were the rector (with the rights of chairman), the governor, the treasurer, the dean, the sacristan and the confessor. This innovation significantly curtailed the rights of the rector, who was henceforth obliged to discuss all significant economic and financial issues in advance with the Established Council. He also did not have the right to change the composition of the members of the Established Council without the consent of the Synodal Office, although he had "over the personality of the members of the Council and the producer of affairs and in supervision of their behavior<…>all the rights of power, as over the rest of the brethren ”Ibid. P.222..

Thus, as of 1865, the main duties of the abbot of the monastery included general control over everything that happened in the monastery and all its inhabitants. It was the abbot who was supposed to maintain and send to the appropriate authorities annual lists of monastics and novices of the monastery. AT holidays the rector had to be present at the celebration of divine services.

The next step in the monastic hierarchy was the governor. His duties included controlling the economic life of the monastery. Determining the scope of monastic work and monitoring their execution, receiving pilgrims and their resettlement, coordinating the terms of residence and providing workers, and much more. The abbot reported to the abbot about everything that happened in the monastery (within his competence) and put into practice the latter's recommendations regarding economic issues.

Following the post of governor was the treasury.

The treasurer, as the title implies, was in charge of the financial part of the monastery, issued salaries, kept relevant records, monitored the availability of consumables in the monastery shops and workshops, and, if necessary, organized their purchase.

The next most important office was that of the sacristan. He was in charge of the churches, the chapels of the monastery, the entire monastery sacristy and church utensils. He was in charge of a riza sewing workshop, where they repaired and, if necessary, sewed new church vestments, as well as a gilding workshop, where they were engaged in silvering and gilding various church utensils. The sacristan was supposed to conduct annual audits of the monastery sacristy, which the Cathedral, in turn, had to bring to the attention of the Holy Synod.

A very important function in the monastery was performed by the dean. In the circular decree of the Holy Synod of September 25, 1901, the main functions of the dean are defined as follows: “The duties of the dean are to supervise the preservation of external order and the moral behavior of the brethren of the monastery. During the Divine Service, the Reverend observes that complete silence and strict order be observed in the church. The Reverend visits the fraternal cells at all times, keeping order, the cleanliness of the cells and the pastime of the brethren, so that the monastics do not spend their time in idleness, but work in obedience, and in their free hours they practice reading soulful books, work and prayer ”Internet information: http ://azbyka.ru/dictionary/02/blagochinnyi.shtml. It was the dean, who had constant contact with the brethren of the monastery, who compiled a written description of the monks to present it to the rector.

The last position of the highest monastic administration was the position of confessor. In its own way, this position can be considered the second most important after the rector's, because it was the only one of all the others that directly touched the spiritual side of the life of the brethren. The duties of the confessor of the monastery included the confession of monastics and pilgrims, monitoring the regularity of communion of monastics with the Holy Mysteries, visiting, spiritual consolation and encouragement of sick monks. In the monastic charter of the Alexander - Svirsky monastery it is noted that in this very complex and delicate "case spiritual guidance The confessor is guided by the Word of God, God-wise patristic writings, the rules of the Holy Church and the rules laid down in the Charter of the monastery. In perplexed matters, the Confessor asks the Rector and his reasoning and will follow" Internet information: http://azbyka.ru/dictionary/05/duhovnik-all.shtml.

For some of the positions described above (confessor, sacristan), assistants could be appointed, also elected from among the most worthy clergymen.

In addition to the six main positions, there were others that were also quite significant. First of all, these were the positions of the builder of the skete (i.e., head of the skete, manager), to which only hieromonks were also appointed. There was also the position of the monastic housekeeper, who dealt with the economic part and ordered the appointment of residents and workers for various jobs (which gives reason to assume that he was in close cooperation with the governor). The steward was subordinate to persons of secondary positions - such as the cellar. Translated from Greek - "barn" (manager of the monastery table, pantry with food supplies and their release to the monastery kitchen), junk, heads of monastery workshops, hotel, hospital, refectory, cook, porters, etc. The housekeeper also most often had an assistant.

After considering the hierarchical management structure of the Solovetsky Monastery, a logical question arises - who were the people who occupied the most important and responsible positions in the monastery? Why were they chosen, is there any certain selection trend, was there an educational or age qualification for such an appointment?

To answer this question, it is necessary to consider the period under review “in person” and conduct an appropriate data analysis. The main meaning of such a biographical reconstruction is to identify the general trends in the principles of selection of the main officials of the monastery, revealed through the prism of the biographies of specific people.

As a matter of principle, we will not include the abbots of the monastery in the review, for the reason that, firstly, this position did not belong to the elective and brethren of the monastery (with rare exceptions It's about about the choice of hegumen Varlaam as rector in 1891, when the brethren elected him to this position by a communal decision and the Holy Synod gave its consent) did not have the opportunity to influence the candidacy of the new rector, and, secondly, because a similar study had already been carried out in the work T.Yu. Samsonova. Also, the review will not include the builders of the sketes (about them - in the section devoted to the sketes of the monastery).

Let's start with an analysis of information about people who held leadership positions according to the lists of 1865.

Hieromonk Matthew held the position of viceroy in 1865. He was born in 1814, came from the Vyatka townspeople. He was educated at his parents' house. Before joining the monastery, he worked in the Vyatka State Chamber. He entered the monastery at the age of 25, and at 28 he became a novice. He received the tonsure in 1848 and a few months later he was ordained a hierodeacon, and a year later - a hieromonk. During the siege of the monastery by the British in 1854, he already held the position of governor (elected at the age of 39). The Reverend proved to be a good organizer during the siege of the monastery by the British, for which he was awarded a gold pectoral cross on George Ribbon. In 1857 he was dismissed from his post (by personal request), but six months later he was again elected dean (until 1864). In 1864, he re-wrote his letter of resignation - and was again elected six months later. Characterized by the rector: “very capable of obedience and diligent in his position” RGADA, F.1201, Op.4, D.793

Hieromonk Vitaly held the treasury position. Descended from Vyatka merchants, 3rd guild. Home education, knowledge of musical notation is also indicated. He came to the monastery at the age of 23 (he was tonsured at the age of 32). He was ordained a hierodeacon 4 days after tonsure. He was appointed treasurer in 1864 (at the age of 41), a month before the priestly consecration. Characterized as "capable and diligent" RGADA, F.1201, Op.4, D.793 to obedience.

Dean Hieromonk Anatoly was a native of the Oryol province, the son of a Yelets merchant of the 3rd guild. Just like the others, he was educated at home. He came to the Solovetsky Convent in 1838, at the age of 21. After two years of labor and seven years of obedience, he took monastic vows. Just like Hieromonk Vitaly, he was very quickly ordained a deacon (two months later) and appointed to act as a librarian. In 1851 he was ordained a hieromonk, after 6 years he was appointed builder of the Golgotha - Crucifixion Skete. He took the position of dean in 1864, at the age of 47. In addition to other awards, he received the blessing of the Synod in 1855. It is characterized in the same way as the treasurer. RGADA, F.1201, Op.4, D.793

Hieromonk Anthony, who was in the position of sacristan, was descended from the state peasants of the Novgorod province. Like the rest, he learned to read and write in his parents' house. He entered the monastery at the age of 22 and was tonsured in 1851. After 6 years, he was awarded the diaconate and immediately (two days later) ordained hieromonk, appointed sacristan (at the age of 31). Evaluated by the rector "capable of obedience and skillful in his position" RGADA, F.1201, Op.4, D.793.

Hieromonk Joseph, confessor of the monastery, also came from peasants in the Perm province. As always, he was educated at his parents' house. At the age of 24 he came to the monastery and was tonsured 4 years later, in 1825. A year later he was ordained a deacon, three years later - a priest. From 1846 to 1857 he served as the builder of Golgotha - the Crucifixion Skete. In 1857 he was appointed confessor (at the age of 60). “He is capable of obedience and hardworking” - it is noted in the lists of the RGADA, F.1201, Op.4, D.793.

The economic position was occupied by the monk Philip (Grigoriev). Descended from Novgorod peasants, literate, tonsured a monk in 1865 (before that he had lived in a monastery for 9 years). Remarkably, he was appointed to the position of housekeeper while still a novice, in 1864, 52 years old. The characteristic is positive: "capable and zealous for obedience." RGADA, F.1201, Op.4, D.793

Summing up for 1865, it can be noted that the age range for holding a position ranged from 31 to 60 years, that is, a very wide one. All education is minimal. Thus, there is no reason to talk about the existence of special candidate qualifications. However, it can be concluded about each person that in a certain way he showed himself positively in the monastery: this is evidenced by the positive characteristics of the abbot, short time between taking tonsure and ordination to the dignity, rapid advancement in the hierarchical ladder, etc.

Let's move on to the lists of 1875.

Over the past decade, the supreme leadership of the monastery has been completely renewed. Hieromonk Illarion (Antonov) became the vicegerent, hieromonk Mikhail (Ryabovsky) became the treasurer, hieromonk Theodosius (Deryagin) became the dean, hieromonk Smaragd (Vasiliev) became sacristan, and hieromonk Simon (Naletov) became the sacristan. The post of housekeeper was performed by the novice Andrey Nikolaev. The governor and the treasurer came from the bourgeois class, the rest - from the peasants. The level of education was the same for everyone - they learned to read and write in the parental home. The term of life in the monastery varied from 17 (for the housekeeper) to 39 for the confessor. The average period of monastic vows was about 20 years. All, except for the governor and the dean (and the steward, of course) were ordained deacons in less than one year. The same is with the period of priestly ordination - on average, about 2 years, except for the spiritual father (7 years). Previous obediences are indicated only for the governor and treasurer. Hieromonk Hilarion from 1858 to 1862 was the caretaker of the Solovetsky metochion in Arkhangelsk, in 1862 to 1864. served as dean, from 1866 to 1868 he was appointed the builder of the Holy Trinity Anzersky Skete, in 1868 he was appointed governor.

Hieromonk Theodosius is mentioned in his memoirs by Nemirovich-Danchenko, who visited the monastery shortly after Fr. dean. Talking about the meeting with the hieromonk, the author describes the latter’s personal views on how a monk should position himself in relation to the “world”: “What kind of monk is he, if he aspires to the world. Put on a cassock, and took monastic vows, so sit in your cell - work and pray, but forget about the world and forget to think, because you were buried alive, you remember this ”Nemirovich-Danchenko V.I. White Sea and Solovki. Memories and stories.

Kyiv, 1892 S.274. The dean's opinion is also given about what kind of monks are sent to the monastery courtyards: “The most reliable people go to the city from our monastery, so that our monastery will not be put to shame. And now the name of the monk, like the brand of Cain, has become” Ibid. P.275..

Hieromonk Mikhail (Ryabovsky) from 1859 to 1864 already served as treasurer, after which he was appointed governor (1864-1865). From June to September 1866, he was listed as the builder of Golgotha - the Crucifixion Skete, from November of the same year he was again appointed acting treasurer. However, in fact, the track record of this person is not so transparent. As Samsonova notes in her work, it was precisely thanks to the memos and anonymous letters (about abuses by the rector of his power) of this hieromonk, sent to the name of the dean of all stavropegic monasteries, Archimandrite Agapit in the monastery in 1868-1871. an audit was carried out, which cost the post of Archimandrite Feofan. Samsonova T.Yu. Solovetsky Monastery: social composition, economic activity and management. The second half of the 19th - the beginning of the 20th century (diss. on the competition of the academic step Ph.D.) M., MSU, 1997 P.47-48. However, let us return to the data on other officials.

The age of holding a position ranges from 45 (treasurer, hieromonk Mikhail) to 66 years (housekeeper, novice Andrey Nikolaev). The characteristic of the rector is one for all of the above - a laconic remark “capable” (of obedience) RGADA, F.1201, Op.4, D.827 Thus, we observe approximately the same picture as in 1865 - there is no educational qualification, the age of ordination also demonstrates a wide range (although the minimum indicator is noticeably shifting upwards), the time between tonsure and ordination is noticeably lower than the average for the monastery.

Let's analyze the indicators of 1886.

The composition of the Established Council is again changing dramatically. The position of viceroy passes to hieromonk Pavel (Bakhvalov), treasurer - to hieromonk Pafnutiy (Tarutin), dean - to hieromonk Vissarion (Davydovsky), sacristan - to hieromonk Eleazar (Kovkov), confessor - to hieromonk Philaret (Trofimov). The post of steward of the Solovetsky Monastery is performed by novice Nikolai Osipov. The dean of the monastery came from the clergy (the son of a deacon), the Vologda province. The treasurer came from the philistines of the Perm province, all the rest - from the peasants of the northern provinces. Only the Dean Hieromonk Vissarion had spiritual education(he studied “before literature at the Vologda Theological Seminary”), others, as in previous years, had only primary literacy skills. The total period of life in the monastery at the time of fixing in the service record varied from 9 (economy) to 39 (confessor).

The vicegerent hieromonk Pavel (Bakhvalov) took the tonsure in 1876, and after 3 and 4 years, respectively, he took the rank of hierodeacon and hieromonk. At the time of taking office in 1886, he was 61 years old. Previously, he passed obediences at the Arkhangelsk Compound of the monastery (served prayers in the chapel for pilgrims) from 1884 to 1886. He was appointed caretaker of the farmstead in 1886, and a few months later he was approved for the position of the abbot of the monastery (61 years old). He is characterized by the abbot as "honest and hardworking".

The treasurer took the tonsure in 1880 and almost immediately was ordained a hierodeacon. Three years later, in 1883, he was consecrated as a priest. From the moment of ordination to the diaconate and until 1886, he was in charge of the purchases of the monastery in Arkhangelsk in the summer and performed the liturgical sequence in the monastery churches in the winter. In 1886 he was elected treasurer (age 62). Appreciation of the abbot: "hardworking."

Like the governor, Dean Hieromonk Vissarion (Davydovsky) was tonsured in 1876. A year later he was ordained a deacon, and in 1882 a priest. In 1875, while still a novice, he was appointed to the choir obedience. He was appointed to the position of dean in 1886 (aged 47). The characteristic of the abbot briefly reports about him: "obedient."

Sacristy hieromonk Eleazar (Kovkov) received monastic tonsure and the rank of deacon in 1860. He received the rank of priest after 6 years. From 1873 to 1886, he served as the builder of the Holy Trinity Anzer Skete. Like all those described above, he took the position of sacristan in 1886, 63 years old. The abbot characterizes him with two words - "meek and humble."

Confessor Hieromonk Filaret lived in the monastery longer than all other members of the Council. Like the sacristan, he was tonsured in 1860. Quite quickly, two years later, he was consecrated as a deacon, and in 1863 he was ordained a priest. Apparently, having a certain spiritual experience, in 1879 he became an assistant to the Solovetsky confessor, who replaced him in this position in 1882 (at the age of 58). The characteristic of the abbot says about him: "zealous for obedience."

The economy of the monastery, novice Nikolai Osipov, is quite young, his age in 1886 is only 36 years old. Characteristics of the abbot: "striving in obedience."

Summarizing the data, we note that the level of education still does not allow us to draw conclusions about the existence of selection on this basis. There is a tendency to occupy positions in the Established Council of persons over 50 years of age. Most of those who hold responsible positions have already been tested in other responsible positions in the monastery.

In the lists of 1895, the composition of the supreme monastic administration again underwent major changes. Hieromonk Amphian (Mychalkin) was appointed vicegerent, hieromonk Naum (Laletin) was appointed treasurer of the monastery, hieromonk Paisiy (Pikhin) was appointed dean, hieromonk David (Koshkin) was appointed sacristan, and monk Zosima (Vvedensky) was appointed steward. Hieromonk Philaret (Trofimov) continued to serve as confessor.

The abbot of the monastery came from the townspeople of the Perm province. He was educated at home, came to the monastery in 1860, at the age of 23. He took tonsure at the age of 39, and a year later he was ordained a hierodeacon. In 1882, he took the priesthood and was appointed to correct the position of "setter and leader of the right choir of the Cathedral Church" RGADA, F.1201, Op.4, D.887. In August 1895 he was appointed dean of the monastery, and in November - viceroy. The abbot is characterized by: "life is strict, exemplary, very capable of obedience and tirelessly zealous" Ibid.

Hieromonk Naum (Laletin) was from the Vyatka province, from merchants. He was literate, he came to the monastery at the age of 32. After 9 years, he took monastic vows. While still a novice, he was a buyer of fish for the monastery "on the Murmansk coast." From 1881 to 1886 he was the cellar of the Solovetsky Monastery, from 1886 to 1893 he was the buyer of "annual supplies" for the monastery in Arkhangelsk. He accepted the rank of hierodeacon in 1892, after which he was immediately ordained a hieromonk. In the same year, he was appointed treasurer of the monastery, at the age of 57. Evaluated - "capable and zealous for obedience."

Dean Hieromonk Paisios (Pikhin) had a very bright and remarkable biography. Born in 1839, descended from senior officer's children. He graduated from the Yaroslavl Demidov Lyceum (that is, he had a higher education). From 1866 he lived in the Nikolo-Babaevsky Monastery, where he was tonsured into a cassock (1868) and a mantle (1870). In the same year he was ordained a hierodeacon and appointed clerk there. However, three years later he was forcibly transferred to the brethren of the Solovetsky Monastery with the prohibition of priesthood. What could have caused such a sharp turn in life? The data of the lists of monastics testify to his accusation “of compiling a false concept of inner prayer and spreading it” both among the brethren of the Nikolo-Babaevsky monastery and in other monasteries of the cities of Yaroslavl and Rostov, as well as in refusing to “perform his obedience”. Very serious accusations that could put an end to the entire further monastic "career". However, after two years of living in the monastery, at the request of the abbot, the ban on service is lifted from him and he becomes a full member of the brethren of the monastery. From 1877 he taught at the Solovetsky School, in 1884 he was appointed clerk of the Established Cathedral. In 1892 he was honored with the rank of hieromonk and three years later he occupied one of the most responsible positions in the monastery - the dean of the monastery. In the lists of 1895, Hieromonk Paisios is characterized very positively: “very good moral qualities, spiritual, monastic life; he is very capable of obedience and is especially useful in the Established Council in terms of his scientific education and familiarity with affairs ”RGADA, F.1201, Op.4, D.887.

Thus, using the example of this biography, we can note that the personal qualities and a sober assessment of the monk by the rector could contribute to a significant increase in trust even in the case when the monk had previously been transferred to the Solovetsky Monastery under the yoke of a heavy accusation.

The sacristan, hieromonk David, like the dean, came from Vyatka merchants. Born in 1846, he learned to read and write in his parents' house. He entered the monastery at the age of 16, and at 34 he was tonsured and ordained a deacon. In 1892 he was ordained a hieromonk and appointed sacristan (at the age of 56). Like others, he is positively characterized by the abbot.

Monk Zosima (Vvedensky), who acted as housekeeper, was a peasant, he received an education at home. He came to the monastery in 1871, at the age of 24. He took tonsure in 1892 and was appointed housekeeper. It is rated very positively. Obviously, he had the skills of a builder, because in the rector's description it is separately noted: "a very experienced connoisseur of the construction business."

The confessor of the monastery has already been mentioned above.

The year 1895 as a whole continues the trend that emerged earlier: leadership positions are occupied by people not on the basis of compliance with a certain qualification, but solely on the basis of personal qualities and quality abilities.

The lists of 1903 show the appearance of some stability - three of the hieromonks indicated in the previous list still hold their positions (treasurer, dean and sacristan). The average educational level (not counting the higher education of the dean) is the basics of literacy at home. The social origin is very different: one from the middle class, one from the chief officer's children, and two each from the merchant and peasant classes.

The vicegerent hieromonk Theodot (Panteleev) (aged 58) at the time of his appointment in 1902 lived in the monastery for 27 years, 17 of them as a monk and 6 as a hieromonk. Previously, he served as caretaker of the Solovetsky metochion in Arkhangelsk (1896-1902). Positively assessed by the rector - "capable".

Hieromonk Ippolit (Ryumin) (73 years old), like the previous confessor of the monastery, lived in the monastery longer than others (46 years), of which 36 were in monastic vows and more than 20 were priests. Before taking up the post (in 1899), he passed the obediences of the builder of the Gologofo - Crucifixion Skete (1886 -1892) and the assistant confessor (1897 - 1899). It is characterized by: “excellent qualities” and “zealously fulfills its high duties” RGADA, F.1201, Op.5 Part 2 D.5616.

The economy of the monastery monk Philip (Nekipelov) came to the Solovetsky Monastery at a fairly mature age (36 years), took the tonsure 13 years later, in 1898. It is characterized positively, more detailed information about it is not indicated.

The rest of the representatives of the supreme monastic administration were mentioned earlier.

Let's move on to the last list of 1913 and sum up the general results.

In 1912, a monastic uprising took place in the Solovetsky Monastery, as mentioned above. The reason for the indignation was the dissatisfaction of the brethren with “who had a power-hungry and even despotic character” Laushkin A.V., Stolyarov V.P. Decree op. C.5. Archimandrite Ioannikius and his innovative policy of doing business in the monastery. A group of initiators, which also included the treasurer of the monastery, hieromonk Anatoly and the sacristan, hieromonk Averky, drafted and sent a letter to a certain official with a request not to proceed with the rector’s petition for granting the monastery school the rights of a theological seminary (filed in the spring of 1913 and which became the reason for the activation of dissatisfied ) Ibid. C.5 .. Also in the letter were complaints about the archimandrite. These events marked the beginning of the Solovetsky unrest, which lasted until the closing of the monastery in 1920. Ibid. P.7.. A detailed description of the events of this period in the history of the Solovetsky monastery, which clearly showed that "the disastrous spirit of disunity and hatred, which had already subjugated revolutionary Russia, began to penetrate beyond the strong stone fence of the monastery" Ibid. S.6., is already present in the work of T.Yu. Samsonova Samsonova T.Yu. Decree op. P.60-70..

The result of the first round of turmoil was, among other things, an almost complete renewal of the composition of the Established Council. Hieromonk Zosima (Bykov) was appointed viceroy, hieromonk Arseny (Modinov) acting treasurer, hieromonk Sevastian (Shustrov) acting sacristan, and hieromonk Gerontius (Churilov) as confessor. Only the dean (now hegumen - Paisius (Pikhin)) and the steward, monk Lev (Agafonov) remained in their original place.

The estate composition is overwhelmingly peasant. For the first time, a significant increase in the average level of education of the members of the Council is noticeable: the dean has a higher education, four graduated from the Solovetsky fraternal school, and only the confessor received a home education. There is a noticeable decrease in the average age of holding a position - it averages about 50 years. The viceroy, treasurer and sacristan were tonsured in 1907, and after 4 years they were all in the priesthood (the viceroy - even after 3 years) - however, at the same time, they already had quite a long "experience" of life in the monastery (at least 14 years) and previously held positions of responsibility. Hieromonk Zosima from 1910 to 1913 was an assistant sacristan. From 1902 to 1912, the treasurer was the head of the "treasury warehouse for various items of sale and purchase", and in 1912-1913 he was an assistant to the purchaser in Arkhangelsk. Sacristy hieromonk Sebastian in 1912 performed the obedience of the caretaker of the courtyard of the Solovetsky Monastery in Arkhangelsk, after which, from May to November 1913, he was the builder of the Kondostrovsky Nikolaevsky Skete. Rector's assessments for all are almost identical: "very capable", "trustworthy".

Confessor Hieromonk Geronty Churilov lived in the monastery for the longest time (excluding the dean) - he entered the workforce in 1880, took tonsure in 1892. Seven years later he was ordained a deacon, and two more years later, a hieromonk. Previously, he served as a builder of the Konodostrovsky Nikolaevsky Skete (1907 - 1913). Characterized by the abbot as "capable" of his position.

It is reported about the monastic steward that he came to the monastery in 1889, was a novice for 14 years and was tonsured in 1907. The characteristic of the abbot is noteworthy: “a respectable person: a caring and efficient owner” RGADA, F.1201, Op.4, D.908

Let's summarize this section.

Characteristics of all the above persons who held key positions in the Solovetsky Monastery according to the lists of 1865 - 1913. do not give grounds to talk about the existence of official (be it educational or age) qualifications. The main determining factor was the personal data and abilities of a person. Although, if a person had an education (as, for example, the dean of 1895 - 1913, hegumen Paisius) or special skills (as housekeeper Zosima (Vvedensky)) - this necessarily left a mark on the characterization. Most of the members of the monastery board had previously shown themselves positively in other responsible positions and, in general, had extensive experience of life in the monastery.

Moreover, it can be noted that the position of the monastery confessor was occupied by a hieromonk, who often lived in the monastery much longer than other members of the Council and was older in age. Often, before taking up a position, he was already an assistant confessor, which allows us to talk about some spiritual acceptance of this service.

The economic position was usually held by a simple monk or novice, also with significant experience of life in a monastery and who showed the ability for such obedience.

The Solovetsky Monastery is located on the Solovetsky Islands in the White Sea. Exact address: Russia, Arkhangelsk region, Primorsky district, Solovetsky rural settlement, Solovetsky settlement, Solovetsky Islands.

You can get to Solovki through Arkhangelsk (from the airports of Vaskovo and Talagi or through the Northern Shipping Company) or Kem (from the port in the suburbs of Kem - Rabocheostrovsk).

Founders of the Solovetsky Monastery

In 1429 the monks Savvaty and Herman, after a three-day sea voyage by boat, reached the Big Solovetsky Island. Not far from the coast of Pine Bay, in a convenient place for living by the lake, they erected a cross and built a cell. Thus was laid the beginning of monastic life on Solovki, where Saints Savvaty and Herman lived for six years “applying labors to labor, rejoicing and soaring with their minds to the Almighty.”

Once the Monk Herman went for supplies to the mainland to the Onega River. For some time the Monk Savvaty was alone on the island. Anticipating his death and wanting to partake of the Holy Mysteries of Christ, he overcame a long journey across the sea and arrived in the village of Soroka on the Vyg River. The Monk Savvaty took communion at the hegumen Nathanael he met, and on September 27, 1435, he fell asleep in the Lord.

Organizer of the Solovetsky Monastery, Rev. Zosima

The organizer of the Solovetsky monastery was the Monk Zosima. In Pomorie, he met the Monk Herman, from whom he learned about the beginning of monastic life in Solovki. In 1436, the monks arrived on the Big Solovetsky Island and settled near the sea. The text of the life tells of a miraculous vision. A beautiful church appeared to the Monk Zosima in the heavenly radiance in the east. On the site of the wondrous vision, a wooden church was built in honor of the Transfiguration of the Lord with a chapel in the name of St. Nicholas and a meal. A church was also built in honor of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary. Thus the monastery was founded.

His Grace Jonah, Archbishop of Novgorod and the rulers of the Novgorod Republic, gave the monastery a letter of perpetual possession of the Solovetsky Islands. Subsequently, the rights of the monastery were repeatedly confirmed by the Moscow sovereigns.

The Monk Zosima became abbot of the monastery after the three abbots appointed by the Archbishop of Novgorod did not endure the hardships of life on a deserted island.

The Monk Zosima reposed on April 17, 1478, and was buried behind the altar of the Church of the Transfiguration of the Savior.

Saint Herman and the Solovetsky Monastery

In 1479 Saint Herman went to Novgorod on the business of the monastery. On the way back, he felt the nearness of death, took communion of the Holy Mysteries in the monastery of St. Anthony the Roman and peacefully surrendered his spirit to God. The disciples wanted to bring his body to the monastery, but due to muddy roads they were forced to make a burial on the banks of the Svir River in the village of Khovronina. Five years later (in 1484), under Abbot Isaiah, the relics of St. Herman were transferred to the Solovetsky Monastery.

The Monk Herman, earlier than other monks, visited Solovki. He accompanied Saints Savvaty and Zosima to the islands, was “an associate in the spiritual life, a co-worker in the building of the monastery and a participant in their visions and revelations.” The oral narrative of St. Herman about the first Solovetsky ascetics was recorded at the end of the 15th - beginning of the 16th century by the hieromonk-scribe, and later hegumen Dositheus, a disciple of St. Zosima. The manuscript formed the basis of the text of the life of the founders of the Solovetsky, Savvaty and Zosima, compiled in 1503 former metropolitan Kiev Spiridon-Savva, who was at that time in the Ferapont Monastery.

Five centuries of the history of the Solovetsky Monastery

In the 16th century, the Solovetsky Monastery, remaining in the diocesan administration of the Novgorod archpastors, after the subordination of Novgorod to the Moscow throne, enjoyed the special patronage of the Moscow sovereigns. On the maps of Muscovy in the first half of the 16th century, in the absence of some well-known cities on them, the Solovetsky Monastery, an outpost of Orthodoxy in Northern Russia, was depicted in the middle of the sea.

In 1547, under the Moscow Metropolitan Macarius, at the Church Council, the Monks Zosima and Savvaty, the Solovetsky miracle workers, were glorified as saints. The monastery received generous royal gifts from Ivan Vasilyevich the Terrible: land in the Sumy volost, bells, precious church utensils.

Abbess of Saint Philip

During the years of the abbess of St. Philip (1548 - 1566), the future Metropolitan of Moscow, stone construction began in the monastery. Novgorod architects, together with the brethren of the monastery, erected a temple in honor of the Assumption Mother of God with the Refectory and Kelar chambers (1552 - 1557). New cell buildings were built, the monastic economy developed. With the blessing of St. Philip, roads were laid, lakes were connected by canals, and a farm was set up on Bolshaya Muksalma Island. Hegumen Philip diligently cared for the brethren. The abbot's asceticism served as the best guide for the brethren. He did not shorten his prayer vigils and often retired to a place of his choice, known as the Philippov Hermitage.

In 1558, the main temple of the monastery was founded - the Cathedral of the Transfiguration of the Savior with a chapel of the Monk Zosima and Savvaty. In 1566, the construction of the cathedral was completed (already in the absence of abbot Philip). On August 6 (19) the temple was consecrated, and on August 8 (21) the holy relics of the founders of the Solovetsky were transferred to the chapel.

Solovetsky monastery and victims of the oprichnina

In 1566, in obedience to the royal will, hegumen Philip received the rank of Metropolitan of Moscow and All Russia. Saint Philip stood up for innocent people, victims of the oprichnina, and denounced the king. Neither threats nor attempts to discredit his name frightened the metropolitan. The objectionable saint was exiled to the Tver Otroch Monastery. In 1569 he was martyred by Malyuta Skuratov and was buried in this monastery behind the altar of the cathedral church.

The relics of St. Philip were transferred to the Solovetsky Monastery at the request of Abbot Jacob, which was presented on behalf of the entire brethren to Tsar Theodore Ioannovich in 1591.

At the end of the 16th century, the monastery became a “great sovereign fortress”. During the reign of hegumen Jacob in 1582-1594 powerful walls and towers were built of natural stone. The outlines of the walls of the monastery resemble a ship. The elder Trifon (Kologrivov) led the construction. In 1601, he erected the Church of the Annunciation of the Most Holy Theotokos over the Holy Gates. This architect probably also owns other structures: the western porch, adjacent to the refectory; a gallery connecting the central temples of the monastery, built under St. Philip.

Defense of the monastery

Heavy care for the protection of the monastery and coastal possessions fell on the shoulders of the Monk Irinarkh, who was abbot from 1614 to 1626. A detachment of archers, consisting of monastic maintenance, carried out guard duty. The number of "military people" was increased to 1040 people. Realizing the difficult situation of the monastery and its important role in the defense of Pomorye, Tsar Mikhail Feodorovich exempted the monastery from paying duties for 5 years and granted it new lands.

In 1646 Abbot Iliya received letters from Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich and Patriarch Joseph with a solemn order to open the relics of St. Philip. The relics were solemnly placed in the Spaso-Preobrazhensky Cathedral. In 1652, by royal decree, the relics of the great saint of God were transferred to the Assumption Cathedral of the Moscow Kremlin. An embassy arrived at the monastery headed by Solovetsky tonsured Metropolitan Nikon of Novgorod, the future patriarch. He brought a letter in which the tsar, expressing his desire to see the relics of the saint in Moscow, asks the great ascetic for forgiveness of his ancestor. Shortly before this event, in 1651, by decree of the king, hegumen Elijah received the rank of archimandrite. Since that time, the abbots of the Solovetsky Monastery were elevated to this rank.

"Solovki seat"

In the centuries-old history of the monastery, events related to the “Solovki Sitting” (1668 - 1676), the uprising of the monks against church reforms, stand out. Armed resistance to the royal army ended in the defeat of the rebels, which led to the ruin of the monastery.

A visit to the monastery by Peter I (1694, 1702) became evidence of the forgiveness of the disgraced monastery.

Monastic economy

In the middle of the 18th century, the monastic economy underwent serious changes. In 1764, according to the imperial decree, the so-called "Catherine's States", many church and monastery lands passed into state ownership. The number of monks in the cloisters was strictly regulated by secular officials. The innovation had positive sides. The state, having taken control of the Solovetsky estates, assumed the obligation to protect the monastery and the entire northern region from the enemy. In 1765 the monastery became stauropegial: from diocesan subordination it passed into the jurisdiction of the Holy Synod.

In 1777, the construction of a stone bell tower was undertaken, and in 1798, a hospital church was erected in the name of St. Philip.

In the 19th century, a new stone church, erected on the site of a wooden one, changed the architectural appearance of the monastery: in 1834, the construction of the church of St. Nicholas was completed.

Wartime trials

The monastery did not escape the severe trials of wartime. In 1854, when Russia was experiencing the tragic events of the Crimean War, the ancient fortress walls withstood an attack from the sea by the Anglo-French squadron. The defense of the monastery was led by Archimandrite Alexander (Pavlovich).

In 1858, Emperor Alexander II visited the monastery. The retinue of the sovereign included grand dukes, diplomats, writers and artists. They looked with amazement at the ancient relics, rich sacristy, skillful church utensils, majestic temples, exemplary monastic economy.

In connection with the increase in the number of pilgrims, the Holy Trinity Cathedral was built in 1859 (the interior decoration was completed in 1862). It was here that the holy relics of the Solovetsky wonderworkers Zosima and Savvaty rested in shrines. Above the holy relics of St. Herman, instead of the chapel that had existed since the 18th century, a church consecrated in his honor was built in 1860.

Pilgrims at the beginning of the 20th century

At the beginning of the 20th century, the monastery owned 6 sketes and 3 hermitages. On Solovki there were 19 churches with 30 altars and 30 chapels. In the monastery there were: a school for the children of the Pomors - “married laborers”, the Fraternal Theological School, a weather station, a radio station, a hydroelectric power station, lithography, a botanical garden. For some time a biostation worked here - the first scientific institution on the White Sea. The monastery maintained about a thousand laborers in the archipelago, who worked “for the sake of the prayers of the saints” without any money, and several hundred hired workers.

The monastery could receive many pilgrims, the number of which reached 15 thousand per year. Transportation by sea was carried out by monastic steamships. The pilgrims aspired to the ancient shrines, finding peace and tranquility in the Solovetsky land. Pilgrims were touched by the prayerful zeal of the monks and the whole way of everyday life of the monastery. The Solovetsky patericon narrates: “From the moment when, in the morning, in the midst of the silence of the night, the sound of a bell is heard in the monastery, calling for morning prayers, the daily life of the Solovetsky monk represents a constant change of prayer and labor.”

Ascetics of piety

The holy monastery was glorified by the ascetics of piety, who at various times labored in the monastery, its sketes and deserts. Particularly revered in Russia are the Monks Zosima, Savvaty and Herman (XV century) - the founders of the monastery; Saint Elisha of Sumy (XV-XVI), Saints John and Longin of Yarenga (XVI century), Saints Vassian and Jonah of Pertominsk (XVI century), Saint Philip, Metropolitan of Moscow (XVI century), Saint Irinarkh, hegumen of Solovetsky (XVII century .), St. Diodorus (in schema Damian) of Yuryegorsk (XVII century), St. Eleazar, founder of the Holy Trinity Skete on the island of Anzer (XVII century), St. Job (in schema Jesus), founder of the Golgotha-Crucifixion Skete on the island of Anzer (XVIII in.). Solovetsky tonsured and disciple of the Monk Eleazar of Anzersky was His Holiness Patriarch Moscow and All Russia Nikon (XVII century).

Destruction of the Solovetsky Monastery

The 20th century brought terrible and cruel changes to the holy monastery. After the October Revolution of 1917, the new theomachist government openly declared war on the Church, the believing people, and the entire Orthodox way of Russian life. The monastery was closed by decision Soviet power, and in 1923 it was turned into the Solovetsky Special Purpose Camp SLON, transformed from 1937 into the Solovetsky Special Purpose Prison STON (disbanded in 1939). First of all, hierarchs of the Russian Orthodox Church, monks and priests, members of the white movement- officers and soldiers. The new government sent here their political opponents, representatives of the creative intelligentsia who were objectionable to it. From the beginning of the 30s, dispossessed peasants from Russia, Belarus, and Ukraine began to be delivered to the islands.

Voluntary imprisonment

After the closing of the monastery, about 60 brethren voluntarily remained in the camp as civilian employees. They worked as "instructors" in the monastic crafts. Divine services were allowed to be performed in the church of St. Onufry the Great at the monastery cemetery. In 1932, the last Solovki monks were expelled from the archipelago, and services were banned. “... There was no more silence that enveloped the island, protected from the century; the place of humble monks and enlightened pilgrims was replaced by motley campers and ferocious guards; the shadows of the former worshipers for Russia were already fading, and on the ruins of monasteries and chapels they were erecting a place of execution for the whole people - the soul and heart continued to experience the mysterious influence of the life that had been going on here for centuries ... no matter what! Influence that forced one to think about the meaning of a feat and trials, ”writes Oleg Vasilyevich Volkov, a Solovetsky prisoner.

Martyrs

Among the highest hierarchs of the Russian Orthodox Church who languished in Solovki were metropolitans, archbishops, bishops and archimandrites. Most of them in 1932 - 1938 were tortured, shot, died on Solovki or in places of transfer. It is impossible to enumerate the names of all the Solovki prisoners who, with hope in the Lord, courageously stood for their faith and Fatherland. More than thirty New Martyrs and Confessors of the Solovetskys were glorified by the Church and canonized on the jubilee Bishops' Council 2000. Among them are the names of the Hieromartyrs Eugene, Metropolitan of Gorky (1937); Alexander, Archbishop of Semipalatinsk (1937); Hilarion, Archbishop of Vereya (1929); Peter, Archbishop of Voronezh (1929); Martyrs Archimandrite Benjamin (1928) and Hieromonk Nicephorus (1928).

Memories

“The recollections of eyewitnesses who themselves went through the dungeons of the special purpose camp testify to how strong the spirit was Orthodox people who languished here... Believers considered it a great honor to be on the site of the exploits of the venerable founders - Zosimas, Savvaty and Herman, despite the great hardships that they had to endure, despite all the humiliations that fell to their lot. And now the entire Russian Orthodox Church sings and glorifies the deeds of the founders of our monastery, together with the labors, trials and sufferings of the new martyrs and confessors of the Solovetsky, ”says Archimandrite Joseph, since 1992 the abbot of the resurgent Solovetsky Transfiguration of the Savior stauropegial monastery.

Restoration of the Solovetsky Monastery

Restoration of temple, household and other buildings of the Solovetsky Monastery was started in 1961 by state cultural institutions. In 1967, the Solovetsky Museum-Reserve was created, reorganized in 1974 into the Solovetsky State Historical, Architectural and Natural Museum-Reserve, which currently exists. The ruin that the monastery and its sketes experienced in the 20th century turned out to be so serious that it would take tremendous efforts to recreate its former splendor. But it is impossible to restore the Solovetsky shrines, limited only to the restoration and preservation of historical and architectural monuments.

Revival of monastic life

Monastic life began to revive in the monastery. On October 25, 1990, the Holy Synod of the Russian Orthodox Church blessed the opening of the Zosima-Savvatievsky Solovetsky Stauropegial Monastery. Hegumen German (Chebotar) was appointed acting viceroy. Divine services were performed in the house church, arranged by the inhabitants of the monastery on the second floor of the building at the Nikolsky Gate. In the Governor's building, which separates the Northern and Central courtyards of the monastery complex, most of the first floor was transferred to the monastery. There were fraternal cells, a refectory, utility rooms.

New story

Before the feast of the Annunciation of the Most Holy Theotokos, April 4, 1992, the abbot of the monastery performed a small consecration of the Church of the Annunciation. In the evening, on the feast of the Annunciation of the Most Holy Theotokos, the first monastic vows of two inhabitants of the renewed monastery took place. The names were given by lot: one of them got the name Savvaty, in honor of the Monk Savvaty, the Solovetsky miracle worker, the other - Eleazar, in honor of the Monk Eleazar of Anzer, the founder of the Holy Trinity Skete on the island of Anzer. Since then, the naming of names by lot from among the Solovetsky saints during monastic and monastic vows has become a tradition in the monastery.

On the eve of the patronal feast of the monastery, on August 17, 1992, the abbot of the monastery, with the blessing of His Holiness the Patriarch, performed a minor consecration of the Transfiguration Cathedral.

On August 19-21, 1992, the relics of Saints Zosima, Savvaty and Herman, the Solovetsky wonderworkers, were transferred from St. Petersburg to the Solovetsky monastery. The celebrations were led by His Holiness Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia Alexy II. During Divine Liturgy On August 21, His Holiness Patriarch Alexy II elevated the abbot of the monastery, hegumen Joseph, to the rank of archimandrite. On August 22, His Holiness the Patriarch consecrated the gate church of the Annunciation of the Most Holy Theotokos, where the relics of the Solovetsky miracle workers were placed. With the blessing of His Holiness Patriarch Alexy II, since 1993, the celebration of the Second Transfer of the Holy Relics of the Monks Zosima, Savvaty and Herman on August 8 (21) has been established, and the next day, August 9 (22), the Solovetsky Saints Cathedral is commemorated.

Continuation of an ancient tradition

Continuing the ancient Solovetsky tradition, the brethren of the monastery erect worship crosses. The first of them in our time was placed at Sekirnaya Gora on August 21, 1992 in memory of all the dead prisoners of the Solovetsky camp. A worship cross in memory of the affected Orthodox hierarchs was erected at the foot of Mount Golgotha on Anzer Island on July 3, 1994.

With the blessing of His Holiness the Patriarch dated April 7, 1995, on the feast of the Annunciation of the Most Holy Theotokos, the historical title of the monastery was restored: “The Spaso-Preobrazhensky Solovetsky Stauropegial Monastery”.

Finding relics

In 1999, the relics of Archbishop Peter (Zverev) of Voronezh, who was martyred in the Solovetsky camps, were found on Anzer Island. Now the relics of the holy martyr rest in the monastery church of St. Philip, Metropolitan of Moscow, and at the place of their discovery, behind the altar of the Church of the Resurrection of Christ, a chapel has been erected. In 2000, the relics of St. Job (in the schema of Jesus), the founder of the Golgotha-Crucifixion Skete on the island of Anzer, were raised from under the bushel and transferred to the Church of the Resurrection of Christ.

By the decree of His Holiness Patriarch Alexy II of March 25, 2000, the celebration of the Council of the New Martyrs and Confessors of the Solovetsky on August 10 (23) was established.

His Holiness Patriarch Alexy II and President of Russia V.V. arrived at the Solovetsky Monastery in August 2001 for the celebrations. Putin. The Patriarch consecrated the restored church of St. Philip, Metropolitan of Moscow and All Russia, Solovetsky miracle worker, gave the monastery a reliquary with a particle of his holy relics and a revered relic - a stone head that once belonged to St. Philip.

Consecration of the chapel

A memorable event was the consecration of the chapel on the shore of the Bay of Prosperity, built in the 19th century in the name of the Holy Apostles Peter and Paul in memory of the visit to the monastery by Peter I.

Help and support to the Spaso-Preobrazhensky Solovetsky Monastery is provided by its trustees, who have become successors of the traditions of charity that have existed in Russia since ancient times. Many of them took part in the Solovetsky celebrations and, together with the pilgrims, prayed at the patriarchal services. In 2001, the Board of Trustees was formed, which included about 20 different organizations.

In August 2002, on the eve of the main holidays of the Solovetsky Monastery, a five-tiered iconostasis was built in the Spaso-Preobrazhensky Cathedral, made under the care of Vyacheslav Kisilev, Chairman of the International Fund named after Reverend Andrew Rublev.

On August 29, 2002, the Poklonny Cross was erected and consecrated in the desert of St. Philip, installed in memory of the innocently convicted prisoners of the Solovetsky camp. The cross also marks the place where the temple in the name of the Mother of God “Life-Giving Spring” was located. The cross was made with the support of the Moscow International Children's Film School.

The name of God is not mocked

The Solovetsky Islands are a special place in our Fatherland. The famous Russian shrine is being revived. The human madness that was going on here brought destruction and death. “No matter how a person who follows the pride of the devil in his earthly life tries to rebel against God, be it the pagan emperors Diocletian, Severian and others, starting with Pontus Pilate, and ending with those who in the last century persecuted everyone who, confessing the name God, worthily carried his life's cross - all the persecutors were put to shame, - says the abbot of the Solovetsky monastery, Archimandrite Joseph. Today we see in what glory the holy New Martyrs and Confessors of Russia are. If in the 20s of the last century the word "Solovki" sounded ominous, now many hundreds of pilgrims from various regions of our vast Fatherland and from abroad are drawn here. This testifies that the name of God cannot be mocked.”

Notes Pravmir

Key dates from the history of the Solovetsky Monastery

In the 15th century, the Orthodox ascetics Zosima, Savvaty and Herman chose the Solovetsky Islands for prayerful solitude and wilderness living.
In 1547, under the Moscow Metropolitan Macarius, at the Church Council, the Monks Zosima and Savvaty, the Solovetsky miracle workers, were glorified as saints.
In 1558, the main temple of the monastery was founded - the Cathedral of the Transfiguration of the Savior with a chapel of the Monk Zosima and Savvaty.
At the end of the 16th century, the monastery became a “great sovereign fortress”.
In the middle of the 18th century, the monastic economy underwent serious changes. In 1764, according to the imperial decree, the so-called "Catherine's States", many church and monastery lands passed into state ownership.
After the October Revolution of 1917, the new theomachist government openly declared war on the Church, the believing people, and the entire Orthodox way of Russian life. The monastery was closed by the decision of the Soviet authorities, and in 1923 it was turned into the Solovetsky Special Purpose Camp SLON, transformed since 1937 into the Solovetsky Special Purpose Prison STON

Film about the pilgrimage:

They fascinate and attract not only with their beauty and vastness of open spaces, but also with their original history.

The local walls remember a lot of grief, but no less joys. Arriving here, you will plunge into a fairy tale with miracles and get acquainted with the very essence of the Russian soul.

Pearl of Orthodoxy

The cell founded by three hermits after many centuries turned into a world heritage. Millions of pilgrims annually come to see the amazing land. During its existence, this temple managed to visit a military fortress, a prison and a camp where experiments were performed on people.

However, nothing could break the spirit of the monks. Today, after many years, restoration work is underway in the monastery, various goods for worship and pilgrims are produced, services are held and the word of God is carried to the laity.

Geographic location

It is located on four islands of the archipelago in the White Sea. Various buildings, premises and sketes are located on large and small patches of land.

The harsh beauty of the landscape automatically attunes a person to thoughts about the spiritual. No wonder, according to legend, all the buildings in this monastery stand on the ground where miracles happened and revelations happened.

So, on the Big Solovetsky Island there are Voznesensky and Savvatievsky skete, as well as Filippovskaya, Makarievskaya and Isaakovskaya deserts.

Sergiev Skete is located on Bolshaya Muksalma. A temple was erected here in the name of St. Sergius of Radonezh. There is also a monastery farm and buildings for workers. These two islands are connected by a causeway called "Stone Bridge".
On Anzer there are Eleazar's hermitages, Trinity and Golgotha-Crucifixion skete.
Bolshoy gave shelter to the Andreevskaya desert.

Most of the buildings date back to the 17th-18th centuries, but they were built under the guidance of monks on the site of old dilapidated buildings.

Also, the Spaso-Preobrazhensky Solovetsky Monastery, based on historical documents, owned fourteen farmsteads. They were located mainly in the northern volosts of the Russian Empire.

The courtyard is like a branch of a monastery. A community that broke away from a monopoly and lives outside of canonical territory. But they honor the charter of the main monastery.

At the moment, only four farmsteads are functioning - in Moscow, Arkhangelsk, Kemi and Faustov (a village located not far from Moscow).

It is important for pilgrims to know that permission is required to travel to the Solovetsky Monastery. How to get to it? Paperwork and other concerns are usually taken over by agencies. Therefore, two options are possible: pay an experienced tour operator, as a result of which all the work will be done for you, or go, trying to achieve everything yourself. The first way is more expensive and faster, the second way is cheaper and longer.

History of the Solovetsky Monastery

Spaso-Preobrazhensky Solovetsky Monastery is rooted in the 15th century. It was in 1429 that three monks founded and built the first cell. After some time, one of them, the Monk Savvaty, reposed, and the other two - Herman and Zosima - returned to the Big Solovetsky Island.

Shortly thereafter, he had a vision of a magnificent church on the eastern edge of the island. A wooden temple was built, and in the sixties of the same century, Zosima was awarded a diploma from the Novgorod Archbishop Jonah. According to the document, now the islands, nearby lands and future monasteries were given into the timeless possession of the monastery.

During the following years, Saints Zosima and Herman peacefully passed away. The monks of the Solovetsky Monastery transferred their relics to a specially constructed monastery, as well as the remains of the Monk Savvaty, who reposed in 1435 in the village of Soroka, not far from the coast.

At the end of the fifteenth century, gifts from those in power are already beginning to flock here and the eyes of biographers are turning. So, the oral legend of St. Herman became the basis for Dositheus's notes about the foundation of the monastery. On the basis of this document, in 1503, the beginning of compiling the life of the Solovetsky originals was laid.
In 1478, the monastery received a “trophy German cast bell” as a gift, which is today one of the oldest known military trophies in Russia.

And in 1479, Tsar Ivan Vasilievich the Terrible personally confirms the authenticity of the letter of ownership and assures its timelessness with his salary.

What happened under the Russian tsars

A similar structure in the White Sea became a trump card in the hands of the Moscow rulers. First, with the help of his associates, Solovetsky puts the economic life of the region in order. The development of Pomorie without the help of the monastery would not have been so fast and of high quality.

Based on this, all kinds of assistance are provided to the monastery. Its highest status can be seen on the maps of that time. Not at all were marked enough big cities, but the Solovetsky Monastery was invariably depicted on the map.

Also, the founders of the monastery at the Moscow Cathedral were recognized as saints, and the royal court increased the frequency of gift offerings. All this had reverse side, unfortunately.
Since the 16th century, a difficult task has been placed on the shoulders of the inhabitants of these lands. In addition to the affairs related to the normal work of the monastery, I had to deal with the construction of the fortress. The first stone structures date back to the middle of this century. Hegumen Philip was in charge of all the construction, it is his hermitage that is located on the Big Solovetsky Island.

In the years 1560-1570, the monastery was proclaimed a "great state fortress", the elder Tryphon (in the world Kologriv), one of the most gifted architects and military engineers of that time, was sent here. It was he who supervised the creation of most of the buildings and fortifications on the island, dating back to the sixteenth century.

Being the northern outpost of Orthodoxy and the border zone with European states, the Solovetsky Islands were besieged by the enemy fleet more than once. At first, the English ships approached, a few years later the Swedish armada tried their luck. All of them were discarded.

Besides, secular authorities sought to use the strong walls of the monastery to the fullest. Therefore, from the end of the sixteenth century, objectionable figures began to be exiled here. Thus, the islands partially take over the functions of the prison.

The courtyard of the Solovetsky Monastery contained more than one thousand armed archers. Such power needed maintenance, therefore, by royal decree, labor service and dues were removed from the monastery. Everything was focused only on the maximum battery life. That is, this fortress was supposed to function for a long time in a siege mode, until help comes. And help to go far!

However, the kings did not expect that they would create a problem for themselves. It all started with church reforms and schism. Most of the monks refused to accept the new rules, turning the Solovetsky Monastery into a stronghold of the old faith. Later, the remnants of the defeated detachments of Stenka Razin joined their ranks.

With great efforts of the tsarist troops in January 1676, the prison was nevertheless taken. All those responsible for leading the uprising were executed, the vaults were looted, and their status was taken away. Since that time - for about twenty - thirty years - the monastery fell into disgrace.

The return to the former position began only during the reign of Peter the Great. The construction of the Golgotha-Crucifixion Skete belongs to the same period.

Synodal period

However, the former greatness and military power The Solovetsky Monastery never received it. During the reform of 1764, most of the lands, villages and possessions were seized. In addition, the population of the archipelago was strictly regulated. The royal power no longer wanted to face a hard-to-reach fortress in which disgraced monks would settle.

In 1765, he became a stavropegic and passed into submission to the synod, but the abbots were still archimandrites.

In 1814, the courtyard of the Solovetsky Monastery was freed from guns, the quantitative composition of the garrison was cut, and the monastery itself was excluded from the list of active fortresses.

However, the walls built in the modern era withstood the Anglo-French siege during the Crimean War. This was the last attack by external enemies on the walls of the monastery.

After the middle of the nineteenth century, the monastery began to turn into the main attraction of the region for pilgrims. The tsar himself comes here personally with his retinue, artists and diplomats. Holy Trinity Cathedral under construction.
In 1886, the last soldier from the garrison left the monastery. From that time on, the status of any fortress was out of the question. The monastery became in the fullest sense the spiritual center of the Russian North.

The twentieth century began very successfully for Solovki. They owned more than ten churches, thirty chapels, two schools, the choir of the Solovetsky Monastery, and a botanical garden. In addition, there were six factories, a mill, more than fifteen different craft workshops behind the monastery.

More than one thousand workers and several hundred hired craftsmen worked on its territory. During the year, the monastery hosted more than fifteen thousand believers, and women were not allowed inside. They lived in the suburbs. On top of that, the monastery had 4 steamboats in its possession.

It seems that everything foreshadowed only a joyful and happy life for the monks. Money - do not count, the bins are bursting with food and goods. Satisfied, safe, carefree.

However, 1917 put an end to such a paradise life. The newly arrived authorities openly declared war on the church and its ministers. In 1920, a commission of Red Army soldiers, headed by Kedrov, abolished the Solovetsky Monastery, but proclaimed a state farm and a camp for forced labor "Solovki" here.

Since 1923, SLON - "Solovki special purpose camp" began to function in many buildings. All politically objectionable people were locked up here. On the square meter there were more bishops in this prison than in all of Russia at large.

The horrors of imprisonment were supplemented by frequent executions and murders. Bullying and torment did not stop day or night. And the camp hospital in the Golgotha-Crucifixion Skete fully corresponded to the name.

At first, divine services were allowed in one church for the companions who remained of their own free will, who worked at the state farm, but in 1932 the last monk was exiled to the mainland.

During the mid-thirties, an unthinkable number of people died here, most of whom were innocent.

From 1937 to 1939, STON was located here - a special-purpose prison that fully justified its name. And during the years of the Great Patriotic War here was the training corps of the navy Soviet Union.

Recovery

Work on the restoration of the monastery complex began in the sixties of the twentieth century. In 1974, historical and natural reserves were founded here.

A very interesting and unusual sight has grown on the island of Anzer. As if by divine providence, a similar miracle appears in a place where the authorities were forbidden to put up crosses. Look carefully at the photo, the Solovetsky Monastery is the only one that can boast of such a birch.

With the collapse of the Soviet Union, the monastic population of the monastery was also revived. On October 25, 1990, the restoration of the Zosima-Savvatievsky Solovetsky stauropegial monastery was officially proclaimed. At the first monastic vows, names were given according to lot. Now it has become an integral tradition.

In 1992, the historical and architectural monument was included in the list of World Heritage UNESCO.

Restoration work continues and memorial crosses are erected at the sites of the greatest tragedies. Many martyrs from the era of the early Soviet Union were canonized.

In 2001, Patriarch of All Russia Alexy II personally consecrated the Solovetsky Monastery.
How to get to it now worries many pilgrims, because the place, prayed for and so much suffering, has incredible energy.

For reference: you can get to the islands either by water or by air. There are two main routes used by residents, pilgrims, tourists - through Arkhangelsk and through Kem (the latter only during the navigation period).

Foundation of a farmstead in Moscow

The second name of this monastery is the Church of the Great Martyr George the Victorious in Endov. It is located behind the Moscow River. This area is called Lower Sadovniki.
The first wooden church here was founded in the time of Ivan Vasilyevich the Terrible. But at the request of the Archbishop of Elasson, who arrived with the embassy to the court in 1588, a stone church was erected in its place.

At the beginning of the seventeenth century, as in many churches, a prison for "troublemakers" was created in this one.

The temple has grown over time. For a century, from the middle of the 17th century, two chapels were added here - in the name of the Virgin and Nicholas the Wonderworker.

However, due to the flow of the channel groundwater under the bell tower, it collapsed at the end of the eighteenth century, and fell on the refectory. For about half a century, the monks did without these two structures, until one of the parishioners set out to build a bell tower.

It was erected on a solid site, so the courtyard of the Solovetsky Monastery in Moscow was located a little further from the turret.

The porch, which operates today in the monastery, was built in 1836.
In 1908, the church again experienced a catastrophe. Due to the flood of the river, the foundation was flooded, cracks formed on the walls.

The murals, which began to crumble, were restored only two years later.
In addition, the temple was in charge of an infirmary, a school and an almshouse for former military men.
The church operated until 1935, and during the years of the Soviet Union, an art department was located here.

Realities of our days

The Solovetsky Monastery in Moscow has been revived today as part of the courtyard of the main monastery on the White Sea. The restoration took place in 1992.

His main activity is connected with the support and provision of the monastery on the islands. In the early 1990s, there was preparation for service in connection with the transfer of the relics of the saints to Solovki. Further, the premises were restored and put in order.

Ten years after its opening, all the premises were consecrated, erected ten meters high.

In 2003 there was a great celebration of the 350th anniversary of the founding of the Church of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary, which provided the basis for the subsequent development of the temple.

And on Easter 2006, a newly made iconostasis in five tiers was presented to the public.

The main shrine is the icon of the Solovetsky wonderworkers with relics. Each divine service is crowned with an appeal to them, and the parishioners venerate the icon.
There is also a printing house that produces the Solovetsky Messenger, postcards and other festive printed matter for Christmas and other significant church holidays. Calendars containing photos, the Solovetsky Monastery produces very beautiful and original.

Parish life

The basis of the activities of the Moscow Compound is the education and training of parishioners younger age. On the territory there is a Sunday school, where children from 6 to 13 years old study together. The calendar plan of classes is drawn up in accordance with Christian canons and is timed to coincide with all church holidays.
Parents themselves arrange a meal for the students.

There is also a photo circle, cooperation with the Moscow Film School is underway.
In addition, since 2011 walking and bus tours of Moscow sights have been organized. One of the topics of excursions, for example, is John the Terrible and St. Philip.

Departures take place in the neighboring courtyard, in Faustovo, as well as in Kolomenskoye. All trips are connected exclusively with the history and functioning of the monastery. Also, once every few months, the Companions take pilgrims to the Solovetsky Islands.

The purpose of such excursions is not only educational, but also spiritual. After the tour, everyone can stay and ask the minister all their questions. He will either answer them or invite them to the appropriate event.

Divine services are held daily, and the Liturgy - several times a week. And in Great Lent On Thursdays, unction takes place.

Spaso-Preobrazhensky Solovetsky Monastery is one of the shrines of Ecumenical Orthodoxy. Solovki has long been called the kingdom of monks: from the 15th century. by God's will, this land is illuminated by the spiritual exploits of the monks, and in the 20th century. stained with the holy blood of Russian martyrs and confessors.

It is difficult to express in words the impression that the Solovetsky Monastery makes on sailors approaching the island. Like the fabulous city of Kitezh, it rises from the northern waters of the White Sea. Here is how Solovki is described by the Englishman Arthur Bryce, whose article “Life in a Russian Monastery” was published in November 1899: “I, a foreign heretic, arrived in this remote corner of the Muscovite Empire ... one of holy places throughout Russia - the monastery of the Solovetsky Islands. Early in the morning we approach the Solovetskaya pier ... On both sides of the bay lie green peninsulas, as if extending their hands to us for greeting, further along the sandy road, which serves as an embankment, groups of monks dressed in black, then open, then close. And behind them and above them rise the golden crosses of the Solovki in all their amazing beauty. We look at them, fascinated. First of all, a huge outer rampart of wild red stone, then the white walls of many churches, chapels and monastic buildings, then a row over rows of green roofs and domes after domes, and above all this and above everything else, countless golden crosses reflect the flames of sunlight. Immediately close - a small hill, surrounded by dark green birches, descends to the mirror of a quiet lake. The painting is finished. She breathes peace of order, pure joy, that beauty that I came to look for from afar and which, now I know, I have never seen before ... The islands belong entirely to the monks, all agricultural work, fishing and forestry are carried out exclusively by themselves ... In general, this is a monastic kingdom: the people and rulers are all exclusively monks in various monastic degrees.

spiritual fortress

The beginning of monastic life on Solovki was laid in the 15th century. the elder Savvaty and the young monk Herman, who chose the Solovetsky Islands, located on the very edge of the earth - in the harsh White Sea, 165 km from the Arctic Circle, to serve God in silence and solitude. In 1429, the ascetics crossed over to Bolshoi Solovetsky Island and settled near the mountain, which later received the name Sekirnaya - in memory of an incident by which God clearly indicated the purpose of these lands. Two Angels whipped the wife of a fisherman with rods, who, with his family, dared to settle down on the island following the example of the monks, and ordered them to immediately leave here, for “God favored the stay of the monastic rank, this place was arranged to be.” Saints Savvaty and Herman lived in the northern desert for six years “applying labors to labor, rejoicing and soaring with the mind to the Almighty,” then the island was briefly empty: during the departure of a brother who sailed to the mainland, the Monk Savvaty felt the approach of death and, wishing to partake of the Holy Mysteries of Christ , alone crossed to the village of Soroka on the river Vyg. Here, having communed with Abbot Nathanael, on September 27/October 10, 1435, he fell asleep in the Lord.

But the very next year monks reappeared on Solovki - the Monk Herman returned with a new brother - the young monk Zosima. In 1436 they arrived on Bolshoi Solovetsky Island and settled two versts from the place where the monastery now stands. The Lord showed the Monk Zosima the future monastery - a beautiful church appeared to him in heavenly radiance. At this place, the monks built the first wooden church on the island in honor of the Transfiguration of the Lord with a chapel in the name of St. Nicholas and a refectory.

Thus was the foundation laid for the monastery, and in 1452 the brethren elected St. Zosima as hegumen. As the brethren multiplied, a church was erected nearby in honor of the Assumption of the Most Holy Theotokos, where in 1465 the holy relics of the head of the monastic life in Solovki, St. Savvaty, were transferred.

On April 17/30, 1478, the Monk Zosima departed to the Lord, and the next year, the Monk Herman.

The death of the founders of the monastery coincided with the fall of the Novgorod principality - power over its lands passed to the Grand Duke of Moscow. He confirmed the right of the monastery to the eternal possession of the Solovetsky Islands, given to the monastery by the Archbishop of Novgorod and the rulers of the Novgorod Republic. The Moscow sovereigns took care of the prosperity of the Solovetsky Monastery, seeing in it both a stronghold of Orthodoxy in the North and a stronghold against the raids of the Swedes, Danes and Finns.

By the middle of the XVI century. The Solovetsky monastery reached the highest spiritual and material prosperity, although fires caused significant damage to the monastic economy (the fires of 1485 and 1538 were especially devastating). The greatest prosperity of the monastery falls on the years of the abbess of St. Philip (1548-1566), who launched a grandiose stone construction. During 1552-1566. Novgorod architects and brethren erected a temple in honor of the Assumption of the Mother of God with the Refectory and Kelar chambers (1552-1557). In 1558-1566. built the main temple of the monastery - the Cathedral of the Transfiguration of the Savior with a chapel of the Monk Zosima and Savvaty. The cares of St. Philip extended to all the monastic lands: under him, roads were laid on the island, lakes were connected by canals, and a farm was set up on Bolshaya Muksalma Island.

The strengthening of the monastery as a "sovereign fortress" continued throughout the following centuries. Under Abbot Jacob in 1582-1594. powerful walls and towers were erected from natural stone. The defensive role of the monastery in the abbess of the Monk Irinarkh (1614-1626) was especially strengthened.

It should be noted that the coastal inhabitants and monks had no rest from the "Sveian Germans" (Swedes), so the detachment of archers, who served as guards in the monastery, was increased to 1040 people. However, the authorities' efforts to turn the monastery into a defensive fortress partly turned against it during the "Solovki Sitting" of 1668-1676. Then the Solovetsky monks refused to accept the church reform of Patriarch Nikon, by the way, a Solovetsky tonsurer. For eight years the monastery was unsuccessfully besieged by the royal army, and if it were not for the betrayal of one of the monks, it is not known how much more the fortified stronghold could resist.

In 1694, during a sea voyage, Solovki was visited by Emperor Peter I, which was evidence of the forgiveness of the disgraced monastery. The second time the sovereign arrived on the islands in 1702 in view of the war with Sweden, at the same time he met with his former confessor John (Reverend Job), who fell into disfavor and was exiled to the northern monastery.

In the 19th century, despite the shortage of workers, construction and improvement on Solovki continued. In 1824, at the cemetery, the wooden church in the name of St. Onufry the Great was replaced by a stone one, at the same time, Archimandrite Macarius founded the hermitage, now called Makarievskaya, a unique building for the northern region. Heated greenhouses were built here (heat was supplied through pipes from the wax factory), a botanical garden was laid out, where watermelons, melons, peaches, and grapes ripened. grown in the pharmaceutical garden medicinal plants for the monastery hospital. The garden collection included more than 500 species of rare flowers, plants, trees, including cedars, from different geographical areas, - good example which can be achieved by labor combined with prayer.

During the Crimean War, the monastery again had to remember the role of the fortress. In 1854, its ancient walls adequately repelled an attack from the sea by the Anglo-French squadron. During the shelling of the monastery, 1800 cores and bombs were fired, as the monks later counted. But the Solovetsky wonderworkers defended their monastery: not a single person was injured from the fierce bombardment, even numerous seagulls remained intact.

In 1859, due to the increase in the number of pilgrims, the Holy Trinity Cathedral was built. Above the holy relics of St. Herman, instead of a chapel, a church consecrated in his honor was built in 1860. In the same year, a temple was consecrated in honor of the Hodegetria Icon of the Most Holy Theotokos in the Savvatiyevsky Hermitage - at the site of the first labors of the Monks Savvaty and Herman, and two versts from the desert, on Sekirnaya Hill, where two Angels appeared to the fisherman's wife, a new Spaso-Voznesensky appeared skit. One of the most grandiose hydraulic structures of that time is the Muksalm dam (1859-1866).

The charter of the Solovetsky Monastery forbade keeping cattle nearby, so the monastery barnyard was founded on the island of Bolshaya Muksalma, whose communication with Bolshoi Solovetsky was hampered by the Iron Gate Strait. This obstacle was removed by a dam-bridge (length 1200 m, height 4 m, width 6-15 m), the construction of which used a technology first applied in the 16th century. for the installation of Filippovsky cages, - the dam is made of local boulders laid without mortar.

The monastery also owes its school of icon painting to Hegumen Philip: as the number of churches increased, the saint invited icon painters from Veliky Novgorod and, possibly, from Moscow to Solovki. Gradually, they had students, and in 1615 their own Icon-Painting Chamber was organized here, on the basis of which a painting school was opened in 1887. Moreover, for two centuries the icon painters of the Solovetsky Monastery retained the traditional features of Russian tempera painting, while in other regions of Russia icon painting fell into decay.

By the beginning of the XX century. in the monastery there were 19 churches with 30 thrones, 30 chapels, six sketes and three hermitages. A school for the children of the Pomors, a fraternal theological school, a weather station, a radio station, a hydroelectric power station, a lithographic workshop, and a biological station operated at the monastery - the first scientific institution in the White Sea region. In 1879, a rescue station was opened on Anzer by the efforts of the monastery. The monastery maintained on the archipelago about a thousand workers who worked for the prayers of the saints, and several hundred hired workers. The number of pilgrims reached 23 thousand per year. The pilgrims aspired to the ancient shrines, finding peace and tranquility on the Solovetsky land. But it was the calm before the storm.

70 years of Babylonian captivity

The Monk Barsanuphius of Optina (1845-1913) predicted: “Monasteries will be under great persecution and oppression… True Christians will huddle in small churches. And you will live to the time when Christians will again be tormented, and their torments will be like the ancient ones. This prophecy was fulfilled in the 20th century.

After the October Revolution of 1917, the God-fighting authorities declared war on the people and the Church. In 1920, the Solovetsky Monastery was closed, and in 1923 a concentration camp was located here - the Solovetsky Special Purpose Camp (SLON), which was transformed in 1937 into the Solovetsky Special Purpose Prison (STON).

Hierarchs of the Russian Orthodox Church, monks, priests, members of the White movement, representatives of the creative intelligentsia, and from the beginning of the 1930s, dispossessed peasants were exiled to Solovki. In the concentration camp, sophisticated bullying, torture, and the physical destruction of thousands of people were used, so that the very word "Solovki" acquired an ominous sound.

In the premises of the Spaso-Voznesensky skete on Sekirnaya Gora, a punishment cell was located, in which people were tortured and maimed with particular cruelty. Under the mountain, death sentences were carried out. A hospital for the medical unit was set up on Anzer Golgotha, prisoners who fell ill with typhus were brought here, as eyewitnesses recall, not to be treated, but to die. Many could not stand the torment, they broke down spiritually and physically, but there were also many who showed miracles of courage that make us remember the times of the first martyrs for the Christian faith. Among believers, many even perceived the imprisonment on Solovki as a sign of God's special mercy. Yu.I. Chirkov, who ended up in the camp as a 15-year-old teenager, says: “Through my slumber I heard a thin plaintive cry, Father Vasily, a priest from Ryazan, with a beard greenish from old age, was kneeling in a corner, praying and crying. I couldn't bear it and went downstairs to console the old man. It turned out that he was crying for joy that he would die not somewhere in the taiga, but on the land consecrated by Zosima and Savvaty.

More than 30 New Martyrs and Confessors of the Solovetskys were glorified by the Church and canonized by the Jubilee Bishops' Council in 2000, including Hieromartyrs Eugene (Zernov), Metropolitan of Gorky (1937); Alexander (Shchukin), Archbishop of Semipalatinsk (1937); Hilarion (Troitsky), Archbishop of Vereya (1929); Peter (Zverev), Archbishop of Voronezh (1929); Ambrose (Polyansky), Bishop of Kamenetz-Podolsk (1932); Archpriest Vladimir (Lozina-Lozinsky, 1937), Archpriest Alexander Sakharov (1927); priest John Skadovsky (1937); Priest John (Steblin-Kamensky, 1930); Martyrs Archimandrite Veniamin (Kononov, 1928), Hieromonk Nicephorus (Kuchin, 1928) and many others.

The exiled episcopate became an authoritative body of the Church, whose voice from the prison dungeon was heard throughout Russia. In May 1926, the SLON clergy drew up the famous “Appeal of Orthodox Bishops from the Solovetsky Islands to the Government of the USSR”, which set out the principles that determine the relationship of the Church to the state. Until 1929, divine services were still held on Solovki. After the closing of the monastery, about 60 brethren voluntarily remained in the camp as civilian employees. They performed divine services in the church of St. Onufry the Great at the monastery cemetery. From 1925, prisoners were also allowed to take part in divine services. “Services in the Onufrievskaya church were often performed by several bishops,” writes Oleg Volkov. - Priests and deacons lined up in tapestries along the aisle to the altar... Divine services were uplifted and solemn... for all of us in the church perceived it as a refuge, sheltering from enemies. They're about to break in." In 1932, the last Solovki monks were expelled from the archipelago, and worship services were banned.

In 1939, when Soviet-Finnish relations escalated, the Solovetsky prison was disbanded. Academician Alexander Baev, a former prisoner of STON, recalls: “On one of the July days of 1939, the bolts of the cells being opened suddenly rattled. Everyone was worried: what does this mean? Total destruction? But something completely different happened: the inhabitants of the cells were released into the vast monastery courtyard and everyone saw what the prison administration so carefully concealed until that time - the inhabitants of the Solovetsky prison. The Solovetsky Islands were transferred to the jurisdiction of the training detachment Northern Fleet. Valuable objects of the Solovetsky Monastery, kept in the museum of the concentration camp, were taken to the museums of Moscow and St. Petersburg. The prisoners were distributed to the northern camps - to the mines of Norilsk, the mines of Vorkuta, to the Kola Peninsula. The remains of the Solovetsky concentration camp were to be destroyed.

While the training detachment was in the monastery, the miraculous murals of the Spaso-Preobrazhensky Cathedral of 1863 were destroyed. Only the image of the face of the Lord Almighty in the dome has been preserved. After the Second World War, various units of the armed forces were located on the island. Since 1967, all buildings and structures have come under the jurisdiction of the Solovetsky State Historical, Architectural and Natural Museum-Reserve, reorganized in 1974 into the Solovetsky State Historical, Architectural and Natural Museum-Reserve, which still exists today.

"God is not mocked"

At the end of the last century, a revival of Orthodox life began in Russia. On April 14, 1989, an Orthodox community was registered in Solovki, to which the church and chapel in the name of St. Philip, which was in disrepair, and the cell building of Philip's Hermitage were transferred. The first divine services were held in the chapel, consecrated on July 2, 1989, by Hegumen German (Chebotar), former rector of the church in the name of St. Sergius in the village of Shirsha, Arkhangelsk Region, now - confessor of the Solovetsky Monastery.

On October 25, 1990, the opening of the Solovetsky Monastery was blessed by the decision of the Holy Synod, and already on October 28, the first liturgy was served in the house church, arranged by the brethren in one of the buildings. Hegumen German (Chebotar) was appointed acting viceroy.

From 1992 to 2009, Archimandrite Joseph (Bratishev) was the abbot of the Solovetsky Monastery.

Before the feast of the Annunciation of the Most Holy Theotokos, April 4, 1992, the vicar performed a small consecration of the Church of the Annunciation. In the evening, on the feast of the Annunciation of the Most Holy Theotokos, the first monastic vows of two inhabitants of the renewed monastery took place. The names were given by lot: one got the name Savvaty, in honor of the Monk Savvaty, the Solovetsky miracle worker, the other - Eleazar, in honor of the Monk Eleazar of Anzersky. Since then, the naming of names by lot from among the Solovetsky saints during monastic and monastic vows has become a tradition in the monastery.

On the eve of the patronal feast of the monastery, on August 17, 1992, the abbot of the monastery performed a small consecration of the Transfiguration Cathedral.

On August 19-21, 1992, a long-awaited event took place: the relics of the Monks Zosima, Savvaty and Herman, the Solovetsky wonderworkers, were transferred from St. Petersburg to the Solovetsky monastery. The celebrations were led by His Holiness Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia Alexy II. He consecrated the gate church of the Annunciation of the Most Holy Theotokos, where the relics of the Solovetsky miracle workers were placed. With the blessing of His Holiness Patriarch Alexy II, since 1993, the celebration of the Second Transfer of the Holy Relics of Saints Zosima, Savvaty and Herman on August 8/21 has been established, and the next day, August 9/22, the Solovki Saints Cathedral is commemorated.

Continuing the ancient Solovetsky tradition, the brethren of the monastery erected the Poklonny Cross at Sekirnaya Hill on August 21, 1992 in memory of all the dead prisoners of the Solovetsky camp. July 3, 1994 A worship cross in memory of the affected Orthodox hierarchs was erected at the foot of Mount Golgotha on the island of Anzer. With the blessing of His Holiness the Patriarch dated April 7, 1995, on the feast of the Annunciation of the Most Holy Theotokos, the historical title of the monastery was restored: the Spaso-Preobrazhensky Solovetsky Stauropegial Monastery. By the decree of His Holiness Patriarch Alexy II of March 25, 2000, the celebration of the Council of the New Martyrs and Confessors of the Solovetsky on August 10/23 was established. Since June 2003, monastic life has been resumed at the Holy Ascension Skete on Sekirnaya Hill.

In October 2009, Archimandrite Porfiry (Shutov), who previously served as treasurer of the Holy Trinity Lavra, was appointed abbot of the Solovetsky Monastery.

At the present time, divine services in the monastery are performed constantly in all the restored churches: in the church of St. Philip, the gate church of the Annunciation of the Most Holy Theotokos; in the summer - in the Cathedral of the Transfiguration of the Savior and in the Church of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary. On the island of Anzer, a constant service is held in the Church of the Resurrection of Christ. In the temples of the sketes, most of which have not yet been restored, services are held periodically, as a rule, in the summer.

More and more pilgrims come to the monastery every year. Prayers to the Solovetsky wonderworkers sounded again. Solovki is gradually becoming what it was for six centuries - islands of prayer in the midst of the sea of life.

Among the saints who labored in different years in the Solovetsky Monastery, the Monks Zosima, Savvaty and Herman (XV century), the Monk Elisha of Sumsky (XVI century), the Monks John and Longinus of Yarenga (XVI century), the Monks Vassian and Jonah of Pertominsk (XVI century) are especially revered in Russia , St. Philip, Metropolitan of Moscow (XVI century), Rev. Irinarkh, hegumen of Solovetsky (XVII century), Rev. Diodorus (in schema Damian) of Yuryegorsk (XVII century), Rev. Eleazar, founder of the Holy Trinity Skete on the island of Anzer (XVII c.), the Monk Job (Jesus in the schema), the founder of the Golgotha-Crucifixion Skete on the island of Anzer (XVIII century) and many others.

In the 15th century, the Orthodox ascetics Zosima, Savvaty and Herman chose the Solovetsky Islands, located in the White Sea, 165 kilometers from the Arctic Circle, for prayerful solitude and wilderness living. In 1429 the monks Savvaty and Herman, after a three-day sea voyage by boat, reached the Big Solovetsky Island.

Not far from the coast of Pine Bay, in a convenient place for living by the lake, they erected a cross and built a cell. Thus was laid the beginning of monastic life on Solovki, where Saints Savvaty and Herman lived for six years "applying labors to labor, rejoicing and soaring with their minds to the Almighty."

The Monk Savvaty took communion at the hegumen Nathanael he met, and on September 27, 1435, he fell asleep in the Lord. The organizer of the Solovetsky monastery was the Monk Zosima. In Pomorie, he met the Monk Herman, from whom he learned about the beginning of monastic life in Solovki.

In 1436, the monks arrived on the Big Solovetsky Island and settled near the sea. The text of the life tells of a miraculous vision. A beautiful church appeared to the Monk Zosima in the heavenly radiance in the east. On the site of the wondrous vision, a wooden church was built in honor of the Transfiguration of the Lord with a chapel in the name of St. Nicholas and a meal.

A church was also built in honor of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary. Thus the monastery was founded. His Grace Jonah, Archbishop of Novgorod and the rulers of the Novgorod Republic, gave the monastery a letter of perpetual possession of the Solovetsky Islands. Subsequently, the rights of the monastery were repeatedly confirmed by the Moscow sovereigns. The Monk Zosima became abbot of the monastery after the three abbots appointed by the Archbishop of Novgorod did not endure the hardships of life on a deserted island.

In 1465, the brethren went to the burial place of the Monk Savvaty on the Vyg River in the village of Soroka and transferred his holy relics to the Solovetsky Monastery, where they were placed behind the altar of the Church of the Assumption of the Most Holy Theotokos in a specially arranged chapel. The Monk Zosima reposed on April 17, 1478, and was buried behind the altar of the Church of the Transfiguration of the Savior. In 1479 Saint Herman went to Novgorod on the business of the monastery.

On the way back, he felt the nearness of death, took communion of the Holy Mysteries in the monastery of St. Anthony the Roman and peacefully surrendered his spirit to God. The disciples wanted to bring his body to the monastery, but due to muddy roads they were forced to make a burial on the banks of the Svir River in the village of Khovronina. Five years later (in 1484), under Abbot Isaiah, the relics of St. Herman were transferred to the Solovetsky Monastery.

The Monk Herman, earlier than other monks, visited Solovki. He accompanied Saints Savvaty and Zosima to the islands, was "an associate in the spiritual life, a co-worker in the building of the monastery and a participant in their visions and revelations." The oral narrative of the Monk Herman about the first Solovetsky ascetics was recorded at the end of the 15th - beginning of the 16th century by the hieromonk-scribe, and later hegumen Dositheus, a disciple of the Monk Zosima. The manuscript formed the basis of the text of the life of the original Solovetskys, Savvaty and Zosima, compiled in 1503 by the former Metropolitan of Kiev Spyridon Savva, who was at that time in the Ferapontov Monastery.

Five centuries of the history of the Solovetsky Monastery.

During the years of the abbess of St. Philip (1548 - 1566), the future Metropolitan of Moscow, stone construction began in the monastery. Novgorod architects, together with the brethren of the monastery, erected a temple in honor of the Assumption of the Mother of God with the Refectory and Kelar chambers (1552 - 1557). New cell buildings were built, the monastic economy developed. With the blessing of St. Philip, roads were laid, lakes were connected by canals, and a farm was set up on Bolshaya Muksalma Island. Hegumen Philip diligently cared for the brethren.

The abbot's asceticism served as the best guide for the brethren. He did not shorten his prayer vigils and often retired to a place of his choice, known as the Philippov Hermitage. In 1558 the main temple of the monastery was founded - the Cathedral of the Transfiguration of the Savior with a chapel of the Monk Zosima and Savvaty. In 1566, the construction of the cathedral was completed (already in the absence of abbot Philip). On August 6 (19) the temple was consecrated, and on August 8 (21) the holy relics of the founders of the Solovetsky were transferred to the chapel. In 1566, in obedience to the royal will, hegumen Philip received the rank of Metropolitan of Moscow and All Russia.

Saint Philip stood up for innocent people, victims of the oprichnina, and denounced the king. Neither threats nor attempts to discredit his name frightened the metropolitan. The objectionable saint was exiled to the Tver Otroch Monastery. In 1569 he was martyred by Malyuta Skuratov and was buried in this monastery behind the altar of the cathedral church. The relics of St. Philip were transferred to the Solovetsky Monastery at the request of Abbot Jacob, which was presented on behalf of the entire brethren to Tsar Theodore Ioannovich in 1591.

At the end of the 16th century, the monastery became a "great sovereign fortress". During the reign of hegumen Jacob in 1582-1594 powerful walls and towers were built of natural stone. The outlines of the walls of the monastery resemble a ship. The elder Trifon (Kologrivov) led the construction. In 1601, he erected the Church of the Annunciation of the Most Holy Theotokos over the Holy Gates.

This architect probably also owns other structures: the western porch, adjacent to the refectory; a gallery connecting the central temples of the monastery, built under St. Philip. Heavy care for the protection of the monastery and coastal possessions fell on the shoulders of the Monk Irinarkh, who was abbot from 1614 to 1626. A detachment of archers, consisting of monastic maintenance, carried out guard duty.

The number of "military people" was increased to 1040 people. Realizing the difficult situation of the monastery and its important role in the defense of Pomorye, Tsar Mikhail Feodorovich exempted the monastery from paying duties for 5 years and granted it new lands. In 1646 Abbot Iliya received letters from Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich and Patriarch Joseph with a solemn order to open the relics of St. Philip. The relics were solemnly placed in the Spaso-Preobrazhensky Cathedral. In 1652, by royal decree, the relics of the great saint of God were transferred to the Assumption Cathedral of the Moscow Kremlin.

An embassy arrived at the monastery, headed by Solovetsky tonsured Metropolitan Nikon of Novgorod, the future patriarch. He brought a letter in which the tsar, expressing his desire to see the relics of the saint in Moscow, asks the great ascetic for forgiveness of his ancestor. Shortly before this event, in 1651, by decree of the king, hegumen Elijah received the rank of archimandrite. Since that time, the abbots of the Solovetsky Monastery were elevated to this rank. In the centuries-old history of the monastery, events associated with the "Solovki seat" (1668 - 1676), the uprising of the monks against church reforms, stand out. Armed resistance to the royal army ended in the defeat of the rebels, which led to the ruin of the monastery.

A visit to the monastery by Peter I (1694, 1702) became evidence of the forgiveness of the disgraced monastery. In the middle of the 18th century, the monastic economy underwent serious changes. In 1764, by the highest decree, the so-called "Catherine's States", many church and monastery lands passed into state ownership. The number of monks in the cloisters was strictly regulated by secular officials. The innovation also had positive aspects. The state, having taken control of the Solovetsky estates, assumed the obligation to protect the monastery and the entire northern region from the enemy. In 1765 the monastery became stauropegial: from diocesan subordination it passed into the jurisdiction of the Holy Synod.

In 1777, the construction of a stone bell tower was undertaken, and in 1798, a hospital church was erected in the name of St. Philip. In the 19th century, a new stone church, erected on the site of a wooden one, changed the architectural appearance of the monastery: in 1834, the construction of the church of St. Nicholas was completed. The monastery did not escape the severe trials of wartime. In 1854, when Russia was experiencing the tragic events of the Crimean War, the ancient fortress walls withstood an attack from the sea by the Anglo-French squadron. The defense of the monastery was led by Archimandrite Alexander (Pavlovich). In 1858, Emperor Alexander II visited the monastery.

The retinue of the sovereign included grand dukes, diplomats, writers and artists. They looked with amazement at the ancient relics, rich sacristy, skillful church utensils, majestic temples, exemplary monastic economy. In connection with the increase in the number of pilgrims, the Holy Trinity Cathedral was built in 1859 (the interior decoration was completed in 1862). It was here that the holy relics of the Solovetsky wonderworkers Zosima and Savvaty rested in shrines.

Above the holy relics of St. Herman, instead of the chapel that had existed since the 18th century, a church consecrated in his honor was built in 1860. At the beginning of the 20th century, the monastery owned 6 sketes and 3 hermitages. On Solovki there were 19 churches with 30 altars and 30 chapels.

In the monastery there were: a school for the children of Pomors - "married laborers", the Fraternal Theological School, a weather station, a radio station, a hydroelectric power station, lithography, a botanical garden. For some time a biostation worked here - the first scientific institution on the White Sea. The monastery maintained about a thousand laborers in the archipelago, who worked "for the sake of the prayers of the saints" without any money, and several hundred hired workers. The monastery could receive many pilgrims, the number of which reached 15 thousand per year. Transportation by sea was carried out by monastic steamships. The pilgrims aspired to the ancient shrines, finding peace and tranquility in the Solovetsky land. Pilgrims were touched by the prayerful zeal of the monks and the whole way of everyday life of the monastery.

The Solovetsky patericon narrates: "From the moment when in the morning, amid the silence of the night, the sound of a bell is heard in the monastery, calling for morning prayers, the daily life of the Solovetsky monk represents a constant change of prayer and work." The holy monastery was glorified by the ascetics of piety, who at various times labored in the monastery, its sketes and deserts.

Especially revered in Russia are the Monk Zosima, Savvaty and Herman (XV century) - the founders of the monastery; Saint Elisha of Sumy (XV - XVI), Saints John and Longin of Yarenga (XVI century), Saints Bassian and Jonah of Pertominsk (XVI century), Saint Philip, Metropolitan of Moscow (XVI century), Saint Irinarkh, hegumen of Solovetsky (XVII century .), St. Diodorus (in schema Damian) of Yuryegorsk (XVII century), St. Eleazar, founder of the Holy Trinity Skete on the island of Anzer (XVII century), St. Job (in schema Jesus), founder of the Golgotha-Crucifixion Skete on the island of Anzer (XVIII in.). His Holiness Patriarch Nikon of Moscow and All Russia (XVII century) was a Solovetsky tonsurer and student of the Monk Eleazar of Anzersk.

Destruction of the Solovetsky monastery.

The 20th century brought terrible and cruel changes to the holy monastery. After the October Revolution of 1917, the new theomachist government openly declared war on the Church, the believing people, and the entire Orthodox way of Russian life. The monastery was closed by the decision of the Soviet authorities, and in 1923 it was turned into the Solovetsky Special Purpose Camp SLON, transformed from 1937 into the Solovetsky Special Purpose Prison STON (disbanded in 1939). First of all, hierarchs of the Russian Orthodox Church, monks and priests, members of the White movement - officers and soldiers - were exiled to Solovki.

The new government sent here their political opponents, representatives of the creative intelligentsia who were objectionable to it. From the beginning of the 30s, dispossessed peasants from Russia, Belarus, and Ukraine began to be delivered to the islands.

There was no more silence that enveloped the island, protected from the ages; the place of humble monks and enlightened pilgrims was replaced by motley camps and ferocious guards; the shadows of the former worshipers for Russia were already fading and on the ruins of sketes and chapels erected a place of execution for the whole people, - the soul and heart continued to test the mysterious influence of the life that has been going on here for centuries ... in spite of everything! An influence that made one think about the meaning of a feat and trials," writes Oleg Vasilyevich Volkov, a Solovetsky prisoner. Among the highest hierarchs of the Russian Orthodox Church who languished in Solovki were metropolitans, archbishops, bishops and archimandrites. Most of them in 1932 - 1938 were tortured, shot, died on Solovki or in places of transfer.

It is impossible to enumerate the names of all the Solovki prisoners who, with hope in the Lord, courageously stood for their faith and Fatherland. More than thirty New Martyrs and Confessors of the Solovetskys were glorified by the Church and canonized by the jubilee Bishops' Council in 2000.

Among them are the names of the Hieromartyrs Eugene, Metropolitan of Gorky (1937); Alexander, Archbishop of Semipalatinsk (1937); Hilarion, Archbishop of Vereya (1929); Peter, Archbishop of Voronezh (1929); Martyrs Archimandrite Benjamin (1928) and Hieromonk Nicephorus (1928).

“The recollections of eyewitnesses who themselves went through the dungeons of the special purpose camp testify how strong was the spirit of the Orthodox people who languished here. Believers considered it a great honor for themselves to be on the site of the exploits of the venerable founders - Zosima, Savvaty and Herman, despite the great hardships which they had to endure, despite all the humiliations that fell to their lot. And now the entire Russian Orthodox Church sings and glorifies the exploits of the founders of our monastery, coupled with the labors, trials and sufferings of the new martyrs and confessors of the Solovetsky, "says Archimandrite Joseph, since 1992 he was the abbot of the resurgent Spaso-Preobrazhensky Solovetsky stauropegial monastery.

Restoration of the Solovetsky shrine.

Restoration of temple, household and other buildings of the Solovetsky Monastery was started in 1961 by state cultural institutions. In 1967, the Solovetsky Museum-Reserve was created, reorganized in 1974 into the Solovetsky State Historical, Architectural and Natural Museum-Reserve, which currently exists. The ruin that the monastery and its sketes experienced in the 20th century turned out to be so serious that it would take tremendous efforts to recreate its former splendor. But it is impossible to restore the Solovetsky shrines, limited only by the restoration and storage of historical and architectural monuments. Monastic life began to revive in the monastery.

On October 25, 1990, the Holy Synod of the Russian Orthodox Church blessed the opening of the Zosima-Savvatievsky Solovetsky Stauropegial Monastery. Hegumen German (Chebotar) was appointed acting viceroy. Divine services were performed in the house church, arranged by the inhabitants of the monastery on the second floor of the building at the Nikolsky Gate. In the Governor's building, which separates the Northern and Central courtyards of the monastery complex, most of the first floor was transferred to the monastery. There were fraternal cells, a refectory, utility rooms.

By a decree of February 9, 1992, His Holiness Patriarch Alexy II of Moscow and All Russia appointed hegumen (now archimandrite) Joseph (Bratishev) as abbot of the Solovetsky Monastery. His appointment as abbot in the house church of the monastery was made by His Grace Evlogy, Bishop (now Archbishop) of Vladimir and Suzdal. Before the feast of the Annunciation of the Most Holy Theotokos, April 4, 1992, the abbot of the monastery performed a small consecration of the Church of the Annunciation. In the evening, on the feast of the Annunciation of the Most Holy Theotokos, the first monastic vows of two inhabitants of the renewed monastery took place.

The names were given by lot:

one of them got the name Savvaty, in honor of the Monk Savvaty, the Solovetsky miracle worker,
to another - Eleazar, in honor of the Monk Eleazar of Anzer, the founder of the Holy Trinity Skete on the island of Anzer.

Since then, the naming of names by lot from among the Solovetsky saints during monastic and monastic vows has become a tradition in the monastery. On the eve of the patronal feast of the monastery, on August 17, 1992, the abbot of the monastery, with the blessing of His Holiness the Patriarch, performed a minor consecration of the Transfiguration Cathedral. one

On August 9 - 21, 1992, the relics of the Monks Zosima, Savvaty and Herman, the Solovetsky wonderworkers, were transferred from St. Petersburg to the Solovetsky monastery. The celebrations were led by His Holiness Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia Alexy II. During the Divine Liturgy on August 21, His Holiness Patriarch Alexy II elevated the abbot of the monastery, hegumen Joseph, to the rank of archimandrite.

On August 22, His Holiness the Patriarch consecrated the gate church of the Annunciation of the Most Holy Theotokos, where the relics of the Solovetsky miracle workers were placed. With the blessing of His Holiness Patriarch Alexy II, since 1993, the celebration of the Second Transfer of the Holy Relics of Saints Zosima, Savvaty and Herman on August 8 (21) has been established, and the next day, August 9 (22), the Solovki Saints Cathedral is commemorated. Continuing the ancient Solovetsky tradition, the brethren of the monastery erect worship crosses.

The first of them in our time was placed at Sekirnaya Gora on August 21, 1992 in memory of all the dead prisoners of the Solovetsky camp. A worship cross in memory of the affected Orthodox hierarchs was erected at the foot of Mount Golgotha on Anzer Island on July 3, 1994. With the blessing of His Holiness the Patriarch dated April 7, 1995, on the feast of the Annunciation of the Most Holy Theotokos, the historical title of the monastery was restored: "Savior-Preobrazhensky Solovetsky Stauropegial Monastery".

In the summer of 1997, His Holiness Patriarch Alexy II of Moscow and All Russia visited the Solovetsky Convent for the second time. An icon with a particle of the relics of St. Innocent, Metropolitan of Moscow, Enlightener of Siberia, was donated to the monastery. In 1999, the relics of Archbishop Peter (Zverev) of Voronezh, who was martyred in the Solovetsky camps, were found on Anzer Island.

Now the relics of the holy martyr rest in the monastery church of St. Philip, Metropolitan of Moscow, and at the place of their discovery, behind the altar of the Church of the Resurrection of Christ, a chapel has been erected. In 2000, the relics of the Monk Job (in the schema of Jesus), the founder of Golgotha-

Crucifixion Skete on Anzer Island and transferred to the Church of the Resurrection of Christ. By the decree of His Holiness Patriarch Alexy II of March 25, 2000, the celebration of the Council of the New Martyrs and Confessors of the Solovetsky on August 10 (23) was established. His Holiness Patriarch Alexy II and President of Russia V.V. arrived at the Solovetsky Monastery in August 2001 for the celebrations. Putin.

The Patriarch consecrated the restored church of St. Philip, Metropolitan of Moscow and All Russia, the Solovetsky Wonderworker, handed over to the monastery a reliquary with a particle of his holy relics and a revered relic - a stone head that once belonged to St. Philip. A memorable event was the consecration of the chapel on the shore of the Bay of Prosperity, built in the 19th century in the name of the Holy Apostles Peter and Paul in memory of the visit to the monastery by Peter I.

In 2001, the Board of Trustees was formed, which included about 20 different organizations. In August 2002, on the eve of the main holidays of the Solovetsky Monastery, a five-tiered iconostasis was built in the Spaso-Preobrazhensky Cathedral, made under the care of Vyacheslav Kisilev, chairman of the St. Andrei Rublev International Foundation. On August 29, 2002, the Poklonny Cross was erected and consecrated in the desert of St. Philip, installed in memory of the innocently convicted prisoners of the Solovetsky camp.

The cross also marks the place where the temple in the name of the Mother of God "Life-Giving Spring" was located. The cross was made with the support of the Moscow International Children's Film School. The Solovetsky Islands are a special place in our Fatherland. The famous Russian shrine is being revived. The human madness that was going on here brought destruction and death.

No matter how a person who follows the pride of the devil in his earthly life tries to rebel against God, be it the pagan emperors Diocletian, Severian and others, starting with Pontus Pilate, and ending with those who in the last century persecuted everyone who, confessing the name God, worthily carried his life's cross, - all the persecutors were put to shame, - says the abbot of the Solovetsky monastery, Archimandrite Joseph.

Today we see in what glory the holy New Martyrs and Confessors of Russia are. If in the 20s of the last century the word "Solovki" sounded ominous, now many hundreds of pilgrims from various regions of our vast Fatherland and from abroad are drawn here. This testifies that the name of God cannot be mocked."

Chronology.

1429 - Saints Savvaty and Herman arrive on the islands. The first place of the settlement is Savvatievo.
1435 - Repose of the Monk Savvaty.
1436 - Rev. Zosima and Rev. Herman began the construction of the monastery.
1478 - Death of the Monk Zosima.
1548 - Saint Philip (Kolychev) was appointed abbot of the monastery.
1552 - The construction of the cathedral church of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin began.
1558 - The Cathedral of the Transfiguration of the Savior was founded.
1566 - Saint Philip (Kolychev) was elevated to the rank of Metropolitan of Moscow and All Russia.
1569 - Saint Philip accepted a martyr's death at the hands of Malyuta Skuratov in the Otrochi Monastery in the city of Tver.
1577 - 1584 - The stone St. Nicholas Church is under construction. 1583 - the former wooden church was transported to Anzer and placed on the shore of the Trinity Bay.
1584 - A stone fortress with towers was built according to the project of the monk Tryphon (completed in 1596).
1596 - 1601 - Construction of the Annunciation gate church.
1614 - 1626 - The abbot of the monastery was the Monk Irinarch.
1620 - Foundation of the Holy Trinity Anzersky skete by the Monk Eleazar.
1621 - The wooden church of the Trinity Skete was built.
1654 - Consecrated stone church Trinity Skete.
1656 - Repose of the Monk Eleazar.
1666 - A church in the name of St. Onufry the Great was erected at the monastery cemetery.
1687 - Start of construction of the church of St. Philip, consecrated in 1690
1701 - The future founder of the Calvary-Crucifixion skete, the Monk Job, then still the priest John Ioannov, the former confessor of Peter 1, arrives at the monastery.
1702 - On Zayatsky Island, by decree of Peter the Great, a church was erected in honor of St. Apostle Andrew the First-Called.
1715 - Archimandrite Firs consecrated a church on Mount Calvary in honor of the Crucifixion of the Lord.
1720 - Repose of the Monk Job.
1798 - A new stone church was built in honor of St. Philip.
1828-1830 - Built a stone church of the Crucifixion of the Lord on Golgotha; the wooden church was moved to the slope of the mountain. Now it is the Church of the Resurrection of Christ.
1831-1834 - A stone St. Nicholas Church was built (in the same place) in the monastery.
1854 - An attack by an English squadron on the monastery.
1856-59 - The Holy Trinity Cathedral was built in the monastery with a chapel in honor of Saints Zosima and Savvaty.
1860 - A church was built over the holy relics of St. Herman.
1862 - The stone church of the Ascension of the Lord was built and consecrated on Sekirnaya Hill.
1880 - 1884 - A new stone church of the Holy Trinity Skete was built and consecrated.
1913 - Grand Duchess Elizabeth Feodorovna visits the Solovetsky Monastery.
1920 - Closing of the monastery by the Soviet authorities.
1923 - Fire in the monastery.
1923 - arrival of the first stage of prisoners on the island.
1939 - Closing of the SLON.
In the period from 1940 to 1970s. on the islands there were training units of the navy.
1967 - Establishment of a museum-reserve and the beginning of restoration work on Solovki.
1990 - Opening of the Solovetsky Monastery.
1992 - Transfer to the Solovetsky Monastery of the relics of St. Zosima, Savvaty and Herman, the Solovetsky wonderworkers.
2000 - 2001 - Revival of sketes on Anzer Island.