Holy Dormition Svyatogorsk Monastery. Donetsk region, Svyatogorsk monastery: history, abbot, relics and shrines Svyatogorsk monastery Pushkin mountains icons
On June 6, on the birthday of Alexander Sergeevich Pushkin, we went to the Pushkin poetry festival in the Pushkin Nature Reserve, where we had a good time walking around Mikhailovsky and the surrounding area, and also visited the Svyatogorsk Monastery at the grave of the great Russian poet. So the next few posts will be devoted to Pushkin’s places.
We went to Pushkinskiye Gory on a regular bus, which departed from the Pskov bus station at 07.28 in the morning and already two hours later, i.e. at 09.30, we were there. Free minibuses, which on the Pushkin holiday take everyone from the Pushkin Hills bus station to Mikhailovsky, where all the main festive events traditionally take place, started running only from 10 in the morning and we still had time to get to the Svyatogorsk Monastery, where the grave of A. S. Pushkin. I will begin my photo report about the trip with a story about the monastery.
Sinichya Mountain, on which the miraculous icon of the Mother of God Hodegetria was revealed to the resident shepherd Timothy, was first mentioned in the Pskov III Chronicle in 1566. The Holy Dormition Svyatogorsk Monastery was founded by order of Tsar Ivan IV in 1569 and has been one of the most revered in Rus' since ancient times. Among the many gifts of kings and nobles kept in the monastery were a 15-pound bell granted by Ivan the Terrible, popularly nicknamed Goryun, and the Gospel - a gift from Tsar Mikhail Fedorovich. Today you can see fragments of the bell, ordered by Abbot Innocent, manufactured at the Tyulenev factory in Moscow in 1753.
The fate of the monastery changed significantly in the 18th century, when the Russian border moved to the shores of the Baltic, and especially after the decree of Catherine II in 1764, according to which the monastery was classified as third-rate, and its lands and other lands were transferred to the treasury. However, it remained famous among the people for its shrines and the wealth of fairs dedicated to patronal feasts- Ninth Friday after Easter and Intercession Holy Mother of God.
Since the 19th century, the Svyatogorsk Monastery has been inextricably linked with the name of A.S. Pushkin. During the years of Mikhailovsky's exile (1824-1826), the poet often visited the Svyatogorsk Monastery - he came to fairs, observed folk customs, used the monastery library, and was friendly with the brethren and the abbot of the monastery, Abbot Jonah. Much of what Pushkin noted here was used when writing “Boris Godunov.”
The poet's maternal relatives, the Hannibals, were donors to the monastery and received the right to be buried at the altar of the Assumption Cathedral.
The Svyatogorsk Monastery became the last earthly refuge of A.S. himself. Pushkin. On February 6 (18), 1837, after a funeral service in the southern aisle of the Assumption Cathedral, celebrated by Archimandrite Gennady, the poet’s body was interred at the altar wall. Four years later, a marble monument was installed on the grave, commissioned by Pushkin’s widow and under the care of the St. Petersburg master of monumental affairs A.M. Permogorov. There is an inscription on it: “Alexander Sergeevich Pushkin was born in Moscow on May 26, 1799, died in St. Petersburg on January 29, 1837.”
In 1924, the Svyatogorsk Monastery was closed, and before the start of World War II there was a club, a printing house, and a bakery here. The years of war brought terrible destruction to the monastery; it, along with Pushkin’s grave, was mined and miraculously not blown up.
The Assumption Cathedral was restored in 1949. Then an exhibition was opened here dedicated to the history of the monastery, the work of A.S. Pushkin, the duel, death and funeral of the poet.
In 1992, the Holy Dormition Svyatogorsk Monastery was transferred to the Russian Orthodox Church. Today the Assumption Cathedral is active temple, and its territory is used jointly by the Pushkin Nature Reserve and the Pskov Diocese. About 25 novices and monks live in the monastery (in Pushkin’s time, 10 people lived in the monastery). In the morning and evening, in accordance with the monastic charter, services are held; daily the monastic brethren commemorate A.S. Pushkin "with relatives".
The monastery is surrounded by an ancient stone fence.
Steps leading to the Assumption Cathedral
Grave of A.S. Pushkin
The inscription on the monument: “Alexander Sergeevich Pushkin. was born in Moscow on May 26, 1799, died in St. Petersburg on January 29, 1837.”
Family cemetery of the Ganiballs-Pushkins. Buried here are the poet's grandfather Osip (Joseph) Abramovich Hannibal (died in 1806), grandmother Maria Alekseevna (1818), mother Nadezhda Osipovna (1836) and father Sergei Lvovich (1848). The younger brother Plato, who died in infancy in 1819, is buried in the Assumption Cathedral.
Bell tower of the Assumption Cathedral
How thorough everything is here!
We went to the Assumption Cathedral. There was a service going on there and, of course, I didn’t take pictures.
The memorial plaque recalls that the coffin with the body of the poet, delivered here from St. Petersburg on February 5, 1837, was placed before the funeral in the chapel of the Mother of God Hodegetria.
From the cathedral we descended along another, but no less solid stone staircase.
While tourists can enter the territory of the Assumption Cathedral freely, the rest of the monastery territory is a closed zone for them.
The article describes the history of the Holy Dormition Svyatogorsk Lavra.
Base
The first monks appeared on the territory of the modern Svyatogorsk Monastery in the Donetsk region back in the sixteenth century. In one of the historical documents of 1526, these places are called the “Holy Mountains”. They are briefly described in the notes of Sigismund Herberstein. The exact date of foundation of the Svyatogorsk Monastery in the Donetsk region is unknown. Most likely, it dates back to the middle of the 16th century. It is certain that in 1624 the clergy received the right to use this land. And fifty years later the monastery was plundered by non-believers, namely the Crimean Tatars.
Abolition of the monastery
After the invasion of the Crimean Tatars, the monastery was partially restored. Of course, the work of the temple located on its territory has also resumed. However, at the end of the 18th century, the monastery was abolished by decree of Catherine II. The land and lands that belonged to him went to the treasury. Nearby villages for a long time owned by representatives of the Potemkin family. The monastery remained in its abolished state for more than half a century.
Renaissance
In 1844, Tatyana Potemkina filed petition to the emperor, in which asked to restore the work of the monastery. Nicholas I fulfilled her request. The monastery was restored, and over the next seventy years it reached unprecedented prosperity. The monastery became one of the largest in the empire. When did it change its status and become the Svyatogorsk Lavra, known throughout the country? In the second half of the 19th century, the question of this was raised several times. Brick workshops, trading shops, and a mill operated on the territory of the monastery; believers from nearby provinces came here. But the status was assigned much later - at the beginning of the 21st century.
By the beginning of the First World War, more than 600 novices lived within the walls of the monastery. The history of the Svyatogorsk Monastery includes both joyful and tragic pages. The sad ones tell about the 20s of the last century, when a new government was established in the country, and monasteries were mercilessly destroyed. Fyodor Sergeev, who used to sign the name Artyom, played a significant role in the fate of the monastery. Many objects in the Lugansk and Donetsk regions are named in honor of this politician. One of the central streets of Donetsk bears his name. At Sergeev’s suggestion, some monasteries were not completely destroyed, but were, of course, used for completely different purposes.
The relics and shrines of the Svyatogorsk Monastery were destroyed in the early twenties. Fortunately, the Bolsheviks did not blow up the historical buildings. In 1922, on the territory of the Svyatogorsk Monastery in the Donetsk region, a rest home was founded, intended for the working people of Donbass.
The nineties
After the collapse of the Soviet Union, the monastery was returned to believers. At first, several novices from Donetsk settled on its territory. In 1992, the monastery was given the Holy Assumption Cathedral, which over the past decades was looted, desecrated, and turned into a cinema. Part of the temple has been converted into public toilets. The ancient building itself is divided into two floors.
The number of brothers increased significantly in the mid-nineties. Restoration and restoration of the temple began. In 2003, all the historical buildings that once belonged to it were transferred to the monastery. For several decades they were treated as a sanatorium.
The monastery was revived very actively, which had a beneficial effect on the spiritual life of the entire region. And finally, in 2004, the monastery received the status of a monastery. For believers in Ukraine, this event was of great significance. The Holy Dormition Svyatogorsk Lavra became the third monastery in the country. It is worth saying that of the monks of this monastery, 17 are canonized. Today the Lavra is the spiritual center of the eastern part of Ukraine and southern Russia.
Of course, it is impossible to tell about all the abbots of the Svyatogorsk Monastery. Over the long history of the existence of the Svyatogorsk Lavra there have been many of them. In addition, information about many of them has been lost. But it is worth saying a few words about those about whom something is known.
Joel Ozeryansky
He came from a Cossack family. He labored in the monastery of Svyatogorsk. In 1663 he took part in the founding of the Kuryazhsky Monastery. But soon he returned to Svetogorsk again. In 1679, Ozeryansky already became rector. There were few novices then, about thirty. Ozeryansky devoted a lot of effort to the arrangement of the monastery. During these years, Tatar raids were not uncommon. Not only the monastery itself suffered from them. The abbot and several novices were once captured, where they spent more than two years. The exact date of Ozeryansky's death is unknown. In the 19th century, there was a failure in one of the crypts. Joel's relics were found incorrupt. In 2008, Ozeryansky was canonized.
Arseny Mitrofanov
This clergyman was the abbot of the monastery in the first half of the 19th century. He was born in 1805 at the age of 27 and went to Solovetsky Monastery, where he lived for only a year. In 1835 he entered the Glinsk Hermitage. Arseny Mitrofanov became the rector of the Svyatogorsk Monastery in 1844. He died fifteen years later.
Trifon Skripchenko
This is the last abbot of the Svyatogorsk Monastery in the era Russian Empire. In 1922, he was arrested for hiding church valuables and sentenced to two years in prison.
Today the rector of the monastery is Arseniy Yakovenko.
Monastery today
Svyatogorsk Ukrainian Monastery Orthodox Church Thousands of pilgrims visit every year. At the moment, the Assumption Cathedral, the Intercession Church and the bell tower have been completely restored. All Saints Skete can be called real monuments of wooden architecture.
There are more than a hundred novices in the monastery. In the summer of 2014, more than 800 refugees found shelter here.
The Lavra is located in a picturesque location. It already attracts the attention of everyone who comes to Svyatogorsk from afar. Residents come here every year various cities Ukraine and Russia. On Easter there are especially many people in the monastery. Caves to visit in holidays closed. Housing prices rise sharply in Svyatogorsk during this period.
Excursions
The monks who appeared here back in the 16th century settled on Today this mountain is riddled with passages and cells. You can only get here accompanied by a guide. Photography is prohibited. Before going to the Svyatogorsk Monastery, you should find out whether the entrance to the cave is open these days. If, of course, visiting her is included in the program. Tour guides tell amazing stories. For example, that one of the entrances was dug literally under the Seversky Donets River. But this tunnel is definitely closed to tourists. First of all, because of its danger.
The Svyatogorsk Monastery is located on the highest elevation. There are two options for the way up. The first one is quite short, it will take no more than thirty minutes. But sometimes it is open exclusively to clergy. The long road, along a serpentine road, will take at least an hour to climb to the monastery. But this long journey is worth going through. After all, from the height there is an amazing view of the city and the monastery.
On the territory of the monastery, the rules are, of course, quite strict. There are signs everywhere reminding you that photography is prohibited. According to tourists, strict rules primarily concern the appearance of women. But most likely, the authors of such reviews do not visit monasteries very often, and therefore numerous prohibitions seem too harsh to them. Still, before visiting the Svyatogorsk Lavra, you should familiarize yourself with the rules. The territory of the monastery is under the protection of the Don Cossacks, who ensure that order is maintained.
There is also quite interesting museum, dedicated to the history of the monastery. Entrance cost is no more than 50 rubles. You can take photographs in the museum, but for a fee, which, however, according to reviews, is symbolic. In the museum, tourists also buy all kinds of souvenirs.
Holy Dormition Svyatogorsk monastery
, located near Pskov, was once one of the richest and most important. It still retains traces of its former greatness, and is also known for its connection with the great Russian poet A.S. Pushkin.
You will learn about this and other interesting details related to the sights and shrines of the Svyatogorsk Holy Dormition Monastery in the Pushkin Mountains by reading my story.
Where is the Svyatogorsk Monastery located?
Svyatogorsk Monastery is located in the village. Pushkin Mountains, Pskov region at st. Pushkinskaya, 1.
Contact numbers: +7(81146)23785, 23571, 23628.
Fax: +7(81146)23389.
What is the best way to get to the monastery?
The best way to get to the Svyatogorsk Monastery is by bus from Pskov. The routes Pskov - Novorzhev, Pskov - Pushkin Mountains, Pskov - .
Important! You can get to Pskov by train, bus, car, or by plane.
By your car you can get from Pushkinskiye Gory and the monastery in two ways:- Via highway E-95/R-23;
- Across Highway 58K-96.
Both routes pass through Pskov.
Features of visiting the monastery
The monastery is open to visitors daily from 7:00 to 20:00.
Did you know? You can walk around the territory of the monastery, visit its churches, take part in divine services and sacraments, order religious services, and, if you wish, perform obediences for the benefit of the monastery.
Regarding pilgrimage to the monastery, you can contact:
- +79113693435 (monastery);
- +79212127869 (monastery monastery and subsidiary farm).
You can be advised about working in the monastery by phone:
- +79118964448 , +7953201958 (monastery);
- +79212127869 , +79113989282 (monastery skete);
- +79113916035 , +79116900711 (subsidiary farm).
Schedule of services
Divine services in the monastery are held daily.
- During weekdays The morning service, consisting of the Brotherly Prayer Service, the Midnight Office, the Hours and the Liturgy, begins at 6:30, the evening service at 17:00.
- On Sundays and holidays The first morning service is held at 9:00 and consists of the Hours and Liturgy. At the evening Sunday service, which begins at 17:00, one of the Akathists of St. Mother of God.
- In addition, on every 1st Sunday of the month a conciliar prayer is read for the Calling of the Holy Spirit for a good deed, and on every 4th Sunday a prayer of thanksgiving to Jesus Christ is read.
Where can you stay near the monastery?
Did you know? For workers, free accommodation is possible in the monastery skete and meals in the monastery refectory.
Pilgrims can stay in hotels and guest houses in the village. Pushkin Mountains.
Sights of the monastery
Once upon a time the Svyatogorsk monastery was one of the richest and most prosperous.
Did you know? Founded by order of Tsar Ivan the Terrible, the monastery for a long time remained a “favorite” of the rulers, who constantly made generous gifts. The monastery's collection of bells was especially famous, which included a huge 15-pound silver bell, donated by Ivan the Terrible.
Later, by order of Tsarina Catherine, the monastery was classified as “third-rate”, after which its development stopped. And after the bombs fell on it during the Second World War and the subsequent restoration, the monastery is now only a shadow of the wealth that it once represented.
But even now there is something to see here.
The main temple of the monastery is Assumption Cathedral, built in 1569. This beautiful building, made in the traditions of local temple architecture by Pskov craftsmen.
In the 18th century, two chapels were added to it: in honor miraculous icons of the Mother of God Hodigtria and the Intercession of the Most Holy. Mother of God, which are kept here to this day.
Also on the territory of the monastery you can see:
It was in the monastery that the body of the late Pushkin was buried and he was seen off on his last journey.
Nowadays, on the territory of the Svyatogorsk Monastery there is a Memorial Museum, dedicated to the life and work of the great poet.
Photo of the Svyatogorsk Monastery in Pushkin Mountains
The Svyatogorsk Monastery is a very cozy and secluded place, located among beautiful nature.
Ancient staircase leading to the main temple of the monastery. 
The grave of A. S. Pushkin is constantly decorated with flowers brought by pilgrims in memory of the great poet. 
Memory of the former greatness of the monastery. 
The Svyatogorsk Icon of the Mother of God is one of the main shrines of the monastery. 
Svyatogorsk Monastery - film
Personally, I really like such quiet and cozy monasteries, located away from the city noise and crowds of tourists. You can come here for privacy, peace and tranquility. You can easily and boldly renounce the worldly and remember the eternal, devote yourself to prayers and soul searching.
The Pushkin Museum is an additional “bonus” and very pleasant, especially for literature lovers.
Did you like the Svyatogorsk Monastery?
Svyatogorsk Assumption Monastery in the Pushkin Mountains is one of the significant places for Russian history, architecture, religion and secular culture. Each era has brought significant changes here. For several centuries, efforts have been made to preserve it in its original form. Churches built on sites of miraculous phenomena, mighty fortress walls, nature - all this attracts believers and tourists here.
Story
In a modern village called Pushkinskiye Gory, the Svyatogorsk Monastery was founded in the 16th century on the site of miracles that occurred. Having learned about the appearance of the miraculous icon of the Mother of God and healings to the young shepherd, Ivan the Terrible ordered the construction of a church on Sinichya Mountain. The Church of the Dormition of the Blessed Virgin Mary was erected at this place; its throne was built just above the pine stump where the icon appeared. The settlement of Tobolenets was founded at the monastery, which over time grew and was renamed the village of Holy Mountains.
It is known that Ivan the Terrible granted the Svyatogorsk Monastery a fifteen-pound bell made at the Tyulenev factory. And Tsar Fyodor Mikhailovich donated the Gospel. The huge bell was popularly nicknamed “Goryun” for its plaintive voice. Only a fragment of it, located in the courtyard, has survived to this day. Until the 18th century, the monastery was first-rate and had many lands. During the reign of Catherine, it became third-class and was deprived of most of its possessions, but it did not lose its importance for Russia.
Temple and Pushkin
Not far from the monastery is the family estate of A.S. Pushkin - the village of Mikhailovskoye. It was built by the poet’s maternal grandfather, Osip Abramovich Hannibal.
Pushkin’s grandmother and grandfather (Maria Alekseevna Hannibal and Osip Abramovich Hannibal) made significant donations to the temple. This gave the family the right to be buried next to the monastery. Pushkin visited these places after graduating from the Lyceum.
He developed a particularly close connection with the monastery during his exile for atheism. Then Jonah was appointed to spiritually monitor Pushkin. As a result, they became close trusting relationship. Pushkin also became friends with the entire monastery brethren.
Abbot Jonah spoke positively about what he observed. The poet here collected images of characters, sayings, sayings that contain folk wisdom. They became the material for the famous and significant works “Boris Godunov” and “Belkin’s Tale”. And, in the end, the great poet found peace in the monastery. He himself, his mother, grandmother, grandfather and brother, who died in infancy, are buried here. According to legend, Pushkin, when he buried his mother, paid for his own grave, as if he had a presentiment of his imminent death.
So, in the 19th century, the village of Holy Mountains was renamed Pushkin Mountains. The Svyatogorsk Monastery, in contrast, retained its name. And these days you can come and visit the grave of the great poet and leave flowers. And church ministers commemorate Pushkin and his relatives every day in prayer services.
Temple in the 20th century
Even before the war, when Soviet power came, the temple was closed. The premises were used as a bakery, printing house, and club. During the Patriotic War, the Svyatogorsk Monastery (Pushkin Mountains) was greatly damaged by bombing, St. Nicholas Church and other buildings were completely destroyed. The Nazis sought to destroy both the religious monument and, according to their plan, the explosion of these objects cultural heritage was supposed to undermine the spirit of the Russian soldier. Fortunately, our compatriots managed to go on the offensive and clear the monument at the poet’s grave. In memory of these events, a memorial dedicated to the liberation of the Pushkin Mountains was built.
In 1949, the Assumption Cathedral was restored by the Academy of Sciences, and then a museum exhibition was opened. But it is unknown whether this would have been done if the poet’s grave had not been here.
And only in 1992 the temple was transferred back to the Russian Orthodox Church and the Svyatogorsk Monastery itself (Pushkin Mountains) was revived, repeating as much as possible the appearance of the times of the great poet’s life.
Schedule of services
In the village of Pushkinskie Gory, the Svyatogorsky Monastery has the following schedule of services.
Ordinary morning services on weekdays begin at 6:30 - Midnight Office, Liturgy, Hours, Brotherly Prayer Service.
Sunday and holiday morning services begin at 9:00 - Liturgy, Hours.
Evening services on weekdays, Sundays and holidays - from 17:00.
Every first Sunday of the month, at the end of the Liturgy, a cathedral prayer service is held for the Calling of the Holy Spirit for every good deed.
Every fourth Sunday of the month they serve the Blessed Prayer Service to our Savior Lord Jesus Christ.
Each Sunday service includes one of the akathists to the Blessed Virgin Mary.
Other attractions
Above we talked about the Svyatogorsk Monastery and family estate in the village of Mikhailovskoye, which became a museum-reserve. But these are not the only attractions. includes the estates Mikhailovskoye, Trigorskoye, Petrovskoye, Savkina Gorka.
In the village of Pushkinskie Gory there is the Svyatogorsk Monastery and the grave of A.S. Pushkin is of course very popular. But besides them, there is the Temple of the Kazan Icon of the Mother of God and the Scientific and Cultural Center. Also interesting in the vicinity of the Pushkin Mountains are: a mill in the village of Bugrovo, the Museum Post Office, an ornithological nursery and a private house-museum named after Sergei Dovlatov.
Tourism and pilgrimage
As you can see, this area is the center of various monuments and is popular today. Local hotels offer their rooms and services, travel agencies- selection of different tours. And believers can expect various pilgrimage trips to churches, including the Svyatogorsk Monastery (Pushkin Mountains).
Photos taken in these ancient places, which have preserved their spirit since Pushkin’s times, are also very impressive. Anyone interested in the Pskov region can choose something to suit their taste.
From St. Petersburg or Pskov you can get there by buses following the directions Pskov - Velikiye Luki, Pskov - Novorzhev, Pskov - Pushkin Mountains (Svyatogorsky Monastery).
By car from St. Petersburg to Pushkin Mountains you need to take the E95, M20 highway.
From Moscow there's a train coming to Velikiye Luki, from there transfer to a bus to Pushkinogorye. By car from Moscow - along the E22, M9 highway, after the city of Pustoshka you should turn onto the E95, M20 highway.
Sinichya Mountain, on which the miraculous icon of the Mother of God Hodegetria was revealed to the resident shepherd Timothy, was first mentioned in the Pskov III Chronicle under the year 1566. The Holy Dormition Svyatogorsk Monastery was founded by order of Tsar Ivan IV in 1569 and from ancient times was one of the most revered in Rus' . Among the many gifts of kings and nobles kept in the monastery were a 15-pound bell granted by Ivan the Terrible, popularly nicknamed Goryun, and the Gospel - a gift from Tsar Mikhail Fedorovich. Today you can see fragments of the bell, ordered by Abbot Innocent, manufactured at the Tyulenev factory in Moscow in 1753.
The fate of the monastery changed significantly in the 18th century, when the Russian border moved to the shores of the Baltic, and especially after the decree of Catherine II in 1764, according to which the monastery was classified as third-rate, and its lands and other lands were transferred to the treasury. However, it remained famous among the people for its shrines and the wealth of fairs dedicated to patronal holidays - the Ninth Friday of Easter and the Intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary.
Since the 19th century, the monastery has been inextricably linked with the name of Alexander Sergeevich Pushkin. Living in Mikhailovskoye, the poet came here in moments of creative quest and to bow to the graves of his ancestors, whose memory he sacredly treasured.
While working on the drama “Boris Godunov,” A. S. Pushkin strove for the utmost historical truthfulness in depicting the characters of his heroes. He achieved this by studying the Chronicles, “History of the Russian State” by N. M. Karamzin and local sources. The poet used the archive and library, which was located in the small room of the “brotherly” building. It contained the chronicle of the monastery, which contained a record of the participation of the first abbot of the monastery, Zosima, in the Zemsky Sobor of 1598, which elected Boris Godunov to the kingdom.
Pushkin loved to visit Svyatogorsk fairs, where he listened to the bright and figurative folk speech, memorized and wrote down the most interesting and characteristic “from life”. Visits to these fairs, observations of the life of the inhabitants and visitors of the monastery, meetings with holy fools, stories of wanderers about long-past events - “the legends of deep antiquity” - undoubtedly found a creative reflection in the images of the heroes of “Boris Godunov”.
The monastery is surrounded by an ancient stone fence. There are two gates leading into it - the Saints, or Pyatnitsky, which were formerly located at the lost Pyatnitskaya Church, and Anastasyevsky (after the name of the unpreserved Anastasyevsky chapel, located at the entrance to the monastery). Next to the Holy Gate is the governor's house, built in 1911. St. Nicholas Gate (named after the lost St. Nicholas Church) leads from the Saint to the black (trading) courtyard of the monastery. Adjacent to the Anastasyevsky Gate is an ancient stone lighthouse for the gatekeeper. Two stone stairs lead to the Assumption Cathedral and the Hannibal-Pushkin family cemetery. In the 18th century, two chapels were added to the ancient Assumption Church - Pokrovsky and Odigitrievsky. In the Odigitrievsky chapel there was a coffin with the poet’s body the night before the burial.
Buried in the monastery at the Hannibal-Pushkin family cemetery are: the poet’s grandfather Osip Abramovich Hannibal /1806/, grandmother Maria Alekseevna /1818/, mother Nadezhda Osipovna /1836/ and father Sergei Lvovich /1848/. The younger brother Plato, who died in 1819, is apparently buried in the Assumption Cathedral.
The Svyatogorsk Monastery became Pushkin’s last earthly refuge. On February 6/18, 1837, after a funeral service in the southern aisle of the Assumption Cathedral, celebrated by Archimandrite Gennady, the poet’s body was interred at the altar wall. Four years later, a marble monument was installed on the grave, commissioned by Pushkin’s widow and under the care of the St. Petersburg master of monumental affairs A. M. Permogorov. There is an inscription on it: “Alexander Sergeevich Pushkin was born in Moscow on May 26, 1799, died in St. Petersburg on January 29, 1837.”
In 1924 the monastery was closed.
Many monastery buildings were seriously damaged during the Great Patriotic War, others, like the St. Nicholas Church, were completely destroyed. The Assumption Cathedral was restored in 1949. An exhibition dedicated to the history of the monastery, the work of A.S. Pushkin, the duel, death and funeral of the poet was opened here.
In 1992, the Holy Dormition Svyatogorsk Monastery was returned to permanent and free use Russian Orthodox Church. On May 29, with the participation of Patriarch of Moscow and All Rus' Alexy II, services were solemnly resumed in his Assumption Cathedral. Today this cathedral is operational, and its territory is used jointly by the Pushkin Reserve and the Diocese. About 25 novices and monks live in the monastery (in Pushkin’s time, 10 people lived in the monastery). The monks cultivate the monastery lands, engage in agriculture. Open on Sunday church school. With the blessing of the governor, the monks receive pilgrims.
In the morning and evening, in accordance with the monastery charter, services are held; daily the monastic brethren commemorate A. S. Pushkin “and his relatives.”
