St. John the Baptist Monastery (Moscow)

The monastery is located regarding Moscow called by the White city; it gave the name and the area — "The Ivanovo mountain".

History

Beginning of the 16th century: Foundation of the monastery

At the beginning of the 15th century on location to the north from modern Solyanka there was a grand-ducal estate with Vladimirskaya Church (a corner modern Hokhlovsky, Starosadsky and Small Ivanovsky of lanes). In Vasily I's will (1423) this place hereinafter was referred to "the new yard in the country at St. Vladimir". By the end of the 15th century the estate became empty.

Later, by the beginning of the 16th century, directly to the south from Vladimirskaya Church women's Ivanovsky Monastery was founded.

According to one of earlier occurring versions, the monastery was postponed for this place from Zamoskvorechye. Most likely, it was not so. Men's Ivanovsky Monastery "under a pine forest" in Zarechye was abolished, apparently, in the 16th century, and since then only the parish temple of John the Forerunner acted on its place. And the St. John the Baptist Monastery arose on Solyanka independently already as women's, but not men's.

1514: Whether Aleviz Novy built stone cathedral on the Ivanovo hill?

In 1514 Vasily III enjoined to build 11 churches in Moscow, "and to all those churches there was a master Aleviz Fryazin".

This year "on goodwill" the grand duke Vasily III the Italian architect Aleviz Fryazin Novy (possibly, Alviso Lamberti da Montagnano), the architect of Archangel's Cathedral in the Kremlin, erected the stone temple of Beheading of John the Forerunner. The temple was consecrated on August 29, 1515. Concerning location of this temple disputes as at this time in Moscow there were two temples devoted to Beheading of John the Forerunner - in Zamoskvorechye (near Bohr beyond the Moskva River) and in Kulishki are conducted.

In 1928 the short sketch of P.B. Yurgenson about architecture of the Temple of Beheading of John the Forerunner near Bor (beyond the Moskva River) was published in which the remaining balance of the temple of 1514 which allegedly remained in the temple of the 17th century is described. The author surely carried to 1514 podklt churches and more presumably - parts of its walls. No proofs in article were provided - Yurgenson proceeded only from comparison of the plan of the podklet to plans of the Moscow besstolpny temples of the middle - the second half of the 16th century. However its work became the only monographic publication about the temple, the let-out ambassador of the brochure of S. Strakhov and had a strong impact on ideas of this church in the Soviet historiography.

Thus, according to the version of specialists of the 20th century, Aleviz Novy erected Predtechensky the temple on site of the decayed wooden church of Ivanovsky Monastery near Bor which became the first stone temple in Zarechye.

Moscow map of Austrian Sigismund Gerberstein (first third of the 16th century)

Already by the beginning of the 2000th years the hypothesis of podklet accessory to the temple of 1514 unexpectedly found new details: in the directory of monuments of architecture of Zamoskvorechye it is reported that in its lower part the laying from an undersized "alevizovsky" brick remained. However remains unclear on what this judgement as the lower parts of the podklet are revetted with a white stone is based and here it was not succeeded to detect laying traces from an undersized brick (several bricks differing from the others by the sizes, restorers noticed only in a quarter of the doorway conducting from the podklet of a chetverik in podklt apses). According to restorers, the laying of the podklet is one-time with a laying of the walls relating to the XVII century. At last, even if here really there would be a laying from an undersized brick, it could not confirm dating of the temple of 1514 as the opinion on an undersized brick as about construction material of the beginning of the 16th century is insolvent: as S.S. Podjyapolsky convincingly showed, he extends only in the middle - the second half of century. Thus, for 2010, according to A. Batalov and L. Belyaev, any material evidence of existence of the stone temple of 1514 on site of present church in Zamoskovrechye to detect not ^[1].

According to these specialists, at the beginning of the 16th century in Moscow there were two temples of Beheading of John the Forerunner near Bohr which arose independently of each other at different times: in Zarechye and on Kulishki - on site the modern monastery on the Ivanovo hill. At the same time construction traces Alevizy New in 1514 the stone temple "near Bohr, behind the river Moscow" are absent. And, on the contrary, on Kulishki in the 16th century there was a temple which is obviously built by the Italian architect. In a similar situation it is impossible to exclude that the cathedral of Ivanovsky Monastery near Bohr on Kulishki was that temple built Alevizy New which it is mentioned in chronicles under 1514 and with which formation of new typology in the Russian architecture of the first half of the 16th century began.

Church of the Beheading of St. John the Baptist near Bohr on Kulishki. A.A. Martynov's drawing. Middle of the 19th century

Antiquity of the cathedral temple existing in the monastery on the Ivanovo hill before its dismantling in 1859, is confirmed also by its architecture. It was the besstolpny single-headed temple, with three apses which are strongly put forward to the East. At its architecture there were three rabbets giving to its plan a krestoobraznost.

Researchers agree that the cathedral of Ivanovsky Monastery was constructed by one of the Italian masters working in Moscow in 1510 — the 1530th years.

As additional argument for benefit of this version serves that at the beginning of the 15th century the territory of modern Ivanovsky Monastery on Kulishki was a part of farmstead ownerships of the grand duke Vasily Dmitrievich where were his yard, stables and gardens. According to A.I. Batalov, there are essential bases to suspect that the monastery on Kulishki already existed in 1415. In this territory between 1407 and 1417 not only the "new" grand-ducal yard, but also church of Sacred Vladimir was built. To assume quite appropriate, as foundation of the country ruzhny grand-ducal monastery belongs besides to a historical period, i.e. to great reigning of Vasily Dmitrievich. Ruzhny means that the monastery had no earth and existed at the expense of a ruga - payments from the state or from parishioners. In this case - at the expense of the grand duke.

It is remarkable that on this monastery in the 16-17th centuries the toponym "into Sadekh", rather widespread in the Region of Kulishek and joining in the name not only churches of St. Vladimir, but also the Pokrovsk monastery which at the end of the 15th century is mentioned as Pokrov in Sadekh did not pass. It can mean that the toponym "near Bohr" arose earlier and could keep just thanks to the temple or the monastery place. Also the fact that in the 17th century it becomes low-usable and is forced out by more general toponym "on Kulishki" can demonstrate to ancient origin of this toponym.

The second half of the 16th century: Updating of the monastery at the expense of Ivan the Terrible

In the second half of the 16th century the cathedral of Ivanovsky Monastery was updated, probably, at the expense of the tsar Ioann Vasilyevich of IV (Grozny). The monastery devoted to an angel of the tsar Ioann Vasilyevich — to St. John the Forerunner, had no ancestral lands and estates and contained only on a monarchic monetary and grain ruga^[2].

The 17th century: Blessed Marfa, exits of tsars to the monastery, increase in cathedral, the bell tower

At the tsar Mikhail Feodorovich and the queen Eudoxia Lukyanovna to Ivanovsky Monastery in day of Beheading of John the Forerunner festive exits of the tsar were made on August 29. These years in the monastery Marfa, in the world — Darius's maiden was active blissful skhimonakhinya. The queen Eudoxia knew and esteemed Marfa.

At the beginning of the 1640th years the monastic cathedral was considerably increased. From the West, to the temple of the first third of the 16th century attached a refectory with a side-altar of the prelate Nicholas The Wonderworker. Its construction was ended by 1642. Then, probably, built also the stone bell tower on which hung up the new bell merged on command of the tsar Mikhail Fedorovich.

Festive exits to the monastery were made also at the tsar Alexey Mikhaylovich. Possibly, exits by a holiday in Ivanovsky Monastery became on August 29 more regular again at the tsar Ioann Alekseyevich, the brother and the co-governor of Peter I whose name-day was celebrated on August 29. The tsarevitch was born from 26 for August 27, 1666, and an exit of his father, tsar Alexey Mikhaylovich in Ivanovsky Monastery where the festive liturgy and a prayer was served was made on August 29. This day the religious procession to the monastery from the Kremlin was especially solemn. The sovereign saw off in monastery the temple image of St. John the Forerunner updated imperial masters.

Annual visits of Ivanovsky Monastery by the Moscow sovereigns were made not only on August 29. During Easter sovereigns made bypasses of the Moscow monasteries including Ivanovsky. During these bypasses alms and Easter eggs were distributed.

Ivanovsky Monastery was not only ruzhny imperial bogomoly. For many princely and sluzhily Moscow families it performed functions of patrimonial monastery where representatives of these families made a contribution, here they buried the died srodnik. It is known also that representatives of these princely and noble families were tonsured in Ivanovsky Monastery.

By the end of the 17th century the monastic ensemble finally developed. Its territory was surrounded with the stone fencing which replaced a wooden fence. At the end of the century over a stone Sacred gate the investor of the monastery Vasily Savich Narbekov constructed gateway church of Origin of fair trees of the Lord's Life-giving Cross. In the center of the monastery there was a cathedral around which the necropolis was located; here investors and sisters of the monastery were buried.

1701: Peter I's reforms

The changes which concerned in the XVIII century of all monastic life began for Ivanovsky Monastery with reorganization of cells. Peter I's decree of 1701 on replacement in monasteries of wooden cells with stone caused construction them in Ivanovsky Monastery at the expense of treasury. During the first third of the 18th century the social composition of monashestvuyushchy begins to be changed gradually. Abbesses from noble families are succeeded abbesses, coming from clergy and merchants. Elena (Protopopova) elected in 1733 the mother superior from sisters of Ivanovsky Monastery became the first such igumeniya m. She was a daughter of the priest of the temple of Three Prelates on Kulishki.

1739: Exhumation of corpses of founders of sect of "switches"

In Ivanovsky Monastery the founders of sect of "switches" having influence among monashestvuyushchy — Ivan Suslov and Prokopy Lupkin were buried. However, under the senatorial decree of 1739 their corpses were dug and thrown out to the country in the field (according to other data — are burned).

1760: Threat of closing of the monastery, criminal and notable persons

Unexpectedly at the end of reign of the empress Elizabeth Petrovna the threat of closing of Ivanovsky Monastery appeared. On the fourth of July, 1760 the personalized decree of the empress on the device in Moscow Almshouses "honored people of wives in widowhood, and daughters in orphanhood and poverty, the protection and livelihood which do not have" was given. For arrangement of the Almshouse Ivanovsky Monastery was selected. The death of the empress Elizabeth Petrovna which followed soon stopped the enterprise, fatal for the monastery.

As well as in other monasteries, sent to Ivanovsky Monastery under supervision under the imperial decree of the persons who broke moral laws under which there lived the Russian society of the 18th century. Sometimes, sent for eternal contents and these criminals here. But to the monastery under the decree sent to residence not only criminals. The monastery accepted persons whose presence was undesirable in the world for the power priderzhashchy. So, in Catherine the Great's reign as consider, in 1785, at Elisavete's abbesses, to the monastery under the Imperial decree the nun, Dosifey's nun, former, the daughter of the empress Elizabeth Petrovna from a secret, but legal marriage treated Alexey Grigoryevich Razumovsky.

1812: The monastery burned down completely

In 1812 the monastery appeared in the center of the fire and burned out completely. After the fire it was abolished and long time it was not recovered; only the ancient cathedral and the body of cells on the western border of section were recovered.

1858: Elizabeth Mazurina bequeaths 600 thousand rubles on revival of the monastery

The large capital in 600 thousand rubles on revival in Moscow of Ivanovsky Monastery was bequeathed by a podpolkovnitsa Elizabeth Alekseevna Mazurina, on Makarov-Zubachyov's husband (the daughter of Alexey Alekseyevich Mazurin, the Moscow mayor in 1828 — 1831). On March 31, 1858 Elizabeth Alekseevna died and was buried on the Vagankovo Cemetery. Burial of her body was made by the Metropolitan of Moscow and the Kolomna prelate Filaret (Drozdov) (1783 — 1867), and the daughter-in-law, the wife of her late brother Nikolay Alekseyevich — Maria Aleksandrovna Mazurina became the executrix and an ustroitelnitsa of the monastery (mind. On October 21, 1878). Thanks to its works Moscow received a unique architectural complex: walls, towers, the majestic cathedral reminding the cathedral of Santa-Maria-del-Fyore in Florence.

The neo-Renaissance on the project of the Moscow architect Mikhail Dorimedontovich Bykovsky (1801 — 1885) was newly built up in 1860 — 1879, using podklet of old buildings, in style, having become top of works of the architect.

The internal design of the monastery differs in the fact that the cathedral standing in the center is connected to the body on section perimeter four galleries (arcades) which cut internal space on small court yard.

In the territory of St. John the Baptist Monastery the following temples and chapels were located at this time:

• Cathedral of Beheading of Ioanna Predtechi (Moscow) with side-altars of the Kazan icon of the Mother of God and the prelate Nikolay (1879, the architect M.D. Bykovsky).

• The house temple of venerable Elisaveta of a chudotvoritsa, abbesses Constantinople (1879, is recovered in 1995).

• Saint John the Forerunner's chapel (the end of the 19th century, it is recovered in 1992).

1919: Ivanovo concentration camp

In 1918 the monastery was closed; in its territory since August, 1919 the Ivanovo concentration camp, one of 12 Moscow city concentration camps later transformed to the camp of special function was located. Since 1923 hereinafter was referred to as forced-labor camp; since 1927 — "experimental and penitentiary department of the state institute on studying of crime and the criminal". In 1930 the Ivanovo camp was a part of the 1st department of the 7th factory and labor colony of Moscow at GUMZ.

43 nuns and novices moved on the farm situated near Moscow, but in 1929 the economy was nationalized, and the community was taxed for which payment it was necessary to sell out property. The next two years the community lived accidental earnings and alms, and in 1931 power decided "isolate conventuals from society as members of anti-Soviet grouping". At the beginning of May them among 31 persons deprived of electoral rights, on May 20 concluded in Butyrsky prison. All of them were deported by the resolution of the three at the Authorized representation of OGPU across the Moscow region to Kazakhstan.

2002: Resuming of the monastery

In 2002 the monastery was renewed as stavropigialny. The part of the former monastery buildings still belongs to the Ministry of Internal Affairs. There one of the body of the Moscow University of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Russian Federation is located. In the village situated near Moscow the Island in the former noble estate is under construction almshouse — a farmstead of St. John the Baptist Monastery.

2012: Rates of additional education are open

In 2012 in the monastery the rates of additional education for nuns of convents included in the educational system of Russian Orthodox Church under patronage of the Center of education of clergy of Moscow at Novospassky stavropigialny monastery were open. The first two years of training were, are generally devoted to studying of the Scripture of the Old and New Testament, in parallel sisters rather in detail studied a catechism, the history of Church, a church service and church art. The third year of training gave the chance to go deep into studying of works of Holy Fathers of Church and to get acquainted with monastic life of the East and West. The fourth year is allotted for lectures on east and Latin hagiography where lives of Saints in ancient texts and also for classes in patrology and history of development of monkhood in the east are studied.

Author's programs are made especially for these rates. All teachers are leading specialists on the history of Church, Bible Studies, liturgics, church art; employees of MDA, PSTGU, Moscow universities.

Notes