The village of Bogorodichno is beautifully situated in a valley between chalk mountains, not far from the Svyatogorsk Monastery, upstream of the Donets River, among the rising hills along the banks of the Holy Mountains. The area around Bogorodichno is rich in archaeological monuments. Researchers have discovered traces of ancient settlements from various eras and cultures here. On the territory of the Holy Mountains, archaeologists found five fortified settlements of the Khazar Khaganate: Tsarino, Sidorovo, Svyatogorsk, Teplinskoye, and in the village of Tatyankovka. Two of them, Teplinskoye and Svyatogorsk, are in close proximity to Bogorodichno.
In the 16th-17th centuries, an embassy road passed through the village from Tsareborisov with a crossing over the Seversky Donets towards Mount Mlynkovaya. According to popular legend, in the early 18th century, the icon of the Mother of God "Joy of All Who Sorrow" was miraculously found on the surface of the water in one of the village wells, and since then the settlement has been called Bogorodichno.
In 1847, with the funds of Privy Councillor Alexander Mikhailovich Potemkin, a stone church was built in Bogorodichno in honor of the icon of the Mother of God "Joy of All Who Sorrow." The "Reference Book for the Kharkov Diocese," published by I. Samoilovich in 1904, contains information about the church: a land plot of about 3 desyatinas, arable and haymaking lands, 33 desyatinas. The endowment amounted to 300 rubles, with the clergy using the interest. There were 1,528 male parishioners and 1,312 female parishioners. The clergy consisted of a priest, a deacon, and a psalmist. The priest's salary was 141 rubles 12 kopecks, the psalmist's 35 rubles 28 kopecks, and the deacon received no salary. The clergy resided in church houses. The village had zemstvo, Sunday, and two church-parish schools.
By 1908, there were already 2,208 male parishioners and 2,052 female parishioners in the church. After its closure, the church was used for storing grain for some time, and in 1938-1939 it was almost completely dismantled. The church house was turned into a local club, but the construction of a new club from church bricks was not completed due to the war, which destroyed all unfinished structures. The old village cemetery near the church was also almost completely destroyed. Only the spring, where the icon of the Mother of God "Joy of All Who Sorrow" was miraculously found, remained. This spring with clean water continued to be revered despite the decades of godless ideology that passed. Although many no longer remembered the legend of the miracle, people preferred to take water from it and called it holy. Locals recount that during the war, people often came to the spring for water for wounded soldiers. This water was used to wash wounds, and they healed quickly. According to some old-timers, the spring was destroyed during the demining of the area, while others say it was during road construction.
The history of the Holy Sorrows Church is closely linked to the history of the Svyatogorsk Monastery. The church in Bogorodichno was destroyed after the monastery was closed and began to be revived when the monastery experienced its third rebirth. On June 5, 1997, the Svyatogorsk monks held the first service in Bogorodichno, and on July 20, 2000, the church was laid. The construction involved the Svyatogorsk monastery, local benefactors, and ordinary villagers. The majority of the work for the creation of the church was taken on by the Lunev brothers. For the decoration and beautification of the church, including the iconostases, frescoes, and mosaics, Sergey Georgievich Lunev invited the best masters. In five years, a unique church with five domes was built, adorned with a magnificent iconostasis made of green Indian marble with gilded carvings. The main icons and frescoes of the church were painted by the Moscow master A.I. Chashkin. The church is decorated with mosaic compositions by A.D. Kornoukhova and T. Babushkina.
During the construction, the Svyatogorsk brotherhood came to conduct services. They first served in a tent, then among bare brick walls, and later arranged a church in honor of St. Sergius of Radonezh. Thus, the village received another holy patron. On July 16, 2002, the church gained a voice: ten bells were consecrated and raised to the bell tower. The largest bell, weighing 1.3 tons, bears an image of the icon of the Mother of God "Joy of All Who Sorrow" and a commemorative inscription stating that it was cast by the efforts of the Lunev brothers.
On February 14, 2005, Bishop Alipiy and Archimandrite Arseniy consecrated the church in honor of the icon of the Mother of God "Joy of All Who Sorrow." The upper church was consecrated by Bishop Alipiy, and the lower one by Archimandrite Arseniy. The newly consecrated church contained the relics of saints. Almost immediately after the consecration, the church was transformed into the Mother of God Women's Skete of the Svyatogorsk Lavra. For the residents of the skete, a three-story building with cells and a refectory was built next to the church. The first resident was nun Lavrentiya, who later took monastic vows with the name Lyubov. In May 2006, the first monastic tonsure took place, and in December of the same year, the skete was granted official status. The spiritual father of the skete became Archimandrite Zosima Levin.
Not far from the site of the former spring, a new spring and chapel in honor of St. Prince Alexander Nevsky were established. The chapel was consecrated in 2005, and its painting was completed in 2007. Inside is a marble bowl with a cross, from which water flows.
On November 6, 2008, the monastery celebrated the feast day and the return of the ancient icon of the Mother of God "Joy of All Who Sorrow," which survived the revolution and the war and returned to the church after almost 100 years. The icon depicts the village of Bogorodichno, the former church, the spring, and the school, as well as the prophecy of the Mother of God about the place of the new church.
Every year, more and more people came to the church, especially for Sunday and holiday services. On feast days, the church could not accommodate all the worshippers, and the construction of a more spacious two-story church began: the upper one is dedicated to the Annunciation of the Most Holy Theotokos, and the lower one to Prince Vladimir. The construction began on October 29, 2009.
On July 10, 2010, Archimandrite Zosima Levin consecrated the Cross of Veneration installed at the entrance to the village. On June 14, 2013, Archbishop Arseniy consecrated the bells for the new church, and on August 15, the crosses that were installed on the church in honor of the Annunciation of the Most Holy Theotokos.
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