The Church in the name of the Intercession of the Mother of God is a stone, warm, two-story building located in the enclosure on the eastern side of the monastery, among stone structures. It was built and consecrated in 1832 thanks to the efforts of Princess Khovanskaya, who took the veil under the name of Paraskeva. On the western side, the church has a small semicircular projection covered with an iron roof with two slopes, in the center of which rises a small dome with a head and an iron cross. The entrance to the church is located on the northern side and leads first to a semicircular porch, separated from the church by a solid wall. Initially, access to the second floor was via an external staircase, but in 1886 an internal staircase was built. There is a large square opening in the ceiling of the church, enclosed by a railing, leading to the upper floor.
The iconostasis in the church is two-tiered and quadrangular with straight lines. To the right of the royal gates is the image of the Not-Made-By-Hand Savior in a silver robe behind glass, which is revered as miraculous and is taken out for processions on special occasions. Nearby is a part of the Lord's robe in a small silver reliquary. This image belonged to the schemamonk Paraskeva Khovanskaya. To the left of the royal gates is the icon of the Intercession of the Mother of God, also in a silver robe. In addition to these icons, there is a locally revered icon of the Merciful Savior and Saint Great Martyr Panteleimon, sent from Athos. The upper floor of the church contains altars in the name of John the Baptist and Archangel Michael.
The altars on the upper floor were arranged in 1851 thanks to the nun Kaleriya Strinevskaya. They are located in a single line and have no divisions. Initially, the entrance was from the outside, but in 1866 it was replaced with a new one leading from the porch of the Intercession Church. The iconostasis here is single-tiered and linear, decorated with gilded carvings. The icons were painted by the sisters of the monastery themselves. The church has facilities for elderly and infirm sisters with a hospital, so the church is referred to as the hospital church.
During the Soviet era, the church housed wards for the disabled and for some time the office of a state farm. In 2003, after restoration, it became the main church of the monastery.
The monastery's relics include parts of the relics of the Kyiv-Pechersk saints, Saint Theodosius of Chernihiv, Venerable Theodosius of Totma, Alexander of Svir, and Euphrosynus of Sinozersk.
Comments
No comments yet. Be the first.
To leave a comment, sign in with Google.