In a picturesque corner of Mordovia lies a true gem, the Orthodox Sanaksar Monastery. Its name may be related to the Russian word "synaxar," meaning brief lives of saints, or to the Mordovian "sanav sara," which translates to marshy land. It may also be connected to Lake Sanaksar, located at the monastery's walls.

Founded in 1659 during the reign of Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich, the monastery is situated three versts from the city of Temnikov, now in the Temnikovsky District of Mordovia. By the early 19th century, it had become a large and well-equipped monastery. From the territory of Temnikov, there is a magnificent view of the Moksha River, along whose banks, amidst pine forests and meadows, the monastery complex is located. The existing buildings were constructed from 1765 to the 1820s under the guidance of the elders Feodor Ushakov and Filaret Byelinin. The complex has a trapezoidal shape, formed by the corps of cells connected by a wall with three corner towers. The main entrance is adorned with a 52-meter high gate church from 1776. In the southeastern part is the Vladimir Church from 1781 and the hospital cells. To the west are the guest houses, and 260 meters away in the pine forest is the cemetery's Vladimir Church from 1806. The architectural composition includes buildings with a complex silhouette and a monumental five-domed cathedral at the center.

The cathedral church, dedicated to the Nativity of the Most Holy Theotokos, has an altar in honor of the Beheading of St. John the Baptist in the lower warm floor. It was built with donations from Catherine II and metropolitan dignitaries. The church features a pyramidal composition: a tall three-tiered temple crowned with five domes. The facades are decorated with multicolored paintings, which is rare in Russian architecture of the New Age. The interiors were painted by Elder Filaret in the Rococo style, characterized by lightness and decorativeness. The combination of Baroque and Rococo is typical of Russian architecture of the mid-18th century.

Sanaksar Monastery, one of the few well-preserved monuments from the second half of the 18th and early 19th centuries, possesses significant artistic value with its Baroque architecture. Nature plays an important role in creating the expressive image of the ensemble, which harmoniously fits into the surrounding landscape. The main relics of the monastery are the relics of St. Feodor, the righteous warrior Feodor Ushakov, and St. Alexander the Confessor. Icons of the Mother of God are also venerated here, and there is a spring of St. Feodor. A hotel operates at the monastery.

The monastery is located at a bend of the Moksha River, three kilometers from Temnikov. It is surrounded by forests to the north and west, while floodplain meadows and numerous lakes lie to the south and east. The history of the monastery spans more than three and a half centuries. In the "Geographical Dictionary of the Russian State" from 1807, the Sanaksar Monastery is described as one of the most significant in the region due to its strict monastic life and beautiful location.

During the revolutionary years, the monastery became a site of events that showed the weakening of the Christian spirit. Part of the brotherhood rebelled against the abbot, Igumen Alexander Urodov, accusing him of anti-Soviet views. The monks appealed to the Bolsheviks for help, and Alexander was arrested and removed from the monastery.

In the 1920s, the monastery was on the verge of closure and was finally closed in 1929. Before that, a robbery occurred: the churches were stripped of bells and crosses, the cemetery was desecrated, and a stable was set up in the cathedral. Later, a mechanization school was established on the monastery grounds, and tractors replaced horses.

The first restoration of the monastery began in the 1970s, but the true revival of the monastery occurred in 1991 when it was returned to the Church.

In 2012, repair and restoration work was carried out in the Brotherhood and Archierey buildings: the roof was replaced, dormer windows were installed, brickwork and drainage pipes were restored. In 2015, the refectory was renovated, and in 2018, the foundations of the Igumen building were reinforced and the roof was updated.