Zverin-Pokrovsky Monastery, formerly a women's monastery of the Russian Orthodox Church, is located in Veliky Novgorod on the left bank of the Volkhov River, near the mouth of the Gzen River.

The name of the monastery is associated with Zverinets, a protected forest where Novgorod princes hunted wild animals. The first mention of Zverinets appears in the Novgorod Chronicle in the second half of the 11th century. In 1069, when the troops of the Polotsk prince Vseslav Bryachislavovich approached Novgorod, the Novgorodians, according to the chronicler, "set up a regiment against them at Zverinets on the Gzen." The exact date of the monastery's founding is unknown, but in 1148, a wooden church of the Protection of the Mother of God is mentioned, which burned down due to a lightning strike. The stone church of the Protection was built in 1335 under Archbishop Vasily and rebuilt in 1399. In 1467, a wooden church of Simeon the God-Receiver appeared in the monastery, erected in one day during a plague epidemic. The following year, under Archbishop Ion, it was rebuilt in stone.

According to the inventory book of Leonty Aksakov from 1582-1583, there were three churches on the monastery's territory: the stone church of the Protection of the Most Holy Theotokos, the church of Simeon the God-Receiver, and a wooden church of the Annunciation. The time of construction and disappearance of the latter is unknown. In the "List of Novgorod Monasteries and Churches" from 1615, compiled after the Swedish devastation, it is not mentioned, but in the inventory of 1682, it is again listed among the monastery's buildings. It is likely that reconstructions took place in the late 16th-17th centuries, as in the "List" the main church is named in honor of the Placement of the Robe of the Mother of God.

The Swedish occupation from 1611-1617 caused significant damage to the monastery. In 1721, it was annexed to the Syrkov Monastery, and the nuns were transferred there. Six years later, the monastery was restored, and its revival began. From the early 19th century, large donations led to extensive construction work.

In 1827-1829, the monastery owned 465 peasants and 437 desyatinas of land. The main church of the Protection was being reconstructed. In the 1840s-1860s, under Abbess Agnia, a stone fence with five towers was erected, a gate bell tower with a building was constructed, as well as the abbot's and sisters' houses. In 1899-1901, a new five-domed cathedral of the Protection of the Most Holy Theotokos was built, consecrated by Archbishop Guriy. The monastery had a bakery, bathhouse, cow shed, refectory, and other buildings. It thrived and had over 40 nuns, with dependencies in Novgorod and St. Petersburg.

In 1816, the church of Lazarus from the abolished Lazarus Monastery was annexed to the monastery. In 1851, writer and public figure Ivan Matveyevich Muravyov-Apostol was buried near the church of the Protection, and his grave ended up under the altar of the cathedral during its construction in 1901.

The monastery ceased to exist as an active institution in the 1920s. During the Great Patriotic War, the monastery buildings were severely damaged. After the war, many structures were dismantled for bricks, and the towers and fence disappeared. The choir in the church of the Protection was destroyed, and the roof and stairs of the church of Simeon the God-Receiver were lost. The church of Lazarus was completely destroyed.

In 1950, restoration work began on the Protection Cathedral for its use as a warehouse. This led to the construction of new modern buildings on the monastery's territory, which disrupted its architectural appearance. In 1970, a three-story building of the regional military enlistment office was built next to the eastern building of the monastery. In the 1960s, scientific research and restoration work began on the churches of the Protection and Simeon the God-Receiver. After the Protection Cathedral was returned to the Novgorod Diocese, the monastery again became an important cultural and spiritual center of Veliky Novgorod.

Today, the monastery is known for the churches of the Protection of the Mother of God and Simeon the God-Receiver, the latter of which houses a miraculous icon of the saint. It is an ancient abode, part of Russia's cultural heritage and a significant UNESCO World Heritage site.