Pechersky Ascension Monastery (russian: Печёрский Вознесенский монастырь, ''Pechyorsky Vozensensky Monastyr'') is a monastery in

Nizhny Novgorod Nizhny Novgorod ( ; rus, links=no, Нижний Новгород, a=Ru-Nizhny Novgorod.ogg, p=ˈnʲiʐnʲɪj ˈnovɡərət ), colloquially shortened to Nizhny, from the 13th to the 17th century Novgorod of the Lower Land, formerly known as Gork ...

, Russia. It is the principal monastery of the Nizhny Novgorod

Eparchy Eparchy ( gr, ἐπαρχία, la, eparchía / ''overlordship'') is an ecclesiastical unit in Eastern Christianity, that is equivalent to a diocese in Western Christianity. Eparchy is governed by an ''eparch'', who is a bishop. Depending on th ...

(diocese) and the seat of the Bishop of Nizhny Novgorod and Arzamas.

History

Pechersky Voznesensky Monastery is usually said to have been founded ca. 1328-1330 by St. Dionysius, who came to Nizhny Novgorod from ''

Kiev Pechersk Lavra Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra or Kyivo-Pechers’ka Lavra ( uk, Києво-Печерська лавра, translit=Kyievo-Pecherska lavra, russian: Киево-Печерская лавра), also known as the Kyiv Monastery of the Caves, is a historic Mon ...

'' (i.e., Kiev Monastery of the Caves, ''pechery'' meaning 'caves') with several other monks, and dug for himself a cave on the step Volga shore some 3 km southeast of the city. Later on, he founded at that site a monastery with a church of Resurrection of the Lord. The monastery soon became an important spiritual and religious center of the Principality of Suzdal and Nizhny Novgorod. The monastery was destroyed by a landslide on June 18, 1597; surprisingly, no one died. The same year the monastery was rebuilt about 1 km upstream (north) of the old site. Although there are no caves in the modern monastery, the appellation ''Pechersky'', linking it to the old Kiev cloister, has been preserved. Moreover, the entire section of Nizhny Novgorod surrounding the monastery, occupying the uplands above the Volga south of the city center, is known as Pechery. The monastery was closed by the

NKVD The People's Commissariat for Internal Affairs (russian: Наро́дный комиссариа́т вну́тренних дел, Naródnyy komissariát vnútrennikh del, ), abbreviated NKVD ( ), was the interior ministry of the Soviet Union. ...

in 1924, and reopened in 1994.

Principal buildings

The principal buildings of the monastery include: * Ascension Cathedral (Вознесенский собор), constructed in 1630—1632. * The Church of

Dormition The Dormition of the Mother of God is a Great Feast of the Eastern Orthodox, Oriental Orthodox, and Eastern Catholic Churches (except the East Syriac churches). It celebrates the "falling asleep" (death) of Mary the ''Theotokos'' ("Mother of ...

of Our Lady (Успенская церковь), 1648. * The Church of Saint Venerable Euthimios of Suzdal, built over the monastery's inner gate (Надвратная церковь во имя св. преп. Евфимия Суздальского), 1645. * The Church of SS Peter and Paul (Церковь во имя св. апостолов Петра и Павла), 1738. * Bishop's residence (архиерейские палаты), 1632. *

Hegumen Hegumen, hegumenos, or igumen ( el, ἡγούμενος, trans. ), is the title for the head of a monastery in the Eastern Orthodox and Eastern Catholic Churches, similar to the title of abbot. The head of a convent of nuns is called a hegumenia ...

's building (игуменский корпус), 1765. * Monks' residence (братский корпус), 17th century. The belfry of the Ascension Cathedral (which also serves as a clock tower) is noticeably out of plumb. It has been leaning almost since the time it was originally constructed. The monastery is surrounded by a red brick wall with small towers, making it look like a small

kremlin The Kremlin ( rus, Московский Кремль, r=Moskovskiy Kreml', p=ˈmɐˈskofskʲɪj krʲemlʲ, t=Moscow Kremlin) is a fortified complex in the center of Moscow founded by the Rurik dynasty, Rurik dynasty. It is the best known of th ...

. The diocesan archeological museum and a book and

icon An icon () is a religious work of art, most commonly a painting, in the cultures of the Eastern Orthodox, Oriental Orthodox, and Catholic churches. They are not simply artworks; "an icon is a sacred image used in religious devotion". The most ...

shop operate in the monastery. In the latter, one can request a variety of prayers for the living and dead, in accordance with the posted fee list.

Holy relics

* In 2006-2007, the monastery housed an important

relic In religion, a relic is an object or article of religious significance from the past. It usually consists of the physical remains of a saint or the personal effects of the saint or venerated person preserved for purposes of veneration as a tangi ...

known as ''the Honorable Head'' (i.e.,

skull The skull is a bone protective cavity for the brain. The skull is composed of four types of bone i.e., cranial bones, facial bones, ear ossicles and hyoid bone. However two parts are more prominent: the cranium and the mandible. In humans, the ...

) ''of the Venerable Macarius''. It was solemnly transferred to

Makaryev Monastery Zheltovodsky Makaryev Convent (formerly Monastery) of the Holy Trinity (russian: Желтово́дский Тро́ицкий Мака́рьев монасты́рь or Свя́то-Тро́ице-Мака́рьево-Желтово́дски� ...

in 2007.

External links

* {{Official website, http://www.pecherskiy.nne.ru/
An extract from a 19th century Nizhny Novgorod guide book

Churches in Nizhny Novgorod Museums in Nizhny Novgorod Religious museums in Russia Russian Orthodox monasteries in Russia Cultural heritage monuments of federal significance in Nizhny Novgorod Oblast