Among the monastery's chief holy objects are the wonder-working Iveron Icon of the Mother of God (the monastery's patronal feast is celebrated on February 25, the day of special veneration of the Iveron Icon of the Mother of God, when the discovery of the icon on the Holy Mount Athos is commemorated; services on this day are held in the monastery's Dormition Church)[1], a particle of the relics of the venerable Barnabas of Gethsemane, particles of the relics of Peter and Fevronia of Murom, St. Nicholas, St. Luke (Voyno-Yasenetsky), the Optina elders, Simeon of Verkhoturye, and the venerable Theodore of Sanaksar. The monastery venerates the holy Puzovo martyrs Evdokia Sheykova, Dariya Timagina, Dariya Ulybina, and Maria (surname unknown), whose relics are kept in the Dormition Church in the village of Suvorovo in Diveevo District; their names are given to nuns at monastic tonsure in the convent.[2] The convent publishes a monthly newspaper, "Iverskiy listok" (The Iveron Leaflet), with a print run of 998 copies, and is building a museum of the monastery's history. An Orthodox kindergarten, "Kolokolchik" (Little Bell), operates at the monastery.[3][4]


Vyksa Iveron Convent of Nuns. Founded in 1864 by the venerable Barnabas of Gethsemane. The convent began as an almshouse; the site chosen by the elder Barnabas of Gethsemane had long been revered by the people as holy — according to tradition, bell-ringing was repeatedly heard here at night and burning candles were seen. Among the first twelve residents, the almshouse was run by Neonilla Chestnova, who held the post for about ten years. In 1887 the Iveron community was raised to the status of a third-class monastery, and its superior was raised to the rank of abbess, Abbess Mitrofania (Kryukova). On August 17, 1897, the foundation was laid for a magnificent cathedral in honor of the Life-Giving Trinity, resembling in appearance the Cathedral of Christ the Savior in Moscow.

The Trinity Cathedral was built to a design by the architect P. A. Vinogradov; besides the main altar in honor of the Life-Giving Trinity (consecrated in 1909), it had two side chapels built in 1912: the right one in honor of the Ascension of the Lord and the left one in honor of All Saints.[5] The largest bell of the monastery bell tower weighed 1,076 poods, and the walls of the churches were painted by artists of the famous Palekh workshop of Safonov.[4] It was closed in 1919.[6] In 1927 the bell tower was blown up and the Cathedral of the Life-Giving Trinity destroyed; according to local legend, schema-nuns who refused to leave the convent at the time of the explosion were buried alive in the cave cells.

After the 1927 explosion, church utensils and parts of the cathedral's interior were exported, and some of the icons were destroyed; by the time restoration work began, only the walls of the church remained.[5][4] It was revived in 1996. Near the Iveron Convent a monument has been erected to the convent's founder, the venerable Barnabas of Gethsemane.[3] The convent was reopened on October 26, 1996, and in 2012 the bell tower was restored.

In the Soviet period the Dormition Church was adapted for secular purposes; after the convent was revived, its restoration was carried out with the direct participation of Bishop Barnabas, who took a personal part in the construction process.[7] On February 9, 2016, the Great Consecration of the restored Dormition Church took place at the convent, led by Bishop Barnabas of Vyksa and Pavlovo; in the Divine Liturgy that followed he was joined in concelebration by Bishop Elijah of Balakhna and Bishop Silouan of Lyskovo and Lukoyanov. As Abbess Antonia (Mironova) noted at the celebration, the Dormition Church was first consecrated in 1887 — 129 years before its second consecration.[7]

On November 27, 2003, Bishop George of Nizhny Novgorod and Arzamas consecrated a side chapel of the Trinity Cathedral, which was being restored, dedicated to the Venerable Barnabas of Gethsemane, the founder of the convent. In 2020, restoration work on the Trinity Cathedral was under way at the monastery: in May the installation of four small domes for the drums was being completed, with their crosses made and gilded; assembly of the large central dome was planned for the following year.[5] The decision to restore the Trinity Cathedral was made on February 28, 2007, at a meeting devoted to the construction and restoration of religious sites in Vyksa.[5] The feast day of the convent's founder, the Venerable Barnabas of Gethsemane, falls on March 2; in years when that date falls in the first week of Great Lent, the celebration is moved to the nearest suitable day.[8][6][6] As of 2021, the monastery belonged to the Vyksa Diocese; services at the convent were led by Bishop Barnabas of Vyksa and Pavlovo.[1] The convent has 12 nuns.

In February 2021, three icons that had belonged to the convent before its closure, and that had been taken away in the 1920s by its last abbess, Abbess Margarita (Soldatkina), were returned to the monastery.[1] In 1935, Abbess Margarita was arrested in Murom and shot; materials for her canonization are being prepared.[6] Superior: Nun Antonia (Mironova). As of 2019, she held the rank of abbess. Abbess Antonia (Mironova) died in July 2020 after a long illness; on January 29, 2021, the six-month memorial day, Bishop Barnabas of Vyksa and Pavlovo led a memorial service at her grave in the convent's necropolis.[9][2] Address: 607030, Nizhny Novgorod Region, Vyksa. Tel.: (83177) 3-38-79, 3-62-50.


Links

Sources

  1. nne.ru — Nizhny Novgorod Metropolia (archive)
  2. nne.ru — Nizhny Novgorod Metropolia (archive)
  3. nne.ru — Nizhny Novgorod Metropolia (archive)
  4. nne.ru — Nizhny Novgorod Metropolia (archive)
  5. nne.ru — Trinity Cathedral was built to a design by the architect P. A. Vinogradov; besides the main altar in honor of the Life-Giving Trinity (consecrated in 1909), it had two (archive)
  6. nne.ru — Nizhny Novgorod Metropolia (archive)
  7. nne.ru — Nizhny Novgorod Metropolia (archive)
  8. nne.ru — Nizhny Novgorod Metropolia (archive)
  9. nne.ru — Nizhny Novgorod Metropolia (archive)
  10. nne.ru — Nizhny Novgorod Metropolia (archive)
  11. nne.ru — Nizhny Novgorod Metropolia (archive)
  12. monasterium.ru — Monastery of St. Barnabas (archive)