In almost all religions there are lay people ( simple people), as well as the clergy, whose representatives devoted their entire lives to serving God. One of the representatives of the clergy is monasticism: monks and nuns lead an ascetic lifestyle in accordance with this oath. They can live all alone(to be hermits) or in monasteries with the brethren.
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Monasteries
A monastery is a community of monks that has a single charter and a complex of buildings in which the monks live, services are held and supplies are stored. The word is translated from Greek as “lonely.” This community is practically cut off from worldly life: its inhabitants fully provide for themselves: they run a household, have a vegetable garden and livestock, and engage in handicrafts, the sale of which allows them to make some profit. Also on the territory of the parish there are often miraculous icons to which pilgrims come.
are divided into several types:
- The Abbey is Catholic monastery, governed by an abbot and subject to the bishop or Pope;
- Lavra - the largest Orthodox monasteries;
- The metochion is a remote representation of the monastery. For example, in Moscow there were representations of Kolomna, Novgorod, Ryazan and other monasteries: the monks living here represented the interests of their monastery and collected money for them;
- Pustyn is a settlement remote from a city or village. Usually these were small communities that allowed a solitary lifestyle and could then grow into large monasteries. In this case, the word “hermitage” was retained in the name, for example, Ascension David’s Hermitage;
- A monastery is a secluded dwelling for one hermit.
There are also parishes:
- Kinovia or hostel. In them, monks are not allowed to have personal property: they perform labor duties for the common benefit (“obedience”), receiving everything they need from the monastery. The abbots are elected by the monks themselves;
- Idiorythms or non-dormitory. Monks differ in the presence of personal property - in fact, only the place and services are common. Monks can work and accumulate money, rectors are appointed by the diocesan bishop.
Another division concerns the receipt of content:
- The regular ones receive money for their maintenance “from above” and can only support a certain number of monks. However, the size of the content is strictly limited. Established monasteries are also divided into 3 classes depending on the amounts given out and the opportunities provided to them. The first, privileged class, among others, includes laurels and stauropegic parishes;
- Supernumerary: they are completely self-sufficient and can accept any number of monks - as many as they can support.
Stavropegic monasteries
Stavropegial Monastery- what does it mean? The meaning of the Greek word "stauropegia" is "to set up a cross." Literally the translation means that the first and main cross was installed by the patriarch. This status is the highest, since stauropegic parishes were independent of local religious authorities and reported directly to the patriarch or synod. The management of the monastery itself was carried out by a governor with the rank of abbot or archimandrite.
The first monastery of this type- Simon's monastery in Moscow - was subordinate to the Patriarch of Constantinople. He stayed there during his visits, and pilgrims stayed there. In Russia, until the middle of the 15th century, stauropegic monasteries were subordinate to Constantinople, which was the primate of the Russian Church. From the end of the 16th century to the 20s of the 18th century, during the formation of the Russian Patriarchate, 55 monasteries received status - they were subordinate to the Patriarch. In the years 1700-1917, these monasteries were subordinate to the Holy Synod - at the end of the 19th century there were only 6 monasteries of this type.
In 1984, stauropegial status was granted to the Koretsky Monastery (city of Korets, Ukraine) due to a conflict between the abbot and Metropolitan Philaret.
In the 90s of the twentieth century, when the mass transfer of churches and monasteries to the clergy began, the most significant ones were introduced to this status - management is carried out by the Patriarch of Moscow and All Rus'. Administration can be carried out by synodal institutions that have been blessed by the Patriarch.
In the territories of Ukraine and Belarus There are also several parishes and churches subordinate to the local Patriarchal Erzarch. The decision was made by the Holy Synod of States. Some cathedrals are located in other countries (England, Germany, Italy, USA, France and Estonia). Since 2009, these monasteries have been directly subordinate to the Russian Patriarch.
The word “stauropygial” does not apply to all Orthodox monasteries, but its presence in the name often raises a lot of questions among parishioners. The term comes from Greek words and refers to the definition of power over the monastery. What is a stauropegic nunnery or monastery? Which Moscow monasteries have this status?
The word “stauropegia” comes from the words “cross” and “to set up”; the literal translation is “to set up the cross.” This means that the stauropegic monastery is subordinate directly to the patriarch or synod - the governing body of the Russian Orthodox Church between the Councils of Bishops. The stauropegial title of the monastery is considered the highest, since it is not subordinate to local diocesan authorities; management is carried out by the patriarch's vicar with the rank of abbot or archimandrite.
Stauropygia can be:
- Monasteries, laurels and brotherhoods.
- Cathedrals and churches.
- Theological schools.
History of appearance in Russia
Stauropegia have existed in Russia almost always, only their “owners” changed:
The modern period of stauropegies began in 1984, when Patriarch Pimen granted this status to the Koretsky monastery (Rivne region of the Ukrainian SSR). This happened due to a conflict between the abbess and the Ukrainian Metropolitan Philaret. Submitting directly to the Moscow and Russian Patriarch, the monastery was freed from pressure from the metropolitan.
In the 1990s, a massive transfer of monasteries to the Moscow Patriarchate began, the most significant of them were declared stauropegians. This led to a blurring of the concept itself, since the ruling bishop of the Moscow diocese is the Russian Patriarch himself.
Today, 14 male and 14 female Russian monasteries are stauropegial monasteries, of which 6 male and 5 female are Moscow. There are also several stauropegies in the territories of Ukraine and Belarus, but they are governed by the metropolitans of Ukraine and Belarus, respectively.
Several stauropegia are located outside the territory of Russia, but they continue to be directly subordinate to the Patriarch of Moscow and All Rus'. In 2009, the Secretariat for Overseas Institutions was created to manage them, which in 2010 was transformed into the Office of Overseas Affairs. It was headed by one of the patriarch's vicars.
Outside the territory of Russia, stauropegia are located in:
Men's monasteries in Moscow
Below are the active stauropegic monasteries located within the city.
Andreevsky
It is believed that the monastery was founded in the 13th century as a men’s monastery “at Vorobyovy Kruchi,” but in written evidence it is mentioned only in the middle of the 17th century. IN different time an asylum, a prison, a hospital for the mentally ill, a cemetery and an almshouse with residential buildings were created in turn. Under Soviet rule, the temple was closed, and the commune of the 1st Moscow Goznak factory was located in other buildings. In 1991, a patriarchal compound was opened on the territory of the monastery; after 5 years, the monastery was completely transferred to the patriarchate. Since 2013, the monastery has been stauropegial.
Address: Andreevskaya embankment, 2.
Vysoko-Petrovsky
It is believed that on the site of the monastery at the beginning of the 14th century, under Ivan Kalita, a wooden church was founded, which later grew into a monastery. Stavropegia has experienced a lot in its lifetime: while still wooden, the monastery burned down several times, it was devastated by the Poles in 1611 and the French in 1812, and was closed under the USSR. After the expulsion of the Polish interventionists, the monastery received stauropegial status. Monastic life resumed in him in 2009.
Address: st. Petrovka, 28с2.
Donskoy
It was founded at the end of the 16th century by Tsar Fyodor Mikhailovich after the victory over the Crimean Khan Kazy-Girey: he retreated with huge losses, which was regarded as a miracle. At first, there was a small one-domed Cathedral of Our Lady of the Don, named after the icon of the same name. According to legend, this icon brought Prince Dmitry Donskoy victory at the Kulikovo Field and was moved to the camp church during the battles with the Crimean Tatars.
Under the USSR, all churches were closed, anti-religious exhibitions were held in them and a similar museum operated for some time, then the building was given to the museum of architecture at the Academy of the same name. The monastery was transferred to the patriarchate in 1991.
Address: Donskaya Square, 1с3.
Zaikonospassky
The name means “Spassky behind the icon row.” It is believed that it was founded by Tsar Boris Godunov in 1600 on the site of the monastery of St. Nicholas the Old. The first written mentions date back to 1635. First of all, the monastery is known for its educational school, which “grew” into the Slavic-Greek-Latin Academy. It was closed under the Soviet Union and work resumed only in 1992. At the same time, the process of transferring property was accompanied by a conflict with the Russian State University for the Humanities (Russian State University for the Humanities). Today, many of the premises of the monastery are rented by non-church organizations: a post office, a restaurant, the Historical and Archival Institute of the Russian State University for the Humanities.
Address: Nikolskaya street, building 7−9, building 3.
Novospassky
It was founded under Ivan III, who resettled monks here from the Kremlin monastery of the Savior on Bor. The monastery gained popularity after the Romanovs came to power. Under the USSR, the monastery was closed, a concentration camp was opened on its territory, and then the economic administration of the NKVD was opened. Some monuments were transferred to the museum at the Simonov Monastery. In 1960 the monastery they began to restore it to make a museum of restoration work. In 1991, the territory was returned to the Russian Orthodox Church.
Address: Peasant Square, 10с12.
Sretensky
It was founded at the end of the 14th century by Prince Vasily I on Kuchkovo Field after a miraculous victory over Tamerlane. In the 17th century, the monastery was moved to its modern location. Initially, the monastery was supernumerary (it supported itself), but today it is stauropegic.
Address: Bolshaya Lubyanka street, 19с1.
Stavropegia in the Moscow region
Some monasteries are located near the capital. These are old pygians:
Moscow convents
Mother of God-Rozhdestvensky
One of the oldest monasteries in Moscow, founded at the end of the 14th century by the wife of Prince Andrei Serpukhovsky. It survived several fires and reconstructions and was closed in 1922. Under the USSR, offices and educational institutions were located here, cells were rebuilt into communal apartments. The silver and vestments were taken to the treasury, and some of the icons were transported to the Church of St. Nicholas in Zvonary. In 1974, it was decided to establish a museum-reserve of ancient Russian art here, after which restoration began.
In 1992 main cathedral They returned to the Russian Orthodox Church, and the following year the monastery itself was revived. He was given the status of stauropegia.
Address: Rozhdestvenskaya street, building 20/8, building 1.
Zachatievsky
The monastery was founded in the 60s XIV century. She bore two names at once: Zachatievskaya (named after the Church of the Conception of St. Anne) and Alekseevskaya (named after the altar of the church). After a fire in the mid-16th century, the Alekseevskaya monastery was destroyed and moved closer to the center of Moscow, then moved again to the site of the modern Novo-Alekseevsky monastery. The remaining community again became a monastery in 1584 under Tsar Fyodor Ioannovich. It bravely survived all the adversities, but was closed under the USSR: a prison and a children's colony were located on this territory. Many buildings were demolished and a school was erected in their place.
The monastery has regained its status only in 1995, although the building was transferred to the Russian Orthodox Church four years earlier.
Address: 2nd Zachatievsky Lane, 2с8.
Ioanno-Predtechensky
Its history began with the 15th century and the construction of a grand ducal estate with its own Vladimir church. By the end of the century, the estate was empty, and a convent appeared to the south of the church. The latter completely burned out in a fire in 1812 and was rebuilt again only in the second half the same century. In 1918, the monastery was closed: a concentration camp was set up on this land, which eventually became part of the labor colony at the State Medical University.
It received the status of a stauropegic monastery in 2002, but some of the buildings still belong to the Ministry of Internal Affairs.
Address: Maly Ivanovsky lane, building 2A, building 1.
Marfo-Mariinskaya Convent of Mercy
Its founder is Grand Duchess Elizaveta Feodorovna, wife of Grand Duke Sergei Alexandrovich (brother of the Emperor Alexandra III). The monastery was founded in 1909, shortly after the death of Sergei Alexandrovich. Construction began with money from the sale of the princess's own jewelry. The monastery was not just a monastery: it provided spiritual and medical assistance to those in need, held educational events, and provided free medicine and food.
With the advent of the Soviet Union, the monastery was closed and the nuns were expelled. It was returned to the Russian Orthodox Church in 1992. Today there is a shelter for girls, a charity canteen, and a patronage service. Later, a medical center for the rehabilitation of disabled children diagnosed with cerebral palsy and an on-site training service for parents with terminally ill children were opened. The status of stauropegia was obtained only in 2014.
Address: Bolshaya Ordynka street, 34с3.
Novo-Alekseevsky
It appeared after the division of the Conception Monastery after the fire. It housed a large number of workshops and a women's school for immigrants from South Slavic countries. But in 1926, the monastery was destroyed and a highway was built in its place. The revival began in 1991: a parish was established at the preserved Church of All Saints. In 2010, a sisterhood appeared in the name of Alexy, the man of God, and 2 years later it became a monastic community.
Address: 2nd Krasnoselsky lane, 7с8.
Pokrovsky
Initially, it was a men's monastery, founded by Tsar Mikhail Fedorovich in memory of his father in the middle of the 17th century. The monastery easily survived many invasions and troubles, but in 1929 it was closed. A park of culture and recreation was located on its territory. The Russian Orthodox Church received the land back in 1994, and in the same year it was decided to revive the monastery as a convent. Today the monastery is known thanks to the relics of St. Matrona of Moscow, which were transferred at the end of the twentieth century.
Address: Taganskaya street, 58.
Women's monasteries of the Moscow region
In the Moscow region there are also preserved nunneries. These include the following stauropegia:
So, a stauropegic monastery is a monastery that reports directly to the Patriarch of Moscow and All Rus'. This allows her to avoid interference in the affairs of local diocesan authorities. The status of stauropegia is the highest.
Monasticism offers a unique path to self-improvement. Monks strive to get closer to the ideal revealed by the life of Jesus Christ, to holiness, to God. In addition to the usual monastery, there is a “Stavropegial Monastery”. What this means, a parishioner can figure out by making a pilgrimage to the monastery.
Monastic life
Monasticism has a centuries-old history . The first Chernetsy communities appeared in the 4th century, in the lower reaches of the Nile River and in the vicinity of Jewish Bethlehem. When Christianity became the state religion of the Roman Empire, monasteries were built on European territory.
After the baptism of Rus' by Prince Vladimir in 988, Greek monks moved to the Kyiv lands. The Kiev Pechersk Lavra becomes a famous settlement of monks. Gradually, monasticism spread throughout the Slavic lands.
An Orthodox Christian who has decided to devote his life to prayer and ascetic deeds takes monastic vows. To achieve complete spiritual perfection, a monk overcomes 5 steps.
- The novice does not take a monastic vow, wears civilian clothes and gets used to the routine of monastic life.
- “Ryasophor” or “Rassophorus novice” renounces his worldly name and takes a vow of obedience. The robe consists of a hood and cassock. The monk carries a rosary in his hand.
- The Chernets, who after a symbolic tonsure receives a new name, is allowed to wear a cassock.
- Taking the small schema or mantle monasticism, a monk makes 5 vows: renunciation of the world, non-covetousness, celibacy, obedience and constant prayer.
- The Great Schema means complete renunciation of the earthly world and union with God.
Useful video: about the Resurrection New Jerusalem Stavropegic Monastery
God's grace under the supervision of the patriarch
Translated from Greek language"Stauropegia" means "Earth of the Cross". The ancient monastery, in which the patriarch erected the cross with his own hands, assumed the status of a “Stavropegial Monastery.” In religious jurisdiction, the meaning of the word stauropegial indicates that the ecclesiastical institution is independent of the local diocese and reports directly to the patriarch or the Holy Synod.
Simonov Monastery, which appeared in 1383, was the first in Rus' to receive the status of “Stavropegia” and was subordinate to the head of the Church of Constantinople. In the Russian church, “Stavropegial monasteries” were established by Moscow Patriarch Nikon in the second half of the 17th century. He directly controlled the “Novoierusalimskaya”, “Iverskaya” on Valdai and “Krestnaya” communities on the island of Kiy.
At the end of the 19th century, there were 11 patriarchal monasteries in Russia. In the next century, the list of organizations with the rights of “Stavropegia” expanded significantly. Patriarchal separate “Stavropegial parishes” are established. As well as deaneries and farmsteads, spiritual missions and representations.
Interesting! In everyday life, the meaning of the word stauropegial indicates that monastic affairs are managed by a dean appointed by the patriarch. The main objects of the dean's supervision are the piety and morality of the monks, correct worship and prudent management in the community!
Having visited the “Stavropegial Monastery”, the pilgrim will get acquainted with monastic life.
Communication with monks will enrich your spiritual experience and provide an opportunity to receive advice for resolving everyday problems that every person has.
Men's fraternity
IN modern Russia 28 monasteries operate. In 14 women's and 14 men's communities, 705 robed monks and 365 tonsured nuns are obedient.
The following “Stavropegial monasteries” are located in Moscow:
- St. Andrew's Monastery on Sparrow Hills has a Synodal library with a reading room.
- The Vysoko-Petrovskaya monastery on Petrovka celebrated its 700th anniversary in 2015. In 1993, the Russian University of Orthodoxy was opened here.
- Danilov is the official patriarchal and synodal residence on Danilovsky Val street.
- The Don Lavra preserves a shrine containing the relics of Patriarch Tikhon.
- The Zaikonospasskaya monastery in Kitai-Gorod is famous for the fact that the Slavic-Greek-Latin Academy, where Mikhail Lomonosov studied, was located here.
- On Krestyanskaya Square there is Novospassky, the “Stavropegial Monastery”.
- Future clergy are educated at the theological seminary of the Sretensky Monastery. The singing monasteries make up the main choir of the Russian Orthodox Church.
Women's cloisters
To understand what stavropegic female status is in Russia, we need to remember about subordination to the patriarch.
Important! Most nuns do not strive to move on to the next degrees of spiritual perfection!
A nun who has accepted the schema is allowed to wear an apostolnik, a kind of headscarf with a facial cutout. Moscow 
Women's “Stavropegial monasteries”:
- On the site of the Alekseevskaya Monastery, which is now located in 2nd Krasnoselsky Lane, the Church of Christ the Savior was built in the 19th century.
- Since 2010, a singing school has been operating in the Bogoroditse-Rozhdestvensky community.
- The Zachatievskaya community is located in the Moscow district of Khamovniki.
- Ioanno-Predtechensky Monastery is located in Maly Ivanovsky Lane, building 2.
- Pilgrims come to the Intercession Monastery to venerate the relics of the blessed Matrona of Moscow.
- The Marfo-Mariinskaya Convent of Mercy was founded in 1909 by Grand Duchess Elizaveta Feodorovna. A shelter for orphaned girls was created on the territory of the monastery.
- Trinity-Odigitrievskaya Zosima Hermitage is located 7 km from the settlement of Novofedorovskoye, which is part of the city limits of Moscow.
25 parishes have been opened abroad. There are 14 parishes in Europe, 4 in Africa and Asia, and 1 in Australia, Antarctica and America.
When choosing a state for a tourist trip, you should pay attention to the country where the “Stauropegial parishes” are open. Then a believing Russian will not have to feel like a parishioner, cut off from Orthodox life.
Useful video: about the Conception Stauropegic Convent
Conclusion
In worldly life, one gets rid of loneliness by finding a friend or marrying the woman one loves. The incompleteness of existence and spiritual inferiority are overcome in monasticism by betrothal to God. A person voluntarily renounces the pleasures of earthly life in order to experience the sweetness of Christ’s truth.
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An essential asset of Slavic culture is Orthodox churches and monasteries. They attract not only pilgrims who are true believers, but also tourists. The latter are interested in architecture, the interior decoration of temples, and the history of their existence.
General concept and meaning
The concept of “monastery” came along with Christianity to Kievan Rus from Byzantium. This state arose on the basis of Greek culture. From Greek, “monastery” means “solitary dwelling.”
In it, the monks observe a single charter. However, not everyone who comes to First passes the test. If it ends successfully, the person is awarded tonsure. According to the rules established regardless of the previous moral way of life, a person can enter monasticism for the correction (salvation) of the soul.
The meaning of the word “monastery” for many today means directly the community of monastics.
The first Christian monasteries
A monastery is a specific place with its own way of life. The first monasteries arose in Egypt and Palestine (4th-5th centuries AD). Over time, monastic dwellings began to appear in Constantinople (the capital of Byzantium), which is mentioned in Russian chronicles as Constantinople.
The first founders of monasticism in Rus' are considered to be Anthony and Theodosius, who created the Kiev-Pechersk Monastery.
Types of Christian monasteries
In Christianity there is a division into feminine and What this means is not difficult to understand. The name depends on whether the women's or men's community lives and operates at the church temple. There are no mixed monasteries in Christianity.
Different types of monastic dwellings:
Abbey. Found in the Catholic (western) direction. Ruled by the abbot in the men's community and the abbess in the women's community. Submits to the bishop, and sometimes to the Pope personally.
Lavra. This is the largest monastic dwelling of the Orthodox (Eastern) direction. This type of monastic home is suitable exclusively for male communities.
Kinovia. Community monastery. This means that the organization has a community charter to which all its members are subject.
Compound. This is a dwelling remote from the monastery, which is located in a city or village. It is used to collect donations, receive pilgrims, and conduct housekeeping.
Deserts. The dwelling, created in the traditions of Russian Orthodoxy, is built in a secluded place away from the monastery itself.
According to the general rule, the monks accept from the monks everything necessary for their existence. For example, food, clothes, shoes. They work for free, and all the results of their work belong to the kin. The monk, including the abbot, do not have the right to have personal property; they cannot make acts of donation or inherit anything. They have no property rights.
Rules of conduct in the monastery for a layman
The monastery is a special world. It takes time to understand all the intricacies of monastic life. Misdeeds by pilgrims are usually treated with patience, but it is better to know some rules when visiting a monastic home.
What to look for in behavior:
- When you come as a pilgrim, you need to ask for blessings for everything;
- You cannot leave the monastery without a blessing;
- all worldly sinful addictions must be left behind the walls of the monastery (alcohol, tobacco, foul language);
- conversations should only be about spiritual things, and the main words in communication are the words “forgive” and “bless”;
- You can eat food only at a common meal;
- When sitting down at the table for a meal, it is necessary to observe the order of precedence, sit silently and listen to the reading.
To plunge into the world of peace and harmony that exists in the monastery, you do not need to know all the rules of the monastic way of life. It is enough to adhere to the usual standards of behavior, which include restraint.
Subject to a specific charter. People who voluntarily choose a monastery as their place of residence renounce all worldly affairs and devote their lives to God. Any person can come to the holy monastery and, after passing certain tests, become a monk. After this, his life will be subject to the order accepted in the monastery, and its goal will be the correction of the soul. Orthodox monasteries can be of different types. You can often come across such a definition as a stauropegic monastery. What does it mean? Let's look further.
What monasteries are called stauropegial?
There are a certain number of monasteries, churches and theological schools that do not fall under the control of the local diocese. These Orthodox shrines have the highest status - stauropegial and are subordinate to the Patriarch. In shrines that have this status, the cross in the main church was installed directly by the Patriarch. Hence the name, which means “planting of the cross.”
The Stavropegic Monastery is governed by a viceroy. The viceroy, as a rule, bears the rank of archimandrite in monastery and the abbess - in the feminine. The Patriarch supervises the life of the monastery through his governors and personally decides the most important issues.
Currently, more than thirty monasteries in Russia and abroad have the highest status within the Orthodox Church. Most of them are located in the Moscow region and the capital.
The first stauropegic monastery appeared on the territory of our country back in the 14th century; it was subordinate to the Patriarch of Constantinople. The Simonov Monastery, located in Moscow, was far known beyond its borders. The Patriarch of Constantinople stayed there during his visit to the capital, as well as numerous pilgrims.
The appearance and development of stauropegia in Russia went through the following stages:
- For the first time, the highest status was assigned to monasteries by Patriarch Nikon, under whose jurisdiction there were three monasteries. His successors continued this tradition, and the number of monasteries subordinate to the Patriarch grew;
- at the beginning of the 18th century management Orthodox Church in Russia passed to the Holy Synod. All holy monasteries with stauropegial status began to submit to the newly created body. This order lasted until 1917;
- at the end of the 20th century, closed monasteries on the territory Russian Federation were transferred to the management of the Moscow Patriarch, the most significant of them were given the highest status.
To exercise control over sacred monasteries located outside of Russia, a special department was created in the Moscow Patriarchate. Currently, those subordinate to the Moscow Patriarch are located in the USA, Germany, Estonia and other countries.
So, we found out where the name stauropegic monastery came from, looked at what it means and how such monasteries are managed.
