Svyato Vvedenskaya. Svyato-Vvedenskaya Island hermitage near the city

Svyato-Vvedenskaya Island Hermitage

Holy Vvedensky Island Monastery

Pokrovskaya Svyato-Vvedenskaya Island women's hermitage (Svyato-Vvedensky Island Monastery) - in 1708-1918. a men's monastery, since 1993 - a women's monastery.
Metochion of the Vladimir and Suzdal diocese of the Russian Orthodox Church.
The monastery is located on an island in the middle of Lake Vyatskoye (Vvedenskoye).

The monastery was founded in the very end. XVII century by the monks of the Anthony Hermitage, Sergius and Timofey, who retired to the island of Lake Vyatka and erected a wooden chapel and a wooden cell there. The solitude, according to legend, did not last long - rumors spread around the area about the “elders” and those who wanted to become inhabitants of the new desert began to come. The monks accepted everyone. By the beginning of the new, 18th century, the island brethren had multiplied so much that it was decided to ask for a blessing to build their own island temple. Which is what was done.

Church of the Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary

“Elders Sergius and Timothy, competing with their pious zeal, decided to ask the Sovereign Tsar for permission to build a church for them on Vyatka Island in the name of the Entry into the Temple of the Most Holy One. Mother of God." For which, in December 1708, a letter was received from the Locum Tenens of the Patriarchal Throne, Metropolitan of Ryazan and Murom Stefan (Yavorsky), with the following content: “Summer 1708, December 4th day, to the Great Sovereign-Tsar and Grand Duke Peter Alekseevich of All Great and The small and white of Russia was beaten by the autocrat, and the Most Holy Stefan Metropolitan of the Ryazan and Murom, between the Patriarchate, the Pereslavl district of Zaleskago Borisoglebsk, the Patriarchago City Pokrovskogo sat down, which was Antoniyeva, the monks of Sergius and Timofei were fed with their fraternity, but they wrote a petition. but: in Pereslavl district, Zalesskaya on Lake Vyatka, on an island, they promised to build a wooden church again in the name of introducing the Most Holy Theotokos into the temple and the Great Sovereign would favor them, order to give them a decree about that building, and by decree of the Great Sovereign Tsar and Great Prince Peter Alekseevich of all Great and Little and White Russia, the Autocrat, the Most Reverend Stefan Metropolitan of Ryazan and Murom blessed the above-mentioned monks, ordered them in the Pereslavl district of Zalessk on Lake Vyatskoye, on the island, to build again a church in the name of the introduction of the Most Holy Theotokos into the temple, and the top on that the churches should be made opposite other wooden churches, and not tents, and the altar is round, and in the church in the altar wall the royal doors would be in the middle, and on their right side - the southern ones; at the beginning put the image of the All-Merciful Savior, and after the Savior’s image put the image of the real holy temple, and on the left side of the Royal doors between the northern ones. At the beginning, place the image of the Most Holy Theotokos and other images according to order; and once that church is built and prepared for consecration, about the consecration of that church and about the antimension and to whom to consecrate, strike with the forehead from now on. And for the antimension, be a priest or a deacon to Moscow, and not a commoner.”
Elders Sergius and Timothy, having received the letter, immediately set to work with the brethren. The temple was built from felled forest in the center of the island, in a place cleared of forest, “decorating it with splendor befitting the temple of God.”
On January 14, 1710, the temple was consecrated by Hieromonk Ioannikiy, who arrived from Moscow, according to the blessed letter of the same Metropolitan of Ryazan Stefan, given as a result of the second request of the monk Sergius.
Soon after this, the founder of this desert, Sergius, was ordained Hieromonk and named its abbot.
From the papers available in the Church Archives it is clear: “The Church of God is wooden, with a table, checkered, the altar is round, an osmeric was cut down on the church, and on top of the sixes it is covered with planks, the head and neck are covered with wooden scales, on the head there is a wooden cross covered with tin.”

Bath

The former island chapel, erected during the initial settlement of Sergius and Timofey, was moved to the Vladimirsky tract and was subsequently used “to collect money from willing donors for the maintenance of the monastery.” The chapel stood near the road until the 1740s, brought in little income, was repeatedly plundered and, in the end, was dismantled by the Pokrovsk priest Grigory Fadeev. Some time later it was resumed, but in stone, and in the 1880s - when the Vladimir road shifted - the chapel was moved following the road. A one-story brick house for novice monks was built near it. Every year, until 1918, on Elijah’s Day, a religious procession was held from the desert to the chapel.

Sergius' mentorship did not last long - in 1713 he “rested in God” and the monk Nektariy was sent from Moscow to take his place.

Lake Vyatskoe, as well as the lands around it, were the patrimony of the Golitsyn princes. With the emergence of the Golitsyn desert, the lake and the island itself became the property of the monastery. The transfer was free of charge. In 1711 - even under Sergius - the monastery brethren lost the fishing grounds that previously belonged to the Anthony Hermitage: “In the summer of June 1711, 11th day, by order of the Great Sovereign ... the fishing grounds of the Anthony Hermitage ... Lake Vyatskoye ... and the large Lake Belenskoye ... from it were transferred to the category a channel into Lake Shitsky ... Lake Lankovskoye ... so that the previous workers refused, but again no one was found, and the rent should be paid to the builder and the brothers of the sent clerical three rubles sixteen altyn four money.”

St. Vvedensky Cathedral



St. Vvedensky Cathedral (left), Church of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker (right)

In other words, there was no one to pay the tax on fishing in the named lakes, and the fishing was given - with the obligation to pay this tax - to the newly established monastery. The monastery did not cope well with contributions to the treasury, it was in poverty - collecting money in the cities and on the Vladimirsky tract did not save it - and in 1722 or 1724 it lost its independence. He was assigned to the Ioanno-Bogoslovskaya hermitage of the palace Kunevskaya volost of the Moscow district (now the village of Bogoslovo on the M7 highway). “Builder” Nektary with 5 monks moved to the Theological Hermitage, having previously sold it for 17 rubles. a temple in the Synodal village of Pokrovskoye to priest Grigory Fadeev, and a monastery bell worth 1 pood and 22 pounds was sold for 11 rubles. - to the priest of the village of Voskresensky Alexei Abrosiev. The chapel was appropriated by the priest of the village of Pokrovsky, Grigory Fadeev. Nektary took with him from the Vvedenskaya Hermitage utensils, books, bread, livestock and monastery supplies. There are 14 monks left in the desert. Thus, the Vvedenskaya hermitage, built with the zeal of the elders Sergius and Timothy, was brought to complete destruction by Hieromonk Nektarios.
The brethren who remained in the Vvedenskaya Hermitage suffered terrible disadvantages and hunger. “Finally, the monks Lavrenty and Timofey resorted to the justice of the Holy Governing Synod: in a complaint submitted to it in 1729, they explained all the injustices of their former Builder Nektary, who destroyed the desert established by order of the Sovereign Emperor Peter They convincingly asked for the restoration of the desert to its primitive state, for the return of the church, church utensils and other things, as well as for the appointment of Hieromonk Alexander, who was the Builder of the Vladimir district in the Synodal Lyubetsk Monastery, as their Builder.

Church of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker

Church of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker

The Synod, upon requesting an answer to this complaint from the Moscow Spiritual Decastery, determined in its resolution: “The Ostrovets hermitage, if the existing brotherhood can be sufficient for subsistence from the addition of the Theological hermitage, by the force of the decree that took place in 727, February 6th, to free and remain as before foundation, and the taken church and church utensils and books and bread and cattle and so on, all according to the previous inventory from that Theological desert, and the church from the village of Pokrovsky to be returned to that Ostrovets desert urgently, and Hieromonk Alexander, required by their request, to be the “Builder” in that Ostrovets desert "". This decree remained without any execution, only Hieromonk Alexander from the Anthony-Lubetsky Monastery came to take Nektary’s place.
In 1735, upon the appointment of Monk Lawrence to the position of abbot, the brethren authorized him to petition for the return of the hermitage according to the decision of the Synod. Here begins a long process, the result of which was the return of all the losses of the desert (including the return of the bell) and the purchase of the church for 25 rubles. at the priest S. Pokrovsky.
Lavrenty remained abbot of the monastery in 1758 - until his death - with a short break in 1752-1754. In 1752, Hegumen Joseph was appointed rector. In 1758, as can be seen from the archive papers, Hieromonk Alimpius ruled the desert, and Hieromonk Cleopas, who arrived from the monastery of Mount Athos in 1760, took his place.
From 1760 to 1778, the monastery was ruled by Elder Cleopas, a disciple of St. Paisius Velichkovsky.

Elder Cleopas of Pokrovsky - ascetic of piety of the 18th century

Elder Cleopas of Pokrovsky, born (presumably) in 1714, belonged to the galaxy of disciples and associates of St. Paisiy Velichkovsky, thanks to whose activities there was a well-known flourishing of monasticism in Russia in the 19th century. Primary sources telling about the life of St. Cleopas are few in number, which is due both to historical reasons and to the spiritual appearance of the elder himself - his humble desire to avoid human glory. This is a short biography of him, written by Rev. Macarius of Optina, in the preface to the life of St. Paisius Velichkovsky and the oral narrative about Elder Cleopas, one of his closest students - Archimandrite. Theophan of Kirilo-Novoezersk, recorded by the sisters of the Resurrection Goritsky Monastery (In the text of the Life of St. Ignatius Brianchaninov we read that Archimandrite Theophan was “known for his holy life”).
Monasticism of Rev. Elder Cleopas began in Moldo-Wallachia. However, he spent a significant part of his monastic life in the monasteries of Athos. Here, according to Rev. Macarius of Optina, he enters “in close spiritual communion” with the Venerable. Paisiy Velichkovsky and becomes one of his close students and associates.

Subsequently Rev. Elder Cleopas moved to the territory of the Russian Empire and in 1760 became the rector of the Vvedenskaya Ostrovskaya Hermitage, having been elected by the brethren themselves. The reason for this is the high spiritual life of this ascetic.

The main principle of the spiritual life of St. Paisius Velichkovsky and his associates were unswervingly following the teachings of the Holy Fathers. This was precisely what determined the spiritual height of Elder Cleopas that he had achieved by this time. “He who is guided by the writings of the Holy Fathers has, without any doubt, the Holy Spirit as his guide,” wrote St. Ignatiy Brenchaninov. How was the patristic tradition carried out in the life of St. Cleopas and the brethren of the monastery in their leadership?
Art. Cleopas introduced into the life of the Vvedenskaya Hermitage a charter, developed by him on the basis of the charters of the monasteries of Athos. The entire everyday, economic and liturgical life of the monastery was organized according to the principles of the Athonite statutes. A full dormitory was established; following the models of the Athos monasteries, “church, refectory, cell and official regulations” were introduced. The monks spent most of their time in temple prayer during long services (the all-night vigil, for example, lasted about 7 hours and was performed at night), demands and an extensive general rule, which included 350 bows in the morning and evening. (The liturgical charter introduced by Father Cleopas is given in the appendix to the book by V. Dobronravov). With such a daily routine, the monks had practically no time to carry out any significant household chores. Prayer, according to the teachings of the Holy Fathers, is the main activity of a monk. Giving his brethren strict ascetic and prayer rules, the elder himself unswervingly observed all the statutory requirements, setting a personal example for the brethren.
According to Archimandrite Feofan, Fr. Cleopas led a “cruel” life. Attaching great importance to ascetic deeds: fasting, vigil, bowing, prayerful standing, he, like other Holy Fathers, did not consider them an end in itself. The most important thing for him was observing the gospel commandments both in external and in internal life. The acquisition of humility, meekness, sobriety, love - all the gospel virtues - was what stood at the forefront of his ascetic system.
The following remarkable saying of Elder Cleopas has reached us: “Putting a stone on your head, fasting, sleeping on bare ground is empty. Learn from Me, for I am meek and lowly in heart (Matthew 11:29), said the Lord, and did not promise any miracles or phenomena...” This is the patristic teaching. “Unfortunately, in this century there are few such ascetics who would treat strangers, look after the sick with love, feed the hungry, clothe the naked, and visit prisoners. Nowhere is it directly stated in Holy Scripture that in order to save the soul it is necessary to starve oneself, make numerous bows, wear chains and undertake similar feats, while the Gospel says clearly that it is for dislike of one’s neighbor that sinners will be condemned at the Last Judgment, but righteous for fulfilling it they will be justified” (Rev. Ambrose of Optina). “Let us give all due value to bodily exploits, as tools necessary for the acquisition of virtues, and let us be careful not to recognize these tools as virtues, so as not to fall into self-delusion and lose spiritual success due to a false concept of Christian activity” (St. Ignatius Brianchaninov).
In the few information about Fr. Cleopas, who have come down to us, we see how the Holy Gospel was embodied in his life. We see his amazing meekness and kindness towards his enemies. Once, beaten by a soldier on the way to his hermitage, he persuaded the officer not to punish his subordinate, considering it not the soldier to blame, but himself, who had “become vain” before this, and therefore was punished by God. So this ascetic saw in the sorrows that happened to him the all-good Providence of God and was kindly towards those who brought him these sorrows. At the basis of love for enemies, Fr. Cleopas had deep faith. We have received a statement remarkable in its wisdom and brevity by Fr. Cleopas is about what a person’s attitude should be towards those around him, including those through whom, according to God’s Providence, sorrows come to us. In the instructions of Archimandrite Theophan we find the following: “O. Cleopas used to say: “You need to have one thought, that I am the only one on earth and God, and don’t imagine anyone else. There is no one to quarrel with when I am alone on earth. There were those who did it.”
The mercy of the ascetic was poured out on every person. Despite all the uncertainty of the financial situation of the monastery, every pilgrim who visited the Vvedenskaya hermitage, according to the introduction of Fr. Cleopas charter, had the opportunity to live and eat free of charge in the monastery for three days. The spirit of non-covetousness, which he acquired in the Athonite brotherhood, Fr. Cleopas also showed this during the management of the Vvedenskaya Hermitage. More than once benefactors offered him new lands, plans for new monastery buildings, and money for it. But the wise ascetic refused to implement “grand plans,” realizing that their implementation, inseparably associated with a lot of trouble and “entertainment,” could have a negative impact on the brotherhood. He understood that the main activity of a monk should be prayer. We have received information only about his efforts on the internal improvement of the monastery, on the splendid church arrangement, but even in this the abbot “limited himself to the necessary.”
The elder was characterized by deep humility. He feared the passion of vanity like a fierce infection and, like many holy ascetics, tried in every possible way to flee from human glory. Archimandrite Feofan talked about how he refused to ride in Prince Potemkin’s luxurious carriage and hid from everyone, being invited to the empress’s court. The elder sincerely considered himself a sinner. This is evidenced by the texts of the elder’s letters to the brethren and to Bishop Gennady and his tearful, sincere prayer about his sins. Considering his spiritual leadership of the brethren insufficient, he humbly blessed them to go to Moldavia and Athos, to learn monastic virtues from more skilled fathers. How heavy the yoke was perceived by Fr. Cleopas imposed on him the duties of abbot.
From Mount Athos and from the monasteries of Moldavia, Fr. Cleopas brought into the life of his monastery that new thing that constitutes the essence, the heart of monastic achievement. That without which, according to the teaching of the Holy Fathers, his main goal is not achievable - the acquisition of grace-filled dispassion - the mental Jesus prayer. This great art, learned by the Monk Paisius Velichkovsky from patristic tradition, and revived by him in practice, became the property of Fr. Cleopas during his stay on Athos, and subsequently his students in the Vvedenskaya Hermitage. According to Archimandrite Theophan, abbot of Kirillo-Novoezersk, Fr. Cleopas prayed unceasingly (“was always in prayer”). Rev. described him as a “spiritual worker and guardian of mental sobriety.” Macarius of Optina. Fr. taught inner work - sobriety and unceasing prayer. Cleopas and his students.
Had Art. Cleopas and the special grace-filled gift of tearful prayer, grace-filled crying for one’s sins. According to Archimandrite Feofan, Fr. Cleopas was "always crying." According to St. Ignatius Brianchaninov, incessant lamentation about one’s sins, according to the teachings of the Holy Fathers, “is recognized as a sure sign of a holy soul that has moved into eternity with its thoughts even during its stay on earth.”

Seeking a solitary monastic life, he twice, in 1765 and 1770, suddenly left the monastery, but each time, at the request of the monks, upon his return he was restored to the rank of abbot. After his disappearance and return in 1770, for some time - until 1773 - he remained in the monastery as an ordinary monk, then again became its builder.
Under Cleopas, in 1768, the hermitage was visited by academician P.S. Pallas with his expedition, undertaken by the Highest decree of Catherine II the Great. There is an entry about this event in his diary: Not far from Intercession... the flowing Volya River makes a bay or lake with an island on which the Vvedenskaya Hermitage is located, which has the most pleasant position in the world.

Father Cleopas lived his life according to the rules of the Holy Fathers, that is, he led the way of life that, according to patristic tradition, necessarily culminates in the acquisition of grace for a monk. According to Archimandrite Feofan, Fr. Cleopas. was “filled with the grace of God.” His exploits were crowned with grace-filled gifts - the gift of clairvoyance and the gift of healing, which appeared after his death. Once, having secluded himself in an impenetrable forest thicket with two of his students, Fr. Cleopas spent his time in fasting and prayer. Food supplies were running out, the disciples asked for his blessing to leave solitude and go to the nearest villages for alms. Understanding the importance of solitary, undistracted prayer for monks, and foreseeing the future, Fr. Cleopas suggested that the disciples, who were already beginning to weaken in their feat, endure a little longer, promising that help would arrive. A few days later, a cart drawn by a pair of horses drove up to their cell, on which an unknown man, to their joy, brought everything they needed... But only then did the brothers realize that it was impossible to drive carts through the thicket in which they had retired to pray.
It is known that Fr. Cleopas predicted his future life path to his bishop, Bishop Sylvester of Pereyaslavl. Predicted by Fr. Cleopas long before her death and the day of her death, and to his student Fr. Ignatius, who lived at that time in the Florishcheva Hermitage, is that he will become after him his successor in the leadership of the Vvedensky Monastery and Archimandrite. These prophecies were fulfilled with precision. According to MDA professor N.I. Subbotin, who became acquainted with the unpublished recordings of Archimandrite Theophan’s conversations with the Goritsky sisters, they contain “many examples of his (Art. Cleopas’) insight.” The elder’s grace was connected, in the opinion of Archimandrite Theophan, with the fact that the elder kept his chastity uncorrupted from a young age.
It is impossible not to pay attention to the strong impression Fr. Cleopas on others. Very noteworthy is the opinion of Bishop Sylvester, Bishop of Pereyaslavl, about him, expressed in a conversation with the famous Prince G.A. Potemkin Tauride. When His Serene Highness noticed in a conversation with Bishop Sylvester that in Russia there were no such elders and ascetics as in Moldova (meaning St. Paisiy Velichkovsky and his brethren), the Bishop objected, pointing to Fr. Cleopas. After talking with Fr. Cleopas, His Serene Highness agreed with the bishop’s opinion and immediately decided to present the elder to the Empress, but the humble Fr. Cleopas, having learned about this, avoiding human glory, suddenly disappeared from sight. Archimandrite Feofan Novoezersky appointed Fr. Cleopas is on par with St. Paisius Velichkovsky and called him together with St. Tikhon Zadonsky and Rev. Theodore of Sanaksar, “great elders” and “miracle workers,” said that Fr. Cleopas “had a truly holy life” (Under the leadership of St. Theodore, Fr. Theophan lived for about three years, and the same amount under the leadership of Fr. Cleopas; he knew St. Tikhon of Zadonsk personally.).
We know very little specifically about the elder’s beneficial influence on the laity of that time. The elder was famous in Moscow (the desert was located 80 versts from it). Many Muscovites saw in him a true monk and a true Christian, and the hermitage existed at that time mainly due to the contributions of Muscovites. It is not without interest that at this time the family of the Prozorovsky princes was constantly connected with the life of the Vvedenskaya Ostrovskaya Hermitage, to which a special road was built from their estate. 14 years after the death of Elder A.A. Prozorovsky, known as a man of strictly traditional Orthodoxy, carried out the discovery and defeat of the Masonic conspiracy led by Nikolai Novikov, which was very significant for the history of Russia.

Very characterizes the appearance of Fr. Cleopas is the spiritual image of his disciples. Father Ignatius moved to the Vvedensk Hermitage, already in the rank of hierodeacon, from Venerable. Theodore (Ushakov) from the Sanaksar monastery, famous throughout Russia for the strictness of its rules, and here in the person of Fr. Cleopas found a true mentor. In 1781 Fr. Ignatius was appointed builder of the Peshnoshsky monastery, then - archimandrite of the Tikhvin monastery; in both monasteries he introduced a charter modeled on the charter of the Vvedenskaya Ostrovskaya hermitage; later he becomes archimandrite of the Moscow Simonov Monastery. According to the Monk Macarius of Optina, “everywhere he was for the brethren an example of virtuous living, and especially of humility, poverty and non-covetousness, he did not wear silk robes from entering monasticism, he was merciful to the poor, compassionate to the unfortunate, full of love and beneficence towards the brethren.”
Theodore Sokolov, the above-mentioned Archimandrite Theophan of Kirillo-Novoezersky goes to the Sanaksar hermitage to the Monk Theodore of Sanaksar, where the conditions are even more difficult and the prayers are longer than in Sarov. From there, after the departure of St. Theodore of Sanaksar to Solovki, he comes to Fr. Cleope to the island in the Vvedenskaya hermitage, becomes his student. Then in Moldova he takes monastic vows, and then the monasteries of the St. Petersburg and Novgorod dioceses follow. Father Theophan, just like his other associates in the Vvedenskaya Hermitage, preserves the traditions of Art. Cleopas, Rev. Paisia, Mount Athos. Being the abbot of the Kirillo-Novoezersk monastery, he introduced the Athos Rule in it. Archimandrite Theophan is also known to us as an expert in the art of the mental Jesus Prayer, and that is why he was invited to participate in the editing and publication of the Philokalia. St. wrote about him as a “righteous man.” Ignatius Brianchaninov. With o. Theophan was lucky enough to communicate with the young Saint Ignatius (then still a novice Demetrius).
Father Macarius (novice Matthew Bryushkov) came with Theodore Sokolov to the Vvedenskaya hermitage from the Sanaksar monastery; he later became the abbot of the Peshnoshsky monastery. “Tireless and knowledgeable in economic matters, he was even more tireless in the exploits of spiritual life. His appearance seemed stern, but his soul was full of fatherly love: he had no property, but shared everything with his brethren; received everyone with kindness; and his simplicity of heart, coupled with spiritual wisdom, involuntarily attracted general respect for him. Moscow Metropolitan Platon often presented him as an example to the Superiors of other monasteries...” - this is what the Rev. wrote about him. Macarius, Art. Optinsky. In the image of the Peshnoshsky Monastery, many Russian monasteries and hermitages were established and replenished with Peshnoshsky monks: Kirillo-Novoezerskaya, Davidova, Berlyukovskaya, Ekaterininskaya, Medvedeva, Krivoezerskaya, Golutvinsky Monastery, Sretensky Monastery in Moscow and, finally, Optina Monastery. Companion and novice Fr. Macarius was Fr. Avramiy, later the abbot of this famous monastery. With the blessing and guidance of Fr. Macaria was at the beginning of the 19th century. restored and landscaped. Abraham Optina Hermitage, which became the heart of the eldership of the 19th century.
The famous reverend also passed the novitiate test under the guidance of Elder Cleopas. Basilisk of Siberia, from whom he received the blessing to go into the desert. Thus, mysterious spiritual connecting threads stretched from the Monk Paisius Velichkovsky through Fr. Cleopas to his disciples, and from them to the monks of the 19th century. - to the Optina elders and Saint Ignatius (Brianchaninov), to Rev. Basilisk of Siberia and his disciple - Rev. Zosima Verkhovsky.

He rested in Bose, in full agreement with his prediction, on March 9, 1778, on his favorite holiday - the Day of Remembrance of the Forty Martyrs who suffered in Lake Sebaste.
After the death of the elder in 1778, the place of his burial began to be especially revered by the inhabitants of the monastery and pious pilgrims. “According to the stories, healings from various diseases were often performed at the grave of Cleopas,” wrote the abbot of the Vvedenskaya Ostrovskaya hermitage, Sergius. According to N.S. Stromilov, a famous church writer and local historian, “they say that after the death of Cleopas, special signs appeared, healings through prayer before the Lord of this ascetic.”
For many years, the elder’s grave was sacredly revered by the residents of the city of Pokrov and surrounding villages. In the pre-revolutionary years, an unquenchable lamp burned at the burial site; in the Soviet years, pilgrims tried to get to the island on which the desert was located, breaking through the cardons (at that time a colony for minors was set up there). Hieroconfessor Afanasy Sakharov, Bishop of Kovrov (Vicar of Vladimir and Suzdal), a famous liturgist, included the name of Elder Cleopas in the list of locally revered Vladimir saints, to whom he addressed in his prayers offered by him in his portable Temple. In the tradition of the Russian Orthodox Church, it was customary to canonize locally revered saints through a bishop's blessing.
The elder’s gracious help is felt to this day after funeral services are performed at his remains, now located in the active convent (Vvedenskaya Ostrovskaya Hermitage) and prayers addressed to him.

Cleopas gathered the poor brethren who had wandered around the world, built wooden cells for them and, with the help of willing donors, built three stone churches.
First Cathedral Stone Church in the name of the Entry into the Temple of the Most Holy. Mother of God, “at 9 fathoms. in length and 7 in width, one-story, built at the expense of the merchant Sitnikov and consecrated by His Eminence Theophylact, Bishop of Pereslavl and Dmitrov. In 1785, the inside of this church was decorated with wall paintings.”
Second Church in the name of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker. It was consecrated in 1781 by His Grace Theophylact.
Third Church of St. Archangels Michael and Gabriel adjacent to the Church of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker. It was consecrated by His Grace Anthony of Pereslavl and Dmitrov.
“In these churches there are many icons of Greek writing, richly decorated with silver, gilded chased vestments and crowns sprinkled with various precious stones; cypress table with 70 pieces of St. embedded in it. relics and a beautifully carved tomb for the shroud, gilded according to the polyment with red gold, arranged with the care of the later abbot Spyridon. On the shroud, the Savior is depicted on white satin, the crown is embroidered on velvet in gold and lined with large pearls. The sacristy is generally very rich; Particularly distinguished from the others by its preciousness is one robe of gold brocade with flowers, on its shoulder embroidered on silver ground, in gold, Christ the Savior, who cast out the demon from his wife’s daughter, with the words: and the dogs at the table eat from the grains of children; On the left frame there is also Christ the Savior with the Samaritan Woman. The shoulder and hem are lined with silver braid.”
The shrine of the monastery was icon of the Presentation of the Mother of God, through whose intercession in 1863 the residents of the city of Pokrov miraculously got rid of cholera.
The stone bell tower is quite high, there are 9 bells on it, the largest of which weighs 212 pounds. The abbot's cells were attached to the bell tower and a small garden opposite the windows on the east side. The common meal for the monastics is made of stone, above it are wooden treasury cells, from which there is a wonderful view of the lake, surrounded on all sides by dense forest. Adjacent to this building in the north were the stone cells of the monks.

Since ancient times, this desert was loved by the nobles living in the neighborhood and often visited it to venerate the image of the Most Holy One. The Mother of God, and many of them even wished, were buried in this monastery. The body of Princess Anna Borisovna Prozorovskaya, daughter of Prince Boris Alekseevich Golitsyn, who died in 1772, was buried in the refectory of the Cathedral Church; opposite the altar were buried the bodies of Princes Ivan and Peter Prozorovsky, Princess Varvara Ivanovna Nesvitskaya, Artillery Major Prince Alexander Nikolaevich Nesvitsky, who died in 1802, Major General Peter Sergeevich Telegin, who died in 1805; and on the “noon side” of the altar a plaque is inserted indicating that opposite this place lie the ashes of the venerable Builder of the Desert Cleopas, who died in 1778.

Beyond the lake, in the east, on the very shore, a spacious house with a mezzanine and a courtyard with stables and a barn for visiting pilgrims was built, where two novices lived permanently. Where, according to the custom introduced by Cleopas, pilgrims could spend three days for free - but no more - and also stay in the monastery for free.
“Before the construction of a wooden bridge across the lake to the monastery, when visitors arrive and announce that they intend to be in the monastery and if it is in the summer, then the novice rings the bell hanging on the mezzanine several times, and a boat is immediately sent from the island for crossings." Three miles from this hotel ran the Moscow High Road, where there stood a stone chapel built by the Builder Cleopas, instead of the one broken by priest Fadeev. Near it is a cell in which a monk lived to receive alms from passing willing donors.

“The surroundings of this monastery are beautiful. The lake is bordered on all sides by a green frame of forests, in the distance you can see the line of the Moscow Highway and on the very horizon, to the east, the city of Intercession with a huge church built by the Sarachev merchants is visible. The island itself involuntarily stops the attention of visitors by the fact that it has an elevation of no more than two feet from the water and is surrounded by a wooden fence so close to the water that there is not even a quarter of the land behind the wall - from which, from a distance, the monastery appears as if floating on the water.”

According to the states that took place in 1764, deserts were left in the 3rd class.

In the 19th century the monastery grew in property and became richer. Paul I granted the desert hayfields and a mill on the Melezha River near the village of Novaya (now the village of Glazuny in the Fryanovsky urban settlement). The mill was rented out by the monks and brought in an income of 200 rubles. in year. In 1831, Princess Tatyana Mikhailovna Prozorovskaya, who owned the village of Ivanovskoye, 7 km from the monastery, donated 20 acres of land to the monastery on the nearest shore of the lake: ... the swamp land located on the shore of Lake Vyatka was donated to the eternal monastery possession.
In 1856, these 20 acres became the subject of a dispute between the monastery and the captain, Prince K.F. Golitsyn, who by that time had become the owner of Ivanovsky and wanted to take back the land “arbitrarily appropriated for the benefit of the Hermitage.” The litigation lasted 5 years and ended on October 28, 1861 with the verdict of the Civil Court, according to which the disputed land was transferred “to the full and inalienable possession of the Vvedenskaya island desert without the right of appeal from Prince Golitsyn.”

In 1843, the Builder Hieromonk Spiridon died of old age, and Hieromonk Damian took his place.

In 1876-1878, under rector Joseph, the winter church of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker was rebuilt and expanded. Among the donors for the reconstruction are the industrialists Morozovs.
In 1891-1894. the former Vvedensky Church was replaced by a new one - made of red brick - also with five domes. The iconostasis was silvered and gilded, and the cathedral walls were painted with images of “Greek writing”. This temple went through destruction, reconstruction and re-consecration in the next 20th century. A bell tower was erected at the temple (it has not survived), brick cell buildings, a rector’s building and a brick fence were erected around the perimeter of the island.

To the beginning 10s the monastery looked quite prosperous: its reserve capital in 1910 was estimated at 65 thousand rubles, arable land in 1911 was 15 dessiatinas 128 fathoms, hayland - 23 dessiatinas. 230 fathoms, forest - 227 dessiatinas. 936 soots, swamps and land - 52 dess. 1152 soot. Of this number, 34 dessiatines were rented out. 1124 soots, processed on our own by 8 dess. 1512 soot. There were 30 brethren, pilgrims flocked to the monastery - in the same year of 1911, the monastery provided 1,500 free meals, - there was a school at the monastery (in 1911, there were 12 boys and 11 girls studying).

In 1918, the Holy Vvedensky Monastery was closed - the property was nationalized. Divine services in the former monastery churches took place until 1924, the choir was led by Pokrovsk nuns Ekaterina and Evpraskiya. The remaining island buildings and the territory of the island itself were used first as a home for the elderly and disabled, then as an orphanage. In 1932, a women's teenage colony settled in the former monastery; in 1935, it was transferred to the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Internal Affairs and, in connection with this, changed its name to a “labor educational colony.” In 1940, all remaining monastery property was transported to Pokrov and the buildings began to be rebuilt. The domes and under-dome drums were cut down, a school for imprisoned girls was set up in the Vvedensky Church, and a club and cinema hall were built in the St. Nicholas Church.
On September 16, 1991, the executive committee of the Vladimir Regional Council of People's Deputies adopted a decision “On the transfer to the jurisdiction of the Vladimir Diocese of the buildings of churches and monasteries located in the region.” Based on this decision, the island churches were returned to the Church, although not immediately - the 2nd floor of the Holy Vvedensky Cathedral and St. Nicholas Church were given to the monastery only 3 years later, in 1994. Both were in a “pathetic” state: with leaking roofs, without any or repairs and without domes - the crosses had to be installed directly on the roofs. By this time, the Vedeno Cathedral housed a museum on the 2nd floor, and a gym, workshops and a furniture warehouse on the first floor. St. Nicholas Church remained a club.
On October 6, 1993, by decree of Archbishop of Vladimir and Suzdal Evlogy, the parish community of the island churches was closed, and in its place a monastic community was formed - as a metochion of the Murom Holy Trinity Novodevichy Monastery. Back in August 1993, the first nuns arrived from the said monastery on the island, the eldest of whom was nun Christina.
On June 6, 1995, by decree of the Holy Synod, the monastery was given the status of a “nunnery”, and Sister Christina, who by this time had become nun Fevronya, was appointed abbess of the revived monastery.

Monastery belfry


Monastery belfry and cell building


Cell building

In 2001, a brick belfry was erected to replace the destroyed bell tower, which was equipped with newly cast bells. Some of them were made in the workshop of the Shuvalov brothers in Romanov-Borisoglebsk (now: Tutaev), and some - at the plant named after. M.V. Khrunicheva.

According to eyewitnesses, the transfer of St. Nicholas Church to the revived monastery did not happen quite normally. In May 1994, Abbess Fevronya (then the future) turned to the director of the colony V.S. Karpenko with a request for permission to serve in the temple, which was still located in this colony, a prayer service for St. Nicholas of the Spring. To which the director, in turn, replied that he was handing over the St. Nicholas Church to the monastery, because in a dream “some gray-haired old man” came to him and said that the temple should be given away. The first service in St. Nicholas Church was held on Christmas Day 1995.

Refectory

Monastery garden

Monastery fence and towers


South Gate of the Monastery

Children's shelter "Kovcheg"

At the revived monastery, there is an Orthodox boarding house “Kovcheg” for low-income minors left without care, homeless people and refugees - for all those who need social protection. On September 1, 2009, the first school year for twelve girls began in this building. Children are taught by teachers according to the primary school curriculum, as well as a choirmaster, choreographer, and piano teacher. The sisters of the monastery teach embroidery to their pupils, a craft for which the monastery has been famous since the first days of its foundation. Children participate in divine services, elders sing in the monastery choir.

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