Holy Iversky Valdai Monastery

MFeet are famous for the land of Valdai. But there is one miracle, just a real diamond in the treasury of this rich land. On the shore of the Holy Lake is the Holy Iberian Valdai Monastery. It is small, but its significance in Russian Orthodoxy is very great...

Petersburg to Moscow...

At the end of the summer of last year, we had a chance to visit there. We were driving from Moscow to Petersburg. After driving about half way, we saw the sign "St. Iversky Valdai Monastery." Of course, it was decided to visit the holy places. Turning off the road and driving a few kilometers to the village of Borovichi, we drove up to a majestic lake, on the other side of which, like a toy, stood a monastery. Joining a group of tourists, we listened to the amazing history of the monastery.

It was founded in 1653 at the insistence of Patriarch Nikon, and in the same year the first stone of the future monastery was laid on one of the islands of the lake. According to legend, Nikon had a vision in a dream in which Saint Philip blessed him to build a monastery in the Novgorod lands. Two churches were founded - St. Philip and the Iberian Mother of God.

The construction of the monastery was carried out day and night. A lot of effort was put in. Landscaping, clearing forests, cultivating land. And by decree of Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich, the surrounding villages were assigned to the possession of the monastery. Among them are Vyshny Volochek, Borovichi. The lake and the forests around were also included in the list of monastic lands.

The monastery grew and grew rich. And in 1750, with all the buildings and lands, by royal decree, it is attributed to the Alexander Nevsky Lavra in St. Petersburg. Good fame spread about the monastery throughout Rus'. The poor and the destitute flocked here from all its corners. And everyone found here both bread and shelter and care. “This is our duty to the Queen of Heaven,” Archimandrite Lavrenty told the parishioners.

But, new times and revolutionary events of the 20th century burst into the holy prayer walls like a whirlwind. In 1919, the monastery ceased to exist ... Arrests and executions of monks and believers began, as well as robberies of church utensils. The monastery buildings were given to the labor artel. Then the production workshops, the club, the hospital. And only in 1991 the dilapidated monastery was returned to the Russian Orthodox Church.

We listened to the guide, who told us the history of the monastery and imagined how many troubles fell on these holy walls. But today's monastery pleases with its beauty. It is small and very cozy. The icon of the Iberian Mother of God meets the parishioners. Particles of the relics of St. Sergius of Radonezh and Ambrose of Optina, Great Martyr Panteleimon, are carefully stored here.

Night after the tour in the Holy Iberian Valdai Monastery

After the tour, we spent the night on the shore of the lake. The silence was extraordinary. Only closer to the night the bells rang after the service. And early in the morning, buses with pilgrims began to drive up to the monastery walls. People come from afar to worship the icon of the Iberian Mother of God the Wonderworker. Having kissed the shrine, each asked for his own.

Everything that we saw and heard within the walls of this monastery made a huge indelible impression. We learned a lot of interesting things from our great history. If you have the opportunity, visit the Valdai St. Iberian Monastery. I am sure that this visit will remain in your memory for many years to come.

Nikita Beregovoy for Travelgide.ru