Address: Russia, Yaroslavl region, Pereslavl-Zalessky, Museum lane, 4
Foundation date: early 14th century
Date of abolition: 1744 year
Main attractions: Cathedral of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Church of All Saints, Church of the Epiphany, belfry
Coordinates: 56 ° 43'16.3 "N 38 ° 49'26.3" E
Content:
Lists of monasteries of Pereslavl-Zalessky
Sometimes the Goritsky Monastery is mistakenly called the Kremlin. Indeed, the small walls and towers of this monastery give it the appearance of a fortress. Due to its location on a hill, it is the most noticeable in Pereslavl-Zalessky - its architectural dominant. Now the monastery is inactive, and it houses the collections of the historical, architectural and art museum-reserve.
Goritsky Monastery from a bird's eye view
The history of the creation of the Goritsky monastery
How long ago this Christian monastery was founded is unknown, because a fire that happened in the first half of the 18th century destroyed all its archives. It's clear that at the beginning of the XIV century, during the time of Ivan Kalita, there was already a monastery in Pereslavl. Some researchers are inclined to believe that it appeared two centuries earlier and was built on the site of a pagan temple - the Fool's Grove.
All other monasteries of Pereslavl are located on the plain, and this one was erected on a hill near the southern shore of Lake Pleshcheevo, for which it got its name - Goritsky or Assumption on Goritsa. Within its walls, an associate of Sergius of Radonezh, Dmitry Prilutsky, received the tonsure. It happened in 1371. Here the Monk Daniel, especially revered in Pereslavl, began his monastic path, who in 1508 founded his own monastery - the Trinity Danilov Monastery.
Cathedral of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin
Like many monasteries, Goritsky served as a kind of fortress and took part in military battles. So, in 1382, during the invasion of Khan Tokhtamysh, his wife Dmitry Donskoy Evdokia Dmitrievna hid within its walls. At a critical moment, when the Tatars burned Pereslavl, the princess and her servants managed to sail to the middle of Lake Pleshcheevo, where a thick fog saved them from their enemies.
According to legend, some of the local residents also managed to escape. After Pereslavl was liberated, the grateful Evdokia contributed to the restoration of the monastery. And in memory of this historical event in the city there is a tradition of a water procession. On the sixth Sunday after Easter, believers from the walls of the Goritsky monastery and the mouth of the Trubezh sail across the lake in boats.
The male abode survived the Time of Troubles, which was not easy for Russia. But, unfortunately, nothing of the buildings older than the 16th century has survived on its territory to this day. At this time, the monastery was very influential, it owned many villages and had about 5 thousand peasants under its command. It was often visited by kings and members of their families, leaving rich gifts in the monastery sacristy.
East (travel) gate
The history of the Goritsky monastery in the 18th - early 20th centuries
In 1744, great changes took place in the life of the monastery. For 44 years, the city became the center of a separate Pereslavl diocese, to which 600 churches and 20 monastic monasteries were subordinate. in Dmitrov, Alexandrov, Mozhaisk and Volokolamsk.
And the Goritsky monastery, as the richest at that time, ceased to serve as a haven for the monks, and became the bishop's residence - the place of permanent residence of the head of the diocese.
In 1788, the diocese was abolished, dividing its territory between the neighboring ones - Vladimir, Yaroslavl and Moscow. Later, in the 19th century, a religious school was built in the former monastery. By the beginning of the 20th century, the monastery was in decline and desolation - the pond was overgrown, the territory was full of garbage, and the buildings were significantly dilapidated. After 1917, its buildings were nationalized, and in 1919 they housed the first museum collections.
Goritsky monastery walls
Monastic temples and buildings
Fenced in by a low wall, the monastery complex is very beautiful and towering over the roofs of Pereslavl, as if hovering over the city. Its oldest buildings have survived from the 16th-17th centuries. This is a white-stone fortress wall with loopholes and guard passages, which served to protect the monastery from the enemy, three towers and two gates, the Gatekeeper's Chamber, the Church of Nicholas and All Saints, as well as the refectory chamber.
The Holy Gates with the one-domed Nikolskaya Church erected above them are an outstanding monument of ancient Russian architecture... And experts have repeatedly described them in various publications, as an example of the fusion of two styles that existed at that time - ornamental and the very popular Moscow baroque.
The driveway is also considered a true architectural masterpiece. They were made in the eastern monastery wall and were used for household purposes. Compared to the plain and sleek walls, their ornate decoration cannot be overlooked. The gate is framed by large arches, above which are mounted figures of rearing horses. The superstructure over this gate was made later, towards the end of the 19th century.
Belfry
The main monastery church - the five-domed Assumption Cathedral was erected in the 50-60s of the 18th century according to the project of the architect I.Ya. Yakovleva. However, due to the abolition of the Pereslavl diocese, it was never completed. The architect's vision is best seen on the eastern façade of this church. Compositionally, the temple is a pyramid rushing upward.
The stingy exterior contrasts with the rich baroque interior decoration - lush white stucco on a blue background, sumptuous chandeliers and picturesque wall panels. The best masters from the New Jerusalem Monastery worked on this beauty. The multi-tiered gilded iconostasis was made by the hands of a master from Moscow, Yakov Zhukov. And the icons for him were made by painters from New Jerusalem.
The highest on the territory of the monastery is the Epiphany Church with a four-tiered bell tower. The entire Pereslavl-Zalessky is visible from the observation deck on the upper tier of the bell tower. It, like the main cathedral, has not been completed since the 18th century. After the diocese was abolished, the bells from this church were removed and transported to the then capital, to the bell tower in the Peter and Paul Fortress.
Panorama of the Goritsky Monastery
Since the 19th century, a building has remained, which was occupied by the Theological School, a bathhouse and a belfry. The bricks of the dilapidated church of Gethsemane were used as a building material for the construction of the Theological School.
The column of this dismantled ancient temple was placed in a museum exhibition. And as a house church, the Theological School used the five-domed renovated Church of All Saints, erected in the 16th century.
On the territory of the monastery there are also wooden chapels (XIX century), which were brought here in the 80s of the last century from the neighboring villages of Foninskoe and Starovo. Such chapels were called "everyday". They were erected by the whole village, or, as they said at the time, by "peace."
At the time of the bishop's residence, a pond was dug on its territory, so that in the event of a fire, water for extinguishing was nearby. And in the 1920s, an orchard was laid out around this pond.
From left to right: Cathedral of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Church of the Epiphany
In the fall of 2014, new changes took place in the fate of the monastery. Its historical premises were given to the Yaroslavl Diocese of the Russian Orthodox Church for use. And now work is underway to free the premises from museum collections and restore it as a monastic monastery, which is planned to be completed in 4 years..
Historical-Architectural and Art Museum-Reserve
This museum complex is considered one of the largest museums in Russia.In many ways, his rich collections were formed thanks to the efforts of the founder of the museum, the famous historian and explorer of the Pereslavl lands Mikhail Ivanovich Smirnov (1864-1949).
Historical-Architectural and Art Museum-Reserve
Now the collection numbers over 80 thousand exhibits, most of which are unique. They can be seen daily, except on the last Tuesday of the month. Free photo and video filming is allowed on the territory of the monastery and in the museum halls. The natural history section of the exposition tells about the rich nature of the Pleshcheyevo Lake National Park. Here you can see stuffed animals and birds living in the vicinity of Pereslavl and the lake.
The Pereslavl Museum is proud of its collections of Russian icons, paintings and wood carved sculptures, memorial sections dedicated to F.I. Chaliapin and D.N. Kardovsky, rare exhibits dating back to the era of Peter I, as well as unique works made by silversmiths, goldsmiths and skilled goldsmiths.
From left to right: Church of All Saints, Cathedral of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary
How to get to the Goritsky monastery
The monastery is located at: Museum Lane, 4. At the entrance to Pereslavl-Zalessky from Moscow, its walls and domes of churches are immediately visible on the left side. You can get to the monastery in the city by regular bus number 1 (stop "Museum").
