Anthony's Krasnokholmsky Monastery. Krasnokholmsky Monastery. Monastic architectural complex

A post about an abandoned monastery that was once located in the Bezhetsky region of the Novgorod province, and now it is Krasnokholmsky
area Tver region . It is here, on the border of the village of Krasny Kholm (formerly Spas on Kholm), along the banks of the Mogocha River, that one of the oldest monasteries in Rus' is located - Krasnokholmsky Antoniev monastery founded in the middle of the 15th century.
Many unique buildings have been preserved on the territory of the monastery:
- the white stone cathedral is one of the oldest (532 years old) buildings preserved on the territory of the Tver region;
- the church above the Holy Gate, built in 1690;
- fraternal, superior buildings and even a 300-year-old tower.

The monastery was founded already in the 15th century - “by the will of the Great, glorified God in the Trinity, years from the creation of the world 6968 (1461 AD).”
The founder of the monastery, Elder Anthony, is the ascetic Rev. Kirill Belozersky (a special movement in monasticism of that era
- Trans-Volga eldership). In the Kirillo-Belozersky Monastery, a number of founders of new monasteries grew spiritually,
which puts our monastery in line with the most famous monasteries of those years: Solovetsky, Ferapontov, Alexander-Oshevensky.

St. Nicholas White Stone Cathedral (1481-1493)

There are only three walls, but they are 532 years old.

Previously, the cathedral looked like this.

Each wall is decorated with such beautiful keel-shaped portals.

Fragment of the portal - half-columns.

And inside these walls, the original wall paintings survived. On top of which was another.
We enter the cathedral through a prepared stepped staircase...

And we look at the hard-to-read murals.
The silhouette of Seraphim is only clearly visible in the upper left corner.

By the window opening one can judge the thickness of the cathedral walls.

This is another portal with a face preserved above the entrance.

And around this cathedral are scattered ancient tombstones with inscriptions.

Well, let's move on to other attractions.
Gateway Church of the Ascension.

Built in 1690 over the Holy Gate that led to the monastery.

This church was connected to the Small Brotherhood by fortress walls (not preserved).
The fraternal small building above the passage gate (1690-1697)

What a view from under the gate - a blunder!

Most of the monastery buildings are richly decorated in the Moscow “patterned” style, made of cut bricks
with rare inserts of white stone details.
Fragments of this ornament.

They took special care in decorating the windows.

Let's leave this building behind and walk to the tower and the abbot's buildings.

The only north-eastern tower, built in 1697, has survived.

Doorway to the abbot's cells.

And this is a view of the Brethren Corps and the abbot’s cells (1748)

Bird's eye view of the monastery (model).

In general, the history of the monastery is very rich.
Troubled times did not spare this monastery either. More than once it was conquered and ruined by the Poles,
Lithuanians and free robbers and even Don Cossacks. Minin and Pozharsky put an end to the robberies,
just reaching Yaroslavl, but this was enough for the Cherkasy and Lithuanian people to retreat.
The last attack was in 1614, Circassians and “various thieves” came from behind Onega,
but in our monastery the archers were already stationed under the command of the centurion Timashev.

During its heyday, the monastery owned 614 households and 4,620 peasant souls (as of 1710).
In 1764, by decree of Catherine II, the confiscation of estates from the monasteries followed, and he was included in the number of regular
monasteries of the second class. The number of brethren according to the staff of this class was 17 people.
By 1918, there were only 12 monks and four novices in the monastery, including the abbot...

Not far from the city in 1461, Hieromonk Anthony, who arrived from the Belozersk side to the deserted bank of the river. Mologi, a monastery was founded. The first church was erected with donations from the local boyar Afanasy Neledinsky-Meletsky in the name of St. Nicholas, on the site of the miraculous appearance of his icon to the monk. Being the abbot of the monastery he founded, the monk edified his brethren with frequent teachings and especially the example of his ascetic life. He died in 1481 and his body was buried under a bushel in one of the chapels of St. Nicholas Cathedral. Over the years, the monastery was built, its estates grew. In the 1760s. The Bezhetsky Vvedensky Monastery was assigned to the monastery. A parochial school was opened in 1783, and from 1809 the Krasnokholmsky Theological School was located in the monastery. By the end of the 19th century, the monastery occupied a rectangular area. There were four stone churches in it: the Cathedral of St. Nicholas, from the southwestern corner with which the small Church of All Saints was built in 1690 (in the cathedral there were icons of St. Nicholas, one of which was revealed); Intercession Holy Mother of God with the chapel of the Exaltation of the Life-Giving Cross of the Lord (1592); Voznesenskaya (1691) above the Holy Gates; gateway to Ioanno-Predtechenskaya (1764). The three-tiered stone bell tower (1668) housed a library and archive. There was a two-story abbot's building (1748), a brethren's building (1685), and small stone cells above the gate. Outside the fence there was a stone chapel built in the south-eastern tower.
After the revolution, the Krasnokholmsky St. Nicholas Monastery suffered the fate of many monasteries in Russia. It was destroyed and from the buildings of the late 17th century, the remains of the wall, the Brethren's building, the abbot's cells and the north-eastern tower have reached us. The walls of St. Nicholas Cathedral, built in the 15th century, are also partially preserved. Perhaps the temple would have survived better if the destruction of the shrine had not continued to this day, and the bricks of the unique monument had not been taken away. But somewhere among these lonely walls there is a place where the holy relics of the saint of God, St. Anthony of Krasnokholmsky, lie hidden.
Reverend Father Anthony, pray to God for us sinners!
* * *

The history of the St. Nicholas Monastery has not yet been written today; in any case, it is not reflected in literature as brightly, fully and interestingly as almost five and a half centuries of its existence deserve. There are several reasons for this.

Firstly, in the post-revolutionary period, the St. Nicholas Monastery was devastated and destroyed, museumification of its objects was not carried out, and materials and information on its history were not collected. Both the architectural masterpieces of the monastery and the very memory of it turned out to be unnecessary and unclaimed.

Secondly, at the moment a relatively limited range of written sources telling about the monastery has been introduced into scientific circulation. Almost everyone who turns to the past of the monastery relies on the testimony of the “Chronicle of the conception of the Bezhetsk Verkh of the St. Nicholas Monastery...”, which tells about the founding of the monastery and the early period of its history, as well as on the information given in the “Historical Description of the Krasnokholmsky St. Nicholas Monastery...” , compiled by Abbot Anatoly (Smirnov) and published in Tver in 1883.

Thirdly, the relatively recently carried out archaeological work on the territory of the monastery (90s of the 20th century) has apparently not yet been properly taken into account by either the scientific community or the authorities.

That’s why today we don’t know much about the history of the St. Nicholas Monastery. It is known that it was founded at the end of the 15th century. an elder who probably came from the famous Kirillo-Belozersk monastery, since the monastery chronicler indicates that the Monk Anthony was from the “country of Belozesk”. Finding himself in the city of Gorodetsk, Bezhetsky Verkh (the borderland of the Novgorod and Tver lands), the elder fell ill. After recovering from the illness, he decided to settle near the city in a secluded place. People began to flock to him, soon the brethren gathered, and a monastery arose.

According to the monastery Chronicler, the main role in the establishment of the monastery was played by the local boyars Neledensky-Meletsky. But, analyzing the political situation at the end of the 15th century, it seems more likely that Prince Andrei Bolshoi Uglichesky took part in the creation of a monastery on the lands of his inheritance.

Andrei Bolshoi - the younger brother of Ivan III, the creator of the united Russian state, the builder of the Moscow Kremlin - was also a very prominent figure in the political arena of that time. And, most likely, only the prince, and not the local patrimonial boyars, was able to build such a powerful temple, outstanding in its architectural characteristics, as St. Nicholas Cathedral of the St. Anthony Monastery. Thus, V.P. Vygolov’s version about Andrei Uglich’s patronage of the construction of a new monastery in his lands looks plausible. Moreover, the founding of the monastery in 1461 coincides with the receipt of Bezhetsky Verkh into the hereditary possession of this local ruler (1462). In the church administration, Bezhetsky Verkh (Bezhetskaya Pyatina or Bezhetsky Ryad), and, consequently, the monastery depended until 1776 on the Novgorod see (the overwhelming number of abbots of the Anthony Monastery came from Novgorod monasteries; according to the ancient expense books of the monastery, in the 16th - 17th centuries. The St. Nicholas Monastery lived according to the cenobitic monastic charter introduced in the monasteries of the Novgorod diocese by the Archbishop Macarius of Novgorod during the reign of Vasily III).

The presence in the St. Nicholas Monastery already in the 15th-16th centuries. two stone buildings (the main St. Nicholas Church with a border and the Church of St. Demetrius of Thessalonica with a refectory), richly decorated icons, various liturgical utensils, rich priestly vestments and liturgical books (there were 11 altar Gospels, some of which were decorated with gold, silver and velvet ), significant land plots and various monastic services (among which mills and “solodyanskie”) put it on a par with the largest monasteries of that time.

XVI – XVII centuries - this is the time of development, if not flourishing, of the Krasnokholmsky St. Nicholas Monastery. Both local landowners and representatives of eminent boyar families make donations to the monastery (among the monastery’s contributors were Prince Andrei Bolshoi Uglichsky, the Neledinsky boyars, the archimandrites of the Novgorod Yuryev Monastery Bartholomew, the Buturlins, the Sheremetevs, the Godunovs). Due to the transfer of villages and hamlets into the ownership of the monastery, its patrimony grows (in 1564 the monastery had 149 villages, and in them there are 215.5 villages), its economic well-being and influence in the region are strengthened. New buildings appeared on the territory of the monastery (at the end of the 16th century, a church was built in honor of the Intercession of the Most Holy Theotokos, also with a refectory and with various services; a three-altar gate church was built in honor of the Ascension of the Lord, St. Grand Martyr Demetrius of Thessalonica and St. Blessed Prince. Boris and Gleb - the latter was reconsecrated in 1650 in honor of Alexy the man of God; some other churches, stone cells and a fence, and other buildings), the Necropolis of the monastery is being formed. Since the end of the 17th century, an archimandry (or archimandrite - the most honorable degree among monastic monasteries) was established in the monastery, although probably not without the diligent intercession of its influential contributors.

But the 16th century brought ruin and misfortune to the lands of Bezhetsky Verkh, on the territory of which the monastery was located. The army of the guardsmen of Ivan IV the Terrible passed like a dark wave through these lands, bringing death to many local landowners and their people. Although later the God-fearing ruler more than once donated to the monastery of St. Anthony received rich gifts, including for the commemoration of the “disgraced people” he killed (for example, 12 small icons in silver frames). In addition, the last third of the 16th century was marked by a severe economic crisis, caused not only by a number of socio-economic reasons, but also by an epidemic and crop failure. And as a result, there was a sharp demographic decline and significant desolation of land.

The 17th century was a troubled time in the history of Russia. Polish interventionists jeopardized the preservation of Russian statehood and culture. Locally, the terrible events of that time also affected the history of the monastery, located among the forests at the confluence of the Mogocha River and the Neledina River. The monastery authorities tried to pay off the gangs of bandit gangs of Cossacks and Poles with money, but they still failed to save the monastery and its estates from ruin (even at the end of the 16th century there was a tendency to reduce the population of the monastery estates, the number of brethren decreased, many monastic villages turned into wastelands) . And in 1611, a tragedy occurred: the monks were killed (26 murdered monks were recorded in the old synodik), monastery villages and villages were burned. Only in the second half of the 17th century did the gradual revival of the monastery and its possessions begin. According to the 1678 census, the monastery included 103 villages and villages, which numbered 614 households (probably, the St. Nicholas Monastery belonged to the category of large monasteries, which numbered from 100 to 1,000 peasant households). However, in the 17th century, state policy in relation to monasteries was built taking into account the social demands of the nobility and the needs of the authorities themselves, primarily financial, land, palace, military and others. Therefore, the main direction of the government's political course is to take into account church estates and peasant households in them, control over monastic property, income and expenses of monasteries.

Peculiarities of life and development of the St. Nicholas Monastery in the 18th – 19th centuries. fit into the general context national history, information about which can be found in the available historical literature. Let's just say that during this period further architectural improvement of the monastery was carried out: monastery walls and towers, monastic and abbot's cells were built and rebuilt; the temple complex was improved, renewed and modified; The area of the monastery expanded. The largest number of people supported by the monastery occurred in the 1720s: there were 72 monastics (including 10 hieromonks) and other ministers - more than 100 people. According to the first census (audit) of the population, conducted in 1722, there were 4,031 souls and men in the monastery. gender, and according to the third - 1762 - 4,620 souls. The monastery owned a barnyard where goats, horses, cows and bulls, sheep and lambs were kept, 5 mills, several farmsteads (including the Anthony Monastery participated in the construction of a farmstead for the Novgorod archpastors and abbots in St. Petersburg), ascribed monastery and 2 deserts, land. However, with the beginning of the state reforms of Peter I, which also affected the church and monastic sphere, the economic well-being of the St. Nicholas Monastery began to gradually decline. State taxation grew, the number of “milking payments” grew, in addition, the monastery was subject to various church fees. The balance between income, expenses and taxation in the economic life of the Antonev Monastery was so disrupted that in 1724 the Novgorod bishop's house took it under its guardianship, and actually assigned it to itself. Only in 1727, at the request of high-ranking and eminent monastery contributors (among whom was Senator Yu. S. Neledinsky-Meletsky), both independence and archimandrite were returned to the Anthony Monastery. But already the reform of Catherine II (1764), aimed at transferring all monastic property into state property, deprived, among others, the St. Nicholas Monastery of its former significance as the largest land user, although according to the states it was included in the number of monasteries of the 2nd class (in 1766 the monastery owned 14,600, including forest lands, acres of land).

Further, during the provincial reform of Catherine II, in 1764, the village of Spas on Kholma ceased to be the patrimony of the Anthony Monastery. In 1776, Decree No. 14420 was issued on renaming the villages of Vesyegonsk and Spas na Kholma as cities and annexing them to the Tver Viceroyalty. The decree read: “For the benefit and for the greater benefit of the residents of the established Tver Viceroyalty... divide the Bezhetsky district into two parts, leaving a part under the city of Bezhetsk in 28,336 and assigning 25,139 souls to the village of Krasny Kholm, calling this village a city...”. Thus, a new name was assigned to the former village of Spas on Kholm - Krasny Kholm, the village was transformed into the city center of the Krasnokholmsky district of the Tver Governorate, then the Tver province. In 1778, a regular plan for the new city was approved, covering a large area that included the ancient village (at the northern edge of the city), the Anthony Monastery (at the southern end) and three settlement villages located between them - Gluntsovskaya, Nikolskaya and Bortnitskaya. Thus, the St. Nicholas Monastery, which at one time was a respectable patrimonial estate, actually entered the city limits of Red Hill, which in turn contributed to a new redistribution of the monastery’s property. Over the next decades (the end of the 18th - the first half of the 19th century), the regular plan was only partially implemented. Essentially, only that part of the plan was implemented that concerned the northern part of the city, covering the territory of the ancient village of Spas on Kholma and several blocks south of it, mainly on the right bank of the Neledina. And although the coat of arms of the city of Krasny Kholm was approved in 1781, already in 1796 the Krasnokholmsky district was abolished, and its territory was divided and included in the Bezhetsky and Vesyegonsky districts of the Tver province. The city of Red Hill is becoming unimportant. In 1836, the St. Nicholas Monastery was transferred to the III class of regular monasteries: the monastery was part of the diocesan administration, it was supervised by the dean of the monasteries, and the abbot governed such a monastery.

Despite the rather tense economic life, in the 18th – 19th centuries. St. Nicholas Monastery played the role of the spiritual and educational center of the area. In 1783, a parochial school was opened in the monastery, and from 1809 to 1834 a theological school operated. By the 19th century The monastery library consisted of more than 300 printed books and 2 handwritten books, and had a rich ancient handwritten archive for the 16th, 17th, and 18th centuries.

The end of the 19th century was the time that marked the beginning of the study of the history of this ancient monastery of the Tver diocese.

The 20th century is a martyrdom period for the entire Russian Orthodox Church, and it became such for the Antonyev Monastery. The monastery ceased to exist, the entire architectural complex was destroyed and distorted beyond recognition. Even the 60s - 70s of the twentieth century - a time of revival of interest in Russian culture and its monuments - did not bring positive changes in the fate of the monastery. Only in the 90s. The St. Nicholas Monastery, thanks to the uniqueness of its St. Nicholas Cathedral, an architectural monument of the 15th century, was talked about at conferences, and publications appeared on the pages of scientific periodicals. Perhaps this masterpiece of architecture and the first church of the monastery will become the flagship that will finally bring the ancient monastery out of obscurity and desolation recent years, because over the many problems of Russian life and trials for its spirituality and culture, the words of M. F. Dostoevsky always ring prophetically: “Beauty will save the world.”

The article was compiled by Ph.D. Alekseeva S.V., Tarasova N.P.

Clouds followed us and only when we passed Red Hill and approached the ruins of the St. Nicholas Monastery did the sun appear for the first time. This is another grandiose object celebrating a milestone this year. And it’s also not painted, not in flowers, and they don’t sell tourist brochures near it.

01.
Little remains of the monastery. It was once a large complex surrounded by a high wall.

02.
Here is an excerpt from the chronicle.
“And by the will of the Great, in the Trinity of the glorified God, from the creation of the world in 6969 (1461), there came someone from the country called in human words Belozerskaya, a priest, a desert dweller, an elder named Anthony, and came to the boundaries of the city called Gorodetsko, in patrimonial inheritance of the most glorious husband, a nobleman named Vasily, called Meletsky, to his son, Afanasy Vasilyevich, called Neledinsky. And by the will of the Almighty, the glorified God in the Trinity, and by His ineffable righteous destinies, that named desert dweller, a holy monk named Anthony, became ill, and after a few days, by the will of the righteous God, that monk Anthony received liberation from illness.”

03.
“And that desert dweller, a holy monk named Anthony, on that Athanasian land of his built a chapel for prayer and a cell for his repose, and here he began to live as a desert dweller and to strive for God in a good and God-pleasing life. Worldly people came to him, sending up praise and prayer to the Lord God, and sang prayer and funeral chants. And seeing the good and God-moving life of that desert dweller, a monk named Anthony, everyone brought him alms from what they had.”

04.
“And that desert dweller, named Anthony, began to build a wooden church in the name of the great saint and wonderworker Nicholas of Myra. And, having built it, he beautifully decorated that temple with holy icons and supplied it with divine books, and, after a little time, he fenced that temple and began to gather the brethren.”

05.
This was in 1461. Monks began to gather around the church and by 1481 this place had already become a monastery with a stone church under construction.

06.
Around this time, Saint Anthony dies. But followers continued to develop the monastery and by the beginning of the 16th century a stone refectory appeared here.

07.
Presence in the monastery by the end of the 15th century. two stone buildings - a cathedral and a refectory with a warm church - puts it on a par with the largest and most famous Moscow monasteries of those years. Not many of them could “boast” of several stone buildings at that time. Only such large monasteries as Trinity-Sergius, Chudov and Simonov then had, in addition to the cathedral, a stone chamber for meals with a temple next to it.

08.
The monastery retained its prosperity at the end of the 15th and throughout the 16th century, as reported by the chronicle: “And many great princes and boyars from their estate in that Antonov Monastery, money and all church utensils, constantly gave money and their estates in the years ahead, for the sake of the eternal inheritance blessings and eternal remembrance of their parents, for the food of the abbot and the brethren in that Antonov Monastery, I gave the grace and grace of the omnipotent God, glorified in the Trinity, and the prayers of His Most Pure Mother and their saint, the great among the hierarchs, the Wonderworker Nicholas, that holy monastery spread great.”

09.
The refectory was later rebuilt. In its original form it stood for less than a hundred years. And St. Nicholas Cathedral survived until the first half of the last century without major changes.

10.
Like most churches, the monastery was destroyed in the 30s, some administrative services were located in the refectory, the Temple from above was shortened by half, and later even more dismantled and destroyed. Now only three load-bearing walls remain.

11.
Twenty years ago, the question of restoring the monastery complex was raised.

12.
Last year, an application was submitted to register the monastery as a functioning monastery. True, I don’t quite understand how it can function in such a state.

13.
In the partially intact refectory there was destruction and destruction. In addition, several rooms were on fire.

14.
On the second floor, rotten beams do not inspire confidence. In some places there are no floors.

15.
It is clear that there was still life here several decades ago. Doors covered with leatherette, living stoves, normal stairs.

16.
There is very little information on the history of the monastery. In fact, only a copy of the chronicle remains, reflecting the first years of construction. But there are no specific dates there. There is not even complete information about when the St. Nicholas Church was consecrated.

17.
This year the monastery celebrated its 550th anniversary. We can only hope that he will meet 600 years in a more vibrant form.

There are several good articles on the history of the monastery on the Internet. This is an article by V.P. Vygolov, freely available on rusarch.ru. and an equally interesting article by Alekseeva S.V. and Tarasova N.P. on spasi-hram.ru. The monastery website is tver-antonievmon.narod.ru, where you will also find some historical photographs and a lot of information.

Photo from wikipedia.org

Krasnokholmsky St. Nicholas Monastery- Orthodox male monastery (Russian Orthodox Church, Moscow Patriarchate, Tver Metropolis, Bezhetsk Diocese). The monastery is located in the village of Sloboda, Krasnokholmsky district, Tver region (a kilometer from the city of Krasny Kholm along the P-84 highway to the southwest) at the confluence of the Neledina and Mogochi rivers. On the territory of the monastery there is one of the oldest architectural monuments of the Tver region - the white stone St. Nicholas Cathedral (1481-1493).

The chronicle dates the founding of the monastery to 1461, when the Monk Anthony, who probably came from the Kirillo-Belozersky monastery, settled on these lands.

The Monk Anthony, according to the Chronicler, had some intention on his journey and initially did not intend to stay where the monastery would later arise. Only Anthony's serious illness and subsequent recovery changed his plans, and in 1461 a wooden chapel and cell were erected.

The time of spiritual and material prosperity of the monastery was the XV-XVI centuries. Contributions to the monastery were made by representatives of boyar and noble families: the Tyutchevs, Sheremetevs, Neledinsky-Meletskys, Milyukovs, Buturlins, princes Shcherbakovs and others. A large number of investors in the monastery at this time ensured its prosperity.

In the Time of Troubles, in early XVII century, the monastery was destroyed, but quickly recovered.

Peter's reforms of the early 18th century put the monastery in a very difficult situation. By decree of Catherine II in 1764, extensive estates were taken away from the monastery.

The history of the monastery in the 19th century reflected the main trends characterizing the synodal period of the existence of the Russian Orthodox Church.

After the revolution of 1917, the monastery was closed, sharing the fate of many Russian monasteries, and in the 1930s the monastery buildings were destroyed.

In August 2013, with the blessing of Bishop Philaret (Gavrin) of Bezhetsk and Vesyegonsky, the Krasnokholmsky St. Nicholas Monastery was registered as the Krasnokholmsky St. Nicholas Bishop's Compound. Hieromonk Siluan (Konev) was appointed rector of the metochion. In May 2014, the Anthony Monastery was transferred to the Russian Orthodox Church.

History of the monastery

Rev. Anthony of Krasnokholmsky

XV century. Background to the founding of the monastery

The 15th century was the pinnacle of Russian asceticism. This flourishing, which elevated the spiritual authority of monasticism in state life, was the result of the fruitful spiritual work of a whole host of ascetics who were in one way or another connected with the school of St. Sergius of Radonezh. Influence of Rev. Sergius's influence on the monastic tradition not only caused the revival of the monastery in Russian monasteries, it became the foundation and root of the great tree of monasticism of the 14th-15th centuries. Many monasteries with a cenobitic charter owe their foundation to St. Sergius of Radonezh.

The most famous of the founders of monasteries - students of St. Sergius is a reverend. Kirill Belozersky (+1427), founder of the monastery on the shores of White Lake. Rev. Cyril became the spiritual father of a group of particularly strict ascetics, of whom later, at the end of the 15th and first half of the 16th centuries. A special movement in monasticism of that era was formed - the Trans-Volga eldership. A number of founders of new monasteries grew spiritually in the Kirillo-Belozersky Monastery.

The only source on the initial history of the Krasnokholmsky Nikolaevsky Monastery (“The Chronicler ...”) points to the founder of the monastery - the holy monk Anthony, a desert dweller, an elder who came from the country “called Belozersk by human verbs.” This suggests that Rev. Anthony was among those who were influenced by both the Kirillo-Belozersk monastery and its founder, Rev. Kirill (+1427). Rev. himself Kirill (+1427) Anthony could hardly have known, since he came to the lands of Bezhetsky Verkh 34 years after the death of Kirill.

Founding of the monastery

The foundation of the monastery is described by the only source on the initial history of the Krasnokholmsky Nikolaevsky Monastery: “The chronicler about the conception of the Bezhetsky top of the Nikolaevsky Anthony Monastery and about the construction of the churches of God and about the giving of estates to this monastery by the great princes and boyars and other benefactors.”

The chronicle dates the founding of the monastery to 1461, when the Monk Anthony, who probably came from the Kirillo-Belozersky monastery, settled on these lands. The Monk Anthony had a certain intention in his journey from the Kirillo-Belozersk monastery and initially did not intend to stay where the monastery would later arise.

The land to which Anthony came belonged as a patrimony to the boyar Afanasy Vasilyevich Neledinsky-Meletsky. As a result of a serious illness, Anthony was forced to stop his journey. After the illness left the holy monk, he asked boyar Afanasy Vasilyevich for a small plot of land, where he built a wooden chapel and a cell for himself to perform prayers. The rumor about the godly life of the ascetic soon spread throughout the surrounding area and those who wanted to receive his blessing and those who wanted to pray with him began to flock to him. Funds appeared to build a wooden church and a fence around it.

There is an oral tradition that one night Anthony saw an unusual light from the window of his cell, went out into the courtyard and saw an icon of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker on a tree. Having given praise to the Lord, he brought the icon into his chapel, and after building a wooden church, he dedicated it to St. Nicholas. He accepted everyone who wanted to live with him, worked with them in setting up cells and was for them a model and leader in a godly life. This is how the monastery got its structure, named in honor of St. Nicholas and in memory of the founder - Antoniev.

The area where the monastery was founded was in the Bezhetsky corner of the Novgorod region. In church administration, the Bezhetsky upper, and, consequently, the monastery, depended until 1776 on the Novgorod see.

The bank of the rivers on which the monastery began to be established was low-lying, flooded with water in the spring, and therefore the first wooden church and cell were a little to the side on the elevated area closest to the river. Rev. Anthony wished that the stone temple proposed for construction, as well as cells and monastic services, be located on the very bank of the river, which required making an embankment area, significant in space and height of the embankment. The participation of the Neledinsky-Meletskys is seen in this case. Part of the funds could have been provided by the Uglitsky prince Andrei Vasilyevich the Bolshoi, to whose inheritance the lands of the Bezhetsk top belonged since 1462.

On the embankment and leveled square in 1481, according to the legend of the monastery chronicler, Rev. Anthony laid the foundation of a temple, majestic for that time, in the name of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker with a chapel of the Annunciation of the Blessed Virgin Mary.

Some time after the founding of the cathedral, Rev. Anthony died and the temple was completed by his successor Herman (1482-c.1493). Herman was elected from the brethren of the monastery and for some time was a builder, and then elevated to the rank of abbot by the Archbishop of Novgorod. After him, other abbots were in the rank of abbot. Under Herman, St. Nicholas Cathedral was decorated and consecrated.

History of the monastery in the second half of the XV-XVI centuries

According to the chronicler, under Abbot Paisius I (1494-early 16th century), a church with a refectory was built, known from the beginning of the 16th century under the name of the Temple of Demetrius of Thessalonica.

The chronicler notes the abbess of Bonifatius (after 1520), chosen from among the brethren of the monastery. Since rumors about the pious life of Abbot Bonifatius reached Grand Duke Vasily Ivanovich, he visited the Anthony Monastery, probably in 1526, when he and his young wife Elena went on pilgrimage to the Kirillov Monastery.

The next abbots of the monastery were Macarius and Arseny, and from about 1548, abbot Joasaph I became the abbot of the monastery. He acquired quite a lot of valuable church utensils. Subsequently, Joasaph became the abbot of the Trinity-Sergius Monastery, and therefore, in the inventories of the second half of the 16th century, the things donated by him were designated as given by “Trinity Abbot Joasaph.”

In the second half of the 16th century, the monastery continued to receive significant contributions, including from long-time benefactors of the Neledenskys. The monastery's holdings increased several times in the second half of the 16th century.

The donations of Ivan the Terrible were quite significant, thanks to which by 1592 a church was built in honor of the Intercession of the Most Holy Theotokos. It was built instead of the refectory church of Demetrius of Thessalonica, also with vestry services. White stone for the foundation and lime were broken on Mologa. Boyar Fyodor Vasilyevich Sheremetev (son of Vasily Andreevich, Vassian in monasticism, and brother of Ivan Vasilyevich Sheremetev), who lived in the monastery and was tonsured with the name Theodorite, took part in the establishment of this church with his own money.

History of the monastery in the 17th century

With the advent of False Dmitry II, a disastrous situation arose for the entire state. In 1608, Abbot Kirill went to the impostor with the image of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker and holy water. But submission to False Dmitry II did not save the monastery from the robberies and robberies of the Poles and Russian rebels wandering around it.

Without stone walls, he could not defend himself even from small gangs of freemen, and the gentlemen had to give money and fodder to protect themselves and their estates.

The issuance of money “for protection” could not protect the monastery and its lands. The temple was desecrated, and many lands fell into desolation. On December 29, 1609, False Dmitry fled to Kaluga, and on January 12, 1610, the troops from the Trinity-Sergius Lavra also fled. The monastery also became a little calmer. The monastery began restoring the desecrated shrine and repairing the damage. After 1611, the Cossacks and Poles completely took possession of the monastery and its estates, beating the remaining monks in the monastery. Villages and hamlets were burned, residents fled or were killed.

The situation began to change when, at the beginning of April 1612, Minin and Pozharsky came with the militia to Yaroslavl and stopped here to arrange matters. At this time, Cherkasy and Lithuanian people “sat” in the Anthony Monastery. Pozharsky and Minin, who received news of this, sent a significant army against them. The matter ended without a battle: Yushka Potemkin left the Smolyan detachment from the road and told the Cherkassy that Prince Dimitry Mamstrukovich Cherkassky was coming towards them with many military men. Cherkasy, having heard this news, quickly ran from the monastery and the monastery was liberated.

Hegumen Jonah became abbot in 1614. From the north, because of Onega, because of Belozer, gangs of Circassians and with them “various thieves” began to gather and move to the south. To repel and exterminate the freemen, archers were stationed in the monastery and a Cossack village was established. The abbot and his brethren were forced to go to Gorodetsko to their monastery courtyard and to the Vvedensky Monastery, and from there they cajoled the guards of the monastery.

After peace was concluded in Deulin, the situation in the state stabilized. The orders of Abbot Jonah and subsequent abbots gradually erased the traces of ruin in the monastery and in its estates. The destruction of the monastery's estates was noticeable back in the late 1620s. In 1634, a new disaster came from a fire.

Hegumen Jonah III, who became rector of the Anthony Monastery in 1635, was the confessor of Empress Martha Ioannovna, mother of Tsar Mikhail Fedorovich. The patrimonial estate of the mother of Tsar Mikhail Fedorovich, the village of Khabotskoye and its villages, was adjacent to the monastic property. Probably, when visiting her estate, she stopped by the monastery when Jonah was a simple priest. Jonah first ruled the monastery as a cellarer, and was elevated to the rank of abbot at the end of 1636.

In 1647, Joasaph (1647-1654) was elected by the brethren. Hegumen Joasaph corrected the unfinished restoration of the monastery by his predecessors after the disasters that befell it. Under him, the Church of the Resurrection, which stood with ruined thrones after the Lithuanian invasion, was restored. Hegumen Anatoly (Smirnov) in his book cites the opinion that Joasaph, having first become the archimandrite of the Trinity-Sergius Monastery, “was called to the patriarchal throne after Nikon.”

In 1688, in the Patriarchal category, it was proposed to attribute the Anthony Monastery to the Resurrection New Jerusalem Monastery. The proposal, which was unfavorable for the monastery, was rejected. Apparently, the archimandry was established in the Anthony Monastery at the request of noble contributors. Joseph (1690-1701) was appointed the first archimandrite from the hieromonks of the Novgorod Derevyanitsky monastery. Monuments of his activity remain: almost the entire eastern stone fence with two towers, the Church of the Ascension. In the St. Nicholas Cathedral the iconostasis was updated and a wall letter appeared.

Construction of temples and buildings at the end of the 17th century

In 1668, with the blessing of Metropolitan Pitirim of Novgorod, the Stone Bell Tower was built.

Since 1685, the monastery began intensive work on the construction of stone churches, cells and fences. This year, stone state chambers and hospital cells with a church in honor of the Annunciation of the Blessed Virgin Mary were built on the northern side of the monastery. The chapel of the Annunciation that existed in the cathedral church was abolished. In 1690, a small church in the name of All Saints was added to the St. Nicholas Cathedral Church.

In 1690, a stone Church of the Ascension of the Lord was built with one main altar and two chapels.

In the same 1690, construction began on a stone fraternal cookhouse, a two-story building called Iversky. Almost at the same time, construction began on the eastern wall of the monastery on both sides of the Ascension Church, which was under construction, of a stone fence and cells, with two towers at the ends of the fence.

By the end of the 17th century, a fence on the eastern side and two towers were built, and two-story stone cells were built in the same fence line on both sides of the Ascension Church: at the northern tower (Makaryevsky) and at the southern tower above the exit gate. Along the entire stone fence there were passages with loopholes in two rows; in the towers there were loopholes in three rows.

XVIII century

With the onset of the 18th century, Peter I's transformations began regarding the monastic estates and the monasteries themselves. From that time on, the material well-being of the monastery began to deteriorate. In 1701, the monastery estates and the income from them were subordinated to the jurisdiction of the Monastic Prikaz in Moscow, and stewards were sent from there to manage the estates.

The monastery paid fees for the ownership of estates, for the right to tonsure widowed priests into monasticism. All income (from mills, fishing) was subject to clerical tax. Payments were collected for the Military Order, for the Admiralty, for uniforms and maintenance of recruits, for salaries of dragoons and for other needs.

In 1722, the monastery was entrusted with a new duty - to provide housing and allowances for old and crippled soldiers, retired officers, non-commissioned officers, chief and staff officers. At the same time, the monastery was subject to various church taxes.

In addition, in 1715, the metropolitan house and noble monasteries of the Novgorod diocese undertook the construction of a common courtyard on Vasilyevsky Island in St. Petersburg. Anthony's Monastery was also involved in this enterprise. The monastery, burdened with other duties, was not able to satisfy all monetary demands. As a result, in 1724 the monastery was taken under the care of the bishop's house. In 1727, at the request of the monastic investors, the monastery was restored to independence, with the archimandry still in place. In 1727, Archimandrite Macarius (Molchanov) (1727-1737) was appointed rector of the monastery.

Great difficulties awaited the monastery under the rule of the temporary worker Biron, who took from the monasteries and their estates what he wanted.

With the accession of Elizabeth Petrovna to the throne in 1741, the circumstances of the monasteries changed for the better, and only then did it become possible to begin correcting the dilapidations and building new stone buildings.

In the 1740s, the monastery changed several abbots: Joseph (Arbuzov) (1741-1742); Sosipater (1742-1743); Mitrofan (1743-1747) in the rank of archimandrite.

In 1748, stone abbot's cells were laid in line with the northern fence in one row with the state chamber. At the same time, there is a stone fence on the northern and western sides with a gate to the west, on the sides of the fence there are stone guardhouses and carpentry, and near the northern wall there is a cookhouse for brewing kvass and beer. After the construction of the buildings, the monastery turned out to be cramped, and therefore it was decided to expand it to the south. In 1754, the laying of a new fence began, also with transitions along it. The former southern wall between the fraternal cells and the Iversky building was dismantled. On the western gate in 1764 a stone church was built and consecrated in the name of St. John the Baptist (the western wall and the church in the name of St. John the Baptist were completely destroyed in the 20th century). Thus, the monastery expanded significantly and all the buildings in the fence with six towers were already made of stone. But either due to the haste of construction and poor quality of materials, many buildings turned out to be fragile and subsequently redundant.

Under Archimandrite Mark (1761-1767), abbot of the Krasnokholmsky St. Nicholas Monastery, in 1764, by decree of Catherine II, the estates were taken away from the monasteries, and in return, a monetary salary was assigned to the monasteries and a small part of the land and several servants were left. Anthony's Monastery was included in the number of regular monasteries of the second class.

All taxes paid by the monastery - state and church - were abolished, and the military personnel who were supported by the monastery were sent to the Bezhet voivodeship office.

At the end of the 18th century, Archimandrite Hilarion (1774-1791) became the rector of the Anthony Monastery for quite a long time. Before his appointment to this post, he was first a hieromonk and then the abbot of the Alexander Nevsky Monastery in St. Petersburg. After managing the monastery for seventeen years, leaving his abbotship, he lived until a very old age in the Anthony Monastery in retirement, Archimandrite Hilarion died on September 18, 1797 and was buried in the porch on the north side of St. Nicholas Cathedral.

During the abbotship of Hilarion in 1776, on March 1, the opening of the city of Krasny Kholm followed, and by the highest order, Krasny Kholm, Bezhetsk and Vyshny Volochek with their districts were assigned from the Novgorod province to the Tver governorship.

19th century

In 1816, Archimandrite Joasaph (1816-1829), who had previously been the abbot of the Staritsky Assumption Monastery, became the rector of the monastery. Until 1825, he was the rector of the Krasnokholmsky theological school. Due to old age and illness, he was allowed to retire to the Kalyazin Monastery. He died in 1829 and was buried on the south side of St. Nicholas Cathedral.

When the vicariate was established in the Tver diocese in 1836, when the Zheltikov Monastery was determined to be the seat of the suffragan bishop, the staff position of the second class of the Anthony Monastery was transferred to this monastery, and the Anthony Monastery was converted into a third class monastery.

In 1869, Abbot Anatoly (Smirnov) became the Rector of the Anthony Monastery. In 1883, his book “Historical Description of the Krasnokholmsky Nikolaevsky Anthony Monastery of the Vesyegonsky District of the Tver Province” was published. Until what year Abbot Anatoly was abbot is unknown, but in 1899 a new abbot, Abbot Raphael, took over the monastic affairs.

Krasnokholmsky Nikolaevsky Anthony Monastery. Early 20th century postcard

The last abbot of the Anthony Monastery is known, Abbot Ioann (Grechnikov). He began to fulfill his duties on November 27, 1913, but in the lists of the brethren for 1918 it appears that “The rector of the monastery, Hegumen John, was evicted from the Tver province by a resolution of the Krasnokholmsky district executive committee, and where he is now is unknown to the monastery.” Latest information about The brethren of the monastery indicate that in the monastery, including the abbot, there were 12 monks (three hieromonks, two abbots) and four novices."

XX century

After the 1917 revolution, harsh times came for the monastery. The lists of the brethren for 1918 indicate that “The abbot of the monastery, Abbot John, was evicted from the Tver province by a resolution of the Krasnokholmsky district executive committee.” Soon the monastery was closed.

Krasnokholmsky St. Nicholas Monastery, photo from 1936

The temples and buildings of the monastery were destroyed in the late 30s. In the photograph from 1936, St. Nicholas Cathedral, the Church of the Intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary, the Abbot's building and other buildings of the monastery have not yet been destroyed. In the 1930s, the bell tower and the Church of John the Baptist were completely destroyed.

In 1947, students and graduate students of the Moscow Architectural Institute visited the Anthony Monastery for scientific purposes and made detailed measurements (plans, facades and sections) of the already partially destroyed St. Nicholas Cathedral. In 1948, senior inspector for the protection of monuments N.A. Barulin examined the remains of the monastery complex and for the first time drew up a plan that showed the surviving, dilapidated and completely disappeared buildings of the monastery.

In 1960, by the Decree of the Council of Ministers of the RSFSR, the Krasnokholmsky St. Nicholas Monastery was taken under state protection as an architectural object.

At the end of the 1960s, the first conservation work was carried out on St. Nicholas Cathedral.

In 1991, the first archaeological study of the territory of the monastery took place by an expedition of candidates of art history Valentin Bulkin (St. Petersburg State University) and Alexey Salimov (TF GASK); Vsevolod Vygolov’s article “St. Nicholas Cathedral of the Antoniev Krasnokholmsky Monastery (last quarter of the 15th century)” was published, thanks to which St. Nicholas Cathedral was finally introduced into the history of Russian architecture as a unique monument of Russian architecture.

Modernity

In 2005, a worship cross was installed on the territory of the St. Nicholas Monastery. The rector of the St. Nicholas Cemetery Church in the city of Krasny Kholm, priest Vasily Simora, resumed the tradition of a religious procession from the city to the monastery of St. Anthony of Krasnokholmsky.

In 2010, Metropolitan of Tver and Kashinsky Victor (Oleynik) decided to prepare to register the monastery as a functioning monastery.

In August 2013, with the blessing of Bishop Philaret of Bezhetsk and Vesyegonsky, the Krasnokholmsky St. Nicholas Monastery was registered as the Krasnokholmsky St. Nicholas Bishop's Compound. Hieromonk Siluan (Konev) was appointed rector of the metochion.

In May 2014, the Anthony Monastery was transferred to the Russian Orthodox Church.

Currently, temples and other buildings of the monastery are in need of urgent restoration work.

Architecture

After the revolution of 1917, the monastery was closed, sharing the fate of many Russian monasteries, and in the 1930s the monastery buildings were destroyed.

In 2010, Metropolitan of Tver and Kashinsky Victor (Oleynik) decided to prepare to register the monastery as a functioning monastery.

In August 2013, with the blessing of Bishop Philaret (Gavrin) of Bezhetsk and Vesyegonsky, the Krasnokholmsky St. Nicholas Monastery was registered as the Krasnokholmsky St. Nicholas Bishop's Compound. Hieromonk Siluan (Konev) was appointed rector of the metochion. In May 2014, the St. Anthony Monastery was transferred to the Russian Orthodox Church.

History of the monastery[ | ]

Rev. Anthony of Krasnokholmsky

XV century. Background to the founding of the monastery[ | ]

The most famous of the founders of monasteries - students of St. Sergius is a reverend. Kirill Belozersky (+1427), creator of the monastery on the shores of White Lake. Rev. Cyril became the spiritual father of a group of particularly strict ascetics, of whom later, at the end of the 15th and first half of the 16th centuries. A special movement in monasticism of that era was formed - the Trans-Volga eldership. A number of founders of new monasteries grew spiritually in the Kirillo-Belozersky Monastery.

The only source on the initial history of the Krasnokholmsky Nikolaevsky Anthony Monastery (monastic “Chronicle ...") points to the founder of the monastery - the monk Anthony, a desert dweller, an elder who came from the country “called Belozersk by human verbs.” This suggests that Rev. Anthony was among those who were influenced by both the Kirillo-Belozersk monastery and its founder, Rev. Kirill (+1427) . Rev. himself Kirill (+1427) Anthony could hardly have known, since he came to the lands of Bezhetsky Verkh 34 years after the death of Kirill.

Founding of the monastery[ | ]

The only source on the initial history of the Krasnokholmsky Nikolaevsky Monastery tells about the foundation of the monastery: “The chronicler about the conception of the Bezhetsky top of the Nikolaevsky Anthony Monastery and about the construction of the churches of God and about the giving of estates to this monastery by the great princes and boyars and other benefactors.”

The “Chronicle” dates the founding of the monastery to 1461, when the Monk Anthony, who probably came from the Kirillo-Belozersky Monastery, settled on these lands. The Monk Anthony had a certain intention in his journey from the Kirillo-Belozersk monastery and initially did not intend to stay where the monastery would later arise.

The land to which Anthony came belonged as a patrimony to the boyar Afanasy Vasilyevich Neledinsky (at the beginning of the 18th century, one of the branches of this family received the right to be called Neledinsky-Meletsky). As a result of a serious illness, Anthony was forced to stop his journey. After the illness left the holy monk, he asked the boyar Afanasy Vasilyevich (real historical figure: mentioned in historical documents and the official genealogy of the Neledinsky-Meletsky) a small plot of land where he built a wooden chapel and a cell for himself to perform prayers. The rumor about the godly life of the ascetic soon spread throughout the surrounding area and those who wanted to receive his blessing and those who wanted to pray with him began to flock to him. Funds appeared to build a wooden church and a fence around it.

The area where the monastery was founded was in the Bezhetsky corner of the Novgorod region. In church administration, the Bezhetsk top, and, consequently, the monastery, depended until 1776 on the Novgorod see.

The bank of the rivers on which the monastery began to be established was low-lying, flooded with water in the spring, and therefore the first wooden church and cell were a little to the side on the elevated area closest to the river. Rev. Anthony wished that the stone temple proposed for construction, as well as cells and monastic services, be located on the very bank of the river, which required making an embankment area, significant in space and height of the embankment. The Neledinskys are seen to be involved in this matter. Part of the funds could have been provided by the Uglitsky prince Andrei Vasilyevich the Bolshoi, to whose inheritance the lands of the Bezhetsk top belonged since 1462.

Some time after the founding of the cathedral, Rev. Anthony died, and the temple was completed by his successor Herman (1482-c.1493). Herman was elected from the brethren of the monastery and for some time was a builder, and then elevated to the rank of abbot by the Archbishop of Novgorod. After him, other abbots were in the rank of abbot. Under Herman, St. Nicholas Cathedral was decorated and consecrated.

Abbots [ | ]

History of the monastery in the second half of the XV-XVI centuries[ | ]

Abbots [ | ]

Paisius I
Macarius
Arseny
Ignatius (1545-1546)
Joasaph I (1546-1548)
Paisius II (1548-50s of the 16th century; 1560-1564)
Bartholomew (formerly 1558)
Innocent (formerly 1560)
Gregory (1564-1565)
Jonah I (1565-1572)
Paisius III (from 1572)
Boniface (1570s)
Alexander (1574-1582; 1583-1585)
Theodosius (1582; 1591)
Joachim (1585-1587)
Constantine (1587-1591; 1593)
Gury (cellarer) and treasurer - stewards (1591)
Xenophon (1598)

History of the monastery in the 17th century[ | ]

Without stone walls, he could not defend himself even from small gangs of freemen, and the gentlemen had to give money and fodder to protect themselves and their estates.

Hegumen Jonah became rector in 1614. From the north, because of Onega, because of Belozer, gangs of Circassians and with them “various thieves” began to gather and move to the south. To repel and exterminate the freemen, archers were stationed in the monastery and a Cossack village was established. The abbot and his brethren were forced to go to Gorodetsko to their monastery courtyard and to the Vvedensky Monastery, and from there they cajoled the guards of the monastery.

Construction of temples and buildings at the end of the 17th century[ | ]

In 1668, with the blessing of Metropolitan Pitirim of Novgorod, the Stone Bell Tower was built.

In 1690, a stone Church of the Ascension of the Lord was built with one main altar and two chapels.

Abbots [ | ]

Archimandrites, abbots[ | ]

Joseph (1690-1701) - first abbot archimandrite

XVIII century [ | ]

Great difficulties awaited the monastery under the rule of the temporary worker Biron, who took from the monasteries and their estates what he wanted.

In the 1740s, the monastery changed several abbots: Joseph (Arbuzov) (1741-1742); Sosipater (1742-1743); Mitrofan (1743-1747) in the rank of archimandrite.

All taxes paid by the monastery - state and church - were abolished, and the military personnel who were supported by the monastery were sent to the Bezhet voivodeship office.

Archimandrites, abbots[ | ]

Adrian (1702-1703)
Joseph, archimandrite (1703-1714)
Tarasius, holy archimandrite (1714-1715)
Ioannikiy (1716)
Seraphim I, archimandrite (1717-1724)
Lawrence, governor, governor, abbot (1725-1726)
Macarius (Molchanov), archimandrite (1727-1737)
Venedikt (Koptev), archimandrite (1738-1739)
Evdokim, manager (after 1739-1741)
Joseph (Arbuzov), archimandrite (1741-1742)
Sosipater, archimandrite (1742-1743)
Mitrofan, archimandrite (1743-1747)
Ignatius (Kremenetsky), archimandrite (1748-1751)
Joseph, abbot (1751-1756)
Vissarion, archimandrite (1756-1759)
Theophylact (Sotsky), manager (1759)
Barsanuphius, archimandrite (1760-1761; 1767-1774)
Vincent, steward (1761)
Mark, archimandrite (1761-1767) - a copy was made from the monastery “Chronicle” under him
Hilarion (Maksimovich), archimandrite (1774-1791) - under him another copy was made from the monastery “Chronicle”
Macarius (Novonikitsky) (1791)
Sergius (Klokov), archimandrite (1791-1795)
Meletius (1795-1799)

19th century [ | ]

When the vicariate was established in the Tver diocese in 1836, when the Zheltikov Monastery was designated as the seat of the suffragan bishop, the staff position of the second class of the Anthony Monastery was transferred to this monastery, and the Anthony Monastery was converted into a third class monastery.

In 1869, Abbot Anatoly (Smirnov) became the Rector of the Anthony Monastery. In 1883, his book “Historical description of the Krasnokholmsky Nikolaevsky Anthony Monastery of the Vesyegonsky district of the Tver province” was published. Hegumen Anatoly was the abbot of the St. Nicholas Monastery for 30 years - from 1869 to 1899. This period is quite remarkable for its duration, considering that before it only St. Anthony Krasnokholmsky, the founder of the monastery, according to the monastery “Chronicle,” ruled the monastery for 20 years (from 1461 to 1481), and after him, until its closure, the monastery was replaced by five more abbots. In 1899, the monastic affairs were taken over by a new abbot, Abbot Raphael.

Krasnokholmsky Nikolaevsky Anthony Monastery. Early 20th century postcard

The last abbot of the Anthony Monastery is known, Abbot Ioann (Grechnikov). He began to fulfill his duties on November 27, 1913, but in the lists of the brethren for 1918 it appears that “The abbot of the monastery, Abbot John, was evicted from the Tver province by a resolution of the Krasnokholmsky district executive committee, and where he is now is unknown to the monastery.” The latest information about The brethren of the monastery indicate that in the monastery, including the abbot, there were 12 monks (three hieromonks, two abbots) and four novices."

Archimandrites, abbots[ | ]

XX century [ | ]

In the second half of the 20s of the 20th century, the monastery ceased to exist. The monastery began to be devastated: a significant part of the church valuables was confiscated and taken away, book and archival collections were destroyed, exquisite objects of cult, culture and everyday life of the Middle Ages and Modern times of artistic and historical value were lost, very few survived. By 1930 the monastery was closed.

Krasnokholmsky St. Nicholas Monastery, photo from 1936

The temples and buildings of the monastery began to be dismantled in the late 30s. In the photograph from 1936, St. Nicholas Cathedral, the Church of the Intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary, the Abbot's building and other buildings of the monastery have not yet been destroyed. In the 1930s, the bell tower and the Church of John the Baptist were completely destroyed.

In 1960, by the Decree of the Council of Ministers of the RSFSR, the Krasnokholmsky St. Nicholas Monastery was taken under state protection as an architectural object.

At the end of the 1960s, the first conservation work was carried out on St. Nicholas Cathedral.

In 1991, the first archaeological study of the territory of the monastery took place by an expedition of candidates of art history Valentin Bulkina (SPbSU) and (TF GASK); Vsevolod Vygolov’s article “St. Nicholas Cathedral of the Antoniev Krasnokholmsky Monastery (last quarter of the 15th century)” was published, thanks to which St. Nicholas Cathedral was finally introduced into the history of Russian architecture as a unique monument of Russian architecture.

Archimandrites, abbots[ | ]

Pavel, builder, abbot (1902-1907) - in 1904, thanks to his efforts, royal and bishop's letters of the 16th-18th centuries from the archives of the monastery were published
Afanasy, archimandrite (1908-1909)
Filaret (Denisov), archimandrite (1909-1914)
John (Grechnikov), abbot (1914-1920) - the last abbot of the monastery, whose further fate after 1918 is unknown
Macarius (Mironov), hieromonk, treasurer - after the arrest of Abbot John, management of the monastery was temporarily and officially transferred to him; the further fate after 1922, when the trial of the monks of the monastery took place, is unknown

Modernity [ | ]

In the summer of 2017, a wooden chapel in the name of St. Nicholas was erected on the territory of the monastery.

In the fall of 2017, work began on the St. Nicholas Cathedral of the monastery.

Currently, temples and other buildings of the monastery are in need of urgent restoration work.

Abbots [ | ]

Siluan (Konev), hieromonk (2013 - present) - rector of the Krasnokholmsky St. Nicholas Bishop's Metochion

Anthony's Krasnokholmsky Monastery. Krasnokholmsky Monastery. Monastic architectural complex

History of the monastery

XV century. Background to the founding of the monastery

Founding of the monastery

History of the monastery in the second half of the XV-XVI centuries

History of the monastery in the 17th century

Construction of temples and buildings at the end of the 17th century

XVIII century

19th century

XX century

Modernity

Architecture

History of the monastery[ | ]

XV century. Background to the founding of the monastery[ | ]

Founding of the monastery[ | ]

Abbots [ | ]

History of the monastery in the second half of the XV-XVI centuries[ | ]

Abbots [ | ]

History of the monastery in the 17th century[ | ]

Construction of temples and buildings at the end of the 17th century[ | ]

Abbots [ | ]

Archimandrites, abbots[ | ]

XVIII century [ | ]

Archimandrites, abbots[ | ]

19th century [ | ]

Archimandrites, abbots[ | ]

XX century [ | ]

Archimandrites, abbots[ | ]

Modernity [ | ]

Abbots [ | ]

Architecture [ | ]