Story. Temple of the Dormition of the Blessed Virgin Mary in the village of Stromyn, Noginsk district, Moscow region Temple of the Dormition of the Virgin Mary from Stromyn
S. Stromyn.In 1380, setting off on a campaign against Mamai, Grand Duke Dimitri Ioannovich arrived at the Trinity Monastery on the day when the celebration of the Dormition of the Blessed Virgin Mary continued. He came to St. Sergius of Radonezh for a blessing before the battle and made a vow that if the battle had a successful outcome, he would build a monastery in the name of the Dormition of the Virgin Mary.
The monastery, located in a devastated region, was restored with great difficulty.
In 1616, she was assigned to the Trinity-Sergius Monastery, and her position, thanks to the care of the Monk Dionysius, Archimandrite of Sergius, improved significantly. But in 1682, among others, she was appointed to maintain the Slavic-Greek-Latin Academy, and the monastery gradually fell into decay. When the states were established in 1764, by decree of Empress Catherine II, it was abolished. The buildings were then demolished, and the church was turned into a parish church, but already in 1783, due to dilapidation, it was dismantled, and a wooden one was built, which stood until 1827.
In 1870, on the site of an ancient wooden chapel over the tomb of St. Savva, according to the design of the architect Yakovlev, a stone one was built, which has survived to this day.
In the 19th century With. Stromyn became one of the most populous and richest in the entire Bogorodsk district.
In 1827, parishioners built the now existing stone Church of the Dormition of the Mother of God with the chapels of St. Sergius of Radonezh and St. Nicholas.
In 1877, the church was expanded according to the design of the architect Lev Nikolaevich Lvov.
In the Assumption Church there is a miraculous Cypriot icon of the Mother of God.
This icon became famous in 1841 for the sick daughter of a peasant in the village. Stromyn, named Martha, the Cyprus Icon of the Mother of God, standing on the porch above the entrance to the parish church, began to appear in a dream.
On February 16 (old style) after the prayer service, the girl felt much better and was soon completely healed. When the residents of the village and surrounding area learned about the miraculous healing of the maiden Martha through prayers before the Cyprus Icon of the Mother of God, they began to come to the church in large numbers to serve prayers before the icon. Graceful power emanated from the icon and healed those who brought their prayers to it with faith, humility and hope. In his report to Metropolitan Philaret of Moscow, the local dean presented the following information about the Cyprus Stromyn Icon of the Mother of God:
“The Mother of God is depicted wearing a crown, sitting on a throne, above and on the sides are angels, below are the kneeling Hieromartyr Antipas and the Martyr Photinia. According to church inventories, she was listed in 1783 in the abolished wooden St. Nicholas Church, behind the left choir, and in 1823 on high place in the Sergius chapel. In 1829, the Cypriot icon was placed on the porch of the newly built stone church."
After the miracles took place, the icon was placed in the St. Nicholas chapel behind the left choir; it was decorated with a rich silver-gilded chasuble. In the church with Stromyn this icon is celebrated annually on February 16 - the day when the maiden Martha received healing.
The church was closed in 1960.
The church elder did not want to give up the keys, the door was broken into, and the icons were taken away.
In 1989, the temple, in a state of disrepair, was handed over to the community of believers and restored. It contains the miraculous icon of the Mother of God and the relics of St. Savva, found on September 4, 1996.
In the villages of Chernovo and Dubrovo, roadside chapels in the form of stone pillars with niches for icons, built at the end of the 19th century, have been preserved.
The chapel in Chernovo was restored in 1990.
In the village, back in Soviet times, there was a custom: the dead were carried around the chapel before being carried to the cemetery.
Phone: 8-916-156-85-32
E-mail address: [email protected]
Internet address: www.hramuspenija.prihod.ru
What shrines are there at the pilgrimage site: The miraculous icon of the Cyprus Mother of God, the relics of St. Savva Stromynsky
When prayers or akathists are performed before them, services: Prayers are performed on patronal feast days, akathist to the Mother of God Saturday at 11.00, akathist to St. Savva Stromynsky Saturday 18.00
Mode of visiting the site and conditions of pilgrimage: in agreement with the abbot
Schedule of services: holidays and Sundays
Possibility of participation in worship for a group with a priest: yes
Possibility and conditions for performing a prayer service for a group with a priest: yes
Availability of a pilgrim reception service: yes
Phone number of the pilgrimage service: Rector Fr. Alexander - 8-916-156-85-32, Monk Agafangel - tel. 8-915-264-72-08 Kulikova Svetlana Viktorovna - tel. 8-919-771-93-01
Possibility of excursions: yes, there is a guide on site, no donations
Possibility to receive and accommodate pilgrims: no
Availability of hotels nearby: no
Availability of comfortable living conditions: no
Possibility to feed pilgrims: no
Facilities for pilgrims (parking for buses, cars, etc.): parking for buses, cars
Adaptability of the facility for wheelchair users: no
Opportunity to do charitable work (for children and adults): no
Social activities at the site: distribution of dry rations to the poor
Brief historical background.
In 1823, instead of the dilapidated wooden St. Nicholas Church, the construction of a stone one began in the village of Stromyn. In 1827, the consecration of the church in honor of the Dormition of the Mother of God took place.
In the 30s of the 20th century the temple was closed. In the 40s of the 20th century, services were resumed, but in 1961 the temple was closed again for almost 30 years.
In 1988, the Assumption Church was returned to believers. On May 30, the Day of the Holy Spirit, Bishop Gregory of Mozhaisk consecrated the temple and blessed the beginning of the services.
Directions:
By public transport:
From Moscow: Shchelkovskaya metro station, bus Moscow-Chernogolovka 320, Moscow-Dubrovo 360.
From Noginsk: Buses routes 24, 25.
Exact address, location of the object: Moscow region, Noginsky district, village. Stromyn, st. Bolshaya Stromynka
Navigator coordinates: 56.042318°N 38.480032°E
According to the Nikon Chronicle, the Assumption Stromynsky Monastery was founded in 1379 by St. Sergius of Radonezh according to the vow (promise) of Grand Duke Dmitry Ivanovich. The Grand Duke promised to build a monastery in case of victory over the Tatars. The monastery was located 50 versts from Moscow, on the elevated bank of the Dubenki River, not far from the present village of Stromyn, Noginsk region.
It is believed that the name of the monastery “Uspensky” is associated with the victory of Russian troops over the Tatars in 1378 on the Vozha River on the day of the celebration of the Dormition of the Mother of God. Grand Duke Dmitry Ivanovich understood that after the victory at Vozha, the Horde would take revenge, and the coming battle was inevitable. The life of St. Savva of Storozhevsky indicates the purpose of creating the monastery - “... to gather into it deliberate prayer books for victory over the enemy.”
On December 1, 1379, the wooden Assumption Church was consecrated in the Assumption Stromynsky Monastery. The first abbots of the monastery were the disciples of St. Sergius of Radonezh - St. Leonty and St. Savva, and St. Jacob is also mentioned.
It is known that Grand Duke Dmitry Ivanovich took a direct part in the organization of the monastery: “Great Prince Dmitry enriched and satisfied it with all his needs...”. After the victory on the Kulikovo field and over the next 200 years, the monastery had a special status, according to the land survey books - “mansion, Sovereign’s pilgrimage.”
From the history of the monastery in the 15th century, it is known that in 1472, the brother of Grand Duke John III (1440-1505) Yuri Vasilyevich Dmitrovsky, in his spiritual letter (will), donated the village of Aleksino to the Stromynsky monastery. In the 90s of the 15th century, the builder of the monastery was Saint Serapion, later Archbishop of Novgorod (see Appendix No. 4).
The scribe books of the 16th century, compiled around 1573-1574, indicate the possessions of the Stromynsky monastery in Sherensky and Obezzhy camps. In the Sherensky camp: “a village and a village, and 4 living villages, and 18 wastelands, and 4 villages, and in them 2 monastery courtyards, and 4 priests’ courtyards, and 10 servicemen’s courtyards, and 18 living peasant courtyards...” In the Obezzhy camp: “a village, and a village living, and 12 wastelands, and 2 villages, and in them there are 2 monastery courtyards, and 2 farmsteads of living peasants.”
In 1603, the monastery was damaged by fire. All the charters for the monastic property were burned. New charters were issued by Tsar Boris Godunov, and then by Tsar Vasily Shuisky. The monastery's rights to own villages and lands were restored.
At the beginning of the 17th century, during the reign of Tsar Mikhail Fedorovich (1613-1645), the monastery became affiliated with the Trinity-Sergius Lavra. Around 1615, the Trinity authorities, in a petition to the Tsar, wrote about him: “that monastery went bankrupt due to frequent abbots, and was completely deserted, only two elders live in it.” The abbot of the Lavra, the Monk Dionysius, asked the Emperor: “to send a good old man to that monastery, so that this monastery would not be ruined to the ground, and the Church of God would not exist without singing.” Tsar Mikhail Fedorovich transferred to the Trinity Monastery the town of Radonezh, which was deserted after the Lithuanian devastation. And at the same time he ordered “to build this monastery with the blessing of St. Sergius, just as it was written about that monastery in the life of the miracle worker Sergius.”
The inventory of 1616 tells us the following: “Yes, on the monastery, on the right side of the temple, there is a wooden chapel over the tomb of our reverend father Savva, a disciple of the wonderworker Sergius.” In the Assumption Cathedral of the Trinity Lavra, in the altar, in the arch leading from the altar to the throne, an ancient (1684) image of the saint with the inscription: “Reverend Savva of Stromynsky” has been preserved, where he is depicted with a bandaged right eye. In the “History of the Russian Church” by M.V. Tolstoy, the year of death of St. Savva of Stromynsky is indicated as 1392.
The same inventory mentions the existence in the Assumption Church above the refectory of the throne of the holy martyrs Florus and Laurus. The monastery's possessions included in the Moscow district: the village of Korovitsyno (now Stromyn), the villages of Botovo, Eremino, Shchekavtsevo, the village of Kosyagino and 33 wastelands. In Pereyaslavsky district on Sherna: the villages of Zubovo, Novoe, Pogost, Osochniki and Borovkovo on the Dubenka River. “Yes, monastic fishing grounds in the Sherna River from the mouth of the Dubna River (probably Dubenki - A.S.), and in the Klyazma River at 12 versts.”
The inventory of the monastery in 1642, compiled 8 years after the death of St. Dionysius, mentions two new chapels of the Assumption Church - the Nativity of Christ and the holy patriarchs Athanasius and Cyril. Also mentioned is the special warm refectory church of St. Sergius of Radonezh on a wooden basement, erected in honor of the founder of the monastery. In the monastery courtyard there were six cells with hallways and closets in them, two barns in which supplies of rye, oats, and buckwheat were stored. There was also a cellar, icehouse and kitchen. The monastery was surrounded by a wooden log fence with two gates, “red” or “holy” and the back one, giving access to the river and the monastery mill, which was right there on Dubenka. There is no doubt that all this was arranged with the assistance of the Monk Dionysius.
It should be noted that the number of brethren in the monastery was probably always small, so in the same inventory the following are mentioned: priest Theodoret of Novgorod, Abraham Stromynets and an ordinary brethren of ten people.
In 1682, the Stromynsky Monastery, among others, by the will of the Emperor, was appointed to support the Slavic-Greek-Latin Academy that had then opened in Moscow.
In 1755, on June 5, the Synodal Office blessed the Stromynsky Monastery attached to the Sergius Lavra, instead of the dilapidated and “rotten” wooden church of St. Sergius, to build a new one of the same name. On August 2, 1756, the builder of the Stromynsky Monastery reported that the Church of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary was covered with a new roof and a new wooden church of St. Sergius had been built.
In 1764, by decree of Empress Catherine II, the secularization of church and monastic land holdings was carried out. Among the abolished monasteries was Stromynsky. In 1758, the main church of the monastery, the Assumption, was dismantled and transported to Kopotnya.
In 1870, the priest of the Assumption Church in the village of Stromyn, Father Pavel Favorsky, reported the following about the current situation of the former Stromynsky monastery to the editors of the Moscow Diocesan Gazette:
“Nowadays the foundation of the Assumption Church is visible on the surface of the earth overgrown with turf; each part of it is separated from one another. Here you can see the place of the holy altar and on a high place a willow bush guarding the shrine. On the south side of the temple, apparently behind the right choir, there is a crumbling wooden chapel, then to the west you can see the place of the refectory, the porch and the bell tower. On the north side outside the temple, the places of pillars are visible, which probably supported the parapet. Monks were buried under it, as evidenced by several preserved and carefully guarded white stone slabs with ancient obscure images. Further around the area of the temple one can see the sites of monastery buildings. To the west of the temple, on the cliff towards the river, there is a visible site of a building, probably burnt, which can be concluded from the coals in the crumbled earth; there are also fragments of tiles of ancient shape.”
The same reports tell us that instead of the destroyed dilapidated wooden chapel that existed at the burial site of the Monk Savva, the parishioners of the village of Stromyn built a new stone chapel according to the design of the architect Yakovlev. This chapel has survived to this day.
When talking about the Stromynsky Monastery, one cannot fail to mention the miraculous icon of the Mother of God of Cyprus-Stromynsk. An ancient legend says that with it the great ascetic of the Russian land, St. Sergius of Radonezh, blessed his disciple Leonty, releasing him to become abbess at the Assumption Stromynsky Monastery. After the abolition of the monastery, many church things were transferred from it to the parish St. Nicholas Church. Among them, the main shrine of the former monastery, the Cyprus Icon of the Mother of God, moved here. In 1827, the dilapidated parish church of the village. Stromyn was destroyed and in its place a new stone church was built in the name of the Assumption.
In 1841, the daughter of a peasant in the village of Stromyni, named Marfa, fell ill with scrofula and scrofula. The disease began to intensify over time, as a result of which the patient fell into complete disorder. Martha's relatives and friends were already sure of her imminent death. On January 7, the sick woman was confessed and received the Holy Mysteries of Christ. But the merciful Lord did not allow her to die in the prime of her life, and she was 18 years old. The Cyprus Icon of the Mother of God, standing on the porch above the entrance to their parish church, began to appear to her in a dream. From the icon, Martha heard a voice telling her: “Take Me to your house, serve a prayer service with the blessing of water, and you will be healthy.” She told her family about her dreams, but they could not find the icon. Then the sick woman was brought to the church so that she herself could find the icon she had seen in her dream. Her search was unsuccessful for a long time, until she went out onto the porch and saw an ancient icon of the Virgin Mary above the church doors. On February 16, the sick father invited a priest to the house with an icon of the Mother of God. After the water-blessing prayer service was served, the patient felt relief and soon completely recovered. After this incident, many people from the surrounding area began to flock to the Cypriot icon. And subsequently many miracles and healings of the sick, sick and paralytic were revealed. The priest of the Assumption Church in the village of Stromyn considered it necessary to report to Moscow Metropolitan Philaret about all these miracles, as well as the fact that the Stromyn icon is an object of special veneration by both parishioners and residents of other places in the Moscow province.
During the Soviet period, the Assumption Church in Stromyn was closed, but until 1971 it was not destroyed. On July 22, 1971, on the feast of the Cyprus Icon of the Mother of God, several cars, including a truck, drove up to the Stromynskaya Church. The lock on the gate of the Assumption Church was torn off and after a short time, drunken young people, with the tacit approval of the district committee authorities standing nearby, burst inside. And soon the church utensils flew into the truck. From the crowd of amazed villagers, one woman rushed forward - Daria Semyonovna Bubnova: “I won’t give up the icon, for nothing, if I lie down next to it, I won’t give it up!” She took the huge icon, dressed in a copper robe, and carried it home.
For 17 years, the saved shrine, until its return to the church, was kept here on Stromyn land by two girls - Evdokia Nikolaevna Martynova and Anna Semyonovna Yudkina. These two single women, preserving the purity of their youth, lived together. It was them who the Most Pure One chose to be the guardians of Her icon. Prayer was constantly going on in their house. The flow of pilgrims who wanted to venerate the image of the Cyprus Mother of God has not diminished all these years. The pious virgins did not take money from anyone, but asked to bring lamp oil and candles.
Local authorities knew very well where the icon was. They came with the police and insisted that the adamant ascetics give up the icon themselves. But unsuccessfully.
With special care, the inseparable guardians of the icon monitored the cleanliness of the house. The floor was always swept and things were tidied up. To wipe the glass behind which the image was located meant to perform a whole ritual. Before this, two virgins fasted for several days, prayed, and got down to business washed and in clean clothes.
But the biggest holiday was the return of the icon to the Stromyn Church in 1988. The transfer took place at night, because the abbot was afraid of an attack, and there were enough dashing people in the area capable of this. Although it was the middle of summer, Easter canons were sung. Along with the icon, a willow bush moved to the church... The fact is that there is a legend: where the icon is located, or rather, on the right side of it, a new bush grows. At one time, it grew right on the strawberry patch of Evdokia Nikolaevna and Anna Semyonovna, grew and occupied almost the entire space of the small garden. At first, the women even wanted to cut down the willow tree that was getting in the way, but then they read in the monastery book that such a bush protects the image of the Cyprus Mother of God and invariably follows it. After the icon was transferred, the willow bush disappeared from the house and appeared behind the altar of the Assumption Church. He is still there.
At the Stromynskoye cemetery, under the shade of old birches, there are two graves - Evdokia Nikolaevna Martynova and Anna Semyonovna Yudkina. The first of them did not live to see the return of the icon for 9 months, the second died recently.
The journalist and poet Igor Gonokhov, who recorded this story, also reflected it in poetic form:
What are the Stromyn birches making noise about?
In the cemetery where the monastery stood?
Artificial roses are pale near the slabs
And the metal turned black with age.
But somewhere here are two modest graves,
Above them the air is clean in a different way.
And the grass is beautiful and sad
The early yellowed leaf falls off.
The almost overgrown Dubenka murmurs.
And butterflies fly among the fences.
Crosses, wreaths, tombstones... and aside
It’s as if they are quietly watching and standing.
They stand and watch. What are they?
And the discordant row of birches will rustle.
Maiden Anna and maiden Evdokia,
And the third among them is Christ Himself.
Nowadays the Cyprus-Stromyn Icon of the Mother of God is in its former place, in the Assumption Church in the village of Stromyn. It is celebrated twice a year - on July 9 (22 BC) and on the 1st Week of Lent.
On September 4, 1996, a significant event took place in the parish of the Assumption Church in the village of Stromyn - the discovery of the relics of St. Savva of Stromyn. The Diocesan Commission for the acquisition of relics included: the rector of the Vysotsky Monastery in Serpukhov, Archimandrite Joseph, the secretary of the Moscow Diocesan Administration, Archpriest Alexander Ganaba, the dean of the churches of the Noginsk district, Priest Mikhail Yalov, the rector of the Church of the Dormition of the Mother of God, Hieromonk Nikolai, and senior researcher at the Russian Academy of Sciences Belyaev.
By decree of the Patriarch of Moscow and All Rus' Alexy II, September 4, according to the new style, was established as the day of the discovery of the relics of St. Savva of Stromynsky. Currently, the relics of the saint rest in the Assumption Church in the village of Stromyn.
Literature:
1. S.K. Smirnov. Something about the ancient Stromynsky monastery. Archive of historical and practical information. St. Petersburg, 1862, book 3, pp. 1-14.
2. Moscow Diocesan Gazette. 1870, no. 40.
3. N.V.Kalachov. Scribe books of the 16th century. St. Petersburg, 1872, vol. 1., p. 264, 275.
4. M.V. Tolstoy. Memory of the Dormition Dubensky Monastery. Soulful reading. M., 1877, July, p.245-249.
5. M.V. Tolstoy. The book is verb. Description about Russian saints. M., 1888, p. 84.
6. M.V. Tolstoy. History of the Russian Church. Spaso-Preobrazhensky Valaam Monastery. 1991, p.702.
7. P.M. Stroev. Lists of hierarchs and abbots of monasteries of the Russian Church. St. Petersburg, 1888, p. 238.
8. V.V. Zverinsky. Materials for historical and topographical research on Orthodox monasteries of the Russian Empire. St. Petersburg, 1890-1892, vol. 2, p. 348.
9. Archimandrite Leonid (Kavelin). Holy Rus' or information about all the saints and devotees of piety in Rus'. St. Petersburg, 1891, p. 144.
10. Life of St. Savva of Storozhevsky. Lives of the Saints. Russian saints. Additional book, first. M., 1908, p.440.
11. Priest Nikolai Skvortsov. Materials on Moscow and the Moscow diocese for the 18th century. M., 1911, issue 1, p. 194.
12. V.A. Kuchkin. Sergius of Radonezh. Questions of history. 1992, no. 10, p.86.
13. B.M.Kloss. To be a saint in Rus'. Science in Russia. 1993, no. 1, pp. 96-101.
14. The legend of the miraculous icons of the Mother of God. Holy Trinity Novo-Golutvinsky Convent. 1993, pp.253-256.
15. E. Chizhova. A sign of God's favor. Newspaper “Volkhonka” dated 10/03/1996, Noginsk.
16. A.P.Melnikov. Stromynsky Assumption Monastery. Chernogolovskaya newspaper. 06/08/1996.
17. V. Evreinov. Return from time immemorial. Chernogolovskaya newspaper. 10/12/1996.
18. Reference materials on local history. Noginsk. 1996, p.29.
19. I. Gonokhov. Familiar windows. Poetry. Noginsk. B/d., p.70.
* See Appendix No. 3, 4, 5.
** Venerable Dionysius (in the world David Fedorovich Zobninovsky) (c. 1570–05/10/1633), archimandrite of the Trinity-Sergius Lavra. Companion and one of the closest assistants of St. Hermogenes, Patriarch of Moscow (c.1530-02/17/1612). 02/10/1610 Dionysius was appointed archimandrite of the Trinity-Sergius Lavra and, together with cellarer Abraham Palitsyn, was involved in the restoration of the monastery economy, which had suffered during the Trinity Siege of 1608–1610. Dionysius called on his fellow citizens to defend their fatherland from the Polish-Lithuanian invaders. His messages “to all cities high and low” are known, which played an important role in organizing the Nizhny Novgorod militia of K.M. Minin and D.M. Pozharsky.
In the southern aisle of the Trinity Cathedral of the Sergius Lavra, where, according to legend, there was the cell of St. Sergius, at the window, under a bushel, rest the relics of one of the most worthy abbots of this monastery - St. Dionysius of Radonezh, the Wonderworker. Local memory of him takes place on May 12th.
The Moscow region is rich in holy places. The history of many of them goes back centuries, and sometimes only from ancient chronicles or from “telling” topographic names one can learn that there was once a temple or monastic monastery here. In most cases, not a trace remains of the former church splendor, but there are corners of the Moscow region where the spiritual traditions of their ancestors are remembered and preserved. One of them is the village of Stromyn, located 65 kilometers northeast of Moscow, almost on the border with the Vladimir region. In previous centuries, it was so large and significant that it gave the name to the capital’s Stromynka street, which was the initial section of the road that connected the capital city with ancient Suzdal.
This place is consecrated in the name of the abbot of the Russian land, St. Sergius of Radonezh. As the Nikon Chronicle narrates, “in the summer of 6887 (1378), by order of Prince Dmitry Ioannovich, the Venerable Abbot Sergius created a monastery on the Dubenka River in Stromyn and erected in it the Church of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary.” Tradition says that the Grand Duke wanted to gather brethren from all over the Russian land into this monastery so that they would pray for the salvation of the Fatherland from the foreign yoke on the eve of the decisive battle with the Mongol invaders, which took place on the Kulikovo field.
Its rector, Archpriest Alexander Parkhomenko, talks about the past and present of the Assumption parish in the village of Stromyn.
- Father Alexander, please tell us about the history of the temple.
I would like to note right away that there is little information about our temple. Due to the sad circumstances of the persecution of the Church in the 20th century, many churches, including ours, lost their archives. During the years of fighting against God, not only many icons were burned and lost, but also documents.
After the celebration of the 1000th anniversary of the Baptism of Rus', when the revival of church life began in the country, the Assumption Church was opened - one of the first in the Moscow region. Of course, this event brought great joy to the people. From time immemorial, residents of nearby villages came here and attended services, whose ancestors built this church together. According to some reports, the temple was closed twice: first in the 1930s, then under Khrushchev. All this time, the people experienced great spiritual need, not being able to come to pray, get married, or baptize their children. Our villagers were very worried. For almost 30 years, while the church building stood under lock and key, former parishioners came to it and tried to preserve the temple so that no one would break into it and desecrate this holy place. People kept lamps and icons that they were able to take out and hide during the devastation. Unfortunately, two busloads of icons and utensils were eventually taken away by Komsomol volunteers. Some were taken to an unknown location - perhaps destroyed. Some were preserved in the Noginsk Local History Museum, and, thank God, they were later returned to us.
Unfortunately, I only have the information that was told to me, since I myself am still young and have been serving here for only a little over ten years. Before me, another priest served here - Father Andrei; he was already 80 years old when I was assigned here. He, of course, could have told something, because he found the village and the parish back in the 40s of the 20th century, but has now passed away.
The main shrine of the Assumption Church in the village of Stromyn is the Cyprus Icon of the Mother of God. How did she get here?
- According to legend, the Cyprus Icon was transferred to the Assumption Monastery by St. Sergius of Radonezh as a blessing to the first abbot, Leonty, who ruled the monastery for a short time due to illness. The next abbot was a disciple of St. Sergius, the Venerable Savva of Stromynsky, whose relics now reside in our church. The monastery was sparsely populated, and over time the monastery fell into disrepair; In addition, in the 16th-17th centuries there was a strong fire here. During the period of Catherine’s difficult reforms for the Church, the monastery was abolished. All the monastery church utensils were transferred to the only remaining wooden St. Nicholas Church, converted into a parish church. The Cypriot icon was also moved there along with other furnishings and utensils.Over time, the St. Nicholas Church fell into disrepair and was demolished, and in its place this stone one was built in honor of the Dormition of the Mother of God - in memory of the Dormition Monastery - with two side chapels. One chapel was consecrated in the name of St. Nicholas, since the St. Nicholas Church previously stood here, the other - in the name of St. Sergius of Radonezh, because he was here and himself indicated the location of the future monastery.
The Stromyn Cyprus Icon of the Mother of God became famous for the fact that, through prayers before it, healings of people suffering from various ailments took place. The veneration of this image began in 1841, when the maiden Mavra, a native of Stromyn - by the way, in some descriptions she is mistakenly called Martha - was eighteen years old, suffering from relaxation, having almost lost all hope of healing, recovered after a prayer service performed in front of the Cyprus icon. This event happened relatively recently, and in Stromyn they still remember the place where Mavra’s house stood, and her descendants still live here. Another very famous case occurred with a peasant from one village in the Voskresensky district of the Moscow province, Alexei Porfiryev. He also suffered from weakness and weakness in his arms and legs. When they brought him to the Stromyn church and served a prayer service to the Mother of God before the Cyprus icon, he received healing, first began to move his arms and legs, and then he began to walk. Many miracles have been witnessed; we are currently recording those that are happening today.
The celebration in honor of the Cyprus Icon of the Mother of God takes place twice a year - in the first week of Lent and in the summer - on July 9/22. A lot of pilgrims usually come to us - not only from our Noginsky, or rather Bogorodsky district, but also from other places in the Moscow region. More than once I have heard from pilgrims that, praying in front of the icon, they feel some kind of warmth from the heart. This is understandable, because our temple is prayed for, and everyone feels the presence of the Mother of God, who invisibly resides here, because it is not we who preserve Her image, but She Herself who protects it and us. People leave after the service inspired and joyful, with tears of joy in their eyes, because they feel that they are receiving spiritual support here.
About a kilometer from our temple there is a holy spring - a little away from the place where the monastery used to be located. According to legend, the Monk Sergius of Radonezh visited there, and the source is named in his honor, although there is also a second name - in the name of the Great Martyr Paraskeva Pyatnitsa. Perhaps the appearance of the source was associated with some kind of miracle - unfortunately, I don’t know for sure about this and it is not described anywhere.
On the feast of Epiphany, according to tradition, our parishioners go there and douse themselves with water. On the day of remembrance of St. Sergius, we also serve a prayer service there, sing hymns, wash, bathe ourselves and drink the healing water of the spring - adults and children, even babies. The source is small: if you collect ten buckets of water in a row, the well will be empty, and you have to wait until it is filled again, but you can just drink it or take it with you in a bottle - very tasty and healthy water.
Now dachas have been built next to the holy spring. It’s very sad that when we get there, we sometimes find bottles, cigarette butts, and dirt on the shore and in the water. My parishioners and I come and clean the spring several times a year, but it’s still far from the temple, and you can’t keep track of everything.
Once, when I was performing a prayer service there for Epiphany, a group of secular people gathered at the source. It was sad to see how on a holiday, in the presence of a priest, during prayer, some of them use obscene words, some smoke, music is played in the car, some drink alcohol. That is, people just came to look, without reverence for the shrine.
The spiritual savagery of our contemporaries is a legacy of the atheistic times. How, despite these tragic times, was the shrine of the Stromyn temple preserved?
Our parishioners saved the Cyprus Icon of the Mother of God in a marvelous way. When the temple was plundered, there was a cordon around; The police and Komsomol activists arrived and began to collect and remove all church property. Local residents began tearfully begging for at least something to be left for them. Since the Komsomol members did not understand icons, they said: take one - whichever one you want. Our mothers took the Cypriot icon. One of them - God's servant Darius - took her to her home. The miracle was that, although the icon is quite heavy - two men usually carry it at religious processions, this woman alone was able to carry it away. Probably the Mother of God helped her. Daria lived on another street and, fearing that she would be stopped, she carried the shrine not in front of everyone, but straight through the gardens. This all happened just on the eve of the holiday in honor of the Cypriot icon. Moreover, then Daria came and took the second icon. She turned to one Komsomol member in the cordon with persuasion: they say, “You will take out so many icons; you gave us one - the Cypriot one, its feast day is tomorrow, but can we take another icon? (And she pointed to Kazanskaya.) Today is a holiday for this icon.” The Komsomol member says: “Take it and leave us alone!”
She also took the Kazan Icon, so she saved two shrines.
The miraculous Cyprus Icon of the Mother of God was kept at home by local resident Anna Yutkina for almost 30 years. When the temple was re-opened, the Cypriot icon returned to its rightful place. The small icons that now hang in the refectory were donated by local residents. Large temple icons were returned from the museum. And some of the images were painted for us later in the monastery.
- Another shrine of the temple is the relics of St. Savva. What is their story?
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We also glorify him twice a year. The celebration takes place on the day of the repose of the saint and - after the relics were transferred to the temple in 1996 - Bishop Juvenaly blessed the celebration in honor of the discovery of the relics of the saint on September 4.
According to tradition, these days after the festive prayer service and liturgy, if there are no unfavorable conditions - rain, for example - we perform a religious procession. We carry around the temple an icon of the saint with a piece of his holy relics, sprinkle the people with holy water on all four sides and sing glorification.
On holidays in honor of the Cypriot Icon and on the days of memory of St. Savva, a large number of pilgrims always come to Stromyn. After the religious procession, returning to the temple, we place the Cyprus icon on a stand - we made it specially - we sing the glorification of the Mother of God, the troparion, and then the clergy and laity pass under the icon. This is an old tradition, everyone really likes it.
According to legend, the Cyprus Icon was transferred to the Assumption Monastery by St. Sergius of Radonezh as a blessing to the first abbot, Leonty, who ruled the monastery for a short time due to illness. The next abbot was a disciple of St. Sergius, the Venerable Savva of Stromyn, whose relics now rest in the church. The monastery was sparsely populated, and over time the monastery fell into disrepair; In addition, in the 16th-17th centuries there was a strong fire here. During the period of Catherine’s difficult reforms for the Church, the monastery was abolished. All the monastery church utensils were transferred to the only remaining wooden St. Nicholas Church, converted into a parish church. The Cypriot icon was also moved there along with other furnishings and utensils.
As time passes wood St. Nicholas Church was dismantled, and in its place a stone one was built in honor of the Dormition of the Mother of God - in memory of the Assumption Monastery - with two side chapels. One chapel was consecrated in the name of St. Nicholas, since the St. Nicholas Church previously stood here, the other - in the name of St. Sergius of Radonezh, because he was here and himself indicated the location of the future monastery.
The Stromyn Cyprus Icon of the Mother of God became famous for the fact that, through prayers before it, healings of people suffering from various ailments took place. The veneration of this image began in 1841, when the maiden Mavra, a native of Stromyn, - in some descriptions she is mistakenly called Martha, - eighteen years old, suffering from relaxation, having almost lost all hope of healing, recovered after a prayer service performed in front of the Cyprus icon. This event happened relatively recently, and in Stromyn they still remember the place where Mavra’s house stood, and her descendants still live here. Another very famous case occurred with a peasant from one village in the Voskresensky district of the Moscow province, Alexei Porfiryev. He also suffered from weakness and weakness in his arms and legs. When they brought him to the Stromyn church and served a prayer service to the Mother of God before the Cyprus icon, he received healing, first began to move his arms and legs, and then he began to walk. Many miracles have been witnessed; a record is now being kept of those happening today.
The celebration in honor of the Cyprus Icon of the Mother of God takes place twice a year - in the first week of Lent and in the summer - on July 9/22. A lot of pilgrims usually come to the temple - not only from the Noginsk, or more precisely, the Bogorodsk region, but also from other places in the Moscow region. More than once I have heard from pilgrims that, praying in front of the icon, they feel some kind of warmth from the heart. This is understandable, because the temple is prayed for, and everyone feels the presence of the Mother of God, who invisibly resides here, because it is not we who preserve Her image, but She Herself who protects it and us. People leave after the service inspired and joyful, with tears of joy in their eyes, because they feel that they are receiving spiritual support here.
Another shrine of the temple is the relics of St. Sava.
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The relics were found in our time. The parishioners wrote to Metropolitan Juvenaly asking permission to raise the relics of Saint Sava from hiding. The monk was revered for centuries, the place of his burial was known, and a chapel stood above him from ancient times. At the request of Metropolitan Juvenaly, His Holiness Patriarch Alexy gave such permission, and in 1996 the relics were found and transferred to the temple. First place or a shrine in a simple wooden shrine,and after a year and a half it was replaced by a gold plated one,over time it was possible to erect aboveth gilded canopy.
Days of Remembrance: Cathedral of Radonezh Saints; glorification August 22 / September 4; Blessed death July 20 / August 2.
Troparion, tone 8
In you, father, it is known that you were saved in the image: /
accept the Cross, follow Christ, /
and you taught the deed to despise the flesh, for it passes away, /
be diligent about souls, things more immortal; /
the Angels also rejoice,
Rev. Savvo, your spirit.
