On the Stolobinsky island of Lake Seliger is one of the once most popular monasteries in Russia: the Nilo-Stoloben desert. Deserts are monasteries located in places wild, far from housing. This is the place chosen by Nile – a hermit in 1527. Neil spent his days praying and praising the Lord.
With him to the island, the Monk Nile brought a small icon of the Mother of God of Vladimir. Later it will be called Seligerskaya. I prayed to her day and night, and the Mother of God paid for this devotion. Robbers attacked Nile, but only the icon protected him from evil people. The robbers were blind. They fell to their knees and weptly asked the monk to forgive them.
Neil prayed to the Virgin, and the sight of the robbers returned. Neal asked me not to tell anyone about the miracle, but how can you hide it? And the people reached for the island.
After the death of the Monk Nile, prayer-givers always lived on the island. But the monastery appeared only in 1594, almost 40 years after the death of the monk. A year later, in 1595, the first icon of Neil Stolobensky was painted. The icon of the Monk Nile was also considered miraculous. During an outbreak of cholera in the 18th century, the monastery hosted pilgrims, but there was no disease. The epidemic was burning around, but the island was bypassed. Then the icon was brought to the nearby town of Ostashkov. After the procession with prayer and there cholera subsided. During the persecution of the church under Soviet rule, both icons were lost.
On the place where the Monk Nile was buried in 1667, the Epiphany Cathedral began to be built. In the 19th century, a new cathedral was built on the site of the old cathedral. Cancer with the relics of the saint was kept there until the closure of the monastery in 1927. Then they were transported to the Ostashkov Museum of Local History, and in 1995 they returned to the monastery. This building is best preserved. The Epiphany Cathedral is considered the main temple of the monastery. Here services are conducted, sacraments are performed.
On the site of the monastery of the monk in 1781, the church of John the Forerunner and the Intercession of the Virgin was erected. In 1939, the church was destroyed, and bricks were used to build a dam.
In the monastery there are two gate temples, in the name of the Apostles Peter and Paul and St. Nile. The small church of Peter and Paul was distinguished by unusual decoration. Relief images of angels and saints were carved from wood and revived with colors. In the temple there was a lot of stucco, sculptures. Construction was completed in 1764.
The gate temple of the Monk Nile was completed earlier, in 1755. It is an exact copy of the gate temple of the Donskoy monastery in Moscow.
The Church of All Saints is the oldest temple of the monastery. It began to be built in the 17th century and finished in 1701. At the temple there was a monastery hospital, for which it was called «hospital». Unfortunately, the temple suffered greatly from time. Restoration work is underway in the Church of All Saints.
The temple of the Exaltation of the Cross, stands away from the monastery buildings, on the site of a stone chapel. It was erected to cancel the time of the stay of Saint Nile in the Serem desert. In 1687, the inhabitants erected a cross with the image of a saint. In 1774, the temple was built. The decoration of the temple was very colorful. The iconostasis is gilded, on the walls — painting with bright colors. The temple was very liked by Emperor Alexander I. He was interested in its creation, asked about the masters and praised them very much. The icon painter Ilya Verzin painted the temple in gratitude to St. Nile for healing from illness. And the carver Kondraty Konyagin, after the completion of the work, cut his hair in monks.
The monastery has 2 sketes. St. Nicholas in the village of Zhabny and Holy Transfiguration in the village of Okovtsy.
Toads are traditionally considered the birthplace of Nile Stolobensky. At the burial place of his parents stood a stone chapel, which was destroyed under the Soviet regime. In its place in our time built a wooden.
In the churches of St. Nile Stolobensky and Nicholas the Wonderworker restorers have been working for several years. Divine services are held in the temple of Seraphim of Sarov, opened in 2006.
At the place of the holy spring in the village of Okovtsy, the temple of the Transfiguration of the Lord was erected on the national funds.
Also, the monastery has a compound in Tver. This is the temple of Boris and Gleb.
Charitable Foundation Holy Land
Russian Temples and Monasteries
