The history of the monastery is associated with an interesting legend. The monk of the Solovetsky monastery Cassian, sought solitude for fasting and prayer. From a distance he liked the island on Muezer. But how do you get there? There was a granite slab on the shore. Cassian prayed and pushed her into the water.
He didn’t drown, but he kept his weight. So he crossed the channel and began to live on the island.
As is often the case, it was soon joined by other inhabitants, and by about 1573, but certainly not later than 1591, a monastery had emerged on the island.
St. Nicholas Church is the only building that has survived since that time. The monastery was small, but there was a cathedral, several chapels, cells and outbuildings.
In the church there is a small chapel in which, according to legend, the local saint Cassian was buried. The architecture is typical for the northern temples, eights on fours, crowned with a tent on top. The roof is gabled, the roof is nailless. Due to the slope, the altar is
higher than the back of the building. The church was warm – parts of the clay oven were preserved.
The monastery was closed during the time of Catherine the Great, but it was not empty. The Old Believers were watching him. They lived on the island for a long time. The Old Believer cemetery has been preserved, with characteristic crosses.
Although the temple was closed in the 30s, no one had much to do with it. Therefore, the church was preserved. In 1973, it was recognized as a monument of cultural heritage and restored.
Once a year, the church holds services, the rest of the time it is the object of tourist routes.
Charitable Foundation Holy Land
Russian Temples and Monasteries
