Tatyana Afanasyeva
A thousand times we rushed past the signpost to David's hermitage and Talezh on the way to Moscow, and each time I thought that Talezh sounds surprisingly fabulous - I should go. And definitely in winter - so that the sky is blue, the forest in white clothes, the frost-voivode ... and a minimum of pilgrims. And it also seemed to me that David's Hermitage and Talezh were one place. Turns out not really :)
Let's go first to the Ascension Davidov Hermitage. Geographically, this the village of Novy Byt in the Chekhov district of the Moscow region. It is there, on the high bank of the Lopasna River, that there is a monastery for men - surprisingly bright, cheerful, "brand-like". We drive up and see that the parking lot is full. Here you have winter, frost, few pilgrims :)
The monastery was founded on May 31, 1515 by the Monk David, hegumen Voznesensky, Serpukhov miracle worker.
David came to this place with two monks and two novices. He brought with him the icon of the Mother of God of the Sign. First, two wooden temples were erected and a linden grove was planted, after which active worship and miracles began (as they say).
Yes, myself linden grove equated with miracles. According to legend, David planted all the trees upside down, and they all took root! With God's help, of course :)
At the entrance to the monastery - a map. Everything is painted on it in detail, the territory is small: six churches, a bell tower, an overhead chapel, a church shop, the rector's and fraternal buildings, a Sunday school, a barnyard, a necropolis, a pond and outbuildings.
You can view the map in detail in the photo gallery (I uploaded it).
Current 70 meters Bell tower, and it is the dominant of the David's desert, it was built in the 19th century on the site of the old one. There was a time when the doors of its gates were a huge icon of the Ascension of the Lord. They were opened only once a year on the 40th day after Easter and were popularly called the Ascension Gates.
From the bell tower to the Ascension Cathedral (the one that is white) led a path lined with mosaics. This track was maintained until the 1950s. I think it will definitely be restored.
After the coup of 1917, the monastery was desecrated and plundered, all the crosses were thrown off, the icons were burned, and the rector and brethren were repressed. An agricultural technical school, garages and warehouses were located on the territory, and a red banner was hoisted on the bell tower. In old photographs, everything is sad - leaky domes, chipped walls, boarded up windows, wild thickets ...
Photo by Alexander Chebotar. March 1987
The monastery returned to normal life only in 1995. And when you look at all this splendor now, it's hard to imagine what could have been somehow differently. Even fabulous swans swim in the pond!
We looked into just two churches - the Church of the Sign and the Cathedral of the All-Merciful Savior. In the first one, I was surprised by the number of arks with relics (including St. David), in the second, they found a general cleaning - dozens of novices, hubbub, the clatter of buckets, the chaos of church utensils. At the entrance to the monastery, I was naturally obliged to put on an apron skirt.
It would seem that I do not consider myself a believer, but I love monasteries. Some of them have a special atmosphere and architectural beauty. I visit rarely, but at the behest of the soul.
The monastery, by the way, is male (12 monks and abbot Sergius (Kuksov).
Church of the Sign(the brightest one with a small black dome in the center of the ensemble) was built in 1867-1870. One gets the feeling that she, St. Nicholas Church and the Cathedral of the Ascension of the Lord are a single whole, because the temples are attached to each other.
The borders between churches are emphasized by color. Znamenskaya- bright yellow, to the right of it - snow-white Cathedral of the Ascension of the Lord, left - Nikolskaya in lemon tones. If you go from the back side, then Znamenskaya is no longer visible, but the other two appear in full glory.
Construction Cathedral of the Ascension began in the 16th century, under Ivan the Terrible. Temple in honor of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker founded much later - in the XVIII century.
Next to the ensemble of three temples - Cathedral of the All-Merciful Savior, consecrated on October 7, 1900 by Metropolitan Vladimir (Bogoyavlensky) of Moscow.
Near - Church of All Saints in the refectory. It was built shortly before the outbreak of the First World War. It was the last of the temples erected on the territory of the Desert of David.
Church in honor of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary was built in 1740 above the northern gate of the monastery (in the photo, the farthest left).
collected in the monastery more than 200 particles of the relics of the saints of God, including particles of the relics of the apostles and evangelists Mark, Luke and Matthew; a particle of the head of the holy noble prince Alexander Nevsky; the relics of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker, Archbishop of Myra; relics of the holy Bethlehem babies; the relics of the Great Martyr Panteleimon, as well as a particle of the Nail of the Crucifixion of Christ.
They say that after his death, the Monk David began to appear in dreams to different people and perform real miracles, delivering from all sorts of illnesses and misfortunes.
Therefore, both in winter and in summer, people go and go to him :) You can’t take pictures inside the temple, but obviously someone can :) Photo from the Internet.
Pilgrims of other kinds also come to the monastery. Here is a very unusual necropolis…
The inscriptions on the old tombstones are almost undecipherable. Everything is very modest, as it should be. In general, it is surprising that this stone has been preserved. The cemetery was almost completely destroyed during the Soviet years.
The remains of all the monks and abbots were buried in a mass grave after the revival of the monastery.
At one time, commander General of Infantry Dmitry Sergeevich Dokhturov, as well as representatives of the princely and noble families of Obolensky, Romodanovsky, Vasilchikov, Golovkin and others were buried here.
The grave of the hero of the war of 1812 Dokhturov restored not too long ago.
And what surprised me unspeakably, Dokhturov turned out to be our countryman, a native of the Tula province.
Information from the official website of David's Hermitage: Dmitry Sergeevich Dokhturov was born on September 1, 1759. in the Tula province, in the village of Krutoy, in a family of small landed nobility.
In 1781, after graduating from the Corps of Pages in St. Petersburg, he entered military service as a lieutenant of the Life Guards of the Preobrazhensky Regiment. In 1784, Dmitry Sergeevich was granted the rank of captain and took command of the Jaeger company. Together with his detachment, he participated in the war with the Swedes, distinguished himself in the Rochensalm naval battle, for which he was awarded a golden sword with an engraving "For Courage".
At the beginning of the war of 1812, he, with his 6th infantry corps, stood in the Lida region, on the left flank of the army of Barclay de Tolly. In the Battle of Borodino, Dokhturov, on the orders of Kutuzov, replaced the mortally wounded Bagration as commander of the 2nd Army. Dokhturov did not give up his positions, Kutuzov met him with the words: “Let me hug you, my hero. How can you be rewarded!
For the battle near Maloyaroslavets (the picture is just about this), Dokhturov was awarded the Order of George, 2nd degree. Here is how one of the historians of the Patriotic War of 1812 described the activities of Dokhturov:
“We can safely say that the fate of the second half of the Twelfth year was decided by the unprecedented feat of Dokhturov on October 12 and 13 near Maloyaroslavets.”
During the campaign of 1813, Dokhturov participated in the battle of Dresden and in the four-day Battle of the Nations near Leipzig, and then, until the capture of Paris by the Russians, he was in the troops blockading Hamburg.
Upon the return of Russian troops from abroad, Dokhturov retired and settled in Moscow, where he lived the last months of his life. For a long military service, he was wounded and shell-shocked four times. His health was also affected by fatigue from the difficult campaigns of 1812 and 1813.
Dokhturov died on November 14, 1816, after which he was buried in the monastery of David's Hermitage, located in the Serpukhov district of the Moscow province. (Source www.davidova-pustyn.ru)
And here it would be a high time to finish the story about the monastic necropolis, but there are two more burials there, which are strongly connected with the “lightning-fast restoration” of David’s Hermitage. One of them belongs to Anton Malevsky, the aluminum king of Russia and the leader of the Izmailovo criminal group, whose parachute did not open in the sky over Kenya in November 2001 ...
The second is Gennady Nedoseka, known as "Gena Bolshoy", the former head of the Chekhov district, who burned to death in his "Hummer" in November 2004 under very strange circumstances. It is known that Nedoseka was involved in a high-profile criminal case about the massacre of the gang of the Korchagin brothers in the dashing 90s. To be honest, I don’t want to list all his merits (you can read about everything here iz.ru/news/296294).
On the grave there is a black plate with Zvezdinsky's poems.
On the official website of the monastery there is a page dedicated to Nedoseka: “The tragic death of the Head was a great loss for the Chekhov region. According to the then Governor of the Moscow Region Gromov B.V., during his leadership of the municipality, Gennady Nedoseka did a lot of good deeds and made the district one of the most successful in the region, enjoyed great love and respect of the Chekhovites, actively participated in the restoration of Orthodox shrines in the Chekhov district, and first of all - the monastery of the Ascension Davidov Hermitage.
In the icon shop fundraising box for prisoners. And for me personally, there is nothing illogical in all this. This is the whole of Russia: God will forgive everything, He is omnipotent, all-embracing and one for all.
Just so you know, the prisoners have their own patroness - Great Martyr Anastasia the Destroyer, whose memorial day is January 4th. A particle of her relics is in David's hermitage.
Be sure to check out the “bird house” not far from the icon shop. They have their own authorities, and such zhirobasy gnaw seeds! Tits, bullfinches, waxwings, finches… They fly, but with great difficulty. With us, one round bullfinch literally rolled under the bench :)))
By the way, he loved David's hermitage and repeatedly visited Anton Pavlovich Chekhov(the truth was it in other, purer and more honest times). I don’t know where this photo was taken (definitely not in the village of Novyi Byt), but I would love to fall in love with such a Chekhov
Here is what Anton Pavlovich wrote to a friend of the family, Petrov, inviting him to visit Melikhovo: “My estate is inferior, but the surroundings are magnificent, and four miles from us is the beautiful David’s Hermitage, where we would go with you.”
But really, it's beautiful!
Not far from the monastery in the small village of Talezh there is a holy spring, consecrated in honor of the Monk David. As the guard told us: “If it’s a straight line, then it’s only four kilometers. But now the snowdrifts are waist-deep, so you better go by car.”
Talezh is good, even if you do not believe in any sacred bathing and healing. Just imagine that in the depths of the forest, under a steep hill, a stream runs like a thin thread, drawing complex patterns, skirting trees, chapels and baths. The place is really amazing and amazing. If in pictures, then so :)
Talezh is located on the river with the beautiful name Smorodinka. According to the stories of old-timers, seven springs come to the ground here, feeding the river, and you can see wandering multi-colored lights (magic!).
The Talezhsky spring is also called Venice - from the ancient Slavic "crown", which means wedding, wedding. And the snowman on the right, as it were, hints ... :)
The first mention of Talezh dates back to 1328. Empress Catherine the Great, returning from the Crimea, stopped to spend the night in these places, and leaving, she said: "It is impossible to part with these places." After this story, the surroundings of Talezh began to be called Nerastannye.
They say that the last equestrian halt of the troops of Dmitry Donskoy before the Battle of Kulikovo was also located in Talezh. And what? It may well be :) I doubt that the latter, but the place was simply created for a halt.
There is also a belfry next to the source. We had the pleasure of hearing. When you stand in the middle of a snowy forest, the impression is very strong!
There are two fonts in Talezh: male and female. Water both in winter and in summer +4 degrees. In winter, there were not so many who wanted to plunge :)
Water is credited with healing properties. It is believed that its effect is beneficial for those suffering from diseases of the eyes and digestive organs. If you want - believe it, or if you want - check :) But I confirm that the water is crystal clear, soft and tasty.
Please note that Monday in the courtyard is a sanitary day, and in general, the source has its own working hours - from 8.00 to 21.00. It sounds, of course, strange, but the source is only good. Everywhere is just perfect cleanliness.
You can also get to Davidov Pustyn on your own: first to Chekhov by train, and then by bus No. 36 to the Novy Byt stop (frequent). To Talezh from the railway station in Chekhov, there is a minibus and bus No. 25 (stop "Talezh").
Not far from the city of Chekhov, in the village with the poetic name of Novyi Byt, there is one of the most ancient and beautiful monasteries of the Moscow region - the Voznesenskaya Davidov Hermitage.
The monastery was founded in 1515 by the Monk David of Serpukhov on the high bank of the Lopasnya River. Already at a venerable age, the elder settled in this picturesque place with four monks. The first buildings of the monastery were wooden and have not been preserved, stone buildings appeared here during the time of Ivan the Terrible.
During its long history, Davidova Hermitage experienced periods of prosperity and decline: it was plundered by Poles and Lithuanians during the Time of Troubles, and in 1764 Catherine the Second deprived the monastery of villages and lands by her decree. The monastery, which had become a freelance, was on the verge of ruin. Things began to improve only at the end of the 18th century with the help of the Moscow Metropolitan Platon, new cathedrals were built.
Nowadays, the monastery has been restored, it houses a large number of shrines.
The main entrance to the monastery.
Above the entrance rises the gate bell tower.
The height of the bell tower is about 70 meters.
An amazing view of the monastery architectural ensemble opens from the shore of the pond.
The pond is equipped with a mini-observation deck with benches. In the reservoir, the monks breed fish - I saw a rather large one with red fins.
All cathedrals are painted in cheerful colors. The White Ascension Cathedral, the oldest surviving one, was built at the end of the 16th century. The beige-pink St. Nicholas Church is connected to it by a passage.
It is decorated with stucco and mosaic panels.
Six-winged Seraphim on the wall of St. Nicholas Church.
The bright Church of the Sign, as well as Nikolskaya, closely adjoins the Ascension Cathedral.
Two more temples are the modest white Assumption Church and the elegant peach Cathedral of the Savior.
We were in the Desert on Saturday, there were very few people. We go past the Spassky Cathedral to the next temple and necropolis.
Temple of All Saints.
Entrance to the necropolis. The green building behind is the fraternal cells.
Monument on the grave of the hero of the Patriotic War of 1812, General D.S. Dokhturov.
Another view of the central part of the Voznesenskaya Davidov Hermitage.
Church shop and corner tower.
Another tower with a beautiful spire.
The history of the restoration of the monastery is ambiguous. There are rumors about some dubious money for which it was restored and about the fact that people with a not very transparent reputation, who donated these large sums, are buried on the territory.
Indeed, in the necropolis there are magnificent graves of Gennady Nedoseka (Gena Bolshoi), the former head of the Chekhov region, and Anton Malevsky (Anton Izmailovsky), who is considered the leader of the Izmaylovo criminal group and the aluminum king of Russia.
Be that as it may, today the monastery pleases the eye with its bright colors and well-groomed.
The monastery has a courtyard in the village of Talezh. There beats healing, two fonts, a small church and a belfry were built. On the way to the Talezh spring, you will meet the estate of A.P. Chekhov - it is convenient to visit these beautiful places as part of one trip.
The guards monitor the observance of the uniform in the monastery: men will not be allowed inside the temples in shorts, and it is advisable for women to wear a skirt and a headscarf.
Photography on the territory is allowed only on the "soap box".
How to get to the Desert of David
By public transport: from the Kursk railway station by train to the Chekhov station, then from the bus station, which is located next to the railway station, by bus number 36 to the village of Novy Byt.
By car: you can drive along the Simferopol highway (M-2 highway), you can go along the Moscow-Don highway (M-4). In both cases, you will need to take the A-108 and drive from it to the village of Novyi Byt. From A-108 there is a pointer to the village and David's hermitage.
Not far from Moscow, near modern Chekhov, there is one of the oldest and most beautiful Orthodox monasteries in Russia, which has already crossed the line of its five-hundred-year existence - Davidov Pustyn. The monastery is male, founded at the beginning of the 16th century (1515), and since then has undergone ups and downs, ruin and prosperity. But the candle of prayer here has never been extinguished.
The 16th century is the heyday of Russian monasticism. Time of spiritual discussions, conversations, opinions. But despite the nobility of the names of Pafnuty Borovsky, Joseph Volotsky, the fame of the monasteries they created, one has to restore bit by bit the chronicle of the famous monasteries.
Too much has been lost. The dashing years of wars, troubles and revolutions did not pass by the monastery of David's Hermitage. And, surprisingly, it is not as famous as the Holy Trinity Monastery or Optina Hermitage, but whoever you ask, everyone knows about it, especially about the holy spring of St. David.
Important!: Proper preparation and administration of the sacrament.
David is a worthy disciple of Saints Paphnutius and Joseph Volotsky. Little is known about the life of the saint. In past centuries, families were predominantly large, even among princes and boyars. One of the children was brought up so that the child would later devote his life to serving God and could pray for the whole family. According to legend, Daniel (Rev. David) came from a noble princely family, presumably Vyazemsky.
He went to the monastery at a young age, was a student of Father Pafnuty Borovsky and received the monastic name David. He was honored with the friendship of Rev. Joseph, the famous founder of the Joseph-Volotsky Monastery. And even became his companion.
Eminent and spirit-bearing elders were teachers of St. David: Pafnuty Borovsky and Joseph Volotsky. No, they did not seek earthly glory, on the contrary, they sought solitude, silence and prayer.
Pafnutiy Borovsky did not even let women into his monastery, so that they would not distract the monks from their constant occupation, solitude and prayer with their beauty of face and curiosity. This contemplation and detachment from the world of St. David covers his monastery from simply curious eyes even to our time.
Why David left the Borovskaya monastery is unknown. This is also a personal secret of the monk, as, indeed, much in his life. But the saint came here, to the site of the current monastery, around May 1515 with only one icon of the Sign, accompanied by just a few brothers from the inhabitants of the former monastery. And he built the Church of the Ascension of the Lord with side chapels in honor of the Assumption of the Most Holy Theotokos and St. Nicholas the Wonderworker.
Attention! Now in the David's Hermitage, a huge stone Ascension Cathedral rises in this place.
Adjacent to the cathedral from the north is a temple in the name of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker and the Church of the Mother of God "The Sign". This architectural ensemble occupies a central place among all monastic buildings.
Desert foundation
David came to the place of the future monastic monastery only 6 years later, as this territory was freed from the rule of the Lithuanians. Previously, it was part of Lithuania, but the prince, who owns this land, in 1509 passed into the subordination of Moscow.
The Lithuanians, of course, did not want to give away a large piece of land so easily, they constantly fought for it. This area was often devastated, and its inhabitants demanded not only spiritual help, but also material care from the monastic brethren.
With the activity of Rev. David is connected not only with the erection of monastery churches and other buildings, but also with the planting of a linden alley outside the desert fence. Tradition says that the monk brought linden trees from the nearby forest and planted them with their roots up not far from the monastery. He did this in full view of the monastic brethren and the surrounding inhabitants, so that they would be confirmed in the faith. By the will of the Lord, a miracle was performed, and the trees took root.
Parishioners gave donations to the monastery, brought the fruits of their labors. The inhabitants of the monastery also worked unceasingly. Barrels with cucumbers and various pickles were lowered into those reservoirs, ponds that were located on the territory of the monastery. And in winter, all this was distributed to those in need, to those who came asking for help. The monastery has always shared with people everything that it had, leaving no one hungry. Saint David was called by the people the father-breadwinner.
The laborious body of St. David on September 19, 1529. Shortly before his death, the saint was visited by the lamp of the Orthodox faith, Joseph Volotsky. This meeting is depicted on the wall frescoes of one of the temples of the monastery.
A modest wooden chapel built over the grave of the saint reminded everyone of eternity. Now over the relics of St. David of Serpukhov and Lopasnensky, a stone church dedicated to one of the most revered icons in Rus', the Sign, rises.
Seventeenth century
David's Ascension Hermitage was well known to the Russian tsars and their households, who never left the monastery with their mercy. Tsar Ivan Vasilyevich the Terrible himself was especially fond of the Ascension Hermitage. He even, at his own expense, began the construction of the first stone cathedral in honor of the Ascension of the Lord, without taking a penny from the treasury for this. Heard about the exploits of Rev. David, the king issued a charter to the monastery for the possession of estates, fishing, and various lands. It was the heyday of the desert.
With all of Russia, the monastery survived the timelessness of the Great Troubles, and its consequences. Miraculously survived in 1612, it was completely ruined and devastated by the dashing little people of Ataman P. Sahaydachny. His detachment, which consisted of Zaporozhian Cossacks and Lithuanians, then plundered many churches and monasteries of Muscovy.
A few years later, the tsar renewed the charter and privileges granted to the monastery by Ivan the Terrible. And the monastery began to come to life, to rise from the ruins and ashes. The desert flourished, and the surrounding villages flourished. It was not dark men and women who came to the monastery churches, but literate people, versed in the Holy Scriptures and the liturgy, who were enlightened and taught by the monks.
Eighteenth century
The 18th century was coming, which for some reason is called the time of enlightenment and humanism. However, this time became the most difficult test for the entire Orthodox Church, and especially for its spiritual strongholds - holy monasteries.
Peter 1 did not like the monks very much, because he considered them loafers, parasites. He also issued a decree according to which only the disabled, the crippled and the elderly could go to the monastery. This struggle with monasticism was started by his father, Alexei Mikhailovich (Quiet). Peter 1 was an active successor to his work, became an unstoppable fighter against the church, so he could not perceive the Orthodox spirit in any way.
What kind of troubles did not undergo the Monastery of the Ascension Davidov Hermitage:
- periodically lost independence,
- attributed to other monasteries,
- lost content.
As a result, the monastery was ruined even worse than in the Time of Troubles. But just at this time, by some miracle over the tomb of St. David, instead of a wooden chapel, a stone bell tower was built by the efforts of the benefactors of the monastery.
nineteenth century
The most fertile time for the Holy Ascension Desert was associated with the Metropolitan of Krutitsy and Kolomna Platon. The saint was an ardent admirer of St. David and a supporter of a strict monastic community. A new order of worship and life was introduced in the monastery, which immediately affected the spiritual growth of the brethren.
But the year 1917 struck. Black time for all Russia. Many churches and monasteries were destroyed with such cruelty, as if they wanted to wipe out all the memory of the people about their ancestors, their faith and their heritage from the face of the earth. The monastery survived a terrible time - complete desolation and devastation. And it seemed that the monastery would never be reborn for monastic life.
But in 1992, the pendulum of history swung in the opposite direction. The inhabitants of the village of Novy Byt (Chekhov District) formed an Orthodox community, and the authorities transferred the cathedrals and temples of the monastery to it. The monks returned to the monastery. In the Church of the Sign over the relics of St. David, resting under a bushel, the first roses appeared. This was the beginning of the revival of the Ascension David's Hermitage.
Modern life of the monastery
Already at the entrance to the monastery, a unique picture opens up:
- Several colorful churches with a beautiful golden-domed bell tower stand in a row. Thousands of pilgrims come to the monastery today to venerate the relics of the saint.
- Every day, liturgies are celebrated here, children are brought up, the kindergarten of the village is fed, and a lot of social work is carried out in the parish.
- The monks of the monastery carry the word of God through an art school, an orphanage, a comprehensive school, and a technical school.
- Abbot of the monastery Sergius pays great attention to social work, and first of all, to support the younger generation.
- The monks help low-income families, graduates of the orphanage, who create young families.
Father Sergius and the brethren of the monastery are doing a lot in matters of moral education of the younger generation. The monastics renovated the kindergarten. Father Sergiy is present at all children's holidays, communicates closely with children. The Sunday school, located in the monastery, is constantly attended by up to 25 children. They are developing here, in which they are ahead of their peers from the general education school.
Attention! You can find out the address of the monastery, its description and photo, the schedule of services by going to the official monastery website on the Internet.
Holy spring
There is a holy spring in the courtyard of the David Monastery in the village of Talezh, the first mention of which dates back to 1265. People have come here at all times, believing in the healing power of holy water and the grace of this divine place.
During the reign of Catherine the Second, the owner of the surrounding lands was Count Vladimir Orlov, who at the beginning of the 17th century erected a church of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary here, which has not survived to this day. Since there was a church here, people came here to baptize their children, get married, and bury their dead relatives. After the destruction of the monastery, the flow of visitors to this holy place did not stop, no matter what.
In Soviet times, newlyweds very often came to the source. Then the architectural splendor was not built, which can be seen on the territory of the monastery today. But it has been noticed by believers more than once that the source helps with problems with childbearing. Through the prayers of St. David, people who drank holy water or plunged into it receive a solution to their difficult situation.
After the Soviet period of desolation in 1996, the spring was cleaned and the surrounding area was ennobled. Vladyka Yuvenaly consecrated it in the name of St. David. In 2005, this place was transformed thanks to the funds and efforts of donors. But whatever the framing of the source, its waters, by faith and prayer, carried and carry healing to those who come here, healing, and sometimes a call to repentance.
Attention! The story is well known to everyone, when a woman who had an abortion at one time came up to the font and saw a little girl in the water at the very bottom. She ran out in horror. She ran up to the monk, who first met her on the way, and asked how she could repent and what she needed to do for this.
Useful video
Summing up
For five centuries, the seed sown by the Monk David on the spiritual field of the Moscow region germinated. The monastery has been a silent witness to many events throughout its history. With the revival of this monastery, its flame flared up with renewed vigor.
Davidova Hermitage is one of the most beautiful and well-groomed monasteries of the Moscow region. At first glance, it seems that in front of you are not real buildings, but a skillfully colored photograph. This transformation has happened recently. Only a few years ago, the monastery got money, for which professional architects and restorers were involved.
Wilderness of David.
As for history, the Monk David founded the hermitage in the dense forests on the banks of the Lopasna in 1515. He came here with several novices and an icon of the Mother of God of the Sign. David planted a lime grove near his wilderness. According to legend, the monk dug linden trees in the forest and, bringing them to the monastery, planted them upside down. And through the prayers of the monk, the trees were accepted. The monks of the monastery, with new plantings, preserved the tradition until the closing of the monastery in the 1930s.
History of the Desert of David.
Tsar Ivan Vasilyevich the Terrible paid special attention to the monastery. He issued a charter to the monastery for the possession of "patrimonial estates, fishing grounds and all sorts of lands." Under him, the construction of a stone church in honor of the Ascension of the Lord began. In 1930, the monks were ordered to leave the monastery, and only 90-year-old father Valentin remained. The Bolsheviks were afraid to do away with him openly and therefore staged suicide. After that, from under the mountain on which the monastery stands, a spring of pure water was hammered. The monks call it "Valentin's Spring".
Garages and warehouses were arranged in the temples. In particular, a village club was opened in the St. Nicholas Church, a gym in the Assumption Church, and a canteen in the Church of All Saints. Since 1992, the inhabitants of the village of Novy Byt formed an Orthodox community and began the restoration of the monastery. Of the Christian rarities, 150 particles of the relics of the saints of God are kept in the monastery, and a particle of the Nail of the Crucifixion of Christ is kept in a specially arranged ark.
David's Hermitage Ascension Cathedral.
The construction of the Ascension Cathedral began in the 16th century, probably under Ivan the Terrible. Only in 1676, by the direct decree of Patriarch Joachim, the construction was continued, and after its completion, in 1682, an antimension was issued for the consecration of the newly built church. From the 16th century, the foundations and partly the walls have been preserved. To date, only the chapel in the southeast, dedicated to the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary, as well as the southern and partially western galleries, have survived. The central part of the vault is supported by four girth arches, which, in turn, rest on two load-bearing internal pillars. The southern and northern naves are covered with flume vaults. Such a design is unusual for Russian temple architecture and is practically not found in the second half of the 17th century.
David's Hermitage St. Nicholas Church.
The church in honor of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker, built in the style of classicism, adjoins the Ascension Cathedral from the north. The building is rectangular in plan, crowned with pediments and a dome on a drum with a dome above it. The researchers note that the dome of St. Nicholas Church overlaps and, as it were, masks the closed vaults in the interior, which are archaic for buildings of this type in the early 19th century. On the eastern side, a semicircular apse adjoins the building, equal in width and height to the main volume of the temple. Two rows of windows cut through the space of the church, including the apse. The church has a rich decor, represented by stucco friezes with floral ornaments, garlands and masks.
David's Hermitage Church of the Assumption.
The second most preserved building of David's Hermitage in terms of construction time is the church in honor of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary. It was built in 1740 above the northern gate of the monastery. The temple belongs to the type of “octagon on a quadrangle” that was widespread at that time. From the east, a faceted apse adjoins its main volume, from the west - a refectory with a gate under it. A dome rises above the octagon, crowned in turn with a small cupola on a faceted drum. The chetverik of the temple is cut from the north and south by two rows of semicircular windows, decorated with rectangular architraves. Each face of the octagon has one window surrounded by architraves in the form of columns with keeled ends. The corners of the volumes of the temple are marked with pilasters.
David's Hermitage Church of the Sign.
The central temple core of the ensemble of David's Hermitage completes the church building in honor of the Icon of the Mother of God "The Sign". It was built in 1867-1870 in front of the Ascension Cathedral and St. Nicholas Church from the west, close to them. This is a single-domed quadrangle, covered with a closed vault with a vestibule. The façades of the church are decorated with decorative kokoshniks, the windows are trimmed with keeled endings. The walls above the foundations are decorated with a belt of panels. There are pilasters in the corners.
David's Hermitage Cathedral of the All-Merciful Savior.
Along with the monastery bell tower, this temple is one of the architectural dominants of David's Hermitage. The cathedral was consecrated on October 7, 1900 by Metropolitan Vladimir (Bogoyavlensky) of Moscow. The temple building is rectangular in plan, the central part of which is crowned with a massive light drum and a dome above it. The apse adjoins the space under the dome from the east, and the refectory from the west. From the northern and southern facades, the under-dome space is highlighted by risalits, completed with four decorative cupolas. The walls of the cathedral are richly decorated in accordance with the requirements of the pseudo-Russian style in architecture: decorative elements are stylized as keeled arches, curbs, kokoshniks. The building is cut through by oblong high windows.
David's Hermitage Temple of All Saints.
The one-domed All Saints Church was built shortly before the start of the First World War - the last of the temples of David's Desert. It is located in the building of the refectory, adjacent to the north-eastern tower of the monastery fence. Currently, the temple is completely restored and painted.
Bell tower of David's desert.
The bell tower is the dominant feature of the monastic architectural ensemble. It is located in the middle of the western part of the wall surrounding the desert. The bell tower was built under the influence of the Russian-Byzantine style. An octagon is placed on the quadrangle, in which the main passage gates of the monastery are located; on it - a cylindrical tier of ringing; even higher - a small drum crowned with a massive head with a clock on the four cardinal points. The facades are decorated with decorated architraves, threads with panels, kokoshniks. Historians have noticed that the second - octahedral - tier of the bell tower imitates the ringing tier, characteristic of ancient bell towers, but it remains unclear whether it performs exclusively decorative functions or was intended to place bells in it. At least this tier is known to have never received a call.
