Gustynia is a small village in Pryluky district, Chernihiv region. (150 km from Kyiv), which got its name from the dense oak forests growing in the area. Here, in 1600, on the land of the Vishnevetsky princes, the Gustynsky Holy Trinity Monastery was founded. The founder of the monastery was Hieroschemamonk Joasaph. Joasaph, along with another elder, hieromonk Athanasius, came from Mount Athos and initially settled in the Kiev-Pechersk Lavra. Having lived for some time in the Lavra, Athanasius, with the participation of Joasaph, founded the Spaso-Preobrazhensky Mezhigorsky Monastery, restoring the monastery there that existed before the invasion of Kyiv by Batu. Joasaph, taking with him two monks, hieromonk Euthymius and monk Gennady, retired to the side of the Dnieper to find a place convenient for the foundation of a new monastery. Having examined different areas along the banks of the Uday River, Joasaph fixed his gaze on the island of Gustyn. This secluded island, surrounded on all sides by water and covered with dense, dense forest, was the best place for monastic monastic life. Joasaph and his disciples settled on the island and in the very thick of the forest in 1614 built a small wooden church in honor of the Most Holy Life-Giving Trinity.
By this time, Elder Joasaph was unanimously elected rector of the newly built monastery. To help himself in the management of the Gustynsky monastery, Joasaph chose Isaiah Koninsky, hegumen and abbot of the Anthony (at the Kiev-Pechersk Lavra) caves. Having reviewed and approved the place chosen for the monastery, Isaiah asked the Orthodox prince Mikhail Korybut Vishnevetsky, who at that time owned the island of Gustyn, the right to own this island. The prince fulfilled the request of Isaiah and Joasaph and in 1615 gave the monastery a charter to own the island of Gustyn and other areas with arable land, forests, ponds and other lands. After the death of Prince Mikhail Vishnevetsky, this charter was confirmed by his wife, Princess Raina (Irina) Mogilyanskaya, who came from the family name of the Moldavian rulers of the Graves, from whom was the Metropolitan of Kyiv Peter Mogila.
At first, the monastery was made of wood, and fires in 1636 and 1671 partially destroyed it. The architectural ensemble of the monastery was formed during the XVII (second half) - XVIII centuries. and is a unique architectural complex of the Baroque era, which had a significant impact on the cultural development of the Left-Bank Ukraine. The central structure was the wooden, five-bath Trinity Cathedral (1672–1676). In the second half of the 17th century, simultaneously with the erection of the defensive wall, the Mikhailovskaya and Catherine's churches were built. In 1693-1708, the eastern and southern parts of the wall were erected with the five-bath Peter and Paul Church (rebuilt in 1845), which was located above the gates of the wall, as well as the refectory and Resurrection Church. In 1799 the monastery was closed. The monastery was revived and rebuilt only in 1843 with the financial support of the Repnin princes.
On the territory of the monastery is the Trinity Cathedral (1672–76), founded by Hetman I. Samoylovich. It is one of the most perfect examples of the Baroque style. One of the most famous Ukrainian chronicles, Gustynskaya (1600–40), was created in the monastery, which tells about the events from the time of the foundation of the monastery to the middle of the 17th century. In Soviet times, the monastery was closed by the authorities and it stood in disrepair for a long time. Now the convent has been revived here and the main buildings have been restored. The Gustynsky Monastery is widely known for the miraculous icon of the Gustynskaya Mother of God, which was also called the Yarmarkovaya, Smolensk Icon of the Mother of God. The modern official name of the monastery: "Monastery in the name of the Holy Life-Giving Trinity Gustynsky (female)"