Almost a detective story or Why was the church built?
Have you ever had to visit a completely secular temple accompanied by a prison guard instead of a guide or a local? And I (oh, yessss! ) Now have such an experience))). But I always said and say that it is strange - close. And we often just don't know about it. And who would have guessed that a completely accidental trip to Chernihiv region will turn into a real adventure?
Somehow it turns out now that periodically there is an opportunity to go to Russia. At present, road travel is cheaper than rail. In addition, traveling by car, you can afford the luxury of throwing friends along the way to the depths of the north of Chernihiv.
So it turned out that on the eve of June Trinity, we found ourselves on a forest road about 60 km from Chernihiv. And suddenly they saw the dome of the temple ...behind barbed wire.
Well, I thought, there are churches in prisons.
And the fact that in the pine forest in a surprisingly beautiful place is a colony for high-ranking prisoners - it was mentioned earlier in the conversation. Well, I think, let me go, take a picture, or something. When will you see such a miracle. But since we still had a road ahead of us to Menu, then an overnight stay in Sedniv in an eco-hotel on a horse farm, and the next day - an early departure to the border, given the state of roads in the country in general and dead ends in Chernihiv region in particular never.
Having agreed with his family that he and the car will be waiting for me a little to one side in front, in search of a good angle of wandering around the concrete fence. Clicked on camera several times:
And suddenly behind me I hear: "Citizen! Did you know that you can't take photos here?
This is a regime object. "
I go back and see a camouflaged guy with a very stern expression. I start to mournfully say: they say we are not local, from afar, here we saw, let me take a picture, well, it's a church, and it's working, but the truth is that there is a colony, and how many people are sitting, well, I know that It is impossible, but I am without any evil intentions, and I write on the tourist portal sometimes, and maybe I will write about your church, okay? softens, he even begins to smile a little and makes a verdict: "Oh, you're a correspondent! Well, let me ask Father Bartholomew now, he will take you to the temple and show you everything there. " Here you are in my place, how could you not hurry somewhere, what would you do? Well, I did as normal: I quickly agreed.
Almost amicably speaking, we walked along a forest path.
It turned out that the church is no longer a prison, but a secular one. Although it is located in the colony. But more on that below.
The guy called somewhere else (I thought: I hung up on the tower, they say I'm not a spy, but most likely called my father to warn about the visit of the "correspondent")))). It was necessary to see the faces of my companions when he and I came out of the turn (having met before that, hmm, two prisoners accompanied by a convoy armed with a "kalash"). As I was later described: "Everything, - we think. - They tied the girl! ». There was no time to approach and explain to them what was happening: I was afraid, and suddenly the boy changed his mind. So from afar I shout that we are going to the temple, and I hurry.
Approaching a huge wrought iron gate with a combination lock. Around - a pine forest and the same concrete fence, surrounded by thorns. Closed. "Well, let's go to Father Bartholomew after all! " ». We walked another 20 meters - and saw another church.
The guy mumbled something and disappeared. And I was left alone.
In the churchyard, our appearance caused a slight stir.
All the time someone was coming out on the porch, obviously to look at the "correspondent". And I, in a linen dress above the knees, with my head uncovered and a camera around my neck, felt a little awkward.
However, never think and be ashamed. I take photos outside:
Church of Paraskevi Friday
I must say that from everything that is happening, I have lost a bit of a sense of reality ...That's why I didn't always understand that I'm actually "at work" and I have to take pictures-take pictures-take pictures. And when I mentioned it, I didn't always build a good frame.
But I say, I am a young lady, brought up in strongly patriarchal principles, and I was very bothered by the fact that even without a handkerchief I am in church, and bare knees "shine" ...In short, although no one but me inside the church was not, I did not even dare to go there especially.
And timidly standing in the corner, photographed a couple of joint plans and all.
Well, that's why I missed the main thing: inside the church of St. Paraskeva the Great Martyr is a copy (the original is lost) of the miraculous icon of the Domnitsa icon of the Mother of God. In the old days, the icon was kept in this church in the warmth from November to Easter. And in the Church of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin (because now "in prison") the icon was the rest of the time.
When my "escort" was accompanied by a man with a beard in a gray T-shirt and sports pants, I didn't even immediately realize that he was a priest. And then, when it came, she was confused by the excitement and didn't even ask for a blessing. And Father Bartholomew turned out to be simple and kind. Once the conversation started by itself, I stopped going crazy and quietly clicked the camera:
Interestingly, Wikipedia, when asked about the village of Domnytsia, Minsk district, Chernihiv region, gives fantastic figures: area -0.01 square meters. km (! ), population - 7 (seven! ) people, population density - 700 people per square kilometer. Here's how! Now you understand, in what strange place is the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Domnitsky convent?
I learned the details of his story in part on the way back from a friend who accompanied us.
And most of it came, of course, from the vast expanses of the Internet. The monastery was founded for a moment by Hetman Mazepa in the XVII century on the site of the miraculous icon. Sources differ on whether Domny was the name of a blind girl who had an icon, after which she saw it. Or the icon was found high on a tree on the banks of the river Domnitsa.
But whatever it was, Mazepa built a wooden monastery here, and later it was rebuilt in stone. By the way, the brick on the construction site was used from another monastery, which was already closed at that time. Later, the Cathedral of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary was built nearby:
There were many buildings on the territory of the Domnytsia monastery: the Cathedral of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin (we saw its dome from the road), the Church of Peter and Paul (it was demolished in Soviet times), and the refectory.
Church of Paraskeva Friday), and rebuilt into a two-story belfry Church of St. Nicholas (now it houses the offices of the colony and boiler room), and cells for the fraternity, and the abbot's house… Unfortunately, today you can only visit the former refectory and the cathedral itself.
In the 1920s, at the dawn of the proletarian era, the monastery was closed and looted.
The Domnytsia commune was first organized on its territory, then the agricultural party. In the 1930s, a boarding school for children with disabilities was opened here. During World War II, children were shot by Germans. But the monastery was revived! The nunnery operated until 1952. Later it was abolished and a tube dispensary was opened near the monastery. Later, the monastery complex was repurposed into a special institution, ie a colony that still operates today. In "prison" times, the refectory temple had a dining room for prison staff. Where movies were made for them in the evenings.
Not the most decent and sustained, like the decisions of the party and the government, the content of L. The cathedral housed workshops in which convicts with physical labor redeemed guilt before the Soviet socialist society))). .
But, as they say, at the insistence of the public in the 90s of the last century, ie almost 25 years ago, the parish community was given the church of Paraskeva Friday and the barracks.
From which the second life of the Domnytsia monastery actually began. The monks rebuilt the barracks into a fraternal corps. But the Cathedral of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin remains in the colony. Although available to parishioners. And this is incredible and strange.
And that's when we got there… I can't even put into words the feelings I felt when we came in and saw it:
Even now the ants are running. Pure Italy, isn't it? Although why be surprised here. It seems that the project of the Cathedral of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin was developed by Quarenghi, the same one that Smolny built in St. Petersburg.
Despite the fact that the finishing works inside have not been finished yet and have not been cleaned, it is clear that everything will be as it should be before the holiday (supposedly scheduled for July 4, the day of honoring the icon of the Domnitsa Mother of God).
While I enthusiastically clicked my tongue and took a hundred and fifty photos of the dome,
My father told me very well how he was whitewashed. Two masters came: seniors and juniors. Scaffolding height 25 m.
The young woman immediately said that she would not climb to such a height. And the older one agreed. “And we rolled her here and there like in a cradle, and she anointed her! ”.
Father Bartholomew, of course, is terribly proud of the work of his hands, because, as one of the parishioners later told me, he was the one who initiated the liberation of the church from prison. He wrote letters to various penitentiary "upper" offices, seeking to transfer the temple to the local community. And when this happened, prison officials openly told him that they would not succeed, because a huge amount of money was needed to restore such a machine.
But everything came naturally: both people and money ...Monks also earned money for the restoration of the church: a sawmill was built and operates right in front of the cathedral. Would you hear how Fr. Bartholomew talked about what will be the iconostasis in the temple, and what incense was ordered somewhere where these incense is made…
Stunning acoustics in the cathedral. Yes, most likely, the effect is the same because the temple is empty.
But when, in response to my admiration, Father simply sang a church song with such a juicy bass, and the grandmothers-parishioners standing on the right, in thin voices, hurriedly but harmoniously repeated to him, "Hallelujah-Hallelujah-Hallelujah" and MUSIC suddenly rushed to the dome…
Well, I don't know how to describe and convey it. But the truth was just a miracle. A real amazing miracle: -)))
I didn't want to go… And it was strange when I went out into the yard,
See the prison entourage again:
And it was sad because the monastery is right next to Chernihiv, and tourists are not brought here. " What it is? "- I was grieving all the way. - "It's just a unique place!
And not at all on hearing ...». Therefore, if suddenly you are in Chernihiv region and want to see everything for yourself, I hand over "appearances": Address: Ukraine, Chernihiv region, Mensky district, p. Domnitsa; phone: (04644.4-67-21.
It is a pity that in the vortex of all these events I never learned the name of my volunteer escort. He somehow disappeared unnoticed. And I didn't even shake his hand in farewell, and didn't thank him properly: (
Well, about what a wonderful grandmother I photographed in the village of Chernihiv, as she said, "on the face" (that is, to scare everyone with this photo, that's CHU, eh ?! ), and how in Chernihiv you are spoken to a complete stranger to you in Ukrainian, and how we did not get to the horse farm, and the most fashionable hotel after a long journey was the peony Erlager "Fairy Tale" in Me - this is a different story: -)
