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Two of Goritsy's monasteries are especially famous: the Kirillo-Belozerskiy monastery and the Goritsy nunnery, which both have powerful historical associations with Ivan the Terrible. The Kirillo-Belozerskiy monastery features both the beginning and end of Ivan's life. Before he was born, his parents prayed here for God to give them an heir. Then when Ivan was an old sick man, dying in agony, he begged the monks to pray for God to forgive him his bloody deeds. The monks believed that the terrible Tsar had changed and were even waiting for him to become a monk, but it never happened!
The Kirillo-Belozerskiy monastery dates back to 1397 when a monk called the Reverend Kirill, who came from a wealthy family, decided to leave the easy life and look for a remote place where he could become closer to God. The new monastery prospered and became a refuge for many nobles during the Time of Troubles. It was turned into a fortress which resisted attacks of the Poles and Lithuanians for many years. Unfortunately, it couldn't resist the Bolsheviks. The monks were shot or sent to labour camps, (though it was one of the few monasteries not turned into a concentration camp). Despite this, this amazing place managed to preserve much of its historic grandeur and it was the winner in a recent competition to be named one of the "The New Seven Wonders of Russia."
Although less grand, the setting of Goritsy Nunnery on the banks of the broad Skeksna river is stunningly beautiful - a graceful building with pure white walls glimpsed through green trees. In its heyday, the nunnery was famed for its wonderful flower gardens, and the skill of its nuns in making exquisite icons and embroideries, some of which survived.
The nunnery's story is bathed in sadness, but this, if anything, only adds to its special atmosphere today. It was founded in 1554 by Princess Efrosiniya, the wife of one of Ivan the Terrible's sons. Unfortunately, she became one of Ivan's numerous victims, when Ivan began to suspect her and her son of treason, and the tsar had her cruelly drowned in the river Shekna. Worse to follow, Ivan turned the monastery into his own personal harem of wives and abducted noble Russian beauties - including Boris Godunov's daughter Kseniya. During the Time of Troubles the nunnery fell to foul Lithuanian attacks and was vandalized and stripped bare. It was only saved from complete destruction by the rebels Minin and Pozharsky. During the Revolution, legend has it that the Mother Superior Kaleria had second sight, and was able to forewarn most of the sisters in time to escape when the Bolsheviks came and vandalized it.
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Goritsy
Goritsy is a tiny settlement near the White Lake. Once the cruise ship stops here you will have to temporarily forget about modern reality and dive right into the medieval atmosphere of this extraordinarily picturesque place. The famous Russian religious writer Andrey Muraviov called its surroundings "Russian Northern Thebais," an analogy for the Egyptian desert where early Christian hermits made their cells. This poetic comparison reflects Goritsy's numerous monasteries and the deep spiritual life of their monks even today. Even on a short visit, Goritsy's special atmosphere can have a powerful effect.Two of Goritsy's monasteries are especially famous: the Kirillo-Belozerskiy monastery and the Goritsy nunnery, which both have powerful historical associations with Ivan the Terrible. The Kirillo-Belozerskiy monastery features both the beginning and end of Ivan's life. Before he was born, his parents prayed here for God to give them an heir. Then when Ivan was an old sick man, dying in agony, he begged the monks to pray for God to forgive him his bloody deeds. The monks believed that the terrible Tsar had changed and were even waiting for him to become a monk, but it never happened!
The Kirillo-Belozerskiy monastery dates back to 1397 when a monk called the Reverend Kirill, who came from a wealthy family, decided to leave the easy life and look for a remote place where he could become closer to God. The new monastery prospered and became a refuge for many nobles during the Time of Troubles. It was turned into a fortress which resisted attacks of the Poles and Lithuanians for many years. Unfortunately, it couldn't resist the Bolsheviks. The monks were shot or sent to labour camps, (though it was one of the few monasteries not turned into a concentration camp). Despite this, this amazing place managed to preserve much of its historic grandeur and it was the winner in a recent competition to be named one of the "The New Seven Wonders of Russia."
Although less grand, the setting of Goritsy Nunnery on the banks of the broad Skeksna river is stunningly beautiful - a graceful building with pure white walls glimpsed through green trees. In its heyday, the nunnery was famed for its wonderful flower gardens, and the skill of its nuns in making exquisite icons and embroideries, some of which survived.
The nunnery's story is bathed in sadness, but this, if anything, only adds to its special atmosphere today. It was founded in 1554 by Princess Efrosiniya, the wife of one of Ivan the Terrible's sons. Unfortunately, she became one of Ivan's numerous victims, when Ivan began to suspect her and her son of treason, and the tsar had her cruelly drowned in the river Shekna. Worse to follow, Ivan turned the monastery into his own personal harem of wives and abducted noble Russian beauties - including Boris Godunov's daughter Kseniya. During the Time of Troubles the nunnery fell to foul Lithuanian attacks and was vandalized and stripped bare. It was only saved from complete destruction by the rebels Minin and Pozharsky. During the Revolution, legend has it that the Mother Superior Kaleria had second sight, and was able to forewarn most of the sisters in time to escape when the Bolsheviks came and vandalized it.
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