Znamensky Monastery description and photos - Russia - Golden Ring: Kostroma (Topic)

Znamensky monastery description and photos - Russia - Golden Ring: Kostroma. Detailed information about the attraction. Description, photos and a map showing the nearest significant objects.

Photo and description

In the city of Kostroma, on Nizhnyaya Debrya street, house 37, there is the Znamensky convent. It can be seen right at the entrance to the city, because it stands on the banks of the full-flowing Volga River, not far from tall lime trees. The domes of the Church of the Ascension on Debra go high into the sky, which gives the right, in view of its majesty, to attribute it to the monuments of Russian folk architecture of the 17th century. For a long period of time, this temple pleases not only Kostroma residents, but also guests of the city.

The temple received its name "on Debra" due to the fact that it was originally built in the middle of a dense forest, which was in the possession of Vasily Yaroslavich, the Kostroma prince and younger brother of Alexander Nevsky. At first, two churches were erected in these places: Georgievsky and Resurrection, which existed until the middle of the 17th century, after which they were built of stone.

The funds required for the construction were donated by a wealthy merchant named Kirill Isakov. Masters from Veliky Ustyug and Yaroslavl were invited for construction work; Kostroma icon painters were engaged in painting icons. Over the next two centuries, the temples have changed somewhat, but their inherent beauty has been fully preserved.

In the south side of the Resurrection Church was located St. George, which made up the architectural composition. On the west side, there was a refectory room, which was adjoined by a small hipped bell tower built in the 17th century.

At the end of the 18th century, the St. George Church and the bell tower fell into disrepair, which is why they were rebuilt by 1802, after which the temple received a new name - Znamensky. The temple had two side-altars - in the name of the miracle workers Damian and Cosmas.

A new five-tiered bell tower, decorated in the Baroque style and painted turquoise, was added to the church; its height reached 43 m. In the interior decoration, the bell tower had the side-chapel of Procopius Ustyugsky, and its consecration took place in 1801.

The Church of the Sign with a bell tower are monumental structures with expressive grace, which is why they became the main components parts of the Znamensky Monastery. Not only the Znamensky Cathedral, but also the Resurrection Cathedral is very beautiful, which was noted by many contemporaries. At one time, Nicholas II visited the Znamensky Church, who was especially struck by the picturesque view opening onto the Volga.

In the period of the onset of the revolutionary hard times, when the best buildings, built by the people for a long time, were destroyed by the hands of the communists, the end of the Kostroma architectural monument also came. During the 1920s, the Znamensky Church suspended its activities, after which in 1937 the hipped-roof bell tower was destroyed; the building of the temple lost all the domes, and the uppermost floor was converted into a granary. After a while, the temple turned into a stoker. Thus, for 60 years the city of Kostroma lost its main architectural object.

In 1993, the beginning of the formation of the Church of the Sign was laid, which happened during the stay of the Galich and Kostroma Bishop Alexander. It was this man who founded a women's monastery in Kostroma, consecrated in the name of the icon of the Mother of God "The Sign". The opening of the monastery took place at the working Resurrection Church, in charge of which the Znamensky Church was given.

In mid-1995, a project was developed to restore the Znamenskaya Church and its bell tower according to the surviving ancient images and drawings. The author of the project was Leonid Sergeevich Vasiliev, an honored cultural worker, as well as the chief architect of the Kostroma diocese.

The restoration work continued for 6 years, after which a solemn ceremony of consecration of the Church of the Sign was held on September 26, 2001. Today the bell tower is the most important architectural object of the entire city of Kostroma.

The monastery pays great attention to charity, as well as social service. It operates a specialized medical center, which has eye and dental offices. The center considers its main task to be the restoration of the spiritual foundations of Russian medicine.

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Topic: Znamensky Monastery description and photos - Russia - Golden Ring: Kostroma.