The Ipatiev Monastery (; also Ipatievsky Monastery), sometimes translated into English as Hypatian Monastery, is a male

monastery A monastery is a building or complex of buildings comprising the domestic quarters and workplaces of Monasticism, monastics, monks or nuns, whether living in Cenobitic monasticism, communities or alone (hermits). A monastery generally includes a ...

situated on the bank of the Kostroma River just opposite the city of

Kostroma Kostroma (, ) is a historic city and the administrative center of Kostroma Oblast, Russia. A part of the Golden Ring of Russian cities, it is located at the confluence of the rivers Volga and Kostroma. In the 2021 census, the population is 267, ...

. It was founded around 1330 by a Tatar convert, Prince Chet, whose male-line descendants included Solomonia Saburova and Tsar Boris Godunov, and is dedicated to St. Hypatios of Gangra.

History

Foundation

The main theory considers Tatar Murza Chet, baptized as Zachary, to be the founder of the Ipatievsky Monastery. The legend says that he was miraculously cured from a disease by a vision of the Virgin Mary and St. Philip and St. Hypatius, and decided to build the monastery as a sign of gratitude. Some historians state that the monastery was founded in 1275 by Yaroslavich, but declined together with the Kostroma Principality after his death. In this case, the monastery could be not entirely built but only revived by Murza Chet.

13th–15th centuries

In 1435,

Vasily II Vasily II Vasilyevich (; 10 March 141527 March 1462), nicknamed the Blind or the Dark (), was Grand Prince of Moscow from 1425 until his death in 1462. He succeeded his father, Vasily I, only to be challenged by his uncle Yuri of Zvenig ...

concluded a peace with his cousin Vasily Kosoy there. At that time, the cloister was a notable centre of learning. It was here that Nikolay Karamzin discovered a set of three 14th-century

chronicle A chronicle (, from Greek ''chroniká'', from , ''chrónos'' – "time") is a historical account of events arranged in chronological order, as in a timeline. Typically, equal weight is given for historically important events and local events ...

s, including the

Primary Chronicle The ''Primary Chronicle'', shortened from the common ''Russian Primary Chronicle'' (, commonly transcribed ''Povest' vremennykh let'' (PVL), ), is a Rus' chronicle, chronicle of Kievan Rus' from about 850 to 1110. It is believed to have been or ...

, now known as the

Hypatian Codex The ''Hypatian Codex'', also known as Hypatian Letopis or Ipatiev Letopis, is a compendium of three Rus' chronicle, Rus' chronicles: the ''Primary Chronicle'', ''Kievan Chronicle'' and ''Galician-Volhynian Chronicle''. It is the most important sou ...

17th–18th centuries

During the

Time of Troubles The Time of Troubles (), also known as Smuta (), was a period of political crisis in Tsardom of Russia, Russia which began in 1598 with the death of Feodor I of Russia, Feodor I, the last of the Rurikids, House of Rurik, and ended in 1613 wit ...

Russia Russia, or the Russian Federation, is a country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia. It is the list of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the world, and extends across Time in Russia, eleven time zones, sharing Borders ...

, the Ipatiev Monastery was occupied by the supporters of False Dmitriy II in the spring of 1609. In September of that same year, the monastery was captured by the

Muscovite Muscovite (also known as common mica, isinglass, or potash mica) is a hydrated phyllosilicate mineral of aluminium and potassium with formula KAl2(Al Si3 O10)( F,O H)2, or ( KF)2( Al2O3)3( SiO2)6( H2O). It has a highly perfect basal cleavage y ...

army after a long

siege A siege () . is a military blockade of a city, or fortress, with the intent of conquering by attrition, or by well-prepared assault. Siege warfare (also called siegecrafts or poliorcetics) is a form of constant, low-intensity conflict charact ...

. On March 14, 1613, the

Zemsky Sobor The ''Zemsky Sobor'' ( rus, зе́мский собо́р, p=ˈzʲemskʲɪj sɐˈbor, t=assembly of the land) was a parliament of the Tsardom of Russia's estates of the realm active during the 16th and 17th centuries. The assembly represented ...

announced that Mikhail Romanov, who was in this monastery at the time, would be the Russian

tsar Tsar (; also spelled ''czar'', ''tzar'', or ''csar''; ; ; sr-Cyrl-Latn, цар, car) is a title historically used by Slavic monarchs. The term is derived from the Latin word '' caesar'', which was intended to mean ''emperor'' in the Euro ...

. Most of the monastery buildings date from the 16th and 17th centuries. The Trinity Cathedral is famous for its elaborately painted interior. The church of the Nativity of the Mother of God was rebuilt by the celebrated

Konstantin Thon Konstantin Andreyevich Thon or Ton (; October 26, 1794 – January 25, 1881) was a Russian architect who was one of the most notable architects during the reign Nicholas I. His major works include the Cathedral of Christ the Saviour, the Grand ...

at the request of Tsar Nicholas I to celebrate the 250th anniversary of the House of Romanov. The Soviet authorities demolished it in 1932, but it was rebuilt in 2013. The main entrance from the riverside was also designed by Konstantin Thon. A private house of Mikhail Romanov was restored on the orders of Tsar Alexander II, though the authenticity of the reconstruction was questioned by Konstantin Pobedonostsev .

20th century

The Ipatiev Monastery was disbanded after the

October Revolution The October Revolution, also known as the Great October Socialist Revolution (in Historiography in the Soviet Union, Soviet historiography), October coup, Bolshevik coup, or Bolshevik revolution, was the second of Russian Revolution, two r ...

in 1917. It had been a part of the historical and architectural preservation of the Russian museum society, but in 1991, the authorities officiated the property authority return to the

Russian Orthodox Church The Russian Orthodox Church (ROC; ;), also officially known as the Moscow Patriarchate (), is an autocephaly, autocephalous Eastern Orthodox Church, Eastern Orthodox Christian church. It has 194 dioceses inside Russia. The Primate (bishop), p ...

, despite strong opposition from museum officials. On December 30, 2004, the government of Russia signed an order to transfer the monastery to the Kostroma Diocese.

Our Times

In September 2002, one of the most prominent museum exhibits, the large wooden church (1628) from Spas-Vezhi village, was destroyed by fire.Museum of Wooden Architecture, Kostroma. Church of the Savior's Transfiguration.
Retrieved 2010-May-22 File:Kostroma Ipatiev Monastery Zvonnitsa IMG 0670 1725.jpg, Zvonnitsa File:Kostroma. Ipatiev Monastery. Trinity Cathedral P7150300 2350.jpg, Trinity Cathedral File:Ipatiev Monastery 24 (4114948929).jpg, Domes of the Ipatievsky Monastery File:Ipatios monastery Kostroma 06.jpg, The restored

Romanov The House of Romanov (also transliterated as Romanoff; , ) was the reigning dynasty, imperial house of Russia from 1613 to 1917. They achieved prominence after Anastasia Romanovna married Ivan the Terrible, the first crowned tsar of all Russi ...

boyar A boyar or bolyar was a member of the highest rank of the feudal nobility in many Eastern European states, including Bulgaria, Kievan Rus' (and later Russia), Moldavia and Wallachia (and later Romania), Lithuania and among Baltic Germans. C ...

palace File:Ipatiev Monastery 18 (4114941461).jpg, Ceiling of the Ipatievsky Monastery File:Ipatiev Monastery 23 HDR (4114948081).jpg, Icons of the Ipatievsky Monastery File:Ipatiev Monastery 16 HDR (4115703594).jpg, Icons of the Ipatievsky Monastery

References

External links

* {{Authority control Buildings and structures in Kostroma Oblast Russian Orthodox monasteries in Russia Kostroma Christian monasteries established in the 1330s Cultural heritage monuments in Kostroma Oblast Objects of cultural heritage of Russia of federal significance Primary Chronicle Monasteries used as prisons