Serafimo-Diveevsky Monastery, or Saint Seraphim-Diveyevo Monastery, or Holy Trinity-Saint Seraphim-Diveyevo Monastery (russian: Свято-Троицкий Серафимо-Дивеевский Монастырь) is a

monastery A monastery is a building or complex of buildings comprising the domestic quarters and workplaces of monastics, monks or nuns, whether living in communities or alone (hermits). A monastery generally includes a place reserved for prayer which ...

of nuns (

convent A convent is a community of monks, nuns, religious brothers or, sisters or priests. Alternatively, ''convent'' means the building used by the community. The word is particularly used in the Catholic Church, Lutheran churches, and the Anglican ...

) in

Diveyevo Diveyevo (russian: Диве́ево) is a rural locality (a '' selo'') and the administrative center of Diveyevsky District of Nizhny Novgorod Oblast, Russia. Population: Serafimo-Diveyevsky Convent, one of the largest and frequently visited mo ...

settlement near Sarov (12 km), and near the city of

Nizhny Novgorod Nizhny Novgorod ( ; rus, links=no, Нижний Новгород, a=Ru-Nizhny Novgorod.ogg, p=ˈnʲiʐnʲɪj ˈnovɡərət ), colloquially shortened to Nizhny, from the 13th to the 17th century Novgorod of the Lower Land, formerly known as Gork ...

(185 km), in the

Nizhny Novgorod Oblast Nizhny Novgorod Oblast (russian: link=no, Нижегородская область, ''Nizhegorodskaya oblast''), is a federal subjects of Russia, federal subject of Russia (an oblast). Its administrative center is the types of inhabited localiti ...

Russia Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a List of transcontinental countries, transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia, Northern Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the ...

.Guide to Diveyevo
It is situated in a region considered to have immense spiritual significance. Within its immediate vicinity are situated two other

cloister A cloister (from Latin ''claustrum'', "enclosure") is a covered walk, open gallery, or open arcade running along the walls of buildings and forming a quadrangle or garth. The attachment of a cloister to a cathedral or church, commonly against a ...

s: those of Sarov and Sanaxar. The convent is famous because

Saint Seraphim of Sarov Seraphim of Sarov (russian: Серафим Саровский; – ), born Prókhor Isídorovich Moshnín (Mashnín) �ро́хор Иси́дорович Мошни́н (Машни́н) is one of the most renowned Russian saints and is venerate ...

served as Staretz (Elder) for the nuns of this monastery, though he only travelled to the convent once during his lifetime. He was a monk at the nearby monastery of Sarov. After the fall of communism, his

relic In religion, a relic is an object or article of religious significance from the past. It usually consists of the physical remains of a saint or the personal effects of the saint or venerated person preserved for purposes of veneration as a tangi ...

s, which had been feared lost, were discovered in the storeroom of a "museum of atheism" in

Saint Petersburg Saint Petersburg ( rus, links=no, Санкт-Петербург, a=Ru-Sankt Peterburg Leningrad Petrograd Piter.ogg, r=Sankt-Peterburg, p=ˈsankt pʲɪtʲɪrˈburk), formerly known as Petrograd (1914–1924) and later Leningrad (1924–1991), i ...

and solemnly transferred to the Seraphim-Diveyevo monastery, which has come to be named after him. The monastery is also famous for possessing the only portrait of Saint Seraphim that was painted of him by a contemporary, th
"Diveyevo Portrait"
During the years of Communist

persecution Persecution is the systematic mistreatment of an individual or group by another individual or group. The most common forms are religious persecution, racism, and political persecution, though there is naturally some overlap between these term ...

, the portrait was smuggled out of Russia and is kept to this day in th
Novo-Diveyevo Convent
in

Nanuet Nanuet is a Hamlet (New York), hamlet and census-designated place in the town of Clarkstown, New York, Clarkstown, Rockland County, New York, Rockland County, New York (state), New York, United States. The third largest hamlet in Clarkstown, it is ...

, New York. The convent is a subject of the writings of

Serge Nilus Sergei Aleksandrovich Nilus (also ''Sergius'', and variants; russian: Серге́й Алекса́ндрович Ни́лус; – 14 January 1929) was a Russian religious writer and self-described mystic. His book ''Velikoe v malom i antik ...

in his semi-autobiographical work ''Velikoe v malom i antikhrist'', a work which has the dubious distinction of having been published, in book form, for the first time as the ''

Protocols of the Elders of Zion ''The Protocols of the Elders of Zion'' () or ''The Protocols of the Meetings of the Learned Elders of Zion'' is a fabricated antisemitic text purporting to describe a Jewish plan for global domination. The hoax was plagiarized from several ...

'' (which is only its last chapter, ''Chapter XII''). Diveyevo Serafimo-Diveevsky Monastery The Transfiguration Cathedral IMG 9567 1725

The monastery started with the Church of Our Lady of Kazan (''Kazanskaya''), built in 1773–1780. Saint Seraphim blessed the construction of two churches adjoined to Kazanskaya: The Church of the Nativity of Christ (1829) and the Church of the Nativity of

Theotokos ''Theotokos'' (Greek: ) is a title of Mary, mother of Jesus, used especially in Eastern Christianity. The usual Latin translations are ''Dei Genitrix'' or ''Deipara'' (approximately "parent (fem.) of God"). Familiar English translations are " ...

(1830). The large Trinity Cathedral with its

bell tower A bell tower is a tower that contains one or more bells, or that is designed to hold bells even if it has none. Such a tower commonly serves as part of a Christian church, and will contain church bells, but there are also many secular bell tower ...

was constructed in 1865–1875. The Office of the Hegumenia (

Abbess An abbess (Latin: ''abbatissa''), also known as a mother superior, is the female superior of a community of Catholic nuns in an abbey. Description In the Catholic Church (both the Latin Church and Eastern Catholic), Eastern Orthodox, Coptic ...

) with it Mary Magdalen House Church and the

Alexander Nevsky Alexander Yaroslavich Nevsky (russian: Александр Ярославич Невский; ; 13 May 1221 – 14 November 1263) served as Prince of Novgorod (1236–40, 1241–56 and 1258–1259), Grand Prince of Kiev (1236–52) and Grand P ...

Trapeza Church were built in the end of the 19th century. Finally. The Transfiguration

Cathedral A cathedral is a church that contains the '' cathedra'' () of a bishop, thus serving as the central church of a diocese, conference, or episcopate. Churches with the function of "cathedral" are usually specific to those Christian denomination ...

was built in 1907–1916. In 2003-2004 there were significant restoration works in the Monastery celebrating 250 year anniversary of

Saint Seraphim Seraphim of Sarov (russian: Серафим Саровский; – ), born Prókhor Isídorovich Moshnín (Mashnín) �ро́хор Иси́дорович Мошни́н (Машни́н) is one of the most renowned Russian saints and is venerate ...

References

Velikoe v malom Sergei Aleksandrovich Nilus (also ''Sergius'', and variants; russian: Серге́й Алекса́ндрович Ни́лус; – 14 January 1929) was a Russian religious writer and self-described mystic. His book ''Velikoe v malom i antik ...

:by

Tsarskoe Selo Tsarskoye Selo ( rus, Ца́рское Село́, p=ˈtsarskəɪ sʲɪˈlo, a=Ru_Tsarskoye_Selo.ogg, "Tsar's Village") was the town containing a former residence of the Russian imperial family and visiting nobility, located south from the cen ...

: Tip. TSarskoselskago Komiteta Krasnago Kresta, 1905) *Cyrilic: ''Летопись Серафимо-Дивеевского монастыря Нижегородской губернии Ардатовского уезда с жизнеописанием основателей ее: преподобного Серафима и схимонахини Александры, урожденной А.С. Мельгуновой'' : :Translieration: ''Letopis' Serafimo-Diveevskogo monastyria Nizhegorodskoi gubernii Ardatovskogo uezda s zhizneopisaniem osnovatelei ee: prepodobnogo Serafima i skhimonakhini Aleksandry, urozhdennoi A.S. Mel'gunovoi'' : :Translation: ''The Annals of the Serafimo-Diveevsky Monastery, Nizhny Novgorod Province, Ardatov District, Including Life Description of Its Founders: The Reverend Serafim and the Monk Alexandra, Born: A. S. Melgunova'' : :(Moscow: Свято-Троицкий Серафимо-Дивеевский монастырь; Ковчег, 2007) :Subject: Biography. Memoirs. Christianity. Religion (general). :
Online version

External links

Website of the monastery

Diveevo convent portal
*

Nizhny Novgorod Region Nizhny Novgorod Oblast (russian: link=no, Нижегородская область, ''Nizhegorodskaya oblast''), is a federal subject of Russia (an oblast). Its administrative center is the city of Nizhny Novgorod. It has a population of 3,310,5 ...

''

*RANSAC Nuclear News, June 25, 2003''

{{Coord, 55, 2, 24, N, 43, 14, 41, E, display=title, type:landmark Russian Orthodox monasteries in Russia Buildings and structures in Nizhny Novgorod Oblast Cultural heritage monuments of federal significance in Nizhny Novgorod Oblast

See also

References

External links