Magnificent paintings, frescoes, records of historical chronicles - all this is a medieval monastery. Those who want to touch the past and learn about the events of bygone days should start their journey precisely with the study, since they remember much more than the pages of annals.
During the Dark Ages, monastic communes begin to gain strength. For the first time they appear on the territory. Benedict of Nursia can be considered the progenitor of this movement. The largest medieval period is the monastery in Montecassino. This is a world with its own rules, in which each member of the commune had to contribute to the development of a common cause.
At that time, the medieval monastery was a huge complex of buildings. It included cells, libraries, refectories, cathedrals and outbuildings. The latter included barns, warehouses, animal pens.
Over time, the monasteries turned into the main centers of concentration of culture and economy of the Middle Ages. Here they kept a chronology of events, held debates, and evaluated the achievements of science. Such teachings as philosophy, mathematics, astronomy, and medicine developed and improved.
All physically hard work was provided to novices, peasants and ordinary monastic workers. Such settlements were of great importance in the field of storage and accumulation of information. Libraries were replenished with new books, and old editions were constantly rewritten. Also, the monks themselves kept historical chronicles.
Russian medieval monasteries appeared much later than European ones. Initially, hermit monks lived apart in deserted places. But Christianity quickly spread among the masses, so stationary churches became necessary. From the 15th century until the reign of Peter I, there was a widespread construction of temples. They were in almost every village, and large monasteries were built near cities or in holy places.
Peter I carried out a number of church reforms, which were continued by his successors. The common people reacted negatively to the new fashion for the Western tradition. Therefore, already under Catherine II, the construction of Orthodox monasteries was resumed.
Most of these religious buildings did not become a place of pilgrimage for believers, but some Orthodox churches are known all over the world.
The banks of the Velikaya River and the Mirozhka River flowing into it. It was here many centuries ago that the Pskov Spaso-Preobrazhensky Mirozhsky Monastery appeared.
The location of the church made it vulnerable to frequent raids. She took all the blows first of all on herself. Constant robberies, fires haunted the monastery for many centuries. And with all this, fortress walls were never built around it. It is surprising that, despite all the troubles, he preserved the frescoes, which are still admired for their beauty.
For many centuries, the Mirozh Monastery kept a priceless miraculous icon of the Mother of God. In the 16th century, she became famous for the miracle of myrrh-streaming. Later, miracles of healing were attributed to her.
An entry was found in a collection kept in the library of the monastery. It is dated 1595 according to the modern calendar. It contained the story of the miraculous. As the entry says: "Tears flowed like jets from the eyes of the Most Pure One."
A few years ago, the monastery of Giurgevi Stupovi celebrated its birthday. And he was born neither more nor less, but eight centuries ago. This church became one of the first Orthodox in Montenegrin land.
The monastery survived many tragic days. During its centuries-old history, it was destroyed by fire 5 times. Eventually the monks left this place.
For a long period, the medieval monastery was in ruins. And only at the end of the 19th century, a project began to recreate this historical object. Not only architectural structures have been restored, but also monastic life.
There is a museum on the territory of the monastery. In it you can see fragments of surviving buildings and artifacts. Now the monastery of Giurgevi Stupovi lives a real life. Constant charity events and collections are held for the development of this monument of spirituality.
Today, Orthodox monasteries continue their active work. Despite the fact that the history of some has exceeded a thousand years, they continue to live according to the old way and do not seek to change anything.
The main occupations are farming and serving the Lord. The monks try to comprehend the world in accordance with the Bible and teach this to others. In their experience, they show that money and power are transitory. Even without them, you can live and be completely happy at the same time.
Unlike churches, monasteries do not have a parish; nevertheless, people willingly visit monks. Renouncing everything worldly, many of them receive a gift - the ability to heal diseases or help with a word.
Nowadays, looking at the monastery building with their attractiveness and immensity, you cannot believe that once there was an empty place on the site of the monastery. Medieval monasteries in Europe were built to last centuries and even millennia. If we talk about the purpose of the monasteries, then they were the centers of the development of philosophical thought, enlightenment and, consequently, the formation of a common European Christian culture.
The appearance of monasteries in Europe is associated with the spread of the Christian faith in all European countries and principalities. Today it is known that the monastery was the center of the economic and cultural life of Europe. The monasteries were full of life in the truest sense of the word. Many mistakenly believe that a monastery is just a Christian temple, for worship, inhabited by several monks or nuns. In fact, the monastery is a small town in which the necessary types of management are developed, such as agriculture, gardening, cattle breeding, which mainly provide food, as well as material for making clothes. Clothes, by the way, were made here - on the spot. In other words, the monastery was also a center for the development of handicraft activities, giving the population clothes, dishes, weapons and tools.
To understand the place of monasteries in the medieval life of Europe, it should be said that the population then lived according to the Law of God. And it does not matter whether the person was actually a believer or not. Everyone believed without exception, those who did not believe and openly declared it, were accused of heretical prejudice, persecuted by the church and could be executed. This moment occurred quite often in medieval Europe. The Catholic Church had unlimited control over the entire territory inhabited by Christians. Even European monarchs did not dare to dare against the church, because this could be followed by excommunication with all the ensuing consequences. The monasteries represented a dense network of Catholic "surveillance" over everything that happened.
The monastery was an impregnable fortress, which, in the event of an attack, could defend its lines for quite a long time, until the main forces approached, which did not have to wait long. The monasteries were surrounded by thick walls just for this.
All medieval monasteries in Europe were the richest buildings. It was said above that the entire population was a believer, and, therefore, had to pay a tax - a tithe from the harvest. This led to the exorbitant enrichment of the monasteries, as well as the highest clergy - abbots, bishops, archbishops. Monasteries were drowning in luxury. It was not for nothing that literary works appeared at that time that discredited the life and actions of the Pope and his entourage. Of course, this literature was banned, burned, and the authors were punished. But, nevertheless, some disguised works of art managed to go into "circulation" and reach our days. One of the most significant works of this kind is "Gargantua and Pantagruel", written by Francois Rabelais.
Monasteries were the centers of education and upbringing of the youth of medieval Europe. After the spread of Christianity throughout Europe, the number of secular schools was reduced, subsequently they were generally banned because they carried heretical judgments in their activities. From that moment on, monastic schools became the only place of education and upbringing. Education was carried out in the context of 4 disciplines: astronomy, arithmetic, grammar and dialectics. All training in these disciplines was reduced to confronting heretical views. For example, the study of arithmetic was not about teaching children basic operations with numbers, but about learning the religious interpretation of the numerical sequence. The calculation of the date of church holidays was done in the study of astronomy. The teaching of grammar consisted in the correct reading and semantic understanding of the Bible. Dialectics, on the other hand, united all these "sciences" in order to teach pupils how to properly conduct a conversation with heretics and the art of eloquent argument with them.
Everyone knows the fact that the training was conducted in Latin. The difficulty was that this language was not used in daily communication, so it was poorly understood not only by the pupils, but also by some of the higher confessors.
Education was held all year round - at that time there were no holidays, but this does not mean that the children did not rest. In the Christian religion, there are a huge number of holidays that were considered days off in medieval Europe. On such days, the monasteries held services, so the educational process stopped.
The discipline was strict. For each oversight, the pupils were punished, in most cases corporally. This process was recognized as useful, since it was believed that during corporal punishment, the “Devil essence” of the human body was expelled from the physical body. But still there were moments of fun when children were allowed to run, play and have fun.
Thus, the monasteries of Europe were the centers of not only the development of culture, but also the worldview of the entire people inhabiting the European continent. The primacy of the church in all matters was undeniable, and the monasteries scattered throughout the Christian world were the conductors of the ideas of the Pope.
The oldest active monastery is the monastery of St. Catherine, which is located at the foot of Mount Sinai in the very center of the Sinai Peninsula. In the bible this mountain is called Horeb. The oldest monastery was built in the VI century by order of Emperor Justinian. Initially, the temple was called the Monastery of the Transfiguration or Burning Cupima. But from the 11th century, the worship of St. Catherine began to spread, and as a result, the monastery was named after her. The monastery complex is included in the list of UNESCO World Heritage Sites.
Since its foundation, the monastery has never been destroyed or conquered. And thanks to this, he was able to preserve within his walls huge historical treasures. Among them are collections of icons, a valuable library of manuscripts, which is second in importance only to the Vatican library. The monastery library was founded under Archbishop Nikifor in 1734. It contains 3304 manuscripts and almost 1700 scrolls, 5000 books, historical documents, letters. All writings are in different languages: Greek, Syriac, Arabic, Coptic, Armenian, Ethiopian and Slavic.
There are unique icons in the monastery, which have significant artistic, spiritual and historical value. Twelve of them were painted in the sixth century with wax paints. These are the oldest icons in the world, the rarest and oldest. Some of the icons of the pre-iconoclast era were taken to Russia, and are now kept in the Kiev Museum named after Bogdan and Varvara. There is also a miraculous icon in the monastery of St. Catherine. This is a triptych of the thirteenth century, which depicts the Mother of God Bematarissa and scenes from the Virgin cycle.
Many of the oldest monasteries in Europe are found in Bulgaria, Scotland and France. And one of the oldest is the monastery of St. Atanasia. It is located in Bulgaria, in the village of Zlatna Livada near the town of Chirpan. Archaeologists have come to the conclusion that the monastery was founded in 344 by the most holy Athanasius. He was a defender of the Orthodox faith and the postulate of the Holy Trinity. In this monastery, according to archaeologists, some famous theological works of Atanasius were written. Another oldest monastery in Europe is Candida Kassa, which is located in Scotland. The oldest after him is the French monastery of St. Martin.
The oldest monasteries in Russia are located in different parts of the country. But the most ancient is the Spaso-Preobrazhensky Monastery. This is the oldest monastery in Russia. It is located in Murom. The monastery has preserved many ancient icons with unique scenes. Scientists do not name the exact date of the founding of the monastery, but presumably it is 1096. It was during this period that the monastery was mentioned in Russian chronicles. The founder of the monastery was Prince Gleb, the son of the Baptist of Russia - Prince Vladimir. The monastery was founded on the site of the princely court of the first Christian church of the All-Merciful Savior. The main shrine of the monastery is the icon of the Mother of God "Quick Hearer", which was brought from the holy Mount Athos by Archimandrite Anthony.
The oldest monastery in Moscow is the St. Danilov Monastery. It was founded in 1282 by the first Grand Duke of Moscow Daniil of Moscow. The monastery was built in honor of the heavenly patron Daniel the Stylite.
On February 20, 395, the first convent in history was opened in Bethlehem. Unfortunately, it has not survived to our time, but other equally ancient monasteries have come down to us, which we will talk about today.
Since the monks do not like worldly fuss (from which they go to the mountains, deserts or behind high impregnable walls), outsiders are not allowed into many monasteries under any circumstances. Therefore, we will talk about those ancient monasteries of the world that are open to pilgrims and ordinary tourists.
Many pages of the Bible are devoted to the Sinai Peninsula, because there, on the top of the mountain of the same name, Moses was given the Ten Commandments, inscribed on the Tablets of the Covenant. It is no wonder that this part of Egypt has been a place for pilgrimage and a site for archaeological excavations for centuries. Where, according to legend, the Lord God appeared to the prophet and the Burning Bush grew, in 557 one of the oldest Christian monasteries in the world appeared, named after its creator, St. Catherine. 12 chapels, a library, an icon hall, a refectory, sacristies and even a hotel are hidden by a monumental monastery, fortified during the time of Emperor Justinian. Over the centuries of existence, it has been overgrown with new buildings, without stopping holding services and receiving believers. The temple has turned into a real city in the desert. The archbishop of Sinai, the smallest diocese in the world, presides there. Of the shrines, in addition to the Burning Bush and the chapel of her name, which keeps the ancient mosaic of the Transfiguration, the guests of the monastery are waiting for the well, near which Moses met his future companion - one of the daughters of Joseph. The holy temple was never destroyed: even the Prophet Muhammad and the Arab caliphs, the sultans of Turkey and Napoleon Bonaparte helped him. Only in the fall of 2013, due to political unrest in Egypt, the monastery of St. Catherine was temporarily closed. For information on when you can get here, see http://www.sinaimonastery.com/.
For the fifteenth century, there has been a "House of the Lord" in mysterious Tibet - the great Jokhang Monastery, where the initiations of the Panchen Lama and the Dalai Lama take place. Legend has it that it was in this place that Tibetan Buddhism was born. The first value brought to the temple was an ancient statue consecrated personally by Shakyamuni Buddha. Lhasa grew around the Jokhang, and with it the temple itself grew: an imposing four-story building, decorated with a dharma wheel and golden fallow deer, was rebuilt in the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries. A heavy share fell to the Buddhist shrine: much was destroyed during the Mongol invasion, and during the years of the Chinese Cultural Revolution, the Jokhang was used as a pig shed and a military base. Fortunately, in 1980 the monastery was restored and was soon included in the UNESCO World Heritage List. Many treasures are hidden behind its walls: a golden urn donated by the Chinese emperor Qianlong, a luxurious edition of the Tripitaka made of sandalwood, ancient thangkas dating back to the 7th-9th centuries, and gilded statues of the founders of Tibetan Buddhism - King Srontsangambo and his wives. The monastery is open to adherents of all religions: religious ceremonies of all schools of Buddhism and even the indigenous religion of Tibet, the Bonpo, are held here. You can learn more about the history of the Jokhang on the UNESCO Attraction page http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/707.
Little information has been preserved in the history of the Holy Savior Convent, located near the village of Kostomarovo in the Voronezh region. One of the legends attributes its construction to Andrew the First-Called himself, the other refers to the 12th century. True or not, but there is no doubt about the venerable age of the unique Russian monastery, carved right into the rock. Much here reminds of Byzantium: 12 chalk pillars hold the rounded vaults of the temple, which can accommodate up to two thousand believers, and its walls are decorated with beautiful Orthodox frescoes. A long and low corridor leads to the Cave of Repentance - to get here, you need to bow in bow. Only a miracle saved the Holy Savior Monastery during the reign of the Soviets: the last monk, Father Peter, was shot, and the temple was flooded so as not to distract people from building communism. But the Russian Golgotha survived: in 1993, the first service after oblivion was held here. The temple was restored and turned into a nunnery, and only the miraculous Kostomarovskaya icon of the Mother of God, riddled with bullets, reminds of the terrible times. Those who have visited the Holy Savior Monastery say that this is a real place of power, where natural harmony and divine purity are combined. Those who have not yet reached Russian Palestine will have to travel by train from Voronezh to Rossosh (exit at the Podgornoye station), and then by bus to the village of Kostomarovo.
The central place in the medieval monastery was occupied by the church, around which there were household and residential buildings. There was a common refectory(dining room), bedroom of monks, library, storage of books and manuscripts. A hospital was usually located in the eastern part of the monastery, and rooms for guests and pilgrims were located in the north. Any traveler could apply here for shelter, the charter of the monastery obliged to accept him. In the western and southern parts of the monastery there were barns, stables, a barn and a poultry yard.
The monks were not supposed to leave the threshold of the monastery. Communication with the outside world was undesirable for them, because it distracted from thoughts about the salvation of the soul. Therefore, the monastery lived a closed life, far from habitable places. Everything necessary for the existence of the monastery was within its boundaries. Often the monasteries were surrounded by a fence to protect them from wild animals. To manage the monastery, the monks chose from their number the most learned and respected person, he became abbot(father) of the monastery. material from the site
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