Cheremshany 1

The mountainous terrain associated with the eastern spurs of the central part of the Volga Upland is unique and diverse for Russia. Deep incisions of canyon-shaped gorges create swings in absolute elevations of 100-170 meters.

The mountains surrounding the sanatorium rise 340-350 meters above sea level. The sanatorium's buildings occupy the level of 195-200 meters. The lowest point is a large pond at the level of 193 meters.

The unique beauty of the area at any time of the year gives mixed ( maples , oaks , birches , pines ) and pure pine forests that grow on the slopes of the mountains. The age of the bulk of the trees is about 100 years. Individual specimens, especially deep in the gorge, reach 200-300 years of age. The forest surrounding the sanatorium occupies the territory of the Khvalynsky National Park . And vacationers can literally from the windows of their buildings listen to the polyphony of the bird's choir. Moreover, the sound reflected from the slopes of the gorge acquires a unique depth and strength. On a walk in the forest you can meet moose or roe deer , hare , fox , and other inhabitants of the national park.

In the depths of the gorges there are many springs of crystal clear water, ideally purified by natural sorbents, consisting of chalk and gorge horizons that make up the mountains surrounding the sanatorium. Some sources are also known on the territory of the sanatorium. One of the springs is specially equipped with convenient access to water. Some of the springs form three ponds, the lower (largest) is a swimming. Among the most famous springs of the vicinity of Cheremshan: “Krasulin” (near him at the beginning of the century was the dacha of K. S. Petrov-Vodkin , the famous painting by Borisov-Musatov “Emerald Necklace” was painted here), “Lion”, “Mammoths”, “ Collective Farm "," Sukhoi Dol "," Petryanin ", etc.

Near the sanatorium, at a distance quite accessible to pedestrians, there are archaeological sites of the Early Iron Age (7th century BC) associated with the Gorodets culture of the Ugro-Finnish tribes .

In Turkic Cheremshany means "black forest". The tract got its name in ancient times, when a dense forest covered the slopes of the mountains and came close to the Volga River. ^[3]

The appearance of the monastery

In the foreseeable historical past, when the first immigrants from the central regions of Russia appeared, life on the banks of the Volga was very tense, difficult, left for posterity in legends, historical materials, and memoirs of contemporaries. So interesting is the legend associated with the Katyusha hills that are located in the vicinity of Cheremshan (in the north). They are named after the leader of a group of robbers robbing merchant plows passing by. From the hills, these robbers looked through the wide-open Volga distances. When the ships appeared, they went down to the river and did their dirty deed. Not without reason throughout the Volga, and on Sosnovy Island, guard posts were established. In case of danger, the robbers hid in the inaccessible deep Cheremshan gorges.

Later in the same gorges fugitive Old Believer monks hiding from the tsar's officials found refuge. The mass appearance of the Old Believers is dated to the middle of the 19th century, after the ruin of the Irgiz trans-Volga monasteries . It was then that the famous Cheremshansky monasteries appeared, which later grew into monasteries. Monks found support from residents of the surrounding villages and townspeople of Khvalynsk, most of them adhering to the Old Believers. Among the inhabitants there were also philanthropists - wealthy, merchants - who made donations with significant sums of money, land, and other gifts. Among the merchant families supporting the monastery are the names of the Mikhailovs, Tolstikovs, Kuzminyh, etc.

In the 1840s, the Khvalynsky merchant Kuranov in the upper reaches of the Cheremshan River builds a water mill and establishes an orchard. This place was subsequently bought from his wife under a monastery by the Astrakhan merchant Arkhip Dmitrievich Vyokhov. In the 1860s, a man’s monastery appeared above the pond, which soon became a monastery (Cheremshany 1).

The monastery was founded by the well-known Old Believer monk Serapion (Abachin) . Old Believer books and manuscripts were kept in the library of the monastery. Some of the books were written on bark and blackboards. Thanks to the support of merchants, the monastery quickly rebuilt and occupied a leading position as a large landowning and trading enterprise. The monastery owned lands on the Cheremshan, Volga; apple orchards, vegetable gardens, workshops (icon painting, book, binding); apiary , water mills. There was a church at the monastery.

By the end of the XIX - beginning of the XX centuries, Cheremshansky monasteries became the focus of the Russian Old Believers Belokrinitsky consent . The diocesan cathedrals of the Old Believers of the Saratov-Astrakhan diocese were held here repeatedly. In addition to the clergy (bishops, bishops) and laity, representatives of the authorities attended the cathedrals, including the adjutant wing Count Sheremetyev (1905, representative of the Sovereign). Old Believer bishops settled on Cheremshan, all the instructions from the Volga Old Believers went from here, and the priesthood for all neighboring localities began from here. In a word, a strong center for managing the Volga Old Believers was formed here.

Later, the monastery became impoverished and impoverished. In 1908, up to 50 monks, mainly elders, lived in the monastery. Many of them wore heavy chains on the body weighing up to 16 kilograms; a hair shirt , that is, a shirt of coarse horse hair. Forged virigi blacksmiths village Podlesnoe .

After the death of Father Serapion, the monastery is headed by: Father Theodosius (until 1908), Father Panteleimon (not for long), Father Theodosius (before closing) - in the fall of 1918.

The surviving monastery buildings on the territory of Cheremshan:

• The former church is now the dining room;
• A two-story brick building (to the west) near the dining room - monastic cells;
• The monastery cemetery is now a dance floor.

Of particular interest to vacationers is the “Monk's Cave” remaining after the monastery. This cave was built at the end of the 19th century by monks for a secluded life on the opposite side of the ridge, bordering the Cheremshansky Gorge from the south. The cave site is picturesquely located in the upper reaches of the ravine; lower at the foot is the village of Podlesnoye. In good weather, the cries of roosters and the lowing of cows come here. The village women brought food to the elders here. The cave consisted of two rooms: one in the depths for prayers, rest, and the other, closer to the exit, had a household purpose. Nowadays, the last room is destroyed and washed away by rain streams, it remains distant, but it is almost completely filled with washed clay. The last elder - the monk Seraphim lived in it at the beginning of the XX century. It was remembered by the locals as a good healer - he knew how to treat with herbs.

On the eve of the October Revolution, in Cheremshan, in addition to the monastery, there were four independent women's communities. The last community in 1913-1914 built a house on the territory of a modern sanatorium.

During the Civil War, white officers hid in the monastery, which caused dissatisfaction with the new government. In the fall of 1918, the monastery ceased to exist.

Soviet time

After the civil war, many orphans remained. Orphanages are organized in Khvalynsk, the best buildings are allocated for them, gardens and arable lands are allocated. In the spring of 1923, John Reed Children's Educational and Labor Community was created from the pupils of orphanages in the former men's monastery on Cheremshan 1. The first director of the labor colony was a participant in the civil war, one of the commanders of the Khvalynsky regiment, Ivan Stepanovich Eremeev. Soon he was replaced by A. Romanov. Possessing excellent organizational abilities, he managed to establish the life of the colony: a labor base was created in the form of a subsidiary farm, and the rest and study of the pupils were organized. In 1925-26 the colony is visited by American journalist and writer Albert Rhys Williams , his wife Lucita Squier-Williams, American journalist Anna Strong. They closely communicate with pupils, study their life. These meetings were reflected in the publications of the writer: “Through the Russian Revolution”, “Russian Land”. Subsequently, Lucita Squire wrote a script based on the Khvalynsky plot, which formed the basis of the film “The Mullah's Third Wife,” shot at Mosfilm in 1928.

In 1926, the colony was relocated to the former estate of Vorontsova - Dashkova in the village of Alekseevka. And on the site of Cheremshan 1, by the decision of the provincial authorities, a rest house is being built. The old communist V. I. Malinovsky was invited to the post of first director. In the summer of 1928, Cheremshans 1 received the first vacationers from Saratov . With the beginning of World War II in 1941, evacuation hospital No. 4803 for wounded soldiers and officers was organized on the territory of the Cheremshany Rest House 1. The head of the evacuation hospital (Chief Physician) was the colonel of the medical service Vorobyov.

After the war in 1945, a climatological sanatorium “Cheremshany 1” of a cardiological profile was created. As medical equipment was used medical equipment left over from the hospital. The resort operates to the present.

In the 1960s, the sanatorium belonged to the All-Union Central Council of Trade Unions, had a seasonal nature of work; 3 departments functioned:

• for patients with a disease of the cardiovascular system of 175 beds;
• for neurological patients 145 beds;
• for patients with respiratory diseases of non-tuberculous etiology 30 beds.

During the year, 2,300 people from various social groups received treatment and rest in the sanatorium. The treatment is based on the climatological factor. The climate of these places began to be studied since 1957 - the moment the meteorological station was opened in the sanatorium. Based on systematic observation, a more accurate idea of ​​thermal changes, humidity, air velocity, etc. was obtained, but the most valuable thing was that a special state of the sanatorium’s air was revealed, its increased ionization, with a certain predominance of negative aero ions. Air analyzes were carried out by scientists of Novocherkassk University under the guidance of a native of Khvalynsk, Professor A. G. Kobelev. Part of the discovery and study of this phenomenon belongs to the doctor G.V. Smirnov, who worked in the sanatorium for a quarter of a century. This phenomenon is associated with a special composition of the soil layer that can cause air ionization. Conductors of ionization are trees that evaporate moisture through the leaves, as a result of which “fogs” can be observed over the crowns. With an abundance of moisture, single candles of fogs are combined into a cloud. More often this phenomenon can be observed in depth on the slopes of the gorge. It is this air that has healing power.

Beginning in the 1970s, a spa has appeared in the sanatorium with a wide range of baths: rhodon, carbon dioxide, coniferous, pearl, installations for underwater massage showers; physiotherapy department, inhalation; massage room; paraffin treatment room. Medical gymnastics, manual therapy are widely practiced. Spring water contributes to the treatment of people with a disease of the gastrointestinal tract.

Modern Period

On May 31, 1995, the Old Believer Moscow Metropolis issued an official certificate from the cultural heritage protection authority stating that both the male and female Cheremshan Old Believer monasteries “are monuments of religious architecture” ^[4] .

In 2012 CJSC Sanatorium Cheremshany-1 went bankrupt and ceased to exist as a legal entity. All the property of the sanatorium was transferred to the GAU Rehabilitation Center "Monk's Cave", which is located on the territory of the sanatorium Cheremshany-1. By the time the monastery buildings occupied only a small part of the vast territory of the new health resort. However, these buildings were not registered as objects of cultural heritage, so the administration during the large-scale reconstruction of the state sanatorium decided to demolish most of them, including the building of the Assumption Cathedral ^[5] . So, by the summer of 2016, the leadership of the center “Cave of the Monk” dismantled the former monastery building and began the demolition of the bishop’s residence ^[6] .

This decision provoked the indignation of the Old Believers ^[4] . Despite numerous protests, at the end of July 2016, building No. 5 was completely demolished ^[6] . The initiative group for the revival of the Old Believer complex in Cheremshan, headed by Priest Vadim Korovin, who wrote a petition on change.org ^{[7] [5]} on July 1:

Cheremshan is a shrine for Russian Orthodox people - Old Believers. They make pilgrimages there, hold religious processions and hope for the revival of spiritual life there. The destruction of this holy place is painful in their hearts. In addition, Cheremshan is the only surviving Old Believer monastery complex of the second half of the 19th century, and its loss will become an irreplaceable loss for the historical and cultural heritage of our country.

On August 29, 2016, the head of the Regional Office for the Protection of Cultural Heritage Objects Vladimir Tarnovsky signed a decree on including the Assumption Cathedral in the list of protected historical monuments, but other monastery buildings were not declared monuments, which did not suit the Old Believers ^{[8] [9]} .

On September 8, 2016, a meeting was held at the Ministry of Social Development of the Saratov Region dedicated to the problems of salvation and modern use of the historical buildings of the Holy Assumption Cheremshan monastery located on the territory of the social rehabilitation center “Monk's Cave” in the Khvalynsky district of the Saratov region ^[8] .

October 18, 2016 in the House of Clergy on Rogozhsky in Moscow, the exhibition "Cheremshan. The Return ”, dedicated to the history, present and future historical complex of Old Believer monasteries in the tract Cheremshan ^[10] .

On January 21, 2017, in the Rogozhskaya Sloboda, a meeting was held between the Metropolitan of Moscow and All Russia Korniliy with the Governor of the Saratov Region Valery Radaev , the Vice Governor Igor Pivovarov and the First Deputy Head of the United Russia fraction in the State Duma Nikolai Pankov ^[11] .

On April 7, 2017, Acting Governor of the Saratov Region Valery Radaev signed a decree on the gratuitous transfer of the building of the former Assumption Cathedral of the Old Believers Monastery in Cheremshan to the ownership of the local religious organization Khvalynsky Community of the Russian Orthodox Old Believers Church. Priest Vadim Korovin in connection with this event, which coincided with the Feast of the Annunciation of the Blessed Virgin Mary, emphasized that it will go down in history as a significant historical date for modern Old Belief, as a new starting point for the revitalization of faith in Cheremshan ^[12] .

After that, two monks and four inhabitants of the reviving monastery did a great job of clearing the temple and preparing the altar of the temple.

On July 28 of the same year, the Old Believer Bishop of Kazan-Vyatka Euthymius (Dubinov) visited the restored church of the former monastery. On July 29, he held a procession with a procession from the Intercession Church to the worship cross at the site of the former Vvedensky convent. On the same day, the first full Sunday evening service with consecration of bread was held in the Intercession Church. July 30, in the Intercession Church, Bishop Euthymius led the Sunday service, but at the end of which he congratulated the audience on the resumption of regular service in the Intercession Church, wished the monastery a speedy revival and spiritual improvement ^[13] .

On February 19, 2019, the Council of the Metropolis of the Russian Orthodox Church Council decided ^[14] :

1.2. Encourage bishops and spiritual fathers to more actively seek candidates for monastic life in the Cheremshan monastery. 1.3. Encourage Christians to donate icons and other church utensils to the Cheremshan monastery. 1.4. Publish information about the Cheremshan Monastery in the Vestnik of the Metropolis. 1.5. To send heterodox clergymen joining the Church to the Cheremshan Monastery to study church customs.

A 6-km asphalt road has been laid to the sanatorium, starting at the southern tip of the city of Khvalynsk from the main highway Khvalynsk - Alekseevka .

• Официальный сайт санатория «Черемшаны 1» (Проверено 10 января 2009)
• Незабываемый Черемшан (недоступная ссылка)
• Наумов А. Черемшанские старообрядческие монастыри.