Pokrovsky Monastery (Kharkov)

The Pokrovsky Cathedral, erected in 1689, showed the most striking example of a three-part church type - reproducing the general forms of Ukrainian wooden architecture (three-chamber plan, creases, flat sails), at the same time inherited from architecture of Russian churches - two-tier, arctur of the lower floor with a gallery above it, drawing platbands. Initially, the cathedral had a free-standing bell tower, connected with the main building of the temple by a gallery. The first tier of the bell tower was brick, the upper tier - wooden with a complex baroque (or, perhaps, hipped) completion. In the first half of the XVIII century, the bell tower of the cathedral was reconstructed - instead of a wooden upper tier, a brick one was completed. At the same time, the refectory was built, which united the cathedral and the bell tower. ^[one]

The basis of the architectural composition of the Pokrovsky Cathedral is the scheme of the three-Ukrainian Ukrainian wooden church. The influence of Russian architecture of the 17th century was manifested in most details of the plan, the method of brickwork, and the design of external decorations. ^[2]

The place of erection of the temple was chosen where the fortress wall was closest to the precipice towering over the Lopan River ... The location of the cathedral's bell tower, its strong stone walls, and long narrow window-battlements indicate that it was included in the defensive fortifications of the Kharkov fortress. ^[2]

In 1843, V. Orlov-Denisov, hero of the Patriotic War of 1812, was buried in the crypt of the Intercession Cathedral. ^[2]

During the Great Patriotic War, the Intercession Cathedral was damaged, but later it was restored. ^[2]

During the years of Soviet power, the Pokrovsky Cathedral did not lose its purpose and always served as an Orthodox monastery. It was officially (at the state level) recognized as one of the most valuable monuments of Ukrainian architecture of the 17th century and is the most ancient preserved stone building of Kharkov. ^[2]

As of 1751, the monastery's inhabitants were 11 hieromonks, 4 hierodeacons and 10 monks, some of whom taught at the Collegium, and the rector of the Collegium (in the rank of hegumen, later - Archimandrite) was also the head of the monastery. Following the example of the rector of the Moscow Academy, he wore insignia close to the bishop: a mantle with tablets and panagia.

The program of the Collegium was based on the curriculum of the Kiev Academy , to which, over time, the study of mathematics, history, geography, French, German and Italian was added. In 1768, at the Collegium, the Additive classes were opened with the teaching of applied sciences (geodesy, engineering, artillery, later instrumental music, dancing, drawing, painting and architecture) to prepare noble children for public service. They were located outside the monastery (on the site of the library named after VG Korolenko), in 1789 were separated from the Collegium and merged with the National School into the Main Slobod-Ukrainian School, after the foundation of the Kharkov University renamed Sloboda-Ukrainian Gymnasium.

In the early years, about 400 people studied at the Collegium; over time, the number of students doubled. Among graduates and teachers, a special place is occupied by Gregory Skovoroda (he taught poetics, ancient Greek language and Christian kindness), a monument to which in 1992 was erected on the monastery wall from the side of the Cascade Public Garden. M. T. Kachenovsky , Ya. V. Tolmachyov , I. A. Dvigubsky , N. I. Gnedich also studied at the Collegium. The surplus classes graduated P.A. Yaroslavsky .

The library of the monastery and the Collegium, originally located on the second floor of the gate of the monastery building, contained many rare books, including the Ostrog Bible from 1581, Margaret John Chrysostom 1596, Oktohihi of the Moscow press 1618, 1683, etc., Gospel of the Moscow press of 1636, Peter the Great Graves of 1646, the Apostle of the Lvov press of 1666, etc. The monastery sacristy also contained many monuments of church antiquity of the XVII – XVIII centuries.

In 1786-1788 during the secularization of church estates announced by the Manifesto of February 26, 1764 , the estates of the Pokrovsky Monastery were selected, including 3076 acres of land, 650 souls of peasants, mills, distilleries, cattle yards, gardens in the province and in Kharkov itself.

After the formation of a separate Slobodsko-Ukrainian Diocese (by decree of Emperor Paul I of October 16, 1799 ), the Spiritual Consistory was opened on the territory of the monastery, and the upper church of the Intercession Church served as the cathedral of the diocese until 1846 . The lower (warm) church in the name of the Three Saints, in the XVII-XVIII centuries, also served as the tomb of noble Kharkiv citizens, and in the XIX century - the bishops, remained for some time at the Collegium, which after the creation of Kharkov University in 1805 was reorganized into a purely spiritual educational institution (in 1817 was included in the register of seminaries, with 1840 officially named the seminary and moved from the monastery to the new building on the cold mountain -. now the street seminary, 46, the former building of Kharkiv air force University , now - of the Appeals Kharkov the first administrative court). Under Bishop Paul (Sabbatovskiy) in 1818, a new Collegium stone building with a home church was built, in 1820–1826 - a new Archbishop's house, attached to the cathedral, also with a small home Cross Church on the second floor, and a refectory that united the church with a bell tower.

In 1846, the bishop's department was transferred to the Assumption Cathedral, along with all the white clergy staff. By that time, only 8 monks inhabited the monastery. The need to perform services led to an increase in the number of hieromonks and hierodeacons, as well as the monastic brethren in general. According to local statistics, the number of monastics in Kharkov reached 52 in the sixties, 40–55 in the seventies, 60 in the eighties, 45–46 in the nineties, but it is unknown what percentage of this number is in the Brotherhood of the Pokrovsky monastery.

In the late 1850s, the tomb under the lower church of the monastery, which until then simply represented the basement, was expanded and turned into a church, so-called as the lower church used to be called, the Three Saints. The tomb of the revered by the people of Archbishop Meletius (Leontovich) († 1840 , canonized in 1978 ), arranged, unlike the others, not openly, but openly, was decorated with the donations of pilgrims. The fire that occurred in the church in 1875 destroyed the canopy over the tomb, the steps and the tin coffin, but the inner coffin with the remains of the saint remained intact, which increased his veneration.

Since 1844, the Ozeryansky Icon of the Mother of God became the main shrine of the monastery, which was annually transferred to the Pokrovsky monastery for the winter months. It was originally exhibited in the upper church of the Intercession, where hot air heating was arranged. The narrow temple, however, could not accommodate everyone. In 1896, the Ozeryanskaya Church was consecrated, designed by the diocesan architect V.H. Nemkin in a basilical form, rare for Orthodox architecture, decorated with Byzantine-Russian motifs and twelve Moscow domed headboards, effectively contrasting with the Ukrainian domes of the Pokrovsky Cathedral. The massive building of the new temple closed the elegant silhouette of the Pokrovsky Cathedral from the University Hill, but returned to the monastery complex the necessary monumentality lost with the beginning of the multi-storey buildings of the city. The side chapels of the church were consecrated in honor of the Apostle and Evangelist John the Divine and the Great Martyr. Dimitri Solunsky . A lower church with a shrine was also built, where the remains of Archbishop Meletius were transferred from the closed Treasury Church.

In addition to the Ozeryanskaya Church, V. Nemkin built a Consistory building (6 Universitetskaya Street, instead of the demolished former, former main building of the Kharkov Collegium), a cell building with a refectory on the site of the old Consistory, the abbot's house with the main gate (8 Universitetskaya Street). ), not preserved lower emergency gate with a chapel from Klochkovskaya street . According to the project of Nemkin’s successor, architect V.N. Pokrovsky , a trade building belonging to the monastery at Universitetskaya 10 was rebuilt, which was handed over to the Bishops ’Office in the haberdashery firm“ Zhirardovskaya Manufactory ”.

In 1922 the monastery was closed, and third-party organizations were located in the buildings. “Zhyrardov manufactories” and the Bishops' House served as the buildings of the Historical Museum (before the war , the museum of Sloboda Ukraine); Ozeryanskaya Church, the heads of which were demolished - by the city archive, the corps of cells and the refectory - by the military registration and enlistment office of the Dzerzhinsky district .

In the 1950s, a cosmetic restoration of the destroyed Pokrovsky Cathedral was made. In the 1960s, the project of restoration of the temple in its original form was developed - with a gallery between the church and the bell tower. For this, the refectory between the church and the bell tower and the passage to the Bishop’s house and the Church of the Ozaryan church, completed in the 19th century, were dismantled. Further, however, it did not go, and the temple stood in the forests until the perestroika .

On January 15, 1990, the authorities decided to return the church to the monastic buildings, and on April 8, the consecration and the first service in the Pokrovsky Cathedral were held. The transfer process went gradually and was completed by the mid-1990s.

On May 27, 1992, the Bishops' Council of the UOC was held in the monastery, condemning the Philaret schism . At the cathedral, the new UOC Metropolitan UOC, Vladimir (Sabodan), was chosen by the bishops.

By 2003, the restoration of the Pokrovsky Cathedral and the Church of the Ozeryan was completed, and the annexes of the 19th century were restored. In front of the Bishops' House, which serves as the residence of the Metropolitan of Kharkov and Bohodukhovsky and the building of the Diocesan Administration, there are memorials to the 2000th anniversary of the Nativity of Christ (a monument to Jesus Christ) and the 200th anniversary of the Kharkiv diocese.

Currently, the monastery houses the following five Orthodox churches, located in three buildings:

• Krestovozdvizhensky , located on the 1st floor of the Pokrovsky Cathedral (built in 1689 );
• The Protection of the Most Holy Mother of God , located on the 2nd floor of the Pokrovsky Cathedral, from 1799 (the time of the formation of the Sloboda Diocese ) until 1846 - the Cathedral; ^[3]
• Ozeryansky , located on the 1st floor of the Ozeryansky Church ( 1896 );
• Trehsvyatitelsky , the lower aisle of Ozeryansky church (in the basement, seminar , 2004 )
• St. John the Divine - House Church ( 1999 ), Metropolitan of Kharkov, located in the Bishops' House ( 1826 ).

Public services are held in the Holy Cross Church on weekdays and in Ozeryansky - before and on holidays and Sundays.

• Vitaly (Zhukov), Archimandrite (1992 - 2000)
• Sebastian (Shcherbakov), Archimandrite (2000 - 2003)
• Onuphrius (Light) , Bishop (2003 - 2012)
• Nestor (Petrenko), Archimandrite (from August 25, 2012)

• Pokrovsky Gazette (magazine) . Periodicity once a month, A4 format, 32 pages, as of 01.2013, 57 issues were published.

• Pokrovsky Cathedral (Kharkov)
• Ozeryanskaya Church (Pokrovsky Monastery)
• Kharkiv Cathedral 1992

• Bagaley D., Miller D. History of the city of Kharkov for 250 years of existence (since 1655). - Kharkov: M. Zilberberg's printing house and Sons, 1905–1912
• Kharkov: Architecture, monuments, new buildings: Guide / Klein B.G., Lavrentyev I.N., Leibfreyd A.Yu. et al. - 2nd ed., Rev. and additional .. - Kharkov: Prapor, 1987. - 151 p.
• Leibfreyd A. , Polyakova Y. Kharkiv. From the fortress to the capital: Notes about the old city. - Kharkov: Folio, 2004. - 335 p. - ISBN 966-03-0276-2 .
• V. A. Kodin, E. A. Eroshkina. Temples Slobozhanshchina. Kharkov, RIP "Original" 1998 p. 9,10.