Kashin, Tver Province, Russia, December 20, 2024
Photo: monasterium.ru
On December 19, 2024, on the feast day of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker, the St. Nicholas Klobukov Monastery in Kashin held patronal celebrations, marking the 600th anniversary of the monastery’s foundation and the 30th anniversary of the revival of monastic life.
Before the Divine Liturgy, His Eminence Metropolitan Ambrose of Tver and Kashin, His Grace Bishop Hilarion of Kineshma and Palekh, and His Grace Bishop Panteleimon of Bikin, vicar of the Khabarovsk Diocese, celebrated the Great Consecration of the southern and northern chapels of the monastery’s St. Alexei Church, reports the Synodal Department for Monasteries and Monasticism.
The hierarchs were joined in the Liturgy by the monastery’s clerics and others from neighboring churches and monasteries. Abbesses, benefactors, parishioners, pilgrims and guests from Tver and other dioceses of the Russian Orthodox Church were present for the celebration.
A prayer for Holy Rus’ was read during the service.
After the Liturgy, the abbess of the monastery, Mother Barbara, thanked the hierarchs for visiting the monastery on this festive day and presented them with commemorative gifts.
Photo: monasterium.ru
Met. Ambrose congratulated all participants in the festive service on the 600th anniversary of the monastery’s foundation, the 30th anniversary of the renewal of monastic life, the patronal feast day, and the consecration of all chapels of the St. Alexei Church.
He addressed those present with an archpastoral word, saying in part:
By God’s mercy, from those ruins, from that desecration which was committed in this place by godless people in the 20th century, today this monastery has grown again both externally and internally. There are many holy relics here, and the fact that they arrive here testifies that the Lord looks upon this place, He has not forgotten it... The Lord, having allowed for the edification of our people, who departed from the faith for some time, destruction, has given us an amazing opportunity to build, in a relatively free time when no one interferes with us. Only if we ourselves will interfere with our laziness, stagnation, lukewarmness. Developmental works over all these years occurred thanks to the late Fr. Dimitry Arzumanov, who began services on the ruins of this place. At that time, people weren’t afraid of such conditions: They came, served God, celebrated the Divine Liturgy. They laid that spiritual foundation, which was then taken up by Mother Stephanida, whom we commemorated today, and now you, Mother Barbara, carry this obedience, this cross, but with Christ the yoke is always good, and the burden is light.
In recognition of labors for the good of the Tver Diocese and in connection with the celebration of the 600th anniversary of the foundation of the St. Nicholas Klobukov Convent and the 30th anniversary of the renewal of monastic life there, the Order of St. Euphrosyne of Moscow, III degree, was presented to the abbess, Mother Barbara (Ivanova).
In honor of the feast, Met. Ambrose also gave her a commemorative pectoral cross with decorations.
Photo: monasterium.ru
On the same day, after the service, the Metropolitan consecrated a memorial plaque in honor of the Holy Royal Martyr Grand Duchess Elizabeth Feodorovna, who visited the St. Nicohlas Klobukov Monastery on June 10/23, 1909, and participated in the celebrations of the glorification of St. Anna of Kashin, the holy right-believing Grand Duchess and nun. The memorial plaque is on the northern wall of the St. Alexei Church.
In the monastery refectory, guests were shown chronicle footage in which Archpriest Dimitry Arzumanov spoke about the ruins from which the monastery’s restoration began, as well as video fragments with Schema-Abbess Stephanida, who began establishing monastic life there 30 years ago.
Afterward, a cartoon created by the children of the monastery’s Sunday School was shown and the children offered a festive program for the monastery’s guests.
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Photo: monasterium.ru
The St. Nicholas Klobukov Monastery was presumably founded in the late 12th century in Kashin at the confluence of the Vonzha River with the Kashinka River. It was first mentioned around 1420, when Matthew Kozhin, who later became St. Macarius of Kalyazin the Wonderworker, came to the monastery and took monastic vows. Other ascetics known to have lived in the Klobukov Monastery include St. Ephraim, founder of the Perekomsky Monastery, St. Savva of Vishera, and St. Paisius of Uglich.
The monastery served as a spiritual and cultural center for the city and district.
In 1929, the monastery was closed. The Macarius Chapel, built on the site of St. Macarius of Kalyazin’s cell, was turned into a slaughterhouse; the St. Alexei Church became a sausage production facility of the City Industrial Complex; the Trinity Church was converted into a pottery workshop; and people lived in the Protection Church, the abbess’ quarters, and the brotherhood buildings. The monastery was 70% destroyed.
The monastery’s revival began in 1994, with Archimandrite Sergei (Shvyrkov) appointed as abbot of the men’s monastery. In 2001, it was transformed into a women’s monastery.
The first abbess was Mother Anna (Toporkova) (2001-2008), who took the schema with the name Stephanida three months before her death. She lived in the monastery with two other nuns. During her tenure, several buildings were renovated: the Church of St. Alexei, Metropolitan of Moscow, the Macarius Chapel, parts of the North Wing, the Protection Church, and the abbess’ quarters. Restoration of the South Wing began under the Culture of Russia program.
Schema-Abbess Stephanida reposed on March 20, 2009, and was buried on monastery grounds. Since June 11, 2009, Mother Barbara (Ivanova) has served as abbess. Currently, the monastery has 14 residents.
One of the monastery’s oldest holy objects is a copy of the unique carved icon, the Klobukov Hodegetria Mother of God, which is now housed in the Andrei Rublev Central Museum of Ancient Russian Culture and Art in Moscow. The monastery particularly venerates the reliquary that held the relics of St. Anna of Kashin during her second glorification in 1909.
The main celebrations of the historic 500th anniversary of the discovery of St. Macarius of Kalyazin’s relics began here. Since 2009, the monastery has reverently preserved a special shrine—the recreated cell of St. Macarius.
The monastery maintains ongoing relationships with social and educational institutions: the Kashin Boarding School, Kashin College, the Petrovsky Nursing Home for the Elderly and Disabled of the Tver Region Social Protection System in Kashin District, and the Maslyatsky Nursing Home for the Elderly and Disabled.
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