Ostashkov, Tver Province, Russia, August 12, 2025
Photo: monasterium.ru
Another church in the Tver Diocese has seen the resumption of its liturgical life after being closed under the godless authorities of the 20th century.
The feast of the Smolensk Icon of the Mother of God, August 10, is considered the founding day of the 18th-century Theotokos Zhitenny Monastery in Ostashkov, and thus was chosen for the day of the first Liturgy in the monastery church in nearly 100 years.
The evening before, His Eminence Metropolitan Ambrose of Tver celebrated the All-Night Vigil with the Akathist to the Mother of God, reports the Russian Church’s Synodal Department for Monasteries and Monasticism.
The next morning, Met. Ambrose celebrated the Divine Liturgy. For both services, he was joined by a number of local and visiting clerics.
At the end of the Liturgy, Met. Ambrose congratulated everyone with the feast of the Smolensk Icon, saying:
When, after many decades of desecration and ruin, a lamp was lit in this holy monastery and Mother Elisabeth came to the ruins, there were no holy objects here, no buildings, nowhere to lay one’s head, but after some time, in a completely miraculous way, that holy relic returned to the monastery which had been the gatekeeper of Ostashkov, which had protected Ostashkov from all troubles and misfortunes throughout a long period of history. And today it has returned to its home, and we now have the opportunity to offer our fervent prayers before her on bended knee and ask for fer help and intercession.
The labors that are being accomplished in this holy monastery are very great. First of all, I want, of course, to thank Mother Abbess for these labors, the sisters, and all those who have entrusted themselves to God and are applying their efforts, talents, time, and resources so that the monastery may be revived.
Today, after 96 years of silence in this holy church, we have celebrated the first divine service in the reconstructed Smolensk Church of the Theotokos Zhitenny Monastery. This is truly a historic event both for the monastery and for each of us, because the Lord has deemed us worthy to be participants in this spiritual celebration.
Then a procession was held around the monastery with the Smolensk Icon. After the service, a festive reception and concert were held in the monastery school, organized by its pupils.
On August 2, the first service since the Soviet era was celebrated in a Nizhny Novgorod church.
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Photo: monasterium.ru
The Zhitenny Monastery is located on Zhitenny Island in Lake Seliger, near the city of Ostashkov. Before 1700, the island housed grain warehouses. The monastery was founded in the early 18th century by decree of Emperor Peter I on March 19, 1716.
The monastery’s establishment resolved a dispute between two Ostashkov parishes over possession of the miraculous Smolensk Icon of the Mother of God (Odigitria). This icon had survived a 1711 fire unharmed and was believed to protect the city. To end the rivalry, a wooden church was built on the island to house the icon.
A small men’s monastery soon formed. In 1734, construction began on a stone church dedicated to the Smolensk Mother of God, consecrated in 1743. Additional structures were added over time: a bell tower (1751), stone walls with four towers (1760-61), and a gate church (1768). By the 20th century, the monastery had reached its full splendor.
In 1929, Soviet authorities closed and plundered the monastery, converting it into an oil factory.
In 2002, the Holy Synod approved its reopening as a convent under Abbess Elisabeth (Evdokimova). Today, the monastery has been largely restored, including residential buildings, workshops, a bakery, farm facilities, and gardens. The sisters also provide seeds and seedlings to local residents.
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