One of the most unique convents in Russia, in honor of the Tikhvin Icon of the Mother of God (commemorated June 26/July 9) in the village of Borisovka in the Kursk province,1 was founded by a close associate of Emperor Peter I the Great (ruled 1682–1725)—the famous Field Marshal Count Boris Petrovich Sheremetev (1652–1719). Emperor Peter himself laid the foundation stone of this convent.
Enumerating Peter the Great’s associates in his epic narrative poem Poltava, the poet Alexander Pushkin gave a very precise description of Sheremetev as “noble”. Indeed, according to the reminiscences of many contemporaries, Field Marshal Sheremetev was distinguished by a special “inner nobility”. Descending from an ancient family, unlike other Emperor’s associates, he respected the traditions of his ancestors and the rich heritage of Muscovy. Thus, in gratitude for the victory of the Russian Army over the Swedes in 1701, Boris Sheremetev built the Church of St. Peter, Metropolitan of Moscow, on the site where a field church had earlier stood, which probably became the first church of St. Petersburg, which was then being built. In all his campaigns, the field Marshal was accompanied by a wonderworking Tikhvin Icon of the Mother of God, which he especially venerated, and no battle would begin without a prayer service in front of this relic.
Before the Battle of Poltava, the decisive turning point of the Great Northern War, Boris Petrovich vowed to build a convent in honor of his beloved icon in case of victory, placing a small copper Tikhvin Icon on his chest before combat. Having resolved in 1709 to give the Swedes full-scale battle, Peter the Great planned it for June 26. Coincidentally, on that day the wonderworking Tikhvin Icon was commemorated. And the pious field marshal convinced the Emperor to postpone the battle for one day in order to honor the feast with a solemn service and offer up prayers for the protection and intercession of the Mother of God for the Russian Army. Sheremetev’s authority was such that the Emperor fulfilled his field marshal’s request. A day later, while commanding the center of the Russian troops, Sheremetev distinguished himself by unparalleled courage: being under heavy fire, he remained unscathed even when a bullet pierced his armor and doublet, grazing his shirt showing from under his unbuttoned doublet. Legend has it that it was the same Tikhvin icon on his chest that protected him from death.
Returning from Poltava after the victory, Peter the Great en route called in on his associate and friend at the Borisovka estate in the Kursk province and stayed there for six weeks. There Sheremetev revealed to the Emperor his heart’s desire to build a convent. According to tradition, Peter the Great himself chose the place for the future convent. Surveying the surroundings, he took notice of a hill above the Vorskla River, ordered a large wooden cross to be made and personally set it up on top, thereby designating a place for the construction of the future Holy Transfiguration Church. The main church, already by the will of Count Sheremetev, was built in honor of the Tikhvin Icon of the Theotokos. The field marshal presented the convent with the wonderworking Tikhvin Icon—the one that had accompanied him at the Battle of Poltava. By 1713, a church, a bell-tower, cellars, and sewing workshops had been built for the nuns, and monastic orchards with apple, pear, and plum trees were laid out.
But the most unusual thing took place in 1714. On January 1, the convent’s rule, drawn up by Sheremetev himself, was approved. It was called, The Testament or Articles on the Administration of the Newly Founded Convent. It was the rarest case in history when a convent’s rule was not drawn up by a monk, an ascetic elder, or a metropolitan, but by a military commander, a field marshal, a diplomat, and a close aide to Emperor Peter. After all, the author of the rule was supposed to know in detail the daily life and needs of the nuns so that the rules would help and not hinder the main purpose of monastic life—prayer and inner stillness.
According to the Testament, the convent had a steward, a porter, a water carrier, and a shepherd…, Sheremetev allocated an annual monetary allowance for the needs of the nuns: two rubles per year for each (it should be taken into account that, for example, a giant hog carcass cost fifty kopecks, and a ram—twenty-four kopecks). At the same time, it was forbidden to keep or cook food in the cells, but at the common meal there would be fish, cheese, and even kvas, since Sheremetev ordered that “each nun should receive a portion.” On fasting days, the food was supposed to be very plain—porridge and cabbage soup.
Having founded the convent, Sheremetev sent the painter Ignatiev from St. Petersburg to Borisovka, and then other artists to paint icons in the convent churches under construction and teach the nuns and local residents the basics of icon-painting. In 1902, with the support of the chairman of the Committee of Guardianship of Russian Icon-Painting, a descendant of the legendary Field Marshal Count Sheremetev, an Icon-Painting School and Studio was opened in Borisovka. The four-year course was free.
The Borisovka Convent was dedicated to the miracle-working Tikhvin Icon. The image presented by Sheremetev, a copy of his favorite icon, was kept in a case at the Church of the Tikhvin Icon—to the right of the iconostasis next to two pillars. The icon features a riza and a halo with a single silver forged and gilded crown, studded with yakhonts,2 emeralds and simple crystal, and with a multicolored gold damask curtain on a white background.” Many pilgrims were healed in front of the icon, which was recorded in monastic documents.
Once the Borisovka Convent had been founded, several robbers from a neighboring village had the evil intention of burning it down. Choosing the most convenient time—the dead of night—they sneaked up to the convent and were about to set it on fire from two sides. However, the Queen of Heaven did not allow such a sacrilege to take place. When the evildoers approached the convent’s wall, they saw a majestic-looking Woman in white threatening them. The vision struck them with fear, and they hurried away from the convent, realizing that the Queen of Heaven Herself had appeared to them to keep them from committing that terrible crime. Plagued by remorse, the robbers themselves told the nuns about their malicious intent and how the Most Holy Theotokos had prevented them from carrying it out.
In 1923, the Borisovka Convent was dissolved, and the nuns’ living quarters became home to the Karl Liebknecht New World Orphanage. The nuns were dispersed, and the churches were closed. Now all that survives of the original convent are a few buildings belonging to a local boarding school. The Borisovka Museum of Local Lore houses personal belongings of some of the sisters. There is a Tikhvin Icon of the Mother of God at the Church of the Archangel Michael in Borisovka. according to tradition, it is the very icon in front of which numerous healings occurred.
In 2014, monastic life at the convent resumed. The sisters are currently rebuilding the convent from ruins. The Church of Greatmartyr Panteleimon, cells, and a refectory are fully furnished; a prosphora bakery has been repaired; much as in the past, an icon-painting workshop and a boiler-room are active; and the Holy Transfiguration Chapel is under construction.
On April 16, 2016, by the decision of the Holy Synod of the Russian Orthodox Church, the community regained its status as a diocesan convent, and a senior sister, Mother Iova (Ivanova), was appointed abbess.
