During trips along the "Golden Ring" of Russia, tourists visit an ancient Orthodox monastery, which is located not far from Uglich. The women's abode stands on a low hill and is surrounded by dense forests. Lovers of Russian temple architecture are very fond of well-restored churches, fortress walls and towers.
The history of the monastery
According to legend, the monastery on the banks of the Uleima was founded at the beginning of the 15th century by the Rostov monk Varlaam. The monk came to these places and brought an icon of St. Nicholas from the Italian city of Bari.
Nicholas Uleyminsky Monastery from a bird's eye view
In 1469, the ruler of the Uglich lands, Prince Andrei Nikolaevich Bolshoi, nicknamed Goryai, allocated money for the construction of a fence, cells for residents and a wooden St. Nicholas chapel. In 1563, a wooden Vvedenskaya church was erected in the monastery, and in 1589 - the first stone cathedral.
As everybody cathedrals and temples of Uglich, the monastery was ravaged by the Poles and Lithuanians during the Time of Troubles. The territory of the monastery was defended by two thousand monks and peasants. During the bloody battle, the last fighters took refuge in the stone St. Nicholas Church. Enemies made a tunnel, the walls of the cathedral collapsed and buried hundreds of defenders.
View of the buildings of the Nikolo-Uleyminsky monastery
The restoration of the monastery took decades. Only in the 1670s, during the reign of the Rostov Metropolitan Ion Sysoevich, the monastery began to look as before. He received rich gifts from members of the royal family and nobles. The noblewoman P.A.Naryshkina brought pieces of the relics of Nicholas the Wonderworker to the Uleima.
During the church reform, which took place on the initiative of Empress Catherine II, the monastery near Uglich turned out to be out of the ordinary. Since 1764, she did not receive money from the treasury and was supported only by donations. There were enough pilgrims, so the monastery did not live in poverty. The monks owned large plots of land, a water mill, a school and a tea house.
View of the walls and towers of the monastery
In 1930, by order of a meeting of collective farmers, the monastery was closed. All valuable church utensils ended up in museums Yaroslavl and Uglich, and the monastery buildings began to be used for household needs. At various times, the monastery had a school, a prison camp, an orphanage and a granary.
In 1941, Uglich was preparing to defend against the Nazi troops. Wooden roofs were removed from the old towers, and the walls were reinforced to repel enemy attacks. In addition, deep anti-tank ditches were dug on three sides around the monastery.
View of the holy gates of the Nikolo-Uleyminsky monastery
In the 1960s, the monastery was restored, and in 1992 it was revived as a male Old Believer monastery. However, after 5 years, due to the small number of inhabitants, it was turned into a female one.
Architectural features and shrines
The monastery in the village of Uleima differs from all monasteries in Uglich. This is the only fully preserved monastery complex in the Yaroslavl region. The squat walls, powerful towers and church buildings look like 500 years ago.
Cathedral of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker of the Nikolo-Uleyminsky Monastery
The rectangular territory of 220 m by 170 m is surrounded by a fortress wall, above which eight towers of different shapes rise. In the center are the five-domed St. Nicholas Cathedral, the Vvedensky Church with a refectory and a high three-tiered bell tower built at the end of the 19th century. The Trinity Church with a red brick porch is built over the holy gates.
Useful information for tourists and pilgrims
Church of the Presentation of the Most Holy Theotokos in the Temple of the Nikolo-Uleyminsky Monastery
A picturesque architectural complex near the confluence of the Vorzhekhoti and Uleima rivers is a female Old Believer monastery. You can get into it any day, from morning to evening. Church services are held daily in the churches.
Believers come here to venerate a piece of the relics of Nicholas of Mirliki, brought to Russia by Tsar Peter I. On the territory there is a mass grave of the defenders of the monastery, who died during the Polish-Lithuanian invasion at the beginning of the 17th century.
Church of the Life-Giving Trinity of the Nikolo-Uleyminsky Monastery
How to get there
The monastery is located 11 km from Uglich along the Rostov road. Regular buses run from the bus stations in Yaroslavl and Uglich to Uleima. You need to get to the station "Uleima" and walk to the monastery along the streets of Tsentralnaya and Nikolskaya.
Information sources:
- Wikipedia, Nikolo-Uleyminsky_monastery
- Yaroslavia, Nikolo-Uleyminsky monastery
- Kultura.rf, Nikolo-Uleyminsky nunnery
- Sobors.ru, Uleima. Nikolo-Uleyminsky monastery
- Temples of Russia, Nikolo-Uleyminsky Convent
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