Is it worth going to Diveevo? Diveyevo Monastery.

The Holy Trinity Seraphim-Diveevo Convent is one of the main shrines of the Orthodox world. She, along with Athos, Iveria and Kiev, is considered one of the four earthly inheritances of the Mother of God.

Here is the Holy Canal, dug on the site of the path that the Mother of God herself walked around the holy monastery she had chosen. Also here rest the relics of the famous holy wonderworker - St. Seraphim of Sarov and the relics of the holy founders of the women's monastery he cared for.

Many Orthodox Christians dream of visiting this place, touching its shrines, walking through the Holy Canal with prayer and washing in the local holy springs. Where are these holy places located? How to get here? What exactly is worth seeing here and what is the most convenient way to do it in order to be on time everywhere?

How to worship shrines correctly? Where is the best place to stay in Diveevo and how to arrange this in advance? Where can you eat in the monastery? What shrines and important attractions located near Diveevo would also be worth visiting? Our small guide is designed to answer all these questions of the pious pilgrim.

Diveevo: a little local history and geography

The Holy Trinity Seraphim-Diveevo Convent is located in the very center of the village of Diveevo, founded in 1559 and located in the Nizhny Novgorod region. The village is located 180 kilometers southwest of Nizhny Novgorod and 60 kilometers southwest of Arzamas. At the moment, about 6,500 people live in the regional center of Diveevo. In addition to the monastery, there is another significant institution in the village - the Diveyevo poultry farm, which also employs many local residents.

The monastery itself was founded much later than the village by Agafya Semyonovna Melgunova (in monasticism Alexandra), a noblewoman by birth, who received a revelation from God about the need to build a temple and organize a maiden community in the place indicated to her. This place turned out to be Diveevo, near which the Monk Seraphim of Sarov labored, who later became the spiritual mentor of the sisters of the monastery. The monastery began to be built with the construction of the Kazan Church, which was founded in 1767.

Now the Seraphim-Diveevo monastery is one of the largest and most significant convents in Russia. There is a prediction by St. Seraphim that one day it will become the world's first women's monastic monastery.

Before coming to Diveevo, you should definitely read the life of St. Seraphim of Sarov and, preferably, at least a short Chronicle of the Seraphim-Diveevo Monastery. A lot of interesting information about the history of these places and information useful for pilgrims can be found on the “Wonderful Diveevo” portal.

You can get to the Diveyevo monastery by several routes

The easiest way is to take the train to Arzamas. In the city itself, take bus No. 1 to Cathedral Square, go down 50 meters from it to the Arzamas bus station, and from there go to the village by regular bus. The Arzamas-Diveevo bus runs all day until late evening at intervals of one hour and costs about 150 rubles per person.

You can also fly by plane or take a train to Nizhny Novgorod, and from there get to Arzamas by train or bus and then follow the above route.

There is a third option for the main route. If you book a hotel, apartment or house in Diveevo in advance, you can often agree with the owners to pick you up from the Arzamas station by car.

In addition to the route through Arzamas, there is also a route from Moscow. There you can take a bus to Sarov, which stops in Diveevo while passing through. In this case, you will have to spend at least nine and a half hours on the road. An intercity bus will cost about 1000 rubles.

Where to stay in Diveevo, how much, and how to arrange this in advance?

The best way, tested from personal experience, is to stay with friends with whom you have stayed before. However, suppose you are making a pilgrimage to this holy place for the first time.

Then it is best to use the Booking.com service, where you can not only pre-book your accommodation for the dates you need without any prepayments or penalties, but also find offers for different tastes and incomes - and rooms in guest houses (hotels), both apartments and private houses. For one person or for several. You can find a good apartment on the website for about 600-700 rubles per day per person.

You can also book accommodation in one of the many thematic groups on VKontakte or on the Divnoe Diveevo portal. But this option is less convenient than the first. You can rent a house or apartment, or a room in one of the many guest houses in the village. Guest houses offer a variety of additional services and meals, but rooms there cost approximately twice as much (1000-1200 rubles per day) than average housing in the city (500-600 rubles per day).

Finally, you can go to the monastery’s pilgrimage center. In advance or upon arrival at the monastery. Here you will find shelter only in group rooms of four people or more. And it will cost you only a little less than in the village (500-600 rubles per day). At the same time, you will be strictly tied to the routine of the monastery, and no one will vouch for the safety of your belongings. But you can all pray together and find new friends...

Where and what can you eat here?

So: you have reached the holy monastery and found accommodation for the night in a village or in the monastery fence... But before considering the shrines themselves, let’s touch on another important issue - the issue of nutrition.

If you stay in a guest house, then you will have two options: include meals in the room rate or buy yourself something in the store. You can do the same if you rent a house or apartment.

If you stay in a monastery hotel, then most likely you will go to eat at the refectory for pilgrims - paid or free (however, you can use these options even if you live in the village).

There are two pieces of advice here. First: under no circumstances dine in a paid refectory! Expensive and tasteless. Second: be sure to eat at least once in the free refectory of the monastery. The food there is not particularly fancy, but surprisingly, simply incredibly tasty. Apparently because they cook it with holy water and with prayer... In general, you should definitely go there!

The free refectory is located in the Alexander Nevsky Church of the monastery. If you don’t want to eat there just like that, you can work off your porridge and ask for some kind of obedience required by the monastery.

If you plan to go to a free refectory for dinner or lunch, it is better to come there immediately after the service. After the liturgy - from 11.00 to 13.00, after the all-night vigil - from 19.00 to 20.00.

What shrines can you visit in the Seraphim-Diveevsky Monastery

First of all, this is the Holy Groove. The 777-meter-long ditch goes around the Annunciation Cathedral of the monastery and the monastery hospital. A shaft with railings and a tiled path was erected above the Kanavka. St. Seraphim advised walking along the Canal, which the Queen of Heaven herself had outlined with her steps, reading the prayer “O Mother of God, Virgin, Rejoice...” 150 times.

“The Mother of God herself measured this groove with her belt... Here the feet of the Mother of God passed... Whoever walks through the groove with prayer and reads one and a half hundred “Theotokos”, Athos, Jerusalem, and Kyiv are all here,” the saint used to say.

If you go from the main gate deep into the monastery, then first on your right there will be the Kazan Cathedral, in the lower tier of which there is the Church of the Nativity of the Virgin Mary, and on the right - the monastery hotel and the pilgrimage center of the monastery. Then you will pass under the multi-tiered bell tower of the monastery, and in front of you, right in the center of the monastery, will be a green temple with silver domes - the cathedral in the name of the Holy Life-Giving Trinity.

To the right of the Trinity Cathedral you can see the yellow building of the refectory church in the name of Alexander Nevsky, and on the rear side you will see the largest cathedral of the monastery - the Transfiguration Cathedral.

The snow-white Transfiguration Cathedral is crowned with five gilded domes. Between the Trinity and Transfiguration Cathedrals, a small area is reserved for the monastery cemetery, where the most significant people for the history of the monastery are buried: Hieromonk Vladimir (Shikin), Abbess Maria (Ushakova), temple creator Fyodor Dolgintsev, assistant to St. Seraphim Nikolai Motovilov and others.

The last cathedral of the women's monastery, Annunciation, is located on the left behind the cathedral in honor of the Transfiguration of the Lord. It, as mentioned above, is almost completely surrounded by the Holy Kanavka, immediately beyond which the territory of the monastery ends.

In the lower church of the Kazan Cathedral, consecrated in honor of the Nativity of the Mother of God, the relics of the holy founding mothers of the monastery are exhibited for the veneration of pilgrims: nun Alexandra (Melgunova), schema-nun Martha (Milyukova) and nun Elena (Manturova). In the Kazan Church itself rest the relics of four more Diveyevo holy wives: the venerable confessor Matrona (Vlasova) and the blessed Paraskeva (Pasha) of Sarov, Pelageya and Maria. And in the Trinity Cathedral of the monastery you can venerate the relics of the Venerable Seraphim of Sarov himself.

Liturgy at the monastery is most often served in the Transfiguration Cathedral. At the end of the ceremony, pilgrims are given small portions of blessed butter and crackers prepared in Father Seraphim’s cauldron. The all-night vigil is also most often celebrated in the cathedral in the name of the Holy Trinity.

After the end of the evening service (at approximately 19.00), life in the monastery gradually comes to a standstill and everything closes. So it is better to come to the shrines before this time. If you don’t plan to go to bed early, it is recommended to devote the next evening to a trip to one or more holy springs in order to pray nearby, swim in the healing waters and take holy water with you. Many locals and pilgrims do this every evening while they live in Diveevo and cook all their food in holy water.

There are five holy springs in Diveevo itself. The Iveron spring and the spring of Mother Aleksanra are located not far from the main entrance to the monastery (for more details, see the diagram near the main gate). If you go from it to the bus station - to the left and down from the main road. The area of ​​the springs is equipped with closed baths, wells for collecting water, funnels and benches. A small stream flows nearby, where you can feed beautiful ducks in spring.

Three more springs are also located near the main entrance to the monastery and are marked on its diagram. To get to them, you will have to turn in the direction opposite to the bus station and, after walking along the main road, also turn left and pass the bridge. The sources are dedicated to Saint Panteleimon and two icons of the Mother of God - “Kazan” and “Tenderness”.

How to properly worship shrines

As mentioned above, before coming to the shrine or the relics of a saint, it is worth reading what has been written about her or him. In addition, you don’t need to take many different devices with you on your pilgrimage, often go online and call someone, or watch TV in the evenings. All business and entertainment should stay at home... You need to get away from the bustle.

Another important aspect of the pilgrimage is the liturgical life. In Diveevo it is worth attending services and receiving communion more often. Don't treat this place as a tourist attraction - soak up its holiness throughout your life here. Drink holy water, venerate the relics of saints and miraculous icons, walk along the canal with prayer.

The time spent in Diveevo is worth dedicating to contemplation. Contemplating the beauty of the world created by God, contemplating the depths of your soul. Bring repentance for the sins you have committed, think about how to improve your life.

Finally, prayer for loved ones. Don’t forget that your family and friends would also like to visit Diveevo. Be sure to send notes for them, light candles, and buy them small memorable gifts. The Lord will definitely bless you for your care!

Nearby shrines that are also worth seeing

First of all, there are several other holy springs around Diveevo that you can go to. All of them are located relatively close to the monastery and you can visit them with other believers on the buses of the monastery pilgrimage center or by making arrangements with private owners. It all depends on the route. One source can be visited for about 200-400 rubles per person.

Near the village of Tsyganovka there is a source of St. Seraphim. According to legend, it was formed in the 20th century after the appearance of the monk himself here, when the Diveyevo springs were inaccessible due to the policies of the Bolshevik authorities. Many people note that this key is very cold, but at the same time very healing.

A kilometer from the village of Kremenki there is the “Manifested” source of the Mother of God, which appeared here back in 1670. Near the village of Avtodeevo there is a spring in the name of the Holy Trinity, and near the village of Mayovka - in the name of the Archangel Michael.

Also, several tens of kilometers from the Seraphim-Diveevo monastery there are holy places that can be visited on a tour from the monastery’s pilgrimage center or by agreement with local residents. True, going to them will be noticeably more expensive - 700-1500 rubles per person. These are Sarov, Sanaksarsky Monastery and Murom.

And don't forget about Arzamas! On the Cathedral Square of this wonderful city there is a number of beautiful churches, including the Transfiguration Cathedral, a monument to the heroes of the Patriotic War of 1812. And in the winter cathedral in honor of the icon of the Mother of God “Life-Giving Spring” in the left aisle there is a rare icon of the Mother of God, to which they pray for the gift of children.

In Sarov you can get to the Holy Dormition Sarov Hermitage, where the Monk Seraphim began his feat. During the Soviet years, the desert was devastated and closed, but is now being actively restored. Not far from Sarov are the Near and Far hermitages of Father Seraphim. In the Far Hermitage the saint performed the most famous of his feats - praying for a thousand days on a stone. The pilgrims long ago crushed the first stone and took it home like a shrine, but instead they installed a new one, similar, which can be seen there.

Hidden in the forests of Mordovia is the Sanaksar Monastery. In this monastery, in a unique wooden reliquary, reminiscent of the hull of a ship and elements of its rigging and spars, rest the relics of the holy righteous Fyodor Fedorovich Ushakov, admiral of the Russian fleet, who many times brought great victories to our country. There you can also venerate the relics of the admiral’s uncle, St. Feodor of Sanaksarsky, and the relics of Alexander of Sanaksarsky, one of the abbots of the monastery.

Until recently, Elder Jerome (Verendyakin) labored in Sanaksar, who had many spiritual children throughout Russia. Now he is buried within the walls of the monastery, many pilgrims visit his grave, and books with his instructions are sold throughout the country in huge editions.

The Sanaksar Monastery is located away from the main roads in a very picturesque place on the lake shore and will delight the eyes of architecture connoisseurs. The only disadvantage of traveling here is the very poor quality of Mordovian roads...

Finally, from Diveevo you can go to Murom - the homeland of the Venerable Bogatyr Elijah Muromets.

Here pilgrims will find the patron saints of the marriage of Peter and Fevronia of Murom, before whose relics they will be able to say a prayer in the Holy Trinity Convent. And in the Murom Nikolo-Embankment Church, located on the banks of the Oka River, it is worth venerating the relics of another patroness of marriage - St. Juliana of Lazarevskaya.

Opposite the Holy Trinity Monastery is the Annunciation Monastery. It was founded by Ivan the Terrible after the capture of Kazan in 1552, on the burial site of Prince Constantine and his family, canonized for the spread of Christianity on Murom soil.

The architecture of ancient Murom will be of interest to connoisseurs of antiquity. There are many beautiful temples built four, five and even six centuries ago.

Three museums worth visiting when traveling to Diveevo

In Diveevo itself there are two museums related to the history of the monastery, which a pious pilgrim would also be interested in visiting. The first Museum is dedicated to the history of the Seraphim-Diveevskaya monastery in the 20th century, and the second is the house of blessed Paraskeva Diveevskaya (Pasha of Sarov) with an authentic setting. You should try to visit them before 15.00, as they close early.

Another wonderful museum that everyone should visit is located in Arzamas. This is the museum of the patriarchate, the only one in Russia. It is located on Cathedral Square in the three-hundred-year-old building of the Arzamas Town Hall. This museum displays the personal belongings of the patriarchs and has created exhibitions dedicated to them.

Not everyone knows that the fates of at least four of the sixteen patriarchs are connected with the Nizhny Novgorod land. Patriarch Alexy I and Patriarch Kirill have relatives from here, and Patriarchs Nikon and Sergius (Stragorodsky) were themselves born in the Nizhny Novgorod region.

Also in the Museum of the Patriarchate there are exhibitions dedicated to the history of Arzamas itself and the life of St. Seraphim of Sarov. From experienced local guides you will definitely learn many historical facts related to the First Hierarchs of the Russian Church that you did not know before. I recommend. The museum is open from Tuesday to Friday from 10.00 to 17.00, and on Saturday and Sunday from 10.00 to 19.00. The ticket price will be 80 rubles.

I hope that the guidebook I compiled will be useful to you when you decide to go to Diveevo to visit St. Seraphim. I wish the soul of each of our readers to complete this pious journey at least once. Believe me, you will remember this pilgrimage for the rest of your life!

Andrey Szegeda

In contact with

There are corners in Russia, which many of our contemporaries do not even suspect, where the soul rests and is filled with love and peace. And as soon as people learn about these places, famous for centuries for their holiness, they have a desire to visit there and touch their grace. It is believed that if you visit three monasteries in a short period of time, this is tantamount to a spiritual feat.

Not far from Arzamas (about 65 km, that is, 1 hour’s drive) there is the famous Diveyevo convent (one of the largest in Russia - at the beginning of the century there were about a thousand nuns here). This is the center of Orthodox evangelism. It is surrounded by the Canal of the Mother of God, famous for its miracles - the invisible border of the monastery. It is believed that the abbess here is the Queen of Heaven herself, and every day she walks around the monastery along the Kanavka. According to legend, the Mother of God took this territory as her fourth inheritance (her first three inheritances are in Iveria, Kyiv and Athos), and the Antichrist will never set foot here.

Seraphim of Sarov, who founded the monastery, ordered to walk along the Kanavka and read the prayer “Virgin Mother of God, rejoice!” 150 times. He said: “Whoever walked in the footsteps of the Queen of Heaven has visited Mount Athos, Kiev and Jerusalem.” According to Seraphim of Sarov : “Whoever reads this prayer 150 times will not be overcome by the Antichrist.” Even stubborn realists say that while walking along the Kanavka they felt like they were leaving the ground and flying over it.

It is believed that you need to come here for at least a day to see the dawn - the time when the Mother of God sends her blessing.

Trip to Diveevo

And now, finally, we have gathered in this blessed place. You can get here in different ways: by car, train, bus with excursion. It takes 6-8 hours to travel by car without traffic jams, and with traffic jams the time, as you understand, is unlimited. We decided to go by train to Arzamas-2 (the train takes a little over 6 hours), and then by minibus.

They say that on the way to Diveevo, pilgrims often face trials. Someone gets sick on the road, catches a cold, someone gets sick on the road, and their illnesses get worse. It is important to overcome these trials, go with faith, pray, and take icons, prayer books, and psalms with you on the road.

We were told that it is best to come to Diveevo on a weekday, since on weekends there are always crowds of pilgrims. We went on the night from Wednesday to Thursday on the night train, although, according to stories, there are fewer people from Monday to Wednesday. Surprisingly, the road there went smoothly (we had all our tests on the way back). At 6 am we were in Arzamas. There, a minibus is already standing ready, waiting for pilgrims from Moscow. The fare is 250 rubles per person. We agreed with the same driver that we would be met in the evening in Diveevo at the monastery and taken to the night train.

On the road to Diveevo you pass many beautiful churches and holy springs. It feels like every corner of this earth is saturated with the holy spirit. Diveevo is a rich village, and this is understandable; here all life revolves around the monastery, which attracts pilgrims and tourists.

In Diveevo, all pilgrims, naturally, go to the Holy Trinity-Seraphim-Diveevo Convent. You go there and it takes your breath away.

We arrived in Diveevo just in time for the morning service, which begins at 8 am in the Trinity Cathedral, famous for its rich decoration. The pilgrims were already visible and invisible. 15 minutes before the service there is a general confession, then personal confession. Several priests are confessing at once, and there is a huge queue for each one.

We lined up on the street to the relics of Seraphim of Sarov (on the left side of the entrance to the Trinity Church). We read a pre-printed akathist to Seraphim of Sarov. A prayer service with an akathist at the relics of Seraphim of Sarov is served at 7, 13 and 14 o'clock on weekdays. The relics of the great miracle worker have great healing power. This is one of the main shrines in Diveevo. We stood in line for about 2 hours (almost until the end of the service). As a result, confession and communion ended in front of our noses. But... this is not the main thing in Diveevo, and it is impossible to do everything here.

Seraphim of Sarov

Seraphim of Sarov, in the world Prokhor Moshnin, was born in 1754 in Kursk in the family of the merchant Isidor Moshnin, at a time when he was building a temple in the name of Sergei of Radonezh. Isidor Moshnin was engaged in the construction of various stone buildings, including temples, and began to work on the temple of Sergei of Radonezh in his declining years. When Prokhor was 3 years old, his father died, but his mother Agafya continued the construction of the temple and raised her son in the faith.

In his adolescence, Prokhor became seriously ill, but was completely healed by venerating the miraculous icon of the Sign of the Mother of God, called the “Root”, since it was revealed in the root of a tree.

At the age of 19, he accepted obedience and took monastic vows at the Sarov monastery, and in 1786 he became a monk and was named Seraphim. In 1794, he began to live 5 km from the monastery, alone in his cell, fed himself, planted a vegetable garden and an apiary, strictly fasted and prayed. One day, robbers attacked him and broke his head with the butt of an axe, but he didn’t even resist. Then with difficulty he reached the monastery, and here the Mother of God again appeared to him and healed him. But after that he remained hunched over forever. When the robbers were caught, he forgave them and begged them to be released.

For three years he kept a vow of silence, and in 1810 he returned to the monastery, but there he remained secluded for 15 years. After that, he began to heal and foresee the future. In his last years, at the direction of the Mother of God, he was engaged in arranging a girls' community in Diveevo. Founded the Diveyevo Monastery. In a vision, the Mother of God herself indicated how to fence off this place with a ditch. He died in 1833 in the Sarov Monastery and was canonized in 1883.

Diveevo

It must be borne in mind that in the monastery, naturally, the rules are stricter than in ordinary churches. Of course, women need to wear long skirts (without slits), with their heads and shoulders covered (a stole always helps me out in such cases). For men, wear trousers (shorts, breeches, T-shirts, despite the summer, are not suitable). A pectoral cross is required. If you have not confessed that same morning, you will not be allowed to receive communion.

The pilgrims are all very different: men, women, children (some even came with babies), one woman brought three children, a few less. Some came with faith, some came out of curiosity, some are newbies like us, some come here every year. There are also skeptics (judging by the conversations in the queues) and boors - everything is like in our ordinary Russian life, where you are more likely to be imprisoned than politely allowed to go somewhere. So you need to take patience and more patience with you on your pilgrimage.

After the morning service, Trinity Cathedral was immediately closed for cleaning. We headed to the Transfiguration Cathedral to look at its beauty and grandeur and accidentally ended up at the unction.

Unction.

Unction is a church sacrament in which God's grace falls on a person when anointing with special oil (oil), healing his mental and physical illnesses. This sacrament is also called the Blessing of Anointing.

Anointing during the sacrament is performed 7 times; the face, neck, and hands are anointed with oil. At the same time, forgotten and unconscious sins are forgiven, which cleanses the soul, and therefore heals the body (sins are the cause of disease).

Children can undergo unction from the age of 7. For seriously ill patients, unction is performed by the priest at home. Since there are no completely healthy people, all Orthodox Christians can undergo unction (no more than once a year), if there are no serious illnesses or life situations (in this case, more often). In Orthodoxy, mental illness means depression, despondency, despair, sorrow, grief.

After the unction, which lasted about 2 hours, we were all given some oil and grains of wheat to take with us. At home, you can smear sore spots with this oil, and eat the grains, for example, after soaking them in water.

Holy Canal of Our Lady

The most amazing thing in Diveevo is the Canal of the Mother of God. The Holy Kanavka is a unique feature of the Diveyevo Monastery - there is nothing like it anywhere else. Saint Seraphim of Sarov said that the Mother of God herself measured it with a belt and walks around it every day, blessing everyone. The place is truly wonderful.

The Mother of God herself appeared to Seraphim of Sarov and asked him to start building it and described what it should be like. Seraphim was the first to start digging it. The Diveyevo nuns dug the Kanavka for more than 3 years, and dumped the earth inside the monastery. The result is a shaft. On the rampart there is a path made of tiles along which believers walk, the Kanavka itself is planted with grass, and around it there is a beautiful garden with flowers. While walking along the Kanavka, you must read “Virgin, Mother of God, Rejoice!” 150 times. This takes about half an hour.

Having passed the Kanavka completely, you can take the holy land home with you as a souvenir. Seraphim the Wonderworker himself blessed to take earth from the Kanavka for healing from ailments. They keep it at home near the icon of the Mother of God, apply it with prayer to the Mother of God and Seraphim of Sarov to sore spots. There are cases of healing even of tumors. After the evening service, all the nuns walk around the canal with prayers, and pilgrims can join this procession.

History of the Diveyevo Monastery

In the 18th century, a women's community was founded in the village of Diveevo at the Kazan Church. Its founder was the nun Alexandra, in the world Agafia Semyonovna Melgunova. She was a wealthy landowner, the widow of a second lieutenant. She arrived specifically in Kyiv to become a monk. And here she had a vision of the Mother of God, who ordered her to go north and, at the sign of the Mother of God, to found a holy monastery there.

Mother Alexandra went to the Sarov monastery and stopped in the village of Diveevo to rest. And here she again had a vision of the Mother of God, who told her that this was her fourth destiny. Here Mother Alexandra built herself a cell, and then in 1773 she began to build a stone church in honor of the icon of the Kazan Mother of God on the very spot where she had a vision. Already in the 21st century, during the restoration of this temple, frescoes spontaneously appeared on its internal walls.

It was only during the twelfth war that a monastery was established here. With the blessing of Seraphim of Sarov, after the Kazan Church, the Churches of the Nativity of Christ and the Nativity of the Virgin Mary were built here. Then, in the very center, the Trinity Church was built, in which the relics of Seraphim of Sarov are kept, as well as the myrrh-streaming icon of the Mother of God “Tenderness”, from which you can receive grace-filled help and healing.

The “Tenderness” icon is also called “The Joy of All Joys”; Seraphim of Sarov prayed to it every day. With oil from the lamp that burned in front of the icon, Father Seraphim anointed the sick, after which they were healed. Some received consolation in their sorrows when the Monk Seraphim gave them to venerate the image of the Queen of Heaven. After his death (he died in prayer, kneeling in front of this icon), the icon was transferred to the Diveyevo Monastery. Now in Diveevo there is kept a miraculous copy of this icon, written by the Diveyevo nuns, which took on its miraculous properties. The original is kept in the chambers of His Holiness the Patriarch - in the church in honor of the icon of the Vladimir Mother of God. Once a year - on the Feast of the Praise of the Most Holy Theotokos - the icon of Tenderness is brought out for public veneration at the Patriarchal Epiphany Cathedral in Moscow.

There is a separate queue to the myrrh-streaming icon “Tenderness” on the right in the Trinity Cathedral for 2-3 hours. The monastery's churches also contain the relics of Saints Alexandra, Martha, Helen and blessed Pelagia, Paraskeva and Maria. Everything on the territory of the Diveyevo Monastery was done with love and prayer: a wonderful garden was laid out, a marble border was made, there were benches all around, which is important for tired pilgrims.

Holy springs

In the village of Diveevo itself there are 5 holy springs, and several more at a short distance. So, when coming here, you can visit 7 healing springs. They say that if you swim in 7 holy springs, you will be healthy, alive and unharmed all year. The water in them is almost icy, about 4 degrees.

Women bathe in long shirts and scarves (everything can be bought on the way to the source). Men are in swimming trunks. And, of course, everyone should have a cross. After bathing, dress without drying yourself. A shirt, scarf, swimming trunks after swimming have healing powers. They must be squeezed well and dried without washing. Then wear it when you are sick.

A 15-minute walk from the monastery is the source of the Venerable Mother Alexandra (the first abbess of the monastery) and the source of the Iveron Icon of the Mother of God. On the other side of the monastery, a half-hour walk away, there is the Kazan Spring (icons of the Kazan Mother of God), the Spring of Panteleimon the Healer and the Spring of the Mother of God “Tenderness” icon.

We went to 2 springs: the spring of Mother Alexandra and the Iversky spring. Mother Alexandra's source is quite shallow. To fully immerse yourself, you need to kneel down. All around is harmony and beauty, a cozy, well-kept garden. There are buckets on the benches and ladles nearby so that you can get water from the source to drink and shower yourself with. There is also a chapel and a font, where men and women enter in turn. We took water with us from holy springs (plastic bottles of 1 liter or more are sold on the road to the springs).

Before bathing in a holy spring, it is important to ask for a blessing from the priest, then it’s easier to enter the water, you won’t feel the cold. It is important to bow to the crucifix, cross yourself, pray (there is a prayer hanging in the bathhouse), mentally repent of all your sins and thank God for your help, ask for what you want. Before this, you can go right into the chapel, light a candle, ask for help in what you want (there is also a prayer here). And go into the water with the Jesus Prayer: “Lord Jesus Christ, have mercy on me, a sinner.” When you come in, say, crossing yourself, “In the name of the Father,” immerse yourself, “And the Son,” immerse yourself again, “And the Holy Spirit,” and immerse yourself again at least for the third time.

We went to the holy springs, receiving a blessing from the priest right there in the monastery to bathe in the spring. When I went into the water, I had the feeling that I was being led, helped to walk, I felt cold when I was already chest-deep in the water - the water was icy (4 degrees), and it burned. And you have to plunge three times - after the third, your head is spinning, you don’t see anything, you don’t understand. And this is wonderful - it means that the soul is being cleansed. What a relief! You come out of the icy water - and steam comes from you, it feels like there’s heat inside...

The most ancient source - the source of the Kazan Icon of the Mother of God, they say, arose in the 16th century from the time of the founding of the village of Diveevo. They say that it was here that the Mother of God appeared three times. There used to be a chapel here, in the center of which there was a log house. The chapel was rebuilt several times. Now there is also a chapel with a bath here. Next to this source, two more appeared - the source of Panteleimon the healer and in honor of the icon of the Mother of God “Tenderness”.

The most famous is the spring of Seraphim of Sarov, which is located 1 km from Diveevo near the village of Tsyganovka, not far from the place where Seraphim of Sarov lived in his cell. A bus goes there from the Pilgrim House. The entire excursion takes 2 hours. Half an hour for the road, an hour for swimming. This source forms an entire lake. You can swim by entering from the shore (which is more difficult), or in the bathhouse (there is a descent down the stairs). In Tsyganovka there is also a spring in honor of the Kazan Icon of the Mother of God.

In the vicinity of Diveevo there are several more holy springs: in Kremenki there is the Holy healing spring “Revealed”. Here, on September 9, 1670, after the battle, the Face of the Mother of God appeared. It is believed that every day, before walking along the Holy Canal, the Most Holy Theotokos washes Her bright face with this spring water. In Khripunovo there is a Holy healing spring in honor of Equal-to-the-Apostles Constantine and Helen. Through prayers, cases of healing of skin and other diseases occurred here. In Avtodeevo there is a Holy healing spring in honor of the Descent of the Holy Spirit; in Kanerga - the Holy healing spring in honor of the Holy Trinity, in common parlance “Speaking”; in Satis - the Holy healing spring in honor of the Descent of the Holy Spirit; in Khokhlovo - Holy healing spring in honor of St. Nicholas; in Kutuzovka there is the pond of Elder John.

Those who cannot go to the source can wash themselves and douse themselves with water and wet their feet. This helps too. And, of course, everyone takes water home from the holy springs. Bottles from 1 to 10 liters are sold on the way to the source. At home, the water can be diluted in any amount of water (it does not lose its healing qualities) and given to friends and relatives. They say that such water does not spoil for several years, even in plastic bottles.

And, of course, it is undesirable to be dependent on faith and God. It is no secret that many people go to church only when they need help and forget to come there with gratitude and simply at the behest of their soul. If you go to Diveevo to strengthen your faith, you will receive a blessing for new things (and old ones will go uphill), health, good luck and happiness...

Where to stay in Diveevo?

There are several hotels in Diveevo, but their prices are steep. For example, at the Diveevo Hotel a double room costs from 3 to 7 thousand rubles per day.

You can rent a room or apartment from local residents. They say that a room can cost from 150-350 rubles. per day without hot water (toilet outside). The apartment costs about 1500 rubles per day.

There is a pilgrimage center at the monastery, and it also has its own hotel, but the prices are steep here too. We did not stay overnight in Diveevo. You can do so much in a day and evening that, in principle, it seemed to us that this was enough.

Where to eat in Diveevo?

There are cafes and restaurants at the hotels, where prices are low (salad - 50 rubles, hot food - 120 -150 rubles) - everything is edible and tasty. There is a free meal at the pilgrimage center (you receive coupons at the pilgrimage center). In the monastery itself, during the day there is a paid cafe, a pancake house and a tea house. We didn't eat there, so I can't say anything more.

Although we left Diveevo with not very pleasant adventures, nothing could disturb the inner harmony and grace that we were filled with in this amazing place. I also noticed that my faith in God has strengthened. And, of course, we hope to return to Diveevo more than once.

It seems to me that there are places on our Russian land, the very touch of which fills us with faith and peace. And, of course, every Orthodox person who has visited Diveevo at least once in his life accepts this as God’s mercy with gratitude and trepidation.

The purpose of this guide article to Diveevo is to answer the questions of those who are just planning to go to the Diveevo Monastery: What is Diveevo? What to do here? How to behave? What is Holy Groove? And the most important question is why do they come to Diveevo at all?
You will also find out what important places and attractions there are in Diveevo and its surroundings, where you can stay overnight for those who come here for the night.
My first trip to Diveevo took place on May 11, 2013. The trip was short and quite chaotic. Even taking into account the considerable experience of traveling to very high-level monasteries (Optina Pustyn, Valaam Monastery, Trinity-Sergius and Pskov-Pechora Lavra), the Diveyevo Monastery seemed completely different to me. And I turned out to be completely unprepared for it.

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In the article:

Diveevo is a place of mass pilgrimage. First of all, people come here to pray and ask the Lord for the most essential things for themselves at the moment. I think different people come - both deeply religious people for the purpose of pilgrimage, and tourists, travelers for educational purposes - to become familiar with Russian history.
It’s easier for pilgrims - they travel consciously and know why they came, where to go, what to do here. They also know all the special places of the Diveyevo Monastery, such as the Holy Kanavka.

It's more difficult for tourists. Now I am convinced that you need to prepare for your arrival in Diveevo in order to better understand what place you are in and what you see in front of you. Otherwise, everything makes no sense.

I thought for a long time about how to write about. A photo report, a chronological account of what we saw here? Why not. But that's not what will happen first.
I am making the first post about Diveevo for comrades like me - those who want to go here, but don’t know anything about the monastery. I'm correcting my late mistake.

A special place - the history of the Diveyevo Monastery and the Holy Kanavka

So, I’ll tell you briefly about the history of the Diveyevo monastery and its main shrine - Kanavka.
In search of the peculiarity of the Seraphim-Diveyevo Monastery over others, I came across information that this monastery is the fourth inheritance of the Holy Mother of God (the first three are Iveria, Athos and Kyiv), i.e. one of four places on Earth (and the only one in Russia!) that are under its special protection. I think this is where the special appeal of this place lies. Some come here to pray, spiritually cleanse themselves, to be healed, others, considering Diveevo a place of power, come to fulfill their desires, which they say come true here. The main thing is that everyone finds what they are looking for.

On November 25, 1823, the Mother of God appeared to Father Seraphim. The Mother of God showed him the place in Diveevo where he needed to build a monastery, and ordered him to surround it with a ditch and a rampart. It was thanks to this event that the Diveyevo Monastery was created.
It began with the construction of the Mill. By the beginning of 1833, a few days before the death of St. Seraphim, the Kanavka was built. Groove "is a heptagon with a length of 777 meters along the perimeter. During the life of Father Seraphim, six sides were excavated, and on the seventh side, according to the prophecy of the monk, a large cathedral in honor of the icon of the Mother of God “Tenderness” should be located.*

“Father Seraphim said many wonderful things about this Canal. That this Canal is the piles of the Mother of God! Here the Queen of Heaven Herself walked around it! This Canal is high to the skies! The Lady Most Pure Mother of God herself took this land as her inheritance! Here, father, I have Athos, and Kyiv, and Jerusalem! And when the Antichrist comes, he will pass everywhere, but he will not jump over this Canal!”"(Father Vasily Sadovsky).*

After the death of Seraphim of Sarov, hard times came for the Diveyevo monastery. Maintenance of the ditch was abandoned, the mill was moved, some of the buildings were broken down, and people began to walk through the ditch without properly respecting it. They even traveled along it in carriages. The construction of new buildings of the monastery began to be carried out outside Kanavka.

From the memoirs of a 20th century pilgrim: “Silent figures of nuns slowly moved along the Kanavka, fingering rosaries and quietly whispering prayers. The path ran along a well-compacted embankment, lined with trees. The slopes of the embankment were overgrown with grass and wildflowers, which were protected as a shrine.” At the same time, they read “Rejoice to the Virgin Mary” one and a half hundred times, and at every ten times they read “Our Father” and commemorated the living and the dead.”*

Flowers, grass and soil from the Kanavka were considered medicinal. By the beginning of the 20th century, all of Russia knew about the Queen of Heaven’s Canal. Thousands of people came here, having heard about healings both on Kanavka, and at the Tenderness Icon, and in the Church of the Transfiguration. It’s interesting, but even now, in the 21st century, on Kanavka you will see the same thing that was a hundred or two years ago - a path on a hill, in the shape of a broken, open ring. Believers slowly wander along it, silently or very quietly reading a prayer. A fascinating sight for those who do not pray. People seem to be in a slight or not so much trance.
What do those praying read? “O Mother of God, Virgin, rejoice. Gracious Mary, the Lord is with You. Blessed are You among women and blessed is the Fruit of Your womb, for You have given birth to the Savior of our souls.”

In September 1927, the Diveyevo Monastery was closed, the sisters were sent to camps and settlements. Apartments were built in the monastery buildings and institutions were located.
During the years of Soviet power, the Holy Kanavka suffered greatly, and was even partially destroyed. But even during the years of persecution of the church, believers came to pray at Kanavka.
The revival of the monastery began in the late 80s of the 20th century, when the church was allowed to solemnly celebrate the 1000th anniversary of the Baptism of Rus'. In 1989, the Holy Trinity Church was returned to the church. And in the summer of 1991, the relics of Seraphim of Sarov were transferred to the monastery. Then for many years, almost until the end of the 2000s, Kanavka was restored.

And in conclusion, I want to voice the words of the Diveyevo priest, Priest Pavel Pavlikov: “It is known that in childhood a person feels and perceives the world around him in a special way. Over the years, the worldview changes and the unforgettable pictures of childhood leave you forever. What was so pleasing and comforting then, now no longer pleases or consoles. But when you go along the Canal of the Most Holy Theotokos, then childhood impressions return to your heart - not memories, but impressions. It’s as if you are becoming a child again - everything is perceived in a childish way. , thin. And I want this feeling to last longer, so that the soul comes to life and is comforted."*

For myself, I answered why people go and go to Diveevo. A person always expects a miracle - happiness, love, protection, healing, prosperity, mental peace and tranquility. If you believe those who come here every year for many years in a row (and there are a lot of such people!), then people find it here.

What to visit in Diveevo? Sights of Diveevo and the surrounding area:

1. Seraphim-Diveevo Monastery:

• Holy Canal of the Queen of Heaven
• Trinity Cathedral
• Kazan Church
• Transfiguration Cathedral
• Blagoveshchensky cathedral
• Bell tower
• Chapel in honor of St. Seraphim of Sarov
• Mechanical water pump with a chapel
• Refectory Church in the name of St. Blessed Prince Alexander Nevsky
• House of Galaktionovs
• Dolgintseva's house

1. Larch of Tsarevich Alexei

• Source in honor of the Icon of the Mother of God Tenderness
• Source of St. Panteleimon
• Kazan source
• Source of St. Alexandra Diveevskaya
• Source in honor of the Iveron Icon of the Mother of God

1. Source of Seraphim of Sarov
2. 
   
   1. For believers: I have already written above about the prayer that is read on Kanavka 150 times (an icon with this prayer can be bought at the monastery).
   2. For motorists, free parking is available on the territory of the monastery. Feel free to drive up to the barrier. They will let you through.
   3. For those who take pictures: photography is possible with a blessing, but we also took pictures without it. The main thing when taking photographs is to be invisible, behave modestly and not provocatively, and you will not be noticed. Many people take pictures from the monastery, I saw it myself.
   4. Girls and women: take scarves and skirts with you, regardless of age. Without them, you can simply be rudely escorted out of the temple, even if you are a 2-year-old girl.
   5. There are several churches, shrines and holy springs in Diveevo. If you want to visit and see everything, then plan a trip for more than one day. For a quick acquaintance with the monastery, 4 hours is enough.
   6. Venerate the relics of Seraphim of Sarov in the Trinity Cathedral. How to venerate relics correctly? Two bows, kissed, another bow.
   7. Don’t forget to stop by the spring of Seraphim of Sarov (14 km from Diveevo), get some holy water, and take a swim. Women need a nightgown for swimming. If you don’t have it with you, you can buy it inexpensively on the spot.
   8. For those looking for cheap private accommodation: look in the group

It's been a while since I've said anything about Nizhny Novgorod and the region. I'm correcting myself.

For the May holidays, we drove the whole family by car to Diveevo. We just went for a walk, one day without an overnight stay. An excursion to Diveevo is almost the most popular among citizens and guests of the city. However, neither my husband nor I have ever been there. The drive to Diveevo is relatively short, about 180 km. The settlement itself is small, but quite famous, especially among pilgrims. We, of course, are not pilgrims at all and came to Diveevo for purely excursion and educational purposes.

What can you visit in Diveevo? First of all, the Holy Trinity Seraphim-Diveevsky Monastery. Also, you can’t miss the Channel of the Mother of God, and finally you can stop by the source, take a dip and get some water.

Seraphim-Diveevo Monastery

The monastery is considered one of the four inheritances of the Mother of God. The first is located in Iveria (modern Georgia), the second is Holy Mount Athos, the third is the Kiev Pechersk Lavra. Well, the fourth one is the Seraphim-Diveevo Monastery. As you can see, in Diveevo there is the only inheritance of the Mother of God in Russia.

Before entering the monastery there is a large map that is easy to navigate.

Before us is the Transfiguration Cathedral. We were not able to get inside the temple, so we only contemplated it from the outside.

The plan for the construction of the monastery was conceived by Seraphim of Sarov, while the Transfiguration Cathedral was to be erected in a slightly different place, near Kanavka, on the same line with the Trinity Cathedral. However, at the indicated place at that time there was a wooden church and Abbess Alexandra (Trakovskaya) did not want to destroy the temple.

And here is the main temple of the Diveyevo monastery - Trinity Cathedral. A shrine containing the holy relics of St. Seraphim of Sarov is kept here.

Trinity Cathedral was open and we went inside. A long line of pilgrims lined up to see the relics. I didn’t dare take a photo, so, alas, there will be no photos.

When the monastery was closed in 1927 and many icons were destroyed, the Trinity Cathedral fell into disrepair. The main dome and four domes were destroyed, the floor was broken. Only in 1990 the temple was restored and it was consecrated by Archbishop Nikolai of Arzamas and Nizhny Novgorod.

Opposite the Trinity Cathedral there is a bell tower. Five tiers rise to a height of 70 meters. At the very top there is a clock that used to chime the melody “Most Holy Theotokos, save us.”

There is a legend that the bell tower has a slight slope, which was caused during construction. The first builder of the bell tower did not have time to complete the work, and when new builders arrived, they discovered an error. There were only two options - to dismantle and rebuild the bell tower or continue work. Having assessed all the pros and cons, we decided that there was no danger. The builders continued their work. Personally, I didn’t notice the tilt.

By the way, the most correct way to enter the monastery territory is through the bell tower, and not like we did - from the side.

Our Lady's Groove

The groove is a separate shrine, the last will of the Queen of Heaven, which was fulfilled by Seraphim of Sarov. It’s hard for me to talk about this place and it’s hard to find words. The whole history of the creation of the Kanavka is outlined in the photo. I have nothing to add.

There are certain rules of behavior while passing the Kanavka. They are simple: do not make noise, do not disturb others, read a prayer. The place is holy and people come here each with their own thoughts.

We also walked along the Kanavka. I didn’t read the prayer, but I tried to detach myself and be with myself..... and the gooseberries really grow near the Kanavka.

Walking along Kanavka, I could not help but notice the cleanliness and well-groomed nature of the monastery. There are beautiful flower beds and neat beds everywhere.

Before returning home, we had a snack at the monastery and stopped at a spring. A small mass is located near the Trinity Cathedral. The food there is very simple: salad, cabbage soup, potatoes.

We did not immediately find the source. Once again the maps helped me. I need to move along Oktyabrskaya Street to the intersection with the lane. Golyakova. Next we turn towards the lake. The first source will be on the left side of the road.

The small wooden huts are hard to miss.

I want to say that you need to go to such places prepared... or in the mood (whichever you prefer). For some reason I thought that I would be able to feel some special grace in Diveevo. Did not work out. We got ready for the trip spontaneously, without any preparation. Most often, the effect of surprise works in a positive direction, but not this time.

I was with you, Oksana! See you again!