Nikolo-Perervinsky Monastery in Moscow
Nikolo-Perervinsky Monastery (Николо-Перервинский монастырь) dates back to the 14th century. A magnificent building, situated in the southern district of Pechatniki – between the Moscow river and the Lublino railroad classification yard. The bright blue domes of the monastery is visible from Kolomenskoye.
Little is known about the monastery.
Little is known about the monastery before it was first mentioned in 1623. The early Romanovs were connected to the Church as well as important figures from the Russian Orthodox Church.
An interesting name that means “To interrupt” and dedicated to Saint Nicholas the Miracle-Worker.
What to see at this monastery?
Here you will find one of the last major churches that was built before the Revolution.In the 17th century the abbey expanded very quickly and it was during the time of Patriarch Adrian that the Old Katholikon or St. Nicholas Cathedral was built. He made his summer residence here and oversaw the construction of the cathedral.
The Old Cathedral or Katholikon was completed in 1700. Patriarch Adrian was the last priest to hold office before Peter the Great started to reform the church. The patriarchy was replaced with a Holy Synod during his reforms.
The New Cathedral, designed by architect Pyotr Vinogradov, was built on the instructions of Metropolitan Vladimir to honor the famous Icon of the Iberian Virgin, which from the 17th Century was housed in the specially built Iberian Chapel on Red Square. The white, black-domed cathedral, which combines neoclassical austerity with elements of Russian revivalism and has space for over 3,000 worshippers, was an extraordinary project for the time, considering the distance of the monastery from the centre of Moscow and its relative unimportance in the Church hierarchy.
The Cathedral of the Iberian Icon of the Virgin.
In 1908 the New Katholikon was consecrated to the The Cathedral of the Iberian Icon of the Virgin.
The cathedral is a beautiful white, layered building. It was built-in the Moscow Baroque style and has bright blue and gold onion style domes. It is also fitted with an elegant bell tower and the interiors is extremely rich. In the 18th century a seminary was added to the monastery.
The Bolsheviks did not close this monastery immediately. One of the reasons could be that it was not directly in the center of Moscow. Sadly this church suffered more than any other church or monastery post-war. Instead, they slowly stripped it from all its treasures and functions and severely desecrated it.
The abbey closed down in 1920.
In 1920 the abbey closed down. In the 1990’s the restoration process began and in 1991 the Old Cathedral or Old Katholikon resumed services. It is now one of the most active monasteries in Moscow with a seminary and a number of charitable institutions attached to it.
We didn’t have time to visit the premises while we were in Moscow but I did manage to get a couple of photographs from the other side of the river at Kolomenskoye. The bright blue domes is impossible to miss and this is definitely on my list of places to visit when we are going back to Moscow.
Where: Moscow,Russian Federation
When: 12 August 2012
