The history of the Annunciation Monastery is inextricably linked with the history of Murom. The monastery was built on the site of the oldest Murom church, founded by Prince Konstantin Svyatoslavich, the grandson of Yaroslav the Wise.
Short story
Constantine begged Moore from his father for his own inheritance in order to convert the local pagans to the Christian faith. In this charitable deed, the prince was helped by his faithful children - Mikhail and Fyodor.
The Annunciation Monastery from a bird's eye view
Resisting the new religion, the people of Murom killed their youngest son Mikhail. Upon learning of this, Constantine went out to the conspirators not with a sword in his hands, but with an icon. Later, this icon will be called the Murom Mother of God. The miraculous image shone, and the pagans, struck by the divine sign, repented of the atrocity, and they themselves began to ask to be baptized over them. Soon after that, Constantine erected the first wooden church in Murom - the Annunciation.
View of the Annunciation Monastery from the Peasant Square
Ivan the Terrible's vow
Prince Konstantin and his sons were canonized by the Makariev Cathedral in 1547, and five years later Ivan the Terrible prayed to the new miracle workers on the eve of the campaign against Kazan. The tsar made a promise to God that if he took Kazan, he would build a stone temple in Murom and establish a monastic monastery. And so it happened: immediately after the victory, Ivan the Terrible sent an artel of architects to Murom.
Monument to the saints Prince Peter and Princess Fevronye against the background of the Annunciation Monastery
In the Cathedral of the Annunciation, founded by the tsar, the relics of the faithful prince Constantine and his sons found shelter. And to this day, their incorruptible bodies rest in one cancer, symbolizing loyalty to a single cause. From the first days of its existence, the Annunciation Monastery enjoyed royal favors. The tsar sent rich church utensils from Moscow, gave the brethren "endless charity" and several villages.
Cathedral of the Annunciation of the Blessed Virgin
The further fate of the Annunciation Monastery
In 1616, the monastery was ruined by the Poles, headed by Pan Lisowski. During the 17th century, the monastery was gradually revived from the ruins. In 1652, a stone church of St. John the Theologian was added to the cathedral (it has not survived to this day).
The Annunciation Cathedral is a luxuriously decorated white-stone building in the style of "Russian pattern". Its quadrangle is completed by rows of kokoshniks topped with five blue domed heads.
Necropolis of the Annunciation Monastery
The walls of the facade are abundantly covered with carvings - carved platbands, cornices, semi-columns. The cathedral has an elegant hip-roofed porch, and a clock is installed on its bell tower.
Other stone buildings survived in the Annunciation Monastery: the gate church of St. Stephanie, dating from 1716, and the monastery fence with turrets, built in 1811.
Church of Stephen Archdeacon of the Annunciation Monastery
In 1812, the miraculous icons of the Iberian and Vladimir Mother of God, brought to Murom shortly before the surrender of Moscow to Napoleon, were kept in the cells of the abbots of the monastery. In memory of this event, city priests annually performed a procession of the cross around the city. Under Soviet rule, the monastery was closed, but the brethren, having settled in the city, continued to serve in the cathedral. In 1946, Hieromonk Pimen, the future Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia, served here. In 1991, monastic life resumed at the monastery.
Chapel of Apollonius of Murom
Relics of the Annunciation Monastery
In addition to the relics of the noble princes, the relics of Bishop Basil of Murom, who performed the sacrament of baptism over the severe pagans of Murom, rest in the Annunciation Monastery, as well as the imperishable remains of the Monk Julian (Kochukov) - an ascetic of the 17th century. The baroque iconostasis adds an element of solemnity to the decoration of the temple. It consists of six gilded tiers, richly carved with floral ornaments. Here you can see several ancient icons: "Annunciation" and "Holy Trinity" dating from the 16th - 17th centuries, "Murom saints against the backdrop of the city panorama" (18th century).
Cell building of the Annunciation Monastery
The Murom iconostasis in the Annunciation Church resembles its older brother from Assumption Cathedral in Vladimir, but it is smaller and younger (made in 1797). The spacious halls of the cathedral are fragrant with myrrh and incense, candles are burning, and the beautiful voices of a female choir glorify God. The calm church atmosphere instills peace in the soul.
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