Gethsemane Chernigovsky skete, Sergiev Posad, Moskovskaya oblast’, Russia
The Gethsemane Chernigov Skeet is the home of the Holy Trinity-St. Sergius Lavra, a stauropegic male monastery of the Russian Orthodox Church. The skete was founded in 1844 by the governor of the Holy Trinity Lavra of St. Sergius, St. Antony (Medvedev) with active participation of St.. Filaret (Drozdova). In 1847, under the monastery, the Cave Branch was founded by the blessed Schemonoh Philip.
The secluded picturesque area attracted monks hungry for silence, and the monastery soon became a place of quiet shelter for more than 400 monks. After the revolution of 1917, the hermitage, like most of the temples and monasteries of Russia, was closed. Monastic life again revived in the hermitage in 1990.
“Skeet” (in the Coptic language “sews”) – a vast plain. This was the name of the wild sandy terrain in Egypt, the beginning of the desert life in which St. Pr. Macarius of Egypt in the IV. Later similar names began to be called such secluded places, arranged in some monasteries for those who sought silence and eager for more introspection of monks.
The Gethsemane monastery is named after the Jerusalem garden, where the Mother of God was buried, and Chernigov – in honor of Her miraculous Chernigov icon, which glorified the monastery at the end of the XIX century.
Now the monastery is open for pilgrims wishing to worship its shrines, and everyone who wants to learn the history of the monastery, see its sights – cave temples, monastic cells and a holy spring. In addition to the caves, the skete is known for its unique architectural ensemble of temples, buildings and monastery walls that have survived to this day.
Crossing the threshold of the holy abode, it should be remembered that the monastery is a special house of prayer, seclusion from the world. Respecting the sanctity of this place, one should know and follow simple rules: it is necessary to keep a modest and decent look. Men need to be in shirts and trousers, women – in skirts and with covered heads. Women in trouser suits, jeans or short skirts can get a skirt at the entrance to the temple.
Epic Russia Culture & Adventure Route © Monika Newbound
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