50 km from the city of Pskov there is an ancient monastery - the Holy Dormition Pskov-Caves Monastery. The five-hundred-year history of the monastery is shrouded in numerous legends and stories, endless wars and real miracles. First of all, the Pechora Monastery is known for its holy caves, because the word “pechery” in Old Russian meant “caves”.
It was there that we went on the second day of our company's stay in Pskov.
After a good night's sleep after the train from St. Petersburg to Pskov, having breakfast at the hotel, we went on an excursion to the Pechersky Monastery in two cars. According to the plan, the route included two objects: the Caves Monastery and Stary Izborsk. In this note I will talk about Pechory, and a note about Izborsk can be read here .
We got there very quickly - no more than an hour. The town of Pechory is small, modest and cozy, but with ancient history. Its dominant and shrine and main attraction is the Pechora Monastery. We parked our cars in the center of the city of Pechory, on the central square.
In the center of the square is an old water tower sticking out like the last tooth. The central area is very well maintained and clean.
True, if you turn the corner, then the same broken roads and rickety wooden houses will be waiting for tourists.
We got out of the cars and walked to the monastery. Along the short path are stalls with souvenirs. Basically, products made from dog hair were offered here. On the way back, we all bought ourselves a pair of warm socks.
Local souvenirs are harsh, like everything around.
In 5 minutes we were in front of the Monastery, or rather in front of the unusual Petrovsky Tower.
At first, we decided not to go to the monastery itself (we decided to leave it for dessert), but to the observation deck, which offered a magnificent view of the surroundings. To do this, from the Petrovsky Tower, we went a little to the left, if you stand facing the tower.
Thoughtfully looking around the ancient fortress-monastery, we listened to our guide and listened to the history of this place.
Even in ancient times, many local residents heard voices and wonderful singing here. Therefore, the mountain was called the Holy. According to legend, somewhere in the 12-13th century, peasants cut wood on the mountain. Suddenly one tree fell, dragging other trees with it. Under the roots, a cave was discovered, above which was written "God created caves." No matter how people tried to erase this inscription, it appeared again and again. The generally accepted date of foundation of the monastery is 1473, when the church was consecrated, dug out by the Monk Jonah in a sandy hill. Saint Jonah is considered the founder of the monastery. His wife Maria, in vows - Vassa, helped him diligently. But, before the end of the construction, she fell ill and died. However, after burial the next day, her coffin was on the surface. This was repeated several times. Since then, the coffin with the body of Vassa has stood near the holy caves. When the Germans tried to open this gravestone during the war, a flame escaped from it, traces of which can still be seen.
Until the 15th-16th century, the monastery was poor and sparsely populated, often subjected to raids by the Livonian Order. The real dawn of the monastery took place under Abbot Cornelia, but we will talk about this a little later, inside the monastery. Powerful fortress walls and beautiful churches were built.
Near the observation deck, the passage was blocked in such an unusual way.
After admiring the view, we decided to take a walk along the monastery walls. The location of the monastery itself is very interesting - it is located in a lowland. Powerful walls more than once protected the monastery, including even during the formidable raids of Stefan Batory, the monastery was not taken. The thickness of the walls is 2 meters, the total length is 810 meters. It is terrible to imagine, but the monastery withstood 200 battles.
Now the time has come to enter the territory of the Caves Monastery. From the main gate there is a sharp path down, which has a terrible name - "the bloody path." And that's why.
In 1519, the monk Cornelius, who at that time was only 28 years old, became hegumen of the Pechora Monastery. Cornelius did a lot for the monastery, but his life was cut short at the age of 41.
According to legend, in 1570 Ivan the Terrible was returning from a campaign in the Livonian region. The tsar saw a strong fortress on the border - the Pskov-Caves Monastery, for the construction of which he did not give consent. The autocrat suspected treason, and even whispered evil tongues. The unsuspecting abbot Cornelius went out to meet the king with a cross in his hands .... Furious Ivan the Terrible silently cut off his head with his own hand. Cornelius' head rolled down towards the temple. Since then, the path from the Petrovsky Tower to the Assumption Church has been called Bloody. According to the second version, in repentance, Ivan the Terrible immediately picked up the decapitated body of Cornelius and himself carried it to the caves.
Going down the "Bloody Road", we saw another exhibit - the carriage of Anna Ioannovna. Once the empress visited an old man who lived in a monastery. Snow suddenly fell, the roads were covered with snow, and it was possible to get out of Pechory only on a sleigh. The royal carriage had to be left in the monastery.
Throughout its long history, the monastery was famous for its elders-soothsayers. Tsars and queens repeatedly came to Pechory to talk with them. So Peter the Great was in Pechory 4 times, Nicholas II and Alexander the First came here. They say that the modern political elite also happens here.
The real decoration of the monastery is the ancient Cathedral of the Assumption, whose appearance today is presented in the Baroque style. Initially, this temple was a cave temple, going twenty meters deep into the ravine. Then the church was built on and it acquired its present form. By the way, the domes are very reminiscent of the cathedrals of the Kiev-Pechersk Lavra. There is still a belief among local residents that the caves lead to the Kiev-Pechora Lavra.
The belfry, built in 1523, deserves special attention. In the 18th century, a bell was placed here, donated to the monastery by Peter the Great.
Here, next to the belfry, is the entrance to the caves. We only managed to visit a couple of small caves. We passed them so quickly that I only had time to quickly look around the tombstones and icons that were installed there. There were so many people that it was not possible to consider something for a long time. The caves contain burials of relatives of various famous people, including relatives of A.S. Pushkin. Shooting in the caves is strictly prohibited. I do not advise you to break this ban, people here are harsh and religious.
On the walls of the caves there are special tombstones - ceramides, which are found only in this area. We already saw ceramides in the Pskov Museum.
To visit the distant caves, the blessing of the abbot was required. But since the monastery was actively preparing for Christmas, everyone was not up to it, and we did not receive a blessing. In general, there are 7 tunnels in the dungeon of the monastery, they are called "streets". More than 10,000 people are buried in these streets.
Next to the Assumption Cathedral is the Sacristy, where treasures were once kept - gifts of sovereigns. The library was also located here. During the war, the sacristy was looted by the Germans, but later some of the treasures still managed to be returned back.
On the territory we visited several churches with old icons and a wooden iconostasis. In total, there are 11 temples on the territory of the Pechora Monastery, 3 of which are cave ones.
Miraculous icons are kept in the Monastery. First of all, this is the icon of the Mother of God "Tenderness" and "Hodegetria". They are stored in the Mikhailovsky Cathedral.
On the territory of the Monastery there is a holy spring, which is called the holy well. The first information about the holy well appeared in the description of the monastery in early XVII century, in which it was reported that in the monastery there has long been a holy well, equipped and covered in the form of a chapel. The water in this well “To the grace of the Most Pure Theotokos and the prayers of the venerable fathers of the chiefs - Mark, Jonah and Cornelius - goes to the holy land; and take it for all monastic needs. The water is said to help with eye and other ailments.
Naturally, we also decided to drink some water. We didn't have bottles with us. When we tried to wash ourselves at the “well”, the local caretakers drove us out to wash ourselves over the flower bed. Apparently, so that we do not spoil the aura)).
Leaving the monastery, we bought local souvenirs and recommended handmade soap, brewed in the monastery.
We worked up a good appetite, so when we returned to the central square, we decided to have a bite to eat. There were several cafes there. The most touristy and decent cafe was in that very old tower. But there were no seats, and we went to the canteen.
The prices here were ridiculous and the food was delicious. Salad and empanadas were quite nothing. Having satisfied our hunger, we went further, because Izborsk was waiting for us.
How to get to Pechory from Pskov
By regular bus (journey time approximately 1 hour 20 minutes):
- Route number 126 (Pskov - Pechory) - departure from the bus station (daily) about once an hour.
- Route No. 207 (Pskov - Pechory via St. Izborsk) - departure from the bus station
You can also get there by train, which departs from Pskov twice a day.
Where to stay in Pechory
Hotel Planeta, Pechory: booking reviews
Guest house Strannik, Pechory
Pechory-Pak hotel: booking
and also, Hotel "Your Coast" - Pechory, st. Kuznechnaya, 17.
The Pskov-Caves Monastery is the only one in Russia that has never been closed.
Few people know that during the last threat of its closure in the Khrushchev era, the front-line monks were ready to defend the monastery from the atheists, as from the Nazis. Their determination was not put to shame. A miracle happened.
Archimandrite Alipiy: Soldier of the Great Patriotic War, Warrior of Christ
When the Commissioner for Religious Affairs arrived at the monastery with an order to close it, the monastery’s abbot, a participant in the Great Patriotic War(1914-1975), openly refused to submit to godless authority. Hierodeacon Prokhor (Andreychuk) retold this story to me from the words of Archimandrite Nathanael (Pospelov) (1920-2002), who was treasurer in the 1960s. The commissioner handed over to the viceroy the decree on closing, arch. Alipiy began to read it syllable by syllable, waiting for the electric fireplace to heat up (Fr. Nathanael bought the fireplace at the request of the governor a few days earlier, when Fr. Alipy learned about the purpose of the upcoming visit). As soon as the fireplace warmed up, he threw a decree into it and said: “I’d rather be martyred, but I won’t close the monastery. If you want to use force, know that I have sixty monks, two-thirds of them are participants in the war. They will fight until last man. And I will dig up Peter's cannons, and we will arrange a second defense of Stalingrad. You will only have to bomb us from a plane, but you will not do this, because Europe is nearby - the world community will know.
It is not known whether the party leadership would have retreated completely, but at that time the Indian Prime Minister Indira Gandhi visited the monastery. She was shocked by what she saw (according to the memoirs of Father Nathanael, she cried in the caves of the monastery), and, obviously, she made a good advertisement - foreign delegations began to come here one after another, and the question of closing was no longer needed.
God-made caves
Story Pskov-Caves Monastery originates from its famous caves, which were discovered 80 years before the founding of the monastery, in 1392. In the XIV century, a dense forest grew on the slope of the current Holy Mountain of the monastery (now there is a garden planted by monks and a church of the Monk Pskov-Caves Fathers). As the chronicle tells, the local peasant Ivan Dementiev was cutting down trees there, one of them fell down the mountain, and the mouth of the cave opened under its roots. An inscription was inscribed above it: “The god of the building of the cave ». By whom and when this inscription was made is unknown. According to local legend, monks lived here who fled from the raids of the Crimean Tatars. The founder of the monastery was not even a monk, but married couple: priest John Shestnik and his mother Maria. They settled in these places in search of desert life and repentance. From the harsh work, mother fell ill and, before her death, took the tonsure with the name Vassa. When she died, Father John, having performed the funeral service, buried the coffin with the body at the entrance to the caves. The next day he discovered the coffin on the surface. Deciding that he missed some place in the rank of the funeral service, Fr. John performed the rite again and again buried the coffin. But when the miracle happened again, he saw God's will in him, made a niche in the wall and placed the coffin there. After that, the coffin did not disappear anywhere, and no bad smell emanated from it. Since then, all the inhabitants of the monastery have been buried in God-created caves, not covered with earth. And miracles at the tomb of nun Vassa continue today. As the monks say, at the beginning of the 20th century, some vandals tried to open her coffin. It is not known whether they were looking for jewels or wanted to desecrate the holy relics, but fire came out of the coffin and burned them. Traces of this miraculous fire are clearly visible on the coffin.
After the death of his wife, Father John also took monastic vows with the name Jonah. In 1473 he completed the first monastery church - now main cathedral monastery in the name of The day of the consecration of the temple - August 15, 1473 - is considered the date of foundation of the Pskov-Caves Monastery.
Today the relics of the founders of the monastery - St. Vassy and Rev. Ions rest at the very entrance to the monastery caves. You can apply to them daily from 10 to 18 hours. Further, the caves branch into seven underground galleries (streets), which lengthened and expanded at different times. The fifth and sixth streets are called fraternal streets, since only the inhabitants of the monastery are buried within their walls. Pious pilgrims and defenders of the monastery are buried in other galleries. In the walls there are plates with the names of the deceased. Presumably, about 10 thousand people are buried in the caves.
The caves are very dark and quite cold. It is impossible to walk on them without an escort.
Near the entrance to the caves there is a passage to the Holy Mountain. On the mountain there is a temple of the Pskov-Caves reverends, consecrated in 1995. This is quite unusual - a Kletsky temple, which was built in the North when new monasteries were founded. The main part of the temple is a cage - a simple frame of small size, typical for a Russian hut. As in the caves, one can go to the Holy Mountain only accompanied by one of the inhabitants of the monastery. Pilgrims are not allowed to go to the Holy Mountain only in ice or in early spring, when everything is melting. From the mountain, a wonderfully beautiful view of the monastery and its surroundings opens up.
eldership
The monastery has attracted pilgrims at all times. Someone went to the shrines, someone - for the advice of the elder. In 1822 Emperor Alexander I came to Pechery. Hearing about the ascetic life of one of the inhabitants, Elder Lazarus the Perspicacious, who on the third day after his death, likewise, rose from the grave and lived for another 16 years, repeating: “The death of sinners is fierce,” the emperor asked for a meeting with him. In a conversation, the elder said to the sovereign: “I recognize the fact that the truth is a luminary for the Tsar before the Heavenly Father. The life of a king should serve as an example for his subjects. Remember, sovereign, that we have not long to live on earth ... "
Among the especially revered elders of the monastery is the recently canonized St. Simeon (1869-1960), who labored in the monastery for 67 years, 33 of them in the schema. The elder was known for the gift of clairvoyance and healing. Many written testimonies of people who received healing through his prayers have been preserved. The last lesson of humility was revealed by the elder even in his death. According to a revelation from the Lord, he was waiting for her on January 15, 1960, the day of memory of St. Seraphim. But the abbot of the monastery, Archbishop Alipiy, became worried that the death of the elder, the preparation for the funeral, and the funeral itself would coincide with the preparation for the feast. Therefore, he asked the elder to pray for a delay in death. “You are the governor, I am a novice, be your way,” replied Fr. Simeon. The elder reposed on Epiphany Christmas Eve, and he was buried after Epiphany. Hieroschemamonk Simeon was canonized as a saint of the Pskov Caves on April 1, 2003, and the incorruptible relics of the elder were transferred from the caves to the Sretensky Church. Get into the cell of St. Simeon can be done daily after 2 pm, taking the blessing of the dean. On Wednesday, at 6 a.m., a fraternal prayer service is served at the relics of St. Simeon at the Sretensky Church.
In 1967, one of the most revered Orthodox people elders - confessor (1910-2006). Last years During his life he was seriously ill and received few people, but in the 1970s-1990s, people from all over the country (and sometimes from abroad) came to him for advice and consolation. Today, Father John's cell is open to pilgrims on Saturdays and Sundays from 10:00 to 13:00. Everything here is preserved as during the life of the priest. The walls are hung with icons, portraits, photographs. The cell is not “ascetic” at all, it is very cozy, with numerous gifts from children: for example, a night lamp in the form of a chapel, next to it is a yellow souvenir chicken that is given for Easter. On the table by the window are vases of flowers. The priest on duty smears you with oil.
miraculous icons
open fortress
The main shrines of the monastery - the icon of the Assumption Mother of God and the image of "Tenderness". Both icons are in the Assumption Church. The icon of the Dormition, in front of which an inextinguishable lampada burns, is no less a heroic story than the “defense” of the monastery in Khrushchev’s times. In the summer of 1581, a hundred thousandth Polish-Lithuanian army moved to Pskov. The army of the Polish King Stefan Batory approached the walls of the monastery. Only three hundred archers defended the monastery. Enemy troops fired cannons at the monastery and smashed the wall. Then the monks brought to the break the main monastery shrine - the icon of the Assumption Holy Mother of God. The besieged prayed, and the Mother of God heard their prayers - the archers managed to repel all the attacks. The icons "" and "Tenderness" were also sent to the defenders of Pskov. For five months, the enemy stormed the Pskov Kremlin more than 30 times, but did not take the city. In memory of this miraculous deliverance, the Pecherians every year on the seventh week of Easter went in procession with the icon "Tenderness" to Pskov. Since 1997, the tradition of the procession has been resumed, only now it takes place inside the monastery - the icon is transferred from the Assumption Church to Mikhailovsky and back. The same procession takes place on October 20 - on the feast of the Pskov-Caves icon "Tenderness".
Local residents called the icon “tenderness”. This is not the “Tenderness” icon before which he prayed Reverend Seraphim Sarovskiy. It was written in the 16th century from the image of Vladimir, and was brought to the monastery during the time of the abbess of the Monk Martyr Cornelius. The icon of the Assumption from the very appearance in the monastery is known for its miracles, which are still happening today. Recently, a high-ranking official was healed of an eye disease.
divine services
Today there are six churches in the monastery, not counting the cave church of the Resurrection, where services are performed only for the brethren: Uspensky, Sretensky, in the name of Archangel Michael, in the name of St. Cornelius, Nikolsky and Pokrovsky. The first service in the monastery begins in the Dormition Church: at 6 o'clock at the relics of St. Cornelius serves a fraternal prayer service, then midnight office. The Monk Cornelius was abbot here under Tsar Ivan the Terrible. In an ancient manuscript it is written: on one of the visits of the king, hegumen Cornelius went out of the monastery gates to meet the sovereign with a cross. The king, angry with him in advance, cut off his head with his own hand, but immediately repented and, raising the body, carried it in his arms to the monastery. The path along which the king carried the body to the Church of the Assumption is called the "Bloody Way".
Pskov-Caves Monastery- the only one in Russia that has never been closed, even during the years of the most fierce persecution of the church. Miracles? The monks explain this by the fact that the caves from which the monastery began were opened and built by God himself. And to prove their case, they cite a fact: the bodies of the dead, those buried here do not emit a putrid odor, on the contrary, they are fragrant!
YELTSIN IN PECHORY
In the mid-1990s, Boris Nikolaevich Yeltsin visited the famous monastery near Pskov. The treasurer of the monastery, Archimandrite Nathanael, accompanied the head of state. The small, thin, nimble father Nathanael was considered the most harmful person in the monastery. In winter and summer, he walked around in worn-out boots and a washed-out cassock, and an old canvas bag was always dangling behind his back.
Sharp-tongued and tight-fisted, the treasurer fought for every penny, suspecting everyone of wasting the monastery's property. And this man was entrusted with an important mission - to accompany a distinguished guest and his retinue on excursions to the caves. Father Nathanael briskly moved through the labyrinths, illuminating the path for himself and his companions with a candle. Boris Nikolaevich followed the priest in silence until he realized that something strange was going on around him.
There was no smell of decay in the caves, despite the fact that the coffins with the dead stood in open niches. It was not difficult, if necessary, to touch them and even open them - the coffins were not hammered in with nails, but simply covered with a lid.
Boris Nikolaevich stopped the priest:
“Listen, why is there no smell in the caves?”
Father Nathanael replied:
— Miracle of God.
“So the Lord has arranged it.
The answer again did not satisfy the president, when leaving the caves he leaned over to the little treasurer and whispered in his ear:
- Open the secret, what do you rub them with?
“Boris Nikolayevich,” the archimandrite was not taken aback, “are there any foul-smelling people among your entourage?”
“Of course not,” Yeltsin boomed.
“So why do you think that in the environment of the Heavenly Father, someone must smell bad?!
THE PHENOMENON OF THE PECHER CAVES
This phenomenon has been known for a long time, but has not yet been solved. Many have tried to find an explanation for it. Indeed, why, after bringing the deceased here, his remains immediately stop emitting a characteristic smell? Atheists were especially zealous in Soviet years.
The most fantastic versions were put forward, starting with the one that Yeltsin later came up with: the monks almost daily anoint the bodies of the dead with incense. But only those who have a poor idea of the size of the burials can believe in this.
Another version is also popular: all smells are absorbed by local sandstones. It was this hypothesis that secular tour guides voiced to tourists in the Soviet years.
But the monks themselves consider both explanations to be nonsense. The former abbot of the monastery, the famous archimandrite Alipy (Voronov), when accompanying delegations of distinguished guests to the caves, always took with him a handkerchief, abundantly moistened with vigorous Soviet cologne. And when visitors started talking about the unique properties of local sandy soils, he brought a handkerchief to the nose of each and asked to explain why sandstones do not absorb this smell.
Confused guests did not know what to answer. Alypiy also asked to pay attention to the flowers at the tombs of recently deceased monks. Roses and gladioli were fragrant from a mile away. Satisfied with the effect produced, Alipiy always asked the same question:
— Aren't you ready to admit the fact that there are many things in the world that are beyond the control of our mind?
At one time there were Scientific research, and caves were dug nearby in the same rock, in which there was a similar temperature and air regime. Vegetables and fruits were placed in the freshly dug caves, but they all deteriorated over time and began to smell bad, but the same vegetables and fruits laid in the cave of the monastery remained fresh.
CITY OF DEAD
About fourteen thousand people rest in the underground cemetery. A day is not enough to go around all the burials! Monks, Pskov priests, military people - the defenders of the monastery, philanthropists, nobles, among whom there are many famous ones, for example, from the Pushkin, Kutuzov, Mussorgsky, Rtishchev families. At the same time, each coffin stands where it should be.
From the entrance there are seven underground galleries, the so-called streets, which at different times lengthened and expanded. The heads of the monastery are buried in a separate street. On the fifth and sixth streets, simple monks find their last resting place, so this part is called the fraternal cemetery. Pilgrims, parishioners, warriors are buried in other galleries.
Ceramides are installed in the walls of the caves - plates with inscriptions telling about who, when and where he rested. Ceramides are real works of art made in different techniques: glazed stone with gilding, limestone, earthenware, ceramic, etc. At the end of the central street there is a kanun - a special candlestick in the form of a small table, at which requiems are performed. Behind the eve is a large wooden cross.
It has long been a tradition to bring coffins into caves and leave them in niches. Over time, the lower ones decay, shrinkage occurs, and a new place is freed from above for the next coffin. At the same time, the air in the caves is surprisingly clean and fresh. Breathe so easily, as if you are in the forest or on the seashore.
WONDERS UNDERGROUND
Burials began here in the 15th century. In the cave, which the monks chose for the burial of their comrade, an inscription on the wall suddenly opened: “The cave created by God.”
Since then, the monks believe that their abode is open and created by the Almighty himself. According to legend, one of the first burials was accompanied by a miracle. The monk's coffin, buried in the ground, rose to the surface the next morning. Seeing this, the brothers decided that they had made some kind of mistake during the funeral or burial, and they carried out the whole ceremony anew. However, the miracle happened again - the coffin "floated" to the surface again.
Miracles underground happen with enviable constancy. Once young monks got the keys to the old fraternal cemetery. In that part of it, no one was buried for many centuries. The entrance to this "street" was blocked by a heavy iron door. monks
They opened it and, lighting their way with candles, went down the underground passage. In the niches stood old coffins crumbling from time to time.
Some were so rotten that skeletons could be seen through the holes. Soon the "pathfinders" stumbled upon a well-preserved coffin and stopped in thought in front of it. Curiosity got the better of it, and the monks carefully lifted the lid.
The abbot lay in the coffin. The monk seemed to be sleeping! Not a single part of the body, including the face, was touched by decay! It seemed a little more, and he would open his eyes and look menacingly at the living. The monks were so frightened that they quickly covered the coffin with a lid and rushed back. Then they realized that they had disturbed the rest of the saint...
Lyubov SHAROVA
More than half a million pilgrims annually visit the city of Pechory in the Pskov region to get in touch with their main shrine - the Pskov-Caves Holy Dormition Monastery.
Here, since the founding of the monastery in 1473, even in the years of unrest and unrest, the experience of eldership and spiritual service has never been interrupted.
According to legend, Izborsk hunters, father and son Selish, who were chasing the beast in a distant forest, found themselves on the banks of a small river Kamenets, where they heard quiet prayer singing from under the ground. Deciding that it was the angels singing, they spread the news throughout the district.
Taylovskaya monastery tower 
"Singing Lands" went to the peasant Ivan Dementiev. One day he went to cut trees, and one of them, falling, opened the Caves. It is believed that the monks settled in the Caves, fleeing in these lands from the raid of the Crimean Tatars.
Today the Caves are a large necropolis. For centuries, remaining imperishable, more than ten thousand people found peace here.
It is believed that the opening of the God-given caves took place in 1392, but the official date when the Pskov-Caves Holy Assumption Monastery was founded was 1473. It was at this time that the Assumption Church was consecrated, which was dug out in a sandy hill near the Kamenets stream by the Monk Jonah. In the world, he bore the name John and was a priest of St. George's Church in Yuryevo-Livonsk.
Fleeing from persecution by the Latin Germans, John with his wife Maria and children left Yuryevo-Livonsk and came to Pskov. Here, having heard about the recently discovered cave, he made his dwelling next to it to serve God.
First miracle
The Pskov-Caves Monastery had not yet been completed when John's wife Maria fell mortally ill. She became the first shearer, taking the name Vassa with the tonsure. After her death and burial, the coffin with the body in an unusual way found itself on the surface. The miracle was repeated during the second burial. John took this as a sign from above.
Since then, miraculous grace has been operating in the caves of the Pskov-Caves Monastery. For centuries, coffins have not been buried in the ground, but placed on top of each other, and the bodies of the buried remain incorrupt. Among the people buried in the monastery are representatives of the families of Pushkin, Kutuzov, Pleshcheev, Nazimov, Mussorgsky.
After the death of his wife, John took the monastic image with the name Jonah. Like St. Vassa Jonah, he was numbered among the venerable Pskov-Caves.
Ascetics began to come to Jonah. One of them, Hieromonk Misail, built a temple and cells on the mountain. But a few years later the monastery was attacked by the Livonians. The wooden buildings were burned down and the property was looted. When the blasphemers began to act outrageously in the Dormition Church of the monastery, the fire that came out of the altar part drove them out of the monastery. Meanwhile, a Russian detachment arrived from Izborsk, completing the destruction of the enemies.
After the attack of the Livonians, the Pechory were in distress: the raids, although less daring, continued. Foreign conquerors tried more than once to wipe the monastery off the face of the earth, as they saw in it, first of all, a stronghold of Orthodoxy and a Russian military stronghold.
The monastery has never been closed in its entire history. In the interwar period (until January 1945) it was within the borders of Estonia, thanks to which it was preserved.
In 1967-2006, Archimandrite John (Krestyankin) labored in the monastery.
Reliable information about the beginning monastic life there is no modern monastery on the site, just as scientific examinations of the caves have not been carried out. Presumably of natural origin, erosion-suffosion caves in sandstone deposits along the banks of the Kamenets stream became known to local residents in 1392.
According to legend, monks lived in them, who fled to the Pskov land from the south, from the raids of the Crimean Tatars. The main cave complex is called the "God-created cave", and consists of the Assumption cave church with a bypass gallery (small caves), nearby caves with the relics of St. seven underground galleries-streets with the cave church of the Resurrection of Christ at the end of the 6th gallery and a chapel.
monument to st. Cornelius 
CHRONICLE
Foundation of the monastery
Located 340 km southwest of St. Petersburg and 50 km west of Pskov, the Holy Dormition Pskovo-Pechersky Monastery traces its history back more than 500 years. Here, on the northwestern borders of Russia, on the ancient Pskov land, the seeds of the Orthodox faith were sown, sown in Rus' back in the 10th century by the Holy Equal-to-the-Apostles Princess Olga, who, according to legend, was born in the Vybutskaya village near Pskov.
The chronicle tells how, at the end of the 14th century, Izborsk hunters, father and son Selisha, heard in the deep forest near the Kamenets stream “the voices of those who sing inexpressibly and beautifully” and felt the fragrance “as if from a lot of incense”.
The generally recognized historical date of the founding of the Pskov-Pechersky Monastery is considered to be 1473, when the Church of the Dormition, dug out in a sandy hill near the Kamenets stream, was consecrated by the Monk Jonah. Saint Jonah is the direct founder of the monastery. Previously, he, bearing the name John in the world, was a priest in St. George's Church of Yuryev-Livonsky (now Tartu). He was nicknamed Shestnik, i.e. a stranger, because he was originally from Moscow. He came to Livonia as a missionary.
At that time, the Orthodox people there were severely persecuted by the Latin Germans. Fearing for the life of his family, Fr. John, together with his wife Maria and children, leaves Yuryev and settles in Pskov.
Here he first heard about the “God-created cave”. A heartfelt desire to serve the Lord with even greater zeal led John and his family to settle near the holy place. The construction of the cave temple had not yet been completed when Maria, his wife, fell seriously ill. Feeling the approach of death, she took monastic vows with the name Vassa, thus becoming the first tonsure of the monastery.
After the death of his wife, John himself took on a monastic image with the name Jonah. Like St. Vassa, he is also numbered among the Pskov-Caves reverends. The memory of him and Saint Mark is celebrated on March 29/April 11, and that of Saint Vassa on March 19/April 1.
The successor of the Monk Jonah, Hieromonk Misail, erected cells and a temple on the mountain, but soon the monastery was attacked by the Livonians. The wooden buildings were burned down and the property was looted. When the blasphemers began to act outrageously in the Dormition Church of the monastery, the fire that came out of the altar part drove them out of the monastery. Meanwhile, a Russian detachment arrived from Izborsk, completing the destruction of the Livonians.
The monastery was in poverty for a long time after this shock: the raids, although less daring, continued. Foreign invaders tried more than once to wipe the monastery off the face of the earth, as they saw in it, first of all, a stronghold of Orthodoxy and Russian influence on the nearby living local population of the Baltic tribes (Ests and Setos), as well as the organizer of economic activity in the region and, finally, the Russian military stronghold.
Nikolsky temple and the walls of the monastery
The heyday of the monastery in the sixteenth century
Only half a century later, under Abbot Dorotheus, the monastery again rose and flourished: in the 20s of the 16th century, the Assumption Church was renovated and expanded, a chapel was built in the name of St. Anthony and Theodosius of the Kiev Caves. Other temples and monastic buildings were also erected. The construction was led by the sovereign clerk, who had the power of the plenipotentiary representative of the Grand Duke of Moscow in Pskov, Misyur Munekhin, who led the work on a large scale. For his merits in building the monastery, he was the first of the laity to be buried in the monastery cave.
In 1521, the monastery acquired the miraculous icon of the Assumption of the Mother of God "in life" (with hagiographic hallmarks). This image was painted by the icon painter Alexei Maly on the order of the Pskov "trading people" Vasily and Theodore (Theodore later took the tonsure with the name Theophilus and died in the monastery).
During this period, the monastery moved down from the mountain to the valley of Kamenets, the cells were placed opposite the Assumption Church.
By the end of the 20s of the 16th century, under Abbot Gerasim, the inner life of the monastery was streamlined: the hegumen drew up a cenobitic charter on the model of the Kiev Caves, established the order of church services according to the tradition of ancient monasteries, decreeing that divine services be performed daily in the Assumption Cathedral. And today the monastery sacredly preserves ancient traditions, observing a strict cenobitic charter.
The real flourishing of the monastery is associated with the name of its hegumen, the Monk Martyr Cornelius.
From year to year the fame of the monastery increased. The rumor about miraculous healings received by the special intercession of the Queen of Heaven, not only by the Orthodox, but also by the Latins, attracted many pilgrims; the once “wretched place” was replenished with precious contributions, vast lands and estates. But these offerings were not only for the needs of the monastery. Monastic account books preserved information about the material assistance that the monks constantly provided to refugees during numerous wars. At the expense of the monastery treasury, the dwellings destroyed by the invaders in the surrounding villages were restored; during the truces, the monastery redeemed prisoners of war from the enemy. All other monasteries of the Pskov diocese, even more ancient: Mirozhsky (1156), Snetogorsky (XIII century), Veliko-Pustynsky (1404), Spaso-Eleazarovsky (1447) - were inferior to the Pskov-Caves monastery, and abbots of other monasteries were now promoted to his abbots as a sign of promotion. Pechersk abbots were ordained bishops. 
Opposition to the Polish-Lithuanian army
The border position of the monastery remained dangerous. In the middle of the 16th century, the onslaught on the Pskov land from the German Livonian Order intensified. This led to the fact that the Pskov-Caves Monastery is gradually becoming not only a place of salvation for Christian souls, not only a missionary and educational center, but also a powerful fortress of northwestern Rus'.
In the summer of 1581, a hundred thousandth Polish-Lithuanian army moved to Pskov. The guard troops stationed in the Pechersk fortress-monastery intercepted enemy detachments, convoys with weapons, marching towards the besieged city.
On October 29, the angry Polish king Stefan Batory sent a large army to the monastery, the defenders of which were only two or three hundred archers who were resettled from Moscow and laid the foundation for Pechersky Posad.
On November 5, enemy troops fired cannons at the monastery and smashed the wall near the Church of the Annunciation. An enemy detachment immediately rushed here. Now only the military force could not save the monastery, and then the monks brought to the break the main monastery shrine - the ancient icon of the Assumption of the Mother of God. All the besieged fervently prayed to the Intercessor of the Christian race, and the Mother of God heard their prayers. The battle continued until late at night, but all attacks were repelled.
The chronicle also tells of other miraculous events in which God's special mercy to the monastery was revealed. Jan Piotrovsky, secretary of the field office of Batory, priest Yan Piotrovsky, wrote in his diary: “The Germans are unlucky in Pechory, there were two assaults and both were unfortunate. They break through a breach in the wall, go on an attack, and then no further from their place. This surprises everyone, some say that the place is enchanted, others say that the place is holy, but in any case, the deeds of the monks are worthy of admiration.”
The miraculous icons of the Mother of God “Assumption” and “Tenderness” were sent to the defenders of Pskov, inspiring them to feats of arms: during the 5 months of the siege, the enemy stormed the Pskov Kremlin more than 30 times, but did not take the city.
In memory of this miraculous deliverance, the grateful people of Pechersk every year on the 7th week of Easter went in procession with the miraculous icon “Tenderness” to Pskov. In 1998, the tradition of the procession was renewed (only the icon is now transferred inside the monastery - from the Assumption to the Mikhailovsky Church and back).
At the beginning of the 17th century, the monastery survived many attacks by Swedish, Lithuanian and Polish conquerors, who took advantage of the internal difficulties of the Russian state and rampaged on its western borders.
In 1701, Peter I ordered to enclose the monastery with an earthen rampart and a deep moat filled with water (the remains of the earthen fortifications of the Petrine era have survived to this day). At the most important points, 5 bastions were built, and a battery was placed at the gate. The Pechersk Fortress received the status of a national one: as a sign of this, the state emblem was installed on the main fortress Nikolskaya tower.
In 1703, thanks to new fortifications, a small detachment under the command of the voivode Ivan Nazimov managed to repulse the attack of the 2,000-strong Swedish army. This was the last battle at the walls of the monastery. The Treaty of Nystadt (1721) pushed the country's border to the west and put an end to the defensive mission of the Pskov-Caves Monastery.
In 1812, the Russian land was again threatened by the conqueror. The rapidly advancing Napoleonic troops occupied Polotsk. The threat of occupation also hung over Pskov. Then, at the request of the people of Pskov, the icons of the Mother of God “Assumption” and “Tenderness”, a banner with the image of the Savior Not Made by Hands, were brought to the city from the monastery. On October 7, a religious procession was made with miraculous shrines. On the same day, Russian troops recaptured Polotsk, Pskov was out of danger. In memory of this event, on the initiative of the war hero, Field Marshal P. Kh. Wittgenstein, a temple was erected in the Pechersk Monastery in honor of the Holy Archangel of God Michael (1815-1827).
Holy spring in the monastery 
Monastery during the Great Patriotic War
On June 22, 1941, the Great Patriotic War began. Fascist troops were rapidly advancing across the Baltic. In a hurry, all Soviet organizations in the city of Pechora were evacuated to the rear. The Germans entered the city.
The monastery continued to be under double subordination: to Metropolitan Alexander (Paulus) of Tallinn and Metropolitan Sergius (Voskresensky), Exarch of the Baltic States.
Changes took place in the monastery during 1941: Archimandrite Parthenius retired due to old age, although he still continued to carry out the obedience of the steward. He was a wonderful business executive and a man of great soul. Father Partheny's favorite expression was: "Glory to God for everything!" Before the departure of Father Parthenius, Abbot Pavel only helped him, but then all the troubles associated with the occupation fell on the shoulders of one father Pavel, who was also already in advanced years.
Rector Hegumen Pavel (in the world Pyotr Mikhailovich Gorshkov) was born in St. Petersburg in 1867 into the family of a second guild merchant. Graduated from the 4th grade of elementary school. In 1884 he entered as a novice in Sergiev Pustyn near St. Petersburg. In 1888 he took monastic vows, after which he fought a good feat for thirty years in the same desert. In 1919 he served as a regimental priest in the northwestern army, commanded by General Rodzianko, and took spiritual care of the wounded in the Narva hospital. Further, by the providence of God, he was sent to obedience to Estonia - as a priest in Yuryev, then as a confessor in the Pyukhtitsky convent, then again to the parishes - in Tapa and Mustvey, and from 1937 he held the position of dean and assistant Rector in the Pskov-Caves Monastery.
By nature, Father Pavel was very active and compassionate towards people. In the very first year of the Great Patriotic War, he became Rector.
These years (1941-1945) were as difficult for the monastery as the period of the civil war. Entering this period, the brethren placed special hope on the Heavenly Abbess - the Most Holy Theotokos. Life consisted of daily prayer and work to preserve the monastery. A striking illustration of this is the document, the text of which we reproduce below in full:
“His Eminence His Eminence Vladyka Alexander Metropolitan of Tallinn.
No. 177 20.IX.41 / sent.
With this respectfully, after a long silence, I greet you with all the brothers in Christ with the mercy of God - after anxious experiences, mentally before you, we ask you to bless. Blessings and St. prayers.
Lord Holy! For your St. prayers, the Lady saved us healthy and unharmed, except for Fr. I. Alexy Smirnov on Mustishchevo.
All the temples of God and everything in them are also safe and sound, as well as the sacristy and everything in it that is behind three seals: Soviet, monastic, German. Worship has always been going on. We are amazed at the care of our Heavenly Abbess for us, that even the keys to the Sacristy taken by the Soviet authorities on October 21st. past 1940, Pecher was returned to us. city. Council on 13.VIII, which was found by the son of the chairman of the Uyezdny stove. Councils in the Alatskivi castle near Peipus.
We have not yet gone to the sacristy, we consider this to be the best ... besides, we do not have an inventory, which is only available to Mr. Vaga, who checked it, O. Ig. Agathon, but her comrades took it too, only a little household equipment was damaged, i.e. we were forced to sell a horse, 4 cows, hay, straw, harness and agricultural tools very cheaply. All furnishings have been removed from the prior's house. The temples did not have taxation, but they paid very dearly for the fraternal premises and in total more than 4,000 rubles were paid.
By the grace of God, the necessary repairs were made... On the south side of the Mikhailovsky Cathedral, wooden feet were made and 200 boards of 2 inches were prepared for the floor of the Assumption Cathedral.
Father Pavel was sent to Pskov with our products for the starving on 9.VIII. and for worship - at the request of the faithful. (* Letter, ref. No. 177 dated 09/20/1941. Copy. Archive of the Pskov-Caves Monastery.)
During the war period, hegumen Pavel not only served Divine services and preached, worked on the monastery’s economy, but most importantly, he helped prisoners of war and the elderly. Let's turn to the documents and memories of eyewitnesses.
“Entrance No. 112. 19.VIII. 41
Father Paul! I beg you, visit the almshouse, show mercy to unfortunate useless people. After all, think, from hunger, one jumped out of the window, died yesterday, while others ask to be poisoned.
I really hope that you will not refuse my request.
Sofia Dmitrievna Petrova from Pskov. Almshouse in Zavelichye.
In response to this cry for help, Abbot Pavel, after Divine Liturgy, from the church pulpit, makes an appeal to the people for help to the sick, the elderly, and prisoners of war. The parishioners of the monastery responded to the call of Father Superior Pavel. Products are collected. And we read further:
"No. 139 23.VIII.41
Certification that one hundred and eleven (111) poods are sent from the Pechersk Monastery to the city of Pskov on 4 carts, namely: 12 bags of bread - 25 poods, 7 sacks of rye flour - 25 poods, 1 sack of white flour 1 pood., cereals 3 bags - 3 poods, crackers 5 mesh. - 6 pounds, 4 bags and a basket of vegetables - 8 pounds, 12 bags. Potatoes - 43 pounds, 197 eggs, 5 kilos of meat.
Assistant Rector Hieromonk Pavel Gorshkov.
P.S. left in the monastery of the 3rd bag of potatoes, p.ch. did not fit on 4 carts.
In total, 153 pounds were sent from the Holy Caves Monastery to Pskov for the starving, namely: 8.VIII - 42 pounds, accompanied by Fr. Pavel, and on August 23 - 111 pounds were accompanied by Shirokova Anastasia Ilyinichna and Bystrika Natalya Afanasyevna.
Drivers are free: Kurnosov Nikolai Vasilyevich.
The above documents are only a small part of the social work that the Pskov-Caves Monastery carried out during the years of occupation.
To complete the picture of Abbot Paul's ministry, let's cite the testimonies of eyewitnesses who knew him.
Georgy Alexandrovich Pechnikov, a resident of the city of Pechory, says: “I know of a case in 1943 when one of the monks hid the partisan Rinusov in the monastery. Later he died, but to this day his relative Rinusova Elena Alekseevna (actually Viktorovna) is still alive, who can confirm this. )
Elena Viktorovna Rinusova, a resident of the city of Pechory, adds: “I was born and raised in the city of Pechory. I remember Pyotr Mikhailovich Gorshkov (Father Pavel) quite well... The monastery was engaged in charitable work, and Gorshkov P.M. well enough and could isolate something from the products) and transferred it to hospitals, camps. In particular, there was a prisoner-of-war camp near the city, where the Maisky microdistrict is now located, and part of the food was taken there. I do not know that there was a partisan movement in the city and the region, the facts of the assistance of the monastery workers to the partisans or, conversely, the extradition of partisans who sympathized to the Germans or Omakaitse are still unknown. Soviet power. True, there was talk that someone hid a relative on the side of her husband in the monastery, but I don’t know any details of this ... I can definitely say that he (Hegumen Pavel) had no dealings with the invaders or Omakaitse and was not a police officer. (*St. Petersburg Diocesan Gazette. Issue 26-27, 2002, p. 185.)
The Mother of God is the patroness of the Pskov-Pechersk monastery and the Pskov region. This was especially evident during the Great Patriotic War. The Holy Dormition Pskov-Caves Monastery is one of the few Russian Orthodox monasteries that did not interrupt their prayerful standing before God in the 20th century.
And although neither the revolution nor the war spared the monastery (in May 1945 it lay literally in ruins), the work and prayer of the monastic brethren overcame yet another devastation and again led the monastery to beautification and magnificence.
The wounds of the war were slowly healing. There were thirty-three brethren: two archimandrites, hegumen Anatoly, nine hieromonks, elder Simeon, four hierodeacons, six monks, and ten novices.
The prayers of the brethren during the Great Patriotic War for the victory of the Russian army and people were heard by God through the intercession of the Most Holy Theotokos. Even seemingly unbelieving officers felt and appreciated the prayers of the brethren of the Pskov-Caves Monastery.
Monastery in the 20th century and today
In the 20th century, the monastery, together with the Fatherland, had to go through two wars. But the ancient traditions, carefully preserved in the monastery, were not violated even in the most terrible times for Russian monasticism. Through the prayers of the Most Pure Theotokos, the Pskov-Caves Monastery, by the providence of God, was assigned to bourgeois Estonia by the agreement of 1922 and remained there until 1940, whereby it was saved from general ruin and desecration.
The disasters that befell our Fatherland during the Great Patriotic War did not bypass the monastery. The Refectory and Fraternal building, the wall of St. Michael's Cathedral were destroyed. Other temples also suffered from artillery shelling.
In the post-war years, the efforts to put the monastic economy in order largely fell to the share of Archimandrite Pimen, the abbot of the monastery from 1949 to 1954, who later became the Patriarch of Moscow and All Rus'. His works were continued by Archimandrite Alipy - a warrior and an artist (1959-1975). Under him, in 1960, the restoration of the fortress walls and towers began (since 1688, after a devastating fire, they stood uncovered, gradually collapsing).
During the difficult time of the war, the monastery was headed by hegumen Pavel (Gorshkov). After the release of Pechory, he was arrested, sentenced to 15 years and died in a prison hospital at the age of 80. For many years, tourists who visited the monastery were told about his imaginary collaboration with the Nazis. Only 52 years later, Abbot Pavel was rehabilitated. Then, in the first year of the war, the brethren did not accidentally choose him as their governor. Thanks to the subtle and clever line of behavior he chose with the occupation regime, the monastery with all its values and shrines has been preserved, the brethren have been preserved. Moreover, relying on the mercy of God, he strengthened others with his faith, organized food assistance to the captured Red Army soldiers in the camp point No. 134 of Pskov, the sick and the elderly of the Pskov Home for the Invalids and the almshouse on Zavelichye. There is also evidence that Soviet intelligence officers hid in the monastery caves during the war. One of them, when visiting the monastery in 1984, personally confirmed this fact.
Thus, even in the last war, the holy monastery-fortress remained an unquenchable lamp Orthodox faith, a reliable support for our compatriots to withstand this difficult time for the whole country.
The monastery also became famous in peaceful years for the spiritual exploits of its inhabitants, through whose prayers the mercy of God to those who seek heavenly solace at the Pechersk shrines does not fail. Throughout the existence of the monastery, the fire of senile service has not been extinguished in it. All who came for spiritual comfort and advice found such in conversations with great prayer books.
When the family of Emperor Nicholas II visited the Pechersk Monastery, the latter had a spiritual conversation with Elder Theodosius, who was then ascetic in the monastery.
entrance to the caves 
With the diligence of the next rector (1988-1992), Archimandrite Pavel (Ponomarev), now Metropolitan of Ryazan and Mikhailovsky, the monastery library, which was kept in Tartu, returned to the monastery, new buildings of the hospital, icon-painting, restoration and sewing workshops were built, a House of Mercy for lonely elderly people was built in the city people returned to the monastery 100 hectares of arable land.
Archimandrite Roman (Zherebtsov), the vicegerent, continued the reconstruction of the monastery buildings and churches, built a wooden fraternal building with his care, and started covering the fortress walls and towers with copper.
At present, Archimandrite Tikhon (Secretarev), the abbot of the monastery since 1995, continues the pious tradition of his predecessors to preserve the monastery charter and improve and decorate the monastery. The construction of a fraternal stone building near the tower of the Lower Lattices with a bathhouse and a laundry has been completed, work has been completed on covering the fortress walls with copper, construction of an economic complex is underway, the domes of temples, murals on the facade of the Assumption Church have been restored, restoration has been carried out in St. Michael's Church.
Its centuries-old traditions are carefully preserved in the monastery. With the blessing of His Holiness, His Holiness Patriarch Alexy II of Moscow and All Rus', locally venerated saints were included in the All-Russian calendar reverend fathers Mark, Jonah, reverend mother Vassa. Since 1994, the memory of the venerable fathers of the Pskov-Caves has been celebrated in the monastery on the 4th week after Pentecost, and in 1998 the celebration in honor of the miraculous icon of the Mother of God “Tenderness”, performed on the 7th week after Pascha, has been restored. For the first time in many years (since the beginning of the twentieth century) in July 2000 miraculous icon Mother of God "Tenderness" of Pskov-Caves visited Pskov for the consecration of the chapel in honor of St. equal to ap. book. Olga.
The monastery continues catechizing and publishing activities.
On the shores of Lake Pskov, the monastery opened the Lakeside Skete. The construction of the monastery skete began on the shore of Lake Malskoye.
In the monastery, by the grace of God, the lamps of true piety do not go out. The now deceased archimandrites - John (Krestyankin), Feofan (Molyavko), Nathanael (Pospelov), Schema-Archimandrite Alexander (Vasiliev) - marvelous elders, whom almost everyone knows now Orthodox world. Archimandrite Adrian (Kirsanov), who is still alive today, is a living tradition of the Church, holy Orthodoxy and humble monastic life.
All spiritual, educational activities of the monastery are led by His Eminence Eusebius, Metropolitan of Pskov and Velikoluksky, Hieroarchimandrite of the Holy Dormition Pskov-Caves Monastery with the Spiritual Council of the Elders, blessing and consecrating the work of the monks.
And grant, Lord, that through the prayerful intercession of the Most Pure Mother of God, the tradition of the Pechersk asceticism will not be stopped, so that the monastery will continue to remain a bright embodiment of the ideal of Orthodox Holy Rus'.
TEMPLE AND MONASTERY DEVICE
Belfry of the Church of St. Nicholas Vratar
It was built according to the design of the Monk Cornelius no later than 1565 during the construction of the fortress walls around the monastery. The church is connected to one of the battle towers of the fortress wall.
Big belfry
To the east of the Assumption Cathedral, along the same line, on the site is the main monastery bell tower, or belfry, made of stone from several pillars, placed in one line, from west to east.
The Great Belfry is one of the largest architectural structures of this type (like the belfry of the Novgorod Sophia Cathedral, the belfries of the Church of the Epiphany and the Paromenskaya Assumption Church in Pskov).
It has six main spans (ringings) and the seventh, added later, due to which a second tier is formed, as it were.
The collection of bells of the Pskov-Caves Monastery is one of the most significant both in Pskov land and in North-Western Russia.
St. Michael's Cathedral 
St. Michael's Cathedral
Sretenskaya Church
Built in 1540 as a refectory; rebuilt as a temple in 1867-70. (moreover, the basement, which once housed the kitchen and utility rooms, remained untouched). A major overhaul was carried out in 1924.
Sacristy
Walls and towers
The fortress with six towers and three gates was built in 1558-1565 as a border fortress during the Livonian War near the Livonian fortress of Neuhausen. Four more towers were later built. The fortress withstood a two-month siege by a detachment of troops of Stefan Batory and a Hungarian detachment under the command of Bornemissa in 1581, and subsequently repeatedly participated in border hostilities until the end of the Northern War in 1721.
Tower of the Upper Lattices - next to the Tailovskaya Tower, above the ravine and the Kamenets stream flowing along its bottom. In the lower part of the tower there is a small stone arch through which the waters of the stream enter the fortress. The stone arch or vault was closed with an iron grate so that the besiegers would not use the stream to penetrate the fortress. The lattice gave the name to the tower itself. Despite the fact that the tower of the Upper Grids stands at the bottom of the ravine, it is the highest in the Pechora Fortress, and its highest point reaches a height of 25 meters. Behind the walls are hidden 6 battle tiers with loopholes and wide chambers for installing cannons. The tent of the tower is crowned with a watch platform - a guardhouse, a guard hut, from which the approaches to the fortress and the surrounding area are clearly visible. From the tower, like wings, parts of the walls diverge - spinning, connecting the towers, placed on the banks of the ravine, into one whole. This section of the military fortifications looks especially picturesque from the tourist site, located almost opposite the tower of the Upper Grids.
The tower of the lower bars, as well as the tower of the upper bars, is placed at the bottom of the ravine, downstream of the stream, and closes the northeastern arc of the fortress wall. The stream here becomes wider and deeper than where it enters the fortress. The Tower of the Lower Grids has four combat tiers. On each of the three lower ones there are four loopholes with wide combat chambers. On the topmost tier there are seven loopholes. Their location made it possible to take control of almost all directions of possible attacks. In addition, on the third tier there was an exit to the fortress wall. This detail is very important, because next to the tower there is a lower gate. To strengthen the protection of the gate, loopholes were installed above them in the fortress wall, between which there is an icon case with the image of the Savior.
entrance to the monastery 
HOW TO GET THERE
By train to Pskov, then from the Bus Station (200 m from the railway station) by bus to Pechory.
Bus schedule Pskov-Pechora:
OOO "Niva"
GPPO "Pskovpassazhiravtotrans" (via Old Izborsk) bus number 207
Attention! On Sundays, a new route is opened, especially convenient for those who are going to leave on Sunday from Pechory to Pskov with a stop at St. Izborsk and audio tour along the entire route.
Coordinates:
Latitude: 57°48?35.18?N (57.809773)
Longitude: 27°36?45.32?E (27.612589)
PILGRIMAGE SERVICE
Pilgrimage center: 181500 Pskov region, Pechory, st. Yurievskaya, 82
The pilgrimage center "House of the Pilgrim" of the Holy Dormition Pskov-Caves Monastery was opened on June 1, 2012 on the territory of a former military unit. The cells in the buildings are designed to accommodate 4 or more people.
Meal - 2 times a day: lunch - from 13.15 to 14.00, dinner - from 21.00 to 22.00.
The term of stay in the Pilgrimage Center is no more than 3 days.
Accommodation, meals and tours of the monastery - on a donation.
Questions on accommodation of 1-6 people are resolved by the person responsible for the resettlement of pilgrims by phone: +7-911-369-76-48.
By accommodation groups (from 7 people):
We ask you to inform in advance about the date of arrival of the group, the time of stay and the number of pilgrims in the form of a petition by e-mail:
[email protected]
Phone/Fax for information: 8-811-48-23-227
+7-911-890-21-63
Skype: dompalppm
Guided tours for residents of the Pilgrim's House:
Phone/fax 8-81148-2-18-39
mob. tel. +79118877111
e-mail: [email protected]
Saint Reverend Cornelius of Pskov-Caves 
PECHORY TODAY
Pechory all these years continue to be decorated. In the 1980s, with the blessing of Metropolitan John (Razumov), Archimandrite Gabriel (Steblyuchenko 1975-1988), now Bishop of Blagoveshchensk and Tyndinsky, carried out restoration work: the painting of the temple walls was updated, the restoration of the monastery walls, begun under Archimandrite Alipia, was completed. A new fraternal corps was built. In the St. Nicholas Church, a chapel was built in honor of the Monk Martyr Cornelius. The premises of the bakery and the library have been renovated.
Through the diligence of the next rector (1988-1992), Archimandrite Pavel (Ponomarev), now Bishop of Vienna and Budapest, the monastery library, which had been stored in Tartu, returned to the monastery, new buildings of the hospital, icon-painting, restoration and sewing workshops were built. The city has a House of Mercy for lonely elderly people. 100 hectares of arable land were returned to the monastery.
Archimandrite Roman (Zherebtsov), the vicegerent, continued the reconstruction of the monastery buildings and churches, built a wooden fraternal building with his care, and started covering the fortress walls and towers with copper.
At present, Archimandrite Tikhon (Secretarev), the abbot of the monastery since 1995, continues the tradition of his predecessors to preserve the monastery charter and improve and decorate the monastery. The construction of a fraternal stone building near the tower of the Lower Lattices with a bathhouse and a laundry was completed, work was completed on covering the fortress walls with copper. Construction of an economic complex is underway. The domes of the temples, the paintings on the facade of the Assumption Church were restored, restoration was carried out in the Mikhailovsky Church.
With the blessing of His Holiness, His Holiness Patriarch Alexy II of Moscow and All Rus', the locally venerated Venerable Fathers Mark, Jonah, and the Venerable Mother Vassa were included in the All-Russian Saints.
Since 1994, in the monastery on the 4th week after Pentecost, the memory of the venerable fathers of the Pskov-Caves is celebrated, and in 1998 the celebration in honor of the miraculous icon of the Mother of God “Tenderness”, performed on the 7th week after Easter, was restored. For the first time in many years (since the beginning of the 20th century), in July 2000, the miraculous icon of the Mother of God “Tenderness” of Pskov-Caves visited Pskov for the consecration of a chapel in honor of St. Equal-to-the-Apostles Princess Olga.
The monastery continues catechizing and publishing activities. Weekly Pechora schoolchildren gather for classes Sunday school and iconographic class. Many sing in the children's and youth choir.
On the shores of Lake Pskov, the monastery opened the Lakeside Skete. The monastic skete is also being beautified on the shores of Lake Malskoye. 
Lamps of Faith
The monastery also became famous in peaceful years for the spiritual exploits of its inhabitants, through whose prayers the mercy of God to those who seek heavenly solace at the Pechersk shrines does not fail. Throughout the existence of the monastery, the fire of senile service has not been extinguished in it. All those who came for spiritual comfort and advice found such in conversations with great prayer books.
One of these luminaries of the Orthodox faith was the Monk Hieroschemamonk Lazarus, who labored as a hermit in the late 18th and early 19th centuries.
When the family of Tsar Nicholas II visited the monastery, the latter had a spiritual conversation with Elder Theodosius, who was then ascetic in the monastery.
Hieroschemamonk Simeon (Zhelnin) served God and people for more than 60 years, spiritually nourishing not only the brethren, but also numerous laity, pilgrims who came to him for spiritual advice. A separate book has been published about his life, in which the reader will find many testimonies of the elder's miraculous prayerful help.
On April 1, 2003, Hieroschemamonk Simeon was glorified as a saint. Schema-archimandrites Agapius (Agapov), Pimen (Gavrilenko) continued the feat of senile service in the 60s and 70s.
After the Great Patriotic War, elders from Valaam came to the Pskov-Pechersk monastery, transported from the holy island to Finland before the war. Hieroschemamonks Michael (Pitkevich), Luka (Zemskov) and other elders were, as it were, a spiritual bridge connecting Old Valaam and the holy Pechersk monastery.
Temple architecture and decoration
Year after year, century after century, the Pskov-Caves Monastery turned into an outstanding historical and cultural monument.
Fortified monastery walls with 9 towers and a total length of about 810 meters surround the magnificent architectural ensemble formed by a number of temples. The oldest of them, the Assumption Cathedral, was excavated in the mountain, only the northern wall facing the monastery was made of stone. Here, in the central part of the temple is placed main shrine monastery - an ancient miraculous icon of the Assumption of the Mother of God (1521).
The iconostasis (3rd quarter of the 17th century) is decorated with carvings; The royal doors are made in the form of a trunk entwined with a vine. The upper part of the inonostasis is, as it were, branches and leaves, between which, instead of flowers or fruits, small oval icons of the Mother of God, apostles and prophets are inserted. Near the deaf southern wall of the temple, a deep niche was arranged; a shrine with the relics of St. Cornelius.
In the 18th century, in 1759, a temple in honor of the Intercession of the Most Holy Theotokos was consecrated over the cathedral Assumption Church in 1759, on the site of the monastery's "judicial chamber". On the days of the patronal feast of the Assumption of the Mother of God, when small churches cannot accommodate many pilgrims, solemn worship is performed in the open air, and then the facade of the Assumption and Intercession churches serves as an iconostasis, the square in front of the ambo cathedral, the slopes of the hills and the fortress wall as the walls of the temple, and the dome it becomes the sky.
Also, other ancient miraculous images Mother of God: “Tenderness” (a copy from the icon of the “Vladimir” Mother of God) and “Hodegetria” (brought from Smolensk), the Kazan Icon of the Mother of God located in the monastery since the 17th century, a carved image of St. Nicholas (“Nikola Mozhaisky”, 16th century) from Nicholas Church and many other icons.
In the St. Michael's Church, the right hand is kept in a special ark ( right hand) St. mch. Tatiana, transferred to the monastery in 1977 by the brother of Archimandrite Athanasius (Moskvitin) Hieromonk Vladimir (Moskvitin). Archimandrite Athanasius this shrine was given at one time by the pious spouses of an eminent family, his spiritual children, who later became monks. During the ruin of the Tsarskoye Selo Palace, they managed to buy the shrine and save it for veneration.
Assumption Cave Temple with Pokrovsky
The domes of the Assumption Church are arranged according to the type of heads of the Kiev-Pechersk Lavra (in the style of "Ukrainian baroque"). There are five of them, dark blue with gold stars. The domes are arranged in one line on the slope of the roof, as if going down towards the worshipers. Above the entrance to the Assumption Cathedral is a large Kiev-Pechersk icon of the Mother of God with the saints of St. Anthony and Theodosius of the Kiev Caves, in their honor the chapel of the cathedral was consecrated in 1523, and rebuilt in the middle of the 18th century.
To the east of the Assumption Cathedral stands a two-story church, rare for Pskov architecture, in honor of the Annunciation of the Most Holy Theotokos. It was erected in 1541 under Abbot Cornelius. A large refectory chamber adjoins the temple. In 1870, an altar was set up in it, and it was consecrated as a temple in honor of the Presentation of the Lord. Opposite the Assumption Cathedral, a small temple was built at the turn of the 18th-19th centuries in the name of the holy righteous Lazarus of the Four Days; in the building adjacent to it there is a monastic clinic.
At the top of the slope of the ravine, north of the Assumption Church, stands the majestic St. Michael's Cathedral.
In 1986, a wooden church was consecrated on the Holy Mountain in honor of the Pskov-Caves saints.
Almost in the very center of the monastic ensemble above the artesian well, a chapel was built in 1911, decorated with images of Russian saints. Panikhidas are held here every day from early spring to late autumn. Not far from the chapel is another monastic well, which has long been revered by pilgrims and named by them in honor of the Monk Martyr Cornelius "Kornilievsky". Water is taken from it for blessing prayers.
The monastery belfry that adorns Uspenskaya Square was built in the 16th century. in place of the old wooden one (1523). It has six different sizes - in accordance with the size of the bells-openings. All bells are made by Pskov craftsmen, decorated with ornaments, animal figurines, relief inscriptions. The polyeleos bell donated by Ivan the Terrible (1562) weighs 3 tons, the Budnichny (hour) bell donated by Boris Godunov (1591) weighs 2 tons. Big bell - gift of Peter the Great (1690) - 4 tons. Large bells are swayed from the ground with the help of yokes.
Adjacent to the bell tower is a clock tower built in the early 18th century. The clock mechanism is connected to the bells; every quarter of an hour small bells chime, and the "Godunov" bell strikes the clock.
Holy Caves
The holy caves of the monastery enjoy special reverence. The entrance to the caves is next to the Assumption Cathedral. An ancient inscription has been restored above the entrance: “Caves created by God”. In a niche, at the entrance to the caves, is the coffin of St. Vassa. On the left, in a chapel-like room, are the tombs of St. Mark, Jonah, and Lazarus.
From the entrance there are seven underground galleries, the so-called "streets", which at different times lengthened and expanded. The walls near the entrance are lined with bricks for strength. The air temperature here invariably stays around +5C. The exact number of burials has not been established, because with numerous sieges, this was difficult to do. There is reason to believe that more than 10 thousand people are buried there.
In the walls of the caves there are ceramic and limestone slabs with inscriptions, the so-called ceramides - a valuable historical monument of the Pskov region. The names of representatives of the glorious Slavic families of the Suvorovs, Rtishchevs, Nashchokins, Buturlins, Mstislavskys are found in gravestone inscriptions; here lie the ancestors of the poets A. S. Pushkin, A. N. Pleshcheev, the commander M. I. Kutuzov, the composer M. P. Mussorgsky.
Representatives of the ancient Simansky family, who gave the Russian Orthodox Church Patriarch Alexy I of Moscow and All Rus'. Hierarchs were also buried here, including the outstanding Orthodox hierarch Metropolitan Veniamin (Fedchenkov).
Shortly before the start of World War II, the Church of the Resurrection of Christ was restored in the caves.
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SOURCE OF INFORMATION AND PHOTO:
Team Nomads
http://www.pskovo-pechersky-monastery.ru
http://pechori.ru/
Dokuchaev I. A. Pechory in the palm of your hand. Guide to the monuments of antiquity in the photographs of S. Gavrilova. Pskov, 2002 - 112 p.: ill.
Coachmen S. Archimandrite Alipiy. Human. Artist. Warrior. Hegumen. M.: Moscow, 2004. - 488 p. ISBN 5-98637-004-X
Soykin P.P. The Pskov-Caves Monastery in the Pskov district // Orthodox Russian monasteries: A complete illustrated description of Orthodox Russian monasteries in the Russian Empire and on Athos. - St. Petersburg: Resurrection, 1994. - S. 172-174. — 712 p. — 20,000 copies. — ISBN 5-88335-001-1.
Pskov-Pechersky-Assumption Monastery // encyclopedic Dictionary Brockhaus and Efron: In 86 volumes (82 volumes and 4 additional). - St. Petersburg, 1890-1907.
http://www.photosight.ru/
photo Vyacheslav Makarov, K. Nikiforov.
