In which monastery the walls are covered with paintings of Dionysius. Ferapontov Monastery. Photo and description

Ferapontov Monastery, lost in the forests near White Lake, was founded in 1398 by the monk of the Moscow Simonov Monastery Ferapont. Known around the world as Fedor, he was born in Volokolamsk into a family of nobles, the Poskochins. From his youth, dreaming of a monastic life, he secretly left home and took monastic vows at the Simonov Monastery.

The abbot often gave him various assignments. One day he sent Ferapont to the distant Belozersk side. The harsh and brooding Russian North captivated the young monk. The thirst for desert solitude in the silence of the northern forests seized him. Returning to the Simonov Monastery, he shared his thoughts with the Monk Kirill, the future Kirill of Belozersky. “Is there a place on White Lake where a monk can be silent?” - asked Kirill. “There are many of them,” answered Ferapont. The die was cast: Cyril and Ferapont decided to go into the desert.

Having chosen a place on the shore of Lake Siverskoye, they erected a cross here and dug dugouts for themselves. After living with Cyril for some time, Ferapont went in search of solitude and settled on the shores of Lake Borodavskoye, in a “spacious and smooth” place. Soon other monks began to come here, wanting to share his desert life. In 1409, Ferapont built a wooden church in the name of the Nativity of the Virgin Mary. This is how the Ferapontov Monastery arose.

The lands of Belozerye were part of the inheritance of Prince Andrei Dmitrievich Mozhaisky. Having heard about the new monastery, he sent here a gift of utensils for the temple and granted land to the monastery. Soon the princely governor, having arrived from Beloozero to Mozhaisk, told the prince about the exploits of the Monk Ferapont. Having long wanted to build a monastery near Mozhaisk, Prince Andrey invited Ferapont to his place. Leaving the monastery, Ferapont went to Mozhaisk, where he founded the Luzhetsky Monastery and where he died at the age of 90 on May 27, 1426.

Ferapont's successor was Abbot Martinian, a prominent church figure of the 15th century. Thanks to his labors, the monastery began to grow, becoming a major center of education. Martinian was especially fond of bookmaking and copied books himself. Under him, the beginning of an extensive monastery library was laid. The famous church writer Pachomius Logofet, who visited Ferapontovo in 1461, wrote that the monastery “is very beautiful, the brethren who work have a lot of property.” Throughout the 15th century, the monastery was a major spiritual center. A whole galaxy of famous educators and scribes emerged from its walls.

The solitude and remoteness of the monastery made it a residence for exiles of high clergy. The first of them was Archbishop of Rostov Joasaph (Obolensky). In 1488, after a quarrel with Ivan III, he was exiled to Ferapontovo. Joasaph lived in the monastery for about twenty-five years, spending his last years in complete silence. He died in 1513 and was buried next to the Monk Martinian, whom he considered his mentor.

Some time after Archbishop Joasaph appeared in Ferapontovo, there was a severe fire in the monastery, during which a holy fool named Galaktion saved the entire treasury of the archbishop. With these miraculously surviving funds, the Cathedral of the Nativity of the Virgin Mary was built in 1490. It became the second stone building in Belozero after the Cathedral of the Kirillo-Belozersky Monastery.

The Cathedral Church of the Nativity of the Virgin Mary of the Ferapont Monastery is a strict single-domed building, traditional for Russian northern monasteries, in which the traditions of the Novgorod-Pskov school of stone architecture of the 15th century are felt. The cathedral is very sparsely decorated. A massive bell-shaped dome with a small dome at the end rises above the temple on a wide drum. The cathedral is surrounded by a covered stone gallery, which is adjoined on the western side by a square, single-tier bell tower, covered with a low tent.

Twelve years after the construction of the cathedral, in 1502, the famous painter Dionysius and his sons came to Ferapontovo to paint the cathedral. “In the summer of the 7010s (1502) of the month of August at 6 on the Transfiguration of our Lord Jesus Christ, the signing of the church began quickly, and was completed on the 2nd summer of the month on September 9... And the scribes were Dionysius the iconographer with his children. O Lord Christ, King of all, deliver them, O Lord, from eternal torment,” reads the ancient inscription on the northern wall of the Cathedral of the Nativity of the Virgin.

The cathedral church of the Ferapontov Monastery with frescoes of Dionysius has long been included in the treasury of domestic and world art. Numerous scientific studies and photo albums published all over the world are devoted to the frescoes of Dionysius; information about them can be found in any publication telling about ancient Russian painting.

“In the art of Dionysius,” wrote M.V. Alpatov, “there is a lot of spirituality, moral nobility, subtlety of feelings, and this connects him with the best traditions of Rublev.” Dionysius, like Andrei Rublev, sought to create icons that seemed to radiate light. But at the same time, “he has that element of solemnity and pomp that was unknown and alien to Rublev and his contemporaries.” The latter is not surprising - Dionysius worked a lot in the Moscow Kremlin and adopted the spirit of representativeness and splendor that established itself in Moscow when the Grand Duke began to be called “the sovereign of all Rus'.”

The date of birth of Dionysius is considered to be 1440. The successor of Andrei Rublev’s work, a brilliant painter, whom his contemporaries called “the beginning of the artist,” “glorious above all,” worked a lot in Moscow and monasteries near Moscow. In 1467-1476, he painted frescoes and icons in the Pafnutievo Borovsky Monastery, in 1481 he painted the Assumption Cathedral of the Moscow Kremlin, then he worked in the Moscow Spaso-Chigasov Monastery and in the Kremlin Resurrection Monastery, after 1485 he painted icons for the Church of the Assumption of Our Lady of Joseph of Volokolamsk monastery, in 1500 - in the Pavlo-Obnorsky monastery. In 1502, Dionysius, together with his sons Theodosius, Vladimir and Andrei, created one of the most perfect ensembles of Russian medieval art - the frescoes of the Cathedral of the Nativity of the Virgin Mary in the Ferapontov Monastery. By a happy coincidence, these frescoes are the main work of Dionysius that has survived to this day.

Unlike Andrei Rublev, Dionysius was not a monk. There is practically no ascetic beginning in his art. Based on the master’s works, one can judge that Dionysius was an educated man, knowledgeable in Russian history, who knew chronicles and hagiographic literature. The influence of Byzantium is also felt in his art. The paintings of Dionysius are distinguished by light, spiritual drawings, richness of colors, and skillful composition of the painting. “There is nothing sharp, impetuous, talkative, irrepressible in the art of Dionysius,” note art critics G. Bocharov and V. Vygolov. - His painting is deeply contemplative, suggestive, contemplative, as if responding to one of the provisions of the “Message to the Icon Painter,” a work of the second half of the 15th century, attributed to the pen of the famous figure of the Russian church Joseph Volotsky. It is necessary to worship icons, it says, because “we contemplate the spiritual for the sake of the iconic imagination... our mind and thought soar to Divine desire and love.” In Ferapontov’s paintings this inner enlightenment and love for man sounds precisely.”

The paintings cover the entire interior of the temple from floor to ceiling. Festiveness and elegance - this is the main mood that determines the impression that the cathedral’s paintings make on the viewer. So, in the scene of the wedding feast, the clothes of the feasters, according to P.P. Muratov, “light, festive, decorated with gold and silver brocade and stones, glowing with pink fire, greenery and azure. These are truly “wedding” clothes, and all the art of Dionysius on the walls of the Ferapontov Monastery seems to us to be clothed in such wedding “feast” clothes.” In the frescoes of Dionysius, grace and measure, harmony and nobility, harmony and light reign.

The Cathedral of the Ferapontov Monastery was painted, as recent research has proven, in just 34 days, and not in two years, as previously thought. The main theme of the frescoes is the unity of the visible and invisible world, the world of people and the world of “incorporeal heavenly forces.” They are kept in the spirit of the ancient rule: harmony, unity and nothing superfluous.

The frescoes of the Ferapontov Monastery amaze with the richness of colors and nobility of tones - soft pink, golden yellow, lilac, greenish, lilac-brown and reddish-brown. Despite some muted color, they create the impression of tenderness and transparency of the colors. For many years it was believed that colored pebbles and clays of different colors and shades, which can be found on the shores of Borodavskoye and Paskoye lakes and in the beds of streams flowing into them, were used as dyes for frescoes. These pebbles were crushed, ground and mixed with egg whites.

This legend even caused a wave of pilgrimage to Ferapontovo by artists from Moscow and other cities. They looked for similar pebbles and clays and prepared paints from them according to ancient recipes. But very recent studies conducted by specialists from the Research Institute of Restoration have proven that the beautiful story of how Dionysius searched for colorful pebbles along the shores of lakes and ground them to prepare paints is nothing more than a fairy tale. Most of the paints in the Nativity Cathedral are not of local origin, they were prepared using complex technology from European masters, and such paint could be bought either from overseas merchants or from Russian craftsmen who knew the secret of its preparation.

“The long-standing persistent desire to consider the paintings of Dionysius to be created from local materials is quite understandable,” writes art critic O. Lelekova. - The image of a medieval artist that emerges becomes consonant with the “epic-song” idea of ​​Russian art, where icon painting, and especially wall painting, are elevated to a completely special form of art, unlike anything else in the world. However, this image is unreliable, and there is no need to regret it. The artistic genius of Dionysius is undeniable even without poetic generalizations, which his European contemporaries did not need: Leonardo da Vinci, Giacomo Bellini, Holbein the Elder, Lucas Cranach...”

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Cathedral of the Nativity of the Virgin Mary of the Ferapontov Monastery

The Ferapontov Monastery, lost in the forests near White Lake, was founded in 1398 by the monk of the Moscow Simonov Monastery Ferapont. Known around the world as Fedor, he was born in Volokolamsk into a family of nobles, the Poskochins. From a young age, dreaming of a monastic life, he secretly left home and took monastic vows at the Simonov Monastery.

Cathedral of the Nativity of the Virgin Mary

The abbot often gave him various assignments. One day he sent Ferapont to the distant Belozersk side. The stern and brooding North captivated the young monk. The thirst for desert solitude in the silence of the northern forests seized him. Returning to the Simonov Monastery, he shared his thoughts with monk Kirill - the future Kirill Belozersky. “Is there a place on White Lake where a monk can be silent?”– Kirill asked. "There are a lot of them", answered Ferapont. The die was cast: Cyril and Ferapont decided to go into the desert.

Having chosen a place on the shore of Lake Siverskoye, they erected a cross here and dug dugouts for themselves. After living with Cyril for some time, Ferapont went in search of solitude and settled on the shores of Lake Borodavskoye, in a “spacious and smooth” place. Soon other monks began to come here, wanting to share his desert life. In 1409, Ferapont built a wooden church in the name of the Nativity of the Mother of God. This is how the Ferapontov Monastery arose.

The famous church writer Pachomius Logofet, who visited Ferapontovo in 1461, wrote that the monastery “Very red, the brethren who work have much property”. Throughout the 15th century, the monastery was a major spiritual center. A whole galaxy of famous educators and scribes emerged from its walls.

The solitude and remoteness of the monastery made it a residence for exiles of high clergy. The first of them was Archbishop of Rostov Joasaph (Obolensky). In 1488, after a quarrel with Ivan III, he was exiled to Ferapontovo. Joasaph lived in the monastery for about twenty-five years, spending his last years in complete silence.

Some time after Archbishop Joasaph appeared in Ferapontovo, there was a severe fire in the monastery, during which a holy fool named Galaktion saved the archbishop's treasury. With these miraculously surviving funds, the Cathedral of the Nativity of the Virgin Mary was built in 1490. It became the second stone building in Beloozerye (after the Cathedral of the Kirillo-Belozersky Monastery).

The Cathedral Church of the Nativity of the Virgin Mary of the Ferapont Monastery is a strict single-domed building, traditional for Russian northern monasteries, in which the traditions of the Novgorod-Pskov school of stone architecture of the 15th century are felt. The cathedral is very sparsely decorated. A massive bell-shaped dome with a small dome at the end rises above the temple on a wide drum. The cathedral is surrounded by a covered stone gallery, which is adjoined on the western side by a square, single-tier bell tower, covered with a low tent.

Twelve years after the construction of the cathedral, in 1502, the famous painter Dionysius and his sons came to Ferapontovo to paint the cathedral. “In the summer of the 7010s (1502) of the month of August at 6 on the Transfiguration of our Lord Jesus Christ, the signing of the church began quickly, and was completed on the 2nd summer of the month on September 9... And the scribes were Dionysius the iconographer with his children. O Lord Christ, King of all, deliver them, O Lord, from eternal torment,” reads the ancient inscription on the northern wall of the Cathedral of the Nativity of the Virgin.

The Cathedral of the Ferapontov Monastery with frescoes of Dionysius has long been included in the treasury of domestic and world art. Numerous scientific studies and photo albums published all over the world are devoted to the frescoes of Dionysius; information about them can be found in any publication devoted to ancient Russian painting.

Cathedral of the Nativity of the Virgin. Frescoes of the western facade

"In the art of Dionysius,– wrote M.V. Alpatov, – there is a lot of spirituality, moral nobility, subtlety of feelings, and this connects him with the best traditions of Rublev.” Dionysius, like Andrei Rublev, sought to create icons that seemed to radiate light. But at the same time “he has that element of solemnity and pomp that was unknown and alien to Rublev and his contemporaries”.

The latter is not surprising - Dionysius worked a lot in the Moscow Kremlin and adopted the spirit of representativeness and splendor that established itself in Moscow when the Grand Duke began to be called “the sovereign of all Rus'.”

The date of birth of Dionysius is considered to be 1440. The successor of Andrei Rublev’s work, a brilliant painter, whom his contemporaries called “the beginning of the artist,” “glorious above all,” worked a lot in Moscow and monasteries near Moscow. In 1467–1476, he painted frescoes and icons in the Pafnutievo Borovsky Monastery, in 1481 he painted the Assumption Cathedral of the Moscow Kremlin, then he worked in the Moscow Spaso-Chigasov Monastery and in the Kremlin Resurrection Monastery, after 1485 he painted icons for the Church of the Assumption of Our Lady of Joseph of Volokolamsk monastery, in 1500 - in the Pavlo-Obnorsky monastery. In 1502, Dionysius, together with his sons Theodosius, Vladimir and Andrei, created one of the most perfect ensembles of Russian medieval art - the frescoes of the Cathedral of the Nativity of the Virgin Mary in the Ferapontov Monastery. By happy coincidence, these frescoes are the main work of Dionysius that has survived to this day.

Unlike Andrei Rublev, Dionysius was not a monk. There is practically no ascetic beginning in his art. Based on the master’s works, one can judge that Dionysius was an educated man, knowledgeable in Russian history, who knew chronicles and hagiographic literature. The influence of Byzantium is also felt in his art. The paintings of Dionysius are distinguished by light, spiritual drawings, richness of colors, and skillful composition of paintings. “There is nothing sharp, impetuous, talkative, irrepressible in the art of Dionysius,” note art historians G. Bocharov and V. Vygolov. “His painting is deeply contemplative, thought-provoking, contemplative, as if responding to one of the provisions of the “Message to the Icon Painter,” a work of the second half of the 15th century, attributed to the pen of the famous figure of the Russian church Joseph Volotsky. We need to worship icons, it says, because “we contemplate the spiritual for the sake of the iconic imagination... our mind and thought soar to Divine desire and love.” In Ferapontov’s paintings this inner enlightenment and love for man sounds precisely.”

The painting covers the entire interior of the temple from floor to ceiling. Festiveness and elegance - this is the main mood that determines the impression that the cathedral’s paintings make on the viewer. So, in the scene of the wedding feast, the clothes of the feasters, according to P.P. Muratov, “light, festive, decorated with gold and silver brocade and stones, glowing with pink fire, greenery and azure. These are truly “wedding” clothes, and in such wedding, “feast” clothes, all the art of Dionysius on the walls of the Ferapontov Monastery seems to us to be clothed.” In the frescoes of Dionysius, grace and measure, harmony and nobility, harmony and light reign.

The Cathedral of the Ferapontov Monastery was painted, as recent research has proven, in just 34 days, and not in two years, as previously thought. The main theme of the frescoes of the Ferapontovsky temple is the unity of the visible and invisible world, the world of people and the world of “incorporeal heavenly forces.” They are strictly in the spirit of the ancient rules: harmony, unity and nothing superfluous.

Ferapontov's frescoes amaze with the richness of colors and nobility of tones - soft pink, golden yellow, lilac, greenish, lilac-brown and reddish-brown. Despite some muted color, they create the impression of tenderness and transparency of the colors. For many years it was believed that colored pebbles and clays of different colors and shades, which can be found on the shores of Borodavskoye and Paskoye lakes and in the beds of streams flowing into them, were used as dyes for frescoes. These pebbles were crushed, ground and mixed with egg whites.

This legend even caused a wave of pilgrimage to Ferapontovo by artists from Moscow, Leningrad and other cities. They looked for similar pebbles and clays and prepared paints from them according to ancient recipes. But very recent studies conducted by specialists from the Research Institute of Restoration have proven that the beautiful story of how Dionysius searched for colorful pebbles along the shores of lakes and ground them to prepare paints is nothing more than a fairy tale. Most of the paints in the Nativity Cathedral are not of local origin, they were prepared using complex technology from European masters, and such paint could be bought either from overseas merchants or from Russian craftsmen who knew the secret of its preparation.

“The long-standing persistent desire to consider the paintings of Dionysius created from local materials is quite understandable,– writes art critic O. Lelekova. – The image of a medieval artist that emerges becomes consonant with the “epic-song” idea of ​​Russian art, where icon painting, and especially wall painting, are elevated to a completely special form of art, unlike anything else in the world. However, this image is unreliable, and there is no need to regret it. The artistic genius of Dionysius is undeniable even without poetic generalizations, which his European contemporaries did not need: Leonardo da Vinci, Giacomo Bellini, Holbein the Elder, Lucas Cranach...”

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Photo: Nativity Cathedral of Ferapontov Monastery

Photo and description

The Cathedral of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary, built in 1490, is the first stone building of the Ferapontov Monastery, which represents a first-class example of the original Rostov architecture, preserving the signs of early Moscow stone buildings.

The temple is of a cubic type - four-pillar, cross-domed, three-apse. Its volume, installed on a high basement, is crowned with three tiers of kokoshniks and a small elegant drum. At the top, the facades are decorated with ornamental belts made of balusters and ceramic slabs. The drum of the central dome, as well as the kokoshniks and semicircles of the asp of the altar, are generously processed. Their design presents all types of decor - tiled belts, balusters, figured niches. The cathedral also had a southern aisle, above which a small dome rose. A small belfry was added on the north side.

The interior of the cathedral is divided by four square pillars into three naves with raised arches under the drum. The painting contains 300 compositions and occupies the entire surface of the walls, pillars, vaults, doors and window soffits. Outside, the cathedral is painted in the center of the wall located on the west, as well as in the lower part of the south above the burial place of St. Martinian.

The murals of the Nativity Cathedral are the only painting by the greatest Russian craftsman Dionysius the Wise that has survived to this day in its original form and complete composition. The painting of the cathedral, together with Dionysius, was carried out by his sons; they spent thirty-four days on it. The area of ​​painting on the walls of the cathedral is 600 sq.m. The soft colors of the painting, the harmony of colors and numerous subjects are pleasing to the eye. Also, the ancient icons from the temple were painted by Dionysius. The painting was done from top to bottom, in rows, as can be judged by the overlaps of the plaster layers. The compositions of each tier are mainly united by a common theme.

“Akathist to the Mother of God” - a picturesque interpretation of the hymn of praise, which consists of 25 songs, occupies a special place among the paintings of the monastery. Dionysius reflects all the chants. The artist placed the Akathist scenes in the third tier of paintings along the entire perimeter of the temple. Dionysius created one of the most impeccable personifications of the Akathist in painting.

The proportions and sizes of Dionysius’s compositions are organically combined with the interior of the cathedral and the surfaces of the walls. The lightness and grace of the design, slightly elongated silhouettes that emphasize the weightlessness of the figures, as well as the exquisite colors that spread unearthly light and the richness of tonal shades determine the uniqueness of Dionysius’ painting. According to legend, to prepare paints, he, in part, used multi-colored minerals, which were found in the form of placers in the areas of the Ferapontov Monastery.

After the German fascists destroyed many Novgorod churches of the 12th–15th centuries, the paintings of Dionysius remain one of the few surviving ancient Russian fresco ensembles. Among the monuments of Ancient Rus', these frescoes are distinguished by the absolute preservation of the author’s painting, which has not been updated. The fresco of the cathedral, as found out during scientific research, has a fairly solid soil with fairly well-preserved paint layers.

Since 1981, research work has been carried out in the Nativity Cathedral using specialized methods that were first developed specifically for the paintings of Dionysius; temperature and humidity conditions, the condition of the gesso and layers of paint are monitored. Conservation of frescoes, for preventive purposes, and an established temperature and humidity regime made it possible to lay a scientific basis for the preservation of the painting of Dionysius the Wise as a national treasure - a monument of not only Russian but also European culture.

When you arrive in Kirillov, Vologda region, do not miss the chance to see the unique frescoes of Dionysius, which are almost completely preserved in the Feropontov Monastery. I prefer to visit famous monasteries with a guide, so the day before we agreed with a local private guide, who agreed to show several interesting sights, and, of course, the monastery.

In the morning we met with the guide Lydia in the center of Kirillov and went in our car to travel around Kirillov. The drive from the city to the monastery took no more than half an hour, during which they listened to the history of the monastery and got acquainted with the museum’s exhibits in absentia from a book, because outside guides are not allowed to conduct excursions on the territory of the Ferapontov Monastery. Of course, we could take a guide on the spot, but then we wouldn’t have a full-fledged program.

Around the monastery you can admire Russian nature; I can imagine what a stunning picture it is here in the summer.

It is worth saying that visiting the Feropontov Monastery is not a cheap pleasure. Taking into account that we did not take a tour from the monastery guides, we paid about 800 rubles per person for entrance to the museum, watching a film and the right to look at the frescoes. We were the only visitors, and at the checkout our guide tried to very transparently hint that we shouldn’t be charged the full amount, but rules are rules. I was amazed by the fact that we had to check with the caretakers how long we could look at the frescoes. Usually they allow no more than 10 minutes (and this costs a lot of money), but we were lucky - they didn’t impose a time limit.

Frescoes of Dionysius

At the end of the 15th century, a stone Cathedral of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary was erected on the territory of the monastery, which, by the way, was seven years earlier than in the neighboring Belozersky Monastery, which was much richer.

The cathedral was painted by Dionysius, a famous master icon painter in Rus'. For example, his hand touched the Assumption Cathedral of the Moscow Kremlin. The master's style is easily recognizable thanks to its bright colors, elongated, light figures, and smooth lines. Dionysius is one of the most famous temple artists in Rus', along with Theophanes the Greek and Andrei Rublev. Thanks to the work of the master and the wonderful preservation of art, the monastery is included in the World Heritage List under the protection of UNESCO.

The paintings occupy an area of ​​more than 700 square meters. meters, and this is almost the entire internal surface of the cathedral. Only certain parts of the paintings that were damaged during the reconstruction of the iconostasis were not preserved. In general, the frescoes made the Ferapontov Monastery famous throughout the world, since it is the only one where the original frescoes of the early 16th century have been fully preserved.

Before entering you will be given a plan diagram of the frescoes, with the help of which the painting can be “read” even by a less-prepared person.

You can read about paints and painting technology before entering.

In addition to painting the temple in the Feropontov Monastery, you can watch an introductory film about the frescoes and visit the museum, which houses a number of interesting exhibits.

Ferapontov Monastery Museum

First we went to the museum, which is a large hall.

For example, here you can see a reconstruction of a monk’s cell according to the rules of Kirill Belozersky, which does not even have a bed.

In the cell, no one was allowed to have anything other than the most necessary things; they were not allowed to call anything theirs, but everything was shared. Even a piece of bread was not allowed to be kept in the cell, and there were also no drinks. If a monk wanted to eat or drink, he went to the refectory, where, with blessing, he could quench his hunger and thirst.

In the far corner there is a sample of a fraternal refectory.

In the refectory, each novice sat in his place according to the rank of seniority with meekness and silence, and no one could be heard, only the reader. They were given three meals each, except for fasting days, on which the monks either refused to eat at all or subsisted on bread and water.

Behind the glass windows you can find a copy of the Cathedral Code of 1649.

Here you can see the icon of Patriarch Nikon, who was in these parts during the period of exile.

This is supposedly a piece of tile from Nikon’s cell.

Of course, the exhibition shows the ceremonial attire of the priests.

And here is the Abbess’s workplace.

About the foundation of the monastery

Ferapontov Monastery was founded in 1398. The monastery was named after the founder Ferapont, who before staying here was a novice in the Simonov Moscow Monastery, and then even became one of the founders of the Kirillo-Belozersky Monastery. To find greater solitude, Ferapont went further and settled on a small hill near Lake Borodavskoye.

Here Fepapont built a small wooden cell for himself and lived in solitude through his labors and prayers. But one day robbers came to him and demanded that he give them the treasure or leave this place (surprisingly, how similar this is to ordinary racketeering). True, the Monk Ferapont was not afraid of them and shamed them, so much so that the robbers left and no longer disturbed the elder.

People began to come to Ferapont and ask permission to settle nearby. This is how a small settlement arose, about ten people. But the Monk Ferapont refused to become hegumen and the newly created monastery was headed by another man, whose name history has not preserved. But Ferapont assigned himself the most menial jobs, since he called himself a “great sinner.” He carried water, chopped wood, and cleaned stoves. By the way, this is exactly how Sergius of Radonezh lived, who was the mentor of the Monk Ferapont.

Ten years later, a church was erected here, which was consecrated in honor of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary. It seemed that everything was turning out the way Elder Ferapont wanted: he lived in silence and repentance, prayed, worked, but soon he had to leave the monastery. The Mozhaisk prince wanted to found a similar monastery nearby and asked the Monk Ferapont to help him with this. The reverend elder did not want to start all over again, but humility is a virtue that Christians should have, so Ferapont humbled himself. But at that time he was already seventy years old. It is worth noting that the reverend elder stayed in the Luzhetsky Mozhaisk Monastery for another twenty years; there is a Church of the Nativity of the Virgin Mary here, as in Feropontovo, where the elder is buried. Despite the fact that Ferpont spent the last twenty years in another place, he is remembered and revered as the Belozersky elder. Around the monastery dear to his heart on Lake Borodavskoye a village was formed, which to this day is called Ferapontovo, part of Lake Ferapontovsky, and the monastery that grew up on the site of the first cells was named Ferapontovo.

It is interesting that the Ferapontovsky Monastery always remained in the shadows, as if in the background, but at the same time the monastery had a very great spiritual influence. Tsars, princes, famous people visited here and everyone found peace and answers to troubling questions here.

After the Monk Ferapont left the monastery, Prince Mozhaisky sent the promised help here, but there was no confessor who could properly manage the funds received. Years passed, abbots changed, but the Ferapontov Monastery remained the same as during the life of its founder. But then the Monk Martinian, a disciple of Kirill Belozersky, abbot of the Kirillo-Belozersky Monastery, came to the monastery. The Monk Martinian came to this holy place as a simple pilgrim, but his brothers persuaded him to stay here and become the abbot of the Ferapontov Monastery.

In the 15th century, bloody events took place, which, although they took place in Moscow five hundred kilometers away, were reflected in the Ferapontov Monastery. In Moscow there was a struggle for the grand-ducal throne and the then Prince Vasily II was overthrown by Dmitry Shemyaka. They took an oath on the cross from him that he would not oppose the new prince, and he was singled out. Vasily, who was nicknamed the Dark One because he was blind, came to bow and pray at the Ferapontov Monastery. Here the Monk Martinian freed Vasily from this oath and even blessed him to speak out against the invader, who illegally sat on the grand-ducal throne. The support of the church in those days was of great importance, so many supporters joined Vasily the Dark, which sealed Shemyaka’s fate; he had to flee urgently.

Grand Duke Vasily summoned the Monk Martinian to the capital and asked him to take the abbess at the Trinity-Sergius Monastery. And despite the fact that Martinian did not want to leave Ferapontovo, he, like his predecessor Ferapont, had to take the position of abbot in another monastery.

After some time, the Monk Martinian returned to his dear monastery in Ferapontovo and began to arrange the arrangement. And for the next twenty years, he arranged everything here so diligently that everyone was amazed. Here he rested in the Church of the Nativity of the Virgin.

At the beginning of the sixteenth century, the Church of the Annunciation with a refectory was erected, which was built in honor of the birth of Tsarevich John, who went down in history as Ivan the Terrible. Around the same time, the Treasury Chamber was built - a unique civil building on the territory of the monastery. There were rooms for books, barns, and a hiding place for the monastery treasury.

In the Ferapontov Monastery you can see a lot of interesting and unique things, but before you enter the walls of the holy monastery, you will pass through the Holy Gate. It is worth noting that the stone walls, arches, gate churches of Ferapont and Epiphany, and even the windows, have not changed since the day of construction. The floors in the churches are covered with small tiles, the vaults are supported by oak beams that have already darkened with time, and black altars.

The fate of the Ferapontov Monastery is similar to many other monasteries that survived Soviet times; it was closed. But, fortunately, it did not suffer the fate of being a state farm; the Ferapontov Monastery was transferred to a museum and today it is under the protection of UNESCO. But prayers are still heard here - the Nikon Church is given over to the brethren for worship.

When you arrive in Kirillov, you will understand the connection between several holy places located around: Kirillo-Belozersky Monastery , Nillo-Sora desert , Feropontov Monastery and the Goritsky convent, to which we headed further (read about it).

Address: Vologda region, Kirillovsky district, village of Ferapontovo, st. Kargopolskaya, 8.

Museum opening hours:

The core of the architectural ensemble of the Ferapontov Monastery is the Cathedral of the Nativity of the Virgin Mary - the first stone building of Belozerye and the monastery, representing a first-class example of original Rostov architecture, preserving the features of early Moscow stone buildings. Its volume, placed on a high basement, ends with three tiers of kokoshniks and a small elegant drum. The facades at the top are decorated with belts of balusters and ceramic slabs with floral patterns, at the bottom - with a belt with teratological (animal) and plant patterns, which are a reminiscence of white stone carvings of Vladimir architecture. Three perspective portals are carved from white limestone.

Inside, the cathedral is divided by four square pillars into three naves with raised arches under the drum. The painting, consisting of 300 compositions, occupies all surfaces of the walls, vaults, pillars, window and door soffits. The external painting of the cathedral is located in the central part of the western wall and in the lower part of the southern wall above the burial place of St. Martinian.

The murals of the Cathedral of the Nativity of the Virgin Mary at the Ferapontov Monastery are the only paintings by the great Russian master Dionysius the Wise that have survived to our time in their entirety and in their original form.

The authorship of Dionysius is evidenced by the inscription preserved in the soffit of the northern door: “In the summer of 7010 in the month of August at 6 on the Transfiguration of our Lord Jesus Christ the church began to be signed quickly. And on the 2nd summer of the month of September, at 8 on Christmas Day, Our Most Holy Lady, Theotokos Mary, passed away. Under the Righteous Grand Duke Ivan Vasilievich of All Rus', under the Grand Duke Vasily Ivanovich of All Rus' and under Archbishop Tikhon. And scribe Deonisie the icon painter with his children. Oh, Lord Christ, all the king, the Lord deliver them from eternal torment.”

The painting was carried out from top to bottom in rows, as evidenced by the overlaps of gesso (plaster) layers. By subordinating the sizes and proportions of the pictorial compositions to the architectural divisions of the temple, Dionysius achieves unique harmony in embodying the image of the temple as the Kingdom of Heaven.

External paintings on the western wall, displaying on a plane the volumetric distribution of subjects inside the cathedral, represent the theme of the Kingdom of Heaven through the images of the Deesis and the Nativity of the Virgin Mary. The composition in the lower part of the southern wall is dedicated to the glorification of the Mother of God, the patroness of the founders of the monastery.

Inside the cathedral, the paintings were made in accordance with the canon of Orthodox murals of the 14th–15th centuries. from top to bottom in a row. In the drum - Christ the Pantocrator, under it - the archangels and forefathers, in the sails - the evangelists, in the cheeks of the girth arches - the Teachings of the Church Fathers, in the vaults - gospel scenes, on the western wall - the Last Judgment, at the level of the quadrangle windows - compositions on the text of the akathist hymn, the earliest in Russian murals, below - Ecumenical Councils, on the pillars - martyred soldiers, in the altar apses - John the Baptist, the Mother of God and the Child, Nicholas the Wonderworker. Below, along the perimeter of the walls and pillars, there are towels with ornaments.

The grace and lightness of the design, elongated proportions emphasizing the weightlessness of the saints soaring in Heaven, exquisite colors emitting an unearthly light, determine the uniqueness of Ferapontov’s painting of Dionysius.

The complex of monuments of the Ferapontov Monastery includes 1530 – 1531