After leaving the little Transfiguration Church, I entered a back gate directly into the monastic buildings. These appear to be in current use. See, for example, the icons in the window with the pigeons, and the homemade cross and inscriptions. There are many enclosures with cloisters or galleries facing upon quiet gardens, which are very beautiful in the snow. Here, again, I saw many, many young Orthodox priests, some mere teenagers, walking to and from the various churches, shoveling snow, etc. There is a vibrant quality about the monastic enclosure that I have never seen in any American religious retreat. The monastic buildings appear to be very old, and I was especially interested in the doors, with their heavy timbers and massive hinges and bolts. However, I also noted several Russian placards on the monastic walls, identifying this or that "ministry" or "bureau," which undoubtedly means that there were many government uses for these buildings during the long Soviet winter. I understand that the Soviet authorities twice drove the monks from these enclosures, once in 1930 and again in 1961. In one of the monastery museums I also saw an aerial photograph of the Soviet destruction of the Dormition Cathedral (it was rebuilt after the fall of the Soviet Union). However, the main single-domed Byzantine style Refectory, which all of the local priests and worshippers I talked to here called the "трапезной храм" (that is, "trapezoidal temple"--not chapel, but temple) survived the Soviet destruction in large part. More about the amazing Refectory--Temple in a later post.
Which all goes to show how enduring are the things of the heart and soul. This monastery has stood here for more than a thousand years, through countless invasions, coups, famines, wars and even through deliberate destructive acts such as those of the horrific twentieth century. 
No comments:
Post a Comment