The Yaroslavl Cyril-Athanasievsky Monastery received its name in honor of Saints Athanasius and Kirill, archbishops of Alexandria. This monastery has two unique features: it is the most recent and the only monastery in Yaroslavl. The monastery was founded around 1615, shortly after the Time of Troubles, when Catholicism actively penetrated into Russia along with the Polish invaders. Apparently it was for this reason that the monastery received its name in honor of Saints Athanasius and Cyril, archbishops of Alexandria, zealous fighters for the purity of Orthodoxy. The monastery was erected on the site of the parish church, consecrated in honor of the same saints. The immediate reason for the opening of the monastery was the discovery of the miraculous icon of the Savior Not Made by Hands.
Abbot of the monastery. First abbot.
The abbotship of the monastery went through four periods, unequal in time and form:
a) from the very foundation of the monastery until the establishment of the Spiritual States, i.e. until 1764, the abbots of the monastery were abbots;
b) from the establishment of ecclesiastical staff until the end of 1857, the monastery was listed as supernumerary, and its abbots were called builders;
c) by decree of the Holy Synod of December 10, 1857, the monastery was elevated to the third class level, and the abbots began to bear the rank of Archimandrites;
d) since 1895, the rectors of the monastery have been the Reverend vicars.
The first abbot is Abbot Simon, he is mentioned in 1623.
Further development of the monastery
The most significant work on the improvement of the monastery was carried out in the 19th century, when the abbot's chambers and fraternal cells were built, the iconostasis and paintings of the saint's church were updated.
Again, the Afanasyevsky Monastery underwent reconstruction at the end of the 19th - beginning of the 20th centuries: in 1897, stone cellars, a barn, a carriage house, a stable, and a bathhouse were erected; in 1903 and 1907, repair work was carried out in the cathedral church at the expense of F.E. Vakhromeyev.
In the post-revolutionary years, a parish community was registered at the monastery, which was mentioned for the last time in 1923. In February 1925, the monastery was closed.
In the 1930s, the city authorities dismantled the monastery bell tower, various enterprises were set up in the churches and cells of the brethren, in particular, the administration of a furniture factory was located there, and people settled in the fraternal buildings. The bell towers of both churches were destroyed, reconstructions and partitions were made inside, the paintings were painted over.
Architecture
Initially the monastery was wooden. In 1664, with the blessing of Rostov Metropolitan Jonah Sysoevich, the first stone church was erected in the monastery.
Cathedral of Athanasius and Cyril.
The stone cathedral in the name of Saints Athanasius and Cyril of Alexandria was built to replace the wooden one in 1664. Upon completion of construction, the temple was decorated with paintings, which were worked on by craftsmen from Moscow. In 1676, a warm chapel was added to the northern façade of the cathedral church in the name of Metropolitan St. Alexy of Moscow. The chapel was crowned with a bell tower.
The Cathedral in the name of Patriarchs Athanasius and Kirill is a pillarless, single-domed temple with a blank drum, covered with a box vault.
During restoration work after the fire of 1768, the painting of the church was renewed, its original stone iconostasis was replaced with a wooden one. Around 1825 a new iconostasis was completed. In 1831, the warm chapel was “distributed and decorated in places with paintings,” the painting was done by the painter Timofey Medvedev.
In 1903 and 1907, repair work was carried out at the expense of F.E. Vakhromeev; in 1912, with donations from A. I. Vakhromeyev, the wall paintings of the temple were renewed by the famous artist and restorer M. I. Dikarev.
At the beginning of the 21st century, fragments of frescoes from the 17th century have survived, mostly covered with layers of plaster.
Later, other stone buildings appeared in the monastery.
Church of the Savior without Hands (Spaso-Proboinskaya) (1612-1705)
The Church of the Savior Not Made by Hands (Spaso-Proboinskaya) was founded in 1612, in 1614 the Savior-Proboinsky Church burned down, the next one burned down in 1658, and the third one burned down in 1670. The stone Church of the Savior Not Made by Hands was built through the efforts of the zemstvo elder Ivan Myakushkin in 1696-1705.
The Spaso-Proboinsky Church was repeatedly altered: in 1831–1832, a warm meal was built at its western facade, and a church was built in it, which retained the dedication of the chapel - Paul of Thebes and John Kushchnik; The tented bell tower was replaced with a new, three-tiered one designed by the architect P. Ya. Pankov.
In 1873, the warm and cold churches were united into one warm church, and the chapel, which was in the refectory, was moved to the altar of the real church, on its left side.
In 1909–1911, the church again underwent significant changes: another chapel was added to the refectory on the south side according to the design of the architect A. A. Nikiforov, consecrated in the name of St. Seraphim of Sarov and Alexander Osheven.
In both aisles, the iconostases were built in the Old Russian style. The entire church and chapels have a new floor made of metlakh slabs. Ten chapters, newly gilded with red gold.
Shrines
A piece of the relics of St. Cyril, Archbishop of Alexandria, which was preserved in the monastery sacristy in a silver casket.
In the warm church, the image of Alexy, Metropolitan of Moscow, in a rich silver robe, built in 1857, was venerated.
Among the shrines that were kept in the church in honor of the image of the Savior Not Made by Hands, one can name the antimension given during the consecration of the stone church by St. Demetrius, Metropolitan of Rostov in 1705.
On January 28, 2012, on the eve of the Patronal Feast of Saints Athanasius and Cyril, Archbishops of Alexandria, a particle of the holy relics of Saint Athanasius, one of the patrons of the holy monastery, was brought.
Renaissance
In 2006, with the blessing of His Eminence Kirill, Archbishop of Yaroslavl and Rostov, the Church of Saints Athanasius and Kirill became a seminary church. The Spaso-Proboinsky Church was also assigned to the seminary. Under the leadership of the seminary administration, restoration work began in the temple. After many months of hard work, the chapel, consecrated in honor of St. Alexis, Metropolitan. Moscow, became suitable for worship.
In May 2007, two churches and other buildings of the former monastery were transferred to the Yaroslavl diocese. The first service in the revived church on January 31, 2008 was led by Archbishop Kirill (Nakonechny) of Yaroslavl.
On March 31, 2009, the monastery was revived by a synodal decision. In 2010, the roof of the cathedral was repaired and the façade of the cathedral was strengthened, and the construction of the fence with towers was completed. In the summer of that year, after one of the turrets of the fence fell, the entire wall had to be dismantled brick by brick and a new one built from the same brick.
About the rules of the monastery.
Daily schedule of the monastery:
5.00 – Wake up;
6.00 – Morning rule. Midnight Office.
7.00 – Clock.
9.00 – Obedience.
13.00 – Lunch.
14.00-16.00 – Obediences.
16.00 -17.00 – Rest.
17.00 – Evening worship.
19.00 – Dinner.
19.30 – Compline. Evening rule.
20.30 – Rest.
Events of modern history
28.01. In 2012, the ark with the relics of St. arrived at the Cyril Athanasievsky Monastery. Athanasius the Great.
06/06/2012 is the 400th anniversary of the discovery of the icon of the Savior Image Not Made by Hands and the founding of the Spaso-Proboinsky Church in the city of Yaroslavl.
The monastery received its name in honor of Saints Cyril and Athanasius, archbishops of Alexandria. This monastery has two unique features: it is the most recent and the only monastery in Yaroslavl.
The monastery was founded around 1615, shortly after the Time of Troubles, when Catholicism actively penetrated into Russia along with the Polish invaders. Apparently, it was for this reason that the monastery received its name in honor of Saints Cyril and Athanasius, archbishops of Alexandria, zealous fighters for the purity of Orthodoxy. The monastery was erected on the site of the parish church, consecrated in honor of the same saints. The immediate reason for the opening of the monastery was the discovery of the miraculous icon of the Savior Not Made by Hands.
There is “The Legend of the icon of our Lord, Jesus Christ, an image not made by hands, called the ordinary one, which exists in the city of Yaroslavl, on Ilyin Street, near the monastery of Athanasius and Cyril, Patriarchs of Alexandria,” which tells that “even before the accession of Mikhail Fedorovich, without “small in a year,” in the chapel next to the wooden church of Athanasius and Cyril, a miraculous icon of the Savior Not Made by Hands was found, “and this chapel, like an icon case of glorified shrines and miracles, subsequently served to establish a monastery.”
At the end of March 1612, a people's militia led by Prince Dimitry Pozharsky and Kozma Minin arrived in Yaroslavl for the final gathering of forces. Due to the large concentration of troops in the city, a pestilence began and many people died. And then the residents turned to the “former cathedral church of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Archpriest Ilya” with a request to organize a religious procession with the icon of the Tolga Mother of God. But in a dream, the Savior appeared to Archpriest Ilya and ordered him to lift up, along with the others, the icon, which was kept in dust and oblivion in a chapel near the monastery of Saints Athanasius and Cyril. But when Ilya woke up and found an icon in the chapel, he did not see a speck of dust on it. Archpriest Ilya had doubts, but when he fell asleep, the Lord appeared again and commanded him to “take this icon from here without hesitation, and walk around the city with it, and perform litias with prayer singing,” which Ilya did with great zeal, announcing what had happened to everyone. people gathered in the cathedral square.
During the procession of the Cross, the first miracle occurred - the healing of a blind man who was begging for alms. The second miracle from this icon occurred when the procession reached the chapel where the icon had previously been located: the people carrying the icon could not move. Amazed by this miracle, the residents of Yaroslavl decided to build an “ordinary” church in honor of this icon, cutting it down and consecrating it on the same day. After this event, the pestilence in the city ceased.
In 1615, the zemstvo elder Gabriel Myakushkin, with the support of “other zealous zealots of the holy cause,” turned to the Rostov Metropolitan Kirill (Zavidov) for a blessing to found a monastery on a place sacred to the townspeople, where the icon was found.
Some sources note that the Cyril Athanasievsky Monastery already existed in the 16th century, since its abbot Vassian is mentioned under 1570. The researcher believed that in 1615 the monastery did not appear, but was renewed.
Be that as it may, in 1615 the monastery already existed and was governed by abbots.
Tsar Mikhail Fedorovich treated the monastery very favorably, which was founded shortly after his ascension to the throne. The monastery received ownership of three villages, fishing grounds on Lake Uschemer, as well as tax breaks. In the charter of Tsar Mikhail Fedorovich dated 1619, it was written: “in that Afanasyevsky monastery our salary, cash and grain, there is no money, and nothing goes for candles and incense and for church wine, and for this they were given a place for the mill in Yaroslavl and Romanovskaya sides. And that they will transport the forest and firewood along the Volga and along Mologa and along Sheksna for the monastery’s use, and from that forest they will wash and collect duties.”
" apart from murder and robbery and red-handed theft,” the right of trial remained only with the sovereign and the abbot “with his brothers.” In addition, the monastery was freed from the habitation of princes, boyars, governors and military men, and if someone comes to a feast or brotherhood to drink uninvited, they will send that uninvited person out of the yard without a song, but if he doesn’t listen and won’t go out and force them to drink heavily , and what destruction will happen to them at that feast, and that uninvited person will have to pay double for his death without trial and without truth.”
According to the second charter, dated May 7, 1623, the monastery was granted possessions near Yaroslavl, in the backwoods side: the villages of Ivanovo, Kovshovo, Dikushi with 227 souls of peasants, as well as fishing grounds on Lake Uschemer and a “hermitage”, where it was ordered to build the Church of Paraskeva Pyatnitsa and “start singing.” In 1627, a petition was sent to Tsar Mikhail Fedorovich from Elder Bartholomew, the builder of the Afanasyevsky Monastery, stating that two of the monastery people were forcibly taken as kissers “for the taverns.” Let us remember that the service of customs clerks was not paid and, in fact, was a burdensome duty. In response to the petition, the royal letter came, according to which henceforth monastery people “were not ordered to be employed as kissers.”
The early monastery buildings were made of wood; the monastery burned down in fires more than once in the 17th century. In the ancient chronicle there is a record that in 1658 “the monastery of the Image of Our Jesus Christ Not Made by Hands, which we call Athanasievsky, was completely burned down.” It testifies to the undoubted connection of the monastery with the image of the Savior found in the chapel.
The first stone church of the monastery in the name of Afanasy and Kirill was erected with the blessing of the Rostov Metropolitan Jonah Sysoevich in 1664. Upon completion of construction, the temple was decorated with paintings, which were worked on by craftsmen called from Moscow. In the fire of 1670, the monastery was again damaged. In 1676, a warm church with a bell tower was added to the northern façade of the cathedral church and dedicated to Alexy, Metropolitan of Moscow.
The territory of the monastery was not large and was surrounded by a low stone wall only on the eastern and north-eastern sides; on other sides the monastery fence was replaced by “outbuildings of philistine houses and the Spaso-Proboinskaya Church.” On the front eastern facade of the monastery, facing Proboynaya Street, back in the 18th century, two small stone towers were built, one of which served as the Holy Gate, in the other a chapel was built in memory of an important event - the discovery of the miraculous icon of the Savior Not Made by Hands.
In 1736, the Znamenskaya Chapel, which previously belonged to the Vlasievo Church, was assigned to the monastery. In 1764, the Afanasyevsky Monastery received utensils from the abolished Alexander Hermitage near Rybnaya Sloboda; in 1773 - the abbot of the monastery was granted participation in the annual carrying of the miraculous icon of the Yuga Mother of God from the Yuga Dorotheev Hermitage to Uglich, Rybnaya Sloboda and Mologa. By decree of Empress Catherine II of March 31, 1764, the Afanasyevskaya monastery was classified as supernumerary: “it is not in any class, but is ... among the monasteries left for its maintenance.”
On June 25, 1768, a fire broke out again in the central part of Yaroslavl, after which a list of the damage caused was compiled. The fire damaged both churches, the abbot's and fraternal cells, the kitchen, the stable, the carriage house, the bathhouse, the cellars, and the fence. “In total, 1000 rubles were burned and broken in this Afanasyevsky Monastery.” reported in this list. During restoration work after the fire of 1768, the painting of the Church of St. Saints Athanasius and Cyril, its original stone iconostasis was replaced by a wooden one.
In the 1820-1830s, significant work was carried out at the monastery to improve it: “in connection with the northern wall,” stone two-story abbot’s chambers with an adjacent refectory were built; “in connection with the eastern fence” - two monastic cells; around 1825, a new iconostasis was made for the Church of Athanasius and Cyril; in 1831 - the warm temple was “distributed and decorated in places with paintings”, the paintings in it were performed by the painter Timofey Medvedev. At the same time, the monastery was given a 115-pound bell from the abolished Boris and Gleb parish; in total, the bell tower ensemble consisted of seven bells.
On December 12, 1857, Emperor Alexander Nikolaevich approved the determination of the Holy Synod on the elevation of the Athanasievsky Monastery to the level of a third-class monastery, from that time its abbots had the rank of archimandrites. Since 1895, the Afanasievsky Monastery became the residence of the suffragan bishop of the Yaroslavl diocese.
The most significant work on the improvement of the monastery was carried out in the 19th century, when the abbot's chambers and fraternal cells were built, the iconostasis and paintings of the saint's church were updated. The most generous benefactor of the monastery was Ivan Aleksandrovich Vakhromeev, at whose expense major repairs were repeatedly carried out at the monastery.
Again, the Afanasyevsky Monastery underwent reconstruction at the end of the 19th - beginning of the 20th centuries: in 1897, stone cellars, a barn, a carriage house, a stable, and a bathhouse were erected; in 1903 and 1907, repair work was carried out in the cathedral church at the expense of F.E. Vakhromeyev; in 1912, with the donations of A. I. Vakhromeyev, the wall paintings of the temple were renewed by the famous artist and restorer M. I. Dikarev.
Every year on May 2, on the day of memory of Athanasius of Alexandria, a procession of the cross took place from the Yaroslavl Assumption Cathedral to the monastery. The monastery was widely known among Orthodox Christians, so its churches were constantly filled with worshipers.
A precious treasure of the monastery, worthy of “pious honor,” was a particle of the relics of Cyril, Archbishop of Alexandria, which was preserved in the monastery sacristy in a silver casket. In the warm church, the image of Alexy, Metropolitan of Moscow, in a rich silver robe, built in 1857, was venerated.
Among the shrines that were kept in the temple in honor of the image of the Savior Not Made by Hands, one can name the antimension given during the consecration of the stone temple by St. Demetrius, Metropolitan of Rostov in 1705.
Particularly revered was the Image of the Savior Not Made by Hands, which remained unharmed in the repeated fires to which the Church of the Savior was subjected. The icon was found on the ashes, untouched by the flames. And people destroyed the icon already in Soviet times. In the post-revolutionary years, a parish community was registered at the Afanasyevsky Monastery; the last time it was mentioned was in 1923; in February 1925, the monastery was closed, part of the “dilapidated religious property” was transferred to the Church of the Savior on the City and a number of other churches.
In the 1930s, the city authorities dismantled the monastery bell tower, various enterprises were set up in the churches and cells of the brethren, in particular, the administration of a furniture factory was located there, and people settled in the fraternal buildings. Much has become unrecognizable, the bell towers of both churches have been destroyed, reconstructions and partitions have been made inside, the murals have been painted over, nothing remains of their former grandeur. From then until recently, the territory of this holy place was practically a latrine.
Kirillo-Afanasyevsky Monastery (Russia) - description, history, location. Exact address and website. Tourist reviews, photos and videos.
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The ensemble of the Kirillo-Afanasyevsky Monastery is one of the most valuable and striking architectural complexes of Yaroslavl. Stone buildings from the late 17th century have miraculously survived to this day, although more than once they were on the verge of complete oblivion. Fortunately, the residents of Yaroslavl, spoiled by the abundance of ancient monuments, did not let history take its course and managed to defend the only male Orthodox monastery in the city. And although the monastery is under restoration, you can already get acquainted with it: divine services are regularly held in the churches, and the monastic buildings are again filled with novices.
A little history
Researchers have not yet found out the exact date of foundation of the Kirillo-Afanasyevsky Monastery. Most believe that the monastery appeared in the city in 1615. It was on the verge of closure more than once and experienced prosperity just as many times. In 1918, during the civil war, the temple complex was seriously damaged by shelling: two churches were destroyed and a residential building burned down. In 1925 the monastery was closed.
In 2007, the buildings were returned to the Orthodox community, but with broken windows and mountains of rubbish. Restoration work is still ongoing.
What to see
There are several architectural monuments in the monastery courtyard. The oldest of them is the stone temple of Cyril and Athanasius, erected in 1664. The paintings decorating it were made by Moscow masters. This is a pillarless temple with one dome and a blank drum - such architecture is very unusual for Yaroslavl. Several centuries after its construction, the Church of Cyril and Athanasius received several more chapels and galleries. Another temple of the monastery is the Church of the Savior Not Made by Hands, or Spaso-Proboinskaya. Its main treasures are the icon of the Savior Not Made by Hands, recently returned from the Trinity Church in the village of Smolenskoye, and a particle of the relics of St. Athanasius of Alexandria.
The modest interior of the church is decorated in soft blue. Almost all the walls of the building, erected in the late 17th and early 18th centuries, are decorated with icons.
The church has a refectory, where from 10:00 to 19:00 you can satisfy your hunger with delicious Russian cuisine prepared from local natural products.
Address: Russia, Yaroslavl region, Yaroslavl, st. Chelyuskintsev, 17
Date of foundation: 1616
Main attractions: Church of Cyril and Athanasius, Church of the Savior Not Made by Hands
Coordinates: 57°37"30.9"N 39°53"43.3"E
Object of cultural heritage of the Russian Federation
For four centuries, an Orthodox monastery has stood on the Yaroslavl land, dedicated to the saints Athanasius and Cyril of Alexandria, revered by Christians. Through the efforts of several generations of talented Russian architects, the monastery has turned into one of the rich and expressive architectural ensembles of the central part of the city. Now the Yaroslavl Theological Seminary is located within its walls.
History of the foundation of the Kirillo-Afanasyevsky Monastery
Researchers have still not agreed on when the Kirillo-Afanasyevskaya monastery was founded. There are documents according to which it existed back in the 16th century. But most historians insist that the birth of the monastery dates back to 1615.
View of the monastery from Chelyuskintsev Street
The monastery is mentioned in an old text, where a church tradition about the discovery of the icon that saved Yaroslavl was recorded. In 1612, the residents of Yaroslavl suffered from a terrible epidemic of pestilence. At first, the city residents wanted to walk along it with the icon of the Tolga Mother of God. She, as believers believed, more than once saved the ancient city from troubles. But Archpriest Ilya, rector of the city Assumption Cathedral, decided to hold a religious procession with the old icon of the Savior Pantocrator, which was kept in a small wooden chapel. It was located, as the text says, near the “monastery of Athanasius and Cyril.”
After the religious procession, the epidemic stopped and the city was saved. And the picturesque image was recognized as miraculous. A new wooden church was built especially for him in just one day. Such temples in those days were called “ordinary”. That is, the old text clearly mentions an already functioning monastery.
But there is another document dated 1615. It contains a request from the head of the local zemstvo, Gabriel Myakushkin, in Rostov, addressed to Metropolitan Kirill. Residents wanted to receive a blessing to build a monastery in the place where the famous icon was found. Therefore, only one thing can be stated unequivocally: by the time of the petition, the Kirillo-Afanasyevsky Monastery in Yaroslavl already existed.
His dedication to two Orthodox saints was not accidental. These religious ascetics were revered by the church as fighters against heresy and zealots of the Orthodox faith. The beginning of the 17th century coincided in Russia with the invasion of the Polish-Lithuanian army. And in the Time of Troubles, ministers of Russian churches especially actively advocated against possible Catholic expansion.
History of the Kirillo-Afanasyevsky Monastery in the 17th-20th centuries
At first, all monastery buildings were made of wood. Stone construction began in it, as in most Yaroslavl monasteries, under Metropolitan Ion Sysoevich, in the second half of the 17th century. In addition to the temples, at the end of the 17th – beginning of the 18th centuries, a stone building for the brethren and powerful walls were erected. We can still admire two ancient churches, albeit rebuilt.
By letters of grant issued by Tsar Mikhail Fedorovich, the monastery was granted land and a place for its own mill. In addition to them, the monks were exempt from part of the taxes. For example, from duties on the export of timber and firewood for one’s own needs. This gave the monastery opportunities for further growth and development.
Gate tower
During its history, the monastery survived several large fires. The first happened in 1658. And then not a single monastery building could be saved from the fire. The second disaster occurred in 1670. And almost a century later, in June 1768, a new devastating fire broke out, engulfing all the central streets of the city. However, each time the monastery found funds for restoration. So, in 1768, the frescoes in the cathedral church were renewed, and the old stone iconostasis was replaced with a wooden one.
In the 18th century, two low towers were erected on the stone monastery wall. One of them began to be used as the Holy Gate. And in the other, they built a memorial chapel in honor of the revered icon with the image of the Savior Not Made by Hands. New stone towers were crowned with graceful spiers on which angels with trumpets rose.
A lot of construction work was carried out in the 20-30s of the 19th century. They built an abbot's building on two floors with a large refectory. The dilapidated iconostasis was replaced with a new one, and the warm temple was decorated with wall paintings. During these years, the monastery inherited from the abolished Boris and Gleb parish a huge bell, the weight of which was 115 pounds. He became the seventh in the monastery bell ensemble.
At the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries, the monastery was swept by a new wave of construction work, which already affected secondary buildings. At this time, new cellars, a stable for horses, a monastery bathhouse, a utility barn and a carriage house were built from stone. And in 1912, the wall paintings were renewed again. For this purpose, the famous painter and restorer Mikhail Ivanovich Dikarev was invited.
Throughout its history, the monastery was never considered particularly rich and was not crowded. According to documents from the 17th century, it is known that only 7 monks lived in the monastery. After 100 years, their number remains the same. And by the beginning of the 20th century, the monastery remained the smallest in the diocese in terms of the number of monks. Here only 10 inhabitants prayed to God and kept house. There were three temples on the territory - two five-domed and one single-domed, as well as two high bell towers. But despite its size, the monastery was always highly revered by the people, and many pilgrims came here.
In 1918, during the White Guard uprising against Soviet power, the monastery, like many buildings in the city, was damaged by shelling. Two churches were damaged and one of the residential buildings burned down. A community of parishioners existed in the monastery until its closure in 1925. When this happened, part of the church property was distributed to other churches in Yaroslavl.
Church of the Savior Not Made by Hands
In the 30s of the last century, the devastation continued. They dismantled two bell towers and demolished the beautiful five-domed Church of the Resurrection, built in the 17th century. The premises of the remaining churches began to be used for various industries and city offices. Here, for example, the administration of a furniture factory was located. And in the building where the monks used to live, the townspeople were settled.
The church buildings and monastery territory were returned to believers only in 2007. By that time, the temples and the fence had almost collapsed without proper care, windows were broken in many places, and piles of rubbish filled the area. A year later, students of the Yaroslavl Theological Seminary settled in the monastery. Through the efforts of seminarians, monks, professional restorers and volunteer helpers, over several years it was possible to carry out extensive restoration work, which has not yet been completed.
Architectural monuments on the monastery territory
The first stone church of Cyril and Athanasius was erected on the monastery territory in 1664. It was painted by Moscow masters. 12 years later, a warm temple was added to this church from the north, consecrated in honor of Metropolitan Alexy of Moscow.
Architecturally, the Cathedral Monastery Church is not a typical religious building for the Yaroslavl lands. This is a pillarless temple, covered with a so-called box vault, and has one dome and a blank drum. Over its long history, it has been rebuilt and modified several times. So, in the 18th century, several chapels and galleries were added to the church, and in the 30s of the 19th century, the shape of its windows was changed.
The second ancient temple on the monastery territory is the Church of the Savior Not Made by Hands, which is more often called Spaso-Proboinskaya. The two-story building with a refectory was erected at the turn of the 17th and 18th centuries.
Current state and mode of visiting the Kirillo-Afanasyevsky Monastery
Today the monastery has the status of a functioning Orthodox monastery. Anyone can enter its territory. Divine services are held here according to the monastery charter daily at 7.00 and 18.00, and on Sundays and holidays - at 8.00 and 16.00. Particularly revered shrines of the monastery are a copy of the image of the Savior Not Made by Hands and a particle of the relics of St. Athanasius of Alexandria.
The monastery has its own refectory, which anyone can visit from 10.00 to 19.00. Here you can try delicious dishes of traditional Russian cuisine.
