What to see in Diveevo in one day
Diveevo and its surroundings are famous for their sites of Russian Orthodox culture. These places are associated with the names of Seraphim of Sarov and other famous saints. Believers and pilgrims strive to come here. At the beginning of the article, attractions that can be visited in 1 day are highlighted.
Holy Trinity Seraphim-Diveevo Monastery
The main pearl of Diveevo is the active convent, a center of religious culture, with which the history of the village, its modern life and tourism potential are inextricably linked. Most of the attractions are located on the territory of the monastery or associated with it.
The monastery appeared here in the second half of the 18th century. The story began in the ancient capital of Rus' - the city of Kyiv. Here, in the Florovsky Monastery, the wealthy landowner Agafya Melgunova took monastic vows; she is known monastically as Mother Alexandra. She was destined to found a monastery in the northern lands, where she went after the appearance of the image of the Mother of God. The nun headed towards the Sarov desert.
Driving through the village of Diveevo, located not far from Sarov, Alexandra stopped for a while. The Mother of God appeared to her again in a dream, ordering her to establish a monastery in this place.
St. Seraphim, who had gone through the path of spiritual enlightenment in the nearby desert, would become the patron of the Diveyevo Monastery at the beginning of the 19th century. In 1842, his name will appear in the name; after the unification of two neighboring communities, the monastery will become Seraphim-Diveevskaya.
Today the monastery is active. Several temples have been preserved on its territory, each of which is a separate attraction.
Museum of the History of the Seraphim-Diveevo Monastery in the 20th Century
In Soviet times, the fate of the monastery was difficult. It was first registered as a labor artel, and then officially closed altogether. The nuns were persecuted, but remained committed to the faith.
In 1988, restoration of the monastery began, and in 2014 a museum was opened, the main theme of which was the history of the monastery in the 20th century. The forerunner of the museum was a small exhibition in the abbot's building. The materials on which the exhibition is based were collected over 15 years. The museum tells about the families of priests, about the fates of nuns and new martyrs.
In the halls, the interiors of living rooms are recreated, and personal belongings of the nuns are presented. The museum also illuminates eras of spiritual history; one of the rooms is dedicated to Seraphim of Sarov. Nowadays the museum actually plays the role of a local history center in the village.
Royal Skete and Seraphim Stones
The Seraphim-Diveevo Monastery has several monasteries located in the surrounding area. The most famous of them is called “Tsarsky”. It was founded by novices in the 1860s on lands granted by Emperor Alexander II.
The crowned family patronized the monastery, its members often came here. The monastery began with a wooden church and outbuildings. The attention of tourists is attracted by the “Virgin Alley”, planted by nuns. This was the local tradition - each newly arrived nun planted a tree. The abbess of the monastery from the moment of its foundation was Abbess Alexandra. The woman's life ended tragically; the Soviet authorities executed her in 1927. The grave is on the grounds.
The skete is located not far from the place where Saint Seraphim of Sarov prayed; it is interesting from a natural point of view. There are unliving witnesses who preserve the memory of his stay here. We are talking about boulders of different sizes - “Seraphim Stones”.
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Temples and churches in Diveevo
Religious sites are an important component of the village's tourist treasures. All of them, as a rule, are located on the territory of the monastery, but there are also some that can be seen in the vicinity of Diveevo.
Trinity Cathedral
The main church of the monastery is the Trinity Cathedral. Its elegant appearance is the work of the architect A. Turmyshev. The master from Nizhny Novgorod combined classicist architectural features with elements of Old Russian and Byzantine styles.
The temple appeared to the world in the second half of the 19th century; it was built from 1848 to 1875. It functioned in its original form until 1927. In Soviet times it fell into disrepair and was plundered. After the collapse of the USSR in the 1990s, the shrine was restored.
Transfiguration Cathedral
The creation of the architect A. Antonov is a temple in the Old Russian style. It was erected exactly on the eve of the revolution. It was completed in 1916, but they did not have time to equip it. The church never became a place for services; its history almost ended before it began. In Soviet times, plans were hatched to undermine the building.
Fortunately, this did not happen - after restoration in the 1990s, the cathedral finally opened its doors at the beginning of the new century. The golden-domed, richly painted inside parish became a storage place for shrines that attracted pilgrims. Here are the relics of St. Martha and Blessed Pasha of Sarov.
Blagoveshchensky cathedral
A new century building, the appearance of which on the territory of the monastery is associated with its ancient history. It is believed that the Monk Seraphim himself bequeathed to build a temple on this site. The architecture of the cathedral, erected only in 2011, embodies the spirit of Moscow Baroque of the 18th century. The temple complex, as reviews and experts say, is very similar to the Assumption Church of the Kiev Pechersk Lavra.
Kazan Cathedral
The same name as the famous St. Petersburg cathedral, the temple in Diveevo is the “first sign” in the history of the local monastery. It was decided to build it on the very spot where the Mother of God appeared to Alexandra. The architectural style is Russian Baroque.
The cathedral was first built in 1779. The current Kazan Church is the result of restoration work that took place at the beginning of the new millennium. During the Soviet era, its building housed a dormitory for technical school students.
Church of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary in the village of Suvorovo
In the Diveyevo region there is the village of Suvorovo, which is also extremely remarkable from the point of view of Orthodox culture. Previously it was called Puzo. A famous native of this village, the holy fool Dunya Shishkova, was shot in 1919 along with three other nuns - Maria and two Darias. All of them are canonized as new martyrs.
The relics of the venerable martyrs of Puzov are kept in the Church of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary - this is the main attraction of the village of Suvorov. The church has been known since 1654, when these lands belonged to the boyar Grigory Pushkin. The stone temple was erected two centuries later, in the 1840s. During Soviet times it was ordered to be destroyed. It was restored in the 1990s.
Skete of the Holy Martyrs Florus and Laurus
The Holy Diveevsky Monastery includes a monastery, which appeared in 1997, four kilometers from the main monastery, on the banks of the Lomovka River. It was erected in the place where in imperial times there was a monastery farm with outbuildings.
The illumination took place in 2005 in honor of Florus and Laurel. The Holy Great Martyrs were not chosen by chance. Thus, they gave tribute to the “roots”, because the founder of the monastery came to these lands from the Kyiv Florovsky Monastery.
Schedule of services
The territory of the monastery opens from 05:00 in the morning, and at 22:00 the gates close. Pilgrims are recommended to spend the whole day on the territory of the monastery. Then you will be able to attend all services:
- 05:30-07:00 - daily liturgy, Thursday and Friday midnight office.
- 07:00 - prayer service with akathist to St. Seraphim of Sarov
- 13:00 and 14:00 - on weekdays a prayer service with an akathist to St. Seraphim of Sarov
- 08:00 on weekdays - Divine Liturgy, general confession takes place 15 minutes before the start.
- 08:00 on Sundays - Paraklis: prayer canon for the Mother of God, 09:00 - liturgy.
- 10:00 - daily, except Sunday, memorial service in the Kazan Cathedral
- 17:00-20:00 - evening service, all-night vigil on Saturday.
You can venerate the relics of St. Seraphim of Sarov any day from 08:00 to 20:00. You can venerate the relics of the blessed Pelageya, Paraskeva, Maria, the Venerable Confessor Matrona of Diveyevo, the Venerable Alexandra, Martha and Elena of Diveyevo every day from 08:00 to 17:00.
The baths of the holy springs are available daily from 05:00 to 22:00.
Schedule of services at the Diveyevo Monastery
Architectural and historical sights
Diveevo stands on the banks of the Vikenza River, not far from the city of Arzamas. The border with the neighboring region, the Republic of Mordovia, runs nearby. The settlement has been known since the middle of the 16th century. There are several versions of the origin of the name. According to the most popular one, the village is named after the first local ruler, Murza Diveya, who was given these lands by Ivan Vasilyevich the Terrible himself. In addition to temples and churches, you can see other interesting places here, such as historical and architectural monuments.
House-museum of Blessed Pasha of Sarov
On the territory of the monastery there is a small wooden house, which was the residence of the legendary figure - Saint Paraskeva. In the world, the woman’s name was Irina, she was from the Tambov region. She took monastic vows in Kyiv when she faced many trials - first the death of her husband, and then unfair accusations of theft and humiliation.
The nun was destined to live a long life - 120 years, of which she spent more than half a century in Diveyevo, settling here in 1884. Her house is the only monastery hermitage that has survived to this day from pre-revolutionary times.
Paraskeva’s room has been restored in the house-museum as it was during the saint’s life. Among the interesting exhibits is a blanket donated by Empress Alexandra Feodorovna, wife of Nicholas II. Paraskeva Ivanovna passed away in 1915. After death, the nun's relatives lived in the house.
House of Galaktionovs
Architectural and historical monuments are located in Diveevo on Sovetskaya Street. One of them is a house from the early 20th century. Its owners were two sisters - Mikhail and Ekaterina Galaktionov. The first, the eldest, took monastic vows. The structure is remarkable in that it has been preserved to us in its original form.
Dolgintseva's house
Next to the Galaktionovs’ house there is another mansion, built around the same time. An interesting and tragic story of the owner’s family is connected with it. This house was built by the wealthy and famous Muscovite Fyodor Dolgintsev, who decided to move to Diveevo with his daughter Sophia.
The man helped the monastery financially, his daughter became a monastic novice under the name Seraphim, and lived in the same house until 1927. She was persecuted by the Soviet authorities and went to Murom, where she was arrested. What happened to the woman remains unknown.
Groove of the Queen of Heaven
A memorable object and one of the main shrines of the monastery is a 775-meter-long moat. The ditch appeared here during the reign of Seraphim of Sarov. It is believed that the Mother of God appeared to the Reverend - a ditch was dug along the path along which she passed. Hence the name - the groove of the Queen of Heaven.
Natural monuments and holy springs
The glory of the Diveyevo holy springs spread throughout Russia. No one knows their exact number - they appear and then suddenly disappear in different places in the village of Diveevo and nearby. According to legend, they appear where Seraphim of Sarov passed at different times.
Source of Seraphim of Sarov
The source of Seraphim of Sarov on the banks of the Satis River is the most famous and revered among pilgrims. It is located near the Khitryi farm in the village of Tsyganovka. Due to changes in the river bed, a small lake formed near the spring. In 1995, a chapel was built on its bank.
Mother Alexandra's Source
The spring closest to the monastery is the spring of Mother Alexandra. According to legend, it originated from under the grave of a servant - the founder of the Holy Diveevsky Monastery. But it was located in a different place. When a dam was built on the river during Soviet times, the spring ceased to exist, and the name of Mother Alexandra was assigned to another spring down the river.
Kazan source
The oldest source is located on the outskirts of the village, behind the Pigeon ravine. It is believed that the key existed here back in the time of Murza Diveya. In 1845, a wooden chapel was installed over the source, which has not survived to this day. In 1991, the spring was improved. A new chapel and bathhouse appeared here. Nearby is the wooden Kazan Church.
Panteleimonovsky source
Near the Kazan spring in the floodplain of the Lubinka River in 2006, a new spring appeared - Panteleimonovsky. The spring, which had existed here since ancient times, was cleared and consecrated in honor of the Great Martyr Panteleimon. It has the largest bathhouse - a whole pool. The water here is not as cold as in other sources. It is believed that it is most suitable for healing childhood diseases.
Larch of Tsarevich Alexei
A larch tree planted in honor of the only son of the last Russian emperor also became a popular object for viewing. He was the eldest and long-awaited child. They say that Paraskeva Ivanovna predicted the appearance of an heir to Alexandra Fedorovna and presented her with a piece of red cloth as a gift. The prediction came true: when Alexei was one year old, a larch tree was planted in Diveevo, which has now become a place of memory for the royal family, shot by the Bolsheviks.
How to get there from Moscow
Several trains depart daily from Moscow from the Kazansky station in the direction of Arzamas. Travel time is 6–7 hours. There are two railway stations in Arzamas - Arzamas I and Arzamas II. You need to go to Arzamas II station.
At the Arzamas II station there is a bus station, from which regular buses depart almost every hour to the Diveyevo Monastery. The first flight is at 5:30, the last is at 17:30, you can check the schedule by calling the information bus station 8 (831-47) 418-14
Since 2021, Russian Railways has been selling tickets for buses, the schedule of which is coordinated with the train schedule.
On the website pass.rzd.ru you need to type Moscow in the “From” field in the standard form, and “Diveevo” in the “Where” field. First, you will see the message “No direct trains found.” You need to check the “route with transfer” checkbox in the upper right corner. Then the trains and buses that suit you will be shown. You can choose a train and carriage of the category and departure time that suits you. For 2021, the best option is the Moscow - Krugloe Pole train with departure from Moscow at 23:38, arrival in Arzamas-2 at 6:39. At 7:30 the bus departs from Arzamas to Diveevo. Arrival in Diveevo at 9:00. You can go home on the same day. Departure of the bus recommended by Russian Railways at 20:00. The cost of a train ticket depends on the category of carriage and date. The cost of a bus ticket is 250 rubles one way. The cheapest option for traveling by train is a seat in a seated carriage, about 600 rubles. However, we recommend that you take a ticket for a reserved seat or a compartment, since traveling at night in a seated carriage is quite tiring.
Diveyevo monuments and sculptures
Several interesting monuments in the village of Diveevo can be seen on excursions; you can take photographs or selfies against their background.
Monument to the family of Nicholas II
In 2021, a monument to Nicholas II and his family was erected in Diveevo on the Cathedral Square of the Holy Trinity Seraphim-Diveevsky Monastery. It was made using public donations from all over the country by Moscow sculptor Irina Makarova.
The monument is a group sculptural image of the family of Nicholas II with his wife and children, all of them holding Orthodox crosses in their hands. The imperial couple visited Diveyevo in 1903 in connection with the canonization of Seraphim of Sarov, and the Diveyevo lands preserve the memory of this visit.
Monument to Diveyevo residents who fell on the battlefields of the Great Patriotic War
It is a rare settlement in Russia that does not have a monument associated with the Great Patriotic War. There is a memorial to those killed in the Second World War in the village of Diveevo - this is a small granite stele on a pedestal. The monument was opened on the 20th anniversary of the Great Victory - May 9, 1965. In the central part of the stele there is an inscription “To fellow Diveyevo citizens who fell on the battlefields of the Great Patriotic War.” There is a park around the monument.
Monument to V.I. Lenin
Across the road from the monastery wall in Diveyevo there is a monument to the Soviet era - leader Vladimir Ilyich Lenin. It is installed so that its hand points towards the monastery. Thus, in the history of the city, two worldviews and two eras are combined - religious and atheistic.
For everyone who believes, for whom the culture of Russian Orthodoxy is valuable, important and interesting, there is a path to the small Nizhny Novgorod village of Diveevo. Its history is permeated with the memory of holy martyrs and blessed righteous people, of divine miracles. “Here the piles of the Queen of Heaven passed,” Seraphim of Sarov said about the Diveyevo lands. For our Orthodox history this is truly a holy place.
By car
- By car from Moscow it is most convenient to travel along the road through Balashikha to Vladimir. Before reaching Vladimir, turn onto Murom, and then drive through the cities of Navashino, Kulebaki and Ardatov to the village of Diveevo
- From the south of Russia it is more convenient to travel along one of the routes - through Ryazan and Shatsk, Sasovo and Ermish or
- via Saransk and Lukoyanov, Shatki and Lesogorsk
In addition, many churches in nearby Russian cities organize pilgrimage tours to the Diveyevo Monastery, and you can contact the church closest to you and get the necessary information about such a trip.
Having arrived at the monastery, for questions about accommodation, food and getting to know the monastery, you can contact the pilgrimage center, located in a two-story yellow building near the Kazan Cathedral opposite the western gate.
