Novotorzhsky Borisoglebsky Monastery

Boris and Gleb Monastery in Torzhok is a large male Orthodox monastery in the Tver region, considered one of the oldest in Russia. The picturesque monastery complex rises on the steep right bank of the Tvertsa River and is a real ornament of the old town.

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Video: Boris and Gleb Monastery in Torzhok

Contents

Highlights

Borisoglebsky Monastery was founded almost simultaneously with the Kiev-Pechersk Lavra when Prince Yaroslav Vladimirovich the Wise ruled. The Monk Ephrem of Novotorzhsk is considered the founder of the monastery. Until the XVII century the temples and buildings of the Boris and Gleb Monastery in Torzhok were wooden. The architectural ensemble, which has survived to this day, was formed at the end of the XVIII – early XIX century.

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For centuries of history, the ancient monastery experienced ups and downs, it was destroyed by enemies and time. Borisoglebsky monastery suffered during the anti-religious campaign, which the Soviet authorities conducted in the 1930s. For several decades in the former temples worked agricultural school and military apartments. Prisoners were kept here and alcoholics were treated.

In the mid-1990s, the territory of the monastery was returned to the church. The monastery preserved the majestic cathedral of Boris and Gleb, as well as several temples and buildings. The oldest church, consecrated in honor of the Entrance of the Virgin into the Temple, has stood here since the XVII century. Currently, the Boris and Gleb Monastery in Torzhok is in need of repair and restoration.

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History of Borisoglebsky Monastery

The Monk Ephrem is considered to be the founder of the Borisoglebsky Monastery. In the world he held the prestigious position of stable boy to the Kiev prince Vladimir Svyatoslavich. Then Ephrem tonsured himself as a monk and left Kiev for the Tver lands. In 1038 the first temple built in memory of the murdered princes Boris and Gleb appeared on the Tver River, around which later grew an Orthodox monastery.

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The first written evidence of the Boris and Gleb monastery in Torzhok dates back to the reign of Ivan IV the Terrible. In the Time of Troubles the city was captured by the Poles, and the monastery cathedral was severely destroyed. Great damage to the monastery was caused by a terrible fire, which occurred in the city in 1742. Then the monastery was rebuilt according to the designs of famous architects Nikolai Alexandrovich Lvov and Yakov Ananyevich Ananyev.

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In the XX century, the monastery was not closed immediately. At first, the local authorities took away part of the monastery premises and placed in them a dormitory of the state farm, warehouses and workshops. In 1931, many monks were arrested, the monastery was liquidated, and its territory was given to the local state farm.

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After 5 years in the former monastery was a military unit, and after it – aviation warehouses and a camp where prisoners of war were kept. Since 1944 the territory of Borisoglebsky monastery was turned into a prison, and in the late 1880s – into a medical-labor preventorium.

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Later, the old buildings were transferred to the historical and ethnographic museum, and the revival of the monastery began. Much effort was spent to restore the architectural ensemble, crippled during the years when there was a prison here. The Borisoglebsky Monastery in Torzhok was returned to the church in 1994.

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Monastery Cathedral

By the middle of the 18th century, it was decided to demolish the cathedral church. The remains of the building were dismantled, and in 1785, with the money allocated by Catherine II, began the construction of a new cathedral. The project for it was prepared by the architect N. A. Lvov, and the construction work was led by F. I. Butsi. In 1796 the huge cathedral was consecrated.

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The icons for the iconostasis of the cathedral were painted by the famous Russian portraitist Vladimir Lukich Borovikovsky, but unfortunately they have not survived, except for one work. This icon is now exhibited in the Tver Art Gallery.

The magnificent cross-domed church is a vivid example of Catherine’s classicism. Externally it looks like a large cube. The cathedral is crowned with five chapters and from all four facades is decorated with columned porticoes.

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Temples and buildings on the territory of the monastery

The oldest building of the Boris and Gleb Monastery in Torzhok is considered to be the Vvedenskaya Church, erected in the XVII century. The building of the one-domed temple is composed of simple volumes and has an ornate decoration. Today it is the only functioning Orthodox church on the territory of the monastery. Services are held almost every day at 8.00 and 16.00.

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In the monastery you can also see the house church of the abbot of the monastery – the Church of the Entrance of the Lord into Jerusalem (XVIII century.), the high gable Church of the Savior (1804) and the Chapel of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary (early XIX century.). The Candle Tower located in the northeastern corner of the monastery (1809) has a very interesting decor. In addition to it, the Boris and Gleb Monastery has preserved stone monks’ cells, the abbot’s building, a roofed cellar and icehouse, entrance gates and walls of outbuildings.

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How to get there

Borisoglebsky Monastery in Torzhok stands in the city center, on the right bank of the Tvertsa River, to the south of the Novotorzhsky Kremlin (Staritskaya Street, 7). From Moscow to Tver is reached by bus or by electric train. There are also buses and electric trains from Tver to Torzhok.

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