There is a saying among the people "In the sketes, but in the same fuss." Skeet are conditionally closed settlements. They were created by monks and hermits. You can learn more about them from history.
History
In ancient times in Russia, sketes were dwellings located far from any settlements, in impassable terrain. They were equipped by hermits who protested against the reforms and the dominance of secular and religious authorities.
Skit was a place of residence for Old Believers, refugees, hermits. They built cells or wooden houses for themselves. They were surrounded by a palisade.
There were such shelters in many countries of Eurasia. In Russia, a large number of settlements appeared after 988, when the introduction of a new official religion, Christianity, began. Other impetuses for the creation of sketes were the activities of Ivan the Terrible, Peter the Great, and the Soviet government.
Many sketes were destroyed by the 18th century, and their former buildings were converted in the 20th century into museums, archives, storage facilities. In modern times, the skete are ancient monuments that are of great cultural and historical significance. They are witnesses of the conflicting past and present.
Interpretationwords
Skeet is a concept that can be interpreted in different ways. There are several versions of the origin of the word:
- “ascetic” is a word of Greek origin, which means a place for asceticism;
- from the name of the settlement in Egypt where the monks settled;
- from the old Russian "skytanin", that is, "hermit";
- from the old Russian word "kita", which means the integrity of something disparate.
Modern sketes are created with cultural, historical and economic significance.
Chernihiv Convent
The monastery was founded in the middle of the 19th century and very quickly became famous among the pilgrims. There is a legend that in 1905 Nicholas II visited him, to whom the elder Barnabas predicted martyrdom.
He stands surrounded by forest. It was originally called the Gethsemane Skete. The exact date of its foundation was 1844. Initially, it consisted of an old wooden church brought from the village of Podsosenye. When cave cells appeared here, they began to call it the Chernigov Skete. All of them have survived to this day.
The formation of the monastery is associated with the name of the holy fool Philip, who traveled around many monasteries, but founded his underground shelter not far from the emerging monastery. Over time, cells began to appear on the surface, and the monks descended underground to pray.
By the end of the 19th century, the architect Sultanov was instructed to build an upper temple over the caves, so as not to destroy the underground cells. Later, through the efforts of the architect Latkov, exquisitethe building was supplemented with a five-tier stone bell tower.
The life of Elder Barnabas
The worldly name of the old man is Vasily Merkulov. He was born in 1831 into a family of serfs in the Tula province. By the age of 20, he went to Sergius of Radonezh, having taken the monastic vows, received the name Barnabas, meaning "comforter".
The monk possessed, in addition to the gift of consolation, the ability to reason spiritually and understand spiritual and worldly wisdom. Pilgrims often visited his cell, and the elder received them, listened to them, gave good advice, which often became prophetic. Barnabas predicted that there would soon be persecution for the faith.
Spiritual children of the elder:
- Ivan Shmelev - writer;
- Reverend Seraphim Vyritsky;
- Konstantin Lavrentiev - a philosopher in the world, he is a monk Clement;
- Vasily Rozanov - writer, philosopher.
The relics of the elder are stored in the Chernigov Skete, or rather in its main temple.
Historical name
The name of the Chernihiv skete is associated with the icon of the Mother of God. She became famous in 1662 near the Chernigov monastery. The monks prayed before the icon and thus saved it from the Mongol-Tatars, who, thanks to an unknown force, fled away. Many copies were made from the image of the icon.
One of these reproductions in 1852, Alexandra Filippova gave the skete, which became known as Chernigov, although many remember it as Gethsemane.
There is another miraculous icon in it, which is called the "Indestructible Wall". It depicts the Mother of God surrounded by angels. People testify that new faces of angels continue to appear on the icon. The monks explain this by the fact that this may have been the intention of the icon painter.
Nikolsky Skete
Located on the island of Valaam, a kilometer from the monastery. The road, laid in the 18th century, leads to it. The first monks were able to settle here at the same time. At the beginning there were twelve of them, their main occupation was fishing.
The monks also had to ensure that tobacco and liquor were not brought into the island by parishioners. If visitors gave away such things voluntarily, they were returned to them after leaving the territory of the monastery. When prohibited items were seized on the island, they were taken away and thrown into the water.
The walls of the temple, which stands on the top of the island, were painted by the monks who lived there. The main theme was the life of Nicholas the Wonderworker.
