TSIVILSK TIKHVIN BOGORODITSKY MONASTERY DURING THE TRANSFORMATION PERIOD OF THE 1860s – 1870s

Abstract

Studying the history of churches and monasteries in modern conditions is of scientific and practical interest. The purpose of the study is to examine the history of transformation of the Tsivilsk Tikhvin Monastery into a women’s monastery against the background of bourgeois modernization of the Russian society, intensification of the policy and practice of Orthodox missionary work, to show the contribution of spiritual and secular persons to the revival of monastic life in Tsivilsk monastery and to assess its religious and social significance in establishing Orthodoxy among the population of Chuvashia. Materials and methods. The article is based on the analysis of literary and documentary materials. The main sources of the work were archival documents, publications of periodicals, materials of the website of the Chuvash metropolis. Theoretical generalizations and conclusions are made using the chronological, institutional and cultural-anthropological approaches. Study results. Tsivilsk Bogoroditsky Tikhvin Monastery of the Chuvash Metropolis is one of the oldest in the Middle Volga region. It was founded by Tsivilsk inhabitants in memory of the town’s miraculous deliverance in 1671 by the God’s Mother’s intercession from the devastation by S.T. Razin’s detachments. Tsivilsk monastery has gone through different times: it was on the verge of closure more than once, and was abolished during the Soviet period. In this study, based on the study of special literature and a set of sources, the author examined one of the most difficult periods in the history of the monastery. At the end of the 1860s, the monastery’s economy turned out to be in a critical condition. Neither the monastery nor the municipal authorities had the financial means and material resources to restore it. The brethren were small in number, they did not see any prospects for the change for the better, so violations to the rules of monastic life took place among them. The diocesan leadership in the person of Archbishop Anthony of Kazan (Ya.G. Amphiteatrov), having visited the monastery in 1869, made a proposal to the consistory to close it. However, in the conditions of bourgeois reforms and intensification of missionary and educational activities, closure of the monastery in the uyezd, where predominantly the Chuvash population lived, could have negative consequences for Orthodoxy establishment. At the same time, the residents of Tsivilsk and many neighboring villages did not want to lose the monastery, which had not only religious, but also symbolic significance. These circumstances, in the author’s opinion, forced to look for other solutions to its fate. The idea of converting a male monastery into a female one turned out to be promising. The events of the monastery economy’s revival are described in detail, the role of the abbess Kheruvima, the main benefactor V.N. Nikitin is shown, the progress of construction and repair works is covered, the celebrations in honor of the renovated monastery consecration are described in detail, its characteristics at the turn of the XIX–XX centuries are given. Conclusions. One of the ancient centers of Orthodoxy in the territory of Chuvashia, Tsivilsk Bogoroditsky Tikhvin Monastery became a women’s monastery as a result of transformations in 1871–1872. Preservation of the historical monastery became possible thanks to the support of the diocesan leadership, the presence of benefactors, a positive attitude of Tsivilsk residents, as well as believers of Tsivilsk and neighboring uyezds. As a result of the renovation, Tsivilsk Tikhvin Convent turned into a center of missionary educational activities in the Chuvash Region. The modern restoration of the monastery became possible due to preservation of the monastery complex, built mainly in the historical period under consideration.