During summer (starting 1st of June for Russia), we can avoid the town pollution by discovering some curiosities around Moscow within 1-2 hours by train. This month, let's go to New Jerusalem monastery, close to Istra, around 50 km from Moscow town centre.
In June, there was no more snow !
Here is the Palestine version ...
Even though it underwent reconstruction in the 18th and 19th centuries, the New Jerusalem stayed largely unchanged. In Soviet days it was shut down to serve an arts and local history museum. During the Second World War it was plundered and partially blown up by the Nazis and it took long to rebuild it. Monks returned to it in 1995 after a 75-year absence.
But the unforgetable view is the dome with windows !
How to get there ?
The quickest option is by train (choose Express one) that you can take at Rizhskaya metro station.
The monastery itself in not in the centre of Istra : it is better to step out of the train at "Novouy Jerusalem" railway station. Then, after 20 min of walk you can discover the monastery a little apart from the city.
In June, there was no more snow !
The history
The New Jerusalem Monastery, designed as an exact replica of the Holy Sepulcher Church in Jerusalem, was founded on the bank of Istra River 350 years ago.
Here is the Palestine version ...
We need a bit of imagination to see some likeness with Russian version ! (well, it's also on a hill for both)
The idea of building the Monastery belonged to Patriarch Nikon, who wanted a Russian Jerusalem near Moscow. The objective was to create a center of Orthodoxy which would boost the authority of the Russian Orthodox Church and the Russian State and would assert the Moscow-Third Rome concept.
Patriarch Nikon selected an elevated place by the Istra River near Moscow which he saw as similar to where the Church of the Holy Sepulcher is located in Palestine. Scholastic monk-priest Arseni Sukhanov was dispatched to the Holy Land to collect drawings and plans of the Holy Sepulcher Church. The construction of the monastery began in 1656.
Though ordering an exact replica of the church, Patriarch Nikon put no restrictions on the artistic imagination of the architects. Indeed, the resulting church repeated the design and size of the original but was different inside incorporating a Russian perception through a diversity of architectural form, rich ceramic ornaments and stone carving.
Originally the monastery was known as Resurrection Monastery on the Istra. It became the New Jerusalem Monastery after Tsar Alexei called it so in one of his letters to Patriarch Nikon.
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The building of the monastery came a crucial event ahead of a church reform initiated by Patriarch Nikon. The Patriarch stood at the helm of drastic changes and replaced Tsar Alexei as a ruler during his military campaigns.
In 1658 the Tsar and the Patriarch fell out and the outraged Patriarch quit the patriarchy and retreated to New Jerusalem, where he lived for eight years. The monastery was under intensive construction. After the Church Council of 1666-1667 condemned the Patriarch, Nikon was exiled into Ferapontov Monastery, where he spent fifteen years. But on God's will the Patriarch on his death was to be buried in the New Jerusalem Monastery he had founded. The white-stone tomb of Patriarch Nikon in the New Jerusalem Monastery has survived to this day.
Even though it underwent reconstruction in the 18th and 19th centuries, the New Jerusalem stayed largely unchanged. In Soviet days it was shut down to serve an arts and local history museum. During the Second World War it was plundered and partially blown up by the Nazis and it took long to rebuild it. Monks returned to it in 1995 after a 75-year absence.
And today, besides being a monastery the New Jerusalem is also a museum.
The visit of the site
There are 2 gates to enter the site and we selected the park one which is more appropriate when coming from the "Novouy Jerusalem" railway station.
The entrance is free of charge but you should pay for each individual visit (museum, isba, mill, rampart, ...).
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Park and Monastery :
1- Nikon patriarch monastery
2- Show-room
3- Chapel
4- Isba
5- Mill
6- Spring
7- Small river
8- River Istra (Jordan)
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So, let's first visit the park and then the monastery, starting with the wood chapel (18th).
And the isba with furniture and decoration like it was 2 centuries ago.
After, let's see the windmill : on the way we meet a horse pulling a cart ...
Then, let's have a look on the small Nikon church.
Now, it's time to enter the New Jerusalem monastery itself.
If you come from the main entrance, you can see that ... despite of restoration works, it looks impressive.
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In winter when Bigitte visited it
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Now, let's go inside : due to works, it is not possible to have access to the main cathedral ... partially destroyed by nazis during the 1939-45 war. Normally, works should be completed in 2014.
Under the cathedral there is the underground church where we can see the grave of Nikon patriarch and also a lot of ceramics and painted walls.
To finish the visit let's go to the museum.
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