About the monastery

Dear brothers and sisters!

Nuns of the Intercession (Pokrovsky) Monastery warmly welcome you to the page dedicated to the restored monastery hotel. Today, as a hundred years ago, we have an opportunity of taking pilgrims to venerate the shrines of the ancient monastery of Moscow.

Intercession (Pokrovsky) Monastery is a stauropegic nunnery of the Russian Orthodox Church, situated in Moscow, in the neighborhood of Taganka. Since 1998, the monastery is the location of the relics of the St. Matrona of Moscow.

The monastery initially was founded as a man’s in 1635 by Tsar Michael I of Russia in memory of his father –  Patriarch Filaret, who has died on the day of the Intercession of Blessed Virgin Mary Feast.

In 1655 a stone monastery cathedral of the Intercession of the Virgin was constructed, built again in 1806-1814. In the 18th century, the Church of the Resurrection and a 30-meter three-tier bell tower were erected.

At the end of the XIX century, approximately from 1870, the monastery was transformed into the Intercession (Pokrovsky) Missionary Monastery.

The monastery was closed in 1929, the temples were closed in 1926, the same year the bell tower was blown up. The last vicar of the Intercession Monastery was Archimandrite Veniamin (Milov).

In 1994, the Intercession (Pokrovsky) Monastery was returned to the Russian Orthodox Church. On November 24, 1994 the Holy Synod decided to resume the Intercession (Pokrovsky) Monastery as a female nunnery.

From February 22, 1995, the abbess of the Intercession (Pokrovsky) Stauropegic Monastery is abbess Feofaniya (in the world Olga Dmitrievna Miskina, born on 1965), formerly an inhabitant of the Holy Trinity-Saint Seraphim-Diveyevo Monastery. On April 14th, 1995 she was ordinated as a nun by Patriarch Alexy II, then raised to the rank of Abbess on April 4, 1998.

The legal Observance of the monastery was registered in March 1995. The revival of the monastery began in October 1995, following by the first Divine Liturgy was celebrated in the walls of the half-destroyed Church of the Intercession.There were five nuns, led by Mother Feofania, who have prayed. The abbess’ s brother Fr. Alexander made the first iconostasis out of plywood, on which the paper icons were strengthened.The sisters used to sing by themselves. Between 1996-1997, by the resolution of the Government of Moscow, the monastery was handed over to the unlimited and uncompensated services. This included all historically belonging to the Intercession (Pokrovsky) Monastery buildings and the land. With the only exception of those territories occupied by the  Taganskiy Park with the stadium (which formerly used to be a half of the area of the monastery).

On May 1, 1998, the remains of Matrona Dmitrievna Nikonova have been transferred, and on the night of March 8 of that year, it was found from the grave at Danilov Monastery’s cemetery in Moscow. On May 2, 1999, Matrona Nikonova became locally venerated as the “blessed Matrona of Moscow”. In 2004 the general hierarchical canonization was held at the Bishops’ Council.

On April 4, 1998, three aisles on the first floor of the Intercession Church were consecrated.

In 1999, the upper church of the Intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary was consecrated. On November 22, 2001, the Resurrection Cathedral was consecrated, on the day of the 120th anniversary of the birth of Matrona of Moscow. In 2002, the newly rebuilt three-tier bell tower, the exact replica of the destroyed one, was consecrated. The Holy Spring has been restored. By 2014, the monastery has about 50 sisters.

Since 2005, with the blessing of His Holiness Patriarch Alexy II of Moscow and All Russia, the revival began at the historical site of the monastery hotel.

The building was completely constructed in two years. The internal finishing jobs were continuing for about a year. Finally, to the great joy of the pilgrims, the consecration and opening of the reconstructed monastery hotel took place on July 23, 2015. The symbolic ribbon was cut by His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia, the Abbess of the Monastery Feofania and the Chairwoman of the “Spiritual and moral culture of younger generation of Russia” program S.V. Medvedeva.

March 8, 2013, His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia committed the ceremony of laying of the capsule in the foundation of the Saints Peter and Fevronia of Murom Chapel-Church. This  Chapel-Church was historically existed outside the monastery and was destroyed during hard times.

On February 27, 2014, with the blessing of His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia, the Saints Peter and Fevronia Church was consecrated by the Archbishop of Sergiyev Posad Feognost.

The monastery operates a girls orphanage for 40 people.

Every day the monastery visits up to 3 thousand pilgrims, on Sundays and holidays their number reaches 25 thousand, on the days of the patronal feasts it reaches up to 50 thousand.

The Intercession (Pokrovsky) Monastery is located in the very center of Moscow. Today it is known in the Orthodox world as a place where the holy relics of Saint Matrona the Wonderworker of Moscow rest.Every day hundreds of people come here to pray, receive spiritual support, think about the eternal in our bustling century. Now pilgrims and tourists have the possibility to stay in a wonderful hotel, equipped with the most modern standards.

It will be comfortable here for those who specifically came here to venerate the holy relics of Saint Matrona the Wonderworker of Moscow. Such a rest for your soul. Even an unchurched person, after having lived at the monastery hotel for a while, will be able to feel the whole beauty of Orthodoxy. The chance to visit monastic services daily, confess and receive communion, will enrich the spiritual experience of anyone.

Director of the hotel is The Mother Superior of the Convent Hegumeness Feofaniya. All the main positions in the hotel are occupied by the sisters of the monastery, for which this is an ordinary obedience, which they try to make with a prayer, diligence, and love. The entire staff of the hotel is committed Christians delighted to serve one’s neighbor.

ABOUT BLESSED MATRONA      MONASTERY SHRINES   SCHEDULE OF SERVICES