Diveevo
The village of Diveevo is an important spiritual centre for the Nizhny Novgorod region, and an essential element of the Orthodox pilgrimage in Russia. You cannot make the trip to Diveevo without visiting the Serafimo-Diveevsky Convent, which can be viewed as an entire quarter in itself, with numerous temples, chapels and shrines. Even if you are going there just as a tourist, rather than a pilgrim, you will see amazing architecture, ancient frescoes, beautiful gardens, and many other interesting things, and most importantly you will feel that very serenity which can be so lacking in a bustling metropolis.
A FEW FACTS
The land of Nogai Murza
The village of Diveevo first emerged in 1559, and there are several versions as to the origins of its name. According to the most common version, the village was named after its first owner, Nogai Murza Divey, who received these lands after a successful campaign against the Kazan Khanate.
A crossroads of pilgrimage routes
The village was located at the intersection of different pilgrimage routes, and travellers who went to the Sarov monastery could find shelter and rest here. In 1767, one of the itinerants, Agafya Melgunova, started building a stone temple at Diveevo in honour of the Kazan Icon of the Mother of God.
In memory of Seraphim of Sarov
15 kilometres from Diveevo, where the closed city of Sarov is now located, was the Sarov Desert monastery, where one of the most revered of all Russian saints, Seraphim of Sarov, lived in seclusion. It is said that in 1830 the great poet Alexander Pushkin came to visit the elder.
The Sacred Moat
After emerging from his seclusion, Seraphim of Sarov took the convent in Diveevo under his care. Legend has it that the Virgin Mary appeared to the monk in a vision, walked around the monastery, and ordered him to found a mill community next to the Kazan Church, and to surround this place with a ditch and rampart. This is how the famous Moat appeared, which came to be one of the main shrines of the monastery. According to Seraphim, the Moat will always be a wall and protection from the Antichrist.
The destiny of the Holy Virgin
According to Christian beliefs, the Holy Trinity Seraphimo-Diveevsky Monastery is one of the four destinies of the Holy Virgin, that is, a place which is under her special protection. The three others are located in Georgia, on Mount Athos, and in Kiev.
Ancient holy springs
There are several springs in Diveevo: the most ancient being the Spring of Kazan, the Spring of Panteleimon the Healer, the Spring of Mother Alexandra, and the Iversky Spring. The most revered of all is the distant spring of Father Seraphim, which is located nearby the village of Tsyganovka.
WHAT TO DO IN THE CITY
01
Contact the Pilgrimage Centre
If this is your first time in Diveevo, and you do not yet have a good understanding of the appeal of each of the temples, where you can take a break, and where the shrines are, start by contacting the Pilgrimage Centre. There you can book excursions, arrange accommodation in the monastery building, and receive answers to all your questions.
02
Pay heed to the traditions
Even if you are visiting the monastery as a tourist, do not forget that special rules of conduct prevail here, and a dress code is required: behave modestly, do not swear, women should wear long skirts and have their heads covered, and men should not come wearing shorts or T-shirts.
03
Take a sightseeing tour of the temples and shrines
Now you can start exploring the temples of the monastery, among which there are only four cathedrals: go to the oldest, the Kazan Church, built in the Russian Baroque style in 1773, where you can see the ancient frescoes created by the Diveevo nuns. Then head to the main Cathedral of the Trinity, where the relics of St. Seraphim of Sarov are kept, and finally to the white-stone Church of the Transfiguration, which is inspired by ancient Russian architecture.
04
Walk along the Holy Moat
Next to the Cathedral of the Transfiguration you will find the starting point of the Holy Moat, whose length along its axis 775 metres! It is believed that whoever walks along it reading the prayer "Virgin Mary, Rejoice" 150 times, is promised "all of Athos, Kiev, and Jerusalem", or in other words, deliverance from all kinds of sorrows. In any case, this is a real sightseeing tour of the monastery, during which you will see it in all its beauty!
05
Relax by the larch tree
Not far from the end of the Moat (where, incidentally, consecrated butter and crackers are handed), there grows a larch tree which, as legend has it, was planted by Emperor Nicholas II himself when his heir, Tsarevich Alexei, was born. There is a chapel there, and you can also relax on a bench next to the former monastery pond.
06
Have lunch in the refectory
If you are hungry, you can have lunch in the refectories, which include a free tea room or cafe at the Pilgrim's House. Alternatively, you can buy crackers, rolls or kvass at the shop, which you can also bring home as a souvenir. We also recommend you try the Russian cuisine in one of the restaurants at the Diveevskaya Sloboda hotel complex, the Malinovy Zvon (“The Raspberry Bell”) or Razdolye ("Expanse").
07
Visit the museums
Once you have acquainted yourself with all of the cathedrals, you can move on to the museums: start with the house-museum of Paraskeva the Blessed, or the "pustynka": the lonely cell for the Diveevo ascetics, where the furnishings of the ancient dwelling of Paraskeva and the other nuns have been preserved, and where you can also see the personal belongings of St. Seraphim. You can learn about how Diveevo’s nuns and priests lived in the post-revolutionary period at the Museum of the History of the Diveevo Monastery in the 20th century.
08
Inspire yourself with a Diveevo toy
RIght there, on Oktyabrskaya Street, is the Diveevo Toys and Ceramics Museum: a new phenomenon, but a very curious one. Here you can cast your eye over a unique collection of these clay toys in the form of animals, birds and other fabulous creatures.
09
Take a dip in the holy springs
A great end to your trip to Diveevo will be bathing in the holy springs, of which there are many near the monastery, the most famous among them being the Spring of Kazan, the Spring of Panteleimon the Healer, and the Tenderness spring in honour of the Mother of God. A lot of pilgrims come there, and with good reason: it is a beautiful setting with a large swimming pool and baths, as well as a wonderful view of the monastery.
WHERE TO GO AND WHAT TO SEE
The Holy Trinity Serafimo-Diveevsky Monastery
Diveevo Village, Sovetskaya St.
One of Russia’s largest monasteries and centres of Orthodox pilgrimage and tourism, founded in the second half of the 18th century.
Working hours
Daily, 05:00-22:00
The Pilgrimage Centre
Diveevo Village, Oktyabrskaya St.
An information centre where you can book excursions, arrange accommodation in the monastery building, and get answers to all your questions about the work of the monastery.
The Cathedral of the Holy Trinity
Diveevo Village, in the grounds of the Holy Trinity Seraphimo-Diveevsky Monastery
The main temple of the Diveevsky monastery complex, where the relics of St. Seraphim of Sarov are kept.
The Kazan Cathedral
Diveevo Village, in the grounds of the Holy Trinity Seraphimo-Diveevsky Monastery
A three-altar church built in 1779 in the Russian Baroque style, where ancient frescoes made by the craftsmen of Diveevo have been preserved.
The Moat of the Mother of God
Diveevo Village, in the grounds of the Holy Trinity Seraphimo-Diveevsky Monastery
The Holy Moat around the monastery, almost 800 metres long, was dug at the direction of the Virgin Mary.
The Monument to the Royal Family
Diveevo Village, 9 Shkolnaya St.
A 3.5-meter-high bronze monument installed on the Cathedral Square of the Serafimo-Diveevsky Monastery
The Cathedral of the Transfiguration
Lyskovo, Krasnaya Gora St.
Lyskovo’s oldest church, built in 1711.
The Cathedral of the Transfiguration
Diveevo Village, in the grounds of the Holy Trinity Seraphimo-Diveevsky Monastery
A cathedral dating to the beginning of the 20th century, built in the neo-Russian style.
The larch of Tsarevich Alexei
Diveevo, near the Holy Moat
A huge larch tree, which legend has it was planted by Emperor Nicholas II himself in 1905 in honour of the birth of his heir.
House-Museum of Paraskeva Diveevskaya the Blessed
Diveevo Village, 8 Oktyabrskaya St.
A museum dedicated to the pre-revolutionary history of the monastery, where the personal belongings of St. Seraphim and the veil embroidered by Empress Alexandra Romanova are on display.
Working hours
Monday-Friday 12:00-15:00, Saturday 09:00-16:00
Museum of the History of the Diveevsky monastery in the 20th century
Diveevo village, 23 Oktyabrskaya Str.
A museum where you can learn about the fate of Diveevo clergy after the closure of the monastery in 1927, see their personal belongings, and visit the reconstructed living chambers.
Dolgintsev’s house
Diveevo Village, in the grounds of the Holy Trinity Seraphimo-Diveevsky Monastery
A house dating to the beginning of the 20th century, which belonged to the monastery’s benefactor, Fyodor Dolgintsev, whose daughter became one of its novices.
The Diveevo Toys and Ceramics Museum
Diveevo village, 16 Oktyabrskaya St.
Here you can see a large collection of pottery in the form of animals, birds and fabulous creatures.
Working hours
Tuesday-Sunday 09:30-15:30
The source of St. Panteleimon
Diveevo village, Rodnikovaya St.
A spring that appeared at the end of the 20th century, where you can plunge into the font with its healing water.
