Нило-Столобенская пустынь. The Nilov-Stolobenskaya Hermitage

The Nilov-Stolobenskaya Hermitage (Nilova Hermitage) is an Orthodox monastery located on Stolobny Island and partly on the Svetlitsa Peninsula, 10 kilometers north of the city of Ostashkov, on Lake Seliger.

 

Reverend Nil

Reverend Nil of Stolobensk was born at the end of the 15th century near Veliky Novgorod. His name in the world is currently unknown, as is the identity of his parents. It is known that after their death, he went to the Kripetsky Monastery of St. John the Theologian, which is located near Pskov. There he took monastic vows under the name Nil in honor of Reverend Nil the Faster.

 

In 1515, Reverend Nil left the Kripetsky Monastery and built a small cell in the forest in the Rzhevsky district near the Seremkha River. He lived in solitude, ate herbs and oak acorns, and spent all his time in prayer.

 

According to legend, robbers once came to Reverend Nil, deciding to kill him. However, he, having said a prayer, came out to them with an icon of the Most Holy Theotokos. The robbers saw that the monk was surrounded by many armed men. In horror, they fell at his feet, repented and began to ask for forgiveness.

 

Gradually, the fame of the hermit spread throughout the surrounding villages. People began to come to him, asking for prayers and instructions. Such rumors began to weigh on the saint, and 13 years after settling near the Seremkha River, in 1528, he moved to a new place - Stolobny Island on Lake Seliger, seven miles from Ostashkov. The first year he lived in a dugout, then built himself a cell and a chapel for prayer. According to legend, the devil sent various misfortunes to the hermit - fires, attacks by robbers, tried to throw his cell into the lake. However, the saint remained adamant, overcoming all attacks with prayer and faith.

 

The saint lived on the island for 27 years and before his death bequeathed to build a monastery on this site, which was later done. There is a belief that the Venerable Nil took a vow of not lying down, and therefore never lay horizontally. He even slept by hanging himself by the shoulders with ropes or on hooks driven into the wall.

 

In 1555, Nil died and was buried on Stolobny Island. In 1594, with the permission of Patriarch Job, a monastic community was opened. Thus began the history of the Nilo-Stolobensky Hermitage for men. The founder of the monastery was Hieromonk Herman.

 

The Monastery

 

On the Veduta of 1789

After the death of the Venerable Nil, hermits and prayer warriors began to settle near his grave on the island, and they founded the monastery. Before the revolution of 1917, the Nilo-Stolobensky Monastery was one of the most revered in Russia, with thousands of people coming here every year. In 1820, Emperor Alexander I visited the monastery[2]. In 1858, a granite embankment was built around the island.

 

At the beginning of the 20th century, the number of permanent residents reached 1,000 people; the monastery even had its own hospital.

 

In 1919, all church valuables were confiscated, and the relics of St. Nil were uncovered. The monastery operated until 1927, and subsequently underwent several changes. By the end of the 1980s, a significant part of the buildings had either been lost or were in a dilapidated state. At different times, the Nilov-Stolobenskaya Hermitage housed:

 

Monastery plan at the beginning of the 19th century

in 1927-1939 — a labor commune, a colony for juvenile delinquents;

in 1939-1940 — a camp for Polish prisoners of war;

in 1941-1945 — a hospital;

in 1945-1960 — again a colony;

in 1960-1971 — a nursing home;

in 1971-1990 — a tourist center.

In 1990, the Nilov-Stolobenskaya Hermitage complex was transferred to the Russian Orthodox Church. In 1995, the relics of St. Nilus were returned to the monastery.

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