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Makaryev Convent (formerly Monastery)

The Makaryev (Makaryevsky) Convent was founded originally as a men's monastery. According to the legend, it was founded by the missionary Saint Macarius (Makary) in the early 15th century (1435, or, according to the Nizhny Novgorod Eparchy site, in 1415) by the waters of Zhyoltoye Ozero (Yellow Lake), from where comes the appellation "Zheltovodsky". In 1439, the monastery was burned by Kazan Tatar Khan Ulu Mukhammed. Macarius was taken prisoner, but released by the Khan on the condition that he does not rebuild the monastery. Macarius then went into the Kostroma forests, where he founded a new monastery on the Unzha River, now known as Unzhensky Makaryev monastery. In 1620, the monk Avramy (Abraham) from Murom came to this place to rebuild the monastery, and soon he was surrounded by other monks. In 1624, the first wooden Cathedral of the Holy Trinity was consecrated. Most of the existing major monastery buildings were constructed of stone between 1651 and 1667. Despite the fortifications, the monastery was captured by Stenka Razin's rebel forces in 1670.

The famous Makaryev Fair took place every summer for more than two centuries outside of the walls of the monastery. This was one of the most famous and important merchant fairs in Eastern Europe. Many merchants from Europe and Asia arrived in July to exchange goods. From the 1620s the fair was an important event in Russian economy. By 1800, there were over three thousand government and private buildings to house the millions of rubles worth of trade goods. In 1816, a huge fire burned most of the buildings and millions of rubles were lost. The fair was then moved to Nizhny Novgorod in 1817 where it became even more famous.

After the fair had been moved to Nizhny Novgorod, the monastery lost its main source of income. Besides, in the early XIX'th century the Volga had shifted its course, absorbing the Yellow Lake. The monastery buildings were now threatened by the waters of the great river, with its annual spring floods. First, parts of the monastery walls fell due to the shore erosion; in 1859, the main dome of the cathedral was shattered. Concerned with the monks' security, the Nizhny Novgorod Eparchy (Orthodox Diocese) and the local authorities decided to abolish the monastery. In 1869, the monastic community was dissolved; a sole hieromonk remained as a caretaker of the deserted compound. A few years later, the Volga shifted its course again, and now was almost a kilometer away from the monastery buildings, not endangering them anymore. In 1882, the old monastery was resurrected, now as a women's convent.

Church of Archangel Michael

Церковь Михаила Архангела

Church of the Assumption of the Holy Virgin

Церковь Успения Пресвятой Богородицы

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