Rostov Iversky Convent main. Holy Iversky Monastery in Rostov-on-Don
Once upon a time, on the site of the Iversky Monastery in the middle of the steppe in the vicinity of Odessa, there was a women’s St. Michael’s monastery, which was closed at the end of the 19th century. Only the monastery church remained active, to which a few residents of the surrounding farms gathered.
In the first years of the twentieth century, the Odessa Aeroclub was opened in Odessa. By personal order of Emperor Nicholas II, the Odessa Aero Club was allocated a plot of land of the former St. Michael's monastery, on which a flight school was eventually created, and later an airfield was located, called “School”. Despite the purely technical purpose of the territory of the flight school, the aviators decided not to move the inherited temple to another place, but to leave it for their spiritual needs.
This church was destroyed during the years of Soviet power; neither its photographs nor descriptions have survived. What is known is that it was small in size and next to it there was a stream with clean water, which flowed into the sea in the area of the 10th station of B. Fontana.
On May 19 of this year, at a meeting of the Holy Synod of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, a decision was made to open a new monastery in honor of the Iveron Icon of the Mother of God in Odessa.
On October 26, the day of the 350th anniversary of the arrival of the exact copy of the Iveron Icon of the Mother of God in Moscow, a festive Divine Liturgy was held at the Holy Iveron Monastery in Odessa, led by Metropolitan Agafangel (Savvin) of Odessa and Izmail. On this memorable day, the bishop consecrated the throne in the monastery. At the same time, the Metropolitan, as abbot of the monastery, donated church utensils and icons from his personal collection to the young monastery.
At the end of spring of the year, a well of beautiful water, “Iversky Source”, was opened in the monastery, which in its chemical composition has no analogues in the entire Odessa region.
In July of the year, an exact copy of the Iveron Icon of the Mother of God, written specifically for the Odessa Monastery, was delivered to the monastery from Athos. The icon was placed in the monastery chapel.
Currently, the monastery is developing intensively: the monastery is often visited by great shrines, construction of a temple in honor of St. Seraphim of Sarov is underway, and a hotel for pilgrims has been built. The monastery has icon-painting and sewing workshops, a church shop, carpentry, candle and charcoal workshops.
The monastery has a Sunday school, open for a year, which has a fruitful impact on the hearts of the younger generation with its enlightenment. Classes are held every Saturday and Sunday after the Divine Liturgy at 12.00. At school, children are taught: the Law of God, Liturgics, Church History, Church singing, Drawing and handicrafts.
St. Iveron Convent is one of the most famous and popular sacred places among all Christian believers of our Motherland. Its appearance and existence in the world is quite diverse and mysterious. Throughout its history, the monastery has experienced many difficulties, but despite all the misfortunes that befell it, even today the monastery serves liturgy and offers fervent prayers. This monastery is recommended to honor every Christian person with a visit. This monastery fascinates with its stunning view and holiness of the place.
The emergence of the monastery
In the old days, somewhere at the beginning of the nineteenth century, a wealthy merchant from Rostov made a generous donation to the Catherine Church, he donated a plot of land. Which was located near the settlement of Nakhichivan. The purpose of this construction was determined immediately; the monastery was built for female nuns. The reason for making such a generous donation was explained simply: the young heiress of a merchant decided to leave worldly life and devote her life to serving the Lord.
And literally immediately having formalized everything according to the law, they began to lay the foundation of the monastery. From history, it remains a mystery whether the young heiress of the merchant fulfilled her intention or whether she found a husband and gave birth to grandchildren for her father, but regardless of this, the Iverskaya Convent in Rostov-on-Don was built and operates in our time. At first the monastery was called Fedorovskaya, in the name of the surname of its creator. It is noteworthy that it was the creator who brought especially for the monastery a catalog with the miraculous Iveron holy face of the Most Pure Virgin Mary, after whom the monastery was soon named.
During the first world war, the nuns of the monastery showed true Orthodox kindness. The abbess expressed their desire to give to the orphaned girls who were brought from occupied Poland. The girls not only received the love and care of the nuns, but they were also given the right to study at an educational institution.
During the difficult and troubled years of the seventeenth year, during which all churches and monasteries were closed by order of the state authorities, the monastery remained open for another ten years, and this was a credit to the ingenuity of its nun. It was retrained as an agricultural enterprise. Pretty soon the abbess created their own yard for livestock and birds. In addition, a bakery and apiary were opened in the monastery courtyard and fruit trees were planted. However, despite the rather profitable business, the monastery was taken away in the late twenties. All the sisters were expelled, and their nuns were executed.
After a couple of years, absolutely all the buildings and affairs that were built and carried out independently by the nuns of the monastery were completely destroyed. And only in 1989, the Orthodox Church submitted petitions to the state administration with an appeal for the return of the land of the monastery along with its courtyard. The state allowed restoration work to begin and the monastery to be returned to the diocese. All work on the restoration of the monastery was completed in 1999.
Holy Iveron face
When the restoration work was completed, he consecrated the altar of the first floor of the monastery. On this floor they began to hang the schedule for religious services, and the schedule at the Iverskaya Convent in Rostov-on-Don was resumed. When a new nun was appointed, the entire reconstruction of the monastery was officially completed. Then they brought the most important relic of the monastery, the Iveron Face of the Most Pure Mother of God.
Prayers are offered before him in the following situations:
They pray for protection from stupid thoughts,
From healing from harmful passions,
They submit prayer requests for a person who is lost and has turned away from the true path,
They ask for relief from various ailments.
In addition to all this, this icon can help in finding the right solution to money problems. The holy face is also considered the strongest protection of the home from fire, enemies, hurricanes and other human problems.
Schedule of services
In order to go to the monastery not only for tourist reasons, but also to submit prayer requests and honor the miraculous face, you need to learn more about the schedule of services in the Iverskaya monastery.
The monastery is open to believers from seven in the morning until nine in the evening. Services are held in the cathedrals from Monday to Friday from seven to nine in the morning and from six in the evening to eight.
At seven in the morning brotherly prayer,
Confession at half past seven
Service at eight
And at nine the Funeral Liturgy.
Saturday, Sunday and holidays from nine to twelve and from six to nine in the evening
Confession at nine
Service at ten
Fifteen to eleven communion for newborns,
Half past eleven prayer before the Iveron image of the Virgin Mary,
At twelve Sunday lunch.
The baptism ceremony takes place from Monday to Friday, on holidays and Sunday at one o'clock in the afternoon. The sacrament of the wedding is carried out according to the divine calendar at two o'clock; prayers and the blessing of cars are carried out upon request in the temple shop.
How to get to the Holy Iversky Monastery?
Monastery address: 344064, Rostov-on-Don, st. Neklinovskaya, 4
You can get there from the Main Bazaar along Budennovskaya Street by bus number 83 to the “Sovkhoz” stop. Or from the central railway station by bus to Budennovsky Avenue, then by minibus number 83 to the “Sovkhoz” stop.
(Iviron) is a Greek Orthodox monastery, which occupies the third most important place among the Athonite monasteries. Iviron is located in the northeastern part of the peninsula, and was founded at the end of the 10th century by Georgian monks (in 980-983).
Ancient Georgia was formerly called Iviron or Iberia. This monastery was named Iversky in honor of its founder, John of Iversky. The feast day of this saint is celebrated on July 25 (July 12, old style).
History of the Iveron Monastery
John of Iveron was a Georgian monk, now he is revered as a saint in both Orthodoxy and Catholicism. He came from Georgian nobles and was even married; in Iberia he was a military commander. During a trip to Bithynia, he took monastic vows, and later traveled to Constantinople in order to save his son Euthymius of Athos, who was being held captive by the Byzantine emperor.
John of Iveron together with their son they served in the Lavra of St. Athanasius on Mount Athos and managed to attract many followers. Together they founded, with the support of John of Iveron's son-in-law, the retired Georgian general John Tornikios. Representatives of the royal house “Bagrationi” (Georgia) also took financial part in the construction of the monastery. John of Iveron became the first abbot (abbot) of Iviron. After his death, his son became the abbot of Iviron - Evfimy Afonsky.
The founders of the monastery, who came from the Georgian Bagration family and, now revered as saints: St. John, St. Euthymius and St. George.
Origin of the famous Iveron Icon of the Mother of God, revered in Russia, is closely connected with this monastery. The Russian Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich, having received a copy of this icon, in gratitude donated the St. Nicholas-Greek Monastery, located in Moscow, in Kitai-Gorod, to the Iversky Monastery. This happened in 1653. The copy from the Iveron Icon of the Mother of God was subsequently exhibited in the Iveron Chapel, located not far from Red Square, near the Resurrection Gate (previously the gate was called Neglinensky). In general, the list from this icon managed to “travel”. They brought him to Moscow in October 1648 and initially placed him in the St. Nicholas Monastery. Later the list was sent to the Valdai Iversky Monastery (Novgorod region). For Moscow, Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich ordered Russian icon painters to make an exact copy from the list brought from Athos. And this copy was already placed on the Neglinensky entrance gate, later renamed Voskresensky. In order to protect the icon from rain and snow, a special canopy was made over it, and then a chapel was built.
In the second half of the 13th and early 14th centuries, the Iveron Monastery on Mount Athos suffered serious disasters: it was attacked and ravaged by the Latins (in 1259 and 1285) and the Catalans (in 1306). As a result of these events, a large number of monks who labored in this monastery were killed or captured, and various valuables were also lost. Until the end of the 16th century, the Iversky Monastery was in a deplorable state. During the 17th century, Iviron was revived and restored.
During its history, it became a victim of fires three times - in 1740, 1845 and 1865.
During the popular uprising of the Greeks for independence against the Ottoman yoke, the Iveron Monastery donated most of its treasures to support the people's liberation war. During those events, the Greek national hero and martyr, Gregory V, Patriarch of Constantinople, lived in Iviron.
Until 1830 it was Georgian, and was later captured by the Greeks. They replaced all the inscriptions in the monastery from Georgian to Greek in 1866. But Georgian monks still continued to labor in this monastery; the last of the Georgian monks died in 1955.
Iveron. Temples of the monastery
The cathedral church of the Iversky Monastery is dedicated to the Dormition of the Blessed Virgin Mary. At the monastery gates there is one of the most revered miraculous icons, called the Portaitissa (Goalkeeper) of Iveron. The cathedral temple was built by a Georgian monk Giorgi Varazvache, who was for many years the abbot of the Iversky Monastery. Originally built in the early 11th century, the cathedral was rebuilt in the early 16th century. What remains of the first cathedral church is a magnificent marble cladding, decorated with geometric patterns and an inscription about the founder of the temple. The inside of the temple is decorated with beautiful frescoes dating back to various periods (16th-19th centuries).
The patronal feast of the Iversky Monastery is Dormition of the Blessed Virgin Mary, celebrated on August 28 (August 15, old style).
In addition to the main temple, on the territory and outside the monastery there are 18 more small churches (paraklis) dedicated to St. Nicholas the Wonderworker, the Cathedral of the Holy Archangels, St. John the Baptist, the Mother of God Gatekeeper, the Introduction, St. Eustathius, the First Martyr Stephen, John the Theologian, the Great Martyr George, Spyridon , Dionysius the Areopagite, Modestus, the martyr Neophytos, the holy kings Constantine and Helen, the Transfiguration of the Lord, All Saints, the unmercenaries Cosmas and Damian, the Exaltation of the Cross of the Lord.
Near the Iversky Monastery there are cells and the Church of St. John the Theologian, about forty Georgian monks live there, church services are conducted in Georgian.
Shrines of the Iveron Monastery
- one of the richest Athonite monasteries in terms of shrines. Among the most revered are the following:
- a piece of the life-giving Cross of the Lord- one of the most important Christian shrines;
- parts of chlamys, cane and lips, through which the Jews mocked the Lord Jesus Christ;
- relics of 150 saints, including: the great martyr and healer Panteleimon, saints Michael of Sinada and Theodore Stratelates, holy martyrs Eupraxia, Photinia and Paraskeva, holy great martyr George, saints John Chrysostom and Basil the Great, holy unmercenaries Cosmas and Damian, Evangelist Luke, apostles Bartholomew and Peter, Saint Athanasius the Great and others.
In the library of the Iversky Monastery contains a large number of ancient manuscripts (2 thousand) and rare printed books (20 thousand), as well as 15 scrolls. The materials that are in the monastery library are written in Hebrew, Greek, Georgian and Latin. Particularly valuable copies of the monastery are the Gospel of the 8th century, written on parchment, and the Gospel presented to the Iveron Monastery by the Russian Tsar Peter I.
Of course, the largest shrine of Iviron is the miraculous icon of the Blessed Virgin Mary - Portaitissa Iverskaya. According to Tradition, this icon miraculously “came” to the monastery by sea during the period of iconoclasm. And she will leave the Iveron Monastery when the last days come. Then the monks will leave Mount Athos. The history of the appearance of this icon on Athos is truly interesting. As Tradition says, the owner of this icon, a widow from the city of Nicaea, in order to save her treasure from the desecration of the iconoclasts, set the icon on the waters, and several centuries later, in 1004, the image of the Most Holy Theotokos washed up on the shores of Athos. The icon appeared in a pillar of light that rose to the heavens. The righteous man discovered an icon on the shore Elder Gabriel. The day before, he had a vision of the Mother of God, in which she told him to go to the shore, take the icon and take it to the cathedral church of the Iveron Monastery. He did just that. The purchased icon was placed in the altar of the cathedral church, but surprisingly the next morning it was discovered above the monastery gates. The monks removed the icon from the gate and placed it again on the altar. But the next day the icon appeared on the gate again. This happened several times, after which the Mother of God appeared in a dream to one of the monks and said that She did not want to be guarded, but wanted to be the guardian of the monastery.
It is carefully kept in the monastery and never leaves its walls. It is taken out only three times a year. Before the Nativity of Christ, the monks transfer the icon from the paraklis to the cathedral, where it remains until Monday, which comes first after the feast of the Council of John the Baptist. The second time the icon is brought to the procession of the Cross on Tuesday of Bright Week. And finally, the Iveron Icon is brought out on the Feast of the Dormition of the Blessed Virgin Mary. And if the laity ask to send the “Goalkeeper” icon somewhere, then the monks of the Iveron Monastery send it only in the form of lists.
Order the Icon of the Mother of God of Iveron
One of the most important treasures of the Iversky Monastery, which has both artistic and historical value, is the “lemon tree” weighing more than 60 kilograms. This is a seven-candlestick candlestick, made of silver and plated with gold, located behind the holy altar. Iviron received this relic as a gift from Muscovites, evidence of this is a poem in Russian engraved on the candlestick, as well as the date of this event - April 30, 1818. By the way, during the people's liberation war of the Greeks against the Ottoman yoke, this value, among others, was donated by the monastery to fight the Turks, but the Greeks returned the candlestick back to the monastery and asked that candles always burn in it in front of the icon of the Mother of God for the Orthodox people.
Another of Iviron’s treasures is the door between the porch and the vestibule, made of ebony with silver trim.
The historical value of the monastery is the vestments of the Byzantine Emperor John Tzimiskes and Patriarch Dionysius IV.
The iconostasis of the post-Byzantine era, made of carved wood with floral patterns, located in the cathedral church of the Iveron Monastery, is also one of the treasures of the monastery.
One of the amazing places not far from the monastery is a miraculous spring that gushed out of the ground at the moment when the Mother of God set foot there. The source is located at Klimentova pier. This place is also famous for the fact that it was here, by God’s will, that the Iveron Icon of the Mother of God washed up on the shores of Athos.
Currently, about 45 monks, mostly Greeks, live in the Iversky Monastery. The abbot of the monastery is now Archimandrite Vasily.
Holy Iversky Monastery in Rostov-on-Don (Russia) - description, history, location. Exact address and website. Tourist reviews, photos and videos.
- Last minute tours in Russia
- Tours for the New Year Worldwide
Previous photo Next photo
Like a bright pearl in an inexpressive shell, the St. Iversky monastery complex hid among the gray high-rise buildings of the Oktyabrsky district. The monastery was built here relatively recently - in 1903, the Holy Synod allocated land for church needs 12 versts from the then Rostov. For a long time, the newly created monastery was empty - only a wooden chapel and the abbess’s house indicated that nuns lived here.
Construction began only in 1905 - with the money of a certain merchant S. Fedorov, who became a trustee of the monastery.
After 3 years, a stone ensemble was erected - utility buildings, a nursing building and the Church of the Iveron Icon of the Mother of God. For decades, the temple stood untouched, despite the fact that after the October Revolution it was closed and the nuns were exiled to Siberia. Over the years, warehouses, workshops or state farm clubs were located here - however, the condition of the shrine has remained unchanged to this day.
In 2004, they began to build new buildings for novices - there was simply not enough space for them and they were able to accept barely half of those who wanted to. And by the summer of 2016, the Holy Trinity Cathedral was built on the territory of the monastery, the construction of which was planned back in 1929, but was interrupted by the February uprisings and the subsequent civil war. At the moment, the complex consists of two religious buildings and several buildings for the needs of the sisters.
Architecture
The first thing that catches your eye is the majestic five-domed cathedral, rising above the wasteland. The building can accommodate about 900 people, but finishing work is currently underway, so it will not be possible to inspect it completely. However, the facades are already decorated with mosaics, and there are already paintings inside in some places.
The exterior of the small monastery church is entirely made in positive white and blue tones, from the two-tier bell tower to the gilded five-domed dome.
There is not much decoration inside and there is practically no painting, but there is a rich iconostasis that runs the length of the entire wall. Here stands the same icon of the Iveron Mother of God - an exact copy of the original, kept from time immemorial in the monastery of Holy Mount Athos, in Greece.
Practical information
Address: Rostov-on-Don, st. Neklinovskaya, 4. Website
There is a holy spring on the territory; like the monastery, it is open from 7:00 to 19:00 daily. The church shop is open from 7:30 to 18:30, the book and icon shops are open during the monastery's schedule on weekdays, on Saturdays from 9:00 to 16:00, on Sundays from 10:30 to 17:00.
Public transport goes to the monastery; you can get there:
- from the main railway station, by minibus to Buddenovsky Prospekt, then by bus No. 83 to the “Sovkhoz” stop;
- from the Central Market - by the same bus, to the same stop;
- from Voroshilovsky Prospekt, take bus number 78 to the same stop.
At a distance of approximately two hours from Philotheus there is the famous Iveron Monastery, the third in honor on the Holy Mountain.
The Iversky Monastery was founded at the end of the 10th century by immigrants from Iberia, the Venerables John, Euthymius and George, who came from the Bagratid dynasty. They were disciples of St. Athanasius and founded the monastery with his blessing. Since then, the Great Lavra and the Iversky Monastery have been considered twin monasteries. Some scientists consider the founder of the monastery to be another native of Iberia, the Byzantine military man Tornikius.
For a long time, mainly Georgian monks labored in Iviron; the last of them died in 1955. At the moment, Greeks predominate among the inhabitants of the monastery.
The first builders of the monastery and subsequent generations of inhabitants of Iviron did not leave their compatriots in their care. Thus, the Monk Euthymius translated the Holy Gospel and other soul-helping books into Georgian.
Iviron was built on the site where the Lavra of Clement was previously located. It was in this monastery, immediately after the death of St. Peter of Athos, that his Holy relics were exhibited for veneration. On the territory of the monastery there was a pagan temple of Poseidon, which was rebuilt and consecrated in honor of the prophet and baptist John. According to legend, it was founded during the reign of Constantine the Great and the first bishop of Athos, Clement, and restored during the reign of Constantine Pogonatus. The current temple was rebuilt in 1710. In its place, during excavations, ancient frescoes of the Cathedral of the Lavra of Clement were found.Not far from the monastery on the seashore, a miraculous spring has been preserved to this day, flowing at the moment when the Mother of God set foot on Athos soil; this place is called Klimentova pier. And it was to this place that the Iveron Icon of the Mother of God, now known to the whole world, miraculously, in a pillar of fire, appeared across the sea. The veneration of this image is evidenced by the fact that only the Monk Nicodemus the Holy Mountain wrote four canons to the Iveron Icon of the Mother of God.
 |
The icon was placed in the altar of the church of the Iversky Monastery, but the next morning it ended up above the gates of the monastery. This went on for several days. The Mother of God appeared in a dream to the elder of the monastery and said:
I do not want to be protected by you, but I want to be your Guardian... As long as you see My image in this monastery, until then the grace and mercy of My Son towards you will not fail.
Then the miraculous icon was placed above the gates of the monastery and began to be called “The Goalkeeper.”
Once, during a Saracen raid, one barbarian boldly hit the icon with his spear. At that same moment, blood flowed from the image, which can still be seen on it today. The robber repented and became a monk under the name of Damascus, but he called himself a Barbarian. The monk achieved holiness, and his iconographic image was preserved in the monastery.
In 1651, Russian Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich gave Iviron the Monastery of St. Nicholas in the Moscow Kremlin. This was done in gratitude for the healing of the Tsar’s daughter, who received healing from the list of “Goalkeepers” brought by the inhabitants of the Iveron Monastery to Moscow.
Here is what the famous Russian pilgrim-pedestrian of the 18th century Vasily Grigorovich-Barsky writes about “The Goalkeeper”:
“In this beautiful church, at the inner gates of the monastery, in the iconostasis, instead of the usual Mother of God, there is a certain holy and miraculous icon, named by the ancient monks Portaitissa, that is, the Goalkeeper, extremely terribly transparent, with great tows, holding Christ the Savior on her left hand , blackened on the face for many years, both completely showing the image, everything except the face is covered with silver-plated gilded clothing, and in addition, dotted with valuable stones and gold coins, from various kings, princes and noble boyars given for many of her miracles, where and I saw Russian tsars, queens and princesses, emperors and empresses, princes and princesses, gold coins and other gifts hung with my own eyes.”
 |
The Russian saint Parthenius testified that during the Greek uprising of 1822, Turkish soldiers living in the monastery were unable to disturb the “Goalkeeper” dressed in precious vestments and decorated with many magnificent gifts. And a few years later, the monk serving at the icon was amazed to see a Woman dressed in black. She diligently swept the monastery.
It's time to thoroughly sweep the entire monastery. For so many years he has been standing unmarked, - said the Woman and became invisible.
Soon the Sultan issued a decree for all soldiers to leave the Holy Mountain, although before that he had repeatedly threatened to destroy its monastery to the ground.
 |
- on the eve of the Nativity of Christ, after the ninth hour, it is solemnly transferred by the brethren to the cathedral and remains there until the first Monday after the feast of the Council of John the Baptist;
- from Holy Saturday to Monday of St. Thomas Week. On Tuesday of Bright Week a solemn procession of the Cross takes place through the territory of the monastery;
- on the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary.
The Iversky Monastery provided very large financial assistance to the Greeks who rebelled against Turkish rule. The monks donated some historical relics of their monastery to the needs of the liberation movement. Including a unique silver gilded candlestick in the shape of a lemon tree weighing more than sixty kilograms. The rebels, however, refused the gift and returned the candlestick to the monastery so that “it would burn in front of the icon of the Mother of God for the Orthodox people.” The history of this relic is interesting. The lemon tree was given to Iviron by the residents of Moscow, as evidenced by a poem in Russian embossed on the candlestick. The inscription also indicates the date of the donation – April 30, 1818.
The fate of the holy martyr Patriarch Gregory V is closely connected with Iviron. Near the monastery, on the site of the cell where he labored for sixteen years, a paraklis was erected in his honor.
According to legend, before the end of the world, Athos will plunge into the abyss of passions. And then the icon will leave the Holy Mountain in the same miraculous way as it appeared. This will be one of the omens of the imminent Second Coming of the Savior and a sign for the Holy Mountain residents to leave Athos. Nowadays the miraculous icon resides in a special paraclis of Panagia-Portaitissa, located on the left hand of the entrance to the holy monastery. It was built in the 17th century, and the famous paintings in its narthex date back to 1774. In particular, they depict: Plato, Aristotle, Sophocles, Thucydides, Plutarch, Alexander the Great. In front of the iconostasis, built in 1785, is the miraculous icon of the Mother of God. Portaitissa has a gilded silver frame made in Moscow in 1819. Below it is an older frame from 1701, made in Iveria. In the Portaitissa area there is a miraculous icon of St. Nicholas, which miraculously arrived from Russia in June 1815.It is interesting that Iviron, unlike other Svyatogorsk monasteries, does not use Byzantine time, but inherited its own time system from the founders of the monastery. According to it, the day begins not with sunset, but with sunrise.
The main cathedral of the monastery was founded at the end of the 10th century. The construction was completed under Abbot George, as evidenced by the surviving inscription on the sole. The cathedral church was restored in the 16th and 19th centuries, but much has been preserved from the first catholicon. It is also worth paying attention to the frescoes painted in 1522. Their author is monk Mark, originally from Iberia. His joint image with Abbot Gabriel has been preserved on a fresco in the eastern part of the cathedral. Above the royal doors there is a wonderful lamp. It begins to sway, so much so that even oil sometimes splashes out over the edges - either on the eve of great holidays, or on the eve of world upheavals. This is how the Most Holy Theotokos reminds people of her presence and intercession and calls them to repentance. The main cathedral of Iviron has two chapels: St. Nicholas and the Holy Heavenly Powers of the Ethereal. The latter houses most of the monastery’s shrines.
 |
A historical relic is the sakkos (the main part of the festive attire) of the Byzantine emperor John Tzimiskes. Among the artistic attractions, the most impressive are the Persian-style chandelier, two ancient Greek columns from the Temple of Poseidon, which once stood on this site, and a golden lemon tree with silver leaves, made in Russia.
In the northwestern corner of the cathedral church there is a striking fresco depicting the Lord Jesus Christ in full height. Monastic tradition claims that someone prayed long and earnestly to God, asking to reveal the Savior in incarnate form, and a secret voice announced to the persistent prayer book:
Go to Mount Athos, to the Iveron Monastery. There, at the northern door leading into the vestibule of the cathedral, you will find My exact full-length image.
After venerating the monastery shrines (this can be done at any time of the day), you can stay in the monastery for the night and walk around the picturesque surroundings of the monastery, visiting the mentioned places of the appearance of the Mother of God, but you can also continue your journey towards Kareya. It can be easily reached there by frequent passing transport. If you wish, you can also head to the Stavronikita monastery, clearly visible from the Iverskaya pier.
