Єлецький монастир

Yeletskyi Monastery

Useful Information

Location:	Kniazia Chornoho St, 1, Chernihiv, Chernihiv Oblast, Ukraine, 14000. (51.48534, 31.29541)
Open:	All year daily. [2024]
Fee:	free, donations welcome. [2024]
Classification:
Light:	Incandescent
Dimension:
Guided tours:	self guided
Photography:	allowed
Accessibility:	no
Bibliography:
Address:	Yeletskyi Monastery, Kniazia Chornoho St, 1, Chernihiv, Chernihiv Oblast, Ukraine, 14000, Tel: +380-462-778-890.
As far as we know this information was accurate when it was published (see years in brackets), but may have changed since then. Please check rates and details directly with the companies in question if you need more recent info.

History

1060	monastery founded by Sviatoslav Yaroslavych, the Grand Prince of Chernihiv.
11th century	begin of the construction of the cathedral.
12th century	construction completed.
1239	burned down by the Mongols.
1623	restored under the rule of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth as a catholic church.
1649	captured by the Orthodox during the Khmelnytsky Uprising.
1669-1688	completely rebuilt in the Ukrainian Baroque style.
1786	by order of the Russian empress Catherine II, the monastery was deprived of its land.
1921	monastery closed after the establishment of Soviet power.
1944-1964	owned by the Chernihiv Regional Philharmonic.
1966	filming location for the horror movie "Viy".
1991	restored as a nunnery.

Description

Єлецький монастир (Yeletsʹkyy monastyr, Yeletskyi Monastery) or longer Єлецький Успенський монастир (Yeletsʹkyy Uspensʹkyy monastyr, Yeletsky AssumptionMonastery) The monastery is a National Architectural Monument. It was destroyed by the Russian army on 07-MAR-2022 with artillery. The monastery was founded in 1060 by Sviatoslav Yaroslavych, the Grand Prince of Chernihiv and later Kyiv.

According to legend, there was an icon of Mother of God which appeared on one of the fir trees in the forest. The people took it to the next church, but it vanished and reappeared at the same place in the forest. This happened numerous times, and so finally the people gave up and built a church right at this place.

There is an outcrop of soft sandstone which was used by monks to build cells inside. They are said to be older than those of the Kyiv Pechersk Lavra (Kiev Monastery of the Caves), which is a little childish. Its unclear why this should be of any relevance, it’s just a nonsensical pissing context. The reason is simple: it’s impossible to determine the age of holes, so it is also impossible to determine if such a cave existed before the official founding day of the monastery and how old it was. Fact is that Kiev was founded in 1051 while this monastery was founded in 1060.

The main church of the monastery, the Assumption Cathedral, was started at the end of the 11th century and was finished in the 12th century. It was quite monumental for that time, the main building is 25 m high, with a main tower and three smaller side towers. It seems the monastery was of some importance. But the monastery was destroyed in 1239 when the Mongols stormed Chernihiv, looted and burned it down. The monastery was severely damaged and abandoned for almost two centuries.

The Assumption Monastery became the centre of the Orthodox faith as a result of the Khmelnytsky Uprising (1648-1657). Also called the Cossack–Polish War, it ended the Polish Catholic Church′s domination over the Ukrainian Orthodox population. The church was rebuilt in Baroque style, with a wall, a bell tower over the gate, and the wooden house of archimandrite Feodosii Uhlytskyi.

The monastery was closed during Soviet times, and was once used as a filming location. The only Soviet horror film Viy, was based on the eponymous novel by the Ukrainian writer Mykola Gogol. After the collapse of the Soviet union and Ukraine’s independence, the site became an Orthodox church again. It was rebuilt and renovated. But in spring 2022, the Russian military shelled Chernihiv and the Yelets Assumption Monastery. So actually, the site is currently not accessible, but that’s obviously true for most sites in Ukraine at the moment.