Moscow's New Jerusalem Monastery
Written: Dec 10 '02
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Product Rating:
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Pros: The trip out to the monastery was just as interesting as the monastery itself!
Cons: Remote location.
The Bottom Line: A trip to the New Jerusalem monastery will add perspective to your Moscow visit as well as give you a breath of fresh country air.
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| beamer81's Full Review: Moscow |
Located about sixty kilometers west of Moscow is an area called New Jerusalem. It is just one in a long line of small towns that dot the railway route leading out of Moscow from Riga Station, but it is home to one of Russia’s most intriguing landmarks—the New Jerusalem Monastery.
In October 2002, my husband and I made the trip out to New Jerusalem to find out more about its history.
The monastery consists of a walled-in compound set on a hill near the town of Istra. It was founded in 1656 by Patriarch Nikon, a man whose works and attempts at reforms eventually created a divide within the Orthodox Church. The followers who left the church at that time are now known as Old Believers.
Nikon wanted the entire world to be persuaded that Russia should be the center of the Christian faith. To achieve this goal, he set about building a replica of Jerusalem’s Church of the Holy Sepulchre. This is the main structure within the monastery’s whitewashed walls.
The monastery stood for almost three hundred years before it was destroyed by the Germans as they retreated from Moscow during World War II. Much of the compound has been restored, although the work is still in progress.
Owned by the Orthodox Church, the compound still attracts faithful worshippers who come to pay their respects as well as drink from the nearby spring that is said to be holy.
We set off for Tushino train station (Tushinskaya metro station) late on a Saturday morning, jostling for position on the metro with bag-and-cart-laden babushkas on their way to the busy market that is held there. Eventually, we found our way to the correct train platform—-be sure to find the platform for outbound trains. You can enter it directly from the metro underpass.
Once at the cashier, we simply stated our destination (Noviy Yerusalem or Istra will do) and were given small, bar-coded tickets for 35 rubles each. The cashier was also kind enough to tell us our time of departure. Trains run approximately every thirty minutes.
The train itself was a little wider than a metro car, with spacious aisles and rows of benches alternately facing each other. Be sure to board the train quickly, as it doesn't wait very long at each stop. We settled into a window seat near the front of the train, which gave us prime seats for the unique entertainment that was to follow.
The time between stops was about five minutes each—-plenty of time for various salespeople to make their pitches to us, their captive audience. It was like a non-stop info-mercial going on right in front of us. We saw an “advertisement” for an all-purpose cleaner—-it works especially well on your bathtub, and the man brought in a chunk of bathtub to demonstrate. We were also presented with the opportunity to buy handkerchiefs, children’s napkins, sturdy handbags, lemons (three for ten rubles!), salty snacks, and newspapers of every variety. These vendors gave their sales pitch, moved through the train car, and on to the next batch of potential customers.
The all-purpose cleaner man took longer than his five minutes for his presentation, which meant that an irritated competitor had to move through our train car without being able to give his sales pitch.
As we traveled farther and farther away from Moscow, the vendors gradually decreased in number and eventually we were left with only the scenery to entertain us. Fortunately, it was breathtakingly beautiful. The weather changed before our eyes, as we passed through towns that were blanketed in a fresh layer of snow, wet and soggy with slush, or covered in layers of bright red and orange leaves. It was a gorgeous ride through the Russian countryside, with prime views of rolling hills and small dacha communities.
Two babushkas sitting next to us promised to let us know when to get off the train. After an hour, we were afraid they had forgotten about us. They hadn’t, fortunately, and told us when we got to New Jerusalem station. It turns out that you can also get off at the stop before that, Istra—-the monastery is right between the two. You can see it from the train, rising above the surrounding town on a hilltop, its domes sparkling in the sun.
Once at the train station, follow the other people to the small group of kiosks near the platform. Walk towards the monastery (to the right) on the road until you see the bus stop. From there, you can take any bus or marshrutka two stops to the monastery.
Entrance to the grounds and the Cathedral of the Resurrection (the exterior is a replica of the Church of the Holy Sepulchre) is free. The monastery is a very peaceful place, and not very busy. Inside the Cathedral, restoration work is only partially completed. Thus, you can look to one side and see a beautifully decorated dome reaching to the skies, complete with mosaics and icons, and then turn around to face a decrepit ruin.
Towards the back wall of the compound is a small museum, housed within the Nativity Church. Tickets are 20 rubles each, and the exhibit features a random selection of old historical documents about the monastery, armor displays, art displays, and icons.
Behind the monastery is an extensive forest, named the Garden of Gethsemane by Nikon. It is interesting to note that the portion of the Istra River that runs near the monastery was also renamed to be the River Jordan. Follow the signs in the forest to reach the holy springs.
Our outing to New Jerusalem was extremely peaceful and fascinating, and I enjoyed the long, pleasant trip there as much as the monastery itself. The monastery is open Tuesday through Sunday, 10:00am to 5:00pm.
Recommended:
Yes
Best Suited For: Families
Best Time to Travel Here: Anytime
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Epinions.com ID:
beamer81
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Location: Moscow, Russia
Reviews written: 3
Trusted by: 0 members
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