The oldest cathedral on the territory of the monastery was built in the 17th century. According to its name, the famous monastery got its name from Svyato-Vvedenskaya Optina Hermitage. The beautiful five-domed cathedral is one of the main adornments of the monastery and the temple, where many believers and tourists come every day.
Cathedral history
Since the 17th century, on the place where the Vvedensky Cathedral rises today, there was a wooden church. It is known from the scribes of the early 17th century that it was consecrated in honor of the Entry into the Temple of the Most Holy Theotokos.
View of the cathedral from the side of the bell tower
In 1679, the dilapidated wooden church was dismantled and replaced with a stone one. It is noteworthy that this was the first stone building on the territory of the monastery and it was built when the monastery was in poverty. There was not enough money even for the maintenance of the brethren, but funds for the construction of a new cathedral were still found. They were allocated by the Kozelsk noblemen Ivan and Andrey Shepelevs, who were stewards at the royal court. When the cathedral was completed, its main altar, along the old wooden church, was consecrated in honor of the Entry into the Temple of the Mother of God, and the chapel was dedicated to the Orthodox saint and monk Pafnutiy Borovsky.
The Russian Emperor Peter I considered monasticism to be an idle estate, therefore in 1724, at the behest of the Emperor, Optina Pustyn was closed as a "small-brother" monastery. After the death of Peter I, during the reign of Catherine I, Andrei Petrovich Shepelev achieved the highest permission for the restoration of the monastery and allocated a lot of money for this.
View of the cathedral from the side of the Church of the Kazan Icon of the Mother of God
The temple that has survived to this day was built in the middle of the 18th century on the site of the first stone cathedral. It is curious that the money for it was donated by the son of A.P. Shepelev - Dmitry Andreevich Shepelev. For various reasons, new construction has been dragged on for many years. The finishing work was completed only in 1767, and the last limit was consecrated four years later. Unfortunately, the tutor did not live up to this happy moment, and his niece Elizaveta Nikitichna Shepeleva had to finish the construction.
In 1837, two chapels, a refectory and a west porch, were added to the main worm of the cathedral. This alteration significantly expanded the volume, so more believers could get into the temple. In 1870, the Vvedensky Cathedral was re-painted, and after that it was consecrated again.
Divine services were held here until 1923, but then the cathedral church was closed. The restoration of the shrine was started in 1987. The main church of the monastery was restored one of the first in the monastery.
The architecture of the temple and its interior decoration
Today the Vvedensky Cathedral welcomes guests of Optina Hermitage in all its splendor. It is built of bricks, has the shape of a cross and occupies a central place in the monastery. To the east of it is a small monastery cemetery.
The main two-light volume is crowned with an elegant five-domed head. The central, more massive bulbous dome is gilded and visible from everywhere, even on cloudy days. The surrounding four chapters are painted dark blue and decorated with glittering gold stars. All five chapters end with openwork gilded crosses.
Numerous reconstructions have made the architecture of the cathedral quite eclectic. From the south and north, the temple has strict classical porticoes with triangular pediments and slender columns. From the west, a massive porch leads into it, similar to the works of Tuscan architects, and the domes raised on thin drums remind of the best traditions of the Baroque.
The current state of the cathedral and the visiting regime
Today the cathedral is a functioning Orthodox church. Its main throne is dedicated to the Entry into the Temple of the Most Holy Theotokos, the southern one is consecrated in honor of Nicholas the Pleasant, and the northern one - in honor of the Monk Ambrose.
View of the domes of the Vvedensky Cathedral
The temple is open to tourists and pilgrims from 8.00 to 19.00. Church services in the cathedral are held daily. On weekdays: at 5.00 - fraternal prayer, at 9.40 - hours and at 10.00 - Late Liturgy. On Sundays at 8.00 in the temple the Akathist and the Cathedral Prayer are held and at 13.00 - the Akathist.
Here are kept the relics of two saints of Optina elders - the Monks Ambrose (1812-1891) and Nektarios (1853-1928). In addition, believers come to the cathedral to bow to the revered icon of the Kazan Mother of God.
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