The Holy Tikhvin Women’s Monastery in Dnipro is the only monastic community standing right in the regional capital, on the site of the old Katerynoslav women’s community of 1866. Its story is one of Abbess Maria, who built a cathedral with no known sources of money, of a brick factory, and of three closures — 1925, the German occupation, 1959 — and three returns. [1][3]
Quick facts
- Full name: Holy Tikhvin Women’s Monastery of the UOC, city of Dnipro. [1]
- Address: city of Dnipro, Dnipropetrovsk Oblast. [1]
- Foundation: women’s community from 1866; status of a cenobitic monastery — 1877. [3]
- First superior: Abbess Maria (formerly a novice of the St Michael Archangel Monastery of Odesa). [3]
- Key structures: the warm church of St Barbara (1867–1868), the cathedral (from 1869), the brick factory (1872). [1][3]
- Closures: 1925 and 1959; revival — from the 1990s. [3][4]
History of the monastery
From caring for a sick girl to a community (1862–1866)
The history of the monastery begins with the care given in Katerynoslav to a sick orphaned niece of the nun Theophila (Efremova) of the Brailiv women’s monastery: the girl fell ill on the journey, the nun stayed in the city, and local merchants, taking an interest in monastic life, conceived the idea of founding a women’s monastery. [4]
Through the petition of Father Oleksandr Zosymovych, the former priest of the cemetery church, the imperial authorities on 24 September 1866 gave consent to found near Katerynoslav a women’s community with a school, securing for it the lands donated by Zosymovych and by the townsman Chabanenko. The nun Maria was chosen as superior. [1]
The warm church of St Barbara (1867–1868)
Abbess Maria, wise and strong in spirit, quickly set the building works in order: in December 1866 she asked Bishop Platon’s permission to erect a small warm stone church in honour of the holy Great Martyr Barbara; on 23 April 1867 the church was laid, and on 14 January 1868 the bishop consecrated it. [1][3]
In parallel, wooden buildings for the refectory and kitchen were erected, as well as a one-storey stone house with 21 cells; in 1870 a building for the community’s clergy appeared. [3]
Building the cathedral and an economic marvel (1869–1890s)
The abbess’s dream was a cathedral church: on 11 May 1869, after receiving the church-building charter, the majestic church was laid, and construction began the same day. [1][3] A great support came from the benefactress Elizaveta Myzko, who on 2 February 1870 handed the abbess 30,703 roubles for the construction of the stone cathedral. [1]
When the prices of materials rose, the abbess asked permission for her own brick factory — it was built in 1872, and its production provided the monastery both for construction and for income that supported the apiary and the workshop. [3]
In 1877 the community was officially renamed a cenobitic women’s monastery. By 1887 there were 287 nuns, 700 desyatynas of land, a brick factory, needlework workshops and the “Monastery Forest”. [4]
Three destructions: Soviet rule and the war
The revolutionary events did not spare the monastery: in 1925 it was closed, and at the moment of liquidation it numbered 82 nuns; the able-bodied were distributed among enterprises, the infirm sent to retirement homes, and the cathedral was later blown up. [3]
During the German occupation the churches were opened again; the nuns petitioned the bishop for the restoration of the monastery. [3] In 1959, with a new wave of the struggle against religion, the Soviet authorities closed and blew up the monastery. [4]
Revival and the present day
In the 1990s the monastery returned to life; it is being revived by the sisters and benefactors under Abbess Maryna (Tkachuk). [3] On 11 April 2001 the central dome of the rebuilt cathedral was installed, and from October 2002 a Sunday school opened at the monastery — the city once again has its only Orthodox monastery in its very centre. [4]
Architectural treasures
- The Cathedral of the Tikhvin Icon of the Mother of God — the rebuilt principal shrine, first laid in 1869. [1]
- The warm church of St Barbara — the stone structure of 1867–1868 from which the monastery began. [3]
- The brick factory (1872) — a unique economic object that gave the monastery financial independence. [3]
- The Monastery Forest and the workshops — old needlework traditions that continue in today’s sisterhood. [4]
Spiritual significance
The Tikhvin monastery teaches us something important: Abbess Maria began with a sick girl and 21 cells, and finished with a monastery, a cathedral and a factory. The story shows that the Lord answers persistent labour — and that a shrine destroyed three times rises three times, because within its walls the Gospel word never ceases to resound. [1][3]
Practical information
- Address: city of Dnipro, Dnipropetrovsk Oblast (the monastery lies within the city). [1]
- How to get there: by any city transport to the centre, then on foot to the monastery territory. [3]
- Services: according to the women’s monastery schedule; a Sunday school for children has operated since 2002. [4]
- Pilgrims: the monastery is always open to parishioners; the only monastery in the middle of the city was created for urban quiet. [1]
- Information phone: +38 (0562) 342-433. [5]
Frequently asked questions
When was the monastery founded?
In 1866 as a women’s community; in 1877 it received the status of a cenobitic monastery. [3]
Who was Abbess Maria?
A former novice of the St Michael Archangel Women’s Monastery of Odesa, who by her own spirit built a cathedral, a factory and a sisterhood here. [3]
What does “Tikhvin” in the name mean?
The name is connected with the Tikhvin icon of the Mother of God, the principal shrine of the cathedral. [1]
How many times was the monastery closed?
Three times: 1925 (the cathedral destroyed), again during the occupation, and in 1959 — followed by an interval until the revival of the 1990s. [3][4]
Does the Sunday school work?
Yes, a school for children has operated at the monastery since October 2002. [4]
Conclusion
The Tikhvin monastery in Dnipro is a story about the cross-shaped strength of women’s leadership: from the stone church of St Barbara of 1867, through the majestic cathedral, the explosion and the emptiness — to the sisterhood that again opens its gates amid the city’s noise. In the heart of a great city resounds a silence sown back in 1866. [1][3]