The Monastery of St Joseph the Betrothed in Mariivka is the only monastic community in Ukraine dedicated to this quiet guardian of the Mother of God. The modest monastery on the bank of the Samarchyk river counts nearly a century and a half of history: from the devotional community of a colonel’s widow in 1873, through ruin in the years of war and atheism, to the revival of 1998 under Abbess Maria (Poiaskova). [1][2]
Quick facts
- Full name: Monastery of St Joseph the Betrothed (women’s, UOC, Dnipro diocese). [1]
- Address: Mariivka village, Dnipropetrovsk Oblast (on the bank of the Samarchyk river). [1]
- Foundation: women’s community — 1873; status of a cenobitic monastery — 1885. [2]
- Foundress: Maria Illivna Svyntsitska, a colonel’s widow, tonsured as Abbess Melania. [2]
- Revival: 1998 — women’s monastery; Abbess Maria (Poiaskova). [2]
- Special shrine: the only monastery in Ukraine consecrated in honour of the holy righteous Joseph the Betrothed. [1]
History of the monastery
A community founded by a colonel’s widow (1873–1885)
The monastery traces its lineage to 1873, when the colonel’s widow Maria Illivna Svyntsitska, with the blessing of the church authorities, founded a women’s spiritual community in the village of Mariivka. Taking the tonsure with the name Melania, she became the first superior. The community grew quickly: around it gathered up to nine hundred sisters living in prayer and labour. [2]
In 1885 the community was transformed into a cenobitic women’s monastery. After the foundress’s death the monastery was led by the abbesses Marionida, Serafima and Anhelina, continuing its happy tradition of prayer and stewardship. [2]
One of Ukraine’s largest women’s monasteries
At the end of the 19th century the monastery became one of the largest women’s communities of Ukraine: with its own brickworks, workshops, candle-making and sewing enterprises, lands and forests. It was then that an icon of St Joseph the Betrothed was venerated in the monastery — a rare patron who later gave his name to the whole community. [1][2]
Soviet ruin
The revolution and the godless authorities tore the monastery down gradually. During the Second World War the skete of the monastery over the Samarchyk was burnt to the ground; the economic buildings were liquidated. In 1960 the monastery was officially closed, the territory transferred to Soviet needs, and of the former cells and churches only popular memory remained. [2]
Revival in 1998
In the early 1990s church life returned slowly: the parish was revived, the old walls repaired. In 1998, with the bishop’s blessing, a women’s monastery was re-established on the territory. Abbess Maria (Poiaskova) became the superior, restoring a strict rule and a new spiritual ascent to the community. [2]
Architecture and shrines
The monastic ensemble of Mariivka is known for its beautiful 19th-century wooden church and its new modern structures. The principal shrine is the church in honour of the holy righteous Joseph the Betrothed, famous for its uniqueness: the number of monasteries dedicated to this saint in the world is small, and in Ukraine this is the only one. [1]
Spiritual significance
The history of the Mariivka monastery is an experience of faithfulness to a simple calling. Melania Svyntsitska began in 1873 with a small widow’s community and eventually numbered hundreds of sisters; in our time Abbess Maria does the same thing again and again. In every prayer of the monastery one hears that St Joseph — the guardian of security and labour — still watches over this place, where girls and women learn to steward for God. [1][2]
Practical information
- Address: Mariivka village, Dnipropetrovsk Oblast. [1]
- How to get there: from Dnipro — head north-west by local roads, then by car or bus to Mariivka. [1]
- What to expect: a living monastic order, the bank of the Samarchyk, a wooden church, quietness and a spirit of devotion. [1]
- Services: daily services following the women’s monastic rule; pilgrims are always welcome. [1]
- Abbess: Maria (Poiaskova) (according to the latest reports). [2]
Frequently asked questions
Who founded the monastery?
The colonel’s widow Maria Svyntsitska, in monasticism Abbess Melania, who founded the community in 1873. [2]
Why is the monastery named after Joseph the Betrothed?
In honour of the holy righteous Joseph, the betrothed of the Mother of God — the only such monastery in Ukraine. [1]
Who restored the monastery?
Abbess Maria (Poiaskova) — in 1998 a women’s monastery was re-established on church principles. [2]
What survived from Soviet times?
Nothing obvious has survived — the skete was burnt in the war, the rest of the buildings destroyed or liquidated. Everything we see now is the result of the restoration of the 1990s–2000s. [2]
Are guests received?
Yes, like most monasteries of Ukraine, it welcomes pilgrims and volunteers. [1]
Conclusion
The Monastery of St Joseph the Betrothed in Mariivka is a story of how prayer survives fires and closures. From the small community of the widow Svyntsitska to the restored monastery where the Gospel word resounds again, the path has run through more than a century. In the quiet of the Samarchyk river the monastery still guards the same spiritual fire kindled in 1873. [1][2]