The Holy Znamensky Women’s Monastery in the village of Verbivske was one of the wealthiest and most powerful communities of the 19th century in southern Ukraine. Founded by the noblewoman Kateryna Vasylenko in the early 1880s, this monastery within three decades grew into a large estate with its own brick factory, candle factory, windmill, bakery, highly professional icon-painting workshops and a spiritual school — and then the Soviet regime destroyed it by 1927, with revival coming only in the 1990s. [1][2][3]
Quick facts
- Full name: Holy Znamensky (of the Sign of the Mother of God) Women’s Monastery of the UOC. [1]
- Address: Verbivske village, Dnipropetrovsk Oblast (7 Medychna Street). [2]
- Foundation: early 1880s (construction of the “Znamenska Pustel” from 1901), status of a cenobitic monastery — 1906. [1][3]
- Foundress: the noblewoman Kateryna Pavlivna Vasylenko, in monasticism Abbess Yelysaveta. [3]
- Economic enterprises: brick and candle factories, windmill, bakery, oil press, icon-painting workshops, a school for orphan girls. [2][4]
- Closure: 1927; the cathedral blown up in 1945. [2][3]
- Revival: 1995/1997; Abbess Heorhiia (Yemelianova). [2][3]
History of the monastery
A noble founder (1880s)
In the first years of the 1880s the private noblewoman Kateryna Pavlivna Vasylenko, heiress of estates in the Katerynoslav region, applied to the Katerynoslav consistory with a request to allow the founding near the hamlet of Rozhulnyi of the Oleksandrivsk district a women’s community under the name “Znamenska Pustel” (the Hermitage of the Sign). Kateryna donated for this purpose about 500 desyatynas of land. [3]
The initial stage was difficult: there were many formalities and legal procedures connected with land questions, but Kateryna did not abandon her dream of a monastery dedicated to the miracle of the Sign of the Mother of God. [5]
Building the “Znamenska Pustel” (1901–1907)
Active construction unfolded from 1901: buildings were erected with materials from the brick factory established on monastic land. By 1903 more than 200 nuns already lived at the “Znamenska Pustel”, a shelter for orphan girls with a church-parish school operated, and workshops functioned — from needlework to icon-painting and painting. [2][3]
In 1904 Kateryna Vasylenko, a widow, took the tonsure with the name Yelysaveta; this had been foretold to her by a holy fool in Jerusalem, with whom she had consulted even before the construction began. In 1906 the Holy Synod granted the institution the status of the “Znamensky cenobitic women’s monastery”, and in 1907 Yelysaveta was elevated to the rank of abbess. [3]
The richest monastery of the South
At the beginning of the 20th century the Znamensky monastery was famous as the richest and most significant community of southern Ukraine: [4]
- a brick factory producing up to 200,000 bricks a season, which changed even the face of the region; [2]
- a candle factory that supplied the communities of Kharkiv, Katerynoslav, Tavria and other territories; [3]
- a windmill (counted among the best in the district), a bakery, an oil press, three ponds and a large garden; [2]
- workshops: from painting and icon-painting to smithing, carpentry, thatching and water works — the monastery provided not only for itself but also for the surrounding villages; [3]
- education: a school for orphan girls registered directly at the monastery. [2]
In the early 1910s the monastery numbered hundreds of nuns, and its land holding reached 500 desyatynas. It was a kind of “monastic autonomy” with its own administration, spiritual life and patronage. [5]
Soviet destruction (1927–1950s)
In 1927 the monastery was closed by the Soviet authorities. The warm Znamensky church was turned into a warehouse and later into a gym; other buildings were dismantled for the construction of settlements. In December 1945 the central cathedral was blown up. [2][3] The place of the monastery was destroyed root and branch; only in remote corners of the fields did traces of the former presence remain. [3]
Revival in the 1990s
In 1997 (by other sources — 1995) a group of sisters arrived at Verbivske under Abbess Heorhiia (Yemelianova) from the Rivne diocese (from Derman), to restore the monastery. At first they lived in separate private houses, then a stone building was restored. [2][3]
In 2005, at Easter, Bishop Irenei consecrated the restored lower Znamensky church, attended by laypeople who remembered Father Demian from the 1940s. The monastery came to life again — the churches and cells were restored, and the economic complex (its own bakery bakes bread for the sisters). [3]
Life today
Today the Holy Znamensky Women’s Monastery is one of the most active communities of the Dnipro diocese. The sisters engage in traditional husbandry, icon-painting and prayer. The foundation of life, as 150 years ago, is the image of the Sign of the Mother of God, the dedication of the monastery. [1][2]
Practical information
- Address: Verbivske village, Vasylkivka (now another district per the current administrative reform) district, Dnipropetrovsk Oblast, 7 Medychna Street. [2]
- How to get there: from Dnipro — head towards Vasylkivka, then by local transport or car to Verbivske. [2]
- On site: the restored church, cells, the monastery bakery, the healing quiet of the steppe by the river. [3]
- Services: the full daily cycle of a women’s monastery. [1]
- Abbess: Heorhiia (Yemelianova). [3]
Frequently asked questions
Who founded the monastery?
The noblewoman Kateryna Pavlivna Vasylenko, in monasticism Abbess Yelysaveta; the request to the consistory was submitted in the early 1880s. [3]
What did the brick factory produce?
Up to 200,000 bricks per season — this gave the monastery the status of the richest in the region. [2]
When was the monastery closed?
Officially in 1927; the cathedral was blown up in December 1945; revival from 1995/1997. [2][3]
Why is the monastery called “Znamensky”?
In honour of the icon of the Sign of the Mother of God, the dedication of the monastery. [1]
Does the school for orphans work today?
No, the 20th-century school was closed back in 1927; the modern monastery focuses on prayer and traditional husbandry. [2]
Conclusion
The Holy Znamensky Monastery of Verbivske is a story of how genuine giving can survive even explosion and desolation. Kateryna Vasylenko built on 500 desyatynas the richest community of the region, where an old holy fool foretold her abbatial rank; the Soviet regime levelled everything to the ground, but in 1997 Abbess Heorhiia and her sisters returned the spirit to the places where the icon of the Sign had nourished faith. Bread is baked again in a bakery that was once long dismantled for stone. [1][3]