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Orthodoxy Paraskeva Pyatnitsky Women's Monastery. Paygarma. Paygarm Paraskeva-Voznesensky Convent. St. John the Theologian Monastery, village. Makarovka

The Paraskeva-Voznesensky Convent is an architectural monument of the 18th century. It is located in a cozy place in the village of Paygarma. This shrine has a reviving status. The monastery was built in honor of the holy martyr Paraskeva. An unusual phenomenon once happened at this place. I saw an icon of a martyr in 1865. Today the shrine serves as the main shrine of the complex. It was written in the 19th century, on Mount Athos. In the process of its creation, particles of the saint’s relics were used. God's servant is distinguished by special grace. She helps arrange family life.

The image is also considered the patron of trade. Not far from the monastery, three springs formed - Paraskeva Pyatnitsa with a font, St. Nicholas the Wonderworker, Seraphim of Sarov (mineral spring). Women suffering from infertility often turn to the key of St. Paraskeva. Here they receive special care for infertility and vision treatment. There are many lakes and forests nearby. The village is picturesque.

How to get there

The Family Suitcase company organizes pilgrimage trips.

Places of power

There are a large number of cases in history when people suffering from various diseases recovered by bathing in local springs. So, in 1998, a few days before the start of Great Lent, a miraculous phenomenon occurred in the monastery. The well-known icon “Blessed Heaven” began to bleed myrrh. This phenomenon was seen by parishioners who were present at the service at that time. Myrrh flowed from the icon. This is the name for fragrant church oil. All those present at the service were anointed with myrrh.

In addition, after a certain period of time it became known that one of the parishioners was able to recover from an illness that had tormented him for years. It was a young man named Pavel Zhuvaikin. He was 12 years old. From birth the child was blind in his left eye. After the anointing, the boy received his sight. Throughout the history of its existence, the icon streamed myrrh three times - on February 27, March 1 and 8.

Paraskev-Voznesensky Convent is located 35 kilometers from Saransk. There is a large railway station not far from the shrine. The date of foundation is 1864. This was an initiative of local residents. The popularity of local sources is great. People come to them from various regions. Local water is used for washing, part of the water is used for the bath, and part is discharged into the drain, which is located under the altar.

History of the monastery

When founding the monastery, local residents relied on information about the sanctity of the Paigarm springs. The history of the Russian land is not simple. In the second half of the 18th century, it was under the control of the landowner Eremey Struisky. He began to sell off useless lands. So the firewood went to the wealthy Mordvins. The forest area was famous for its springs. On one of them the icon of Paraskeva appeared. The wounded soldier was subsequently able to heal from it. The soldier built a log house and brought a spring into it. From this moment on, for many years the path to the spring has not been overgrown. There are a lot of people who want to visit this place.

In 1861 the heath was donated to the church. A monastery was opened on this site. In 1863-1865 peasants began actively asking to open a women's community here. The noblewoman Maria Mikhailovna Kiseleva took an active part in this process. She was able to achieve her goals. A sister community was organized at the keys. To provide for it, Kiseleva sold 20 acres of arable land near Paygarma. Her act became an example for other rich peasants.

In total, the community ultimately had about 46 hectares of arable land and forest area. The construction process of the temple began in 1865. Money for construction came from donations from various cities. At the end of the 19th century, farmsteads began to form in Penza, Saransk, St. Petersburg and other settlements.

Until 1865, there was a small chapel in Paigarm. In 1866, another chapel was illuminated—Paraskevo-Pyatnitskaya. The Church of the Ascension was built with the money of the people. In 1873, on the site of the chapel, it was decided to build a church made of wood in the name of the Great Martyr Paraskeva. There was a key inside the temple; it was placed in a jug. The wooden building looked harmonious against the background of the forest. It was destroyed in the 1950s.

Today, in its place stands another monastery, created in the likeness of the previously built one. From the monastery there begins a short descent to the springs and springs. Nearby there was a row of cells. To the west one could see the refectory building, and to the north the hospital building. To the east were public facilities. These were a school, a church shop, and hotels for pilgrims. The central part of the monastery is mainly represented by the cathedral square.

Monastery since 1870 was completely surrounded by a wall with towers in which church motifs are clearly visible. Cathedral Square took a long time to form. The whole process took several decades.

The Great Assumption Cathedral was founded in 1874. It was built over 16 years. The project was implemented in memory of the Dormition of the Mother of God. The external design resembles the Cathedral of Christ the Savior. However, notes of originality can also be traced. The paintings on the walls, which could boast exceptional expressiveness and sophistication, deserve special attention. It is noteworthy that some of the frescoes have been perfectly preserved to this day. The paint layer was damaged in places. The images on the walls were mercilessly damaged with firearms by the barbarians of the 20th century. Plaster was chipped off, icons were desecrated.

The restorers had a wide range of work to do. Early 1990s many images were rewritten anew. The Assumption Cathedral is currently completely renovated. Services are held there regularly. In addition, the temple has excellent acoustic properties. The interior space is bright and filled with solemnity.

The Ascension Church was built already in 1893. The work was carried out according to the design of the architect A. E. Ehrenberg. If we take into account the main features, the shrine copies the outline of the cathedral. It consists of five chapters and is equipped with heating. During Soviet times, the chapters were destroyed. They were subsequently rebuilt. But the paintings are not completed yet. There is a fresco in the temple that was painted over in 1950. Also interesting is the image of St. Panteleimon on the pillar. It is located from the west. There are many paintings on New Testament themes.

Monastic activity

Since the 1870s There was an icon-painting workshop at the monastery for a long time. The faces of nuns were written in it. The role of students was novices. All works had a special mark. Attached was a piece of paper on which the required text was written. An entire building was given over to the workshops, as they were very successful. Moreover, such areas of activity as foil stamping, tailoring, and shoemaking developed. There was a cattle yard, which was serviced by up to 40 workers. There was an apiary and a garden. By 1890 The women's community increased significantly in size. She could be the envy of many leading monastery complexes. Pelageya Smirnova was the head of the community. Subsequently, she was also tonsured a nun.

The monastery paid a lot of attention to monastic activities. For a long time, an orphanage, a school, and an almshouse existed under him. Orphan students were housed in a separate two-story building. The first tier was allocated for the kitchen, dining room, and rooms for assistants. The Orphan School was an example to follow. She won gold medals at national exhibitions. In the 20th century, it was reorganized into an original spiritual and educational institution. There were no more similar organizations in the Volga region.

In 1918, the monastery was actively used as the headquarters of the Russian army. Subsequently, a military hospital was located here. The nuns were sisters of mercy. Soon the Paigarm State Farm was formed on the holy lands. His existence was not long. Then the building was used as a district hospital and railway warehouses. A village was formed on the territory of gardens and parks. The church near the cemetery and the bell tower were demolished.

The final owner was the Ministry of Defense. It came to the conclusion to operate the monastery as a reserve pharmaceutical warehouse. For ease of storage, both temples were divided into two tiers using ceilings. Moreover, the beams were screwed directly into the frescoes.

The next historical stage is significant with the formation of the Saransk diocese. The question arose about returning the monastery to the believers. First, the Assumption Cathedral was returned to Orthodoxy, then the tomb and refectory, and cell buildings. By 1997, the large white stone building and the former hospital house were returned.

Currently, more than 50 clergy live here. The monastery was completely returned to Orthodoxy. The shrine above the source had to be rebuilt. The Ascension Church is at the stage of reconstruction. The foundation of the bell tower was recently laid.

The complex has a courtyard in Saransk - the Church of the Nativity of Christ of the Saransk diocese. It is distinguished by the presence of a fairly large parish. All proceeds go towards restoring buildings in Paigarm. The flow of tourists is large. Every year it only gets bigger. There are many young people among those who come.

Features of the origin of the earth, Paraskeva Pyatnitsa

Paygarma translated from Mordovian sounds like “aspen forest”. Today, there are many stands of aspen trees in the area and to this day. You can see one of them when you approach the Paygarm junction. It stretches to Khovanshchina station. For some reason, a tree like aspen is not popular in Mordovians. Someone said that this tree is even evil. According to popular beliefs, evil spirits live in aspen trees. There are a large number of gods in Mordovia. Among them there are both evil and good Gods. Indigenous people remember names and their character well.

Paraskeva appeared to the people from the water. She is the patroness of women, providing assistance in marriage and childbirth. She supports in everyday life, especially in spinning and weaving. Therefore, fabrics, canvases, linen, wool, etc. are donated to her. In the old days, people threw all gifts into the well. This ritual was called “mokrida”.

The parents of the holy martyr Paraskeva, named Friday, were Christians. They had a special regard for the day of the Lord's passion. When their daughter was born, they named her Paraskeva Friday. It soon becomes clear that Paraskeva began to join in the passion of Christ. The virgin dedicated her life to the Lord. For her bold confession, the authorities imprisoned the girl and subjected her to torture. Her torment was severe. An angel visited the virgin in prison. The wounds of the martyr began to close, and she recovered. Then new trials attacked the confessor. They tried to torture her with fire. But the torches ignited violently and scorched the ill-wishers themselves. The saint was beheaded with a sword.

The Paygarm Monastery amazes with its large territory. It's easy to breathe and cozy here. You can visit several churches and springs. The architecture of the objects amazes with its grandeur. The blue and white color suits the complex incredibly. The water in the springs is hard and contains a lot of iron.

When visiting Paigarm, be sure to visit Saransk. If possible, you will be able to climb to the golden domes of the temple of Admiral Ushakov. The upper platform offers beautiful views of the external surroundings. Mostly only “ringers” go up there. You can arrange with them to visit the high-rise building. The city of Saransk is only getting prettier every year. From above it is incredibly beautiful. The golden domes of the temple themselves are made using modern technologies and are of high quality.

Video

A convent located near the venerated site since the 18th century. Pyatnitsky spring. Founded in 1865 by noblewoman M. M. Kiseleva and novice P. S. Smirnova (later Abbess Paraskeva) as a women's community, in 1884 it received the status of a monastery. To the beginning XX century a populous monastery with a large farm, schools, an orphanage, a hospital and an almshouse. Closed at the beginning 1920s The buildings were occupied by a hospital, then warehouses, a military unit, the fence and bell tower were broken. Restoration work has been ongoing since 1994.

The Paraskeva-Voznesensky Convent is widely known not only in Mordovia, but also beyond its borders. This explains the attention to the monastery from the highest persons. In June 2005, Metropolitan Kirill of Smolensk and Kaliningrad (now His Holiness Patriarch of Moscow and All Rus') visited the monastery. In the same year, fonts were built and consecrated in honor of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker and St. Seraphim of Sarov.

In 2006, His Holiness Patriarch of Moscow and All Rus' Alexy II came to Paygarm.

Currently, the Paraskeva-Voznesensky Convent continues to develop: in 2008, construction of the bell tower began, and in January 2010, the temple in honor of the Holy Martyr Paraskeva was consecrated.

Many pilgrims come to this holy monastery from all corners of our Fatherland, as well as from abroad, to venerate the Holy Great Martyr Paraskeva, the patroness of these places, to partake of the Holy Mysteries of Christ, to join monastic works and prayer, and to bathe in the healing epiphany springs. They find here grace-filled healing in illnesses and help in their labors and concerns. The monastery accepts everyone with love and tries to help everyone with their spiritual needs.

This is a description of the landmark Paigarmsky Paraskeva-Voznesensky Convent 33 km southwest of Saransk, Mordovia (Russia). As well as photos, reviews and a map of the surrounding area. Find out the history, coordinates, where it is and how to get there. Check out other places on our interactive map for more detailed information. Get to know the world better.

Cathedrals No. 17594 – Paigarmsky Paraskeva-Voznesensky Convent

Temples of Russia No. 13335 – Paraskeva-Voznesensky Paygarm Convent (1884)

A convent located near the venerated site since the 18th century. Pyatnitsky spring. Founded in 1865 by noblewoman M. M. Kiseleva and novice P. S. Smirnova (later Abbess Paraskeva) as a women's community, in 1884 it received the status of a monastery. To the beginning XX century a populous monastery with a large farm, schools, an orphanage, a hospital and an almshouse. Closed at the beginning 1920s The buildings were occupied by a hospital, then warehouses, a military unit, the fence and bell tower were broken. Restored in 1994.

Paraskeva-Voznesensky Convent was founded in 1865. Long before the opening of the monastery, one of the residents of the village of Ruzaevka, while on military service, “severely fell ill with his legs.” Doctors soon became convinced of the hopelessness of treatment and classified the soldier as incurable. He found consolation only in constant tearful prayer to the Lord. Once in a dream, a woman of heavenly beauty in a blue robe, with a cross in her hands, appeared to him and said: “Do you want to be healthy and want to go home?” Soon the vision was repeated a second and third time. The last time the woman told the soldier that in three days he would be healthy and return home. She also told him to go to the village of Paigarmu, find a hole with water in the forest, and her image in it, and build a chapel at the source. The soldier recovered and carried out the order Holy Martyr Paraskeva. And people reached out to the source and began to be healed.
With the construction of the chapel and then the church, the monastery quickly began to grow. A shelter for young orphans was opened. An icon painting, gold embroidery and shoe workshops, a library and 4 gardens are open. Today there are more than 60 sisters in the monastery. The main icon of the monastery - icon of the holy martyr Paraskeva with a particle of her relics, written on Mount Athos in the 19th century. A bathhouse was also built. The monastery is famous for its three healing springs: St. Nicholas the Pleasant, St. Seraphim of Sarov and the holy martyr Paraskeva. All three springs flow into the holy lake. The monastery is famous for its hospitality; on any day here you can confess, take communion and, of course, swim in the healing miracle water.

Sights of the monastery

1.
Initially, the community owned a wooden chapel and the forested land around it. The first nuns did not even have cells for living, and the surrounding residents were distrustful of the monastic builders. “But the true ascetic life, Christian meekness and humility of the nuns began to weaken this mistrust.”
2.
In 1874, west Church of the Ascension The foundation of the large Assumption Cathedral was laid, the construction of which took 16 years. The cathedral was designed with four pillars, five domes, two lights, three altars (the central altar - in memory of the Dormition of the Mother of God, the side altars - in honor of the Exaltation of the Cross of the Lord and in memory of the Beheading of John the Baptist).

3.
This is a house church at the monastery hospital, built in 1892 by Abbess Paraskeva (Smirnova). It is placed in the eastern part of a two-story brick building located in the northern part of the monastery, highlighted by a dome. Returned to believers in 1997 and renovated. The temple in honor of the icon of the Mother of God "Joy of All Who Sorrow" is an ordinary residential building-dormitory for nuns.
4.
The house church is in the brick building of the bishop's chambers, located in the southern part of the monastery. Built in 1904. The building survived, for many years it was occupied by the cultural center of the military unit, and in the mid-2000s it was returned to believers.
5.
Built in the lower tier of the monastery bell tower, which is being built to the west of Assumption Cathedral modeled after the former multi-tiered bell tower from the 1890s, which was demolished in the 1930s.
6.
A brick single-domed chapel over the grave of the first abbess of the monastery, Abbess Paraskeva (Pelageya Smirnova), who died in 1895. It stands between the Assumption and Ascension Cathedrals. The Psalter was read around the clock in the chapel. Returned to believers in the early 1990s and renovated.
7.
Three springs are revered in the monastery, consecrated in honor of Saint Venerable Seraphim of Sarov, St. Nicholas the Wonderworker and Great Martyr Paraskeva. Water from the third source is directed to the bathhouse. In the middle of the temple-chapel, the spring of the Holy Martyr Paraskeva flows, and the water from it flows through a gutter to the cross behind the chapel and to the two baths nearby.
8.
The miraculous icon of the Holy Great Martyr Paraskeva, whose appearance once served as the reason for the founding of a women’s monastery, has returned to the Paygarm Paraskeva-Ascension Monastery. For almost two centuries the image was considered lost, and its second discovery can be considered the same miracle. The shrine was donated by a native of Mordovia, who, thanks to the icon, got rid of an incurable disease.

Address:
431481, Republic of Mordovia
Ruzaevsky district, Paygarma village

The Paraskeva-Voznesensky Convent is famous for its hospitality. Any pilgrim, any excursion group is warmly welcomed here: they will feed you and provide accommodation. Some pilgrims stay to live in the monastery for some time. Living for several days in the monastery, pilgrims perform the tasks assigned to them in the garden, in the vegetable garden, in the refectory, and also attend divine services.
The monastery, headed by the abbess, Abbess Angelina, is waiting for everyone whom the Lord will bring: to pray in the holy monastery, to bathe in, to work for the Glory of God, to bear obedience, and perhaps to take monastic vows here.

Trips to the Paraskeva-Voznesensky Convent are provided by the travel company "Family Suitcase"

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The Paygarma Paraskeva-Voznesensky (in the name of the Great Martyr Paraskeva and in honor of the Ascension of the Lord) convent is located 35 km from the city of Saransk, 5 km from the large junction railway station Ruzaevka, near the village of Paygarma, from which it got its name. Founded in 1864 on the initiative of local peasants and on lands donated by the benefactor State Councilor Maria Mikhailovna Kiseleva. Local residents noticed some features of the Paygarm environs back in ancient times, but only in the 18th century did the popularity of local relict waters enter the sphere of Orthodox rituals. There are three main sources: two are consecrated in memory of St. Saraphim of Sarov and Saint Nicholas of Myra, and the third - in the name of the Great Martyr Paraskeva. From the first two sources, Serafimovsky and Nikolsky, water is taken for washing; From the source of the Great Martyr Paraskeva, part of the water is sent to the baths, and part is discharged into the drain under the altar of the temple, from where the water is taken for drinking.

When founding the monastery, believers relied on already established ideas about the holiness of the Paigarm springs. In the second half of the 18th century. the wasteland near the village of Paygarma belonged to the Ruzaevsky landowner Eremey Struisky. He sold the useless plots to the Dyatkov landowners, and they resold the firewood on the hills to four rich Mordvins. Soon, in one of the forest springs, the icon of the Great Martyr Paraskeva was revealed, from which a sick soldier who had been retired received healing. The healed man made a frame, lowered it into the spring - and since then, for two centuries now, the folk trail to the spring has not been overgrown. After the reform of 1861, the owners of Paigarm dachas decided to donate the wasteland to a charitable cause - to open a monastery here near the springs. In 1863-65, peasants from several Mordovian villages persistently petitioned the diocesan authorities to establish a women's community, in which they were helped by the Penza noblewoman Maria Mikhailovna Kiseleva, who owned a considerable piece of land near Paygarma. By the end of 1864, the main burden of work on monastic affairs fell on her shoulders. M. M. Kiseleva ensured that on July 20, 1865, the Holy Synod opened a sister community with the keys. To provide for her financially, Kiseleva transferred the 20 acres of arable land that belonged to her near Paygarma to the nuns, and several other rich peasants did the same: Vasily Gubkov from Boldov, Nikolai Roslankin, Dmitry and Peter Kostin, Semyon and Stepan Zakharov from Mordovian Pishli.

In total, the community owned 46 acres of arable land and forest. in 1878, Emperor Alexander II made a contribution - 75 acres of land seven miles from the monastery (the so-called “Tsar’s Dacha”). Elected trustee of the new community, M. M. Kiseleva entrusted the construction of the monastery to the ryassophore nun from Kerensk Pelageya Stepanovna Smirnova. In the spring of 1865, construction began on the Hell Springs Temple. Over the course of several months, the number of sisters increased to 20 people, then ten more “blueberries” came to them. In 1882 the community reached 220 people. In 1895, the permanent staff consisted of 47 nuns, 8 designated novices, 271 living on probation, 15 elders and 36 orphans from the families of clergy. According to some sources, by 1915 the number of nuns, novices and dependents reached almost 600 people. In St. Petersburg, the Paigarm sisters found support in the person of Count A. S. Apraksin and his wife Countess Maria Dmitrievna. In Apraksin Dvor there was a chapel of the Paygarm Monastery. Money came to Paygarma from donors from Tobolsk, Moscow, Penza, Rostov-on-Don, Saransk, from the Kuban Army Region, Pskov, Astrakhan, Kazan provinces. At the end of the 19th century. farmsteads opened in Saransk, Penza, Insar and St. Petersburg.

In 1909, the Insarsky metochion became an independent St. Olginsky Monastery. Until 1865, in Paigarm there was a small chapel over the source and two dilapidated cells. In 1866, the renovated chapel - Paraskeva-Pyatnitskaya - was consecrated. With the donations of many well-wishers, the Ascension Church was erected in 1874, which was later significantly expanded. Its final version is a three-altar church with a central altar in the name of the Ascension of the Lord and side chapels in honor of the Tikhvin Icon of the Mother of God and St. Nicholas the Wonderworker, with five chapters and a bell tower. The outside was covered with planks and painted, and the inside was plastered. The iconostasis was carved from oak and covered with gold leaf. All icons of the first and second rank were considered expensive in terms of the quality of their writing. Particularly valuable was the Tikhvin Icon of the Mother of God, set in a silver-gold robe with precious stones. The monastery received it as a gift from the Patriarch of Jerusalem Procopius in 1874. Among other shrines, two icons of the martyr Paraskeva were revered - a gift from M. M. Kiseleva and the Saransk nobleman Andrei Nikolaevich Salov, who ordered this icon on Athos, in the Bulgarian monastery, where the relics of the martyr Paraskeva were kept.

In 1873, instead of a chapel over the source, benefactors cut down a small wooden church in the name of the Great Martyr Paraskeva; then the source, which was inside the temple, was placed in a jug, and the outlet of the water was fenced off with a metal grate. This temple fit especially well into the forested fallow. Destroyed in the 1950s, it has now been restored in general terms similar to its former appearance. With its appearance, the ravine was transformed, the forest acquired park-like features. Strategically, the architectural design of the monastery was based on natural differences in elevation. The steep descent to the pond and springs was fenced off by a number of cells, which began with the bishop's chambers and continued with two-story stone and stone-wooden residential buildings, of which there were four.

This is the southern side of the complex. On the western side, above the valley, the architects erected a two-story refectory building and an elongated one-story cell building. From the north, the square was bordered by a hospital building with an internal house church and two more buildings of cells for “those thirsty for testing.” On the eastern side of the monastery there were public buildings: a shop, a school, a boarding school, and economic services. A little further, outside the walls, Abbess Paraskeva built two hotels for pilgrims. The entire central part of the monastery is the cathedral square, the heart of the community - two churches, a tomb and a bell tower.

By the mid-1870s, the entire monastery was already surrounded by a wall with corner towers imitating temple motifs. Cathedral Square took a long time to develop, more than two decades.

In 1874, to the west of the Ascension Church, the large Assumption Cathedral was founded, the construction of which took 16 years. The cathedral was designed with four pillars, five domes, two lights, three altars (the central altar is in memory of the Dormition of the Mother of God, the side altars are in honor of the Exaltation of the Cross of the Lord and in memory of the Beheading of John the Baptist). Its appearance is similar to the Cathedral of Christ the Savior, but has features of deep originality. The cathedral's paintings were distinguished by their exceptional beauty and monumentality. Some of the frescoes have survived to this day, having lost only a small part of the paint layer: the barbarians of the 20th century shot at the faces with rifles, scraped out the eyes of saints with knives, and in some places knocked off pieces of plaster.

Restorers restored and partly rewrote the paintings in the late 1990s. The cathedral has been repaired, brought back to normal, and services are taking place there; The acoustics of the temple are magnificent, and the interior space, pierced by five pillars of light from five chapters, is filled with the triumph of the spirit.

The second, already stone Ascension Church was founded in 1893 according to the design of the Penza diocesan architect A.E. Erenberg, immediately after the completion of construction work in the Assumption Cathedral, exactly along its axis, behind the apses, about forty to fifty meters to the east. In its main features, the Church of the Ascension repeated the outline of the cathedral, but this was not a mechanical copying - although the new church was erected according to the eclectic method, the architect did not allow the thoughtless transfer of standard solutions. Architecturally, the Church of the Ascension is not far from the usual “Tonovsky” five-domed structure, but the goal of the nuns was to get a winter church, the heating of which did not require large financial expenditures. Nowadays, the heads of the temple, destroyed during Soviet times, have been restored, but the paintings are still waiting in the wings. There is one fresco in the temple that was painted over in the 1950s, but is increasingly visible through the paint without the intervention of restorers.

Of the church paintings, the most interesting is the image of St. Panteleimon on the pillar, and on the western wall, at the top, there are three large paintings on New Testament themes: the Transfiguration in the left aisle, the Resurrection in the central nave and the Ascension in the right aisle. In these paintings one can see the hand of nun painters who tried their hand at wall paintings. In addition to the three main temples, by the beginning of the twentieth century. Several more appeared: at the cemetery that arose in 1892, a wooden church in the name of All Saints (Vsesvyatskaya) was built; with an increase in staff to 300-350 people. house churches appeared in the hospital in the name of the icon of the Mother of God “Joy of All Who Sorrow” (1892), in the bishop’s chambers - Archangel Michael, in the abbot’s building - in the name of the Great Martyr Paraskeva. The ensemble was crowned by a 50-meter bell tower. In 1895-97, a chapel, the so-called tomb.

From the end of the 1870s, an icon-painting workshop worked fruitfully in the monastery, in which three nuns painted faces at first; in 1882, the craftswomen already had seven novices, and by the end of the century the number of artists had grown to fifteen people. All icons were marked with a special monastery stamp - a piece of paper with the corresponding text; The stamp was glued to the backs of icons painted on boards. According to data from the 1880s, several workshops operated successfully: an entire building was given over to the cells of goldsmiths; in another building, 20 models worked, engaged in stamping on foil. In addition, tailoring, dyeing, shoemaking, saddlery, and furrier crafts developed. The large cattle yard was served by up to 40 people, there was an apiary, a garden, a park and three farmsteads. By the early 1890s, the Paigarm women's community had outgrown most of the women's monasteries not only in Penza, but also in many neighboring dioceses in size, staff and importance. Therefore, the official recognition of the community as a monastery (Decree of the Synod of April 18, 1884) only legitimized the existing state of affairs. The head of the community, Pelageya Smirnova, was tonsured at the same time and elevated to the rank of abbess. The monastery was famous for its charity.

At the monastery there was an orphanage with a school, an almshouse, a school for visiting peasant girls, a mixed school for peasant children (at the All Saints Church), and also a school in the village. Lemzha (now Streletskaya Sloboda, Ruzaevsky district of the Republic of Moldova). To accommodate orphan students and teachers, a special two-story building was built, on the first floor of which there was a dining room, a kitchen and a room for nun inspectors who looked after the children, and on the second there were bedrooms for about 40 pupils and apartments for the teacher and her assistant. The orphan school of the monastery received gold medals at all-Russian exhibitions of church education. In the beginning. XX century The orphan school was reorganized into a school-church - an original spiritual and educational institution that had no analogues in the Volga region. In 1918, the monastery was chosen as the headquarters of the 1st Revolutionary Army, as well as the location of a military hospital. The nuns became sisters of mercy. In 1919, the Paigarmsky state farm was formed on the lands of the monastery, which existed for a very short time. After the collapse of the state farm, the monastery housed a regional hospital, some of the buildings were occupied by railway warehouses, including the Ascension Church. A village grew up on the site of the gardens and part of the park; the cemetery church, the temple over the spring, the bell tower, walls and entrance towers were scrapped.

The last owner of the monastery was the Ministry of Defense, which placed reserve pharmacy warehouses in Paigarm. For the convenience of storing boxes with drugs, both stone temples were divided into two floors by ceilings, and I-beams of metal were embedded directly into the frescoes. With the organization of the Saransk diocese, the question arose about returning the monastery to believers. The Ministry of Defense first returned the Assumption Cathedral, the tomb and the building of the former refectory, then the Church of the Ascension, and several cell buildings of the southern row. In the second half of 1997, the nuns returned to the large stone building of the western part of the complex and the building of the former monastery hospital, which had lost the head of the house church, but retained the apse. Today, over fifty nuns live, work and pray in the Paygarm Monastery. The Assumption Cathedral was brought back to life, the church over the source was rebuilt, the Ascension Church was being restored, and the foundation of the bell tower was laid. The monastery has a courtyard in Saransk - a church in the name of the Nativity of Christ, converted from a household outbuilding to a standard high-rise building in the North-Western microdistrict. The temple has a large parish, and all income goes to the restoration of Paigarm buildings. A clear indicator of the new “recognition” of the ancient monastery is the flow of pilgrims, growing every day, and especially many young people, schoolchildren and students visit Paigarm.