The town of Brailov, not far from Zhmerinka, is noteworthy in Russian culture most of all for the fact that in 1868, the newly-made millionaire of the Russian Empire and entrepreneur, engineer Karl von Meck, built a palace here...

The baron's wife, Nadezhda Filaretovna von Meck, after the death of her husband, organized a military hospital here with 200 beds, and built a small Church of All Saints, a stone chapel in Moskalevka, and began to patronize the arts. In 1875, among its scholarship recipients was Nikolai Rubinstein, who founded the Moscow Conservatory in 1866. And it was Rubinstein who told Nadezhda von Meck about Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky. In the spring of 1878, Tchaikovsky received an invitation to come to Brailov and arrived here on May 17th. Evidence shows that the visit left an indelible impression on him. The palace, luxurious park and lakes with swimming swans are a paradise for creative people. All the little details of everyday life were thought out, the estate manager and servants were informed in advance about the composer’s habits and tastes. The period of von Meck's patronage is the most beneficial period in the composer's life. “Every note that will henceforth flow from my pen will be dedicated to you,” he writes in a letter and makes a vow. “Never, never, not for one second, while working, will I forget that you give me the opportunity to continue my artistic calling.” By the way, the French impressionist Claude de Bussy (Debussy) is another famous composer who visited Brailov.

However, in this article we will talk in more detail about the ancient Brailovsky Monastery and its two miraculous icons.

Brailovskaya monastery

Priest Ignatius Lototsky, who served in the Brailovsky monastery in 1895-1898, wrote: “Even from afar, the beautiful view of the town and the large buildings of the monastery, above which the church and bell tower rise, attracts attention. The dirty Jewish town diminishes your excitement for a while. But then it becomes even more joyful in your soul when you enter the monastery gates, and after the noise and dirty bustle you are enveloped in motionless silence. Instead of a dirty street, you see a clean and spacious monastery courtyard, decorated with newly planted greenery. The main monastery church is located directly opposite the entrance to the monastery. Behind it stretch buildings, separate outbuildings, and even further utility rooms. Everywhere is clean and orderly."

Let's turn over the earlier pages of history. In 1845, nuns from Vinnitsa arrived in the town of Brailov on the morning of October 1 (October 14, new style) in a religious procession, with their anciently revered shrines. At the outpost of the town, the surrounding clergy and many people with crosses and banners were waiting for them. At the gates of the monastery, the move was met by Archbishop Arseny, later Metropolitan of Kyiv and Galicia. The Bishop at one time drew attention to the cramped position of the monastery in Vinnitsa and invited Mother Superior Taisia ​​to petition the Holy Synod to move the monastery from Vinnitsa to the Brailovsky monastery buildings, which remained empty at that moment.

A small but indicative statistical snapshot of the past: at the end of the 18th century, the monastic staff of the Vinnitsa monastery consisted of an abbess, 15 full-time nuns, 3 part-time nuns and 5 novices - 12 Poles, 8 Russians, 4 Little Russians.

And since then, Vinnytsia nuns have settled in Brailov. Over the course of several years, all three chapels were restored in the main monastery Trinity Church: the main one, the central one - in honor of Holy Trinity; on the right side - in honor of the Annunciation Holy Mother of God, and on the left - in honor of the Great Martyr Barbara. In the magnificent iconostasis above the Royal Doors of the central throne was placed the icon of the Mother of God of Czestochowa, which was once donated to the Vinnitsa monastery by M.S. Kropivnitsky, and which the sisters brought from Vinnitsa to Brailov.

Pay attention, reader, to an indicative fact: it was the court of Bratslav and the royal secretary, and later Polish senator Mikhail Sigismundovich Kropivnitsky, who received permission from the Polish King Vladislav VI in 1635 to create an Orthodox nunnery in Vinnitsa. Let us recall that in 1596 a union was imposed in southwestern Rus' and that more than once during the history of the monastery it was occupied by infidels.

Under the cold premises of the main church, by 1847, the construction of the temple in honor of Saints Anthony and Theodosius of the Kiev-Pechersk was completed. In the northern part of the monastery building, a small church was opened in honor of St. Nicholas, with an elegant wooden iconostasis gilded with carvings.

Since 1864, at the monastery there was an almshouse for elderly women of clergy, and in two houses in a special courtyard there was a school for orphans, where girls were taught the law of God, writing, geography, reading in Russian and Church Slavonic, arithmetic, history, drawing, as well as handicrafts and church singing. After some time, a Sunday Orthodox school for adult women was opened at the monastery.

During the First World War, in 1914, an infirmary with 50 beds was opened in the Brailovsky monastery. The ruling bishop Mitrofan, who personally visited the hospital, showed concern for the wounded. And in May 1915, Emperor Nicholas II awarded Abbess Catherine with a golden cross for her care of wounded soldiers. In the same year, a shelter for orphan girls was opened in the Brailovsky Monastery - children of the defenders of the Fatherland who died on the fronts.

During the godless trials in Brailovsky convent Archpriest Ivan Shipovich, a man of great intelligence and deep faith, a local historian of Podolia, who had taught the Law of God at the Vinnytsia Real School since 1893, was transferred as a priest. The history of the monastery says that under the spiritual care of Father John there were 161 nuns in Brailov. Now the main profit of the monastery began to consist of the earnings of the nuns themselves. The sisters had to be hired as day laborers to the residents of Brailov and to the state farm. In addition, they themselves sewed blankets, wove carpets, knitted mittens, and made yarn. Despite the fact that all the priests of the Brailovsky Monastery were arrested, the monastery existed for some time. In December 1932, 75-year-old Father John himself, convicted under Article 54-10 (counter-revolutionary propaganda and agitation), was exiled to Siberia, and soon died upon returning from prison. The monastery was closed by decision of the Vinnytsia Regional Executive Committee.

The convent reopened only in 1942...

In 1950, after the closure of the Nemirov Convent, nuns from Nemirov were transferred to the Brailovsky Monastery. Leaving Nemirov, they gave orphanage two cows, a couple of horses and a cart. When moving, each of the sisters on the cart, in addition to their meager belongings, always had a coffin. None of them returned to their native Nemirovsky monastery.

Surprisingly, in 1953-1955, during the period of new persecutions, a major overhaul of the Brailovsky Monastery was carried out, on which almost 100 thousand rubles were spent. Part of the money was allocated by the Holy Synod of the Moscow Patriarchate.

Gates of the Brailovsky Holy Trinity Convent

Abbess Glafira supervised the renovation; and from August 1957, the ill mother was replaced by Abbess Zoya.

On June 1, 1956, Archbishop Simon (Ivanovsky) appointed priest Mikhail Ivaskov to serve in the Brailovsky Monastery. “Selflessly devoted to Holy Orthodoxy, a zealous and eloquent preacher of excellent character,” this is how the bishop characterized the priest.

At that time, the process of Ukrainization of the Church began in Volyn, and demands were heard for the creation of an “independent” church or transition to a union. Father went to people with a missionary sermon.

In 1961, Bishop Simon refused to sign a decree according to which power in the parishes was transferred to elders appointed by the local executive committee. “I cannot sign the death warrant of the Orthodox Church,” declared Bishop Simon, after which he was removed from ministry. And Father Mikhail retired to a parish in Vinnytsia’s Malye Khutora.

On October 13, 1962, the Brailovsky Monastery was closed for the second time in the history of the godless government, so to speak, on the thirtieth anniversary of the first closure. “Sketes,” as the priest called them, accommodated a dozen and a half nuns. Father Mikhail remained the confessor of the Brailov sisters until his death, on February 2, 1967.

By 1970, the monastery was in terrible condition. The roof became dilapidated, the frescoes of the Holy Trinity Church were destroyed. In the cells of the monastery, a dormitory for the Brailovsky Vocational School was set up, and classrooms were equipped. In 1987, by decision of the executive committee of the regional council, a tourist base was located on the territory of the monastery, and a shooting gallery was located in the lower church of St. Anthony and Theodosius of Kiev-Pechersk.

Holy Trinity Church today

However, following numerous appeals from the Orthodox of Brailov and the Vinnitsa region, the monastery was finally transferred to the Orthodox Church.

On March 19, 1990, Metropolitan Agafangel of Vinnitsa and Bratslav, in the co-service of the diocesan clergy, in front of a huge crowd of people, performed the consecration and first Divine Liturgy in the Church of St. Anthony and Theodosius of the Kiev-Pechersk.

Abbess Neonila (Yareshko), who led the Brailov monastery for a year, was transferred here from the Pukhtitsa Monastery (Estonia). Metropolitan Agafangel purchased a truck for the monastery, and the Holy Dormition Pochaev Lavra donated another one to the monastery. The Vinnitsa Radio Equipment Plant produced two large domed crosses.

From 1992 to 1994, the sisters were led by schema-nun Georgia (Vasilets).

On June 13, 1995, the icon of the Mother of God “Brailovo of Czestochowa”, which disappeared without a trace after the closure of the monastery in 1962, returned to the walls of its native monastery. And now, 33 years later, she was welcomed back to the monastery. On the third day of Pentecost, after the Divine Liturgy and the Holy Moleben in the Transfiguration Cathedral of Vinnitsa, a procession led by Archbishop Macarius of Vinnitsa and Mogilev-Podolsk came out with an icon of the Most Holy Theotokos and approached Brailov at ten o’clock in the evening.

Procession of the cross in the Brailovskaya monastery with the icon of the Mother of God “Brailovo of Czestochowa”

About the origins of this image, we can say that the Czestochowa image is perhaps the most revered in Poland, where the icon is called the “Black Madonna”, since the icon has become very dark from antiquity.

"Black Madonna". Icon of the Mother of God “Czestochowa”

This “unifying” image for Christians is found in almost all Catholic and Orthodox churches in Poland. Thousands of pilgrims from all over the world come to Jasna Gora in Czestochowo to worship the ancient shrine. The chapel, which now houses the icon, is completely given over to the storage of gifts brought by pilgrims. Gifts cover all the walls of the room. In Russia, a list of the Czestochowa icon is located in the St. Petersburg Kazan Cathedral. This image was presented by the Poles to the Russian Cossacks in 1813 during the capture of the Czestochowa Fortress by Russian troops during the war with Napoleon.

They indicate that the Mother of God, besides many miraculous lists, who bore the name of the Czestochowa Icon, bestowed the grace of the prototype of this shrine on numerous, mostly revealed icons, which are iconographic versions of the Czestochowa Icon, but bear different names. Along with Brailovskaya, these include such famous images of the Blessed Virgin Mary as Lyubechskaya, Ozeryanskaya, Rudnenskaya, Dubovichskaya, Novodvorskaya, Krupetskaya, Mokhnatinskaya and others.

Icon of the Mother of God “Brailovo of Czestochowa”

The history of another icon of the Mother of God revered in the local monastery - the Brailovo-Pochaevskaya - is significant.

Icon of the Mother of God Brailovo-Pochaevskaya

In 1672, during the capture of Podolia, the Turks besieged Brailov. Khalil Pasha, taking all the jewelry, plundered and destroyed Orthodox church. The icon has disappeared. But in 1887, in the Pochaev Lavra, a professor at the Nizhyn Historical and Philological Lyceum, Archpriest A.F. Khojnacki discovered in one of the Lavra churches an image with the inscription: “Image of the miraculous icon of the Mother of God of Brailovskaya.” Having become interested in the icon, he came to the conclusion that it was a copy of the miraculous icon that had once been in Brailov. Then he reported this to the abbess of the monastery. And with the permission of the Lavra authorities, he transferred the image to the Brailovsky Convent (June 1/14, 1888), where the icon took pride of place to the left of the Royal Doors of the main monastery church. In 1890, a silver-gilded chasuble was placed on her from a donor who wished to remain anonymous. However, after the revolutionary events of 1917, the image was lost.

The authentic Brailovo-Pochaevsky image of the Mother of God was written on a linden board. With rich, bright colors and the very method of applying them, he approached the icon painting of the Renaissance. Against the light background of the image, the Face of the Mother of God seemed especially alive and expressive.

Icon of the Mother of God Brailovo-Pochaevskaya. Modern look

In December 1931, the abbess of the Holy Trinity Convent Sofia (Rachinskaya) composed an akathist, the first half of which is dedicated to the Brailovo-Czestochowa icon, and the second to the Brailovo-Pochaevskaya icon. On September 17, 1932, this akathist was served for the first time in the apartment of priest Mikhail Mazur in the city of Bar, Vinnytsia region.

As usual, many cases of miraculous healings performed by this Mother of God icon have been collected and recorded. Miracles still happen now.

The current abbess of the monastery, Antonia (Stetsenko), is young - on January 1, 2010, mother celebrated her 40th birthday.

Abbess Antonia of the Holy Trinity Brailovsky Monastery

She spent more than half of her life in the Holy Trinity Brailovsky Monastery. Back in 1989, she, novice Elena, was among the first - at that time there were only nine sisters - to come here. In 1991 she took monastic vows, and in 1993 she took monastic vows. She became abbess in 1996. Under her leadership, the monastery is actively developing: churches are being restored, new utility buildings and hotels are being built for pilgrims coming from all over Ukraine and abroad.

Today in the Brailovsky monastery there are almost seven dozen sisters (average age 30 years), 4 priests, 2 deacons.

In the Brailovsky Monastery today

Love for people prompts them to pray not only for the salvation of themselves and their loved ones, but also for the world they left behind. And this prayer of love is performed here incessantly - day and night.

On the feast of the Annunciation, Archbishop Simeon of Vinnitsa and Mogilev-Podolsk visited the Holy Trinity Brailov Convent in the village of Brailov, Zhmerinsky district

The history of the Brailovsky Holy Trinity Monastery begins in Vinnitsa. In 1635 Through the efforts and means of the nobleman Mikhail Kropivnitsky, a convent was founded in Vinnitsa. This was a period of revival of Orthodoxy in Ukraine, which is associated with the name of Metropolitan Peter Mohyla.

Together with the people, the monastery survived all the troubles and persecutions. With the coming to power of the Polish king John Casemir, the monastery experienced persecution. Then there was union, decline, poverty.

In 1795 During the union with the Orthodox Church, the revival of the monastery as an Orthodox one began. The first abbess was Mother Palladia. Later, the monastery was managed by the treasurers of the mothers of Dositheus, Polyxenia and Seraphim.

In 1845 under Mother Superior Taisia, the monastery was transferred from Vinnitsa to Brailov. In a procession of the cross, monks, clergy, and laity moved the shrines. The monastery was classified as a first class monastery, which was considered a great honor. Under Abbess Melitini, the monastery ascended, spiritual life flourished, the monastery was upset, it had its own land and gardens. This was a period of spiritual ascension and material well-being.

At the monastery there was a religious school for girls, there was a shelter for orphan girls from spiritual families, there was an almshouse, there was a Sunday school for women, and during the First World War there was an infirmary for the wounded in the monastery.

Before the closure of the monastery, already during the years of Soviet power, Mother Sophia was the abbess. Abbess Sophia in the world of Rachinskaya was of a noble family, had a decent education, abandoning secular life, she went to a monastery. Her high spirituality and intelligence were noted. She is chosen as the abbess of the monastery. Together with her sisters, she survived the terrible years of revolution and fratricide. Survived the closure of the monastery and completed her life path in the village of Galaikovtsy, Murovano-Kurilovetsky district, under the spiritual patronage of Father Agafador, a spiritual ascetic. She is the author of a number of akathists. She wrote an akathist in honor of the Brailovskaya Icon of the Mother of God.

The spiritual life of the monastery was renewed during the war years. The monastery operated under difficult conditions until 1964. At the time of the closure of the monastery, Mother Glafira was the abbess. After the monastery was closed, the warehouses were converted into warehouses, and the cells were given to the local vocational school as dormitories. Since 1990 the monastery was revived again.

The first abbess of the reviving monastery was nun Neonila from the Pyukhtinsky Monastery, who managed to instill in the nuns a love of spiritual perfection. This covenant is preserved to this day through the prayerful works of Abbess Antonia and the sisters, setting an example of service to God and neighbors.

Brailovsky Holy Trinity Monastery was the first to be revived in the Vinnitsa diocese, which celebrated its 20th anniversary on September 15, 2009. There are two miraculous icons in the monastery - the Brailovsko-Czestochowa and Brailovsko-Pochaevskaya icons of the Mother of God.

The Brailow-Czestochowa Icon, which is located in the monastery even before the revolution, became famous for its large number of healings. Near it there are so-called pendants - this is people’s gratitude for the healing.

In 1887, in the Pochaev Lavra, professor Archpriest A. Khoynatsky discovered in one of the Lavra churches an image with the inscription: “Image of the miraculous icon of the Mother of God of Brailovskaya.” He came to the conclusion that this was a copy of the miraculous icon that had once been in Brailovo, which disappeared after the town was captured by the Turks in 1672. At the same time, he informed the abbess of the convent about this. And with the permission of the Lavra authorities, he transferred the image to the monastery on June 1, 1888.

The day in the monastery begins at 5 o'clock in the morning when, at the ringing of the bell (photo on the right), all the sisters go to morning prayers. At 6 o'clock the singing of the akathist to the Mother of God begins, at which all the sisters try to attend, going out into the middle of the church and glorifying the Queen of Heaven. Next, the akathist for the day is read and the divine liturgy is performed, after which all the nuns go to obedience; each has its own responsibilities: for some they are permanent, for others they are blessed every week. At 12 o'clock in the afternoon the bell calls everyone to a meal, and at 17 o'clock the evening service begins. At the end of it, the sisters have dinner and perform the evening monastic rule. There are three churches in the monastery: a large “cold” cathedral and two “warm” ones: in the name of St. Anthony and Theodosius of Kiev-Pechersk and in honor of St. Nicholas. The central altar of the cathedral is consecrated in the name of the Holy Trinity; the lateral southern limit is in honor of the Annunciation of the Most Holy Theotokos, and the northern one is in honor of the Holy Great Martyr Barbara.

Monks who were martyred for their faith during the years of Soviet power are buried in the cemetery of the Brailovsky Monastery: Mother Anatolia, Father Alexander, Schema-nun Augusta

To the blessed memory of the confessor of the Brailovsky Monastery, Schema-Archimandrite Kirill (Sokolov)

A year has passed since on November 28, at the age of 93, after a long illness, the oldest clergyman of the Vinnitsa diocese, the elder of the Holy Trinity Brailov Monastery, Schema-Archimandrite Kirill (Sokolov), reposed in the Lord. The huge, loving heart, completely given to God and people, stopped beating.
Since 1992, Father Kirill has been the confessor of the Holy Trinity Brailovsky Convent.

Spiritual old man. Schema-Archimandrite Kirill (Sokolov), Abbess of the monastery Anthony and cell attendant, Hierodeacon David
Many priests and laity from Ukraine and other countries came to him for prayerful help and advice.
Father was one of the rare people in our crafty times who were able to make it clear with one phrase what Love is, and who showed it by their very appearance. It is truly a miracle to see with your own eyes Love embodied in a person

The funeral Divine Liturgy and burial rite for the deceased Schema-Archimandrite Kirill were performed at the Holy Trinity Brailov Monastery on November 30 by His Eminence Simeon, Metropolitan of Vinnitsa and Bar. monastery)

Let us turn to the memoirs of Hierodeacon David (Holy Trinity Brailovsky Convent), published in the book “Novice N. Lament for Spiritual Life.” To the blessed memory of the confessor of the Brailovsky Monastery, Schema-Archimandrite Kirill (Sokolov)

The joy is indescribable. Schema-Archimandrite Kirill (Sokolov) with his cell attendant, Hierodeacon David, in the cell of the Brailovsky Monastery after the Feast of the Holy Martyrs of the Maccabees

Hierodeacon David testifies

Schema-Archimandrite Kirill, in the world Andrei Andreevich Sokolov, was born in the village of Volchinets, Moldavian SSR, into a family
priest and village teacher - teacher junior classes. His father, priest Andrei, was a native
Russian, and mother Vera is Ukrainian. Not far from their village there was an Orthodox Karlashov monastery.
* * *
The future elder studied at a rural school. And from his parents, in those godless years, he also received knowledge of Za-
the horse of God. Father’s childhood memories are more connected with his mother: “I really love Ukraine and Ukrainians -
I got this from my mom. This is how she taught me and all the children in Moldova,” he said. From those distant times, the old man
Myung, thanks to my parents, a soul responsive to any pain was formed. They usually say about such people: “Yes, he is flies
will not offend." This one is for Father phraseological turn is not an exaggeration, he really doesn't even kill a fly
wants to kill: “She’s in pain. There she is, moving her paws and buzzing. If you're tired of a fly, drive it away" - that's roughly how it goes -
the priest says to his spiritual children. Of the animal world, Father Kirill loves birds most of all. But not in cages
or domestic - and free. Especially singers. There is always something thrown into their feeder through the window.

Spirit-bearing Elder
* * *
The elder recalled that at home in Moldova they had a piano. My father played music himself and taught children notes and singing.
The priest himself, despite his respectful age, also played the piano and harmonium well. His mother,
past the school, received students at home - pulled up those lagging behind in various subjects. Also your son
she taught him the Moldovan language - he speaks it perfectly. But the priest’s speech is purely Russian and very pleasant.
ny - you won’t hear this in our places.

* * *
What else can you tell about Father’s childhood? Mom died very early, and father raised the children alone. One day,
when the whole family was working in the garden, a covered “funnel” drove up to the hut - people in civilian clothes came out of it. They
They called the owner and led him by the arms to the car. The children never saw their father again and, even after many years,
could find out about his fate. Father Kirill considers his father, Priest Andrei Sokolov, a martyr for the faith. Further
young children were raised by relatives.
* * *
After the army, the priest got a job as a retoucher in a photo studio (since childhood he really liked to color
Pictures). And here his skills and diligence came in handy. He became an extraordinary master. From ordinary black and white
He used aniline paints to create a whole work of photography. If it was a portrait, it turned into something worse
a real picture, and a photograph of a certain landscape - into a painting. In the lower church in our monastery,
and in the priest’s cell, there are icons that he painted himself, but already oil paints, copying reproductions. These ra-
The bots are made in a unique manner - more like children's ones. But spirituality and love for creativity are visible in
every image.
* * *
After undergoing several operations in the late 80s, it became harder and harder for the priest to serve alone
in two rural parishes. When the Vinnitsa see was headed by Archbishop Agafangel (Savvin), the priest asks
Bishop to tonsure him as a monk. The tonsure takes place at cathedral with the name Ignatius - in
honor of Ignatius the God-Bearer.
* * *
Soon, in the early 90s, Abbot Ignatius (Sokolov) was sent to the newly opened Brailovsky Holy Trinity
Kyi convent as a full-time priest.

Brailovsky MonasteryBrailovsky Monastery

The priest served the week and spoke sermons. Here I saw and heard him for the first time, as a young boy.
I really liked that Father Superior did not read sermons from a piece of paper, like our priests, but spoke from memory -
briefly, but very intelligibly and, most importantly, in a voice that you listen to with bated breath.
Every year the priest went on a pilgrimage to the Trinity-Sergius Lavra to visit his brother. One day, returning
When it was 1998 or 1999, he tells me: “I want to tell you something, just don’t tell anyone about it yet.
By the grace of God, I was tonsured to the rank of the Great Schema and given a name in honor of St. Kirill Beloezersky. tonsure
committed by Schema-Archimandrite Iliy (Nozdrin).” But this “secret” quickly spread throughout the monastery. Congratulations to all the priest
They shouted, but out of embarrassment he did not know where to hide, and was very worried about how the Reverend would react. But lord
favorably accepted the news that a schema-monk had appeared in the Brailovsky Monastery. A few years later, Father Ki-
Rill became very difficult to serve. The years had taken their toll - it was already difficult for him to lift the cup with the Holy Gifts, and
serve the entire week. After suffering a mini-stroke, when the elder’s life seemed to be “hanging by a thread,” the priest became a little stronger and began to speak in a manner characteristic of people who had received some kind of revelation.

Two elders. Father Kirill (Sokolov) with Archimandrite Jonah (Ignatenko)
* * *
The elder had a remarkable feature of a true Christian - he never allowed himself to offend anyone. And moreover, if Fr. It will seem to Kirill that someone, even a slightly known or completely unfamiliar person, will be offended by him for some unknown reason; the priest will not calm down until he makes amends for his imaginary guilt. Often these are simple everyday misunderstandings: someone waited a long time for an appointment, or the elder, due to weakness, forgot what was asked of him. And sometimes it just seemed to him that a certain person might be offended by him. The priest will not eat, will not read the monastic rule, will not even fall asleep (which I have repeatedly witnessed) until the “offended” person is brought to his cell.
man, - sometimes this request was fulfilled by me or the mothers. When they brought the servant of God into the cell, the elder raised his
hands, and he just sits or lies on the bed, exclaiming: “Forgive me, forgive me!” And he will never let go, without insults -
The manager will give you a Christian kiss on both cheeks, and will also try to kiss your hand. Many, of course, from such a reception from the priest,
as they say, in seventh heaven. Especially if the elder asks: “And the priest, and kiss the priest,” and substitutes
his cheek adorned with beautiful gray hair. Having received what he wanted, the old man blossoms. And by his smile, brilliant
The tears make it clear to the eyes that this is a very sincere act.

The icon of the holy passion-bearer Tsar Nicholas was painted by Elder Kirill
Immediately the priest’s mood rises and his appetite appears. And he eats very little - mostly porridge. When someone brings something tasty - a pear, a peach, a grape - the elder gratefully accepts it and... gives it back
to the next visitor: “This is a gift from me to you, I am very glad that you visited me.” Father's speech, by the grace of Bo-
alive, preserved. The conversation is clear. He selects very figurative words - one senses very good literary
education. There are such rare natures that they are born, raised and live to a ripe old age. Like innocent children. This was our father.
* * *
By nature, our elder was very modest and shy. Not only will he not ask for too much, but even
does not take what is necessary. Father went to the refectory on his own until, in 2015, he was completely unable to
his legs gave out, and now they even bring him to church in a wheelchair.
Before his illness, the priest never gave up handicrafts. He painted icons and decorated them with beads. Lay out small beads
The sisters of our monastery taught him how to sing.

Icon of St. Apostle Peter, decorated with priest
* * *
Father Kirill, having learned about the terrible misfortune of confrontation and fratricide in Ukraine, gave his blessing to pray for those at war as if they were lost.
* * *
Even two months later, I cannot remember my father’s death without tears. I won’t hide it, the monastery understood that the elder
everything is getting closer and closer to meeting the Lord, but we prayed to the Creator to delay this time as long as possible.
It’s possible, because Father Kirill was dear to us.
* * *
When the priest once again became ill, we, admittedly, were not very worried. He has such attacks
the last year or two have happened almost regularly. In these cases, the priest fell into oblivion and for some reason spoke in
Romanian Perhaps his parents appeared to the old man, or pictures of his childhood passed before his mind’s eye. Usually
Within half an hour the priest, having wandered through unknown places, returned to us, but when he woke up, he did not tell us anything.
* * *

The blessed death of an old man

Towards the evening of November 28, they asked the priest if he would eat something, and, receiving an affirmative nod of his head
answer, they were very happy, because the day before he had hardly slept for two days and only ate three spoons of porridge. Elder
He kept repeating: “Stay with me, stay with me,” as if sensing an imminent separation. And in my youth and ter-
There is no singing, and the duty of obedience - making candles - distracts me - I always run away for half a day. This time I don't know why
I didn’t obey and stayed with my father. After the attack began, mother, who was on duty with the elder, ran
for the nurse. She soon came and began checking her pulse. The elder began to breathe faster, faster, convulsively gasping for breath.
spirit. The sister says: “He’s leaving.” I see: the priest’s eyes are covered with a film. I took him by his warm hand, he was friend-
He strokes my hand, as if he wants to say something. And at that moment a cramp went across my face - this, I realized for the first time
in life, the mortal thing gave its signal. He immediately wiped the priest’s face with holy water, but the elder had already passed on to another world.
It was 18:20.
The sisters immediately spread the sad news throughout the monastery. Mother Abbess gave her blessing to read the waste card.

Burial of Father Kirill

Farewell to Father Kirill
* * *
A few days before his death, the priest had a vision: the throne in the temple seemed to be floating in blood, and there were many people around
the number of particles that priests take out at proskomedia. In my sinfulness I suggested: “Perhaps
Father, during your weakness and illness, after the sacrament of the Eucharist, from the antimension, you accidentally dropped somewhere
even a crumb of the Body of Christ? “Yes, yes, maybe we should confess.”
We immediately invited our priest. The elder confessed and took communion a day before his death. Maybe
It may be that the Lord did not take him away, waiting for the latter’s confession, due to weakness and forgetfulness of unrepentant sin.
* * *
Our father died at the age of 93. The funeral Divine Liturgy took place on the third day, November 30
in the Holy Trinity Cathedral Church of the monastery. The service, which was led by Metropolitan Simeon, was attended by 80 priests from Vinnitsa, Mogilev-Podolsk, Tulchin, and others dioceses of the UOC. About 10 thousand people prayed together with the archpastor and clergy. The elder was buried in a monastic cemetery near an old pre-revolutionary crypt.
* * *
On the eve of the Nativity of Christ, January 6, according to the new stanza, it was forty days since the death of the elder, two days later
after his birthday. At this time, the troparion “Thy Nativity, O Christ our God” is sung in churches. And on the eve of his
to her death the elder quietly, in a half whisper, sang this troparion in full, and now all our monasteries who knew about
to this little secret, during the service we cried with joy.

Photos by Sergei Fritch from fotopaterik.org

Holy Trinity Brailovsky Convent

Ukraine, Vinnitsa region, Zhmerinsky district, Brailov, st. Lenina, 1.

Founded in 1635 in Vinnitsa by the nobleman Mikhail Kropivnitsky with the permission of King Vladislav IV in order to support Orthodoxy in the Bratslav region, where after 1596 the union quickly spread. In the 18th century The monastery was captured by the monks of the Uniate Basilian (Bazilian) order. But they were unable to gain a foothold in this place for long, and in 1780, having no means of subsistence, they left it. In 1786 they returned again, but not for long.

At the end of the 18th century. The Bratslav region became part of the Russian Empire. By that time, the monastery had a wooden church with three domes (moved in 1850 to the village of Zarvantsy) on a hill near the Bug River, a bell tower and a room of 12 cells. In 1795, the Vinnitsa convent was reunited with Orthodoxy and began to gradually grow and strengthen. In the 30s of the XIX century. the monastery had high moral and spiritual authority. Nuns from other monasteries were sent here for correction, and quite often, by court decision, lay women were also sent to repent for moral offenses.

The reason for moving the monastery in 1845 from Vinnitsa to Brailov was the inconvenience of its location and the unsuitability for living in the old wooden premises. That is why, at the request of Podolsk Archpastor Arseny, the monastery was moved to the city of Brailov, where the premises of the Catholic monastery remained vacant after the eviction of Trinitarian monks from there in 1832. Inspired by the rise of their monastery in the states in 1842 to the first class, the nuns worked tirelessly to renovate and decorate cells and temples, built up the monastery estate with new houses until the monastery acquired a beautiful appearance.

There were three churches in the monastery: Trinity (the largest, built in 1778), St. Anthony and Theodosius of Pechersk, St. Nicholas. There was a school where orphan girls and daughters of deacons were taught.

In the 20th century Difficult times began for the monastery. Only one of the houses was left to the nuns. They had to pay for it, since the Soviet government took away all the premises and now provided them on a lease basis. In 1925, 145 sisters lived in the Brailovsky convent, of which 53 were able-bodied, the other 92 were old and required personal care. The monastery existed exclusively on funds obtained by personal work: in winter - by sewing, in summer - by working as field robots for peasants, in agricultural cooperatives. The land that previously belonged to the monastery was taken away. All agricultural equipment was taken by the Zhmerinsky district collective farm in 1923. The only means of subsistence was the work of 53 people. Their earnings were not enough, and in addition they had to pay for the premises, which was unaffordable for the monastery. To pay for the premises, they even sold clothes, dishes, and other personal items. In the fall of 1932, peasants from the villages of Moskalevka and Kozachivka hid part of the harvest in the Brailovsky Monastery, and they were accused of crimes against the Soviet regime. In 1932 the monastery was closed completely.

During the Second World War, the territory of Brailov was part of Transnistria (Transnistria), that is, it was in the zone of occupation of Romania. In 1942, the monastery was opened, like many churches and monasteries by that time. In the 50s of the XX century. The attack on the monastery in the region resumed with even greater force. In 1962, the monastery was closed again. The buildings were given to SPTU.

In 1989 the monastery was returned Orthodox Church. On March 19, 1990, the first service was celebrated. In 10 years, the temple, which was littered with garbage, was restored. They built a bell tower, carried out internal and external restoration of the entire building and the external part of the Trinity Cathedral. The Church of St. Nicholas has been restored. The monastery has revered shrines. These are the icons of the Mother of God Brailovo-Pochaevskaya, Brailovo-Czestochowa and Troeruchitsa. About the latter it is known that it was written at the beginning of the 19th century. on Athos and in the first years of persecution suffered from the godless authorities. In the 20s, the sisters wanted to restore the image, and heard the voice of the Mother of God: “Do not touch My face, let it remain as it is.”

An icon that was painted specifically for the Brailovsky Monastery also returned to the Trinity Cathedral - this is the icon of the holy great martyr and healer Panteleimon. It is not yet known where the two large throne icons are located - the Great Martyr Barbara and the Bogolyubskaya Icon of the Mother of God. There is a reliquary in the monastery with the relics of the holy saints of God.

Zhmerinsky district. It was founded back in 1635 on the initiative of the Ukrainian nobleman and senator of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth Mikhail Kropivnitsky. It is a complex of architectural and urban planning monuments of national importance. The Brailovsky Monastery, together with – in 2007, became the winner of the “Seven Wonders of Vinnytsia” competition.

History of the shrine

During its existence, the Holy Trinity Brailovsky Convent has experienced a lot: the transition from Orthodoxy to Union, closure, Soviet repression and restoration. The history of the shrine can be roughly divided into 4 periods.

Temple foundation

The Holy Trinity Brailovsky Convent was founded in the 17th century to support Orthodoxy in the Bratslav region. The idea of ​​Mikhail Kropivnitsky was also approved by local peasants and townspeople, who donated land and various lands for the needs of the temple. At this time, a wooden three-domed church was erected in the name of the Annunciation of the Blessed Virgin Mary, and a hostel was created according to the charter of St. Basil the Great.

The monastery is under the rule of the Uniates. Decline

It is not known exactly when and how the monastery moved away from Orthodoxy, but new church, which is the current building of the monastery, began to be erected in 1767 at the expense of the Polish nobleman Franciszek Selezy Potocki. The new building was intended for nuns of the Catholic Trinitarian order. But as a result of the Polish uprising of 1830–1831, the Uniate convent began to gradually decline and lost land and lands.

Time of Troubles

In 1845, after the annexation of Podolia Russian Empire, an Orthodox convent from . moved into the building of the former Trinitarian monastery. Quiet life continued until 1932, when the Bolshevik government found grain in the shrine, hidden during the Holodomor by peasants from the surrounding villages. The Holy Trinity Brailovsky Convent was immediately closed. In 1942, during the Nazi occupation, the monastery resumed work with the permission of the Romanian administration. However, the Soviet regime liquidated the shrine for the period from 1962 to 1989. At this time, a vocational school and a tourist base existed in the temple premises.

Revival of the temple

Since the opening of the monastery in 1989, work has begun to restore the buildings. In the 90s of the 20th century, a thorough restoration of the entire complex of buildings and the monastery courtyard was carried out.

In 2007, the Brailovskaya Treasury project, which included the Holy Trinity Brailovsky Convent and State Museum Tchaikovsky and von Meck, became the winner of the “Seven Wonders of Vinnytsia” competition.

According to the legend of the Brailovites, the monastery was once decorated with a statue of Jesus Christ of Nazareth. The figure in a scarlet tunic with his hands tied across his chest was a symbolic reminder of the Christian slaves whom Catholic monks ransomed from captivity. She came here, according to one version, from Turkey, according to another - from Madrid. The statue was believed to bring healing to all who came to it with trust. In the whirlpool of events of 1917 and subsequent years, she disappeared without a trace. The fate and location of the sculpture of Jesus Christ of Nazareth is still unknown.

Interior

Back in 1787, the interior was painted by the famous Viennese artist-monk Joseph Prechtl. It has become important event in the life of the temple, because in the same year a special connoisseur of the artist’s work, the Polish king Stanislav-August Poniatowski, visited here. These paintings, done in tempera on dry plaster in the Rococo style, have not survived. When the Brailovsky Monastery became Orthodox, the paintings in the wall niches were done by E. Osmolovsky. They were destroyed during the Soviet era and finally whitewashed at the end of the 20th century.

Holy Trinity Brailovsky Convent is famous for its shrines, including:

• the icon of the Mother of God of the Three Hands, painted at the beginning of the 19th century in Athos;
• icon of the Brailovskaya Mother of God of Czestochowa - according to legend, donated in 1635 by Mikhail Kropivnitsky;
• icon of the Brailovskaya Pochaev Mother of God, found in 1887 in the Pochaev Lavra by Professor Andrei Khonatsky. The scientist proved that the icon is a copy of the miraculous image from Brailov, which disappeared after the city was captured by the Turks in 1672;
• ark with the relics of saints.

Architectural features

Initially, the Holy Trinity Brailovsky Convent was a church building and a cell building attached to it from the choir side. The cells of the shrine are two-story, brick. In the 19th century, a gate with service premises was completed, which belongs to the architectural monuments as a separate object. The temple is distinguished by its complex diversity of volumes. However, the decor of its facade is rather restrained and has the appearance of a trinave basilica, covered with vaults with lucarnes in the middle nave.

The real decoration of the Brailovsky Convent is the two-tier bell tower, built in the Baroque style, with rich plasticity and large openings.

How to get there

The Holy Trinity Brailov Convent is located on Monastyrskaya Street, 1 in the village of Brailov, in Vinnytsia. Nearest cities: , Vinnitsa.

By bus. Regular buses in the direction “Vinnitsa – Brailov” depart 2-3 times per hour. The ticket price ranges from 40 hryvnia.

By car. Follow the E583/M21 highway in the direction of the T0242 road, which you need to go to your destination. Travel time is 50 minutes.