Startsev corner in Mordovia. Spaso-Preobrazhenskaya Hermitage - Elders Corner

The Chapel of the Transfiguration of the Lord was erected at the expense of the head of the Ruzaevsky district (Mordovia) Startsev and at the expense of the residents of Mordovia and the Nizhny Novgorod province. Solemnly consecrated by the clergy of the Bolsheignatovsky deanery (Mordovia) in 2002.

Spaso-Preobrazhenskaya Hermitage has a popular, most common and most recognizable name - Startsev Corner. It is located on the border of the Bolsheignatovsky district of Mordovia and the Sechenovsky district of the Nizhny Novgorod region near the village of Gorki. Mordovia considers this monastery its own, and the Nizhny Novgorod region its own, because throughout the 20th century the borders were constantly changing. And now the place where there was a monastery during the times of Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich belongs to the Nizhny Novgorod side, and the first monastery, where, according to an old legend, the temple went underground, is located on the Mordovian side. Many holy people visited this hermitage, such as Seraphim of Sarov and St. Luke (Voino-Yasenetsky). Many locally revered elders also appeared here, through whose prayers the seriously ill were healed and the destinies of many pious Christians were arranged. It is from the abundance of spirit-bearing elders that the popular name comes - Elders' Corner.

The history of Startsev Ugla dates back to the time of the campaign against Kazan. Here Saint Spyridon of Trimifuntsky appeared to Tsar Ivan the Terrible and predicted the victory of the Russian army over the Kazan kingdom. In memory of this, a stone temple was built with funds donated by the king - the same one that later went underground.

In one of the petitions of 1685, the Preobrazhensky monks wrote that their hermitage had existed since the time of Tsar Mikhail Fedorovich and that it was established according to the charter of Patriarch Joseph, that is, between 1641 and 1645. In Catherine’s times, the monks were transferred to the Alatyr Holy Trinity Monastery. The last temple of Startsev Ugla was sold for firewood due to its disrepair at the end of the 19th century, in order to heat the church in the neighboring village, but, as old-timers recall, the temple, already sold for firewood to Spiridonov, stood until the 1930s.

After the revolution, two schema-monks near the monastery went into seclusion. They lived in caves, they were hunted for a long time, but the dogs never found their traces: the monks left through the water and arranged the entrance to the caves so that there was a puddle in front of it. Secretly, under the guise of stove-makers, Metropolitans John (Snychev) and Manuil (Lemeshevsky) visited Startsev Corner.

There are many interesting legends and beliefs around this holy place. So, after the war, believing village women came to clean the chapels for the holiday, and then there were four of them - in the cemetery and at all three sources. The widow of Agrafen sat down on a bench near Spiridonov's well, looked at the Holy Hill and suddenly saw that the hill had opened and a fiery Angel was riding out on a horse. White robes sparkle like lightning. In fear, she crossed herself and crossed him - but he did not disappear. The angel traveled around Agrafena and turned into an old man. He took me by the hand and took me inside the slide. She saw other elders there and stood in their service. And she took monastic vows there. She disappeared there for three days, and who says - seven. It seemed to her that she had been in this underground church for 24 hours. It is known that schema-nun Margarita was the builder of the last women’s community in Startsev Uglo.

They did not have time to register the community, because just before the revolution it was just being built. Cells were equipped, a chapel was erected, but the only church was officially considered a church in the churchyard, and there was no priest at the church.

During the hard years, the nuns were dispersed and the land was taken away. In order to destroy the very memory of Elder's Corner, the cells were dismantled, the frame of the temple was taken away, and the chapel was burned. Mother Margarita went to the village of Sechenovo, Nizhny Novgorod region, to which Startsev Ugol belonged, to look for the truth. She was going to suffer, the perspicacious mother knew that she had to accept severe torment from the atheists. And so it happened - mother was shot, but the Lord left her alive, people dug her up and saved her...

Now the monastery is being revived, a master plan for the future monastery has been drawn up, the land has been registered, the necessary building materials have been delivered, and builders have begun to erect the first monastery building.

Article from the site http://www.vidania.ru/index.html

Startsev Corner, Spaso Place - Preobrazhenskaya men's hermitage. On the border of the Sechenovsky district and Mordovia there is a ravine - a holy place; believers come there not only from Mordovia and the Nizhny Novgorod region, but also from other regions of Russia. Once upon a time there was a Spaso-Preobrazhenskaya men's hermitage here. But even before its appearance in the mid-17th century, hermit monks already lived in this place, hence the second, popular name - Elders Corner. Tradition connects the emergence of monasticism with the time of Ivan the Terrible’s campaign against Kazan. They say that it was here that Saint Spyridon of Trimifuntsky appeared in a vision and ordered to build a monastery. That’s what was done: in this place there really was a Spiridonovskaya winter church, perhaps the only one with such a name in our region. According to legend, in order to escape the Mongol-Tatar invasion, the temple went underground. Currently, a marble cross with an appropriate inscription is installed at this place. There were several churches in Startsev Corner: Preobrazhensky and Nikolsky. In this holy place there are 4 wells: Spyridon the Wonderworker, Nicholas the Wonderworker, Spasov, and All Saints. Nikolsky Spring feeds its waters from the sacred well of St. John the Baptist (there was one!). In the 30s In the 20th century, there was a chapel and a bathhouse with a holy stone above the well. In the early 60s, the chapel was burned and the bathhouse was destroyed. The stone has been preserved. Orthodox Christians step onto this stone with faith and reverence to wash their bodies, having hope of healing their ailments. The source named after the savior - Spasov - is located near the old Spasskaya chapel. She is very old, over 80 years old. Inside there are a large number of icons, many of which are gifts from parishioners. An old cross from the dome of a destroyed church was also found here. The church was broken, but the cross remained. The source itself, like others with living water, does not freeze even in the most severe frost. The history of the origin of the Source of All Saints is noteworthy. In 1999, on the night after Trinity, lightning struck the ground, after which a new source appeared. At this time, there were nuns from Kazan in the desert (it was the second day of Trinity - the day of the Spiritual; at this time someone is sure to be in the desert - in a procession of the cross, they bring the icon of the Assumption to the elders' corner Mother of God, acquired by believers in 1923). After a lightning strike, a column of light appeared, after which the nuns saw streams of water gushing from the ground. Despite the fact that the springs are located next to each other, the composition of the water in each is strictly individual: its mineralization is different. But it is distinguished by one common quality - it has a very beneficial effect on the human body, it is perfectly absorbed as it contains iodine, silicon, and colloidal silver. Based on water analyzes (and they are reliable and carried out!), there are only three places in Russia with a similar water composition. It is noteworthy that industrial development of water is impossible, because as the sources deepen, the composition of the water changes. Not far from the marble cross there is a hill, the place where, according to legend, the departed church should appear. The hill is constantly growing every year, it seems that the dome wants to break through the earth's thickness. The hill itself is also credited with healing properties: you need to slowly walk around it three times, reading the Mother of God to yourself 50 times in one circle. The only thing this place is perhaps missing is a temple. The last church located on the territory of Startsev Corner was moved in the second half of the 20th century to the village. Buldakovo, and then in the village. Chadayevka. Now it is in a dilapidated state. But the flow of believers does not stop - people are not afraid of long distances or the lack of a road. I would like to believe that there is a prospect for the revival of Startsev Corner in its true sense.

Illustrated version: http://www.turizmvnn.ru/cont/show/49434/

A mystical place, a place of “power” in the Nizhny Novgorod region. It is located in the south of the Sechenovsky district, near the border with the Republic of Mordovia.

On the Internet you can find several articles talking about Startsev Ugol. All of them, basically, begin with the history of the emergence of Startsev Ugla...

The history of Startsev Ugla dates back to the time of Ivan the Terrible’s campaign against Kazan. The king had a dream in which Saint Spyridon gave him a letter, and in it it was written: “I, Saint Spyridon, will help you overcome the Khanate.” And so it happened - Ivan the Terrible conquered Kazan. After the victory, the king built a church in the place where he had his dream. From that time on, elders began to live here, and during the reign of Mikhail Fedorovich (between 1641 and 1645) the Preobrazhenskaya Hermitage was formed...

I would like to try to tell in my own words about my observations and impressions received during a visit to Startsev Ugla, which I had long heard, read about and was definitely planning to visit...

The road from Nizhny Novgorod to Startsev Ugla took about 3.5-4 hours with several stops. Having left at 10 am, I was already there at 2 pm.
Route: N. Novgorod - Rabotki - B. Murashkino - Knyaginino - Sergach, Urazovka, Sechenovo. In Buldakovo we had to clarify the road: in one of the articles on the Internet it was said that there were two roads leading to Startsev Corner - from Buldakovo and the second from Mordovia, from the village of Gorki. In the first yard, a young local resident explained that there is a road from Buldakovo, it starts immediately after the village and goes to the left across the field. But there is one bad place - a ford (dam) across a small swampy stream (a tributary of the Piana), which cannot be bypassed in any way, so you can get to Startsev Ugol by car only from the Mordovian village of Gorki.....
-From Buldakovo there is a good, new, asphalt road to the south, to the Republic of Mordovia. Soon after crossing the border, it comes out onto a highway running from west to east. At the crossroads you need to turn left, to the east, the first village will be Gorki. It should be noted here that almost the entire road from Nizhny to the village of Gorki is very good condition. All the routes are new, and the regional centers along the way have ring roads, and you can drive very quickly.

To the left of Gorki, across the road, is a cemetery. In front of it is an asphalt area, from which a good dirt road begins to the northeast, leading after 3-4 km to Startsev Uglo. There is only one fork, at which you need to take the right, along a more compact road. This road, well-trodden in summer, goes through black soil, which in times of mud probably turns into a slippery mess. The road approaches the car park next to the Chapel.
From the chapel there begins a staircase that goes down into the Startsev ravine.
The ladder leads to the Spasov spring. There is a chapel, a well, a cross. A path goes to the left to the source of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker. Near this source there is also a chapel, a well, a cross and three holy stones, on the largest of them there are two depressions, “from the knees of the elders who have been praying on it for many years.” .
Some pilgrims who come here, having collected buckets of water from the source, douse themselves while standing on this stone. To the right of the Spasov spring, the path approaches the source of the Wonderworker Spyridon. Next to this spring there is a well-placed and comfortable font.

They say that you cannot drink water from the source of the Wonderworker Spyridon - there is dead water there. Why - I don't know...

According to legend in Vavilov Dol, during the enemy invasion the church, along with its worshipers, went underground - but neither the temple nor the people died, and to this day, they say, from under the hill one can hear bells ringing, then monastic singing, then a pillar of light will illuminate the darkness of the night.....

Perhaps there was once a church on it. They say that this church can reappear, rising straight from the ground. Believers walk around the hill three times, reciting prayers.

A little lower, on the southern bank of the ravine, in the 90s of the last century, a very beautiful marble cross was erected in memory of the appearance of St. Spyridon of Trimythos to Tsar Ivan the Terrible and Prince Ignatius of Mordovian.

During its installation, several visiting nuns held a prayer service, staying at the cross overnight; there was a strong thunderstorm at night, and lightning struck the ravine, which opened another spring, which was then called the spring of All Saints. This is the last source in Elder's Corner. There is a well and a wooden cross.
On the northern bank of the Startseva ravine, near the source of All Saints, there is a small cemetery, and on the southern bank there is another site with a wooden cross.
That's all there is now in Startsev Corner.

There really is a road to Buldakovo, but it is very poorly traveled. If you walk along it or drive about 2 kilometers from Startseva Ugla, you will come to exactly that ford, which only a four-wheel drive tractor can overcome. The resident of Buldakovo was right that he did not advise going here.

There are no other roads towards the neighboring villages of Chadayevka or Ratmanovo. All around there are fields, ravines or tall grass. But there are beautiful views of the surrounding area, rapeseed and wheat fields on the hills to the north of Startsev Ugla, which claim to be the highest in the Nizhny Novgorod region.

Being in the Elder's Corner, you literally feel some kind of energy - this happens when you are in a holy, prayed place.
And if you spend another night there... To do this, in order not to confuse the visiting pilgrims, it is better to go down a little lower, along the southern shore of the ravine, at least 80 meters away, you can find a parking place there (of course, do not leave any garbage behind and use a gas stove without lighting fires). From the parking lot you can easily walk to the springs, the font, admire the evening views and sunset...

If you're lucky, at night you can hear bells ringing, church singing, or see a pillar of light from the Holy Hill...
-Having swam several times (day, evening, morning) in the font, drinking holy water from the springs, standing on the Holy Stone, the Holy Hill near the marble cross, recharging with the energy emanating from the earth (feeling this magical grace), then when you return home, you will probably For a few more days you will feel a surge of strength, impressed by this trip.

I am sure that Startsev Corner is truly one of the most mystical places, a place of “power” in the Nizhny Novgorod region.

There are places on Earth that are outwardly unremarkable, but people constantly go there, despite long distances and the absence of a road.

There is exactly such a place in Mordovia on the border with the Nizhny Novgorod region. Startsev Corner... I've heard about it for a long time, read a lot, but was just lucky enough to visit it. Every year, on Spiritual Day, a divine service is held there. The atmosphere of this holiday left a surprisingly pleasant impression on my soul.

Many holy people visited this hermitage: such as Father Seraphim of Sarov, Saint Luke of Voino-Yasinetsky, but moreover, locally revered elders were revealed here, through whose prayers the seriously ill were healed. It is from the abundance of spirit-bearing elders that the popular name comes - Elders' Corner.

From Saransk to the village of Gorki it is just over 100 kilometers. The road is wonderful, driving is a pleasure. From Gorki to the Spaso-Preobrazhenskaya Hermitage Startsev Ugol 4 kilometers of good dirt road.

In a large clearing there is a small wooden church, in which a service was already underway.

Extraordinary impressions - Abbot Kallinik (he was blessed to restore the monastery) led the service, Archpriest Andrei Bublienko, his wife and sons they helped him, the sun was shining tenderly, birds were singing in different voices, the breeze carried the aromas of a flowering meadow.

And the people kept coming and coming... We counted about fifty cars from Mordovia, Nizhny Novgorod region, Chuvashia, Tatarstan and even Moscow and the Moscow region. There were a lot of children. And there was enough space for everyone, no one bothered anyone. You could come closer or, conversely, step aside and sit on a bench.

The service ended, but no one left - everyone was waiting for the arrival of Bishop Ardatovsky and Atyashesky Benjamin. There was still enough time to walk through the desert.

A staircase with earthen steps leads into the Startsev ravine to the springs.

There are four springs in total, and although they are located next to each other, the composition of the water is different in all of them. “But it is distinguished by one common quality - it has a very beneficial effect on the human body, is perfectly absorbed as it contains iodine, silicon, colloidal silver. Based on water tests (and they are reliable), there are only three places in Russia with similar composition of water." (information taken from the Internet)

The first spring on our way is Spasov. A chapel was built next to it.

To the right of Spasov there is another spring, the water from which is called “dead”. It is used for external use only.

A font was built next to it.

The hill is credited with healing properties: you need to slowly walk around it three times, reading the Mother of God to yourself, and then lie down on this earth.

From here you can clearly see the tree growing in the shape of a cross.

On the site where there once was a temple,There is a carved cross made of white marble. Fleeing from the raids of the pagans, the monks gathered in it and during the enemy invasion the church, along with the worshipers, went underground." But neither the temple nor the people died, and to this day, they say, from under the hill one can hear either the ringing of bells or monastic singing, then a pillar of light will illuminate the darkness of the night..."

In the middle - in full height St. Spyridon blessing the people. To the right of the saint is the Mordovian prince Ignat, seeing off the king, and to the left is St. Spiridon drains water in a dry place. Above Saint Spyridon is the Savior Not Made by Hands.

There is still a little time to chat, eat strawberries, collect a bouquet of wildflowers and thyme for winter tea parties. There is beauty, peace and grace all around.

At one o'clock Vladyka Benjamin arrived.

I have known him for a long time, since the time of theological school, which he graduated from and began to serve there. Then there was a monastery in Chufarov, now the Ardatov diocese, and in each place of service he certainly became the closest, beloved and revered clergyman by the parishioners.

Energetic, easy-going, Vladyka managed to smile at everyone and say something to everyone. kind word, bless everyone...

There was a feeling that he had just woken up, leisurely had breakfast and arrived in the desert. In fact, Vladyka had already served in two different places diocese and consecrated the bells of the church under construction in the third. But even a hint of fatigue was not noticeable - joy, kindness, smiles flowed like a river.

First words: "Aren't you tired?" And the water prayer service began. A team of young, beautiful, charming clergy helped him in a friendly and harmonious manner.

Startsev Corner

You can't find many articles on the Internet talking about Startsev Corner. For example: http://sechenovo.omsu-nnov.ru/?id=10002. All of them, basically, begin with the history of the emergence of Startsev Ugla...

The history is also told on signs at the springs.

I would like to try to tell in my own words about my observations and impressions received during a visit to Startsev Ugla, which I had long heard, read about and was definitely planning to visit...

The road from Nizhny to Startsev Ugla took about 3.5-4 hours with several stops. Having left at 10 am, I was already there at 2 pm.
Route: N. Novgorod - Rabotki - B. Murashkino - Knyaginino - Sergach, Urazovka, Sechenovo. In Buldakovo we had to clarify the road: in one of the articles on the Internet it was said that there were two roads leading to Startsev Corner - from Buldakovo and the second from Mordovia, from the village of Gorki. In the first yard, a young local resident explained that there is a road from Buldakovo, it starts immediately after the village and goes to the left across the field. But there is one bad place - a ford (dam) across a small swampy stream (a tributary of the Piana), which cannot be bypassed, so you can get to Startsev Ugol by car only from the Mordovian village of Gorki.....
-From Buldakovo there is a good, new, asphalt road to the south, to the Republic of Mordovia. Soon after crossing the border, it comes out onto a highway running from west to east. At the crossroads you need to turn left, to the east, the first village will be Gorki. It should be noted here that almost the entire road from Nizhny to the village of Gorki is in very good condition. All the routes are new, and the regional centers along the way have ring roads, and you can drive very quickly.

From the chapel a staircase begins, going down into the Startsev ravine.

The ladder leads to the Spasov spring. There is a chapel, a well, a cross.

The path to the source of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker goes to the left.

Near this source there is also a chapel, a well, a cross

and three holy stones, on the largest of them there are two depressions, “from the knees of the elders who prayed on it for many years.”

Some people, having collected buckets of water from the source, douse themselves while standing on this stone.

To the right of the Spasov spring, the trail approaches the source of the Wonderworker Spyridon.

Next to this spring there is a well-placed and comfortable font.

They say that you cannot drink water from the source of the Wonderworker Spyridon - there is dead water there. Why - I don't know...

According to legend in Vavilov Dol, during the enemy invasion the church and its worshipers went underground - but neither the temple nor the people died, and to this day, they say, from under the hill you can hear either the ringing of bells, or monastic singing, or a pillar of light illuminating the night darkness.....

Perhaps there was once a church on it. They say that this church can reappear, rising straight from the ground. Believers walk around the hill three times, reciting prayers.

On the northern bank of the Startseva ravine, near the source of All Saints, there is a small cemetery,

and on the south there is another site with a wooden cross.

That's all there is now in Startsev Ugol.

on a hill to the north of Startsev Ugla, claiming to be the highest in the Nizhny Novgorod region.

Being in the Elder's Corner, you literally feel some kind of energy - this happens when you are in a holy, prayed place.
And if you spend another night there... To do this, so as not to confuse the visiting pilgrims, it is better to go down a little lower, along the southern shore of the ravine, at least 80 meters away, you can find a parking place there (of course, do not leave any garbage behind and use a gas stove without making fires). From the parking lot you can easily walk to the springs, the font, admire the evening views and sunset...

If you're lucky, at night you can hear bells ringing, church singing, or see a pillar of light from the Holy Hill...
-After swimming several times (in the afternoon, in the evening, in the morning) in the font,

after drinking holy water from the springs, standing on the Holy Stone, the Holy Hill near the marble cross, recharging with the energy emanating from the earth (feeling this magical grace), then, upon returning home, you will probably feel a surge of strength for several more days, being impressed by this trip .

I am sure that Startsev Corner is truly one of the most mystical places, a place of “power” in the Nizhny Novgorod region.