It’s difficult to write about Diveevo. Before traveling here, I read different reviews about it and was always surprised by their ascetic style of storytelling. I love, and I myself have a penchant for, flowery presentation, for details and details, and such stinginess of words and feelings puzzled me. But now, having returned from this truly wondrous place, I myself don’t know where to start, or how to write about what we saw and felt there - it’s very difficult to find the right words. I'll try.
Diveevo is a special land. This is a special piece of our planet where a person has the opportunity to cleanse his soul.
I'm in and 
ABOUT THE MONASTERY: OUR IMPRESSIONS. GROOT OF THE VIRGIN
The Seraphim-Diveevo Monastery itself occupies a fairly large area, but even that seems to be small - there are a lot of pilgrims and people who come here. In the monastery fence from Oktyabrskaya Street there are several entrances to the monastery. We completely accidentally took the right path - through the Bell Tower. Correct - because it turns out more solemnly, not just jump out somewhere on the side into the territory, but go through the arch of the bell tower, see Trinity Cathedral light green color through openwork cast-iron gates, a large paved area, bright flower beds, behind them a majestic Transfiguration Cathedral boiling white in color, almost a copy of the first, only with more rounded shapes. The domes on this cathedral and bell tower do not just glow with gold, but shine dazzlingly, like full-fledged additional suns to the main luminary. There is a lot of gold in the sky. That's very beautiful.
Entrance to the monastery
On the territory of the monastery, for some reason it was clearly felt that the Trinity Cathedral (where the relics of St. Seraphim of Sarov are located) is masculine, and the Transfiguration Cathedral is feminine. Although, in reality, of course, there is no such division. Maybe it seems so, based on their appearance: Troitsky is tall, slightly angular, green, steel-gray domes, and Preobrazhensky is slender, soft, whiter than snow and golden domes.
Trinity Cathedral 
Transfiguration Cathedral
We went to the Trinity Cathedral. There was a service going on and there were a lot of people inside, so we stood around for a while, went out and began to walk around it. I saw a big queue on the left. She stood near the relics of St. Seraphim of Sarov, which have a separate entrance. We didn't stand. I don’t know how to honestly explain why, let’s put it this way: we felt we had no right to contact him in the state we were in then. Of course, it’s very disappointing that things turned out so ridiculously for us. But on the other hand, his invisible presence in Diveevo is almost tangible.
They say that nuns often meet the gray-bearded old man at the Holy Kanavka, and builders saw him in the temple, and children, whom he especially loved, often tell their parents about the kind grandfather who talked to them. In the Trinity Cathedral you can also see some things that belonged to Father Seraphim: a mantle, a pectoral cross, an epitrachelion, leather gloves, shoes and a cast iron pot. This cathedral also houses Father Seraphim’s favorite icon “The Mother of God of Tenderness”. 
We walk around the territory, look closely, get our bearings, listen to the numerous guides leading groups. It is very interesting to listen, especially since we are not in a hurry, unlike tour groups, so we listen to several guides talk about the same thing, but in different ways.
Behind Troitsky cathedral there is a small necropolis. Here the abbess, several blessed elders from the monastery, and monks found their last refuge. We have never seen anything like this. I'll tell you about them below. The graves - velvety green mounds all covered in flowers - are considered holy places. People come here specifically to mentally communicate with the blessed ones and ask for their help. 
Next we go to Transfiguration Cathedral. There is also a queue inside to venerate the relics of the three blessed Diveyevo (I will also tell you about them separately). Here in the cathedral I learn about holy oil, about crackers from the saint’s cast iron, and about earth from the Kanavka (details will be below, I don’t want to get distracted now). But we have no time for that now. 
We leave the Cathedral and ask where Groove. It begins immediately behind the Transfiguration Cathedral, a little to the right, and also ends approximately behind it, but to the left. I prepared for it in advance.
You can, of course, walk along Kanavka just like that, but I doubt that it will be possible. This is a very sacred and strong place, and when you go behind the forged gate, where it begins, and you step onto this high path on the crest of the shaft, and below you there is a high slope and a narrow ditch, it’s like moving from gravity to the absence of gravity. There is a completely different air here, even a completely different direction of thought - the old remains behind the gate. 
One must walk through the Holy Canal while reading a prayer to the Most Holy Theotokos or the Archangel’s greeting (with these words Archangel Gabriel greeted the Virgin Mary at the Annunciation): “Virgin Mother of God, Hail, O Most Gracious Mary, the Lord is with Thee; Blessed are you among wives and blessed is the fruit of your womb, for you have given birth to the Savior of our souls.”
Father Seraphim said this: “This groove is the piles of the Mother of God. Whoever walks the Kanavka with prayer and reads one and a half hundred “Mother of God”, everything is here: Mount Athos, Jerusalem, and Kyiv.”
I have rosary beads in my hands, however, I admit, they are Buddhist, souvenirs and there are 108 pea beads in them, and the prayer to the Blessed Virgin Mary must be read 150 times, so at home I marked the required bead with a red ribbon. Rosary beads are very convenient to use; they are needed in order not to lose count.
The people who walk along the Kanavka are, of course, all very different, and some are very, very unique. When someone loudly chants a prayer out loud, it is, of course, inconvenient, but tolerable, but there is also a bulletproof contingent in front of you casually and selflessly discussing “Nadya’s behavior with Lenka” - this is beyond my understanding. 
The groove is very long, it has a broken trajectory, it is curved in different ways, surrounded by flowers. In the spring here on the slopes (I see) lilies of the valley bloom, in the summer - various flowers, there are even very well-groomed vegetable gardens along it.
You need to start reading the prayer as soon as you step on it, otherwise you will not have time to read it 150 times. Its length and number of prayers were thought out by the holy elder Seraphim himself. 
Walking around Kanavka, we saw not far behind the monastery fence a huge tree, which was decorated with something and attracted our attention. Then we went there. It turned out that this huge larch of Tsarevich Alexei. This tree was planted in honor of the first anniversary of the birth of the Tsarevich - that is, in 1905. When cut, the bark of this larch has the color of dried blood, and so does the resin. No other similar trees have been found in nature. It is fenced with a low picket fence, next to it there is a stand, and his photograph hangs. Icons of the royal family are hung on the larch and fence, and prayer services are served. 
Stories about a trip to Murom and Diveevo
There are holy spaces on this Earth; they are considered overshadowed by special divine grace, and therefore are most favorable for pilgrimage and spiritual work. Now on the planet there are four sacred places associated with the Mother of God, one of them is the holy groove of the Mother of God in Diveevo. The local monastery on this land was spiritually cared for by Elder Seraphim of Sarov.
The Diveevo Monastery existed before Elder Seraphim sanctified this territory with his presence. The monastery was built not far from the Sarov desert, where Father Seraphim carried out his monastic feat.
The monastery was opened thanks to the ascetic, whom the elder himself later celebrated for her spiritual feat.
The founder is considered to be Agafya Melgunova, a wealthy landowner who left her house at a very young age and distributed her property after becoming a widow.
The woman wandered around Rus', the Mother of God appeared to her in visions, guiding her to the necessary cities and towns. The Diveevo ditch also appeared thanks to Agafya Semyonovna, whom the Mother of God vouchsafed to stay in 1760 in Diveevo, near Sarov, to begin her ministry and not travel anymore.
This was followed by the establishment of the monastery:
- At first the Sarov Desert helped;
- in 1780 the first Kazan church was consecrated;
- in 1788, landowner Zhdanova transferred 1,300 square fathoms of land to the nuns;
- in 1826 a mill community was created;
- in 1829 the Church of the Nativity of Christ was built;
- in 1833 the ditch of the Most Holy Theotokos was completed and Elder Seraphim was reposed;
- in 1842 the male and female communities united into the Seraphim-Diveevsky Monastery.
The vision of the Most Pure Virgin to Seraphim of Sarov in 1823 inspired the elder and sisters of the monastery to create a groove. It must be said that at some point the elder even needed to show miracles to the sisters so that they would be more active in their work.
Arrangement of the shrine
The Venerable Elder Seraphim of Sarov accomplished many spiritual feats and repeatedly witnessed the appearance of the Mother of God, who bestowed grace on him.
The official date of the next appearance of the Virgin Mary is considered to be November 25, 1825. Then the Mother of God ordered the elder to form a new community, which should be surrounded by a rampart.
We are talking about a mill community that began to operate the next year after the appearance of the Mother of God to the elder, but the holy ditch in Diveevo was in no hurry to appear.
According to the elder himself, only novices from the monastery could dig, and lay people were allowed in only to fill the shaft and carry the earth. Of course, the creation of this landscape form required a certain feat from the novices, who already led a very ascetic existence.
Nevertheless, the elder was especially concerned about this matter; in fact, it completed his earthly journey. There is evidence from the novices themselves who saw him digging a ditch himself. It would seem that there is nothing strange, or rather, almost nothing, because the elder lived relatively far from the women’s monastery, but:
- as one of the ascetics says, she went out in the morning to the beginning of the ditch and saw Saint Seraphim, who had already dug a little and called her;
- then she decided to call the others to help, but when she returned, she saw only a hoe;
- on that very day, an ascetic remained in the skete with Seraphim of Sarov and clearly saw how he was in his home, that is, there was no way he could have ended up in Diveevo, moreover, he even wrote a letter to the monastery with the help of this ascetic.
This vision incredibly excited and inspired the women, after which the holy groove of the Virgin Mary was created in the shortest possible period.
Elder Seraphim himself died almost immediately after the completion of the miraculous construction. He blessed all believers to walk along the path that the Mother of God herself walked and read a prayer for Her.
External description
From the outside, the space looks very ordinary. Before the pilgrims appears an ordinary shaft, above which there is a landscaped path, and on the side there is that same groove. Its length is 777 meters. The length was chosen absolutely wisely, because in the Orthodox tradition, seven represents completeness and is a divine number.
Note! The number 666 is interpreted as a lack and incompleteness, the number of the devil, that is, deprived of divine fullness. 777 is a positive sacred symbol in the Orthodox tradition.
The shape of the groove is a heptagon: this shape was also chosen for a specific purpose. Six sides of this structure are not filled with anything, and on the seventh side there is a cathedral erected in honor of the icon of the Mother of God of Tenderness.
Spiritual benefits
Along with external simplicity and primitiveness, this design hides enormous spiritual potential, which makes a small part of the land on the territory of Diveevo a special place.
As believers say, many phenomena of this world are invisible to the eye and can only be perceived with spiritual vision.
In a similar way, the lot of the Mother of God in Diveevo is perceived by ordinary people just like any other space.
During the Soviet period, beer stalls and many other obscenities were set up on the territory of the monastery. The Antichrist of the Soviet era was still able to step over the ditch. However, even ordinary people did not dare to stay there in the evening and many generally avoided liberties while staying there. Even those who came for beer tried to leave quickly when they saw the figures of pretty old women sitting on the bench.
Note! According to many stories, many people saw figures of nuns on the territory of the monastery. Probably, ascetics appeared there on whose graves they erected new buildings.
As Elder Seraphim himself said, the ditch rises to the skies. It is hardly possible to see this phenomenon on video or photo; of course, we are talking about invisible things that belong to the spiritual world.
In particular, those who come to Diveevo, even if they are not particularly believers, feel the grace of this space, the closeness of the Mother of God herself and the special atmosphere that distinguishes the monastery from the rest of the world.
In general, such holy places are given to believers so that they can use grace for their own spiritual growth:
- to be cleansed of sins;
- strengthen faith;
- gain strength;
- to be healed;
- be inspired.
Prayer in a sacred space can have a special effect, allowing you to feel something previously unnoticeable. Also very significant are the words of Seraphim of Sarov about the role of this “strengthening” during the period of the end of times. According to him, the Antichrist will be able to go exactly to this very ditch, but will not be able to cross it.
The Mother of God appeared in a vision to the venerable elder, who passed exactly this way, therefore the land in this place is sacred.
Some consider it possible even now to see the Virgin Mary, who, according to tradition, regularly visits her destiny and may appear to some believers.
How to understand these words requires comprehension; perhaps, at the end of time, the Diveyevo monastery will remain one of the few where the true faith will be preserved. Perhaps we are talking about something more symbolic, and faith in the groove itself will help resist the Antichrist. To understand this requires reflection combined with deep faith; one way or another, the space is revered by the Orthodox as special.
Use of holy land
Many believers try to take with them a small amount of land, which is considered holy and blessed.
Of course, the earth from the ditch can help believers, but this substance should not be considered something magical or magical.
In fact, in its composition and properties, a handful taken may be no different from one taken from the garden; the only difference here is the faith with which this earthen soil is accepted and used.
Note! Strong faith attracts the attention of the Lord, who with his immeasurable mercy sends grace and every consolation to the Orthodox in any matter.
Land is used in a variety of ways, but the most common are:
- mixing with holy water and using for drinking, of course, in reasonable homeopathic quantities;
- applying to sore parts of the body;
- use in the house, for example, some place it near the bed to protect themselves from the attacks of the demonic army while sleeping.
There may be other options for amulet use: some put a little in the foundation, others bury it around the perimeter of the house, some wear it in a pendant as an amulet.
This piece of land is especially useful if an Orthodox Christian has a connection with the Diveyevo monastery and regularly prays to the Mother of God in his mind, out loud, at any available moment. By the way, Elder Seraphim advised ordinary believers to constantly perform mental prayer: in the first half of the day - to Christ, in the second - to the Mother of God.
Useful video
Let's sum it up
In order for a pilgrim who has arrived near Sarov to collect some land, he must certainly read a prayer while walking along the ditch itself. The standard option is to read “Rejoice to the Virgin Mary” 150 times in a row.
Some also point to the following prayers:
- "Our Father";
- “Open the doors of mercy for us”;
- "Virgin Mother of God, rejoice."
Each one is read at least fifteen times in a row, although you do not always need to follow any formal instructions, but you need to pray in such a way as to cultivate faith in yourself and feel the grace of the Lord.
In contact with
The purpose of this article is to answer the questions of those who are just planning to go to the Diveevo Monastery: What is Diveevo? What to do here? How to behave? What is Holy Groove? And the most important question is why do they come to Diveevo at all?
Initially, I knew very little about the Diveyevo Monastery - that it was a special, very sacred place associated with the name of Seraphim of Sarov, and that it was very beautiful here. Well, that’s probably all. This is very little for those who come here.
It’s easier for pilgrims - they travel consciously and know why they came, where to go, what to do here. They also know all the special places of the Diveyevo Monastery, such as the Holy Kanavka.
I am making the first post about Diveevo for comrades like me - those who want to go here, but don’t know anything about the monastery. I'm correcting my late mistake.
A special place - the history of the Diveyevo Monastery and the Holy Kanavka
In searching for the peculiarity of the Seraphim-Diveyevo Monastery over others, I came across information that this monastery is the fourth inheritance of the Holy Mother of God (the first three are Iveria, Athos and Kyiv), i.e. one of four places on Earth (and the only one in Russia!) that are under its special protection. I think this is where the special appeal of this place lies. Some come here to pray, spiritually cleanse themselves, to be healed, others, considering Diveevo a place of power, come to fulfill their desires, which they say come true here. The main thing is that everyone finds what they are looking for.It began with the construction of the Mill. By the beginning of 1833, a few days before the death of St. Seraphim, the Kanavka was built. Groove “is a heptagon with a length of 777 meters along the perimeter. During the life of Father Seraphim, six sides were excavated, and on the seventh side, according to the prophecy of the monk, a large cathedral in honor of the icon of the Mother of God “Tenderness” should be located.*
“Father Seraphim said a lot of wonderful things about this Kanavka. What a groove this is - the piles of the Mother of God! Here the Queen of Heaven herself walked around her! This Canal is sky high! The Lady Most Pure Mother of God herself took this land as her inheritance! Here, father, I have Athos, Kyiv, and Jerusalem! And when the Antichrist comes, he will pass everywhere, but will not jump over this Ditch!”” (Father Vasily Sadovsky).*
What do those praying read? “O Mother of God, Virgin, rejoice. Blessed Mary, the Lord is with you. Blessed are You among women and blessed is the Fruit of Your womb, for You have given birth to the Savior of our souls.”
During the years of Soviet power, the Holy Kanavka suffered greatly, and was even partially destroyed. But even during the years of persecution of the church, believers came to pray at Kanavka.
The revival of the monastery began in the late 80s of the 20th century, when the church was allowed to solemnly celebrate the 1000th anniversary of the Baptism of Rus'. In 1989, the Holy Trinity Church was returned to the church. And in the summer of 1991, the relics of Seraphim of Sarov were transferred to the monastery. Then for many years, almost until the end of the 2000s, Kanavka was restored.
I can’t leave without advice those who are planning to go to Diveevo for the first time.
So, what to do, where to stay and how to behave in Diveevo? 10 travel tips
- For believers: I have already written above about the prayer that is read on Kanavka 150 times (an icon with this prayer can be bought at the monastery).
- For motorists, free parking is available on the territory of the monastery. Feel free to drive up to the barrier. They will let you through.
- For those who take pictures: photography is possible with a blessing, but we also took pictures without it. The main thing when taking photographs is to be invisible, behave modestly and not provocatively, and you will not be noticed. Many people take pictures from the monastery, I saw it myself.
- Girls and women: take scarves and skirts with you, regardless of age. Without them, you can simply be rudely escorted out of the temple, even if you are a 2-year-old girl.
- There are several churches, shrines and holy springs in Diveevo. If you want to visit and see everything, then plan a trip for more than one day. For a quick acquaintance with the monastery, 4 hours is enough.
- Venerate the relics of Seraphim of Sarov in the Trinity Cathedral. How to venerate relics correctly? Two bows, kissed, another bow.
- Don’t forget to stop by the spring of Seraphim of Sarov (14 km from Diveevo), get some holy water, and take a swim. Women need a nightgown for swimming. If you don’t have it with you, you can buy it inexpensively on the spot.
- For those looking for cheap private housing: look in the “Wonderful Diveevo” group on VKontakte. Price level is 300-400 rubles/seat. There are a lot of offers. Lots of other useful information.
- For travelers: a trip to Diveevo fits well into the route “Nizhny Novgorod - Arzamas - Diveevo - Murom”. You can read where to stop on this route in the article at this link.
- The Diveyevo Monastery is, on the one hand, a holy place, a place of prayer, and on the other, an enterprise that has seriously embarked on a commercial track. Modern morals can get to you here too. Don’t be offended by rudeness from particularly smart people if they said something wrong or did something wrong. Just be prepared for it.
I will show the architecture of the Diveyevo monastery in a separate post, don’t be upset that you didn’t see it here.
* The article uses materials from the book “The Groove of the Queen of Heaven” (Holy Trinity Diveyevo Monastery, 2009. – 80 p. – ill.)
Comments
I completely agree with you, Galochka: we need to prepare for Diveevo. Before the trip, I read such a “thick” book, and one very good woman “guided” me in Ryazan: so I already knew where, why and how I was going.
Exactly. That's why this post came up. Not everyone will read a thick book, and not everyone has a knowledgeable woman, but if a person reads at least this article, then it will be good.
And also for those. who is going to Diveevo for the first time and wants to seriously prepare for the trip. I recommend the site www.diveevo.ru. There is a lot of information about Seraphim of Sarov: articles, books and much more. And on the right side at the very top there is a link to the official website of the monastery www.4udel.nne.ru
. During the years of ITS power, the Holy Kanavka suffered greatly (from the text) - probably “SOVIET”?
It’s well and intelligibly written, but let’s do it in Russian (in my opinion, it would be no worse: a message, a story, a letter. But not a POST.) With respect to Russian speech, S.A.
Svetlana Anatolyevna, thank you for reporting the typo.
The word “post” is “inscribed” in a natural way on the Internet in general and blogging in particular. Also not the most Russian words.
Stories are written by writers and writers. Bloggers write articles (aka posts).
Oh, Galochka, hello! I didn’t recognize your site, I went to read about Kanavka, and then I saw Sofochka at the end, well, I already looked at the site address, and it’s you))) It’s so nice to see familiar faces on the Internet! And thank you for your story, it gives a good idea of this place, just what I need, and the photos are wonderful.
Hello, Lenochka! I am very, very glad to see you as a guest. 🙂 I’m very pleased that you liked my story.))) Thank you for your kind words.
Thanks a lot. Our family is planning to take a trip to this blessed place in July, our soul is really yearning to go there.
Have a nice trip, Ekaterina! Let everything work out.
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Orthodox parish of the Church of St. Nicholas of Myra in the city of Slyudyanka
Official parish website
Shrines of Diveevo - the groove of the Virgin.
I was also in Diveevo - but I took the text and photo from a friend - she was also there quite recently.
“I continue the story about the shrines that we visited in Diveevo.
The groove or belt of the Virgin Mary is one of the main shrines of Diveevo, we were lucky enough to walk along it twice, on Saturday evening, and early Sunday morning (I think from half past five to half past six). To feel everything that is felt there, you just need to come and walk there.......
The photo and text are not mine, I searched on the Internet, I wanted to compose the text in such a way that you would be inspired by this shrine the way I fell in love with it. At the end of the post I will give links to all the sources from which I compiled the text and took the photo.
“The Mother of God herself measured this groove with her belt...
Here the feet of the Mother of God passed...
Whoever walks through the canal with prayer and reads one and a half hundred “Theotokos”, Athos, Jerusalem, and Kyiv are all here” (Reverend Seraphim of Sarov).
People walk and walk along the ditch. In spring and summer, autumn and winter. Latest
Over the years, we began to walk barefoot more and more often (even in winter in the snow). The Russians are coming
Ukrainians, Moldovans, Georgians, Armenians, British, Germans, French,
Americans... Kanavka, Diveevo, knows St. Seraphim of Sarov
the whole world. The groove heals, the groove cleanses, the groove enlightens.
It’s not enough to just walk along Kanavka. Need more
simple as it seems. Someone will pass quickly, and lo and behold, it’s already the end of the road,
but he hasn’t even read a hundred prayers... That means he’s not ready yet, hasn’t calmed down
through life, and I need to come here again. To make this whole thing different
way to go. Some walk slowly, slowly, in no hurry. These -
will be in time. Others are in a hurry; they never have time to pray. Groove - how
life: some set off earlier and arrive later than others. And others,
on the contrary, the early ones ran faster than everyone else and did not finish the journey on time.
Someone walks slowly, with gentle steps, as if floating on
Groove. Someone walks at a businesslike pace, looking forward. Lo and behold
there is nothing ahead. All! We've arrived... And only nuns walk along the groove
special verified steps. No rush, but no waddle either. These -
They will always be in time, no matter how they go. After all, their prayer is quick and fiery! A
experienced residents of this amazing village try to start their own paths
from Kanavka. In the morning they will walk along it, say as many prayers as they can, and
then all day long, wherever they go, they finish the prescribed remainder of the prayers. AND
All their paths are in conflict, because the path began with prayer! And such a sacrifice
The Queen of Heaven receives from them. And some walk along the Kanavka with
will remember the departed... And everyone - hurrying and unhurried - will reach the end in
his own term, measured only by him.
Hieromartyr Seraphim, Bishop of Dmitrov (Zvezdinsky), who livedvisions of the Mother of God walking along the Kanavka. His cell attendant Anna
testifies that Vladyka was in his cell after the evening service and
suddenly rushed to the window with incessant exclamations of prayer,
then to another window:
“The Most Pure Mother of God is walking along the Kanavka! I can not
behold her wonderful
beauty! – said Lord Seraphim with tears.
The Holy Canal was built by order of the Queen of Heaven Herself, as well as
all in Diveevo. The ditch with the shaft was supposed to surround the Mill community and
must have been dug by the hands of the sisters themselves. There should have been a groove
three arshins deep and three arshins wide were dug, the earth had to be thrown
inside the monastery to form a shaft also three arshins high. For
strengthening the rampart the Reverend ordered to plant gooseberries.
The sisters were slow to start digging because of the excessively heavy
work. And so, one day another sister came out of her cell at night and
sees that Father Seraphim in a white robe himself has begun to dig the Ditch.
In fear and joy, she runs into her cell and tells all the sisters this.
Everyone ran out to this place, and, seeing Father, bowed at his feet,
but, having risen, they no longer found him. Only a shovel and a hoe lay on
earth. The ditch had already been dug out, about a yard long. The other sister had visited the day before
Fathers to Sarov and spent the night in his hermitage. And in the morning he sends it:
“Come on, mother, tell the girls to start digging a ditch today, I
I was there and started it myself.” She walked and wondered how Father went to
Diveevo? She comes to the monastery, and there are sisters vying with her
They tell how they saw Father. And she told them her story. Sisters,
amazed by such a miracle, they began work without delay. They dug for three years and
Saint Seraphim departed to the Lord.
After the closure of the Diveyevo Monastery in 1927, Holy Kanavka was
Many places were filled up, the shaft was leveled. Most damage Groove
suffered in the post-war years: in some places it was cut
various communications, and inside the entire southern part of the Kanavka was dug
sewage pipe. Despite numerous prohibitions and
danger, many who wished continued to walk and pray at the holy
Lawrence, work began on restoring the first section of the holy
Grooves – from the start to the first turn.
Good article about groove restoration,
The best time to walk along Kanavka is from three to four in the morning. At that time
The Queen of Heaven herself comes here and sometimes appears as a chosen one. One day
sexton Andrei, having walked the entire Kanavka after three o’clock in the morning, saw the Mother
God in the sky above Kanavka in a shining silver cloud.
It is not for nothing that the elders advise pilgrims to pray at night. Schema-abbot Jerome from
Sanaksar Monastery says:
From three to five o'clock in the morning there is gold, from five to six - silver, from
six to seven - bronze.
In Diveevo, the Mother of God is with us every day. The Queen of Heaven herself talks about this
she said - through Father Seraphim. That is why the great Sarovsky commanded
elder, so that pilgrims must stay exactly one day in the monastery,
then they will not miss each other with Mother Mother of God... Many pilgrims
on the Holy Kanavka they feel the invisible blessed presence of the Lady -
Her scent! You go and go, it seems like nothing special is happening,
you pray, and suddenly it’s as if you are entering the fragrant Garden of Eden. It is seen,
The Queen of Heaven passed by you...
deliverance from serious illnesses by many, many who have completely entrusted themselves
the intercession of the Most Holy Theotokos and the holy Venerable Seraphim. So people flock to the Holy Kanavka in the Diveyevo Monastery. They ask
everyone does their own thing and gets what they ask for. Every word on the groove reaches the sky.
Father ordered the land of Kanavka to be taken by pilgrims for healing: “There will be
visitors will come, and glinka from Kanavka will be taken for healing, and
it will be instead of gold.” Knowing this, Orthodox people collect land in
bags, transport it like a precious treasure to all corners of the world, and
many, many healings occur from this earth.”
Canal of the Queen of Heaven in the Diveyevo Monastery >>
Holy Canal of the Blessed Virgin Mary in Diveevo
The Holy Canal in the Diveyevo monastery is the only inheritance of the Holy Mother of God in Russia. There are four such places on earth under her special protection. The Holy Canal in Diveevo has been a place of pilgrimage for many years. Among the visitors there are not only those who seek to be spiritually cleansed, but also those who passionately yearn for the fulfillment of their deepest desire. The groove of the Blessed Virgin Mary allows everyone to find what they are looking for.Father Seraphim of Sarov, who was directly involved in the construction of the ditch, said that the Mother of God herself took this land in Diveevo as her inheritance. According to him, the Antichrist himself will not be able to jump over this groove of the Mother of God.
History of the holy place
Diveevo Monastery was created after the appearance of the Mother of God herself to Father Seraphim on November 25, 1823. She indicated the place where the monastery was to appear, around which a ditch should be laid and surrounded by a high rampart. At the beginning of 1833, construction was completed. The groove itself took the shape of a heptagon 777 meters long. The groove ran along six sides of the heptagon, the last side was left for the large cathedral in honor of the icon of the Mother of God of Tenderness.
With the death of Seraphim of Sarov, a period of first trials began for the monastery. They stopped caring for the groove of the Mother of God. They began to walk along it without showing respect, and to ride in carriages. Some buildings were demolished, and they preferred to build new buildings of the monastery outside the Kanavka.
Since 1850 The sisters began to walk along the Kanavka every day and read the prayer to the Virgin Mary 150 times, Rejoice. All bridges were removed, and the ditch itself was cleared. There was a neat path along the shaft, around which bushes and flowers grew. They were also carefully looked after. The fame of the healing soil and plants from the Kanavka of the Mother of God spread throughout Russia by the beginning of the 20th century. Thousands of people began to come for healing to the Church of the Transfiguration and to the Canal of the Queen of Heaven.
In 1927 The Diveyevo Canal and the monastery were officially closed by the new government. The sisters were sent to settlements, and those who disagreed were sent to camps. The monastery buildings were used as apartments and administrative offices. There was no renovation of buildings during the Soviet period, so many buildings were destroyed. However, many believers, even during the years of persecution of the Church, continued to come to the holy place and read prayer, risking being sent to camps. Beer stalls were set up on the territory of the monastery, but even the regulars were afraid to linger after the appearance of three pretty old women on one of the benches. Many were sure that these were three blessed ones, on whose graves the new government set up drinking establishments.
80s of the 20th century brought revival to the Diveyevo monastery. After a long break, true believers gathered at the monastery to solemnly celebrate the millennium of the Baptism of Rus'. Already in 1989, the Holy Trinity Church was returned to the church, and 2 years later the relics of Seraphim of Sarov were transferred to the monastery. The ditch itself was completely restored by 2000.
Pilgrimage
Tourists also come to the temple. The Trinity Cathedral in light green colors with its large paved square framed by openwork cast-iron gates is a fascinating and at the same time impressive sight. The Transfiguration Cathedral, wrapped in bright flower beds, attracts with its rounded shapes. The domes on the cathedral shine dazzlingly even in bad weather.
Many who visited the monastery claim, that male power comes from the Trinity Cathedral, and female power from the Transfiguration Cathedral. Perhaps this is due to the architectural features of the cathedral:
- Troitsky looks straight, slightly angular with steel-gray crowns;
- Preobrazhensky looks slender and soft thanks to its snow-white walls and golden domes.
They pass the holy groove slowly, reading the prayer to the Blessed Virgin Mary 150 times. Along the way they stop to pray for the living and the dead. The groove is very long, but you need to start reading prayers from the very first step. Otherwise you won't be able to do it in time.
There are refectories on the territory of the monastery especially for guests, so that nothing distracts numerous guests and tourists from the true purpose of their visit. For those who plan to stay in Diveevo, several hotels located next to the monastery are ready to provide rooms for a small fee.
What to bring home from Diveevo
True believers and even tourists bring from the Diveyevo Monastery:
The Holy Kanavka in Diveyevo is a unique place. It combines past and present, tradition, science and the miraculous in an incredible way. In this place it is not customary to ask, but every guest who comes with an open heart leaves generously gifted. No one can remain indifferent and not take with them a photo or video of this wonderful place as a souvenir.
What was the ditch around the cinnamonium? It was created in the last years of the life of Rev. Seraphim. Father was in a great hurry to build this groove, that is, the path along which the Queen of Heaven walked. This is what Fr. wrote. Vasily Sadovsky in his notes: “Father Seraphim said many wonderful things about this ditch, that these are the piles of the Mother of God. Here the Queen of Heaven walked around her. This ditch is high to heaven. The Lady Most Pure Mother of God herself took this land as her inheritance.
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Here, the priest said, I have Athos, Kyiv, and Jerusalem. And when the Antichrist comes, he will pass everywhere, but will not jump over this groove. The sisters dug this ditch until the very death of the priest, towards the end of his life, on his orders, and in winter and summer without ceasing, fire splashed from the ground when they chopped it with an ax, but did not order it to stop." Elder Anna Alekseevna, one of the first sisters, says: “For six years I lived in a mill, where Father Seraphim chose the seven of us, where he placed us to live. Here I witnessed the next miracle. One day one of us, the next one, came out of our cells and saw: Father Seraphim in a white robe himself began to dig a ditch. In fear and joy, without remembering herself, she runs into the cell and tells us all. All of us, in indescribable joy, whoever was in what, rushed to that place and, seeing Father Seraphim, threw ourselves at his feet, but, getting up, did not find him, only a shovel and a hoe lay in front of us on the dug up ground." Evdokia Efremovna (nun Eupraxia) also confirms this story. Elena Vasilyevna Manturova, despite the fact that she was considered the head of the mill monastery, worked along with others and dug a ditch. In the post of 1829, an order came for the sacrifice of three acres of land at the request of Father Seraphim. Father Vasily testifies that Father was in such admiration and joy that it was impossible to say, and there was a great triumph, everyone stocked up pebbles and began to put them between the pegs driven in. In the spring, Father Seraphim ordered this land to be plowed with a plow, one furrow at a time, three times, and Mikhail Vasilyevich [Manturov] had to be present ], Father Vasily and the elder sisters. The earth was plowed using pebbles placed in advance. Father Seraphim ordered the dug earth to be thrown inside the monastery so that a shaft also three arshins in size was formed. Father sent flower seeds to plant in the ditch. Later, beautiful trees were planted inside the ditch on the territory of the kinovia, and in 1922 they were already powerful and beautiful and bent over the ditch. When the ditch was already clearly visible, the great lady of Diveyevo, Schema-nun Martha, died on August 21, 1829. Her memory falls on the day of Equal. Mary Magdalene on July 22, on the 4th day of memory of Father Seraphim. Schema-nun Marfa and Elena Vasilievna lived in Diveyevo at the same time. What a blessed feeling it was to walk along the canal with a rosary in your hands, reading the prayer “Rejoice to the Virgin Mary!” 150 times. Especially in the evening, when all the worries of the day subside and there is complete silence. The sky somehow becomes closer to the earth, worshipers slowly walk along the groove, as if this is not our hectic age, but ancient Holy Rus', God knows which way came here from the depths of centuries.
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Rus' created the legend of Kitezh-grad, and it was her eternal dream - to escape from the sinful world, but here was not a dream, but true reality, here was true communion with God between the inhabitants of heaven and people. Here true visions of Father Seraphim and other saints and righteous people took place, here everyone lived a spiritual life and spiritual joys. Here the sky met the earth. Here “there was a battle with the spirits of evil in heaven,” who in every possible way frightened the ascetics and those who wanted to follow their path. Even pilgrims were frightened in the dark by demonic phenomena, but everyone was protected by the grace of God, through the prayers of Father Seraphim and Mother Alexandra. Our dear brother once met a figure two stories tall on a canal and was horrified, but immediately the horror was replaced by complete peace of mind - Father Seraphim did not give offense to anyone. Pilgrims walked along the ditch, repeating the path of the Mother of God, nuns, priests and bishops walked, peaceful, having gained spiritual strength for the difficult path of life at that terrible time. We walked away with unforgettable impressions for life. Many people took a handful of earth from the ditch, and sometimes it protected them from enemy attacks. The groove was made into a quadrangle and at the corners we made, according to ancient custom, beautiful carved turrets on the pillars with icons of the Mother of God inserted into them, walking along this groove - the turrets were removable and were removed by the sisters at night. Approaching them, the pilgrims crossed themselves - this was a visible reminder to them that the Queen of Heaven had passed along this path. How wonderful it all was!
On January 1, 1992, for the first time after a long break, the tradition of daily walking along the Holy Kanavka was resumed, when the sisters, together with the abbess, led by the icon of the Mother of God “Tenderness,” walked around the entire monastery.
Only six years later, work began on the site closest to the territory transferred to the monastery - from the beginning to the first turn. After a solemn prayer service on August 25, 1997, the first work began.
Since the Ditch was almost covered with debris in many places and was poorly distinguishable, its location was clarified by several cross-sections. The sections clearly showed the profile of the original Kanavka, the layers that filled it as a result of melting of the edges in the first hundred years of the Kanavka’s existence, and the layer of backfill during Soviet times. In one of the cuts we managed to find the beginning of the Holy Canal. It is remarkable that at a depth of three arshins (2.15 m) a layer of sand begins, into which the water went, thanks to which the Kanavka remained dry after the rains.
Three days before the celebration of the 100th anniversary of the glorification of St. Seraphim, the Kanavka was dug almost completely and landscaped. The last section of Kanavka was transferred to the monastery in 2006, and its restoration was completed on July 31.
On April 27, 1995, the tradition was resumed after the late liturgy during Easter week to walk along the Holy Canal in a procession of the cross every day and on Sundays until Easter. Processions along it are also held on the feast of the memory of St. Seraphim on January 2/15; on the feast of the Icon of the Mother of God “Tenderness” on July 28/August 10; for the burial of the Mother of God on August 16/30; on the feast of the founding of the Mill Monastery on December 9/22; January 1/14 at midnight on the feasts of the Circumcision of the Lord and St. Basil the Great with the singing of a prayer service for the New Year.
For almost two centuries now, people have been walking and walking in a continuous stream along the Holy Canal, following the behest of the Reverend, following the Queen of Heaven, in Her footsteps.
Publishing group
Holy Trinity-Seraphim-Diveevsky
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Holy Groove
Among the many shrines of Diveevo, the Holy Kanavka occupies a special place. St. Seraphim said that the Queen of Heaven Herself measured it with Her belt and walks along the Kanavka every day, going around Her Lot and blessing everyone. That is why you definitely need to stay in Diveevo for a day, be sure to spend the night, in order to be worthy of this blessing from the Mother of God, who passes along the Kanavka at night. Hieromartyr Seraphim, Bishop of Dmitrov (Zvezdinsky), who lived at one time in the Diveyevo monastery, was honored on February 2, 1927 with a vision of the Mother of God walking along the Kanavka. His cell attendant Anna testifies that Vladyka was in his cell after the evening service and suddenly rushed to the window with incessant prayerful exclamations, then to another window: “The Most Pure Mother of God is walking along the Kanavka! I can’t behold Her wonderful beauty!” - said Lord Seraphim with tears.
This groove is high to Heaven. The monk said: “Whoever walks through the Kanavka with prayer and reads up to one and a half hundred Mother of God, everything is here: Athos, Jerusalem, and Kiev!”, “Visitors will come to us, take clay from you for healing and it will be instead of gold! Every day all the sisters walk along the Kanavka in the evening, after the evening meal, carrying in front the icon of the Mother of God of Tenderness. St. Seraphim said that the Antichrist will not cross the Kanavka. Many understand this spiritually (in particular, Vladyka Seraphim (Zvezdinsky) believed so) - whoever reads the Theotokos’ Rule with reverence, the Antichrist will not overcome that soul.
After the closure of the Diveyevo Monastery, the Holy Kanavka suffered great damage. In many places it was filled up, the shaft was leveled, and in some places various communications were cut off. Restoration began in 1997.
The Holy Kanavka was built by order of the Queen of Heaven Herself, like everything else in Diveyevo. The ditch with the shaft was supposed to surround the Mill Community and was supposed to be dug by the hands of the sisters themselves. The ditch had to be dug three arshins deep and three arshins wide, the earth had to be thrown inside the monastery to form a shaft also three arshins high. To strengthen the rampart, the Reverend ordered to plant gooseberries. First, the Reverend ordered all the sisters to walk around the earth and then eat honey and soft bread. The sisters were slow to start digging because the work was too hard. And so, one day another sister came out of her cell at night and saw that Father Erathim in a white robe had himself begun to dig the Ditch. In fear and joy, she runs into her cell and tells all the sisters this. Everyone ran out to this place, and, seeing Father, bowed at his feet, but when they got up, they no longer found him. Only a shovel and a hoe lay on the ground. The ditch had already been dug out, about a yard long. The other sister had visited Father the day before in Sarov and spent the night in his hermitage. And in the morning he sends her: “Come on, mother, tell the girls to start digging a ditch today, I was there and started it myself.” She walked and wondered how Father went to Diveevo? She comes to the monastery, and there the sisters vying with each other tell her how they saw Father. And she told them her story. The sisters, amazed by such a miracle, began work without delay. They dug for three years and finished by the feast of the Nativity of Christ, and soon, on January 2 (15), the Monk Seraphim departed to the Lord.
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In this holy monastery rest the relics of St. Seraphim of Sarov, who left many predictions. Some of them have already come true.
The saint said about the Kazan Cathedral of the monastery that at the end of the world “this church will be taken entirely to heaven.” About another cathedral - Trinity - he predicted that “the poor Seraphim will rest here in body.” “The elder’s contemporaries were very surprised by these words of his: “Are the Sarov people going to give you up?” After all, the elder labored in a monastery in Sarov, which is 20 km from Diveevo, and the sisters went there for advice,” Abbess Sergia (Konkova), abbess of the Holy Trinity Seraphim-Diveevo Monastery, tells AiF.
It happened as the great elder predicted, although immediately after his glorification as a saint in 1903, his relics were first located in Sarov. After the revolution and the closure of the monastery, they were thought to have disappeared, but were miraculously found in 1990 in Leningrad in the storerooms of the Museum of Religion and Atheism. Sarov by that time had turned into the nuclear center of the country, a closed city, which could only be reached through a military checkpoint. Therefore, the relics of the saint, having crossed half the country in procession, rested in Diveyevo, in the Trinity Cathedral.
Elder's Candle
Among the sea of people who greeted the relics of Seraphim of Sarov in 1991 at the newly opened monastery was the 91-year-old schema-nun Margarita (Lakhtionova). Before the revolution, she came to the Diveyevo monastery at the age of 15, becoming a novice. In 1927, after the monastery was dispersed by the Bolsheviks, the nuns, and there were more than a thousand of them, went into the world.
Most of the nuns went through prisons and camps, but did not renounce their faith and monastic vows. Thus, Mother Margarita spent almost 10 years in the camps. Having returned, she settled in Diveevo not far from the ruined monastery. It was she who kept the candle of Elder Seraphim, which he gave to the sisters shortly before his death in 1833 with the words: “You will meet me with it in Diveyevo.” For more than 150 years, the candle was passed from one generation of nuns to another. And so in 1991, Mother Margarita, being a very old woman, came to meet the relics of St. Seraphim with that same candle - she handed it over to the Diveyevo protodeacon, who inserted it into a candlestick and lit it.
After 1991, another prediction of the great elder began to come true: that as soon as his relics were laid to rest in Diveevo, the monastery would begin to flourish with renewed vigor and over time would turn into a monastery, that is, the largest monastery in terms of territory and number of inhabitants. “Father Seraphim predicted that the territory of the monastery would stretch to the river,” says Mother Sergia. - Maybe this will not happen in our lifetime. But we are already thinking about where we could move the organizations that are located on this territory - the prosecutor’s office, the police department building, two administration buildings and others.” However, over the previous 25 years, it was necessary to relocate a much larger number of organizations that had once occupied the premises and churches of the monastery, and also to remove sewer pipes from the moat of the Holy Kanavka*.
“In those years, this required 5 thousand dollars,” recalls Mother Abbess. - There was no money. And suddenly a stranger comes and donates exactly this amount.”
Miracles on the Groove
The construction of the Holy Canal began during the life of St. Seraphim, who was ordered to do this by the Queen of Heaven Herself. The Mother of God appeared to the elder 12 times. “I did not place a single stone in the monastery of my own free will, only at the direction of the Queen of Heaven,” the priest said and ordered that the width of the Kanavka should be 3 arshins (1 arshin - 71 cm), the depth of the ditch should also be 3 arshins, and the earth, which is dug up must be thrown inside the monastery, so that the height of the ditch also becomes 3 arshins. “This land will be valued like gold,” the elder predicted, explaining this by the fact that the Mother of God passes along the Kanavka every day, who took Diveevo to Her fourth Destiny (after Athos, Iberia and Kyiv. - Ed.).
He said to his sisters: “If you knew what kind of Kanavka this is, it’s a fence to the skies! When the century ends, the Antichrist will first begin to remove crosses from churches and destroy monasteries and destroy all monasteries! But he will come up to yours, and Kanavka will stand from earth to sky, he cannot come to you, Kanavka will not allow him anywhere, so he will go away.”
Pilgrims take the earth from Kanavka with them and apply it to sore spots, receiving healing. “Whoever walks through the Kanavka and says to himself the prayer “Rejoice to the Virgin Mary” 150 times, Athos, Jerusalem, and Kyiv will be here,” said St. Seraphim.
"We didn't ask for anything"
Many pilgrims also visit the monastery’s hermitages, of which more than twenty have been built since 1991. “We didn't ask for anything. “The Lord Himself gave everything into our hands,” says Mother Superior and gives just one example. — In the early 90s. the head of one of the rural administrations said that they have two grandmothers who are asking me to come. Two sisters, two old maids, Ekaterina and Anastasia. When we meet, they say to me: “Mother, how we waited for you, how we prayed to St. Seraphim!” And they show off their wealth - a large portrait of an old man on canvas, pre-revolutionary. They also had other treasures - 10 pairs of felt boots “farewell to youth”, 10 pairs of stockings and 5 thousand rubles saved from retirement. “We will give it all up, just take our church for restoration!” And there is a stone temple without windows, without a roof, as if after a bombing, birds fly inside. And the grandmothers keep asking: “Our village Avtodeevo is consonant with Diveevo.”
Patriarch Alexy II came to us, they took him to see this temple for its broken bricks and bird droppings... And a year later, His Holiness was already standing here on the pulpit. There was cleanliness and order all around. One of the grandmothers, Catherine, had a funeral service in this church, and the second, Anastasia, became a monk and lived out her life with us.” A special history is connected with the monastery cemetery. “Even 10 years ago it was an open field, but now a wooden church has been built there, a park has been laid out, and a pond with goldfish has been built. All this was done through the efforts of our benefactor Vyacheslav. He himself is a very religious person. And his main concern was to bring his father to faith. Through Vyacheslav’s prayers, the father repented and took communion before his death, and died reconciled with God. His grave was one of the first in the monastery cemetery. On his father’s memorable days (birth, death and angel day), Vyacheslav always comes to his grave, attends the service, reads the Psalter for the deceased - and this is 6 hours of continuous reading. He has such a charge of firmness of faith that I sometimes cite him as an example to my sisters.”
Holy springs
Most pilgrims always visit holy springs, of which there are more than ten in Diveevo and the surrounding area. They dip with a prayer for healing. Many are recovering. “For some people, recovering quickly is beneficial, but for others it is not. The Lord Himself sees what a person needs,” says Mother Abbess. By the way, she herself worked as a doctor for more than 10 years before her tonsure, although from her youth she knew that her path was different - monastic. Mother was raised by believing parents, the family lived in Sergiev Posad, and went to services at the Trinity-Sergius Lavra. The family of the future abbess turned to the local elders for advice more than once.
“When I turned 20, my mother took me to Archimandrite Seraphim (Shinkarev) and said that she wanted to know now how I would be arranged,” says Mother Sergia. “The elder said: “She will be a nun.” At this time I was a medical student. My mother objected: “Father, this is boring.” And the elder: “I’m not bored, and she won’t be bored!” In her youth, my mother regretted that their family consisted of only four people (mother has a sister): “And now my family is hundreds of times larger, we have more than five hundred sisters in the monastery. The abbess of our monastery is the Queen of Heaven Herself, and our main trustee is St. Seraphim. And this is not an exaggeration. The presence of the Mother of God is felt by everyone who crosses the threshold of the monastery, everyone who walks along the Kanavka. And those who venerate the shrine containing the relics of the saint never leave inconsolable. The words of the elder come true: “Come to me as if I were alive, and I will help you.”
*Holy Kanavka is one of the main shrines of the monastery. In 1825, the Mother of God appeared to St. Seraphim and ordered the founding of the Mill Community, indicating how this place should be surrounded by a ditch and a rampart.
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