Gorodetsky Theodore Monastery, founded in 1154 - excursion

The foundation of the monastery, as well as Gorodets itself, is attributed to Prince Yury Dolgoruky. The estimated base date is 1154. According to the legend, the place for the foundation of the monastery was indicated by the miraculous icon of the Mother of God Odigitria, which was kept in the chapel located on the eastern side of Gorodets, outside the shaft. It was believed that it was written by the Evangelist Luke himself. The Orthodox especially honored this icon and wanted to transfer it to the newly built church of Michael the Archangel. But they failed to raise the icon - it was held in place in a miraculous way. Then, at the behest of Prince Dolgoruky, a monastic monastery was built on the site of the chapel. * On November 14, 1263, Alexander Nevsky died in the monastery, having taken monastic tonsure and schema in Gorodets. * At the beginning of the 17th century, the Theodore Icon of the Mother of God became the patronal shrine of the reigning house of the Romanovs. With this icon in 1613, the great nun Maria blessed her son Mikhail Fedorovich, the future founder of the Romanov dynasty, to the Russian kingdom. * Today in the monastery there is an honored list of the Theodore Icon of the Mother of God. The main church of the monastery - Theodore Cathedral, was repeatedly rebuilt in stone. The five-domed cathedral of 1765 was closed in 1927 and demolished several years later. Recreated in original form in 2009.