Belogorsky Convent
The Belogorsky Monastery (Russian Белогорский монастырь or full name Белогорский Свято - Николаевский православно - миссионерский мужской монастырь ) is a Russian Orthodox monastery on Mount Belaya Gora in the Middle Urals.
The monastery at the summit of the 446 meter high mountain, on a straight line 85 km south of the city of Perm and 50 kilometers west of Kungur. The monastery is now a popular destination for excursions and pilgrimages.
History
The history of the monastery began on 9 June 1890. On this day the priest Stefan Lukanin visited the mountain and was of the place and its free view in all four directions so impressed that he decided to found a monastery. The decisive factor for the choice of location was not only the beauty of the place, but also a missionary concerns towards the Old Believers in this area. As the first act he and his companions put on a small wooden cross on the mountain. 1891 then a 10.65 -meter-high cross was erected, the Czar Cross commemorating the deliverance of Crown Prince Nicholas from danger. On May 11, 1891 Tsarevich had been attacked and injured during a visit to Japan by a policeman of his Japanese escort with a saber. In 1893 started the construction of a first wooden church, which was completed in February 1894. This year also saw some other buildings were erected and opened a school for orphans.
The monastery quickly became a popular place of pilgrimage. In Tsarist times a year up to 70,000 pilgrims visited the monastery. After the first church burned wood in 1897, in 1902 started the construction of a large church: the Exaltation of the Cross Church (Russian Крестовоздвиженский собор ). Length, width and height of the church were, respectively, 53.25 meters. On top she wore five large domes. 1917 was the construction of this great church to be completed.
A year later, in 1918, began as a result of political events in Russia, the retaliation for the monastery. As a result, increased the number of employees by the spring of 1919 by about 400 brothers from 132. In March 1923, the monastery was closed. The buildings were used in further consequence, among other things as a school, Invalides and the Second World War as a rehabilitation center.
In 1990, the territory of the monastery was returned to the Permian eparchy and 1991 saw the reopening of the monastery. Began in 1995 with the restoration of the church. A year later, in May 1996, the Moscow Patriarch Alexy II visited the monastery. Since 1997, every year there will be a cross procession from the city of Perm Belogorsky Monastery.