The return of the church to believers and the opening of the convent had been preceded by dramatic events: 16-day hunger strike of four women of the Orthodox community of Convent of the Entry of the Theotokos into the Temple or "Red" church, as it is called among people- Larissa Cholina, Margarita Pelenkova, Valeriya Savchenko and Galina Yaschukovskaya.
After a serious struggle with the local authorities, the church was released from the state archives and handed over to the believers. Returned in 1989 the church was home parish for less than a year. A small group of spiritual children of Archimandrite Ambrose (Yurasov) gathered and this marked the beginning of the convent on the site of the former State Archive. On March 27, 1991 with the blessing of His Holiness Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia Alexiy II the life of the abode began at the church of the Entry of the Theotokos into the Temple.
Over 25 years of the convent existence a small community has grown to a large convent, where nowadays 170 nuns strive (in a convent and its three metochions: the metochion of the Transfiguration, Intercession (Pokrovskyi) and Sergius Hermitage.
Unfortunately, over the years the number of sisters has significantly decreased - more than 50 sisters moved to the Lord and rest in the convent cemetery at Pokrovskiy metochion.
Hegumeness (Abbess) of the convent - Abbess Maria (Perepecha), spiritual father- Archimandrite Ambrose (Yurasov).
Near the convent there were erected several two- and three-storey buildings and the bell tower with a belfry. A unified architectural ensemble was created. At the metochions there were built housings and restored churches. One of them is the church of the Entry of the Theotokos into the Temple (in Ivanovo). It is the monument of architecture of the early twentieth century. The architect - P.Begen. It has three altars – one devoted to the Entry of the Theotokos into the Temple, the second one is the altar of St. Nicholas and the third one is of martyr Feodor Tyrone. Patriarch Tikhon served in this church in 1918, here also served Russia's New Martyrs - saint Augustine (Belyaev) and Fr. Zosima (Trubachov). The church of Transfiguration was also restored in convent metochion (village Doronino of Teykovskiy district). It dates back as the eighteenth century and has the altars of Transfiguration of the Lord, the Holy Martyr Euphemiy (here served Euthymios (Tikhonravov)) and the altar of Mother of God "Don". There were also built 2 chapels of St. Sergius of Radonezh in Sergius Hermitage (village Stoyantsevo, Lezhnevskiy district), the church of the Protection of the Holy Virgin Intercession in a metochion on the former grounds of the estate of Count Bludov and cemetry church Resurrection (village Zlatoust, Lezhnevskiy area) and a chapel in honor of the Mother of God "Life-Giving Spring" in the convent. Besides this, cell and utility buildings were erected.
In the convent there are the relics of Russian New Martyrs: the Holy Martyr Vladimir Lezhnevskiy and blessed Alexis Elnatskiy. There are also the parts of the relics of 168 ancient saints and robe of saint righteous John of Krondstadt.
The services in the convent are held daily.
In 1993 the convent was visited by His Holiness Patriarch Alexiy II.
Nuns treat about 90 hectares of land, work in restoration, icon, ceramics, sewing and sexton workshops.
Not only prayer, construction, restoration and economic affairs can be found in the convent.
Priests and nuns are obedient to the diocesan Commission for the Causes of Saints, are engaged in prison and social service: support both materially and spiritually disabled people with muscular-skeletal problems,help children with disabilities, the poor, the homeless, waives, orphans, drug addicts, convicts and freed. They also organize charity dinners, take part in the programmes of "Radonezh" - an Orthodox radio station, publish Orthodox books, work on Orthodox Helpline (a wide range of issues, including alcoholism, drug addiction, HIV/AIDS). Moreover, they have the convent site and pages in social networks, take pilgrims and lead work at the convent museum of Ivanovo martyrs.
Address of the convent: 23, Bazisnaya Str., Ivanovo, 153005
Tel.: +7 (4932) 37-43-91, 37-43-73
Email: ivmonast@yandex.ru
Online resources:official site: http://diakonissa.blogspot.d
Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/Введенский-Женский-Монастырь-814816775259567/
YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/channel/UC9KRAMSTutAwArh_RUMdXww
The Commission for the Causes of Saints of the Diocese of Ivanovo-Voznesesnk: http://comissvyat.blogspot.com/
Transfiguration Metochion
Transfiguration metochion of the convent is located in the village of Doronin, Teykovskiy area. An empty field, a forest, a small river Saneba, on the banks of which stood a dilapidated church of the Transfiguration of the Lord. Here used to be a village. There were only foundations, overgrown with grass and the village cemetery ...- this is how looked the land that the convent got in June 1991 for the construction of its metochion. The convent began to restore the church and to conduct the construction work. In 1994, on the feast of the Transfiguration, the throne was consecrated. Since then, the service has been committed on a daily basis. On January 2, 2001 in the winter part of the church there was consecrated the altar in honor of Don Icon of the Blessed Virgin Mary and the Holy Martyr Euphemiy, canonized by the Jubilee Bishops' Council of the Russian Orthodox Church in 2000 to the ranks of the New Martyrs of Russia.
On the Transfiguration metochion there are the lands of the convent. Here the sisters grow vegetables, prepare mushrooms and berries for winter and have a wonderful orchard. There is also a farmyard of the convent with cows, goats and chickens. The once abandoned village Doronin is reviving now. A 3-storeyed cell building, half a dozen of residential wooden houses, vegetable storage and farm buildings have been put in recent years.The life of nuns of the convent (there are about 30 of them on a metochion) is in work and prayer.Young nuns work in the barn, house, gardens, choir and frater.The older generation work as much as they can, taking in mind that the main work for a nun is constant prayer. Any work starts with prayer, the sisters bypass the territory of the metochion and the field with prayer, holding the icon of the Blessed Virgin.
Prioress of the metochion - Nun Zenobia (Alexandrova).
Intercession Metochion
A beautiful place, named Romanovo, is located 30 km from Ivanovo, in Lezhnevskiy District, on the outskirts of the deserted village Zlatoust. The origin of its name is connected with the fact that there used to be the Count's country estate, donated to Count Bludov by royal family of Romanovs. Now it is a metochion of the convent.
It was given to the count on March 5, 1994. The mansion had a pitiable look, standing without roofs and floor decks.When the builders inspected the building, their opinion was unanimous: it cannot be restored. The first nuns, who decided to stay there, were five sisters, on whose shoulders laid the greatest difficulties.There started the construction work and the creation of the chapel. For two and a half years, the mansion was being restored and a chapel was prepared for consecration. On January 7, 1997, on Christmas Day, the first liturgy was served there. Since then, the Holy Virgin Protection Church services are held daily. Now you can see a fully restored chapel, which is decorated, has an iconostasis, church icons (made by Valery Osyshniy) and a belfry. There was erected a 3-storeyed cell building. In the courtyard there is a cemetery, where found their final resting place more than 30 nuns of the convent. A cemetery church of Resurrection was also put there. The manor house was restored and now the mansion, surrounded by old linden trees with a small river, is a picturesque and quiet place for prayer and solitude. The sisters work on the land, grow vegetables, hack the hay and have a fish pond. Work and prayer are the main obediences of the sisters. Now the metochion has got about 40 sisters.They cultivate garden, constantly improve the territory where many new buildings have been erected, extend the garden area and an apiary.The students of a boarding school for orphans with mental and physical impairments of the village Cherntsy are their frequent visitors.They attend worship, listen to sermons and talks. After the service the children are always treated with the meal cooked by the sisters. Every summer there come disabled people from the community group "Hope" and the children's organization "Rostock". Priests spiritually edify and profess guests, whereas sisters communicate and treat the guests with delicious dishes.
Prioress of the Metochion- nun Melitina (Shpil).
Sergius Hermitage
The chapel of Sergius Hermitage was founded in 2002 in the field, in the former elk farm.Now there is a garden, an apiary, a fish pond and fields with honey herbs. The cell and utility buildings were erected there. The chapel of St. Sergius Hermitage is located in the village Shilykovo, Lezhnevskiy district. In 2008 there was laid the foundation of a brick chapel. In 2009 the altar of St. Sergius of Radonezh was moved from the temporary building to the chapel.
The carved iconostasis, icons and analogia, made at the art workshop of hegumen Nikifor (Mikula), were set in the chapel.
Prioress of the metochion - the nun Euphrosyniya (Savitskaya)