Lepesovsky monastery

Kobrin → Creativity of fellow countrymen → Marchuk Nina Grigoryevna

The Lepesovsky man's monastery, once orthodox monastery near Kobrin

History of this monastery is closely connected with events of the church union of 1596. The union is a crisis of the highest hierarches of the West Russian metropolitanate of ROC. Spravochno: On May 20, 1595 the Lutsk bishop Kirill (in the world Kirill Tarletsky) arrives to the Spassky Kobrin monastery to negotiations with the metropolitan Rogoza in the matter of the union with the Roman Catholic Church. (The union in a year will be accepted). The union assumed a gap with an orthodox Constantinople patriarchy, i.e. and with Moscow. The union recognized the administrative power of the father. (In my understanding it was process of strengthening of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth).

Here small interesting information is pertinent. According to F. V. Pokrovsky (Catherine II's cartographer of the beginning of the 18th century), in church of the village Perkovichi, once Kobrin County, in the temple the nadmogilny plate of the bishop Kirill Tarletsky remained.

Yes! The union was pleasant not to all. To especially true keepers of Orthodoxy. And here, in two versts from Kobrin, in the village of Lepesa, the local landowner Vasily Yuryevich Prishikhotsky in the manor separated earth "piece" closer to the city in Small Lepesakh and "dvorishche navratinsky" and gave to management of monks of the Pinsky Kupyatitsky monastery here "arranged the hostel". For bigger providing brotherhood he permitted "without measure to grind in lepesovsky a mlyna, to freely catch fish in the river Mukhavets".

At the same time he bequeathed that the brotherhood forever remained in obedience of Saint patriarchs Constantinople. And on the death bequeathed the monastery under defense of the Vilensky monastery (the Russian brotherhood). Also there was it somewhere in 1635-1638.

Thus, the Lepesovsky monastery entered a spiritual bond with two monasteries of our edge. Both records of Prishikhotsky are signed by neighbors – landowners. When Kobrin churches were carried away by the union, true Orthodox Christians to church service started going to Lepesy.

Thus, the Lepesovsky monastery at the small number of believers became the active conductor of Orthodoxy. Reached that the Vladimiro-Brestsky uniatsky bishop Zelensky in 1689 complained to the king that the Lepesovsky monastery does harm not only belief, but both "temples", and "priests" grow poor, and asked to take measures.
The answer said: "… in every possible way to interfere with the people to visit this monastery".

The Lepesovsky orthodox monastery till 1691 existed. Here is how Ivan Kotovich in "the Vilensky collection" for 1869 opisyvt this tragic event. "The legend according to which in day of Easter uniats attacked Lepesovsky monastery remained, "pack" beat out the locked doors, expelled the priest and closed church". Second legend. "Orthodox Christians in day of Easter went "with boxes" to Lepesy to church service and for dedication of bread. There it was necessary to be transported by boats through Mukhavets. On the returnable way the uniats waiting them attacked Orthodox Christians, beat them, and having taken away the consecrated bread, threw people into water …".

Having occupied the monastery, they made it uniatsky, and vozgvigl in all the manors of church, so-called "monastyrka": in the villages of Korchitsa, Petka, Hodynichi, Novosyolki and others. The brotherhood, perhaps, returned to Kupyatichi, perhaps, accepted an uniatstvo. It is necessary to live that! And here Northern war of 1700-1706. Karl 12, the Swedish king, went with army on Pinsk through our Kobrin. Went with Pruzhan.

And it was in the spring of 1706. Also its army needed provisions, and to horses hay. And it is possible to take it only from peasants. Our monastery somewhere can and got into these troubles? But the proof that the monastery did not burn, prayer books, the edition occurring at different times an orthodox brotherhood Lviv and Vilensky, sent to the Lepesovsky monastery and from there subsequently as also other inscriptions on these books which came to the Kobrin Spassky monastery say" are ".

Books were in 1869, read these books in 1858 also Pavel Shpilevsky, being in library of the Kobrin spiritual school which was located in the Spassky monastery. And here the future of these books is not traced. Where in Lepesakh there was a monastic complex – nobody knows still precisely. But, if on church service went through Mukhavets by boats, then follows that is not so far from pier. Perhaps, it is not present distant "military camp", and is closer to the modern city. Perhaps in general area of school No. 4?

(Small retreat. At the beginning of the 20th century lands of the village of Lepesa the family (the data of 1910) of the priest Nikolay Dmitriyevich Grozmani owned). Anywhere data did not remain as the Lepesovsky monastic complex looked. But, I at the beginning of 2013 prepared material about Kupyatichsky (Pinskaya) of monastery. If the Lepesovsky monastery was built by brotherhood of Kupyatich, dare to assume that on similarity of the monastery.

According to stock of 1631 the Kupyatichsky complex was wooden: a two-level brama-zvonitsa with a cross and two rings. Nearby church (there the Virgin, at us – is unknown, can – Saint Elena as even in World War I in Lepesakh there was a temple with such name).

Three wooden houses are farther: one for the abbot, two for monks. There was a separate refectory and a bakery, barns, sheds for animals, barns, a well, a bath and a cemetery (what was at soldiers of imperial army can, and then it was filled up by kayzerovets. And it around a present drugstore near Lenin Street, on turn to the former staff?) The monastery had many earth.

At the monastery there was a library and a drugstore with hospital. It is unambiguous. Priests and rich landowners, by tradition, hoping for eternal rest, bequeathed to bury themselves in vaults of the monastery temple. And when and where all this disappeared?

So passed 300 years! But anyway we have to know and respect the history. And in memory of bogochestivy acts of our ancestors the symbolical place of the monastery and church is worthy designations by a cross as it was made in Kupyatichakh.

The place where there was a Kupyatitsky monastery

P.S. During the intermilitary period in Lepesakh the garrison church of St. Yatsk, in the territory of dislocation of the 83rd infantry regiment worked.

P.S.S. I do not dare to claim that my material "ultimate truth", but it has the right "to live".

January, 2014.

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