The Krasnogor Bogoroditsky Orthodox Monastery, also known as the Krasnogorsky Monastery, is a historic Russian Orthodox site renowned for its association with miraculous icons and its role in regional religious and political history. Situated in the remote and picturesque Arkhangelsk Region of northern Russia, it exemplifies the spiritual heritage of the Russian North, blending legends of divine visions, healing miracles, and the turbulent events of imperial and Soviet eras. Though now in ruins, it remains a poignant symbol of resilience and a draw for tourists interested in Russia's monastic past.
The monastery is perched atop a high hill in the village of Krasnaya Gorka (meaning "Red Hill"), overlooking the winding Pinega River in the Pinega District (formerly Pinega Uyezd) of Arkhangelsk Province. This elevated position offers panoramic views of the surrounding taiga forests and river valleys, making it a scenic vantage point. It lies approximately 188 kilometers southeast of the city of Arkhangelsk, near the Arkhangelsk-Mezen road, in a region historically known for its harsh climate, dense woodlands, and as a place of exile due to its isolation. The site's natural beauty, with gentle slopes suitable for winter activities like skiing and snowboarding, has contributed to its modern appeal as a recreational area alongside its historical significance.
Founding (1603–1608)
The monastery traces its origins to a divine
vision in 1603. Igumen Varlaam of the Voskresensky Monastery in the
Kevrolskaya desyatina (near Kevrola on the Pinega) experienced a dream
in which a luminous woman (understood as the Theotokos) instructed him
to entrust a revered copy of the Vladimir Icon of the Mother of God to
the widowed priest Miron of the neighboring Yurolsky parish and to
establish a desert monastery on the remote, forested Black Mountain.
Priest Miron received the icon that year. Due to winter conditions, it
was temporarily housed in the St. Nicholas Church in Yurola until summer
1604, when it was solemnly carried to the hill and placed beside a
wooden cross within a simple board enclosure that Miron had built. Miron
and helpers (including the monk Iona, who had fled persecution during
the Time of Troubles) cleared the dense forest—home to wild animals—over
the next two years. Miron took monastic vows under Varlaam, receiving
the name Makary (later canonized locally as St. Makary Krasnogorsky; he
died in 1640, though his burial site is now lost).
Tsar Vasily
Shuysky issued a formal charter on August 28, 1606, granting the
community about 10 desyatins of land (roughly half plowed) with an
annual tax of 10 altyns. The first wooden church, dedicated to the
Praise of the Most Holy Theotokos (Pokhvala Bogoroditsy), was
consecrated in autumn 1608. It was a modest structure with four small
bells hung on two pillars (no bell tower yet) and a few cells for the
initial brotherhood of about six monks and workers. Metropolitan Isidor
of Novgorod blessed the community and elevated Makary to igumen.
Until the 1630s, it was known as the Chernogorsky (Black Hill) Monastery
due to the dark, forested location.
Patronage, the Georgian Icon,
and Rapid Growth (1629–Mid-17th Century)
The monastery’s fortunes
transformed in 1629 thanks to the wealthy Yaroslavl merchant Egor
(Tretyak) Lytkin, who became its chief benefactor. On August 22, 1629,
Lytkin arranged the transfer of a revered copy of the Georgian
(Gruzinskaya) Icon of the Mother of God (originally from Georgia,
brought via Persia by merchant Stefan Lazarev). This icon—Greek-style,
measuring about 10 × 7 vershoks, with a noted rift from Persian
damage—quickly became the monastery’s primary shrine and a major
pilgrimage site. Lytkin funded a new church built to his own design,
donated over 100 liturgical books (73 copied by hand by Lytkin himself),
church utensils, money, and adornments (pearls and gems for the icons).
The arrival of the Georgian Icon prompted the name change to
Krasnogorsky (“Red/Beautiful Hill”) as monastic labor cleared the land
into scenic meadows, fields, and pastures. A festival on August 22
commemorating the icon’s arrival was established. By the 1630s–1640s,
the community grew to around 10–12 brethren plus workers. Tsar Mikhail
Feodorovich and later Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich confirmed land rights
(including new clearings along streams like Bobrovets and Kumechva) and
granted economic privileges, such as fishing and trading rights in the
White Sea and Arctic (including Novaya Zemlya), with trading posts in
Kholmogory, Arkhangelsk, and Pustozersk.
Land disputes with local
peasants were resolved through royal decrees (e.g., 1659 boundary
markers). A fire in 1646 destroyed the original church and cells, but
reconstruction followed. By mid-century, the monastery was a modest but
thriving northern spiritual and economic center.
Architectural
and Economic Development (Late 17th–19th Centuries)
The monastery
expanded with multiple churches, cells, mills (wind and water), barns,
and service yards. Key events include:
1639 — New wooden church
and log enclosure built.
1641 — Warm church dedicated to All Saints.
1661 — Bell tower on nine pillars with six bells.
1695 and 1716 —
Fires prompted further rebuilding.
A major milestone was the
stone three-altar cathedral (dedicated primarily to the Georgian Icon,
with side altars to the Vladimir Icon and the Miracle of Archangel
Michael). Permission for stone construction was exceptionally granted
under Peter the Great (despite restrictions favoring St. Petersburg).
Construction began in 1723; the main altar was consecrated in 1735. It
featured a cubic base with two octagons, cornices, pilasters,
perspective windows, and a unified pillarless interior hall—an example
of early 18th-century provincial Baroque blending traditional and
Petrine styles. A stone bell tower followed in 1802–1807. Additional
structures included two stone one-story houses (1803–1808) for the abbot
and brethren, a 19th-century stone fence (replacing wood), and a wooden
cold church to the Praise of the Theotokos (1882).
Empress Anna
Ivanovna donated 1,000 rubles in 1732 for the stone church. Later
adornments included silver-gilt rizas (covers) for the icons (Georgian
icon: 1697–1698 and 1860; Vladimir icon: 1864). The icons were carried
in processions, especially during threats like the 1859 forest fire,
which was reportedly stopped by prayer and rain.
After the 1764
secularization reforms under Catherine the Great, it became a zashтатный
(non-staff) monastery, relying on donations and limited lands rather
than state support. It remained a pilgrimage destination, with the
Georgian Icon’s fame spreading widely (a 17th-century copy later became
the main shrine of Raifsky Bogoroditsky Monastery near Kazan).
Notable figures include Prince Vasily Vasilyevich Golitsyn (exiled
favorite of Tsarina Sophia), who visited frequently after 1689 and was
buried in 1714 on the south side of the church (grave marker later
lost).
20th Century: Closure and Decline (1917–1990s)
The
monastery operated until the Soviet era. It was closed and plundered in
1920 amid the Bolshevik antireligious campaign. The two miracle-working
icons disappeared (their fates remain unknown, though a 1946 report
mentioned the Georgian Icon in an Arkhangelsk procession). Books,
utensils, and valuables were destroyed or dispersed.
Post-closure,
the buildings were repurposed: first as a commune, then a children’s
camp, and from the mid-20th century until the 1990s as a psychiatric
hospital. Some frescoes survived in the cathedral into later decades.
The ensemble deteriorated severely; the fence and holy gates
disappeared, and structures fell into emergency condition.
Current Status and Legacy
The monastery is no longer active as a
religious institution. The ruins—including the stone cathedral (in poor
condition), remnants of cells, and a memorial plaque to Prince
Golitsyn—stand on Krasnaya Gorka. Partial restoration occurred around
2006 for the tourist complex “Krasnaya Gorka,” but fires later damaged
some buildings. The site retains cultural heritage status and attracts
visitors interested in northern Russian monastic history and the
surrounding Pinega landscape.
Its legacy endures through the
veneration of its icons (especially the Georgian Icon’s copy at Raifsky
Monastery) and as a symbol of early 17th-century northern monasticism
amid the Time of Troubles. Historical descriptions, such as those by
Archbishop Makary (Mirolyubov) in the 19th century, preserve rich
details of its chronicles, miracles, and daily life.
Overall Layout and Enclosure
The monastery occupied a prominent
elevated site for visibility and defensibility. Early defenses consisted
of a wooden stake fence (tynom stoyachim) with pointed logs (replaced by
a more durable log-built “in lock” fence covered with a two-sloped roof
in 1639, and later a stone enclosure in 1858). The main entrance was
through the western Holy Gates (stone, with folding doors and a cross),
which served as a focal point. Monastic cells, refectory, and service
buildings flanked the central churches. Outside the walls were
utilitarian structures: a windmill to the west and separate horse, cow,
and service yards to the north. A holy spring with a wooden chapel lay
about 5 versts (roughly 5 km) southwest. The ensemble blended seamlessly
with the landscape, creating a “beautiful view” through monastic labor.
Main Stone Cathedral of the Georgian Icon of the Mother of God
The centerpiece is the three-altar stone Cathedral of the Georgian Icon
of the Mother of God (with side chapels dedicated to the Vladimir Icon
of the Mother of God and, later, the Miracle of Archangel Michael).
Construction spanned approximately 1716–1735 (some sources cite
1723–1735), following a fire that destroyed earlier wooden structures.
It received special imperial permission and a 1,000-ruble subsidy under
Peter I, despite a general ban on stone building outside St. Petersburg,
as materials were reused from prior structures. Consecration occurred in
1735.
Architectural style and features:
Form: It replicates
the tiered composition of traditional Northern Russian wooden churches:
a square base (chetverik) supporting two successive octagons
(vosmeriki). This created a vertical, stepped silhouette typical of
17th–18th century wooden architecture but executed in durable brick.
Materials and construction: Built of large brick with rubble infill
(zabutovka). The structure is compact and solid, reflecting provincial
conservatism.
Exterior decoration: Relatively restrained. Cornices,
horizontal belts, and shallow pilasters (weakly protruding from the wall
plane) show cautious adoption of classical order elements from Petrine
Baroque. Windows feature perspective (recessed) openings with elaborate
platbands (nalichniki); some are crowned with kokoshniki (curved,
stepped gables), a hallmark 17th-century motif carried over into the
18th century. The overall effect is harmonious rather than lavish.
Interior: Hall-like and spacious, with no supporting pillars beneath the
vaults, allowing an undivided, unified interior space—an impressive
feature for a provincial church. The refectory was attached on the same
axis, enhancing communal use. A gilded iconostasis was installed and
maintained over time (e.g., painted and gilded in the mid-19th century).
Fragments of frescoes survive on some walls (notably in the refectory
area), though many have been lost or damaged.
The cathedral was
connected to the stone bell tower, forming a unified complex. Earlier
wooden predecessors (including one built per the plan of patron merchant
Egor Tretyak Lytkin in 1629, with a low-pitched trapeza-style roof, four
small barrels for the drum and cross, and explicit instructions to avoid
tall tents/shatry to reduce lightning risk) influenced its design.
Wooden Church of the Praise of the Mother of God and Holy Gates
A
separate wooden “cold” (unheated) church dedicated to the Praise of the
Most Holy Theotokos (Pokhvala Presvyatoi Bogoroditsy) was erected in
1882 directly over the stone Holy Gates on the western side. It replaced
earlier wooden versions (the first built 1607–1608; a later one moved in
1711). This structure followed kletskaya (log-house) or barrel-roof
traditions suited to the North’s climate. It served as a summer or
processional church and complemented the stone cathedral’s
warmth-focused main space.
Bell Tower and Supporting Buildings
Bell Tower: Initially, bells (four totaling about 14 poods/229 kg in the
early 17th century) hung on simple pillars. A wooden bell tower stood
over the refectory until replaced by a stone one (1802–1807, the tallest
element in the complex). It incorporated older materials and included a
middle tier used as a library/archive.
Monastic Cells and Auxiliary
Structures: Early wooden cells (nine brotherhood cells plus service
quarters by the 1620s) gave way to more permanent 19th-century
buildings: two one-story stone houses for monks (right side), a wooden
building, and a guesthouse (left side). Additional constructions
included an abbot’s house, bakery, refectory expansions, barns, and
stables (1803–1811). These were practical, low-rise structures
prioritizing utility over ornament.
Architectural Significance
and Evolution
The monastery’s architecture illustrates the gradual
transition in Russian North from purely wooden vernacular traditions
(tiered roofs, barrel forms, lightning-avoidant designs) to brick
construction while retaining regional character. It lacks the grandeur
of central Russian or Moscow-style monasteries but embodies provincial
restraint, adaptation to environment, and pilgrimage functionality.
Patronage (e.g., from Yaroslavl merchant Lytkin, who donated extensively
and planned the 1629 church) and imperial support under the Romanovs
shaped its growth. It housed key relics like copies of the Vladimir and
Georgian Icons of the Mother of God, drawing pilgrims.
Several individuals are inextricably linked to the monastery's
legacy:
Priest Myron: The founder who built the initial church
and enshrined the Vladimir icon.
Merchant Lytkin: The patron who
introduced the Georgian icon, funded stone reconstructions, and produced
liturgical texts.
Prince Vasily Golitsyn: The exiled noble whose
burial site adds a layer of historical intrigue.
Bishop Macarius
(Nikolai Kirillovich Mirolubov, 1817-1894): The author of key historical
descriptions that preserved the monastery's story.
Various clergy and
compilers, such as Archpriest A. Kirillov (1911), who documented the
icons' legends.
Today, the Krasnogor Bogoroditsky Monastery stands as an inactive ruin, no longer functioning as a religious community but preserved as a historical landmark. The Soviet-era repurposing and subsequent abandonment have left the structures in disrepair, with collapsed roofs, crumbling walls, and faded murals exposed to the elements. Despite this, the site retains an aura of mystery and spirituality, attracting visitors through organized tours from nearby accommodations like Hotel Golubino. Guides recount its legends during short bus excursions, emphasizing the panoramic views and the hill's recreational potential. Efforts to document and promote it as part of Russia's Orthodox heritage continue, though no active restoration is evident. It serves as a testament to the fragility of sacred sites amid historical upheavals, inviting reflection on faith, exile, and endurance in the Russian North.