The history of the monastery

Nizhny Novgorod Annunciation monastery located on the high right Bank of the Oka river, near its confluence with the Volga, and currently is a magnificent monastic complex of white stone churches. It is believed that he founded in 1221 the Holy right-believing great Prince Georgy Vsevolodovich and the Holy Hierarch Simon, Bishop of Vladimir at the Foundation of Nizhny Novgorod.

In 1229 the monastery was attacked Mordovian Prince Purgas, was completely ruined and burned pagan Prince and more than a hundred years, ceased operations. In 1357 Nizhny Novgorod was visited by the Metropolitan of Moscow Alexy, who was heading to the Golden Horde intercessor for the Russian land. After successful completion of the visit to the Horde, the Archbishop has fulfilled a vow to revive the ruined monastery.

The concerns of Metropolitan Alexis in 1370 was built, and in 1371 the consecrated white-stone single-domed Church of the Annunciation in the Nizhny Novgorod Annunciation monastery. In the XVII century the temple was rebuilt. The main Shrine of the monastery was revered Korsun icon of the blessed virgin, donated by St. Alexius restored to the brethren of the monastery. The image was made by Byzantine masters brought back the Metropolitan from Moscow. In the years of Soviet power the image was requisitioned. Currently, his fate and location remain unknown.

Revived in the fourteenth century Annunciation monastery began to grow and flourish. The Grand Dukes of Suzdal and Nizhny Novgorod gave him tracts of land, supplied the inhabitants with all necessary. Many spiritual and secular persons donated cash and in-kind contributions for the construction of this monk of the monastery, becoming its patrons, guardians and benefactors.

Since the renewal of the monastery he belonged to the House of the Metropolitan of Moscow, and with the establishment of the Patriarchate in 1589 – called "house Church of the Patriarchal monastery of the house", that is Stavropegial. Primate was given the Russian Nizhny Novgorod Annunciation monastery charters from himself and sought for the convent of mercy monarchs. So, during the reign of Archimandrite Ferapont II (1640-1649), Sergius (1651-1654) and the Paphnutii (1660-1679) the Annunciation monastery had a lot of different benefits and advantages set forth in the respective certificates. Being a kind of center of the spread of Church culture and education, by the end of the nineteenth century Annunciation monastery had a large library, which was preserved manuscripts and early printed books of XVI — XIX centuries.

The revival of the Annunciation monastery began in 1991, when an ancient monastery was returned to the Nizhny Novgorod diocese. In the monastery, resumed the Church life, began to occur in worship. September 25, 1993 is considered the official date of the opening of the monastery.

With the beginning of the restoration of the spiritual life of the monastery began and the revival of theological education in the Nizhny Novgorod diocese. With the blessing of Metropolitan of Nizhny Novgorod and Arzamas Nikolai (Kutepov) initially, the Blagoveshensky monastery housed the training of catechists, and then in Nizhny Novgorod religious boys school, converted in 1995 to a theological Seminary. The revival of the monastery took an active part students of Nizhny Novgorod ecclesiastical Seminary, which was performed in the abode of various obediences.

The recovery and revival of the spiritual life monastery of the Annunciation continues to this day.