The split of the Russian Church in the 17th century, caused by the reforms of Patriarch Nikon, deeply shocked all of Russia. Each person was faced with a difficult choice, and not everyone agreed to show the required conformity and loyalty to the authorities. Stronger than concern for worldly well-being was devotion to the “faith of our fathers and grandfathers” - a time-honored national church tradition. Opponents of the reform began to be brutally persecuted: - adherence to the Old Believers entailed being brought to a civil court and public execution - burning in a log house. Persecution for faith forced many to leave their homes and flee from the center of Russia to the outskirts. Enormous spiritual strength, reinforced by the awareness of their responsibility as the last guardians and defenders of “ancient church piety,” is the only thing that helped the Old Believers not only survive the times of persecution, but also make a very noticeable contribution to the economic and cultural life of Russia in the 17th - 20th centuries. (let us at least remember the names of the Morozovs, Guchkovs, Prokhorovs, Shchukins, Ryabushinskys, etc.).

The history of the Vygo-Leksinsky Old Believer community is also one of the most striking examples of this kind. The Vygovskaya desert, which lies to the northeast of Lake Onega and received its name from the Vyg River flowing here, was ideally suited for the refuge of persecuted Old Believers: dense, impenetrable forests and swamps, lack of settlements, remoteness from administrative centers. Already in the 80s of the 17th century. Old Believer monks, immigrants from northern monasteries (mainly from Solovetsky), began to flock here and establish monasteries here; later, the resettlement of surrounding peasants began, which gradually became more and more massive, who founded Old Believer settlements in new places, cleared land for arable land and sowed grain. From the connection of two such settlements - the Tolvuyan Zakhary Drovnin and another founded by the former church sexton from Shunga Daniil Vikulin and the townsman of the city of Povenets Andrei Denisov - in October 1694 the Vygovsky hostel arose. At first it was very small. In the late autumn of 1694, a dining room was built where prayers took place, a bakery, a barn, and two cells. The first Vygov residents (their number did not exceed 40), as the desert historian Ivan Filippov testifies, lived “a necessary and meager desert life, with a torch in the chapel, sending out the service of icons and books in the chapel, meagerly and with little value. And there was no bell then, in they called the board, and there was no road from the volosts to them into the desert at that time; I walked on skis with kerezhda.” But the desire to build their own “refuge of the faithful” in a hostile world and the well-known Old Believer hard work performed a real miracle. Within four years, Vyg had a well-established diversified economy - large areas were plowed under arable land, vegetable gardens were established, livestock were raised, trade, marine animal trades and various handicraft industries were organized. As it turns out from newly discovered documentary sources, in 1698 the number of Vygov inhabitants already reached two thousand people.

The first period of Vyg's history, which lasted until the early 17th century, was one of the most difficult. The position of the constantly growing community remained uncertain; any denunciation and decision by the authorities could destroy the undertaking that required such efforts. When in 1702 Peter I and his army drove along the famous “Osudareva Road”, laid through centuries-old forest and swamps from Nyukhcha to Povenets, the entire Old Believer district was gripped by fear: some were preparing to suffer for their faith, others were preparing to leave their already inhabited places. The Tsar was informed that Old Believers-hermits lived nearby, but Peter, more occupied with the upcoming siege of Noteburg, replied: “Let them live,” and “passed peacefully,” the chronicler happily notes. In 1705, the settlement on the Vyg River was assigned to the Povenets Iron Works, and simultaneously with the acquisition of official status, it received freedom of religion and worship. Since that time, the influx of Old Believers to Vyg has increased significantly, not only from surrounding areas, but also from all over Russia. Fleeing persecution, people from Moscow and the Volga region flocked here. Novgorod, Arkhangelsk, Ustyug Veliky. Gradually, life in the desert began to be organized according to monastic order. Following the principle of separate living of men and women laid down from the very beginning of the community, the settlement was surrounded by a fence and divided by a wall into two halves - male and female (later the female was called the Cow Yard). In 1706, 20 versts from the Epiphany Monastery, which stood on the Vyg River, a women’s monastery, the Exaltation of the Cross, was built on the Lexa River. The first abbess was Andrei Denisov’s sister Solomonia. The hostels were surrounded by numerous monasteries (where families were allowed to live), administratively subordinate to the Vygov Cathedral. Mid 10s of the 18th century. - a turning point in the history of the desert. It was then that the hostels, realizing Vyg as their spiritual homeland and fatherland, acquired “cultural settlement”...

And they sowed grain on them. Their center was a community founded in the city on the Vyga River (in the present Povenets district of the Olonets province, 40 versts east of Onega) by the Shunga sexton Daniil Vikulov and therefore also called the Danilov Monastery. But the dominant influence in the community was Andrei Denisov, who came to the Vygoretsk hermitage in the year and lived here with his brother Semyon and sister Solomonia. Thanks to them, the community prospered and grew stronger. The Danilov Monastery especially grew during the reign of Peter, whose reforms led to a strong increase in the number of fugitives. Danilovo's hostel accepted everyone who came. Even from neighboring Sweden there were Finns and Swedes, from “simple arable people.” They accepted everyone without asking about the past. They only asked whether the visitor remembered Patriarch Nikon. Those who were born after Nikon, but were baptized with a two-fingered cross, were confessed and rebaptized. A person who was baptized with three fingers was told that he would be accepted only if he crossed himself with two fingers. Finally, foreigners were baptized in the same manner as infants. With such an easy reception, a mass of people rushed to Vyg. There was a need to divide the monastery into two parts. For this purpose, a convenient place was chosen, about twenty miles from Danilov, on the Lexa River, and here in the city a convent was founded, where Danilov’s women were transferred. The increase in the number of workers made it possible to expand the economy, occupy more convenient and fertile lands and thereby protect themselves from hunger strikes. Such convenient empty land was found on the Chazhenka River in Kargopol district. This land was state-owned and occupied about 16 square meters. verst. Andrei Denisov and his comrades rented it (), built huts for workers and cattle yards, and established extensive arable land. Workers came here from Danilov in the spring and then, after working all summer, returned home for the winter. Only a small part of the workers remained on site to thresh bread. The threshed bread was sent to the hostel, for which roads were laid and bridges were built throughout the entire space from Chazhenka to Danilov (and in other directions), in Kargopol and the present-day Pudozh and Povenets districts; Inns were set up everywhere along the roads, where travelers could find accommodation and food, and feed for horses, all of which was free. To increase their livelihood, the Vygovites also resorted to fishing on Vygozero, Vodlozero and many other lakes. At the same time, they began to go free fishing to the Murmansk coast of the Arctic Ocean, often went to Novaya Zemlya, visited Grumant (Spitsbergen) to catch and fight sea animals and, as historians assure them, even went to America several times. Finally, Andrei Denisov convinced the brethren to engage, in the person of elected clerks, in the grain trade. Having received a loan of capital from some rich schismatics, the Vygovites began to buy bread in the lower cities and deliver it to St. Petersburg, where bread prices were very high. This trade assumed such wide dimensions that warehouses, piers and farmsteads had to be built in different places; Pigmatka, a small bay to the north, served as the central pier. Lake Onega. Thanks to such varied activities, Danilov and his branch office of Lexa developed into very prosperous and even wealthy towns, with a population of several hundred people each. Life in this monastery-town was regulated by a special Code drawn up by Andrei Denisov. An enthusiastic religious man and ascetic, Andrei looked at marital cohabitation simply as fornication and preached that for salvation it was necessary to abstain from sexual intercourse. But most of the settlers were not at all inclined to an ascetic life. A struggle ensued, and Andrei was forced to compromise. “Those who could accommodate” remained in the monasteries, where life followed strict monastic rules. Family settlers and “newlyweds” settled throughout monasteries and led an ordinary “worldly” life. These monasteries in the 17th century. there were many; We have received news of 27 hermitages. In addition, there were small settlements that were not considered monasteries - Pigmatka, Negomozero, Polovinnoye, Togma, Purnozero and many others. All these villages were drawn to Danilov as their center. But the role of Danilov’s representatives was exclusively executive. Danilovsky leaders could take actions concerning the entire Vygoretsia only if they were accepted and approved by the general meeting of representatives of all Vygoretsky monasteries. In its internal administration, each settlement had complete independence; all matters relating to any monastery were decided by general lay meetings of all the inhabitants of the monastery. The most difficult was the organization of management in Danilov itself. The head of the community was kinoviarch, or, to put it simply, highway Bolshak was in charge of all the affairs of the community; All its elected ranks and officials were subordinate to him, some of whom were in charge of the religious affairs of the community, and others - its economy and administration. But in all its actions, the highway had to comply with the decisions of the council, that is, the general meeting, which was attended by both the “fathers” and “brothers” of Danilov, and representatives of the Leksin monastery.

The Vygoretskaya hermitage became a hotbed and the main center of priestless behavior throughout Russia. She was strong not only through material means. Along with the workshops, the Denisovs established schools for adults and children. V. schools soon became schools for children of the entire schismatic world; Students, and especially female students (“belitsy”), were brought here from all over Russia. In addition to literacy schools, there were established: a school of skilled scribes for copying and distributing schismatic books, a school of singers to supply schismatic chapels and houses of worship, a school of icon painters to prepare icons in the schismatic spirit. The Vygovites managed to collect a rich collection of ancient manuscripts and early printed books; here were not only liturgical books, but grammars and rhetoric, cosmographies and philosophical works, chronicles and chronographs, Polish, Lithuanian, Little Russian books. Strong in its enlightenment, the Great Hermitage gave the schismatic a number of figures who brought the schismatic teaching into a system, and a whole series of works, historical, dogmatic and moral, which are still considered the best among the schismatics. These are the writings of br. Denisovs, their relative Pyotr Prokofiev, Trifon Petrov, and many others. etc. On the dogmatic teaching of the Vygovites, see Pomeranian Concord. V. schismatic teachers enjoyed extraordinary respect and personal influence throughout the schismatic world, without distinction of interpretations or agreements.

A schismatic community, so rich and so influential, could not help but attract the attention of the government. Back in the city, when passing Peter and through the Olonets province. He was informed that desert schismatics were hiding on Vyg. But he looked at the matter from a practical perspective. A decree was sent to them in the city, granting them freedom to worship using old printed books, but with the requirement that they be assigned to the newly established Povenets mining factories and carry out work there. The Vygovites obeyed and, in general, were the first among the schismatics to be imbued with the idea of ​​the need for concessions to the authorities and a “political” attitude towards them. Having significant funds, they had strong connections not only in the local bureaucracy, but also in the highest spheres of St. Petersburg, and even sent gifts to the court, mainly live and killed deer. Troubles befell them more than once, but they always got out more or less happily. In the city he was sent to them for a conversation from St. Synod hieromonk Neophyte, and it was then that the famous “Pomeranian Answers” ​​in the history of the schism, the main work of the V. schism teachers, appeared in response to the questions he proposed. According to various denunciations coming from former members of the V. hostel, various commissions, Senate and Synod, were repeatedly assigned to them. Especially memorable for them was the investigative commission of the year, equipped with the denunciation of a certain Krugly. The commission, by the way, was tasked with investigating whether the Vygovites were definitely not praying for the royal family. The Vygovites yielded and, according to the decision of their teachers, included the royal house in their prayers. But many Bespopovites then separated from the Vygovites, calling them Samaritans(from the head of the commission Samarin, as a result of whose search a concession was made); several dozen of those who persisted even committed themselves to burning. During the reign of Catherine II and Alexander, the Vygovites were not subjected to special persecution. But after the measures taken to weaken the schism in the second quarter of the current century and especially after the year, both the power, importance, and wealth of the V. community turned into a legend of distant antiquity. Even in the year, the Vygovites had at their disposal, near the village of Chazhensky, Kargopol district, 13,078 acres, at their flour mill

VYGOVSKAYA DESERT

Excerpts from the essay

In St. Petersburg, near the Volkov cemetery, there is a Bespopovshchina prayer house. If you come to it after the noisy streets of the capital, it becomes as strange as being in a carriage at night when you wake up from a train stop. Where are we? What's wrong with us? Sometimes quite a lot of time passes until the necessary balance is established in the consciousness and everything is explained so simply.

And here, in the prayer room, a thought, torn off from the street, rushes from side to side, runs forward, rushes back and finally finds itself somewhere far away in pre-Petrine times.

In the twilight, from the dark rows of icons, the huge round face of Christ looks at people in long black caftans, with large waist-length beards and with folded hands on their chests. Three elevations covered in black stand in front of the iconostasis; on the middle one, a large metal eight-pointed cross shines from a candle; at the side ones there are dark female figures. One woman quickly reads from a large book. Near the right and left choirs stand two elders, and women in black walk past them, bow with deep bows from the waist and fill both choirs. Having gathered, they go out into the middle of the church, and immediately, unexpectedly for strangers, they scream and sing in their noses sadly and gloomily. From time to time, people in long caftans fall forward onto their hands, rise and fall again. One of the two gray-haired elders takes the censer and censes in front of each, while everyone spreads their arms folded on their chests. It’s awkward for a stranger in this prayer house: people here pray and sacredly honor their rituals.

Almost next to this prayer house there is an Orthodox church. At first it will become easy, free and joyful, as you move there from the darkness. Everything is familiar, light, the altar, the singers, the priest in a shiny robe. But, looking closely at the icons, you notice that they are the same, gloomy old ones, and even the same dark, huge face of Christ is looking out at the ordinary crowd. It turns out that this church was taken away from the Bespopovites and converted into an Orthodox one. Then details in the crowd: ladies in hats whisper, others smile, singers clear their throats and set the tone, the priest looks sideways at the parishioners. In one church there is some kind of unbearable petrification of the spirit, in another it is boring, as usual.

These churches are monuments to that tragedy of the spirit of the Russian people, when the Western “military” law met the Eastern “graceful” law and a split occurred. It was at these times that the religious idea illuminated the dark land of forest, water and stone. Mental life began to boil within him. The main issues of religion were discussed here, developed theoretically and tested in life. Then the Vygovsky region was covered with roads, bridges, arable lands, and villages. And this went on for one and a half hundred years. Then everything became quiet again, mental life faded away, houses, chapels were destroyed, arable land was overgrown with forests. And the region remained as if a majestic and gloomy grave, a witness of those “bygone times.”

* * *

The Solovetsky Monastery for the Vygovsky region was once the same shrine and economic center as the Danilovsky Monastery (Vygovskaya Hermitage) later became. That is why horror and trepidation gripped everyone when, in January 1676, troops entered the besieged Solovetsky Monastery, which had become schismatic. The perpetrators were punished mercilessly: hundreds of those executed were thrown onto the ice.

At this time in the North there is almost continuous night. And it was as if the same hopeless, terrible night hung over the entire Russian land for decades. Looking into this abyss of darkness is scary. What can you see there? Burning of heretics, bonfires of self-immolators? Or maybe it’s already starting? Maybe heaven and earth are already burning, the archangel will sound the trumpet, and the Last Terrible Judgment will come! It seemed that the whole universe was shaking, wavering, and perishing from the devil. He, this devil, “the evil, terrible, black serpent” appeared. Everything that was predicted in the Apocalypse came true. The believers abandoned all their earthly affairs, lay down in coffins and sang:

Wooden pine coffin,
Built for me
I will lie in it,
Wait for the trumpet voice;
The angels will sound the trumpet
They will awaken from the grave...

And in the abandoned fields cattle wandered and mooed pitifully. But this horror before the end of the world was only in the powerless soul of man. Nature still remained calm, the stars did not fall from the sky, the moon and sun were shining. And so years passed after years. It was as if someone was laughing at the man.

The persecution intensified. The government of Sophia issued a decree: all unrepentant schismatics should be burned in log houses. Those who refused to receive communion were gagged and given communion by force. All that remained was to die or flee into the desert.

And in the deserts of the Vygovsky region, the fugitives received a warm welcome. There, near the lakes, the elders lived in forest huts, cut down the forest, burned it, and, having dug up the ground with a spear, sowed grain and caught fish. These elders sometimes came out of the forest and taught the people. They taught him the ancient Russian piety of Donikon and depicted to him the horrors of the approaching Last Judgment. The people listened to them and understood them, because here they had long been accustomed to such teachers.

* * *

Of these elder preachers, Ignatius of Solovetsky was especially famous. For a long time he hid from persecution by one of those punitive expeditions that were sent to search for schismatics in the forests. Finally, exhausted, unable to hide from his pursuers who went into the desert, “like a dog fly on Egypt,” he decided to die a glorious death by self-immolation.

“Forge the greatest swords, prepare the most cruel torments, invent the most terrible deaths, and the joy of the author of the sermon will be the sweetest!”

Like a persecuted beast, Ignatius fled with his students on skis across Lake Onego. Having run to the Paleostrovsky monastery, he kicked out the monks who did not agree with him, locked himself in the monastery, and sent disciples throughout the “villages and towns” to announce to the faithful Christians that everyone who wanted to end in fire for ancient piety should come to him for a meeting.

And from all the villages people went in droves to their famous preacher. About three thousand people gathered. It seemed dangerous to the detachment pursuing the schismatics to approach the monastery and therefore sent to Novgorod for reinforcements. During Lent, the army and five hundred soldiers with many witnesses moved to the monastery. In front were carts of hay to provide cover from bullets. We thought there would be strong resistance. But they didn’t shoot from the monastery.

Soon the people standing near the walls disappeared somewhere. The detachment approached the very walls. The soldiers climbed the walls using ladders and went down into the courtyard. There wasn't a soul there. They rushed to the church, but the gates were locked and lined with strong log shields. Then they realized that a terrible death was preparing. We tried to cut down the walls, but it would take a long time. They dragged cannons onto the fence, and cannonballs flew into the wooden church.

And people sat there, huddled in a tight group, surrounded by brushwood. For the last two days, and some for a week, they didn’t drink, didn’t eat, didn’t sleep. The historian reports that they prayed like this: “It is sweet for me to die for the laws of your church, Christ, since this is beyond my natural strength.”

It is not known whether the Old Believers themselves set fire to the brushwood or whether candles fell from the impact of the cannonball and lit it, but as soon as the church immediately burst into flames, the flame burst out, made a noise and rose high into the sky in a column.

The walls fell in and buried everyone...

“The Sobbing and Lamentable Cane” by the historian Ivan Filippov, a contemporary of these events, tells us that there was such a vision:

“When the first smoke dispersed and the flame rustled, Father Ignatius came out of the church dome with a cross in great lordship and began to rise to the sky, and behind him were other elders and countless people, all in white robes in rows walked towards the sky and, when they passed the heavenly doors became invisible."

But the work of Ignatius did not perish with him.

Even in the Solovetsky Monastery, one pious elder Gury convinced Ignatius to leave the monastery and found a new one.

Go, go, Ignatius,” he said, “have no doubt, God wants to create a great abode for you for His glory.”

Wandering through the villages in Pomerania, Ignatius looked for suitable people to found a new monastery. He soon met the Shunga sexton Danil Vikulich, who was also hiding in the Vygov forests, and became close friends with him. To this Danila, Elder Pimen, who ended his life in the same way as Ignatius by self-immolation, predicted a leading role in the future monastery. It happened under such circumstances. Danil once visited Pimen in the Karelian forests. They talked for a long time, and when Danil began to leave, the elder went to see him off. Getting into the boat, Danil was about to take the oar at the stern, but Pimen said to Danil:

You, Danil, sit at the stern, you will be the helmsman and good ruler of the last Christian people in the Vygov desert.

But the most important service of Ignatius in relation to the Vygovskaya hermitage was that he prepared the gifted family of the Povenets peasant Denis, a descendant of the Myshetsky princes, for religious feats.

“So,” says the historian, “this small river (Vygovskaya hermitage) flowed from the source of the great Solovetsky monastery.”

* * *

Andrei (Denisov) Myshetsky, later the famous organizer of the Vygovskaya Hermitage and theorist of schism, grew up in Povenets on the banks of the stormy Onega, at the edge of the then primeval Povenets forests. The village of Povenets was then the center from which punitive expeditions were sent, and here the schismatics who were caught were tortured. Executions, self-immolations, the ardent preaching of Ignatius - this is what the youth of the brilliantly gifted Andrei encountered and what directed him to a religious feat.

In December, at the very cold, when in the North the night only pales a little for the day, the young man with his friend Ivan goes into the forest: “Leaves his father, despises the house and destroys everything real, as if it doesn’t exist... Skis instead of a horse, kerezhi instead a cart, a cart, a cabman, a leader, and a driver.”

And so begins a “god-fearing and self-embarrassed life.” The young men wander in the darkness, deep in the forests and spend the night near fires, eating the meager food they took with them. When the snow finally melted, they chose a place near a mountain near a stream for permanent residence: “I chose the mountain as my roommate and the stream of my neighbor.”

Young hermits often went to Danil, who lived not far from them. Together with the elderly ascetic, they sang spiritual poems, prayed, talked with him and returned home, more and more “inflamed with divine jealousy.”

Finally, seeing that they agreed on everything, they decided to move to Danil, live with him and build a large hut for the new hermits coming to them.

When life more or less settled down, Andrei went to Povenets, settled with one of his friends and slowly prepared the escape of his sister Solomonia. The old father was at first in terrible anger, but then, convinced that the new hostel was a serious matter, he himself moved there along with his two other sons, Semyon and Ivan.

Not so far from Andrei and Danil, along the Verkhny Vyg River, hiding from persecution, the peasant Zakhary lived with his family, engaged in farming. The banks of the Vyga River, although completely covered with spruce and pine forests, were good for farming. Hermits have settled here for a long time. So, above Zechariah lived the very revered elder Cornelius, below - Sergius.

Once on St. Zechariah I had to visit Danil and Andrey. Then the happy idea came to him to invite them to his home on Vyg. Returning to his father’s home, Zachary spoke about the new hostel and their plans.

The old man liked it so much that the two of them immediately went skiing to them. The guests were received with joy, but the founders of the Vygov hostel did not immediately give in to Zachary’s convictions and decided to send twelve workers there to cut down trees and sow grain as an experiment. The workers left immediately.

While they were working for Vygu, a disaster happened: all the supplies and all the buildings in the hostel burned down. Then, taking with them everything that was left, they went to Vyg, where the work took place. Danil and Andrey, before finally deciding to found a hostel on Vygu, went to consult with Elder Cornelius regarding this.

Having talked with them about all the misfortunes and various changes in the church, Cornelius not only advised them, but persistently convinced them and blessed them to move to Zechariah on Vyg. He predicted a brilliant future for the Vygovskaya desert: “These places will spread and become famous in all corners. As they multiply, they will settle with mothers and children, with cows and cradles.” In general, Cornelius was the complete opposite of the learned rigorist fanatic Ignatius; he preached peaceful, healthy work, simplicity, and love for people. When, returning to the brethren, Danil and Andrey conveyed to them Cornelius’ answer, everyone was very happy. But soon Cornelius himself came to bless them. Everyone gathered together, prayed and immediately got to work. This is how the Vygov hostel was founded (1695).

Of the buildings, first of all, they erected a dining room and a grain store in one connection, cells for men and women. At this time, about forty people had already gathered. But rumors about the new monastery quickly spread and the community began to grow. The most difficult thing was to establish permanent arable land, to move from thankless swidden farming to permanent arable land, to three-field farming. To do this, it was necessary to have livestock to fertilize the permanent arable land. Little by little they succeeded: they built a horse and cow yard.

Between the women's cells and the men's cells they placed a wall and in it a small cell with a window where relatives could be seen; A fence was erected around the entire monastery. Due to the lack of candles, the service was performed with a torch and instead of a bell, they knocked on a board.

As community life developed, it was necessary to think more and more about the organization of work and, in general, about the organization of a new life. Of course, it was very difficult for Andrei to save his soul near a mountain near a stream, but for a young enthusiast, perhaps such a feat was only the satisfaction of his need. Now all sorts of people began to come to the hostel: both strong and weak. Running away from the world was Andrei’s main idea, but then a new world arose. And this new world had to be arranged so that it did not resemble the old one.

I had just managed to somehow get settled and acquire everything necessary for the household, when a new misfortune befell the hermits gathered on the Vygu. The “chilly and green” years have arrived. Vygu is almost the extreme northern limit of proper farming, and the harvest there depends entirely on the vagaries of the weather. The long-tailed duck blows, that is, the wind from the sea, there is enough frost while the grain is being poured, and the entire harvest dies - these are “cold years.” And it happens that the bread does not have time to ripen before winter - these are the “green years”. Such years, especially at the beginning of the existence of the hostel, could be disastrous for him, because there were no reserves yet. One day Andrei even hesitated and already decided to go to the sea to look for new places. But his father, Denis, stopped these hesitations with a “simple speech”: “Live,” he said, “where the fathers blessed and ended, although you search and walk a lot; yes, here forty cooked porridge, this is the place in time.”

I had to make peace. In order not to die of hunger, they built a mill higher up on Vygu to make flour from straw and pine bark. However, it was not always possible to bake bread from such flour: they often crumbled in the oven and were swept out with a broom. Finally, to eliminate such scattering of bread, they decided to bake them in birch bark boxes. “And there was such poverty then that they had lunch during the day and had supper and didn’t know what, many times they lived without supper.”

Then they collected everything that anyone had: money, silver coins, dresses, and sent Andrei to buy bread on the Volga. Partly with the proceeds from the sale of this property, and partly with the alms of pious people sympathizing with the schism, Andrei managed to purchase a significant amount of bread. He brought it to Vytegra and from there to Pigmatka - the place closest to the Vygovskaya desert on Lake Onega. From Pigmatka they carried bread in crumbs (back baskets) along forest paths, because there was no road then. In remote places of the Povenets district they still carry bread in this way.

Somehow we dealt with the problem. And they were just about to breathe freely when a new disaster threatened to strike the monastery. Not far away, just fifty miles away, Peter the Great walked with his army through forests and swamps...

* * *

When Peter the Great, in whom many schismatics saw the Antichrist, appeared in the wilds of Vygov, they were seized by such horror that some wanted to flee, and some, following the example of their fathers, accepted fiery suffering. Resin and brushwood were already prepared in the chapel. Everyone was in tireless prayer and fasting.

When crossing the Vyg, Peter, of course, was informed that schismatics lived nearby.

Do they pay taxes? - he asked.

They pay taxes, they are hardworking people, they answered him.

“Let them live,” said Peter.

“And he rode peacefully, like the most gracious father of the fatherland,” Ivan Filippov’s quick-writing cane joyfully narrates.

In exactly the same way, they reported to Peter about the hermits against the Pigmatka, but he again said: “Let them live.” “And everyone was silent, and no one was more daring, not just what to do, but also to speak.”

But Peter did not forget about the hermits. Soon Prince Menshikov came to Povenets to set up an ironworks. The location of the plant was chosen near Onego on the Povenchanka River, and a decree was sent to the Vygovskaya Hermitage, which said: “His Imperial Majesty needs weapons for the Swedish War, for this a plant is being established, the Vygov residents must carry out work and assist the plant in every possible way, and for this they freedom is given to live in the Vygovskaya hermitage and perform services according to old books."

The hermits agreed. They were supposed to make weapons that paved the way to Europe. With this they bought freedom.

Peter did not constrain the schismatics at all. Partly, he did not have time to do this - he was absorbed in the war. In part, he looked at them practically and took advantage of them, imposing a special tax “for the split.”

The community grew so quickly that in 1706 they decided to establish a separate monastery for women. The place was chosen thirty miles from Danilov, on the Lexa River. They built cells, a dining room, a hospital and a chapel and surrounded it all with a fence.

But no matter how hard the Vygovites tried to establish themselves firmly, they failed. From time to time, “chill and green years” were repeated, which plunged everyone into despair, because each time they had to eat pine bark, straw and even grass. After a series of crop failures, Andrei decided to destroy the very possibility of hunger strikes. With the greatest energy, the hermits begin to look for comfortable land. They visited the Mezen district, examined Pomerania, visited Siberia, and visited the “bottom”, that is, the Volga provinces. But in the North there was land just as inconvenient for farming, and it was too far to go “down there.” Finally they settled on government land in the Kargopol district in Chazhenka and bought it at auction. There was a lot of land, sixteen miles in all directions, and it was so convenient that the Vygovites even thought of moving there. They sent Semyon Denisov to Novgorod to apply for permission. But in Novgorod, Semyon was arrested as a schismatic teacher and the attempt ended in failure. We had to limit ourselves to sending workers there during field work.

This land has become a huge help. Now it was possible to live without thinking about the cold years. They began to lay roads and build bridges. In the Povenets district, to this day they remember with a kind word anyone who knocks down several trees and lays them across a thin moss, or builds a bridge from the same trees on a stream. And then, in the complete absence of roads, the activities of the hostel were a blessing for the region. Roads were laid from Danilov to Chazhenka and Leska, Volozero, Purnozero, to Lake Onega, to Pigmatka and to the White Sea. Everywhere along the roads there were inns, crosses and milestones; bridges were built on Onega, Vygu, Sosnovka and other rivers. In the hostel itself, they built a new large dining room with a kitchen for baking bread, as well as a large hut for cab drivers, new large workshops: a tannery, a tailor, a shoemaker's shop, a workshop for painters, a forge, a copper foundry and others. They also built a large stable with a shed for carriages, several barns, and a work hut. Finally, they set up a large hut for Andrei and his family and for those close to him, another hut for the port clerk and his comrades “for arrival” and “for counting.” The latter indicates that at this time the hostel had significant trade.

This thought probably occurred to Andrei when he went to the “downstairs” in lean years to buy bread. Just at this time, St. Petersburg was being built, and hundreds of thousands of people constantly needed bread and paid well for it. We tried to deliver bread from the Volga provinces through Vytegra to St. Petersburg. The business turned out to be profitable. Then they opened their own ships, their own piers on Vytegra and Pigmatka. The ships sailed on Lake Onega between Vytegra, Pigmatka and Petrovsky factories, and also sailed to St. Petersburg. Danilov began to get rich, capital and grain reserves accumulated, eliminating any possibility of hunger strikes.

Towards the end of Andrei's life, Danilov flourished. There were arable yards all around him, many horses and cows stood in his horse and cow yards, and there was a whole flotilla of ships on Lake Onega. Widespread charity spread the glory of this “priestless Jerusalem” far across the country. How strong the position of the hostel was can be judged from the fact that the fire, which completely destroyed the Leksinsky monastery, did not cause significant damage to the hostel. New buildings were soon erected, and Andrei, despite his constant mental pursuits, both purely theoretical, theological, and practical, in observing the external and internal life of the hostel, worked together with everyone else on the construction.

In essence, Danilov was then a small town. It had several hundred inhabitants in an area of ​​six to eight square miles. A deep ditch was dug around it and high fences were made. Two tall chapels with a bell tower rose from a number of simple but strong two- and three-story buildings. All cells, that is, capacious huts for ten or more people, were fifty-one; in addition, there were sixteen smaller huts, fifteen barns, huge cellars, two large cookhouses, twelve sheds, four horse yards and four cow sheds, a guest house and five inns, five barns, two forges, a copper foundry, a tar factory, a tailor shop, a shoe shop, and an icon-painting shop. , handicrafts, a workshop for scribes and other workshops, two schools and two hospitals. Then there were mills, brick factories - in a word, everything that was necessary for city life. Numerous cultivated courtyards and hermitages scattered throughout the land stretched towards this center.

All this schismatic community grew out of the protest of the old world to the new, which is why its social structure represented an example of ancient Russian self-government. On all important occasions, representatives of the many hermitages of Vygorecia gathered together. In exceptionally important cases, they were joined by elected officials and elders of the volosts neighboring Vygorecia. As for the executive power, the main role here belonged to representatives of Danilov, the spiritual and religious center, although in the internal structure the monasteries of Vygorecia enjoyed complete independence. In this regard, the forms of the Danilovsky hostel were especially carefully developed, with which the “Code” of the Denisov brothers clearly introduces us.

At the head of the community was the highway, it was called the cinemaviarch. He had the supreme leadership role and authority over all other elected officials. He was chosen from people of outstanding qualities. At first this position was filled by Danil, then by Andrey and Semyon Denisov. The Kinoviarch, however, was subordinated, in turn, to the cathedral, that is, the general meeting of the Danilovites and representatives of Lexa.

Behind the highway, the Code delineates the duties of the cellarer, treasurer, dresser and mayor. The cellarer was in charge of the internal affairs of the community; he had to supervise four services: refectory, bread, cook and hospital. The treasurer had to carefully protect all Vygov property and, according to the Code, look at it as things belonging to God himself. In the tanneries, in the shoemaker's and tailor's scum, in the copper and other workshops, he observed the work. There were elders in all the workshops to help him. The treasurer could act only through the elders: on the other hand, the elders could not do anything without the knowledge of the treasurer.

Subject to the supervision and care of the contractor were: agriculture, carpentry, forging, fishing, carriage, milking, mills, stockyards and all household work and working people. He also acted through elected elders.

Finally, the mayor was obliged to have supervision over the watchmen, over both living rooms - external and internal, to monitor the coming and going of wanderers, to keep an eye on the brethren in the chapel courtyards, during book reading, in cells and during meals. In addition to these positions, there were attorneys for communication with the official world: at the Petrovsky factories, in Olonets, and Novgorod, Moscow and St. Petersburg.

Along with the economic side, the spiritual enlightenment of the brethren also developed. In this regard, as in everything else, the community owes everything to the same four outstanding people, whom the historian characterizes as follows: “Daniel is the golden rule of Christ’s meekness, Peter is the cheerful eye of the church charter, Andrei is a valuable treasure of wisdom, Simeon is the sweet-talking gusset and silent theological lips."

But of all these leaders, Andrei was immeasurably more important. He combined amazingly diverse abilities. At first a young enthusiast, then a clever trader, a brilliant speaker, a learned theologian, and a writer. He was not satisfied with the fact that the monastery had “burrowed mountains”, “cleared forests”, monastic buildings, pious fraternal life, extensive connections at court and in the most remote cities of Russia. He also wanted to expand the mental horizon of schismatics through systematic school education. Having extensive connections, being constantly in communication with the world, he felt the insufficiency of his education received from the lecturer Ignatius. That is why, when the material existence of the brethren was more or less secured, he, under the guise of a merchant, penetrates into the very heart of the enemy camp, the hotbed of heresy, into the Kiev Academy, and there he studies theology, rhetoric, logic, and preaching under the guidance of Feofan Prokopovich himself. Andrei passed on his knowledge to his brother Semyon and some other close people directly; in addition, he wrote many essays. By the way, he is also the author of the famous “Pomeranian Answers”. In general, his significance as an educated person, an expert in ancient Russian writing, was very great: there are indications that he also had relations with foreigners; it is reliably known that he was known in Denmark.

The schools founded by Andrei played a huge role in the schismatic world. Dissenters brought their children here for education from all over Russia. Especially a lot of girls were brought here, who studied reading, writing, singing, housekeeping, and handicrafts here. These squirrels lived in special huts that their rich parents built for them.

In the large, bright rooms of the psalter, ancient books and the latest works of schismatic literature were constantly being copied. From here they dispersed throughout Russia. The library of the Danilovsky monastery, which the schismatics collected with the greatest energy during their travels, represented the richest collection of Russian church antiquities. Along with material security and mental development, a unique art also developed in Danilov. Icons of the Danilov letter are highly valued by experts. Danilov's pilgrims carried cast crosses and folds made of silver and copper throughout Russia.

* * *

And all this amazing creation of an independent folk spirit, having existed for more than a hundred and fifty years, died without a trace. A picture of the former greatness can now be drawn only with the help of books, stories of old people, witnesses of the former prosperity, and finally, from many things, icons, drawings, books, which are found especially often among the Trans-Onezh peasants. These Danilov things were found even thousands of miles away, on distant Pechora...

In place of the once flourishing town there is now a miserable village-volost: there is an Orthodox church in it, where a priest and a deacon, a clerk, and an elder live. You may not pay attention to the dilapidated gates on the bank of the Vyg, several schismatic graves in the cemetery and several old Danilovsky houses. However, the old man Lubakov, who was once, it seems, a dresser, and is now traditionally called a bolshak, can still talk about the former glory of Vygorecia: with tears, he tells the traveler about all the unnecessary cruelties during the destruction of the people's shrine.

In general, it cannot be said what was more difficult for the schismatics: to defeat the harsh nature of the Vygovsky region or to be able to avoid the fall of the Sword of Damocles, which was constantly hanging over them in the person of the government.

And at first the government had some reasons to persecute schismatics: they did not pray for the tsar, drew the people into schism, and sheltered fugitives. As you know, the Bespopovites made a radical break with the world of Nikon’s novelties. The expectation of the imminent end of the world, the impossibility of finding priests anointed before Nikon, and finally, the northern wilderness, where the people had long been accustomed to doing without priests - all this together led to the fact that these schismatics rejected the sacraments, confessed to the elders, baptized children themselves, and did not recognize marriage .

Such a closed group of people, although in the wilds of forests and swamps, but with enormous influence, of course, should have embarrassed the government. That is why we constantly read chapters from the historian Filippov “about the capture” of Semyon, Danil and other misadventures. But the ascetic monastic idea, laid down by Andrei and Danil as the basis of community life, gradually, as the schismatics integrated into common life, seemed to be clothed in flesh and blood, and entered into inevitable compromises with the world. If it was impossible to eliminate the contact of the “hay” with the “fire,” it was decided to send those wishing to lead a family life to monasteries, and then marriage was completely recognized. As the Vygovites became richer, they completely lost the character of gloomy ascetics. That is why, throughout the short history of the community of Pomeranian consent, a whole series of more radical non-popov factions separated from it: Fedoseevites, Filippovites and others.

From these facts of life, it would seem, a simple policy towards the Vygovites should naturally follow. The government sometimes understood this. Life was especially good for the schismatics during the reign of Catherine II. At this time, the double salary of taxes established by Peter I was even destroyed. On this occasion, one of Catherine’s contemporaries writes: “Previously, all schismatics paid double salaries, but in our prosperous age, when conscience and thought are untied, double taxes have been abolished from them.”

Vygoretsia existed safely until the harsh times of Nicholas, when, completely disregarding either the intimate aspects of the national spirit or the economic significance of the community in such a remote region, the government destroyed it. The sword of Damocles fell precisely when the schismatics were only useful...

Note compilers: M.M. Prishvin does not use the word “schismatics” in an abusive sense, but only following the rules of the official usage of words at that time. His own attitude towards the Old Believers can be judged at least by the confession made in another essay: “I myself do not separate the Old Believers from Orthodoxy, on the contrary, I consider it a stronger Orthodoxy.”

Reproduced from the Collected Works of M.M. Prishvin, Moscow, 1982.

The Vygovskoye, or Vygo-Leksinsky, hostel, founded in 1694, was the largest center of the Old Believers-bespopovtsy. Vygovsky Suzemok, where since the late 1670s. Separate hermitages and settlements of Old Believers appeared; it was located on the northeastern shore of Lake Onega, along the upper and middle reaches of the Vyg River. This inaccessible and uninhabited area became a place of refuge for zealots of the “old faith”, dissatisfied with the church reform of Patriarch Nikon. From the Solovetsky Monastery, besieged by tsarist troops for non-recognition of church reforms, many Solovetsky ascetics went to the mainland and to the Vyg River, preaching ancient piety. With the intensification of persecution of the Old Believers, the resettlement of neighboring peasants to this area became increasingly widespread, who founded their settlements in new places, cleared land for arable land and sowed grain. From the combination of such settlements under a single management in October 1694, the Vygovsky hostel was formed, founded by a church deacon from the village. Shunga by Daniil Vikulin and a townsman from the Povenets row (now the village of Povenets, Karelia) Andrei Denisov.

Initially, there were 2 types of settlements in the community: secular (“camps”) and hermitage (founded by monks), in the latter the cohabitation of men and women was not allowed. The community consisted primarily of lay people who did not take monastic vows, but was structured like a communal monastery. By the beginning of the 18th century. the architectural appearance of the hostel was formed. In the center is the cathedral chapel, connected to the refectory, from which covered passages led to the dining room; Along the perimeter there were residential cells, hospitals, and outbuildings. All this made up picturesque, freely spread out ensembles. They were similar to ordinary northern churchyards and monasteries, but they looked larger and their appearance was more complex. There were many residential and commercial buildings, and chapels rose above their mass. All buildings were surrounded by a high wooden fence, the main gate of which was called holy. Behind the wall there was a hotel for pilgrims. A bridge was built across the Vyg River. Initially, the Epiphany monastery was divided by a wall into two halves - male and female. In 1706, a separate Holy Cross convent was built on the Lexa River. Both monasteries had courtyards - the women's one on Vygu, called the Cow Yard, and the men's on Leks. In the vicinity of the monasteries, monastery settlements were founded, where families were allowed to live. The governing body of the community was the cathedral, which consisted of the monastery, officials of the monastery and elected officials from the monasteries. Conciliar decrees formalized the decision of spiritual and secular affairs.

In the years 1717-1740, the Vygo-Leksinsky community became the main ideological center of the Old Believers of the Pomeranian consent. Here the main principles of the doctrine were developed, formulated and justified: the theory of the spiritual Antichrist, the idea of ​​the forced absence of the priesthood, the identification of necessary sacraments (baptism and repentance) and the justification of the canonical possibility of their performance by “simple people”, the formation of the institute of spiritual mentoring. It was here that the fundamental dogmatic works were created, proving the truth of the old faith, and above all the “Pomeranian Answers” ​​(1723).

Old Believer hard work performed a real miracle. At the beginning of the 18th century, Vyg had a well-established diversified economy - large areas were reclaimed from the forest and cultivated for arable land, vegetable gardens were established, livestock were raised, trade, marine animal trades, shipbuilding and handicrafts were organized. A large mill was built on Lex, blocking the river with a dam, and tanneries and brick factories were erected. They minted their own money - “Danilov rubles”. Over time, the production of highly artistic icons, crosses, folding objects, casting, and bookmaking was organized. There were schools and a library. Mikhailo Lomonosov received his primary education here. The monasteries reached a particular flourishing in the middle and second half of the 18th century. At that time there were about thirty villages in Suzyomka, where more than seventeen thousand people lived. In addition to the indigenous people, these were people from Moscow, the Volga region, Novgorod, Arkhangelsk, and Veliky Ustyug.

In 1705, the settlement on Vyg was assigned to the Povenets Iron Works, which gave the Old Believers official status and freedom of religion, although the Vygites paid a special tax “for the schism.” Oppression began under Nicholas I. The policy of “complete eradication of the schism” led to the destruction of the Vygov monasteries. In 1854, the eviction of residents of the Vygovsky hostel began, who were not assigned here according to the audit. In 1856-1857, the dining rooms and prayer houses in the women's and men's courtyards, the Vygovskaya and Lexinskaya cathedral chapels were closed and sealed. The decoration of the churches was described, partially lost, and partially began to be transferred to the Edinoverie churches of the Petrozavodsk district. In 1862, the remaining property was taken to Petrozavodsk and placed in the basements of the bishop's house. Some icons from the Vygov collection are currently kept in the Karelian Museum of Fine Arts (about the fate of the Vygov library, see: Yukhimenko. Vygovskaya Old Believer Hermitage. T. 2. P. 7-197). Professor E.V. Barsov recalled: “On May 7, 1857, the Vygovites gathered in the evening in the chapel for an all-night vigil for the day of St. John the Theologian. Bolshak took his icon out of his cells to sing magnificence before it; at this time, the official Smirnov, with the bailiff, the volost head and witnesses, appeared in the chapel, announced to those gathered to stop the service and get out; then he sealed the chapel and placed a guard over it. The next morning, whole mountains of icons, crosses, books, folding objects were piled up and taken away to God knows where.” They say that officials deliberately sat on the cart to show their contempt for what they were sitting on. Chapels and other buildings were later destroyed before the eyes of the schismatics.

The area was deserted. After the destruction of the monasteries, the “List of populated places in the Olonets province” of 1873 mentioned the village of Danilovo (Danilovsky monastery, Danilovsky churchyard) near the Vyga River, Povenets district, with a population of 74 people. MM. Prishvin, having visited Vyga in 1907, described his impressions this way: “In place of the once flourishing town there is now a miserable village-volost: there is an Orthodox church in it, a priest and a deacon, a clerk, and an elder live in it. You may not pay attention to the dilapidated gates on the banks of the Vyg, several schismatic graves in the cemetery and several old Danilovsky houses.”

Nowadays Vygozero and the current of the Lower Vyg are included in the White Sea-Baltic Canal system. All that remains of the former wooden town of the Vygov hostel is a vast clearing in the village of Danilovo on the banks of the Upper Vyg. According to the results of the latest population census, 5 people live here. Not far from Danilov there is a dilapidated cemetery chapel of the former Berezovsky monastery.

In the last two decades, the former Vygov hostel has become a place of pilgrimage for Old Believers. In 1994, here, on the site of a former cemetery on the territory of a men's dormitory, a memorial cross to the Vygov desert inhabitants was restored. In 1997, the Vygov Old Believer community was registered, numbering up to 40 believers from the village of Povenets and other places.

Information sources:

The Cathedral Chapel of the Epiphany (it was built in the 1710s) is a large building that consisted of a two-story prayer room, a large refectory and an entrance hall. The refectory and the vestibule had a single roof and two windows each, located on the same level as the lower windows of the prayer room. The prayer room (“singing room”) had two-level windows. Its roof was crowned with a dome with a cross, which rested on a small “barrel” - a traditional element of Vygov temples. The refectory was separated from the chapel by a wall. There were doors and two windows in the wall, closed with shutters. The height of the prayer room from floor to ceiling was 4 fathoms (8.5 m), the width was almost 6 fathoms (12.68 m). The utensils in 1739 consisted of a four-row iconostasis, 40 small images, 2 chandeliers, 11 copper lamps and 27 books. Next to the chapel there was a large bell tower, the frame of which - an octagon on a quadrangle - ended with a tier of bells under a high tent.

In the Leksinsky women's monastery, the main chapel in the name of the Exaltation of the Precious and Life-Giving Cross was significantly superior in size and design to all other chapels of the first half of the 18th century, including the Epiphany on Vyga. In 1728, a new chapel was built here instead of the old one that burned down. A “great meal” was added to the chapel, and “chapels” were added to the refectory on both sides, “on one side for speaking psalms for the departed,” and on the other side for admitting visiting guests. The aisles were separated from the refectory by a dense wall “higher than a person,” which ended in a lattice under the ceiling, “so that those standing in the aisles could hear singing from the chapel.” Both aisles were connected to the refectory by doors. A “considerable” porch adjoined the refectory. The chapel was connected to the dining room by passages with railings. In parallel with the construction of the chapel, icon painters from the Vygovsky monastery and the Berezovsky monastery painted icons for it. The Holy Cross Chapel had a five-tiered iconostasis. In the local row of the iconostasis there were 10 large icons (the Mother of God of Tikhvin in the frame, the Crucifixion of the Lord with a crown, the holy prophet John the Baptist with a crown, the Holy Trinity, St. Nicholas the Wonderworker, the apostles Peter and Paul, the Evangelist John the Theologian with a crown, Sophia the Wisdom of God, the Venerable Zosima and Savatius of Solovetsky, the holy prophet Elijah). In addition, there were 49 small icons here, 6 of which were in frames. Above there was a Deesis row with icons of all twelve apostles. Above it was a festive row with icons of the twelve feasts, and even higher - the prophetic and forefathers rows. In addition to the iconostasis, the singing room had one copper chandelier, 10 tin lamps, and 13 old printed books. The decoration of the refectory was more modest and was limited to 13 icons.

The split of the Russian Church in the 17th century, caused by the reforms of Patriarch Nikon, deeply shocked all of Russia. Each person was faced with a difficult choice, and not everyone agreed to show the required conformity and loyalty to the authorities. Stronger than concern for worldly well-being was devotion to the “faith of our fathers and grandfathers”—the time-honored national church tradition. Opponents of the reform began to be brutally persecuted: - adherence to the Old Believers entailed being brought to a civil court and public execution - burning in a log house. Persecution for faith forced many to leave their homes and flee from the center of Russia to the outskirts. Enormous spiritual strength, reinforced by the awareness of their responsibility as the last guardians and defenders of “ancient church piety,” is the only thing that helped the Old Believers not only survive the times of persecution, but also make a very noticeable contribution to the economic and cultural life of Russia in the 17th - 20th centuries. (let us at least remember the names of the Morozovs, Guchkovs, Prokhorovs, Shchukins, Ryabushinskys, etc.). The history of the Vygo-Leksinsky Old Believer community is also one of the most striking examples of this kind. The Vygovskaya desert, which lies to the northeast of Lake Onega and received its name from the Vyg River flowing here, was ideally suited for the refuge of persecuted Old Believers: dense, impenetrable forests and swamps, lack of settlements, remoteness from administrative centers. Already in the 80s of the 17th century. Old Believer monks, immigrants from northern monasteries (mainly from Solovetsky), began to flock here and establish monasteries here; later, the resettlement of surrounding peasants began, which gradually became more and more massive, who founded Old Believer settlements in new places, cleared land for arable land and sowed grain. From the combination of two such settlements - the Tolvuyan Zakhary Drovnin and another founded by the former church sexton from Shunga Daniil Vikulin and the townsman of the city of Povenets Andrei Denisov - in October 1694 the Vygovsky hostel arose. At first it was very small. In the late autumn of 1694, a dining room was built where prayers took place, a bakery, a barn, and two cells. The first Vygov residents (their number did not exceed 40), as the desert historian Ivan Filippov testifies, lived “a necessary and meager desert life, with a torch in the chapel, sending out the service of icons and books in the chapel, meagerly and with little value. And there was no bell then, in they called the board, and there was no road from the volosts to them into the desert at that time; I walked on skis with kerezhda.” But the desire to build their own “refuge of the faithful” in a hostile world and the well-known Old Believer hard work performed a real miracle. Within four years, Vyg had a well-established diversified economy - large areas were plowed under arable land, vegetable gardens were established, livestock were raised, trade, marine animal trades and various handicraft industries were organized. As it turns out from newly discovered documentary sources, in 1698 the number of Vygov inhabitants already reached two thousand people. The first period of Vyg's history, which lasted until the early 17th century, was one of the most difficult. The position of the constantly growing community remained uncertain; any denunciation and decision by the authorities could destroy the undertaking that required such efforts. When in 1702 Peter I and his army drove along the famous “Osudareva Road”, laid through centuries-old forest and swamps from Nyukhcha to Povenets, the entire Old Believer district was gripped by fear: some were preparing to suffer for their faith, others were preparing to leave their already inhabited places. The Tsar was informed that Old Believers-hermits lived nearby, but Peter, more occupied with the upcoming siege of Noteburg, replied: “Let them live,” and “passed peacefully,” the chronicler happily notes. In 1705, the settlement on the Vyg River was assigned to the Povenets Iron Works, and simultaneously with the acquisition of official status, it received freedom of religion and worship. Since that time, the influx of Old Believers to Vyg has increased significantly, not only from surrounding areas, but also from all over Russia. Fleeing persecution, people from Moscow and the Volga region flocked here. Novgorod, Arkhangelsk, Ustyug Veliky. Gradually, life in the desert began to be organized according to monastic order. Following the principle of separate living of men and women laid down from the very beginning of the community, the settlement was surrounded by a fence and divided by a wall into two halves - male and female (later the female was called the Cow Yard). In 1706, 20 versts from the Epiphany Monastery, which stood on the Vyg River, a women’s monastery, the Exaltation of the Cross, was built on the Lexa River. The first abbess was Andrei Denisov’s sister Solomonia. The hostels were surrounded by numerous monasteries (where families were allowed to live), administratively subordinate to the Vygov Cathedral. Mid 10s of the 18th century. - a turning point in the history of the desert. It was then that the hostels, realizing Vyg as their spiritual homeland and fatherland, acquired “cultural settlement”...

Miniature “Semyon Denisov” and a headband-frame of a Pomeranian ornament from Mesyatselov with Easter. Vyg. 1774

Briefly the events were as follows. Since 1705, the Vygovites were plagued by crop failures and famine for seven years in a row. The question of moving to other, more fertile lands arose very urgently. For this purpose, they bought land in the Kargopol district on the Chazhenge River. To formalize the purchase and resettlement in Novgorod, the abbot’s younger brother, Semyon Denisov, was sent with a petition. But in Novgorod, following a denunciation, he was captured and imprisoned, where he had to spend four years. The fate of the entire community depended on the outcome of this case, in which the highest spiritual and state authorities were involved, namely the Novgorod Metropolitan Job and Tsar Peter I. Numerous literary monuments related to these events reveal the spiritual revolution that the Vygovites experienced during this difficult four years. They realized themselves as a single whole, their continuity in relation to the early Old Believers, the importance of community life as the last stronghold of ancient piety and, abandoning the planned resettlement plan, they finally linked their fate with Vyg.

Frontispiece and headband-frame of Pomeranian ornament from the Song Festivals. Start 19 century

The twenty-odd years that followed were a period of greatest prosperity, when, under the leadership of Andrei, and after his death in 1730 - Semyon Denisov, the main traditions of the spiritual life of the desert were laid, a general historical concept, literary, icon and book-painting schools were created, and statutes were developed dormitories. Numerous economic achievements of Vyg date back to the same time: the complete arrangement of men's and women's monasteries, the organization of a wide grain trade, the construction of a pier in Pigmatka, on the shore of Lake Onega. Thanks to the skillful and subtle policies of the leaders, the hostel was able to strengthen its official position and, having found sympathizers in the highest spheres of power, protect itself from the negative consequences of the national policy towards the Old Believers. Thus, already in the first half of the 18th century. The Vygovskaya hermitage has turned into the country's largest economic, religious and cultural center of the Old Believers - a kind of Old Believer capital in the North of Russia.

Miniature of “Holy Prince Vladimir” and a Pomeranian semi-charter in gold from the Monthly Book with Paschal. Lexa. 1820

The rise in economic activity continued in subsequent years. In the 40s - 70s of the 18th century. A ship building was established on the Pigmatskaya pier, two sawmills were built, two hospitals and a canteen were built on Vygu, and a new chapel was built on Lex. Perhaps because the students of the Denisov brothers, who were at the helm of the desert in these years, paid more attention to economic well-being, the spiritual potential of the community decreased to some extent, and works appeared exposing the decline of morals and the indecent behavior of the hermits.

Since the 80s of the 18th century. Vyg's revival begins. a period of renewal of traditions and flourishing of the arts. Andrei Borisov, a native of a Moscow merchant family, wanted to organize a real Old Believer academy here. But the implementation of his plan was prevented by three severe fires in 1787, when the Vygovskoye and Leksinsky hostels and the Cow Yard burned almost to the ground in a fortnight. Within a year they were rebuilt; and if the academy was not created, the arts continued to flourish. The vast majority of Vyg’s cultural heritage dates back to this period, which lasted until the 20s of the 19th century - luxurious manuscripts, striking in their richness of design and abundance of gold, various popular prints and icons.

Bindings by Vygovskaya. Left 1810-1820, bottom right 1774

From the end of the 17th century. The desert lived under the constant threat of ruin, and this had to happen. so that precisely at this rise of culture and art there would come a violent end. The policy of “complete eradication of the schism” persistently pursued under Nicholas I resulted in a whole series of measures for the Vygovskaya hermitage, aimed first at equalizing the Vygovites with other state-owned peasants and limiting the economic basis: “6 cohabitation (1835-1839), and then, in 1854-1856 years, which ended with the closure of chapels, the removal of books and icons, the barbaric destruction of cemeteries and the demolition of supposedly dilapidated buildings. People called these events “Mamaev’s ruin.” P.N. Rybnikov, who visited the Vygov places just ten years later, wrote in his travel notes: “Danilov’s buildings: a bell tower, a huge chapel, many houses, high gates (the remnant of a fence) are visible half a mile or more away and prompt one to assume something monumental; but approaching quickly destroys expectations. Danilov is now a heap of ruins, depressing with its desolation and pitiful dilapidation and involuntarily transporting the thought decades ago to the period of time when the Vygoretsky “hostels” were not a memory, but a center of lively... activity

Miniature “Capricorn” and the initial of the Pomeranian ornament from the Month of the Month with Easter. 1836

The Vygovskaya hermitage was a unique phenomenon in Russian history. Being in a hostile environment, pushed by force of circumstances to the periphery of public life and branded by the official definition of “thieves and church schismatics” (later this designation became softer, but no less humiliating; double taxation, “beard badge” and “Russian dress” were added to it) “according to the established model), the Old Believers, in order to survive and preserve ancient church piety “intact,” had to create their own, Old Believer world. Unjustly persecuted and united by the rejection of the world affected by Nikon’s reform, they were distinguished by a sense of spiritual unity, and this feeling, as can be judged by numerous recently revealed material, had deep creative potential.

Miniature “Aquarius”, headband and initial of the Pomeranian ornament from the Monthly Book and the Life of Saint Pulcheria. Lexa. 1836

The traditions of ancient Russian spirituality continued to develop in the Vygovskaya Hermitage. The Old Believers made up for their fearful isolation from the outside world with historical memory and awareness of their uninterrupted connection with the former, pre-Nikon Russia. Every day in the Vygov chapels, services were performed according to old printed books to the saints who were remembered by the Orthodox Church that day. Vygovites traveled all over Russia in search of ancient books and icons; Through the efforts of the first mentors of the desert, a rich library was collected, in which the entire written heritage of Ancient Rus' was presented (there were even manuscripts on parchment). The Vygovites compiled their book collection not only with full knowledge of the matter, but also very carefully; This is confirmed by the fact that many rare monuments of Russian hagiography, in particular the lives of Martyrius of Zelenetsky, Philip of Irapsky, and others, were preserved mainly in the Vyg lists. Ancient dilapidated manuscripts that came to Vyg were restored, and text losses were restored.

Miniature “Church Militant” from “Creations” by Simeon of Thessalonica. Vyg. 1820s

As throughout the Russian land, Russian saints were especially revered in Vygu. Semyon Denisov, one of the talented Vygov writers, wrote “A Memorial Sermon about the Holy Wonderworkers Who Shined in Russia,” in which the Russian land was glorified, adorned with the exploits of numerous ascetics. This word revealed the composition compiled in the monastery in the first third of the 18th century. an extensive selection of lives of Russian saints; it was also often copied into Vygu as part of various hagiographic collections. The tradition of venerating Russian saints and shrines was also reflected in the iconostasis of the cathedral Vygov chapel: here, in addition to the general image of Russian miracle workers, there were individual icons - Zosima and Savvaty of Solovetsky, Alexander of Svirsky, Our Lady of Tikhvin, Metropolitan Philip, Alexander Oshevensky. Judging by the manuscripts and icons, the northern ascetics enjoyed special veneration in Vygu; The Vygov scribes dedicated their own words of praise to many of them.

Miniature “Andrei Denisov” and a screensaver-frame from the Life of Andrei Denisov. 1810s

Solemnly, in front of a large crowd of people and with the pronunciation of words of praise written for this occasion, the patronal feasts of the Vygov churches (including in monasteries) were celebrated. The genre of sermon, which was part of the church service, was widespread in Vygu. The interior life of the desert was modeled after ancient Russian monasteries. It was based on the communal (cinema) Jerusalem Rule, which had been established in the Russian Church since the end of the 14th century. The creation of the Vygov charter was preceded by the work of the desert mentors with the charters of the largest Russian monasteries - Solovetsky, Trinity-Sergius, Kirillo-Belozerskaya, as evidenced by the author's extracts preserved in early handwritten collections. In addition, the tradition was passed on directly, through people from monasteries who came to Vyg.

Miniature “Holy Evangelist John the Theologian” from the Gospel tetra. 1830s

Much credit for organizing the internal life of the Vygovskaya hermitage belongs to the priest Paphnutius, who lived for many years in the Solovetsky monastery and knew its rules well. Under his leadership, the Vygovites, according to Ivan Filippov, began to “establish common life and church services according to rank and regulations.” The Vygovsky charter was formed mainly in the 10th - 30th years of the 16th century, when the brothers Andrei and Semyon Denisov wrote the rules for male and female hostels, for monasteries and workers, when they received written recording of the responsibilities of the officials of the monastery - cellarer, mayor, dresser . Both hostels looked like monasteries in appearance: in the center there was a cathedral chapel connected to a refectory, from which covered passages led to the dining room; Along the perimeter there were residential cells, hospitals, and numerous outbuildings. Bell towers were built later. All buildings on Vygu and Lex were surrounded by a high wooden fence. Images of architectural ensembles of monasteries have been preserved on some popular prints ("Family tree of the brothers Andrei and Semyon Denisov" and "Adoration of the Icon of the Mother of God"), as well as on plans dating back to the 18th century. and supplemented by a lengthy explication that has independent significance - a detailed “Description of the Vygo-Leksinsky hostel.” V.N.Mainov, who visited the Vygovskaya city in the mid-1870s, after its destruction, and saw only the pitiful remnants of the past: Lchia. nevertheless, he noted in his travel notes: “The buildings in Danilov are all wooden, 2- and 3-story, and could successfully decorate not only Povenets, but even Petrozavodsk.”

Icon of Our Lady of Tenderness of Yaroslavl. Pomeranian letter. 18 century

The Vygovites considered it their duty to invariably preserve ancient Russian traditions, but they

were well aware and deeply appreciated their own Old Believer roots. Line

spiritual connection went back to such famous leaders of the early Old Believers as

Archpriest Avvakum, Deacon Fyodor, monks Epiphanius and Abraham, priest Lazar.

Icon of the Savior Good Silence. Pomeranian letter. 19th century

In defending the old faith, Vyg considered himself the immediate successor of the Solovetsky Monastery, which openly opposed the church reform of Vitriarch Nikon and withstood the siege of the tsarist troops for eight years (1668-1676). Vygov sources and documentary evidence point to a special role in the organization of the desert of the Solovetsky monks who left the monastery during the siege. The hostels were also connected with the wave of self-immolations of Old Believers that swept across the North.

Icon Maxim the Greek. Pomeranian letter. Late 18th - early 19th centuries

The variety of spiritual connections, direct contacts, relationships of SPIRITUAL and blood kinship with famous figures of the Old Believers, as well as the blessing going back to the Old Believer first teachers, distinguished the Vygovsky hostel among the contemporary Old Believer communities. No other settlement, no other Old Believer settlement had such a rich prehistory and spiritual heritage. And the Vygovites turned out to be worthy of the inheritance they received. Grateful historical memory prompted the Vygovites to collect both written monuments of the early Old Believers and oral traditions: those who suffered for the faith. Such activity was fraught with great difficulties, however, the significant amount of material obtained allowed the Vygov scribes to create an entire historical cycle about the Old Believer movement of the second half of the 17th - first half of the 18th century.

Icon of the Last Judgment. Pomeranian letter. 19th century

First, in the 10s of the 18th century, Semyon Denisov wrote “The History of the Solovetsky Fathers and Sufferers,” dedicated to the siege of the Solovetsky Monastery. In 1719, in “The Funeral Oration for Peter Prokopyev,” Andrei Denisov, an eyewitness and one of the main participants in the events, outlined the history of the creation of the desert. Later, in the 30s of the 16th century, two major works were written: the Old Believer martyrology “Russian Grapes” by Semyon Denisov and “The History of the Vygovskaya Hermitage” by Ivan Filippov. Supplements to these central works were individual lives written in Vygu of especially revered fathers - the monk Cornelius, the elders Epiphanius and Cyril, and Memnon. Let us note that no other Old Believer consensus, either at that time or later, created such an extensive cycle permeated with a single historiographical concept. Developing ancient Russian traditions, Vyg filled them with his own content. This is the tradition of honoring the abbots of the desert, who for the Vygovites were primarily the spiritual mentors of the flock, whose authority was based more on personal qualities and merits than on a high position in the cenovic hierarchy. This tradition, which persisted throughout the existence of the Vygovskaya Hermitage, also gave rise to a large number of literary works, which include congratulatory words on the namesake days of mentors, funeral and memorial words.

Icon of the Holy Martyr Avvakum. Early 18th century

The love of the hostels for their spiritual teachers was also expressed in how carefully their autographs and lists of their works were preserved at Vygu. For subsequent generations of Vygov inhabitants, the founders of the desert themselves were the link connecting them with the early Old Believer history. Biographies of hostels of the second half of the 18th century. They captivate with touching details concerning the facts of communication with the first film rulers. Thus, the author of the funeral eulogy for Simeon Titovich, rector of Lexa, who died in 1791, especially emphasizes how in his young years Simeon Titovich used every opportunity to learn from Semyon Denisov virtuous living and book wisdom: not only did he not miss a single church teaching of the cinematographer, but on occasion he got a job with him as both a driver and a cell attendant.

Icon Andrey Denisov. Pomeranian letter. 19th century

In the second half of the 18th century. Based on written sources and oral traditions, the lives of Andrei and Semyon Denisov were written, and services to the first Vygov fathers were compiled. In their prayers, the Vygovites turned to the same saints as the entire Orthodox world, but the Vygovsky host of heavenly intercessors gradually took shape. New sufferers for the faith and deceased spiritual mentors of the desert were added to the all-Russian saints. It was their intercession with God that the Vygovites relied on when they asked to protect the community from troubles and misfortunes, slanderers and “false brethren.”

In the powerful spiritual potential of the desert, which was for its inhabitants a common homeland and the last stronghold of the old faith, lies the key to its cultural achievements. The creative development of ancient Russian traditions, the development of one’s own style in all types of art and the highest professionalism allow us to speak of the Vyg heritage as a unique phenomenon in Russian culture of the 18th - 19th centuries. Like most ancient Russian monasteries, the Vygovskaya Hermitage became a center of book learning. A very rich library was collected here, schools were established where children were taught to read and write, and a book-writing workshop was created in which both ancient Russian works and the works of Old Believers writers, including Vygov’s, were copied. Its products, which brought considerable income to the hostel, were distributed throughout Russia, securing Vyg’s fame as the cultural capital of the Old Believers. The Vygovites did not limit themselves to just copying books. They created a real literary school, the only one in the Old Believers. The works of this circle were designed for a high level of literacy of readers; they were characterized by a special style that goes back to the ancient Russian style of “weaving words”, a variety of rhetorical techniques, and a complex and sometimes archaic language. In the Vygov literary school, almost all genres that existed in Ancient Rus' were continued: hagiography, historical narrative, legends, visions, various types of words (solemn, memorial, funerary, etc.), sermons, epistles, teachings, polemical writings, services , syllabic poetry.

Four-leaf folding case “Twelfth Feasts and Worship of the Icons of the Mother of God.” Vyg. 1717

Reverse side

The founders of the school, themselves talented and prolific writers, brothers Andrei and Semyon Denisov, raised a galaxy of students, including Trifon Petrov, Daniil Matveev, Gabriel and Nikifor Semenov, Manuil Petrov, Ivan Filippov, Vasily Danilov Shaposhnikov, Alexey Irodionov and many others. While representatives of the official church contemptuously called the champions of ancient piety “men and ignoramuses,” Old Believer writers created works that were in no way inferior to the works of recognized literary authorities of Peter the Great’s time, such as Demetrius of Rostov and Feofan Prokopovich. Moreover, there was an incident that allowed the Vygov scribes to brilliantly demonstrate their deep philological and source knowledge. At the beginning of the 18th century. To combat the schism, the “Conciliar Act on the Heretic Martin” and the Theognost Breviary were written, which were passed off as ancient manuscripts that allegedly denounced the Old Believers. The Vygovites managed to prove their falsity. Having carefully studied the manuscripts, Andrei Denisov and Manuil Petrov discovered that the text was written from scratches, the lettering did not correspond to the ancient ones, and the sheets of parchment were re-bound.

Tricuspid folding "Small Deesis". Vyg. Mid 18th century

It's the same folded

For this subtle analysis, Pitirim called Andrei Denisov a “magician,” but even the non-Old Believer, who talked with the Nizhny Novgorod ruler, objected that the Vygov scribbler did not act by magic, but “with his natural, sharp understanding.” Even more accurate was the definition of the famous historian of the Old Believers V.G. Druzhinin, who with good reason saw the Vygovtsy as the first paleographers and source scholars. In addition to teaching book literacy, a school of Znamenny singing was organized in Vygu. Among the first settlers there were very few knowledgeable singers: only Daniil Vikulov, Pyotr Lrokopyev and Leonty Fedoseev - the rest sang after them “by hearsay”. When Ivan Ivanov, an expert in znamenny chant, came to Vyg from Moscow, Andrei Denisov gathered the “best literates” and began to learn hook singing with them.

Tricuspid folding “Our Lady of Tikhvin. Savior Not Made by Hands. Saint Sergius and Varlaam." Vyg. First half of the 18th century

This is how the exceptional beauty of worship in Vygov churches was achieved; the high level of musical culture allowed the Vygovites to translate even poems, odes and psalms of their own composition into Znamenny chant.

Four-leaf folding "Twelfth Feasts and Worship of the Icons of the Mother of God"
(in a half-folded form: the first one is the front one, the third one is the back one). Vyg. Mid 18th century

The artistic heritage of the desert is extremely extensive and diverse. There is practically no branch of artistic creativity that would not be developed in Vygu. Paintings (icons, popular prints, book miniatures, oil paintings), small plastic objects (carved wooden and cast metal icons and crosses, church and household items) and applied art (facial and ornamental sewing, painting and carving on furniture and household items made of wood, birch bark weaving). It cannot be said that the Vygovites in their art developed any specific model they borrowed. On the contrary, having creatively processed the best achievements of ancient Russian and modern art, Vyg developed his own school, the stylistic unity of which is obvious: the same motifs and techniques can be found in the decor of handwritten books, and in wall sheets, and in icons, painted and copper-cast, and in free brush paintings.

Four-leaf folding “Twelfth Feasts and Worship of the Icons of the Mother of God” (in semi-folded form: wings two and three). Vyg. Mid 18th century

The achievements of the Vygov masters had a solid economic basis. From the very beginning, the founders of the desert relied on the most complete self-sufficiency, therefore, already at the end of the 17th century, along with residential cells, numerous workshops were built - a tailor's shop, a forge, a coppersmith's shop. The production of many items, in particular icons, crosses, ladders, "soon became widespread; nevertheless, all Vyg's products were distinguished by high artistic merit and professionalism of execution. In this regard, Vyg's fame was so great that even the Old Believer community had to contact the Old Believer community with orders representatives of the official church. From documentary sources it is known, for example, that in 1735, with the blessing of the Solovetsky Archimandrite Barsanuphius, “by the unanimous general verdict” of the inhabitants of the Kemsky town and surrounding villages, Ivan Gorlov was sent to Vyg “to find a master for the silver work” who would make chasuble to the image of John the Baptist in the Kemsk Assumption Church. The development of Vyg's arts was closely connected with the spiritual life of the desert. In Vyg's traditions one should look for the reasons for the spread of certain themes and subjects. Thus, the appearance of images of Vyg's fathers on popular prints and paintings is closely connected with the tradition of honoring mentors oil paintings and book miniatures, and these seemingly conventional images undoubtedly bear the features of a portrait resemblance.

WITH tricuspid treasure “Worship of the icon of the Mother of God of Tikhvin. Resurrection. Christmas". Vyg. First half of the 18th century

Reverse side

Since the Vyg saints could not be officially canonized and, therefore, depicted on icons, icons appeared, painted and cast, depicting the heavenly patrons of the first Vyg mentors - the Prophet Daniel, the Apostle Peter, and Andrew Stratilates. The dormitory, organized according to the monastic model, left a certain imprint on the themes of a number of works and the development of certain types of applied art. The main provisions of the Vygov charter, which demanded a virtuous and chaste life from the inhabitants of the desert, explain many of the moralizing subjects of the Vygov popular prints and wood paintings. The strict “desert order” prevented the penetration of overly secular motifs and “worldly embellishments” into Vygov’s products. For this reason, for example, the production of birch bark tueskas with a mica backing and basmen was banned. Nevertheless, the production of items intended only for laypeople was allowed on Vygu; in particular, Leksin craftswomen embroidered wallets, money pouches, garters, and gloves.

12 copper icons (“Savior the Good Silence and the Twelfth Feasts”) embedded in the board. 19th century

The history of the Vygovskaya hermitage once again shows what a powerful spiritual force lay at the basis of the entire Old Believer movement. It helped the Vygov people to withstand a difficult struggle with the harsh northern nature and overcome many other trials that befell the desert - from prolonged crop failures and famine to devastating fires and brutal government repression. The Vygov community, which represented the spiritual unity of brothers in faith, supported its inhabitants in their confrontation with a hostile world, nourished their talents and creativity. In a certain sense, Vyg, which, despite extremely unfavorable external conditions, transformed from a small peasant settlement among deserted forests into Russia’s largest economic, religious and cultural center of the priestless Old Believers, won a moral victory over this hostile world. Over the century and a half of its existence, the Vygov hostel reached exceptional heights in various spheres of material and spiritual life and, having created excellent examples in all types of art, thereby had a great influence on the Old Believer and, more broadly, Russian culture of the 18th-19th centuries. Until recently, most of Vyg’s artistic heritage remained not only unstudied, but also almost undetected in museum repositories.

Tricuspid folding “Assumption. Ascension. Epiphany". 18 century

Tricuspid folding case “Crucifixion. Trinity. Our Lady of the Sign." 18 century

Folding "Twelfth Feasts and Worship of the Icons of the Mother of God" 18th century
(half folded)

Folding "Twelfth Feasts and Worship of the Icons of the Mother of God" 18th century

Cross vests. Vyg. 18 century

Folding "Deesis with those coming." 18 century

Icon of the “Resurrection” embedded in a board with the presence of St. Mary and St. Demetrius. 18 century

Enamel icon cross “Crucifixion with those to come.” Vyg. 19th century

Enamel icon “St. Paraskeva Friday”. Pomorie. 19th century

Enamel icon "St. George". Pomorie. 19th century

Copper enamel icons (“Protection of the Most Holy Theotokos”, veneration of the icons of the Mother of God, selected saints) embedded in the board. 19th century

Enamel fold “St. Nicholas with those coming. Our Lady of All Who Sorrow joy. Saints Kirik and Julitta and selected saints." Pomorie. 19th century

Bird of paradise Sirin. Vyg. 1750s

Family tree of Andrey and Semyon Denisov. 19th century

Icon "Crucifixion". 18 century

Cross of Calvary. Solovetsky Monastery. 1599

Cross of Calvary. Vyg. 18 century

Carved icon "Cross of Golgotha". Vyg. 19th century

Panel "Double-headed eagle". 1740s

Cabinet door "The Parable of the Blind and the Lame." 18 century

Supply locker. Vyg. Second half of the 18th century

Birch bark box, early 19th century. Tues, late 18th century

The collections of the State Historical Museum provide a rare opportunity for the first time to present the art of the Vygov monastery as a single whole, to reveal the origins and stylistic unity of this school and thereby open previously unknown pages of the history of Russian culture to the general public. This publication provides a fairly complete reflection of almost all areas of artistic creativity of the Vygov Old Believers: literature, handwritten books, icons, copper plastic, painted wall sheets, wood carving and painting, embroidery. The vast majority of monuments are introduced into scientific circulation and published for the first time.