Holy Trinity & St. Sergius Hermitage

Categories / Religion. Church/Monasteries and Convents
HOLY TRINITY & ST. SERGIUS HERMITAGE, a seaside Holy Trinity & St. Sergius Hermitage, located at 15 Peterburgskoe Highway. A monastery founded in 1732 by Archimandrite Varlaam (Vysotsky) on the 19th verst of the Peterhof highway on the location of a country estate, which had formerly belonged to the Countess Catherine of Mecklenburg -Shverinskaya – sister of Empress Anna Ioannovna. Before 1764 the building had been a metochion of the Holy Trinity Lavra of St. Sergius near Moscow. Traditionally, priests for the Russian navy were chosen from the community. In 1734, the first wooden Holy Assumption Church was consecrated, and in 1756-61 a stone Holy Trinity Cathedral with five domes and a bell tower was built in the baroque style. The St. Sergius Church was built in 1756-58, and cells, walls and towers were added (by architect P. A. Trezzini). In 1805-08, the Invalids’ Home of the Count Zubov family, was erected in Empire style for 30 "crippled warriors" with a church to St. Valerius (architect L. Rusca). Under the leadership of Archimandrite Ignaty (Bryanchaninov), who took office in 1834, the Holy Trinity & St. Sergius Hermitage reached its prime, and this was continued under his successor Archimandrite Ignaty (Malyshev), who held the position from 1857 to 1897. During their tenure the spiritual level of the community rose, and several churches were rebuilt, among them the St. Sergius Church (1854-59, architect A. M. Gornostaev, wall paintings by artist N. A. Lavrov; a bright example of the Byzantine Style, the church could accommodate 2,000 people) and the Holy Resurrection Church (1877-84, architect A. A. Parland, not preserved). In 1844-63, a small Holy Virgin Intercession Church was built over the burial-vault of the Kochubey Princes (architect R. I. Kuzmin, not preserved). The Church dedicated to St.Grigory the Theologian was erected over the grave of Count G. G. Kushelev (1855-57, architect A. I. Stakensсhneider). In 1859-63, a wing was erected (architect A. M. Gornostaev), and granite fence was added in 1866-71 (architect Gornostaev), and the chapel dedicated to the icon of Our Lady of Rudnensk (architect D. I. Grimm, not preserved) was erected in 1876. From the time of Empress Catherine the Great representatives of aristocratic families were buried in monastery cemeteries: the families of Oldenburg, Apraksin, Myatlev, Naryshkin, Stroganov, Gorchakov et al. Daughters and grandsons of A. V. Suvorov and M. I. Kutuzov, poet I. P. Myatlev, Chancellor A. M. Gorchakov, architect A. I. Stakenschneider and A. M. Gornostaev and many others were buried here. The Holy Trinity & St. Sergius Hermitage supported a female alms-house, a child's orphanage, a hospital, a school and a home for pilgrims and travellers. In 1917, there were seven churches and approximately 100 people living there. In 1919, the building was closed and transformed into a children's labour commune, but worshipping continued and monks lived in its territory until 1931. In the 1930s, the Kuybyshev School of Commanders of the Workers’ and Peasants' Red Army occupied the former convent, the cemetery was abandoned. A number of buildings were blown up in the 1960s, when the convent housed the militia school. In 1993, it was decided to return gradually the Holy Trinity & St. Sergius Hermitage to the Eparchy (implemented in 2001), monastic life started anew, and worship recommenced in the St. Sergius Church.

References: Исторический очерк первоклассной Троицко-Сергиевской Приморской пустыни... 2-е изд. СПб., 1904; Антонов В. В., Кобак А. В. Святыни Санкт-Петербурга: Ист.-церков. энцикл. СПб., 1994. Т. 1. С. 53-64; Владимир (Котляров В. С.). Обитель северной столицы: Свято-Троицкая Сергиева пустынь: Ист. очерк. СПб., 2002.

V. V. Antonov. Anna Ioannovna, Empress
Catherine II, Empress
Gorchakov Alexander Mikhailovich, Duke
Gornostaev Alexey Maximovich
Grimm David Ivanovich
Ignaty (Ivan Vasilievich Malyshev)
Kushelev Grigory Grigorievich, Count
Kutuzov (Golenishchev-Kutuzov) Mikhail Illarionovich, Gracious Prince
Kuybyshev Valerian Vladimirovich
Kuzmin Roman Ivanovich
Lavrov Nikolay Andreevich
Myatlev Ivan Petrovich
Myatlevs
Parland Alfred Alexandrovich
Rusca Luigi (Aloisy Ivanovich)
Stakensсhneider Andrey Ivanovich
Suvorov Alexander Arkadievich, Count
the Apraksins
the Gorchakovs
the Kochubeys
the Naryshkins
the Oldenburgskys, princes
the Stroganovs
the Zubovs
Trezzini Pietro Antonio
Varlaam (Vysotsky)
Sankt-Peterburgskoe Freeway/Krasnoe Selo, town, house 15
Исторический очерк первоклассной Троицко-Сергиевской Приморской пустыни... 2-е изд. СПб., 1904
Антонов В. В., Кобак А. В. Святыни Санкт-Петербурга: Ист.-церков. энцикл. СПб., 1994
Владимир (Котляров В. С.) Обитель северной столицы: Св.-Троиц. Сергиева пустынь: Ист. очерк. СПб., 2002