63°33′08″N41°33′27″E / 63.5520861°N 41.5576361°E /63.5520861; 41.5576361
TheSiya Monastery of St. Antonius (Antonievo-Siysky Monastery,Russian:Антониево-Сийский монастырь) is aRussian Orthodoxmonastery that was founded by SaintAntonius of Siya deep in the woods, 90 km (56 mi) to the south ofKholmogory, in 1520. Currently the monastery is located inKholmogorsky District ofArkhangelsk Oblast inRussia, inside the nature protected area,Siya Zakaznik.
The monastery takes its name from theSiya River, a tributary of theNorthern Dvina. This river route allowed the monks to travel to theSolovetsky Monastery and other centres of spiritual life. There was also a station on the trade route connectingArchangel (the main sea port of Muscovy) and the Russian capital ofMoscow.
Following the saint's death in 1556, the monastery grew on the salt trade withWestern Europe and developed into one of the foremost centres ofChristianity in theRussianNorth.Ivan the Terrible and his sonFeodor granted it important privileges and much land. By 1579, the monastery owned 50versts of ploughlands stretching towardsKargopol.
In 1599,Boris Godunov exiled his political opponentFeodor Romanov to this remote monastery. While many of his relatives were starved to death in other cloisters, Feodor tookmonastic vows and the name Philaret and was eventually raised to the dignity ofhegumen (abbot) of the monastery. Later he became thePatriarch of Moscow, and his sonMikhail established theRomanov dynasty of Russiantsars.
In the 17th century, the monastery continued to prosper. The largekatholikon was constructed over the years 1587–1608. Thetent-like church and refectory were completed by 1644, and thebelfry was added in 1652. The monastic library was one of the richest inRussia and included such books as theSiysky Gospel from 1339 and the 16th-century album of 500 Western religiousetchings adapted toEastern Orthodox canonical requirements. Its treasury was famed for its collection of medieval jewelry. In 1764, the monastery owned more than 3,300 male peasants.
In 1923, the monastery was disbanded. Both library and treasury were taken toMoscow orArkhangelsk. The medieval buildings were used as asanatorium and akolkhoz. The monks were readmitted to the grounds in 1992 and immediately began emergency repair works.
Media related toAntonievo-Siysky Monastery at Wikimedia Commons| Key locations |  | |
|---|---|---|
| Monasteries | ||