Marfo-Mariinsky Convent
Encyclopedia
Marfo-Mariinsky Convent, or Martha and Mary Convent of Mercy in the Possession of Grand Duchess Elizabeth Feodorovna is a female cloister
in Moscow
.
The convent
was founded in 1908 by Grand Duchess Elizabeth Feodorovna (sister of Alexandra Feodorovna, the last Empress of Russia
—both of whom are counted among the Russian New Martyr
s) to assist sick, wounded, and maimed soldiers in their recovery, and to provide for the needs of the poor and orphans.
Grand Duchess Elizabeth was the widow
of Grand Duke Sergeii Alexandrovich
, who had been assassinated
by terrorists in 1905. After her husband's death, she gave away her magnificent collection of jewels, including her wedding ring, and sold her other possessions. With the proceeds she opened the Convent of Sts. Martha and Mary and became its abbess
. Her vision was to begin a religious community, made up of women from all social strata, that would merge the ideals of saints Martha
and Mary, dedicated both to prayer and to serving the needs of the poor. She purchased a tract of land in Moscow and constructed a hospital
, an orphanage
for girls, and quarters for the nuns. Working in conjunction with church authorities she developed the monastic rule and habit—which differed somewhat from the traditional habit of Orthodox nuns—that would be used at the convent. At its peak the convent housed 97 sisters and served 300 meals daily to the poor.
In 1908-12, Aleksey Shchusev designed the Church of Saints Martha and Mary and the Holy Protection Cathedral, both structures being Art Nouveau
renderings of a medieval Novgorod architectural type. The cathedral's snow-white walls are adorned with carved crosses by Sergey Konenkov
. The interior contains fresco
es and mosaic
s by Mikhail Nesterov
and Pavel Korin
.
Both of the churches at the convent
were closed down by the Communist authorities in 1926 and the sisterhood was scattered. In 1990 a monument
was erected on the convent grounds to Grand Duchess Elizabeth, who was glorified
(canonized) by the Russian Orthodox Church
(see Romanov sainthood
). In 1992, the celebration of divine services was resumed in the Church of Martha and Mary, and in 1994 the sisterhood was reestablished.
In 1999 the Educational Center of Sts. Martha and Mary Convent of Mercy was founded, with the blessing of Patriarch Alexy II of Moscow and All Russia, for the purpose of training Orthodox girls as certified nurses.
Princess Alice of Battenberg
founded a nursing order of Greek Orthodox nuns, the "Christian Sisterhood of Martha and Mary", modeled after the Marfo-Mariinsky Convent that her aunt had founded in Russia. However, the order eventually failed through a lack of suitable applicants.
In 2002, HRH Prince Charles commissioned British composer
and convert
to the Russian Orthodox Church
, John Tavener
, to write a choral piece in memory of his grandmother, Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother. The work was entitled, Elizabeth Full of Grace, and celebrates the life, death and glorification
of Saint Elizabeth the Grand Duchess. Premiered at St George's Chapel, Windsor Castle on 28 February 2003 by Valery Gergiev
and the Mariinsky
Chorus and Orchestra, proceeds from the performance went to benefit the charitable work of the Saints Martha and Mary Convent of Mercy.
Cloister
A cloister is a rectangular open space surrounded by covered walks or open galleries, with open arcades on the inner side, running along the walls of buildings and forming a quadrangle or garth...
in Moscow
Moscow
Moscow is the capital, the most populous city, and the most populous federal subject of Russia. The city is a major political, economic, cultural, scientific, religious, financial, educational, and transportation centre of Russia and the continent...
.
The convent
Convent
A convent is either a community of priests, religious brothers, religious sisters, or nuns, or the building used by the community, particularly in the Roman Catholic Church and in the Anglican Communion...
was founded in 1908 by Grand Duchess Elizabeth Feodorovna (sister of Alexandra Feodorovna, the last Empress of Russia
Empress of Russia
Empress of Russia was a title in the Russian Empire between 1721 and 1917, and was held by:*Catherine I of Russia, 22 October 1721 to 17 May 1727 *Anna of Russia, 30 January 1730 to 28 October 1740...
—both of whom are counted among the Russian New Martyr
New Martyr
The title of New Martyr or Neomartyr of the Eastern Orthodox Church was originally given to martyrs who died under heretical rulers . Later the Church added to the list those martyred under Islam and various modern regimes, especially Communist ones, which espoused state atheism...
s) to assist sick, wounded, and maimed soldiers in their recovery, and to provide for the needs of the poor and orphans.
Grand Duchess Elizabeth was the widow
Widow
A widow is a woman whose spouse has died, while a widower is a man whose spouse has died. The state of having lost one's spouse to death is termed widowhood or occasionally viduity. The adjective form is widowed...
of Grand Duke Sergeii Alexandrovich
Grand Duke Sergei Alexandrovich of Russia
Grand Duke Sergei Alexandrovich of Russia was a son of Emperor Alexander II of Russia...
, who had been assassinated
Assassination
To carry out an assassination is "to murder by a sudden and/or secret attack, often for political reasons." Alternatively, assassination may be defined as "the act of deliberately killing someone, especially a public figure, usually for hire or for political reasons."An assassination may be...
by terrorists in 1905. After her husband's death, she gave away her magnificent collection of jewels, including her wedding ring, and sold her other possessions. With the proceeds she opened the Convent of Sts. Martha and Mary and became its abbess
Abbess
An abbess is the female superior, or mother superior, of a community of nuns, often an abbey....
. Her vision was to begin a religious community, made up of women from all social strata, that would merge the ideals of saints Martha
Martha
Martha of Bethany is a biblical figure described in the Gospels of Luke and John. Together with her siblings Lazarus and Mary, she is described as living in the village of Bethany near Jerusalem...
and Mary, dedicated both to prayer and to serving the needs of the poor. She purchased a tract of land in Moscow and constructed a hospital
Hospital
A hospital is a health care institution providing patient treatment by specialized staff and equipment. Hospitals often, but not always, provide for inpatient care or longer-term patient stays....
, an orphanage
Orphanage
An orphanage is a residential institution devoted to the care of orphans – children whose parents are deceased or otherwise unable or unwilling to care for them...
for girls, and quarters for the nuns. Working in conjunction with church authorities she developed the monastic rule and habit—which differed somewhat from the traditional habit of Orthodox nuns—that would be used at the convent. At its peak the convent housed 97 sisters and served 300 meals daily to the poor.
Art Nouveau
Art Nouveau is an international philosophy and style of art, architecture and applied art—especially the decorative arts—that were most popular during 1890–1910. The name "Art Nouveau" is French for "new art"...
renderings of a medieval Novgorod architectural type. The cathedral's snow-white walls are adorned with carved crosses by Sergey Konenkov
Sergey Konenkov
Sergey Timofeyevich Konenkov was a famous Russian and Soviet sculptor. He was often called "the Russian Rodin".-Early life:...
. The interior contains fresco
Fresco
Fresco is any of several related mural painting types, executed on plaster on walls or ceilings. The word fresco comes from the Greek word affresca which derives from the Latin word for "fresh". Frescoes first developed in the ancient world and continued to be popular through the Renaissance...
es and mosaic
Mosaic
Mosaic is the art of creating images with an assemblage of small pieces of colored glass, stone, or other materials. It may be a technique of decorative art, an aspect of interior decoration, or of cultural and spiritual significance as in a cathedral...
s by Mikhail Nesterov
Mikhail Nesterov
Mikhail Vasilyevich Nesterov was a major representative of religious Symbolism in Russian art. He was a pupil of Pavel Tchistyakov at the Imperial Academy of Arts, but later allied himself with the group of artists known as the Peredvizhniki...
and Pavel Korin
Pavel Korin
Pavel Dmitriyevich Korin was a Russian painter and art restorer. He is famous for his preparational work for the unimplemented painting Farewell to Rus.-Life and career:...
.
Both of the churches at the convent
Convent
A convent is either a community of priests, religious brothers, religious sisters, or nuns, or the building used by the community, particularly in the Roman Catholic Church and in the Anglican Communion...
were closed down by the Communist authorities in 1926 and the sisterhood was scattered. In 1990 a monument
Monument
A monument is a type of structure either explicitly created to commemorate a person or important event or which has become important to a social group as a part of their remembrance of historic times or cultural heritage, or simply as an example of historic architecture...
was erected on the convent grounds to Grand Duchess Elizabeth, who was glorified
Canonization
Canonization is the act by which a Christian church declares a deceased person to be a saint, upon which declaration the person is included in the canon, or list, of recognized saints. Originally, individuals were recognized as saints without any formal process...
(canonized) by the Russian Orthodox Church
Russian Orthodox Church
The Russian Orthodox Church or, alternatively, the Moscow Patriarchate The ROC is often said to be the largest of the Eastern Orthodox churches in the world; including all the autocephalous churches under its umbrella, its adherents number over 150 million worldwide—about half of the 300 million...
(see Romanov sainthood
Romanov sainthood
Tsar Nicholas II of Russia, his wife Tsarina Alexandra, and their five children Olga, Tatiana, Maria, Anastasia, and Alexei are saints of the Orthodox Church...
). In 1992, the celebration of divine services was resumed in the Church of Martha and Mary, and in 1994 the sisterhood was reestablished.
In 1999 the Educational Center of Sts. Martha and Mary Convent of Mercy was founded, with the blessing of Patriarch Alexy II of Moscow and All Russia, for the purpose of training Orthodox girls as certified nurses.
Princess Alice of Battenberg
Princess Alice of Battenberg
Princess Alice of Battenberg, later Princess Andrew of Greece and Denmark was the mother of Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, and mother-in-law of Elizabeth II....
founded a nursing order of Greek Orthodox nuns, the "Christian Sisterhood of Martha and Mary", modeled after the Marfo-Mariinsky Convent that her aunt had founded in Russia. However, the order eventually failed through a lack of suitable applicants.
In 2002, HRH Prince Charles commissioned British composer
Composer
A composer is a person who creates music, either by musical notation or oral tradition, for interpretation and performance, or through direct manipulation of sonic material through electronic media...
and convert
Convert
The convert or try, in American football known as "point after", and Canadian football "Point after touchdown", is a one-scrimmage down played immediately after a touchdown during which the scoring team is allowed to attempt to score an extra one point by kicking the ball through the uprights , or...
to the Russian Orthodox Church
Russian Orthodox Church
The Russian Orthodox Church or, alternatively, the Moscow Patriarchate The ROC is often said to be the largest of the Eastern Orthodox churches in the world; including all the autocephalous churches under its umbrella, its adherents number over 150 million worldwide—about half of the 300 million...
, John Tavener
John Tavener
Sir John Tavener is a British composer, best known for such religious, minimal works as "The Whale", and "Funeral Ikos"...
, to write a choral piece in memory of his grandmother, Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother. The work was entitled, Elizabeth Full of Grace, and celebrates the life, death and glorification
Glorification
-Catholicism:For the process by which the Roman Catholic Church or Anglican Communion grants official recognition to someone as a saint, see canonization.-Eastern Orthodox Church:...
of Saint Elizabeth the Grand Duchess. Premiered at St George's Chapel, Windsor Castle on 28 February 2003 by Valery Gergiev
Valery Gergiev
Valery Abisalovich Gergiev is a Russian conductor and opera company director. He is general director and artistic director of the Mariinsky Theatre, principal conductor of the London Symphony Orchestra, and artistic director of the White Nights Festival in St. Petersburg.- Early life :Gergiev,...
and the Mariinsky
Mariinsky
Mariinsky refers to a number of institutions and places named after Maria Alexandrovna or Grand Duchess Maria Nikolaevna of Russia :...
Chorus and Orchestra, proceeds from the performance went to benefit the charitable work of the Saints Martha and Mary Convent of Mercy.
External links
- Official site of the convent
- Martha-Mary Convent and rule of St. Elizabeth, the New Martyr
- At The Convent of Martha and Mary account of an Englishman's visit to the Convent, 1915
- Father Mitrofan Srebrianski – Father-Confessor of the Martha-Mary Convent article from Orthodox America
- Educational Center at Sts Martha and Mary Convent of Mercy
- Sts Martha and Mary Convent of Mercy and interregional experience
- Elizabeth Full Of Grace Programme notes by composer John Tavener