Nicholas Karelian Monastery - the oldest on the White Sea. (Severodvinsk)

 place with historical importance, monastery, architectural ensemble/complex, object of cultural heritage of federal importance (Russia)

Karelian Monastery of St. Nicholas-on time of its foundation is considered the first among the "sea" of monasteries North.

Most researchers believe that the year of founding a monastery should be considered as 1410-th, and its founder - "Reverend Evfimiya. This monk lived among "korelskih children at the Summer Bank and" educated "them, that is drawn to Christianity.

My main and first name of the monastery was in honor of St. Nicholas, enjoyed great popularity in the North and is considered the patron saint of seafarers, the hunters and fishermen.

Karelian Monastery of St. Nicholas was the ancient center of the development of a population of White Russian coast and the surrounding areas, had the defense of strategic importance. Chronicle mention of it applies to 1419 and relates to the sad occasion - Robber attack on the White Sea coast Scandinavians. In the Dvina chronicles read like this: "Nicholas Karelian Monastery Murman came among the 600 battle with the sea in busah and screw (small sailing, rowing Scandinavian trial) in 1419 and pozhgli cherntsov posekli».

As a result of the attack, the monastery was completely destroyed and remained abandoned until 1471.
Restoring St. Nicholas Monastery in Karelia in 1471, according to folk tradition, and the official church version, was implemented Marfo Boretsky, widow of the Novgorod Posadnik Isaac Boretsky that has left a bright trace in Russian history.
To the monastery could be normal, Martha gave him the ownership of a portion of their holdings - meadows, salt, fisheries. Soon, however, Moscow has found all his orders, he planted around his people and, ultimately, usurped all the land, including the north of Novgorod. Novgorod the Great is fallen, and Martha was etapirovana in Nizhny Novgorod, where he died. Nicholas Korelsky monastery passed to the power of Moscow.

Long time Nicholas Korelsky monastery served as something of a sea of gates country: one of the ways of Russian ambassadors to Europe along the Northern Dvina and beyond by sea around the Kola Peninsula (eg, in this way was the king's ambassador Gregory languor in 1496: after the Trondheim in Denmark by land), the last stop in Russia was the Nikolo-Korelsky monastery.
In the St. Nicholas Monastery Korelskom stopped and Western travelers. For example, in the 1553 expedition of Richard Chenslera. Its purpose was to open the way to northern India: parking expedition was just about the walls of the monastery.
Shortly after the expedition was based in London «The Moscow company», subsequently received a monopoly trading rights of Tsar Ivan. In 1555 in front of the monastery on the island Yagry was fitted with anchorage, which received the name «Reid St. Nicholas», - with warehouses and residential buildings, its occupants unloaded ships, loaded the goods on the small river that carried him to Kholmogory and there are already deep into Russia.
This left the expedition: in the direction of the Kara Sea (Stifen Barrow, 1556), to the west in search of ways to Novgorod (Spark, 1556), in India on the Northern Dvina and the Volga (Dzhenkinson, 1558). In 1584 the city was founded Novoholmogory known from 1613 under the name of Arkhangelsk, which is the main sea port of the Russian North, Nicholas Korelsky Convent looses its former commercial importance.

Since the second half of XVII century the monastery began building a stone. In the years 1664-1667 Assumption Church was built in 1670-1674 of the Cathedral of St. Nicholas, in 1700 the belfry was built. Resident had a brick plant. In 1691-1692 years the monastery was surrounded by seven wooden towers, of which only one survived, western, with the Holy Gate - now she is in Moscow, at the museum Kolomenskoye.

In the XVII - XIX centuries, the monastery went to the military and scrape. In troubled times (1613-1614) Polish troops Hodkevicha devastated northern land, causing great damage and Nicholas Korelskomu monastery. In 1808 - 1809 years near the monastery were built to strengthen against the possible arrival of British ships.

By 1917, the monastery remained in a strong desolate, it lived only a few monks, but around the monastery there was a unique wooden fence - a remarkable and unique monument of wooden architecture. In 1921 the monastery had been nationalized, some time there was located a colony for juvenile delinquents. Then, in 1929, was formed selhozkommuna "Iskra".

In 1936, at the place where the monastery stood, profit builders Sudostroy settlement, the future Molotovska, current Severodvinsk. At that time, were destroyed remnants of the unique wall surrounding the monastery, church bells have disappeared. Sami built originally served as a dormitory, and Human Resources huge building.
After a while the factory buildings have come close to the monastery, and it was decided to demolish it. However, an attempt to break the thick wall of the church led to the cracks of the shaking went to the nearby shop building. It was decided that the monastery is cheaper to adapt to the needs of the plant than the risk for newly constructed facilities to continue the destruction. And so it served as Assumption Church and the Cathedral of St. Nicholas as a space for the ancillary industries plant.

Currently, with funds allocated Sevmash, is the restoration of St. Nicholas Cathedral of St. Nicholas Karelsky monastery.
www.towns.ru/other/nikkor.html
Foto: orthonord.ru/photo/severodvinsk/monastyr/