Pechersky Monastery

Pskovo-Pechersky Monastery or Pskov-Caves Dormition Monastery (Russian: Псково-Печерский Успенский монастырь) is a Russian Orthodox male monastery, located in Pechory, Pskov Oblast, Russia, 18 km from the Estonian border. The monastery was founded in 15th century, when the first hermits settled in local caves. The first cave Church of the Dormition of the Theotokos (церковь Успения Богородицы) was built in 1473. After the monastery had been destroyed by the Livonian feudals, it was rebuilt by a Pskovian dyak Mikhail Munekhin-Misyur in 1519. In 1529, at age 28, the Saint Cornelius (Russian: Корнилий) was elevated to hegumen and became head of the monastery. While he was hegumen, the Pskovo-Pechersk monastery reached the height of its prime. The number of brethren increased from 15 to 200 men. In 1558-1565 St. Cornelius erected round about the monastery a massive stone wall, and over the holy gates in accord with his plan he built a stone church in the name of Saint Nicholas, entrusting to him the guarding of the monastery. In 1570, on the 20th of February, when Saint Cornelius was in his 69th year from birth, he came out the monastery gates with a cross to meet the tsar Ivan the Terrible. Tsar, angered by a false slander, with his own hand cut off head of the St. Cornelius, but then immediately repented of his deed and, taking up the body, in his own hands he carried it into the monastery. Evidence of the tsar's repenting his deed was the generous recompense to the Pskovo-Pechersk monastery, made by him after the death of the Saint Cornelius.