The head of the Nizhny Novgorod metropolis performed the small vespers and all-night vigil at the Holy Trinity Seraphimo-Diveev Monastery.

      Sw.commonTranslation of Svetlana Medvedeva's text.

      On July 20, Metropolitan Georgiy of Nizhny Novgorod and Arzamas posted about the Holy Trinity Seraphimo-Diveev Monastery for Women. In the Kazan Cathedral of the monastery, he performed a small vespers with an akathist to the Kazan icon of the Mother of God and all-night vigil. The service took place on the eve of the feast day of this church—the day of the appearance of the icon of the Most Holy Theotokos in Kazan (1579).

      The ruling bishop was assisted by the dean of the Diveevo district of the Nizhny Novgorod diocese, the senior priest of the monastery, Father Vladimir Kargin, and other clergy of the diocese.

      During the service, along with numerous pilgrims and parishioners, the monastery’s abbess, Igumena Sergiya (Konkova), the nuns of the monastery, the director of Nizhny Novgorod School No. 187, head of the city resource center for spiritual and moral education and civic formation named after the Holy Equal-to-the-Apostles Cyril and Methodius, Valery Malinin, and benefactor Valery Meshalkin prayed.

      Addressing the congregation with a episcopal word, the head of the Nizhny Novgorod metropolis reminded them of the great spiritual and historical significance of the Kazan icon of the Mother of God in Russia. The archpastor specifically noted that it was this holy image carried by the participants of the Nizhny Novgorod militia in 1612 when they went to liberate Moscow from foreign invaders.

      "Here, in Diveevo, on the porch of the rural church in honor of the Kazan icon of the Mother of God, there was an appearance of the Queen of Heaven to the future founder of the monastery, Mother Alexandra. She received a blessing from the elders of the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra after the Mother of God appeared in a vision, commanding her to go through the towns and lands of Russia to the place she would show, to finish her righteous life and glorify her Name by founding a great monastery dedicated to the Queen of Heaven. And here, in Diveevo, the Most Holy Theotokos indicated her Fourth portion to Mother Alexandra. Without God's will, as the Scripture says, not a hair can fall from a person’s head. In our earthly life, the Lord cares for each of us. I thank Mother-Igumena for her efforts to revive the monastery and organize monastic life. I wish that the Queen of Heaven remains unceasingly with all of us. Happy holiday!" — added Metropolitan Georgiy.

      Additional information:

      The construction of the church in Diveevo in honor of the Kazan icon of the Mother of God began in 1773. The new stone church dedicated to this icon was built at the very place where the Queen of Heaven appeared to the venerable Alexandra (Melgunova), the foundress of the monastery, who was directly indicated by the Most Holy Theotokos herself.

      The founder of the monastery actively participated not only in instructions but also in all construction work. The stone was quarried nearby, on the bank of the Vichkina River. The venerable Alexandra personally dug a spring for the workers.

      The three-altars Kazan Cathedral was built in the style of Russian provincial baroque. The Kazan and Nikolsky chapels were cold, intended for summer, while the Stefanovsky Chapel (in honor of the protomartyr Archdeacon Stephen) was made warm for winter.

      After the construction of the church in 1779, the venerable Alexandra brought from Kazan an exact copy of the miraculous Kazan icon of the Mother of God, from Kyiv—particles of saints’ relics, from Moscow—a bell weighing 76.5 poods, and necessary church utensils.

      The consecration of the Kazan church was performed by Hieromonk Pakhomiy.

      The new stone church was parish, but Venerable Seraphim of Sarov said that over time, it would become a warm monastery cathedral with many annexes and chapels, similar to the Jerusalem temple.

      After the revolution, the bells of the Kazan church were thrown down in the summer of 1928 (or 1929), while the church was still active. In 1940, the crosses were removed, and the domes and bell tower were destroyed, with the elevations of the dome and bell tower later removed in the 1950s. Initially, the building housed a dormitory of a pedagogical technical school, then workshops, and later a warehouse.

      In 1992, the Kazan church was transferred to the monastery. In 1996, ancient frescoes depicting Gospel scenes painted by Diveevo nuns were cleaned inside the church's quadrangle. On October 31, 2003, a cross was ceremonially placed on the newly built bell tower, and on December 24, on the dome of the Kazan church.

      On July 14, 2004, the consecration and raising of new bells, made in Tuvaev, Yaroslavl region, took place—main among which, weighing 2 tons, was decorated with images of the Kazan icon of the Mother of God, Venerable Seraphim of Sarov, and the Holy Royal Martyrs.

      On July 31, 2004, on the eve of the 250th anniversary of Venerable Seraphim’s birth, the Great Consecration of the restored Kazan church's main altar was performed by Metropolitan Filaret of Minsk and Slutsk, Patriarchal Exarch of All Belarus, Metropolitan Juvenaly of Krutitsky and Kolomna, Metropolitan Clement of Kaluga and Bălyov, and a council of bishops. On September 8, 2004, the Stefanovsky Chapel was consecrated; on October 17, 2004, the Nikolsky Chapel.

      In 2002, foundations for several chapels were laid next to the still-unrestored church, fulfilling the prediction of Venerable Seraphim of Sarov that numerous annexes would be built around it over time. Construction of eight new chapels on the north and south sides of the Kazan church began in April 2007 and was completed in September.

      On July 20, 2008, the consecration of the chapel in honor of the Holy Martyr Seraphim Chichagov took place. On August 21, 2008, Archbishop (now Metropolitan) Georgiy of Nizhny Novgorod and Arzamas consecrated the chapels dedicated to the venerable women of Diveevo—Alexandra, Maria, and Elizabeth. The consecration of the chapels in honor of the Diveevo martyrs Maria and Pelageya (Testova) and of the venerable confessors Matrona (Vlasova) took place on October 2. The chapel in honor of the Holy Royal Passion-Beaters was consecrated by Archbishop Georgiy on December 3, and on December 11, the chapel in honor of the blessed Diveevo women Pelageya, Maria, and Paraskeva. From that time, the Kazan church was called a cathedral.

      For more information, see [link to the official site of the Nizhny Novgorod Metropolis].