Iversky Monastery (Donetsk)

The Iversky Monastery (Ukrainian: Іверський монастир, Russian: Иверский монастырь) was a monastery of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church (Moscow Patriarchate) in Donetsk, Ukraine. It was built between 1997 and 2001, and was closed in 2014 due to the war in Donbas. The monastery was largely destroyed during the Second Battle of Donetsk Airport in January 2015.

Iversky Monastery
Іверський монастир
The Iversky Monastery in 2008
Monastery information
OrderUkrainian Orthodox Church (Moscow Patriarchate)
EstablishedDecember 2001
Disestablished2014
Dedicated toPanagia Portaitissa
DioceseDiocese of Donetsk and Mariupol [ru]
People
Founder(s)Hilarion (Szukało) [uk]
Architecture
StatusLargely destroyed
GroundbreakingApril 1997
Completion date2001
Site
LocationDonetsk, Ukraine
Coordinates48°3′56″N 37°43′56.1″E / 48.06556°N 37.732250°E / 48.06556; 37.732250
Map

History

edit

The first stone of the Iversky Monastery was laid down by Hilarion (Szukało) [uk] in April 1997. The monastery was built on a vacant plot in northern Donetsk, close to the airport. The monastery was opened in December 2001, and it was a subsidiary of the Monastery of St. Nicholas [uk] in Mykilske before it became independent in December 2002.[1]

War in Donbas

edit
 
The remains of the monastery in May 2015

The monastery was severely damaged during the war in Donbas. The sisters evacuated the monastery in 2014.[2] In January 2015, the building was destroyed during the Second Battle of Donetsk Airport. The monastery and its cemetery were almost completely destroyed in the fighting, with only a bullet-ridden shell remaining.[3]

Architecture

edit

The monastery consisted of a church with a bell tower, a convent building housing the sisters and a number of other buildings. A cemetery, an orchard and a vegetable garden were located within the grounds of the monastery.[1]

References

edit
  1. ^ a b "Свято-Иверский женский монастырь" (in Russian). ortodox.donbass.com. Archived from the original on 17 December 2014.
  2. ^ Velikodnaya, Marina (10 November 2014). "Плотию уснув: Монастырь, которого больше нет". pravmir.ru (in Russian). Archived from the original on 11 September 2015.
  3. ^ "Украинская армия разрушила Иверский монастырь и обстреляла кладбище (ВИДЕО)". Русская весна (in Russian). 23 January 2015. Archived from the original on 11 May 2015.
edit