In the beginning of July, celebrations took place in the St. Nikola Uleima Convent in honour of the consecration of the main cathedral of the convent. The church, as before, bears the name of the Holy Hierarch and wonderworker Nikola, Archbishop of Myra of Lycia. Metropolitan Korniliy of Moscow and All Russia, Bishop of Yaroslavl, Kostroma, Nizhny Novgorod, and Vladimir Vikentiy (Novozhilov), and Bishop of Tomsk, Yeniseysk, and the entire Far East Grigoriy (Korobeynikov), as well as many other clergy, arrived in Uleima to take part in the solemn services.
St. Nikola Uleima Convent is the only Old Believer convent in Russia. For more than 30 years, after the return of the monastery to the Old Believers, its spiritual flame, like a candle in the wind, flutters, but does not go out in the expanses of the Yaroslavl region near the ancient city of Uglich. Therefore, special attention is paid to this convent by the Primate of our Church, as to a precious pearl. Metropolitan Korniliy arrived in Uleima in the afternoon of Saturday, July 1, under the sound of bells. At the monastery he was met by Bishop Vikentiy and Bishop Grigoriy, the rector of the monastery’s churches – the recently appointed priest Yevgeniy Ivanov, and the abbess of the monastery, nun Olympiada, who presented Metropolitan Korniliy with traditional bread and salt.
“The Lord gathered us for this solemn great event of the consecration of the church, and I am very glad that Mother Olympiada took great labours so that this day would come closer and this magnificent ancient church in which a lot of prayers have been heard would bring us all together,” said Metropolitan Korniliy, having tasted the bread and salt.
Metropolitan Korniliy wholeheartedly praised the decoration of the church prepared for consecration, especially noting the amazing, unusual colour of the iconostasis. This thick, rich, festive colour has no name. And even if you call it turquoise-azure, you cannot describe half of the shades that are present in it. After lunch and a little rest from the road, Metropolitan Korniliy, together with the clergy and flock, proceeded to the evening service.
On the morning of Sunday, July 2, even more believers gathered for the morning service. During the service, before the liturgy, the long-awaited joyful consecration of the main cathedral of the monastery took place under the solemn ringing of bells. As on the previous day, the celebration was led by His Eminence Metropolitan Korniliy and His Eminence Bishops Vikentiy and Grigoriy.
According to the tradition and the Typicon, the long service for the consecration of a restored church, consisted of a midnight office, a prayer service with blessing of water, the Great Consecration of the church itself, as well as a solemn procession of the cross. Then the hours were read and the liturgy began. Metropolitan Korniliy and the two bishops were concelebrated on this day by the rector of the monastery churches, Priest Yevgeniy Ivanov, Archpriest Alexey Mikheev (Moscow, Rogozhskoye), Archpriest Anatoliy Poteryaev (Yaroslavl), Priest Leonid Usikov (village of Durasovo, Kostroma region), and priests from the Yaroslavl region Mikhail Vitushkin (village of Yelokhino) and Timofey Ovcharov (village of Glukhovo), as well as Protodeacon Viktor Savelyev (Moscow, Rogozhskoe) and Protodeacon Dimitriy Konovaev (Kostroma).
St. Nikola Uleima Monastery traces its history back to the mid-15th century. The beginning of the convent is associated with the miraculous appearance of St. Nikola the Wonderworker to monk Varlaam. The Holy Hierarch ordered the monk to buy his image at the market, and then settle with this image where he would be told. The place designated by the saint was Uleima. That is why the newly consecrated church retained the name of St. Nikola the Wonderworker. Now seven nuns permanently live in the monastery. There were years when there were up to two dozen of them. Of course, the monastery needs new nuns now more than ever. But everything is according to the will of God! In the meantime, the nuns are helped in their daily renovation works by men and women who come to the convent throughout the year to pray and help. Their arrival schedule is set by Abbess Olympiada, so if you want to go there, you should coordinate the date of your visit to the convent with her in advance.
Now, after the consecration of St. Nikola Cathedral, the Divine Liturgy will be celebrated here regularly. This means that the convent will become even more significant for Old Believer pilgrims, as well as for those who decide to take the most important, the main step in life – to give themselves completely to God and devote their whole lives to Him.
