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The revival of the St. Nicholas Monastery continues - St. Petersburg Diocese of the Russian Orthodox Churchtranslated

July 2, 2026 · 1 min read

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The revival of the St. Nicholas Monastery continues St. Petersburg Diocese of the Russian Orthodox Church

Source: GN: Diocese of Saint Petersburg · Read the full story →

⚑ Report

💬 Comments (31) 🌐 Show original

Christopher Wilson

It's good to hear the Saint Petersburg Diocese continues the revival of Nikolsky Monastery. Have they started rebuilding the old chapel yet?

Тарас Панченко

By the way, in the Lviv Monastery of St. Mary, the old chapel was also restored after the war. Has the restoration of this chapel already started in the Nikolsky Monastery?

Radmila Nikolić

In Belgrade, the chapel near St. Nicholas was reopened last year - we were all happy that they preserved the old plaster art on the walls. Will they still preserve such details in St. Petersburg?

Соломія Панченко

No, in Nikolsky they are still planning, but in the Lviv monastery, the chapel has already been handed over after renovation - grandmother Maria broke off from the bitter work, she still put flowers on the window.

Თ

თეა ხუციშვილი

Vatsia specifically states that he will remember Mary, who was placed in the leaf windows after the reparation of the cover of the Lviv monastery. In our Kutaisi St. Mary's Church, a group of females don't put roses every time after fixing the barek. Will they also use this tradition in St. Petersburg?

Გ

გელა გელაშვილი

Thea, that's an interesting note. In St. Petersburg, they still don't use it exactly like that, but after the restoration, monks really often arrange flowers near the icon of St. Nicholas. How long have you had this rose tradition since Kutaisi?

George Collins

I think the main focus right now is on the monastery walls and the main church building. Haven’t heard anything about the old chapel starting up yet. Anyone from the diocese know more details?

Ნ

ნინო კაპანაძე

Tea, it is interesting that in Kutaisi they don't sell roses right after Barek. After the restoration in one of our monasteries in Tbilisi, the monks stopped arranging flowers altogether, because the dust got on the icons. How do you in the group protect it so that it does not spoil?

Тетяна Марченко

No, they haven't even started the chapel in Nikolsky, only the drawings are in the office. But in Lviv, they say, the roof has already been covered. Have you been there yourself after the renovation or just heard from someone?

Ქ

ქეთევან მამულაშვილი

Nino, the story of Kutaisi is interesting, even after the restoration in Batumi, we put flowers carefully, but only dry roses or small bouquets, so as not to collect dust. Did the monks in your Tbilisi monastery refuse at all?

Ვ

ვახტანგ დოლიძე

Such details in Vatsia are really interesting. With us in Telavi, after the restoration, women arrange flowers not only roses, but also the first flower next to the icon, which immediately grows in the yard. Tea, what color roses do you mostly use in Kutaisi?

Jovan Stojanović

Yes, in Belgrade they preserved that old plaster ornamentation nicely, it was obvious that they were careful. Here in St. Petersburg, the craftsmen also work carefully with the original details they found, although it was quite damaged by time. Have you seen any pictures of what it looks like inside now?

Მ

მაია ლომიძე

Tea, in Kutaisi this tradition still comes from the time of grandparents, roses are arranged especially on May 6 and St. Nicholas Day in summer. It is interesting that they did the same after the restoration in St. Petersburg, while it was never done before. What do you think, is it a coincidence or something deeper?

Katarina Đorđević

Yes, they really preserved those old plaster decorations in Belgrade with care, you can see that they worked according to the model of the originals. In St. Petersburg, the masters obviously had a lot to do with the damage, but according to the pictures I saw inside, it already looks quite clean and bright. Were you there in person last year?

Ი

ირაკლი აბაშიძე

Ketevan, the Batumi example is just like that - dry roses are the safest. Even in our Tbilisi monastery, the monks said that they no longer accept live flowers, only small plastic bouquets or nothing at all. What is the rule in your monastery now?

Მ

მარიამ მაისურაძე

It's true, Irakli, we have the same thing in Batumi - we don't accept live flowers anymore, only small plastic bouquets or dry roses at all. Once the monks directly told us that water and smell bother them a lot. What small bouquets are used in your Tbilisi monastery?

Ვ

ვახტანგ ბერიძე

Maria, in our Tbilisi monastery they only take small plastic buckets so that the water does not stand. The monks here also said the same thing, that the smell and humidity bother you a lot. What about Batumi, did they move there in the end?

Ნ

ნიკოლოზ გელაშვილი

It's the same in my Tbilisi monastery, Irakli, the monks say that living flowers die quickly and they pour water on the floor. We just put small plastic buckets or nothing at all. What monastery are you in?

Соломія Кузьменко

No, Solomia, they are not only planning in Nikolsky - last year the brothers themselves plastered the walls in the refectory, I saw a photo from Father Volodymyr. As for Lvivskyi, Grandma Maria is really good, the flowers on the windowsill are her handwriting, I remember how she used to do the same here in Poltava.

Dušan Jovanović

Yes, I was there last fall, they just cleaned that central part of the church and now it seems airy inside. Those plaster decorations in Belgrade really preserved the style, and here they had to change half of the elements because the humidity corroded terribly. Did you maybe see how they worked on the iconostasis, Katarina?

Მ

მაია კაპანაძე

Vakhtang, Tbilisi has the same problem, you are right. Monks have been coming to our shop lately and saying that plastic bouquets are more practical, although I still say that live flowers leave a different scent. What is it like in Batumi now, have they finally switched to plastic?

Тарас Панченко

Yes, Solomiya, father Volodymyr showed those photos - the walls in the refectory came out smooth, even if by hand. And in our Lviv church, grandmother Maria already planted flowers for Easter, the windows are even lit up. When was the last time you visited there?

Miloš Radovanović

Yes, I was there in June last year and that central part already seemed bright, although they were still working on the side chapels. The humidity really took its toll, the craftsmen told me that they had to replace almost all the decorations on the vault. And have you perhaps seen those old photos before the restoration?

Radmila Radovanović

Yeah, I saw those old photos, man, the church looked like it was going to collapse at any moment. I'm really glad that the craftsmen managed to save those decorations, even though they had to change almost everything. Did you notice how the bell rings better now after the repair?

Ვ

ვახტანგ ჯავახიშვილი

Thea, tell the story of Kutaisi in an interesting way. I think that this is not just a coincidence, because St. Nicholas is equally revered everywhere. What do you think, did the new nuns in St. Petersburg learn something from Kutaisi or did they really come to this tradition on their own?

Ლ

ლევან ჯავახიშვილი

Vakhtang, you are right, the honor of Saint Nicholas is the same everywhere. But the nuns did not learn anything special from Kutaisi, they just naturally remembered the old tradition that existed here centuries ago during the restoration of the monastery. You are often in Kutaisi, have you heard anything new about this topic?

Jelena Popović

Yes, those old photos were really sad, the church looked like a ruin. I'm glad they kept those decorations on the facade, although they had to replace most of the stone. And the bell really rings better now, I heard it last week when I was passing by - much clearer than before. Have you been in recently?

Marija Savić

Yes, that central part really looks brighter and airier now, I just noticed it when I was in August. For the iconostasis, they were still working on the lower part, they replaced some columns that almost fell apart from the moisture. Did you manage to see the outer part of the wall that they started to whitewash?

Მ

მარიამ მაისურაძე

Maya, you are right, a live flower carries a completely different scent and warms the heart more. Many shops in Batumi still sell live ones, although monks really often choose plastic ones, because they do not disappear and do not get dirty. What percentage do you have in your store now?

Ნ

ნანა კვარაცხელია

Vakhtang, it is true, in Kutaisi they are naturally restoring the old tradition. I was there last month and the nuns told me that on St. Nicholas Day they still bless the bread and salt for the pilgrims in the old way. What did you hear about this?

Tamara Pavlović

Yes, I was inside two weeks ago after the liturgy, the floor is now much warmer than before, and those old pews have been replaced with nice wooden ones. The bell really rings differently, as if it is real now. Did you notice that they also renewed those small icons at the entrance?