Intercession Khotkov Monastery is located in the village of Khotkovo, Moscow region, 15 kilometers from the Trinity-Sergius Lavra. These two monasteries are closely connected with the life of the great Russian Saint Sergius of Radonezh, so if you are going to the Lavra, it is advisable to plan a visit to the Khotkov Monastery.
The women`s Intercession Khotkov Monastery is located in a picturesque place on a high bank, above the bend of the Paga River. In some sources it is written that the founder of the monastery was Yuri Dolgoruky, who lived in the middle of the 12th century, but in the chronicle the monastery was first mentioned in 1308. In those years, the village of Khotkovo did not exist, and the nearest settlement was the fortress in Radonezh, which controlled the busy road from Moscow to Pereslavl-Zalessky.
At the beginning of the 14th century, Kirill and Maria moved from Rostov the Great to Radonezh with their three sons: Stephan, Bartholomew and Peter. Kirill was an impoverished Rostov lord. Before their death, they became monks of the Intercession Khotkov Monastery. Their eldest son Stefan became a monk even earlier. The middle son Bartholomew also took a monastic vow under the name Sergius. He entered the history as Sergius of Radonezh, the Collector of Russian Lands.
The parents of Sergius of Radonezh, Kirill and Maria, are buried in the Intercession Khotkov Monastery. Their veneration began already in the 14th century, and in 1992 they were canonized as saints of the Russian Orthodox Church. For 200 years, the Intercession Khotkov Monastery has been a joint one. This was possible, since at first only elders and old women lived there. In the 15th century, the monastery became a women`s monastery.
Sergius of Radonezh persuaded his brother Stefan to go from the Khotkov monastery to another place to found a new monastery, which later became the Spiritual Center of Russian Orthodoxy. It was called the Trinity-Sergius Lavra.
Churches and buildings of the 19th century have been preserved in the Intercession Khotkov Monastery. The architectural ensemble looks quite picturesque, as the churches are built in different styles. The Water Gate with the gate church of St. Mitrofan of Voronezh was built in a strict classical style in 1833. Behind the gate on the hill is the Intercession Cathedral, built in 1812-16 in the classical style. A shrine with the relics of Saints Kirill and Mary is installed in the cathedral.
St. Nicholas Cathedral towers over all the buildings of the monastery. It was founded in 1899 and completed at the beginning of the 20th century. The cathedral was built in the pseudo-Russian architectural style, which came back into fashion at the end of the 19th century.
The yellow and white color of most of the buildings of the monastery resembles the houses and Estates of St. Petersburg. There is even a lion sculpture installed near the Water Gate - a typical image of St. Petersburg.
