11 June 2026
(St. Nicholas Monastery in the early 20th century. PHOTO: blogger.googleusercontent.com)
Monasteries have long been not only centers of spiritual life, but also places where culture, traditions, and art took shape. In Izmail, such a special place was a complex of religious buildings on the banks of the Danube, whose history remains insufficiently researched today and conceals many interesting facts. Among them is the St. Nicholas Monastery, which for centuries played an important role in the spiritual and cultural life of the city.
The first mentions of the monastery and St. Nicholas Church date back to 1077. During the renovation of the church in 1834, a stone slab with a Greek inscription was discovered in one of the walls, confirming the date of the church’s construction.
The ancient Christian past of the lands along the Danube is attested not only by archaeological finds but also by references in ancient sources. For example, the Byzantine Emperor Constantine Porphyrogenitus mentioned that in the land of the Pechenegs—that is, in the territory of Bessarabia, which they occupied in the 10th century—remains of Christian churches and stone crosses were found. Documents discovered in the archives of Izmail, Moscow, and St. Petersburg, as well as a manuscript from the collections of the Holy Synod, also attest to the ancient origins of churches in our region. It describes in detail certain features of St. Nicholas Church, which attest that “its foundation dates back to the 12th century.” However, almost no information about the church’s activities in the 11th–14th centuries has survived. This is likely due to the destructive events of that time. In 1241–1242, the hordes of Khan Batu, returning through the lands along the Danube, destroyed everything in their path. By the 14th century, the Nogai Horde, which practiced Islam and had no interest in preserving or developing the monastery, was roaming the area.
In the early 15th century, the lands of the Lower Danube region came under threat from the expansion of the Ottoman Empire. As early as 1455, the Moldavian ruler Petru Aron was forced to recognize the suzerainty of the Turkish sultan and pay tribute. Fearing the growing strength of the Zaporozhian Cossacks, the Porte began actively fortifying the Danube territories and building new fortresses. It was then, near the Kiliya crossing, on the site of the Slavic settlement of Smil, that the fortress of Izmail was built in the fall of 1590. A Turkish chronicler mentioned this event: “…in November 1590, Mehmed-aga, who built the city and fortress of Izmail on the banks of the Danube, died.” Local residents and settlers of various origins participated in the construction of the fortress. Over time, Izmail became not only an important commercial hub but also the administrative, judicial, and religious center of the region.
The multi-ethnic population of the Danube region compelled the Ottoman administration to adopt a more tolerant attitude toward representatives of other faiths. That is why the Turkish authorities allowed the Christian church to establish a special metropolis here within an administrative unit that Moldavian chroniclers called a “raia.” Initially, it operated in Braila and was subordinate to the Patriarch of Constantinople. In 1639, the metropolitan’s residence was moved to Izmail. Since then, it has been known as the Proilav-Izmail Metropolis and has become the spiritual center for all Christian parishes of the Lower Danube. The courtyard of the Izmail St. Nicholas Monastery became the metropolitan’s seat.
The publication "Anuarul Episcopiei Cetatii Albe-Izmail 1923–1936" features a letter from Patriarch Ioannikios of Constantinople dated June 2, 1641, which reveals a little-known chapter in the history of the St. Nicholas Monastery. According to the document, the Church of St. Nicholas in the Izmail Fortress was declared a stauropegia and transferred to the monks of the Karakal Monastery from Mount Athos as a small monastery. The charter noted that the church was in an extremely dilapidated state—so much so that “not a single part of it is in normal condition.” The building required major repairs. “Fortunately,” the charter states, “by God’s providence, fathers from the Holy Mountain were sent here from Karakal,” who decided “to rebuild this church using their own funds.” The Athonite monks paid special attention to this church because it was dedicated to Saint Nicholas—one of the most revered saints on Athos. At the same time, they set a condition: after its restoration, the monastery was to be subject exclusively to the patriarch. The charter emphasized that the church “would become a patriarchal stauropegia, and no local bishop was to interfere in either its ecclesiastical or liturgical activities.” The document also permitted, if necessary, inviting a local bishop for divine services, but without the right to lay claim to the monastery. As a sign of submission, the monastery was to send the patriarch an annual tribute of “40 liters of caviar”—about 16 kilograms—and to mention only the patriarch’s name during services.
A copy of the charter was kept at the monastery, while the original was housed at the Karakal Monastery on Mount Athos. The document stated that Princess Roxanda—daughter of Peter Rares and wife of Moldavian Prince Ioan Alexandru Lepuşneanu—had donated 36,000 leu to the monks of the Karakal Monastery on Mount Athos. These funds were intended for the purchase of the St. Nicholas Monastery from the Turkish official Pasha Mustafa Çelebi. Later, in 1641, by a charter from the Patriarch of Constantinople, the monastery received stauropegial status, which granted it special status and direct subordination to the patriarch.
The condition of St. Nicholas Church in the Izmail Fortress attracted the attention not only of the clergy but also of Constantinople itself. This is likely why the neighboring church—the Church of the Dormition of the Mother of God—also drew interest. In 1643, Patriarch Parthenios I of Jerusalem issued a charter by which, together with his synod, he granted this church stauropegial status—the same as that held by the Monastery of the Holy Sepulcher.
<span><span><span>Church of the Dormition of the Mother of God. PHOTO: www.bessarabica.info</span></span></span>
The granting of stauropegial status placed both shrines in a special position: from then on, they were directly subordinate to the Patriarch of Constantinople, bypassing local church authorities. This status was maintained for over two centuries—until 1856, when the Romanian authorities closed both monasteries.
Documents from a later period also confirm the monastery’s special status. For instance, researcher and member of the Odessa Imperial Society of History and Antiquities Pavel Kolomoytsev cites an interesting example in his work “The Former Fortress of Izmail and Its Monuments”: "In 1820, the brethren of the St. Nicholas Monastery appealed to Metropolitan Gabriel with a request to relocate the monastery to the town of Tuchkov, which was denied on the grounds that the fate of the monastery was to be decided by the Patriarch of Constantinople."
The events of February 1833 provided further confirmation of the monastery’s special status. The abbot of the Assumption Monastery, Hieromonk Patricius, and Izmail Archpriest Nikita Glyzian submitted a report to the governor of Izmail, Lieutenant GeneralLieutenant Sergei Tuchkov, requesting that the monastery’s building and property be placed under protection to prevent possible looting. As a result, the city police opened the “Case regarding property belonging to the Greek Assumption Monastery and the deceased Hieromonk Patricius.” The property was described in detail and appraised. By order of Tuchkov, it was transferred to the care of the Holy Protection Cathedral, since divine services at the Church of the Dormition of the Mother of God had ceased. To protect the church’s valuables from theft, they were ordered to be kept in the cathedral’s chest, locked and sealed.
Subsequently, a letter was sent to Archbishop Dimitri of Chisinau and Hotin requesting that he dispose of the monastery’s property. In response, the archbishop stated: “Since the monastery and the deceased abbot belong to the Holy Sepulcher, the diocesan leadership has no right to dispose of this property.” He advised that it be preserved until a separate decision by the patriarch, and he himself appealed to the Russian minister in Constantinople, requesting that he inform the Patriarch of Jerusalem of the death of Hieromonk Patricius and the need for further instructions regarding the monastery and its property. In this way, Archbishop Demetrius effectively confirmed the monastery’s stauropegial status and the absence of local ecclesiastical authority over it.
In March 1833, Patriarch Athanasius of Jerusalem, while in Constantinople, declared that Hieromonk Patricius’s property belonged to the Holy Sepulcher and was to be transferred to Constantinople. This decision was made despite the fact that the deceased’s brother, Strati Hadji Michali, had arrived in Izmail from Greece, hoping to receive the inheritance.
Thanks to the inventory of the Assumption Church’s property, compiled on the occasion of this event, it is possible to partially reconstruct an image of its interior layout and condition. The list mentions 22 icons and 46 liturgical books, of which more than 20 were in Greek, and the rest in Russian and Moldovan. It was in these languages that services were conducted in the church. In addition, the church possessed three bells, twelve benches, and two outbuildings.
The document “On the Metropolis” (1644) contains a section titled “On the Church of St. Nicholas in the Fortress of Izmail,” which discusses the reconstruction of the church on the site of the destroyed sanctuary. According to this information, the church existed long before the monastery was built here and was dug into the ground—a staircase led inside.
Under Turkish law, Christian churches were prohibited from exceeding the height of other buildings, so their exterior appearance was rather modest and unassuming. In this renovated form, the ancient sanctuary survived the period of Ottoman rule, later became part of the monastery under the omophorion of the Patriarchate of Constantinople, and subsequently passed to the Russian Church, remaining active until 1852.
Another fortress church of the Dormition Monastery was built by the Moldavian voivode Stephen III the Great and later renovated by the former Prince of Wallachia, Constantine Brâncoveanu (1688–1714). The monastery belonged to the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem. The complex’s grounds were partially enclosed by a stone wall and partially by a wooden fence. Inside were 19 cells: 16 wooden ones covered with tiles and 3 stone ones. Of these, 12 were inhabited by laypeople who paid no rent, while 17 cells remained empty.
In 1770, after the capture of the Izmail fortress by a detachment led by Major General Otto-Adolf Weisman, the abbot of the monastery, Hegumen Iakov, was handed an open letter from the commander-in-chief of the Russian army in Moldavia, Count Pyotr Rumyantsev, dated December 12, 1771, No. 1793. In it, the monastery was granted the right to dispose of all real estate within the fortress that had long belonged to this monastery. Additionally, the Patriarch of Jerusalem provided over 300 rubles annually for the monastery’s upkeep.
However, as early as 1774, under the terms of the Treaty of Kuchuk-Kainarji, the fortress of Izmail was returned to the Ottoman Empire. After Bessarabia was annexed to the Russian Empire in 1812, only one hieromonk remained at the monastery, and due to his advanced age, divine services were conducted by lay priests. The monastery owned 30 wooden shops in the city, which generated an annual income of 1,663 leva. However, with the founding of the city of Tuchkov in 1812, most residents moved from the fortress of Izmail, and the Assumption Monastery effectively lost its income.
Metropolitan Gabriel appealed to Major General Sergei Tuchkov with a request to allocate a site for the monastery in the city, after which a decision was drafted by the Holy Synod (1820) regarding the relocation of the monastery. However, the Holy Synod refused, citing the fact that the monastery was not part of the diocesan administration.
In 1841, Emperor Nicholas I arrived in Izmail and approved the project to rebuild the old Church of St. Nicholas. The new building was constructed of brick in the Byzantine style, and the facade decoration was executed in the traditions of 17th-century Russian architecture. The church consisted of three parts with a semicircular apse; the central part was covered by a dome on an octagonal drum with an onion-shaped top. The interior walls were decorated with frescoes.
After the Holy Synod refused Metropolitan Gavril’s request to relocate the monastery to the town of Tuchkov, a decision was made to build a new Church of the Dormition. Patriarch Athanasius of Jerusalem allocated 8,000 rubles for its construction. The church was built and consecrated in 1841. The monograph "Bessarabia," edited by Pavel Krushevan, noted: "The stone Church of the Dormition was consecrated in 1841." Unlike St. Nicholas Church, the new structure was built on the site of the foundations of an older 17th-century Church of the Mother of God. The church had a rectangular plan with a semicircular apse, a single dome, and four interior pillars.
Pediments were located above the northern and southern entrances of the Assumption Church. The window and door openings were lancet-shaped and framed with stone moldings, which gave the building features characteristic of Armenian-Gregorian churches, in whose style the Church of the Dormition was built. As noted in descriptions of that time: "The interior of the Church of the Dormition is not spacious, and it can accommodate no more than 200 people; the church is neat, and there is even a certain amount of luxury inside; the iconostasis, banners, and lectern are almost new; the church is maintained by the clergy of a monastery located in the city, but services are held rarely and there is no permanent rector, and the monks take turns fulfilling the church’s needs.”
Historian, archaeologist, and local historian Mykola Murzakevych, in the “Proceedings of the Odessa Society of History and Antiquities,” described the stone church with a bell tower dedicated to the Dormition of the Most Holy Mother of God with particular enthusiasm. Similar impressions were left by the 19th-century Odessa scholar Apollon Skalkovsky, who visited Izmail in 1847. According to his account, three tombstones with Russian inscriptions were discovered on the stone floor near the side entrance to the church. One of them read: “… Mykola Trusov of the third battalion of the Buzhskaya Jäger Corps died during the assault on Izmail.” In the middle was a slab indicating the burial of an unknown Moldavian, and to the right—another one with the inscription: “Alexander Vorobyov, who died in the Lord… on the 22nd day of September, 1791. Aged 28 years." It is impossible to determine how these graves came to be in the church, which was consecrated only in 1852, as there is no information available on this matter.
In addition to the church, the monastery had a house where the monks lived: the abbot, a hieromonk, and a hierodeacon. The Patriarch of Jerusalem provided 300 rubles annually for their upkeep.
At the end of the 19th century, stone cells were built, which are still located west of the church. During that same period, the monastery and church were under the jurisdiction of the Russian Orthodox Synod.
In 1868, during the period of Romanian rule in the region, Hieromonk Paisius Dendrino was appointed to the Holy Dormition Church. Upon taking over the church, he compiled an inventory of the church’s property. According to him: "The iconostasis in it is old, with six icons decorated with silver and gilding, and there are a total of 25 large and small icons in the church, of which only 5 are new. The church property is described in detail: 56 books, of which 32 are Greek, 13 are Russian, and 11 are Moldavian; 5 bells."
It is likely that Paissius Dendrino’s knowledge of Greek and Romanian was taken into account when he was appointed. Traditionally, services in this church could be conducted in these very languages.
In 1878, after the region was annexed to the Russian Empire, both churches were united under the common name of the Kriponosny Monastery. At that time, two buildings of cells, the abbot’s house with the senior monks, and a refectory were constructed for the monastic community. Hieromonk Theophan, a native of Moldova, was appointed abbot. As Pavlo Kolomoytsev notes: “Theophan is a simple, approachable man; very hardworking thanks to his innate energy; he found the monastery in complete disrepair and began to rebuild it… An orchard was planted at the monastery, along with a vegetable garden near the Danube equipped with an irrigation system, and an apiary was established…; vacant plots are sown with grain crops; even a bookshop and an icon-painting workshop have been opened; Theophan repaired all the monastery’s churches and furnished them with religious items, but the monastery still has many needs.”
Information from the Mykolaiv Monastery attests to the monastery’s economic activities: “The monks ran an exemplary economy, and the monastery generated significant profits. The monastery had magnificent orchards—apple, pear, and apricot trees, as well as almond and hazelnut trees. A greenhouse was built behind the monastery building, where lemons were grown. The monks hired people to work there, while they handled the rest of the work themselves… The monks lived solely off the proceeds of their subsistence farming.”
The history of the monastery complex faced new trials during the turbulent 20th century. In 1918, Izmail was occupied by Romania, after which the church institutions were placed under the jurisdiction of the Romanian Orthodox Church. A new phase began in the monastery’s history, which later became the subject of further in-depth research into archival materials, eyewitness accounts, and a reexamination of little-known chapters of its past.
This work was made possible by the Fight for Facts project, implemented with financial support from the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development.
Андрій Шевченко
June 10, 2026
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