The Epiphany Monastery in the village of Mstera (until the 19th century – the Epiphany Sloboda) was probably founded in the early 17th century. As was recorded in the census books of the Suzdal district of 1628-1630, in the Epiphany Sloboda, which was the patrimony of the princes Romodanovsky (F. Yu. Romodanovsky – head of the Preobrazhensky, Siberian and Aptekarsky orders, practically the second person in the state, who ruled the country during the absence of Peter I in the capital), there already existed a stone church and “cells of black priests”, that is, there was a monastery. In 1687, on the site of the old dilapidated church, a new stone Church of the Epiphany was built. The work of local builders, serfs of the Romodanovskys, was apparently supervised by an experienced and talented architect, who erected a church similar to the famous Moscow churches of the 17th century. This was a big event for the remote village of Mstera.
Next to the Epiphany Church is the single-domed Vladimir Church (of the Vladimir Icon of the Mother of God). The exact time of its construction is not known. But the first mention of it dates back to 1734. The monastery's gate bell tower with five bells and a striking clock was first mentioned in 1710. After the spire was damaged during a hurricane in 1873, the bell tower was completely rebuilt.
In 1722, during the period when Count Golovin owned these lands, icon painting emerged among the local residents in Mstera, brought here by the Moscow icon painter A. Alekseev. In 1844, the Mstera lands, along with the peasants and icon painters who inhabited them, came into the possession of Count Panin. By this time, Mstera icon painters had gained wide fame, and they were often involved in restoration work on the paintings of churches and monasteries, and especially ancient icons. At the beginning of the 18th century, they were engaged in the restoration of the cathedrals of the Moscow Kremlin and Moscow monasteries.
Translated by Google •
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