Firebird Videos, Audios & Books
St. Innocent Monastic Community
Redford, Michigan

 

 I. VIDEOS IN ENGLISH

 

VE-25. ENTRANCE-OYATSKAYA
WOMEN'S MONASTERY
[Video #3 in the Video Documentary Series,
Russian Monasteries]
ENGLISH VERSION
DVD     30 MINS.   MADE IN RUSSIA IN 1995
ISBN 1-881211-89-4       
PRICE: $19.95
ENGLISH VOICE-OVER MADE IN 2002 BY ST. INNOCENT/FIREBIRD VIDEOS 
(ENGLISH VERSION OF THE RUSSIAN VIDEO, #VR-15)
DESCRIPTION:

The Entrance-Oyatskaya Women’s Monastery is another in the ST. INNOCENT/FIREBIRD Videos series of English voice-overs of out-standing Russian-made videos about the Orthodox Faith and culture, making these wonderful videos accessible to the English-speaking world. This excellent video fulfills an important educational need in presenting to English-speaking people a glimpse into the struggles of some of the monasteries in Russia, which were closed by the Soviets, and re-opened during the 1990's, after the fall of the Communists. [See our other Monastery videos, #VR-14 to VR-22 & #VE-23, Pskov-Pechersky Men's Monastery, English Version.]

This video depicts the history and present-day life in winter and summer at the newly re-opened "Entrance [of the Birthgiver of God into the Temple]–Oyatskaya Women’s Monastery," located about 100 miles east of St. Petersburg, on the Oyat River. It portrays the poverty and great difficulties, as well as the joys and triumphs, typical of the re-opening and reconstruction of many men’s and women’s monasteries in Russia today, particularly ones that are in remote areas. The abbess, Matushka Fekla [Mother Thekla] speaks extensively of her faith in the help and prayers of the Mother of God in the midst of enormous difficulties. [See #VR-10, In Memory of Matushka Fekla, for more about her and this, her monastery, which she is responsible for opening.]

Also shown are parts of the Nativity of Christ celebrations, with visiting children, their parents and the bishop, and summertime feasts, including the blessing of water at the sacred spring and drinking of the health-giving water in a special healing ministry to the handicapped. There is considerable lovely singing by the sisterhood.

The conditions at this newly re-opened and struggling monastery are similar to those at the Konyevits Men’s Monastery [#VR-14], and are in striking contrast to a few large, thriving monasteries that had been open during the Communist period, such as the Pskov-Pechersky Men’s Monastery (see English voice-over #VE-23 and also #VR-12—Dormition Feast at the Pskov-Pechersky Monastery].