Gorodnitsky monastery

The church of St. George the Victorious rises monumentally on the bank of Sluch river surrounded by forests of Polesye in Gorodnitsa village (Zhitomir region). In the same place, in a tall picturesque hill, you fill find Stauropegic monastery that was revived by Alexander, the rector bishop Gorodnitsky Vicar of the Kyiv Metropolis.

The monastery that is located on the banks of Sluch river has a long and fascinating story. There is a legend that the place where Gorodnitsa village is located used to be a city. Once it was attacked by enemies and completely destroyed, and as a result is became known as Gorod-Nits (No city). Locals tell a story of the monastery of St. George the Victorious being destroyed at the same time. Gorodnitsa is first mentioned in written sources in the XVII century.

In 1774 a wooden church of St. George was constructed in Gorodnitsa, and a female monastery commune was opened at the church in 1891. Ten years later a stone church of St. George was constructed near the old church, and to avoid mixing up the two churches the wooden church was renamed after St. Simeon. Female monastery commune was turned into a male commune in 1914. However, the church had existed like that only for 9 years, and in 1923 state officials decided to shut it down. In 1930 the church was fatally damaged: the church of St. Simeon was completely demolished. Only in 1945 the church started functioning as a parish due to the efforts of its members.

A monastery with communes for both men and women was opened in 1979. However, it did not function officially, as the country was still living under atheistic ruling.

In the late 1980s a new stone altar chapel was built in the same place where the church of St. Simeon used to stand. During warm seasons there were church services. In 1994 Metropolitan of Kiev and All Ukraine gave the stavropegic to monastery as a gift. From 1996 to 1997 in a section of the monastery people created a church to honor the Icon of the Mother of God "Soothe My Sorrows", which is considered to be the main shrine of the monastery. Relics of St. George, saints of Kiev Caves and Great Martyr Barbara are also stored there.

Address of Gorodnitsky monastery: Zhitomir region, Gorodnitsa village, Proletarskaya street, 1.