Pskovo-Pechorsky Monastery
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Pskovo-Pechorsky Monastery or The Holy Dormition Pskovo-Pechersky monastery (Russian: Псково-Печерский Свято-Успенский мужской монастырь) is a male monastery, located on the Pechora River in Pechory, Pskov Oblast in Russia some 18 km from the Estonian border.
The monastery was founded in the mid-15th century, when the first hermits settled in local caves. The first cave Church of the Assumption of Virgin Mary (церковь Успения Богородицы) was built in 1473 (its modern facade was constructed in the 18th century). After the monastery had been destroyed by the Livonian feudals, it was rebuilt by a Pskovian dyak Mikhail Munekhin-Misyur in 1519. A posad appeared next to the monastery, which would later grow into a town. In 1550s-1560s, Pskovo-Pechorsky Monastery and its posad were surrounded by a wall with towers (eventually, these fortifications were rebuilt in 1701). The monastery became an important outpost for defending the western border of Russia. In 1581-1582, it withstood the siege laid by Stefan Batory’s army. In 1611-1616, the monastery repelled the attack of the Polish army led by Jan Karol Chodkiewicz and Aleksander Józef Lisowski and Swedish army led by Gustav II Adolf. Pskovo-Pechorsky Monastery lost its importance after the Great Northern War of 1700-1721. In 1920-1940, Pskovo-Pechorsky Monastery belonged to Estonia. The monastery was one of the few acting male monasteries in the USSR.
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