Raif monastery in Tatarstan

What to Expect and Is It Worth Visiting

Raifa Bogoroditsky monastery (or simply Raifa) near Kazan in Tatarstan has the status of an object of cultural heritage of the Russian Federation and is the largest of the 9 operating monasteries of the Kazan diocese, and one of the largest in Russia. It is surrounded by a picturesque pine forest, on the shore of Lake Sumy, which are part of the Raifa section of the Volga-Kama Reserve.

Officially, the history of the Raifa monastery dates back to 1662, since it was then that the construction of the first wooden church began, and only after its completion did the Skete receive the status of a monastery. But it would be more honest to start the story from 1613, when hieromonk Filaret built himself a small hut in the forest, on the shore of the lake, and thus laid the foundation for the chronology of the Raifa desert.

The monastery grew and enjoyed great deserved respect until 1917, when the widespread closure, looting and destruction of churches began. From that time, very difficult times began for the monastery, and from 1936 to 1953. it was a closed-type colony, that is, in fact, the Holy Monastery turned into a zone. But according to the memoirs and the remaining written testimonies, the prisoners were exceptionally kind and educated.

In the light of these events, it is all the more surprising that several books from the once extensive library, some utensils, and the shrine of the monastery have survived to this day: the Georgian icon of the wonderworking mother of God.

Tourism in the Raifa monastery

The monastery is an attractive sightseeing tourist destination, which is most often visited in the form of a one-day bus tour from Kazan, or in the form of an independent trip by car or bus. It is also an important place of pilgrimage.

Tourists here are interested in a unique architectural ensemble, more than four hundred years of history of the monastery itself, and, of course, the atmosphere of this place. As they say in such cases, this place is very "salted". You can freely walk around the monastery, go to the temples, of course, observing the rules of behavior and clothing. Be sure to look at the vodosvyatnaya chapel, to which water is supplied from the consecrated artesian well – the Raif spring. The chapel is located in the courtyard of the monastery and is accessible to all comers. You can not only drink consecrated water, but also collect it with you.

Near the monastery there is a picturesque lake on which in summer you can go for a boat ride, and in winter a town of ICE figures grows on the ice here... numerous fishermen. About a kilometer from the village is the arboretum of the Volga-Kama nature reserve, a visit to which can be combined with a trip to the monastery. The entrance to the arboretum is only 100 rubles, the entrance to the nature museum is 60 rubles. And of course, there is a traditional tourist infrastructure nearby in the form of shops and souvenir shops, as well as cafes.

For visitors for a long period there is a "pilgrim's House" with two-, three-, four-, five - and twelve-bed simple but comfortable rooms, the donation for accommodation is from 400 to 600 rubles.

Those who come only for tourist purposes for one day should avoid the days of large Orthodox holidays and patronal holidays, which are very revered in the Raifa monastery.:

• January 27;
• First Sunday after February 7;
• September 4;
• September 30;
• Jan 2.

And we advise you to see interesting options for individual and group excursions with reviews on these proven sites:

• 📷 search for excursions to the Raifa monastery on Sputnik8.com
• 📷 search for excursions to the Raifa monastery on Tripster.ru