In the southwest of Russia there is a glorious place about which legends have long been circulating. This land is Diveevo, a monastery full of miracles and healing effects on those who come for help. These places have been known since pre-war times. Russian Orthodox believers go to Diveevo, the springs provide that very life-giving force, and their fame spreads further and further. Even abroad they know about Diveevo and the miraculous springs located here. Tourists from Germany, Latvia, France, Israel, Orthodox believers from many parts of the planet come here.
The miraculous properties of holy water
To calm the soul, to heal illnesses, and to cleanse themselves of filth, those who suffer resort to the help of holy water. The physical, chemical and biological properties of the simplest and most inexplicable compound of hydrogen and oxygen on earth have not yet been fully studied. Meanwhile, the experience of generations confidently speaks in favor of holy water, which will help in incredible ways in any life circumstances.
An adult entrusts his problems to water if he believes in its power. Even non-believers unknowingly resort to the help of ordinary water, washing away the troubles of the day in the shower. Water relaxes and refreshes, and is often the first remedy for relieving fatigue and drowsiness. Scientists have proven that holy water has a special structure of molecules, their action is aimed at well-being and health promotion, normalization of a person’s emotional and spiritual background, and harmonization of the space around him. Perhaps even before such discoveries, people knew the effect of holy water, but they did not require explanation.
Many people add holy water to the bathtub for bathing babies so that children sleep soundly and more peacefully, and the “strongest” water also helps little children against the evil eye. Holy water is known as a remedy for healing spiritual and physical illnesses; believers often drink a few sips from the silver vats in which the water is stored in temples. The rite of Baptism includes immersion in holy water or at least washing with it, not only symbolizing cleansing from sins, but also performing the sacrament of improving energy.
And people have long noticed the strongest healing effect of water from holy springs. Orthodox believers turn to them when they feel a decline in vital and physical strength, when doubts gnaw at the soul and spiritual strength is running out. But the glory of the sources that help overcome bodily infirmities speaks for itself.
And those in need rush to them with hope and faith, entrusting their bodies and thoughts to the water.
Some rules
On the territory of the source, it is not customary to talk loudly and disturb those praying, to swear or behave freely.
It is better for women to dive in shirts. In front of the spring there are sales tents where you can buy swimming shirts and water containers.
In the chapel you can light candles and pray in front of the icon. Before diving, it will be mentally beneficial to read the Akathist to Seraphim of Sarov and ask him for help.
They plunge into the source three times, making the sign of the cross. They also drink water with prayer. We must remember that holy water requires reverence and prayer from us, and only then, according to our faith, will it bring us spiritual and physical benefits. Also take the water you take with you from here at home with prayer, a little bit every day.
On the feast of the discovery of the relics of Seraphim of Sarov on August 1 and on the Epiphany of the Lord, a religious procession is held at the Seraphim Spring. Anyone can take part in it, pray at the prayer service and see the blessing of water. And this blessed event will be remembered for a long time.
Holy springs in Diveevo
Orthodox people flock here at any time of the year. On the map of Russia this village is indicated as Diveevo. The springs located near it were known in these places long before the war. And today, pilgrims from all over the world come here for help. Those who come to the Novgorod region know that each of the springs, of which there are more than twenty in total, has miraculous powers. Some springs are very old, some are relatively young, but the entire area, which is intended for pilgrimage, is literally strewn with springs, as if these placers fell like seeds into the soil from someone’s kind hand.
Divine power descends on everyone without exception: on adults and newborns, men and women. To fully immerse yourself in the healing energy of the springs, you need to come to any of them. After drinking pure consecrated water, and perhaps even plunging into it, you will feel a surge of vitality, bodily illnesses will go away, and mental pain will subside. The holy springs in Diveevo are famous for their appearances to people of saints, signs and miracles of healing.
Animal world
The Diveyevo region is home to animals characteristic of central Russia. But you need to understand that not everyone can be found directly near the village: wild animals avoid large populated areas.
But near Satis and Sarov you can see traces of wolves, foxes, and even bears that wandered there from the Mordovian Nature Reserve. At the end of summer you can find many hedgehogs and voles: the latter sometimes climb into gardens in search of food.
There are many lizards near the river, there are snakes, and sometimes there are muskrats. In the area of the village of Yakovlevka there are many vipers in the spring.
Many people are concerned about the question of why there are so many crows in Diveevo. It’s difficult to answer, because birds live wherever they want. And crows always accompanied human dwellings. On tall trees, of which there are many in the village, they have found shelter and build very massive nests.
But besides crows, there are many other birds in Diveevo: pigeons, tits, finches, sparrows, buntings. In winter, wood pigeons, bullfinches, and waxwings arrive. In spring you can hear the trills of nightingales, and the songs of larks in the fields. And in the private sector, on quiet evenings you can even hear cuckoos flying into the forest belts. And on Wichkinsa wild ducks live and raise their chicks all summer.
And this is only a small part of the animal world, which can be seen by anyone with the naked eye. But if you set a goal and purposefully observe nature, you can make many interesting discoveries. This is how we, for example, saw the praying mantis insect! This predator from the insect world has the ability to mimicry and is very difficult to notice on the grass.
How to be healed using holy water from a source
They say that after collecting holy water from a spring, people take it home, store it for years, and it remains as fresh and tasty as if it had just been drawn from a gushing spring. And when preparing preserves for the winter, pickles, and fermentations, such water will ensure long-term storage of products, preventing mold or rotting. Someone tried to explain these properties by the mineral composition of the water, but even minerals are subject to mustiness if not properly sealed, and Diveyevo holy water from the springs remains unchanged for years.
By collecting water with you in some container, metal or glass (the main thing is that it is not plastic), you can take the liquid with you and drink it as needed. You can add this water in small quantities to the bath, drinks and soups during the cooking process.
Based on this miraculous remedy, you can make any drink and give it to all household members as needed; you can also give it to infants. A capricious child can be washed with holy water so that he calms down faster.
How to get there and how to behave
You can get to the springs by personal transport, with an excursion bus (the Revealed Spring is included in some pilgrimage routes).
There is a more difficult, but also more grace-filled path, since the Lord always covers with special grace those pilgrims who want to work for the sake of faith and healing. Local buses run from Diveyevo to the village of Kremenok. The flight schedule must be checked at the rural bus station by calling 8 (83134) 4-22-37.
Then the rest of the journey will have to be done on foot.
You must behave reverently at the springs, do not scold, do not shout. Before immersing yourself in the font, read a prayer and make the sign of the cross. With gratitude for the given miracle of the spring, fill your container with holy water. God bless you on your journey!
If you come to Diveevo
The Nizhny Novgorod region is located almost in the center of southwest Russia. They say that healing with the help of the springs will be faster if you not only plunge into the water of the font, but also stay in Diveevo for the night. There is a widespread belief among the laity that God's Grace descends on those who spend the night here.
Local residents know a large number of stories from the lives of those who visited the holy springs of Diveevo: what helps visiting the fonts, how to properly prepare for immersion, where to put candles for the holy saints, how to pray. Not far from the springs is the St. Diveevsky (Seraphim-Diveevsky) monastery, you can also visit the chapels. The stories collected on the occasion were published in books: Diveevo springs, reviews of the laity about them will be useful to parishioners, because they have been collected for decades. It’s hard to even call it reviews - it’s experience, hopes, miracles of healing and gratitude to the saints. This mission was started by one of the saints canonized today - Mother Alexandra.
Landscaping and decoration of the village
Speaking about the nature of the village, it is impossible to ignore the topic of household plots. In Diveevo, many people have gardens. And trees and shrubs decorate the village, green it, and supply it with oxygen. And how beautiful are the May blooming gardens!!! It's impossible to get past them.
Many enthusiasts among the local population set out to create magical gardens. They are looking for interesting varieties of fruit trees, growing grapes, and planting various ornamental shrubs on their lands. Including gorgeous roses!
And this craze is not limited to the private sector. In Diveevo there are apartment buildings, the residents of which have turned the local area into a real corner of beauty and kindness! For them, flowers have become a tool with which they transform their village. When you walk past such courtyards, your soul rejoices! I want to admire, sing, and thank those who created this beauty!
Both local authorities and ... the monastery are engaged in landscaping Diveevo. On the territory of the monastery there are small public gardens, beautiful flower beds made in accordance with all the rules of landscape design, a fountain, and garden sculptures.
Monastery workers also improve the areas of the Diveyevo springs. And the village administration, in turn, takes care of public areas and Victory Park. Large hotels are not lagging behind - they strive not only to decorate their territories, but to create an atmosphere of relaxation and comfort.
Healing springs
Visitors want to visit the most popular springs in Diveevo, rumors about which brought them to the Nizhny Novgorod region.
In these places they honor:
- source of the icon of the Mother of God of Kazan and source of Seraphim of Sarov in Tsyganovka,
- source of the holy healer Panteleimon,
- source of the founder of the temples in Diveevo, Mother Alexandra,
- Revealed source in Kremenki,
- Equal-to-the-Apostles Constantine and Helena in Khripunovo,
- source of the Descent of the Holy Spirit in Avtodeevo and Satis,
- source of the Holy Trinity in Kanerga,
- Source of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker in Khokhlovo.
There are other small springs that suddenly begin to emerge from the ground in other places. The whole area seems to be permeated with springs gushing from underground, and the more sufferers turn here, the richer the region is in water, the endless stream of which is open to everyone.
Tales of Miracles
The Chronicle of the Seraphim-Diveevo Monastery describes in detail the lives and miracles of its founders - St. Seraphim and Agafya Melgunova (schema-nun Alexandra).
Agafya Melgunova was a nun when she received a sign from above from the Mother of God, who appeared to her with instructions to go to the Nizhny Novgorod region - her Fourth and last Destiny on Earth. According to the lot cast by the apostles, the Most Pure Mother of God was going to the land of Iveron (the first Destiny), during a sea voyage to the resurrected Saint Lazarus by Jesus, the ship ended up on Mount Athos (the second Destiny of the Mother of God), the third Destiny is considered the Kiev-Pechersk Lavra. And finally, Agafia Semyonovna Melgunova appeared in these lands, guided by the hand of the Mother of God.
The temple erected here was erected by the forces of St. Seraphim at the end of his life. The son of a merchant family, having been healed from an illness in his youth thanks to the miraculous icon of the Mother of God, dedicated himself to God and himself received miraculous power to help heal those in need.
Tales of how the local saints helped people during their lifetime were recorded by their followers and abbots of the monastery. In Diveevo, the springs today continue the good work of those who are now elevated to the ranks of saints.
The founder of the temple is Mother Alexandra
In the world her name was Agafya Semenovna Melgunova. Born into a wealthy landowner family, the widow of Colonel Melgunov was already living as a monk when the Mother of God who appeared to her directed her to Diveevo. Using her own funds, she restored the dilapidated chapels and church from 1767. In the schema, having taken the name Alexander in 1789, she considered the restoration and construction of new chapels for people in Diveevo to be her life’s work: the springs attracted more and more suffering people, and it became possible to receive everyone. A huge number of shrines in this wonderful place have been helping people live, heal, hope, and rethink their actions for centuries.
Having rested in peace, Mother Alexandra rests near the altar of the Kazan Monastery. They say that those who pay tribute to her at her grave hear a wonderful smell; the fragrance is impossible not to notice. Sometimes candles light up by themselves, a bell ringing or murmur is heard, so there is a rumor among the people that its source originates here.
Seraphim of Sarov became her support and follower. The spring of Mother Alexandra is famous for numerous stories of parishioners, whose miraculous healing also inspired St. Seraphim. A chapel was built nearby and a bathhouse was equipped. Believers come here very often, because the source is one of the closest to the monastery. He helps those who come to recuperate, those who are tired and despairing. Those women who want to conceive also turn to Mother Alexandra: there are many cases when a couple could not conceive for many years, and after a visit even triplets were born into the family, rumors among the laity.
Source of St. Seraphim
Even during his lifetime, Saint Seraphim helped people if doctors and medicines were powerless. Among the frequent stories about those who were helped by the source are cases of people suffering from nervous diseases, memory disorders and epileptic seizures.
There is a legend or true story about how in this place, located in forbidden territories in the sixties, while border guards were walking around the fenced area of Sarov, they had a vision. In the pre-war years, the source existed, but they repeatedly tried to cement it or bury it. In 1947, a military installation designated the area as closed, and the wasteland was deserted. Therefore, the military were surprised when they noticed the figure of an old man in a white robe with a staff, and, calling out to him, they saw how the old man hit the ground with his staff three times and disappeared. At this point a spring began to flow from three points. In the sixties, the spring gained fame; water from it was transported to all parts of Russia. They also came here to swim in it. In the early nineties, the military decided to fill up the source. However, during the preparatory work, the Monk Seraphim appeared to the excavator driver, asking him not to do this, and finally said that this would not happen anyway. And indeed, the soil did not give in to the excavator’s bucket, and the source was preserved.
Subsequently, the order was canceled, then the Diveevo Monastery was restored, and today the source of Seraphim of Sarov is listed under its jurisdiction, and a log chapel was built near it.
They say that even during the restoration work to strengthen the stream bank line for the safety of those suffering, there was one worker who injured his back. The appearance of Seraphim of Sarov healed him. Today people flock here for healing of physical ailments. Bathing in a spring, or at least ablution, must certainly be accompanied by a certain mood, prayer from a pure heart.
Miracle of Healing
At the moment, the source of Seraphim of Sarov is the most crowded - at any time of the year, the flow of pilgrims and tourists does not subside here. People consider it one of the most “strong” - it is here that people receive healing from many diseases. And cases of such miracles are recorded in evidence - a kind of chronicle is kept.
People say that the spring of Father Seraphim has the coldest water, one might say icy. But this doesn’t bother anyone. Orthodox believe in its healing power: they drink, wash themselves with it and immerse themselves in it in order to receive healing or support in matters of salvation.
The author of the article personally knows one family whose son received healing at the spring of Father Seraphim. This family, consisting of a married couple with two children, came on a pilgrimage to the holy land of Diveyevo. The youngest son, seven, had severe asthma, so he had to inject himself with medication from an aerosol can several times a day. The parents and elder brother sincerely and with all their hearts prayed in the church at the relics of St. Seraphim of Sarov for the granting of health to the boy. And then we went to the source. And there, with prayer and the sign of the cross, the child plunged into the font three times with his parents and brother, and a miracle happened! The disease has receded! All the remaining days of the pilgrimage, and upon returning home (as we were informed about by telephone), asthma attacks no longer bothered the child. The happy parents thanked God and Saint Seraphim of Sarov for the miracle of healing of their son.
Kazan source
Diveevo is famous for several healing springs, the names of which will tell a lot to any Orthodox person. One of them today is named after the icon, which was found frozen in ice in 1939. The icon was very old, most likely it fell into the water due to the destruction of the well, which stood in the form of a log house above the source. Local residents consider the icon of the Kazan Mother of God to be very powerful; even newborn children were brought here, whom doctors did not give a chance to survive, and the miraculous power helped. The chapel was rebuilt and destroyed again, but the icon was preserved. One schema-nun kept it and witnessed its incredible renewal, as well as many miracles performed by the power coming from the icon.
The Kazan Church today is located on the outskirts of the village of Diveevo, nearby is the source itself, the oldest of all. Water from it has a beneficial effect on health. It is to him that believers come in procession to bless water, children are baptized, and the sick are healed.
Panteleimon the healer and his miracles at the spring in Diveevo
Saint Panteleimon has been known as a healer since the 4th century. Free medical care for the poor and mercy for everyone without exception made him an outstanding personality of his time and one of the most revered saints today. Pilgrimages to the source today occur at any time of the year. The Panteleimon spring in Diveevo is located not far from Kazan. Previously, people could not swim here, but in 2004 the spring was equipped with a bathhouse. In addition, water from it flows into two different log houses, in which baths are equipped separately for women and men. The source of Panteleimon the Healer is one of the most beautiful, its entire territory is very well-groomed, and parishioners say that the water in the baths of this place is warmer than in others.
They turn to Panteleimon the healer with the following prayer: “Grant, through your holy prayers, to all of us health and well-being of souls and bodies, advancement of faith and piety, and everything necessary for temporary life and salvation...”
Vegetable world
The flora of Diveevo is also rich. Both near Diveyevo and in the forests you can find different species of trees and shrubs.
But what is especially pleasing is the abundance of medicinal herbs.
Many residents of Diveyevo harvest medicinal herbs, such as St. John's wort, yarrow, oregano, horsetail, coltsfoot, burdock, strawberry leaves, blueberries and lingonberries (as well as their berries).
Recently, fireweed and fireweed have become especially popular. We wrote about these herbs in detail. Father Seraphim ate this herb for three whole years, and advised many to eat this herb and dry it for the winter. And from Ivan-tea or Cyprus in Rus' they used to make teas that were not inferior in taste and beneficial properties to real tea.
After a strong fire in 2010, a lot of fireweed grew on the ashes, and from there it dispersed. Residents of Diveevo learned not just to collect and dry it, but to make fermented tea from it. Fireweed tea can be bought directly in Diveevo or in the online store on our website.
How to find Diveevo
The Nizhny Novgorod region is quite confusing for visitors from neighboring countries, so if the region is not familiar to you, then the landmarks are as follows: Diveevo is located 180 km from Nizhny Novgorod, 65 km from Arzamas and 345 km from Cheboksary. If you are planning a trip in your own car, it would be a good idea to use a navigator.
There will be several regional centers along the M-7 highway, where you can find out which side of Diveevo is and how to get to the village. But be prepared for the fact that not the smoothest roads will allow you to travel at a speed of no more than 120-140 km/h. The monastery has well-equipped parking and is free for visitors. There are many hotels in the area, so you can easily stay in Diveevo and count on an overnight stay.
Forests and mushroom places
There are no large forests directly near Diveevo. And you need to get to them by transport - car or bicycle. On foot you will only go close to the forest protection plantations, which have recently grown so large that you can even pick mushrooms there.
Quite good forests begin behind the village of Osinovka and stretch in the Sarov direction, where, in fact, they turn into that same dense Sarov forest, as it was called before, or the Mordovian reserve, which borders the Nizhny Novgorod region.
Here you can find everything: mushrooms, berries, and medicinal plants.
A good forest is located behind the villages of Polupochinki and Chelatma, in a western direction from Diveevo. There are blueberries, a lot of boletus and boletus.
