The small Russian town of Belev, which has only 13 thousand inhabitants, is located in the south-west of the Tula region, on the high bank of the Oka, at the junction of the borders of three regions - Oryol, Kaluga and Tula. Approximately at the same distance (a little over 100 km) it is removed from all three regional centers.
A little about the city
The city of Belev is practically the same age as Moscow - the first mention of it was preserved in chronicles dated 1147. In the 4th century it was under the rule of Lithuania and for some time was the center of a specific principality. As part of the Russian state, it was an important strategic point.
In the 18th century, Belev lost its military importance and turned into a quiet provincial town, which it remains today. Despite the small territory occupied by the city, there are many interesting and memorable places here: temples, monasteries, museums. Description of the sights of Belev and photos we present in this review.
Local historymuseum
We suggest you start your acquaintance with the city with a visit to the Museum of Local Lore, which was founded in 1910 as a museum of educational and visual aids. The exposition was based on items purchased at the agricultural exhibition by the Zemstvo Duma of Belev. A series of portraits of Russian emperors and princes was presented by the artist P. V. Zhukovsky, the son of a famous poet. He also became the first trustee of the museum, where by that time works by Repin, Aivazovsky, Savrasov, Shishkin had already been exhibited.
After the death of Zhukovsky (1912), the museum received his name. After the revolution, the collection was expanded and the museum was given the status of a local history museum. In 1941, the building in which the exposition was located was destroyed by fire. Some exhibits were lost. Only in 1960 it was decided to reopen the Museum of Local Lore in the city. Today it is one of the main attractions of the city of Belev in the Tula region.
The museum today occupies two floors in a 19th-century merchant's mansion. Its main fund is more than 18 thousand exhibits, which is replenished every year with new finds. Here are departments that are dedicated to the history and nature of the city, as well as art.
Savior Transfiguration Monastery
One of the most popular attractions in Beleva. The Spaso-Preobrazhensky Monastery is the only surviving religious building of the 16th century in the Tula region. It was founded by local princes in 1525. In its heyday it was a rich and large monastery. His possessions included the estates of specific princes, which were transferred to the monastery by order of Tsar Ivan IV, as well as land on the banks of the Oka, more than a hundred kilometers long with lakes and tributaries. The monastery owned thirteen villages with peasants and land.
In 1921 the monastery was closed by the new authorities. The domes and utensils were looted, some rooms were converted into living quarters. Today, the dilapidated monastery is being restored, though not very quickly.
The monastery has preserved the Vvedenskaya Church, the Cathedral of the Transfiguration of the Savior, the Church of Alexy the Metropolitan. The remains of honorary citizens are buried in the necropolis. The relics of St. Nicephorus, who is especially revered by the locals, are preserved here.
Christmas Church
One of the most famous sights of Belev in the Tula region is the ancient Orthodox Church of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary. It was founded at the beginning of the 18th century. The temple building was one of the first stone structures built after the severe fire of 1719.
During its long history, it has been reconstructed several times, but the works were partial and were of a local nature. A striking example of late buildings is the bell tower, built in 1876 in the pseudo-Russian style. In the course of another reconstruction of the temple (beginning of the 19th century), two limits appeared. They are consecrated in honor of Sergius of Radonezh and Nicholas the Wonderworker.
The cathedral was closed in 1930, but quickly reopened in 1943. From thismoment, he never ceased his activities. It still operates today. Today, this famous landmark of Belev has received the status of the cathedral of the Tula diocese. This is one of the most revered Orthodox churches in the region. The condition of the building is recognized by experts as ideal. Services are regularly held in the church, and the parish is famous in the region for its missionary and charitable activities.
Makarievskaya Zhabynskaya Hermitage
Along with the well-known "places of power" of Tibet, Stonehenge and others, there are several places in Russia whose energy is no less strong. In ancient times, pagan temples were located in such places, and later monasteries were built. There is such an attraction in Belev.
On the lands of the monastery of Makariy Zhabynsky there is the Makarievsky Cathedral, in which the relics of this saint are carefully kept. Not far from the temple there is a holy spring with a well-equipped bath. Near the spring, you can see an ancient oak, the branches of which are hung with ribbons left by visitors.
Like many sights of Belev, the source has a beautiful legend. In the Time of Troubles, when the Polish-Lithuanian invaders moved to Russia, Macarius lived on this land. Once an ascetic met in the forest a Pole from the army of Pan Lisovsky. He was dying of wounds and thirst.
Macarius took pity on the enemy and hit the ground next to him with his staff. Immediately at this place began to beat the life-giving key. The warrior quenched his thirst, washed his wounds and went on the mend. As the legend goes, later he evenconverted to Orthodoxy.
Several inexplicable events that took place after the 1917 revolution are connected with this attraction of Belev. Believers consider them the Providence of God. In the thirties of the last century, when the monastery was converted into a school, a door had to be cut through in one of its walls. The workers categorically refused to do this work, because Jesus Christ was depicted on the wall, and the door had to be cut down at the level of the knees of the Lord.
However, there was a daredevil who completed the task. Three months later, a slab at another construction site collapsed on the atheist, breaking his knees. In the 60s of the XX century, the Belev authorities decided to open the tomb of St. Macarius. The reason for this strange decision is unknown. A huge pit was dug more than five meters deep, but the builders did not find relics under the shrine. The monks are sure that the Lord transferred the remains of the saint in order to prevent desecration.
Spring of Basil the Seeker
The healing spring on the banks of the Oka River is a very popular attraction in Belev. Locals claim that the water from it heals many eye diseases. According to legend, once this spring was a chapel in honor of St. Vasily. It contained an icon, the frame of which was decorated with a glass pendant in the shape of an eye.
It is believed that if a person suffering from an eye disease, seeing poorly, rinses his eyes several times in this water, the disease will go away, and vision will improve.
