Assumption St. George Monastery

The Assumption St. George Monastery, known locally as "Svyatye Kustiki" (Holy Bushes), is an active men's monastery in the Blagoveshchensky District of Bashkortostan, near the village of Usa-Stepanovka. It lies about 100 km from Ufa along the Ufa-Blagoveshchensk highway. The monastery belongs to the Ufa Diocese and stands in a scenic hilly, forested area.

History

According to one version, a Krestovozdvizhensky men's monastery may have existed on this site as early as the 18th century. Other sources say a St. George women's monastery was founded here in 1901 (museum sources give 1905). It operated until 1927, and its buildings were destroyed in the early 1930s.

Religious life returned to the site in 1994, when Father Varlaam began holding services there. In 1997, with the blessing of Bishop Nikon of Ufa, construction of monastic cells and a new church began on the grounds of the former convent, and in 1998 the St. George metochion of the Assumption Monastery of Ufa was organized. The Assumption St. George men's monastery was officially established by a decree of the Holy Synod of the Russian Orthodox Church on December 26, 2002.

The Legend of the Holy Bushes

The name "Svyatye Kustiki" comes from a local legend that three birches and two willows grew intertwined at this spot. According to tradition, in 1856 a peasant from Usa-Stepanovka, Semyon Ivanovich Sotnikov, saw an elder in golden robes holding a cross near the bushes.

Local residents and pilgrims have long told of seeing the image of the Life-Giving Cross with golden rays near the bushes, of monks and priests appearing in vestments, and of hearing bells ring even though no real bells were nearby. People also reported seeing burning candles at the site. Pilgrims say many visitors were healed of illnesses after visiting the place — these accounts are passed down as folk testimonies, without medical confirmation.

The Monastery Today

The monastery is currently headed by Metropolitan Filaret (Konkov) of Ufa and Bashkortostan. Its grounds hold the Cathedral of the Dormition of the Most Holy Theotokos, the Church of the Kazan Icon of the Mother of God, the refectory Church of the Annunciation of the Mother of God, the Church of the Iveron Icon of the Mother of God, and a brick octagonal chapel dedicated to the Iveron Icon of the Mother of God. Pilgrims can stay at the bishop's house, a guesthouse, and the monastery's hostel (arkhondarik).

Getting There

The monastery is about 100 km from Ufa. By car, drive along the Ufa-Blagoveshchensk highway, then follow the signs to the village of Usa-Stepanovka and the "Svyatye Kustiki" monastery itself.