The Monastery of Poltava
In 1650, on a high hill, near Poltava, the Cossack elders (Martyn Pushkar, Ivan Iskra, Ivan Kramar, etc.) with the residents founded this monastery. It was dedicated to the victory over the Polish-Gentry army. History is bestowed in this Orthodox sanctuary - the monastery has been the object of socio-political disputes, not just devastated and destroyed. But there are stories of more happy nature too. The monastery was a symbol of victory of the Russian troops in the battle of Poltava. It was the centre of culture and enlightenment of the Left-Bank Ukraine, it inspired the works of famous artists.
According to the historical sources the monastery was located as the headquarters of the Swedish King Karl XII before the decisive battle against the troops of Peter I, later named the battle of Poltava.
18th century can be called as the heyday of the monastery. It was at this time when the main building was constructed.
From 1775 to 1798, here stayed the archbishops from Slavyanski and Kherson. The Slavyanskaya seminar had some well known students: Ivan Kotlyarevsky, Vasily Gogol-Yanovsky (father of Nikolai Gogol), the future chancellor and Professor of the St.Petersburg Medico-Surgical Academy Semen Gajewski, a Greek scholar and lexicographer Athanasios Psalidas and many others.
During the Nazi occupation with the approval of the diocesan administration, the former monastery was changed in to a nunnery. In the post-war years there were up to 100 nuns. In the early 1950's some buildings that suffered during the war years were. But in 1960 the nunnery was closed. From since it has become a monument of culture and antique.
