Consecration of the first temple of the Odigitrievsky convent

In the village Vsevolodkino of Vyazemsky district on December, 1 the Church in honor of the Protection of the Mother of God, a part of Spaso-Bogoroditsky Odigitrievsky convent, was consecrated and the Divine Liturgy was held.

The events which are known in the history of the Great Patriotic War as "Vyazemsky boiler" took place in the vicinity of the village. On October 11, 1941 the Soviet troops managed to break through the front lines and went out of the German encirclement. Through this the plan of the Nazi troops of lightning-fast capture of Moscow failed.

Near the village Vsevolodkino, in one of the places of the Soviet troops’ breakthrough near the Bogoroditsky field in 1996 the local people initiated the construction of the wooden church. In the 90s with the blessing of Metropolit Kirill of Smolensk and Kaliningrad a parish church in honor of the Odigitria icon was established.

Today the Russian Orthodox convent – the Spaso-Bogoroditsky convent is being constructed in this place. In addition to the complex of temples a library and a church school will be located on the territory of the convent.

In 2010 the ceremony of laying the foundation stone of the church in honor of Protection of Mother of God - the first temple to be built as a part of the Spaso-Bogoroditsky convent.

The main mission of the new convent will be a prayerful commemoration of soldiers who died during the Great Patriotic War of 1941-1945 and in all the local wars and conflicts of XX and early XXI centuries. The motto of Spaso-Bogoroditsky Odigitrievsky convent is a phrase from the Holy Bible: "Gad has all alive".

The construction of the convent facilities is being carried out with the support of the Fund of creating the spiritual and memorial complex of honoring the memory of the soldiers named after Martyr Feodor Stratilat (non-profit organization founded in 2009).

The ceremony was held by Bishop of Smolensk and Vyazemsk Isidore. On this day, the prioress of the Odigitrievsky convent nun Angelina (Nesterova), the prior of the Kazan temple in village Khmelita hieromonk Daniil ( Sychev) , who ministers to the convent, and novices met many guests.

On this special day the temple was visited by Governor of Smolensk region Alexey Ostrovskiy.