Tomsk Ioann-Predtecha nunnery as complex of cultural heritage memorials

The Ioann-Predtecha Nunnery worked in Tomsk during 1864 -early in the 1920th. It played a prominent role in the life of the city. During the years of Nunnery activity a complex of historical and cultural memorials as a component of cultural heritage was formed. The article describes such memorials as monuments of architecture, memorials of spiritual heritage (necropolis), documentary memorials (writing documents), visual documents. The first group of memorials includes Innokentyevskaya and Uspenskaya churches, built in 18601870th. There were such rarities as the icon of the Christ-Savior, and the tomb of the Mother of God in those churches. Both of Nunnery churches had been closed at the turn of the 1920-1930th, and later were destroyed. Only some constructions of the Nunnery are survived. Now they are being used to shelters. In 1997 five buildings of the Nunnery were adopted and received the State protection as historical memorials. The second group of memorials includes obituaries and epitaphs of gravestones on monastery cemetery. They are dedicated to the prominent Tomsk citizens buried in the cemetery. The cemetery of Ioann-Predtecha Nunnery was closed and wrecked in 1930-1950th. And a gravestone inscriptions and obituaries were preserved in the archives and published in Tomsk and St. Petersburg in 2000s. Both of two books are named as "The Tomsk Necropolis". Documentary memorials, or writing documents, were preserved in the State archives of Tomsk region. They contain rare and previously unknown facts on history of Nunnery. For example, there is the information of Tomsk merchant Alexei Yerenev who tried to build a convent at his own land early in the 1850th. He died before realizing his ideas, and his son, Ivan Yerenev, built a church at the Nunnery in memory of his father. The most valuable documentary memorials are the memories of Tomsk old-resident Peter Khandorin. Being a child he visited the Tomsk convent, and 60 years later described it in details. A group of visual documents includes the pictures of the Nunnery churches, published in the album "Views of Tomsk for memory". Architectural projects of Nunnery buildings have been preserved in the archival holdings as well. A variety of items of tangible and intangible heritage were created during the life of Ioann-Predtecha Nunnery in Tomsk. They are perceived as cultural values now, and have the great signification for the cultural heritage sphere. The convent memorials needed further study, preservation, and possibly restoration or virtual view.

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