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superior=Abbess Irina‎Irene (Alexeev)‎|

'''Holy Dormition Stavropegial Convent''', also known as "(Novo-Diveevo", ) is a female [[monastic]] community in the [[jurisdiction]] of the [[Synod]] of Bishops of the [[Russian Orthodox Church AbroadOutside Russia]], located in Nanuet, New York. It is home to the largest cemetery in the Russian Diaspora, and also operates the ROC Old Peoples Home (OPH). It is named for the [[Holy Trinity St. Seraphim-Diveyevo Convent|Holy Trinity Serafimo-Diveyevsky Monastery]] in Russia, where St. [[Seraphim of Sarov]] served as an [[elder]].

===Foundation===The founder concept of the a Russian [[convent ]] in America was Archbishop formulated in 1946 by the newly-arrived Bishops [[Nikon (Rklitski) of Florida|Nikon (Rklitzky) of Florida]] and [[Seraphim (Ivanov) of Chicago|Seraphim (Ivanov)]] of [[Holy Trinity Monastery (Jordanville, New York)|Holy Trinity]] as a home for displaced female monastics in the Russian Diaspora. The [[Diocese of Eastern American and New York (ROCOR)|Diocese of North America and Canada]] prepared measures for its implementation, but nothing concrete occurred until the arrival of a group of Russian and Ukrainian refugees led by [[Archpriest]] [[Andrei (Rymarenko) of Rockland|Adrian Rymarenko]] on August 31, 1949 in Rockland County, New York via the [[Tolstoy Foundation]]. The flock included such notable figures as Prince Dmitry Vladimirovich Myshetsky, Dr. A.P. Timofievich, choir director P.P. Didenko, and [[Subdeacon]] [[Nektary (Kontzevitch) of Seattle|Oleg Mikhailovich Kontzevitch]]. Before the Revolution, then Protopresbyter Fr. Adrian Rimarenko had studied at the St. Petersburg Polytechnical Institute in Russia, and was the son of an industrialist. [[Archbishop]] [[Vitaly (Maximenko) of Jersey City|Vitaly (starets Nektarii Maximenko) of Optina died Detroit]] blessed him to work under the supervision of Bishop Nikon to create the new spiritual center and to serve as its spiritual father. Bishop Seraphim styled it Novo-Diveevo (New Diveevo). Upper Nyack resident and renowned yogi Dr. Pierre Arnold Bernard (better known as The Omnipotent Oom or Theos Bernard) took pity on the refugee's plight, and offered his empty elephant stable at the Clarkstown Country Club for their uses, known as the Elephant House. The expansive structure allowed for Fr. Adrian set up a temporary church and construct [[cell|monastic cells]]. The [[iconostasis]] was built out of cardboard and the only [[icon]] hanging on the wall was an original portrait of St. Seraphim of Sarov that Fr. Adrian had recovered and taken with him into exile from Kiev. The first service held was the [[Divine Liturgy]] on the [[Feast]] of the [[Protection of the Mother of God]]. The parish savings added up to 50 cents, but as word spread of a new spiritual center being built north of New York City, volunteers began arriving on a regular basis to help in any way possible. The arrival from Germany of [[Abbess]] Emilia with a group of elderly nuns and her novices the Countess Golovina and Yulia Popova began monastic life in the convent. Soon Russian émigrés began settling Nyack and bolstered the number of volunteers. One of the first secular residents was established immigrant K.N. Maleev, who donated his epitrachelionentire $5,000 retirement fund to the convent's cause. Fr. Adrian moved the community into a large house on Midland Avenue, paying $200 a month in rent. This property still did not meet the needs of the convent, so a daily [[akathist]] and other prayers were said before St. [[Ambrose of Optina]]'s copy of the [http://www.pravoslavie.ru/english/7424.htm Vladimir icon of the Mother of God], which had been rescued from destruction by Fr. Adrian. ===Establishment===Refugee nuns on the Island of Samar and from [[Gorny Convent]] in [[Russian Ecclesiastical Mission in Jerusalem|Jerusalem]] were invited to Novo-Diveevo, and Abbess [[Elizabeth (Ampenoff)]] appointed [[superior]]. The official opening of the monastery took place on the Feast of the [[Presentation of the Theotokos]], 1949. Bishop Nikon officiated the Divine Liturgy in the Chapel of the Dormition, with Fr. Adrian, Archpriest [[John (Legky) of Rockland|John Legky]], and [[hierodeacon]] Pimen (Kachan) as concelebrants. Prominent figures in attendance included President Sophia Mikhailovna Dragomirov-Lukomsky of the Russian Christian Labor Movement, Baroness Elena Petrovna Meyendorff (née Wrangel), and ''Rossiya'' newspaper editor N. Rybakov. Countess Golovina and Yulia Popova were soon [[Tonsure#Monasticism|tonsured]] as Catherine and Barbara, respectively. In 19491950 it became known that a piece of land belonging to the [[Roman Catholic]] Institution of Mercy in Nanuet, New York, was being sold for only $30,000, with the arrival only stipulation for acquisition that its historical sanctity be respected in the future development of the property, to which the nature of Novo-Diveevo obliged. Fr. Adrian travelled to New York City to secure a loan, with Prince Dmitry as his translator. They visited ten banks on foot in America the rain, but were denied interest-free loans because they could provide no financial guarantee. Finally, Charles W. Hawkins, president of the First National Bank in Spring Valley, agreed on a multitude $15,000 loan. The remaining half was donated by Maleev. The land was officially purchased in May of 1951. The severity of the Arab-Israeli Conflict effectively stranded Abbess Elizabeth and her nuns from Gorny inside East Jerusalem. In January of refugees1951, ROCOR’s First Hierarch Metropolitan [[Anastasy entrusted (Gribanovsky) of Kishinev]] released her from rectoral duties, appointing Nun Catherine (Golovina) as temporary administrator. A superior was found in the newly-immigrated [[Schema]]-abbess Mikhaila (Mertsalova), who had fled the [[Moscow Patriarchate]]'s takeover of her convent in Peking. Mother Mikhaila and her nuns were halted in San Francisco due to the failing health of the elderly Mother Juliana, only arriving upon the Feast of the [[Meeting of the Lord]]. They were welcomed by Abp. Nikon, who served a [[Moleben]] of Thanksgiving. ===Expansion and Influence===Through the generous donations of the churchwarden Prince Sergei Sergeievich and Princess Florence Beloselsky-Belozersky, A.A. Pashkov, and others, Fr. Adrian was able to build a spiritual centercemetery for the Russian Diaspora, divided into five tracts and able to fit approximately 5,000 graves. On August 24, 1952, Metropolitan Anastasy led the blessing of the cemetery before the [[Kursk Root icon]] of the [[Mother of God]], co-served by Archbishop [[James (Toombs) of Manhattan]], Bishop Seraphim of Holy Trinity, Bishop Nikon of Florida, Archimandrite [[Averky (Taushev) of Syracuse|Averky (Taushev)]], Fr. Adrian, and Priest [[Serafim Slobodskoy|Seraphim Slobodskoy]], among others. A former Roman Catholic monastery An [[antiphonal]] liturgy was purchased served, with the monastic choir under the direction of P.P. Didenko and neighboring Nyack choir under M.M. Rodzianko. Approximately 500 faithful attended the services, travelling anywhere from Washington DC to Seattle. The rite was researched by Abp. Vitaly through Serbian sources. After the festal celebrations, Fr. Adrian saw a Russian convent need to build a larger, freestanding church dedicated to St. Seraphim of Sarov. He enlisted [[Protodeacon]] Cornelius Chigrinov as head architect, whose occupation was foundedhouse painting. The impoverished émigré artist Nicholas Alexandrovich Popkov painted the frescoes and designed the iconostasis and chandelier, asking only for a roof over his head and a bowl of soup in return. There are two After the completion of St. Seraphim Church, Popkov became a well-respected [[iconographer]] and was invited to fresco many more ROCOR churches on . On October 3, 1963, [[Protopresbyter]] Adrian Rymarenko's wife Matushka Eugenia Grigorievna fell asleep in the Lord, and was buried in the Novo-Diveevo Cemetery. On October 14, he was tonsured a monk with the name Andrew and elevated to Bishop of Rockland in 1968, all the while continuing to reside in the convent next to the new church. That same year, the New York Transit Authority had publicized their intent to transform Ramapo Valley Airport, a neighboring flight school and small airport, into a hub for jet planes and other large air taxi services. The Transit Authority's plan included the requisition of a sizable chunk of monastery property; , which would have made it near impossible to live in a monastic fashion. The invested financiers had made it very clear that the convent grounds could not be extricated. A court battle between the NY Transport Authority and Novo-Diveevo Convent ensued. Bishop Andrew rallied Rockland County locals, and both church and secular circles of Russian society, through which eventually came support from influential figures in New York City, providing the “small church” convent the ability to hire expert lawyers. Under their experienced advocacy, the New York State Assembly unanimously agreed to kill the project in 1970. The influence and prestige of Novo-Diveevo and Bishop Andrew had grown from this event to such that a stream of letters and congratulations came to them from New York State assemblymen, Rockland County locals and officials, and celebratory and interest articles written in local newspapers. The amount of nuns grew to 40, and as many as it is known is named 50,000 Orthodox made pilgrimage to Novo-Diveevo a year. During this time, Mother Mikhaila reposed in the Lord in honor 1969 and her assistant Mother Christina was appointed superior and elevated to the rank of abbess. By this time, Russian Émigré society experienced a growing population of elderly people left without family. In 1972, Bp. Andrew took to erecting a main building for Novo-Diveevo, with an attached old peoples home. The structure of the complex would allow for the nuns to live on one side, and the elderly on the other. The cost of the center would cost $600,000 dollars, most of which was borrowed from local banks, though much was accumulated by the Dormitiondeaness. The main church convent fell short of the price, but the contractor agreed to complete construction on credit. For his accomplishments, Bp. Andrew was raised to the rank of Archbishop of Rockland, and was congratulated by President Richard M. Nixon and Governor Nelson A. Rockefeller, who remembered his accomplishments in preserving Novo-Diveevo. In 1973, P.P. Didenko succumbed to illness and Boris I. Mitrohin was built appointed to temporarily fill the position of choir conductor, which he did until his death in honor 2012. In 1975, Novo-Diveevo was visited by the exiled Soviet activist [[Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn]]. Archbishop Andrew of StRockland fell asleep in the Lord on [[July 12]], 1978. Seraphim A second wing of the old peoples home was constructed in May of 1982 under the supervision of SarovFr. Alexander Fedorowski. Plans for the addition had been drawn up but never realized in Abp. Andrew's time. The convent is home to current superior, Abbess Irene (Alexeeva) was appointed in 1992. ===Today===Novo-Diveevo was selected as one of three hosts for the first Joint Pastoral Conference of the Eastern American Diocese (ROCOR) and [[Russian Orthodox Church in the USA]] in celebration of the fifth anniversary of the largest [[Russian Orthodox cemetery Church Outside Russia#Rapprochement with Moscow|Reunification of the Russian Church]] and appearance of the [[Myrrh-streaming]] [[Orthodoxy in Hawaii#A Miracle in the Islands|Hawaiian-Iveron icon of the Mother of God]] from October 11-13, 2012. Participants in the Diasporaconference celebrated the All-Night Vigil before the Hawaiian icon at Novo-Diveevo on the evening of [[October 12]]. The service was led by Metropolitan [[Hilarion (Kapral) of New York]], who was co-served by Archbishop [[Justinian (Ovchinnikov) of Naro-Fominsk]], Bishops [[George (Schaefer) of Mayfield]] and [[Jerome (Shaw) of Manhattan]]. An Old Age Home is Metropolitan [[Pavel (Ponomarev) of Ryazan]] was also operated in attendance as a representative of His Holiness, [[Patriarch]] [[Kyrill (Gundyayev) of Moscow]]. The service was sung by a combined choir from [[St. Tikhon's Orthodox Theological Seminary]], [[Holy Trinity Orthodox Seminary (Jordanville, New York)|Holy Trinity Orthodox Seminary]], and the conventEastern American Diocesan Youth Choir.  ==Relics==The convent has many sacred items brought to America by Abp. Andrew, including: a *A full-length portrait of St. Seraphim of Sarov painted during his lifetime, a *A cross from the Ipatiev House, and *A copy of the “Vladimir” Vladimir icon of the Mother of God which was gifted by St. Ambrose of [[Optina Monastery|Optina]] to Kiev ==Daily Life=====Weekday Schedule===*8:30 am - Hours*8:50 am - Liturgy*12:00pm - Lunch*6:00 pm - Vespers & Matins (with an Akathist to St. Seraphim on Wednesdays)===Sunday & Vigil-rank Feast Schedule===Evening before*6:00 pm - VigilSunday*9:00 am - Hours*9:20 am - Akathist to the Holy Theotokos that belonged *10:00 am - LiturgyMajor Feasts*9:40 am - Hours*10:00 am - Liturgy===Office Hours===Convent/Cemetary Main Office Hours*Weekdays: 9:00 am - 4:00 pm (closed for lunch)*Saturdays: 10:15 am - 2:00 pmROC Old Peoples Home Main Office*Weekdays: 9:00 am - 4:00 pm ==Sources==*[http://www.pravoslavie.ru/put/33568.htm Обитель преподобного Серафима] Веселкина, Татьяна. ''Православие.Ru'', Встреча с Православием: Святые и святыни. 15 января 2010 г..*[http://www.russkiymir.ru/russkiymir/en/magazines/archive/2009/01/article0003.html Novo Diveevo: Lest We Forget] Lunina, Lyudmila. ''РУССКИЙ МИР.RU'', №1. 18 January 2009.*Архiепископъ Никонъ (Рклицкiй). (1975). ''Мой трудъ въ виногадникѣ Христовомъ'', томъ I. Diocesan Publishing House, Bronx. pp 241-254.*Moss, Vladimir. (2010). ''The Golden Chain''. pp.89-93 [http://www.orthodoxchristianbooks.com/downloads/300_THE_GOLDEN_CHAIN.pdf PDF]*[http://www.russian-inok.org/page.php?page=monastery2&dir=monastery&month=0303 У ВРАТ НОВОГО ДИВЕЕВА В США] Немировский, П.. ''Монастырская Хроника'', №7 (170). Март 2003.*«Хроника Церковной Жизни: Изъ жизни Новодивѣевскаго Монастыря въ Наякъ». ''Православная Русь'', №1 (475). 1 января 1951 г..*«Хроника Церковной Жизни: Прибытiе монахинь съ о. Тубабао въ Новодивѣевскую обитель». ''Православная Русь'', №4 (479). 28 февраля 1951 г..*[http://www.holyvirginprotectionchurch.org The Russian Community and The Holy Virgin Protection Church in Nyack, NY]*[http://www.airfields-freeman.com/NY/Airfields_NY_SE.htm#springvalley Spring Valley Airport / Ramapo Valley Airport (N24), Spring Valley, NY] Freeman, Paul. ''Abandoned & Little Known Airfields'', Southeastern New York State. Revised 4 February 2013.*[http://eadiocese.org/News/2012/jan/abbssirene.en.htm Nanuet, NY: Met. Hilarion awarded the Synodal Order of the Sign 1st Class, to Stthe Abbess of the Holy Dormition Convent "Novo-Diveevo"] ''EAD Media Office'', January 25, 2012.*[http://eadiocese.org/News/2012/aug/mitrohin.en.htm Novo-Diveevo, NY: Holy Dormition Convent’s Longtime Choir Director Boris I. Mitrohin reposed in the Lord] ''EAD Media Office'', August 7, 2012.*[http://www.eadiocese.org/News/2011/july/novodiveevo.en. Amvrosii htm Novo-Diveevo: Metropolitan Hilarion led the 50th anniversary of OptinaArchpriest Alexander Fedorowski's clerical service] ''EAD Media Office'', July 14, 2011.*[ ==Further Reading==*[http://www.wise-travel.ru/north_america/usa/otzyv-2563.html Ново-Дивеево. Штат Нью-Йорк. США.] kotoshka, ''Wise-Travel.Ru'', 2009. '''(Russian)''' ==External Links==*[http://novo-diveevo.org Offical Website]*[http://www.facebook.com/NovoDiveevo Official Facebook Page]*[http://eadiocese.org/Parishes/newyork/en.nanuet.htm Eastern American Diocese Directory Listing]