The Holy Dormition Pskovo-Pechersky (Pskov-Caves) Monastery is situated in the town of Pechory in 55 kilometres to the west of the city of Pskov.
The Monastery is considered to have been founded in August 1473. On August 15/28 1473 the founder of the Monastery, St. Jonah (Shesnik) consecrated the church of the Dormition of the Most Holy Mother of God.
The Monastery started to grow and soon became very rich and famous among people in Russia. The 16th century was the time of its flourishing, when under Abbot Cornelius the Annunciation and St. Nicholas Churches were built as well as the stone belfry, and the Monastery was surrounded by a stone wall with towers. There was a big library, created by Abbot Cornelius, as well as an icon-painting workshop. The Monastery became an important missionary centre and stronghold of Orthodoxy at the western border of Russia.
In the 16th and 17th centuries Pechory Monastery, like many other places on the western border of Russia, suffered from numerous attacks by Poland, Lithuania, Sweden and Germany. The most serious attack took place in 1581 when the Polish King Stephan Batory wanted to invade the north-western part of Russia.
In 1920 the town of Pechory, according to the Tartu Agreement, was given to Estonia, and the Monastery found itself outside the Soviet Union and that is why it could keep the religious services.
In 1945 the town of Pechory and the Monastery were transferred to Pskov region of the USSR but the Soviets did not close the Monastery. So it is the only monastery on the territory of Russia that have been functioned from its foundation till present days.
Nowadays there are ten churches in the monastery. The monastic community comes to over 90 people. There are an icon-painting and an icon-restoration workshops in the monastery. A beautiful garden with different species of plants and trees is located in the inner yard of the Monastery. In 2003 the Monastery celebrated its 530th anniversary.
