Solotcha village, Ryazan region. Solotcha. Monastery of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin. Where to relax in Solotcha
Every traveler, going on a trip, creates for himself a list of Solotchi attractions that you definitely need to see. Some develop independent routes acquaintance with the city, the rest order special survey excursion tours. As a rule, they allow you to visit the main attractions of Solotchi and give an idea of the historical and cultural development of the city.
Art lovers are primarily looking for sculptural sights on the map of Solotchi. In the main city squares, you can often see traditional sculptural compositions with which all tourists are photographed. But among the favorites local population parks you can see exhibitions of conceptual sculptures and installations. They are made from the most unpredictable materials and represent unimaginable variations of various forms that you will need to think about.
Among the main attractions of Solotchi, a special role is played by religious buildings. They are the center architectural ensemble Russian city, many of them survived iconic religious and historical events. In Solotch and beyond, you can go to famous throughout the country monastic cloisters: convent, Holy Trinity Monastery, Solotchinsky Intercession Monastery, admire the graceful appearance of large Orthodox churches: Church of the Savior on Yar or look into the cozy and miniature chapels, so popular with locals.
Traveling around the area, you can also see unusual religious sites. These may be national religious sites, ancient cult associations, or in general mystical places strength. Not far from Solotchi there is an opportunity to meet the following: Church of the Savior on Yar, St. John the Theologian Monastery, Nikolo-Radovitsky Monastery, Resurrection Church in Lovtsy, Solotchinsky Pokrovsky Monastery.
Pedestrian promenades along Solotcha have a special romance. You have a choice: get a map of Solotchi with sights and routes in advance, or simply go wherever your heart desires. Then it's even more fun. Let yourself get lost on old streets Or take a walk in the parks. And if you get tired, you can refresh yourself or have a cup of coffee in some pleasant cafeteria. By the way, in Solotch there are several places popular at all times, which every tourist dreams of.
If you plan to gain in-depth knowledge of the history of the city, come on a tour of museum complexes Solotchi. They contain extensive collections on ethnology, artistic skills, folk art and everyday life items, archaeological sites. Traditionally, these attractions are located in the center.
At the same time open thematic museums can often be found in the countryside. They present entertaining expositions dedicated to national life and folk crafts. In addition, it can be a museum reconstruction of historical settlements or defensive forts. Such sights of Solotchi will be very informative for children: the Museum of the Poshchupov Toy, the Museum-Reserve of S. Yesenin, the Museum of Academician I.P. Pavlova.
For family tourists, the question is always relevant: where to go with children. The most popular option is to go to one of the Solotchi aqua complexes. There are often discounted fares when buying a family ticket for the whole day.
If you are planning a trip in the winter or spring season, we recommend that you consider Solotchi ski resorts for active leisure. There is a lot of entertainment for children and adults: various slopes for skiers and snowboarders, cheesecakes, interesting fun parks for experts. Typically, such complexes are located several tens of kilometers from the city, for example: ski resort Chulkovo, Borovsky mound, Alpatyevo. So it is more convenient to arrive at the place by personal transport or rent a car.
An excellent prospect for a family weekend is active nature tourism. These attractions are located near Solotcha. It can be rivers, gorges, famous nature reserves. Where better to go, you always choose: Meshchersky national park. There is an opportunity to get here both on your own and on public transport. Check the schedule in advance intercity buses plying from suburban bus stations in the direction you need. In such an adventure, you will get a lot of unforgettable emotions from staying on fresh air, replenish your stocks of health and good spirits.
If you visit the city on business, then for long excursion programs you don't have enough free time. IN similar situation we advise you to find for yourself a concise index of Solotchi attractions with a photo and description.
Such a guide can always be found after arriving in the city on railway stations or at the airport. There is a list of the most interesting places, where to go in Solotcha, with names and photos of attractions. Agree, this greatly simplifies the question of what to see in Solotch, in case you are limited in time.
However, if the handbook describes the most popular places Solotchi, then on the net you can find the top “untwisted”, but no less interesting sights with reviews of experienced travelers. Abandoned adits, mysterious quarries, old narrow-gauge railways, bridges - such sights attract adventure lovers.
When planning a trip to Solotcha, we advise you to get information not only about the sights, but also about other significant infrastructure facilities of the city. To move around the city, it is worth understanding the scheme of urban transport, the localization of railway and bus stations or ports, metro stations. At the same time, these important public buildings of Solotchi can become objects of tourist interest. Often they become calling card cities.
Solotcha is called "the gate to Meshchera". Let's take a little walk around this small village and, at the same time, remember the history of both Solotchi and the Meshchera region. In addition to my photos presented in the post, there are photos taken on the Internet. . Let's start exploring Solotchi from Monastyrskaya, the former Leninskaya Square, where, in addition to the Lenin monument and the Borovnitsa hotel, there is a monastery in honor of Christmas Holy Mother of God.
One of the most beautiful places in central Russia, the Meshchera forests - are located at the turn of Moscow, Ryazan and Vladimir regions, but it is the Ryazan Meshchera that is called the Meshchera region. The Meshchera lowland got its name from the ancient Finnish tribe Meshchera, who lived here along with the Mordovians and Muroma even before the Slavs appeared in these places. The Meshcheryaks lived mainly along the banks of rivers and lakes, engaged in cattle breeding, hunting, fishing and farming.
The forests of Meshchera are dense, dense and mysterious. Swamps stretch for kilometers - mshary. Overgrown with birch, aspen and marsh grass tall as human height, this is a real swamp jungle of our middle zone. Here, 20 km from Ryazan, is the resort village of Solotcha. From Moscow by car along the Ryazan-Vladimir highway, it is a relatively short drive - about three hours. Solotcha is called "Ryazan Italy", "Ryazan Switzerland", and sometimes "Ryazan Sochi". In the old days, Solotcha was known as an all-Union health resort.
Once upon a time, the Oka flowed near Solotcha itself, leaving here a high sandy terrace, later overgrown with dense forest. Now from the river there is a rather long, quiet backwater - an oxbow lake - beyond which water meadows stretch for ten kilometers. To the east of Solotcha, the forest turns into a mixed Meshchera forest. All this is "Ryazan Italy". Who gave such a name to Solotcha is unknown, it is found in pre-revolutionary publications. There is another river here - Solotcha (Solodcha, Bolshaya Kanava), which begins in the swamps of the Radovitsky Mokh and collects water from the vast territory of the Meshchersky forests, flows south and flows into the oxbow river Oka near the village. Its natural flow was regulated at the end of the 19th century, when drainage work in the Meshchersky forests was carried out by a government expedition led by General Zhilinsky. The expedition dug a network of canals, the total length of which, according to the recently published book “The History of One Province” in Ryazan, exceeded 2,000 kilometers, and a significant part of these canals is quite recognizable at the present time.
I have not found an explanation anywhere where this name came from: Solotcha. There are suggestions: first, in the distant past there were many salt pans in these places; the second explanation - from the word - "solodtsy" - springs - which are very numerous along the banks of the oxbow lake. Perhaps from the Russian word "solotchina" - a swampy swamp with stagnant water or "slotina" - a lowland with steep banks.
These dense forests and impassability at one time protected the Meshcheryaks from many storms and hardships, sheltered them from the raids of nomads. During the heyday of the Vladimir-Suzdal principality, Grand Duke Vsevolod extended his power to the Ryazan land and Meshchera. One of the chronicles tells about the campaign of his soldiers to the river Pre: “In 1210, the great prince Vsevolod sent an ambassador with a regiment Kuzma Ratishich, his sword, and took Pru, and returned with many full to Vladimir.”
In the second half of the 14th century, we see Meshchera, already divided among four principalities. Her Northern part belonged to Murom, Vladimir, and later Moscow principalities, while the southern (Meshcherskaya side) belonged to Ryazan. By the middle of the 15th century, Meshchera belonged to the Kasimov kingdom, which existed as part of the Muscovite state until the end of the 17th century. ancient capital Meshchersky region was Gorodets-Meshchersky, mentioned in the annals under 1152 and received the name Kasimov by the name of the Tatar prince Kasim.
The Meshchera forests have repeatedly been a refuge for thousands of Ryazan residents who fled from the raids of the Tatars.
When in 1379 the hordes of Mamai invaded the Ryazan Principality, then, as one of the chronicles says, "Prince Oleg Ryazansky did not have time to gather an army, left the city and went across the Oka River with his people." Tradition says that in 1390, while staying two dozen miles from Pereyaslavl, the Grand Duke inadvertently met two monks, the venerable elders Vasily and Euthymius, who set up a skete here. “Relishing the spiritual conversation with them and captivated by the beauty of the location” of the modest monastery of schemniks, Oleg Ryazansky ordered the foundation of a monastery here in honor of the Nativity of the Most Holy Theotokos, at which the village of Solotcha arose. But I will talk about the monastery in another post.
Like many settlements along the Oka River, Solotcha played the role of a guard post guarding the approaches to Ryazan and Moscow. After the Ryazan principality was annexed to Moscow, the question arose of how to secure the southern borders from Tatar raids. In the 16th century, during the reign of Ivan the Terrible, the construction of the notch line was begun "for the protection of the entire Muscovite state, and not for nine villages." For hundreds of kilometers stretched from west to east forest blockages with fortified wooden fortresses - "towns", which contained small garrisons. For a long time, Meshchera served as a place where serfs who fled from the oppression of the landlords, and schismatics who sought to hide from the watchful eye of the Orthodox Church in the dense forests found shelter.
In 1892, a rival appeared on the dirt road from Ryazan to Meshchera, broken by wagons and carriages. Railway. It was built in 1892 for the removal of timber from the Keletsko-Solotchinskaya dacha. During these years, terrible forest fires and famine completely ruined the Meshchera peasants. Fearing the unrest of the peasants, the government was forced to arrange in the Kelets-Solotchinskaya dacha public Works for logging. In a short time, such a huge amount of wood was harvested that it was simply impossible to take it out on horseback. It was then that a narrow-gauge railway was built forty-three miles long. Then it was extended to the Tuma station, equipped with passenger and freight wagons, and for a long time it was the only means of communication between Ryazan and the Meshchersky region. On a narrow-gauge railway they went to work in the city, to the market, transported timber and peat.
The road gave the impression of a toy. Small locomotives (popularly called "goats") laboriously dragged unsightly wagons, crammed full of passengers. Wooden train stations were built along this path. It is only 20 kilometers from Solotcha to Ryazan, but the train traveled this distance in an hour. He moved slowly, and, they say, it cost nothing to overtake him on horseback. During the spring flood of the Oka, traffic on the narrow gauge railway was stopped.
This curious road has not survived to this day. Konstantin Paustovsky spoke about her in his Meshchera stories: “After Gus-Khrustalny, at the quiet Tuma station, I transferred to a narrow-gauge train. It was a Stephenson train. The locomotive, resembling a samovar, whistled like a child's falsetto. The locomotive had an offensive nickname: "gelding". He really looked like an old gelding. At the curves, he groaned and stopped. Passengers went out to smoke. Forest silence stood around the panting "gelding". The smell of wild cloves, heated by the sun, filled the carriages.
Passengers with things sat on the platforms - things did not fit into the car. Occasionally, on the way, sacks, baskets, carpenter's saws began to fly out from the site onto the canvas, and their owner, often a rather ancient old woman, jumped out for things. Inexperienced passengers were frightened, while experienced passengers, twisting goat legs and spitting, explained that this was the most convenient way get off the train closer to your village.
The narrow-gauge railway in the Meshchersky forests is the most leisurely railway in the Union.
K.G. Paustovsky in Solotch. At his favorite "locomotive-samovar" on the narrow-gauge railway Ryazan - Tuma. Late 1930s
In the 17th century, a school of icon painters flourished here. In the middle of the 19th century, two comrades moved from here to St. Petersburg - volost clerks, future artists I.P. Pozhalostin and H.E. Efimov, and in the 1920s artists A.E. Arkhipov, M.G. Kirsanov lived and worked in Solotcha. Sergei Yesenin was here. Later, as if to replace him, a whole group of writers settled in Solotch - K. G. Paustovsky, R. I. Fraerman, A. P. Gaidar. Living in the old house of I.P. Pozhalostin, they created many of their wonderful works here, and the stories of K. G. Paustovsky "Meshcherskaya side" gave poetic immortality to the images of this region. There will also be a separate post about the Pozhalostin Museum.
From Paustovsky's letters to his wife: 1 Oct<ября> <19>40 Solotch “... In Solotch an unusual change - the “obscene language” completely disappeared (in connection with the new law on hooliganism). For all the time I have not heard a single "mat" on the streets - the Lombards are afraid even to scold horses as "the devil", but in the meadows, when they are left alone, they take their souls away. Fortunately, the meadows are now very deserted ... ”(Paustovsky jokingly called the Solotchi peasants Langobards.)
Solotcha, July 1<19>48. “…There is a drought here, the garden turns yellow and flies around, and all the time there are winds. Gray spends a lot of time in the hospital, sometimes going to the homes of the sick. The hospital is poor, there is nothing, there is nothing to sometimes boil instruments on. Darkness, dirt and ignorance are terrible, and Gray is amazed by this - here he first encountered real reality. ..” Gray - Sergei Mikhailovich Navashin, future microbiologist, academician of the Russian Academy of Medical Sciences - stepson of Valeria Vladimirovna Navashina-Paustovsky, Paustovsky's wife, underwent medical practice in the rural Solotchinskaya hospital.
Solotcha, 5/VI-<19>48 “…Sery has a lot of work,…During the day there are receptions of 40-50 people. Mass of curiosities. The other day an old woman came from the Fence, so bitten by cockroaches that her whole body was as if in scales. He is afraid that the cockroaches “do not peck out his eyes”, ties them up with a towel at night.
There are a lot of flowers in the meadows, and I have already identified many flowers. This is just as much fun as fishing. Gray is also fond of this and brings me all sorts of rare flowers ... "
K. G. Paustovsky and V. V. Navashina-Paustovskaya on a narrow gauge railway in Solotch. In the car window: the writer's son Vadim and adopted son Sergei Navashin. Late 1930s
According to Wikipedia, in Solotcha there are: a timber processing plant, a Meshchera zonal experimental and reclamation station, a rest home, a children's tuberculosis sanatorium, and a camp site.
Tourists love Meshchera and Solotcha. In summer and winter, on boats and on foot, on bicycles and skis, thousands of tourists go hiking to this wonderful region. Once upon a time, I, too, skied in the winter, and in the summer I went to hiking along with your friends. Photographs from my home archive serve as illustrations of one of the trips.
In the suburbs of Ryazan, there is a very cozy and beautiful Solotcha settlement. Regardless of the time of year, here you can perfectly relax and improve your health.
This wonderful corner of nature is surrounded by Meshchersky national park. This is just on the border of two climatic zones - water meadows near the Oka and a pine forest full of freshness. That is why the purest air of Solotchi has such healing properties and has a beneficial effect on human health. Considering the variety of balneological factors of this health resort, Solotchi is often compared with southern Russian resorts. Solotcha Ryazan is in some cases even better than any resorts.
On the territory of this village there are several sanatoriums at once - these are Solotcha, Sosnovy Bor, Staritsa, the Druzhba recreation center, as well as the sanatorium-preventorium MUP URT and children's health camps.
Also in Solotchi there is a museum of I.P. Pozhalostin, the last master of the classical engraving school. It is located in a large beautiful wooden house. This museum displays many personal items and tools of the academician, which many tourists come to see. This house is also famous for the fact that the writer K.G. lived there for quite a long time. Paustovsky. It was he who wrote a lot about these places who wrote a lot about these places. Today, there is still a map hanging on the wall called Paustovsky's Path.
One of the most interesting sights of the village is the Solotchinskiy convent of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary. This monastery was built in the XIV century, founded by Ryazan prince Oleg Ivanovich. If speak about architectural monuments, then on the territory of the monastery there are several of them at once - the Church of the Nativity, the refectory and the Baptist Church, which is decorated with four large beautiful figures of evangelists. There are many old wooden houses in Solotcha with charming carved porches and colored stained-glass windows. There is something to look at. On one of the streets there is a house that at the end of the 19th century belonged to the famous engraver academician I.P. Pozhalostin. K. G. Paustovsky, A. P. Gaidar, A. I. Solzhenitsyn and others also lived and worked in it at different times.
Once a narrow-gauge railway passed through Solotcha, the embankment of which has survived to this day. Sanatorium Solotcha always welcomes guests and positively influences them.
Solotcha - small resort village, located on the banks of the Oka, half an hour from Ryazan. Solotcha stands in the middle of the territory of the Meshchersky National Park, surrounded by protected forests. These are wonderful places for recreation: pine forests in Solotch are real, “ship-like”, fragrant and sunny. There are several sanatoriums and recreation centers in Solotcha itself, and nearby there are numerous lakes and no less numerous ancient villages and villages, which are a pleasure to explore slowly.
One of the most important sights of the village is the Solotchinskiy Nunnery of the Nativity of the Virgin.
How to get there
On the highway from Ryazan (25 km).
Search for flights to Moscow (nearest airport to Solotcha)
Weather in Solotcha
Entertainment and attractions Solotchi
Many old cozy wooden buildings have been preserved in Solotcha, many of which are decorated with wood carvings or colored windows. Particularly interesting is the house of I. Pozhalostin, built in 1880 according to the artist's own design. After the death of Pozhalostin, famous Soviet writers worked in the house: A.P. Gaidar, K. Paustovsky, R. Fraerman. Today, the museum has an art and literary exposition as well as temporary exhibitions.
One of the most important sights of the village is the Solotchinskiy Nunnery of the Nativity of the Virgin. With him, in fact, the story of Solotchi began. The monastery was founded in 1390 by the Grand Duke of Ryazan Oleg, who patronized the monastery all his life and eventually became a monk in it, and was later buried in the monastery. The complex was rebuilt several times, and in our time it is considered one of the most clear examples Moscow ("Naryshkin") baroque in the Ryazan region. Three churches of the monastery have survived to this day: the gate church of John the Baptist (1695), the Holy Spirit (1689) and the Nativity Cathedral (1691). The monastery was closed in 1917, then transferred to the Ryazan Museum-Reserve, but today the monastery is functioning again.
Another beautiful temple in Solotcha stands on the site of the former Zachatievsky Monastery, closed at the end of the 17th century. The Zachatievsky Church on the site of the monastery was built in 1783, and in 1843 it was replaced by the stone Kazan Church. The bell tower of the church was blown up in 1941, but the rest of the building survived, and in 1999 its restoration began. Today, the temple has almost completely returned its beautiful appearance, but the restoration work is not fully completed, and services are held only on weekends and holidays.
Near the Kazan Church you can see the monument to Nicholas the Wonderworker, standing on the globe. This is a copy of the monument in Demre, where the saint was born, created in 2006.
Solotch also has its own Bald Mountain, and it is very popular with local residents, and tourists. The mountain is a rather large "bald" sandy glade on a high river bank surrounded by pine trees. In summer, especially in high water, a beautiful view of the Oka opens from here, and in winter you can ride on skiing and snowboarding (however, there are no prepared tracks on Lysa Gora, but there is lighting and a tow rope).
Another natural attraction of Solotchi - marked walking route about 7 km long, which was called the Paustovsky Trail. The famous writer, who lived and worked in Solotch, liked to wander around these places, as evidenced by the numerous descriptions of the nature and surroundings of Solotch that can be found in his works. In particular, this picturesque road the writer went to black lake, and today tourists can repeat his path among the centuries-old pines. The map of the route can be seen on the wall of the House-Museum of I. Pozhalostin.
Popular hotels in Solotchi
Surroundings of Solotchi
The village of Konstantinovo is located on the opposite bank of the Oka from Solotcha. In a straight line from one village to another - no more than 30 km (although if you get through the nearest bridge - all 60). Konstantinovo is famous for the fact that S. Yesenin was born here, and today his museum operates in the village.
The town of Spas-Klepiki can be reached from Solotcha in less than an hour. Several museums are located here and interesting old stone buildings have been preserved. In addition, in Spas-Klepiki there is still a school where S. Yesenin studied.
Approximately 67 km from Solotcha near Spas-Klepiki near the Klepiki lakes is the historical village of Struzhany. During the time of Peter I, they built in the village wooden ships, strings. Today the village is notable for the beautiful Church of the Assumption of the Mother of God, built in 1915 and classified as an architectural monument.
Meshchersky National Park
This national park was established in 1992, and its area exceeds 100 thousand hectares. The territory of the park is mostly swampy, with floodplain meadows, fields, lakes, beautiful mushroom and berry places. This place is very popular among tourists and vacationers, hunters and fishermen. In addition, numerous sites of prehistoric people were discovered in the park, which also attracts archaeologists.
Within the park is extensive system picturesque Klepikovsky lakes. The southernmost of them, Beloe, is located about 65 km from Solotchi. The lakes are mostly glacial, shallow and fish, and in addition, they are home to many waterfowl.
Solotcha is located 25 km from Ryazan.
...To understand what Solotcha is, it would be good to take off and look at her from top to bottom. And see below you the blue thread of the river and the sea of pine caps. This is for those who have developed spatial imagination.
... For those who perceive the world more through feelings, it is better to imagine how pine trunks smell in the sun. How the rustling blows of pine cones sound on the springy mossy-grass coat of the earth or on your hair. How huge lily-of-the-valley thickets hug the feet of pine giants. Like through dry pine needles clouds of strawberry flowers smile at the sun.
…Solotchinskiy Monastery- founded 10 years after the Battle of Kulikovo (in 1390) by Prince Oleg of Ryazan.
... In Solotch is monument to Nicholas the Wonderworker, which is a copy of the sculpture in Demre(Lycian worlds) - Turkish city where the saint was born. This is a figure with hands up on the globe.
Solotcha is located 25 km from Ryazan.
To understand what Solotcha is, it would be good to take off and look at her from top to bottom. And see below you the blue thread of the river and the sea of pine caps. This is for those who have developed spatial imagination.
Those who perceive the world more through feelings, l it is better to imagine how pine trunks smell in the sun. How the rustling blows of pine cones sound on the springy mossy-grass coat of the earth or on your hair. How huge lily-of-the-valley thickets hug the feet of pine giants. Like through dry pine needles clouds of strawberry flowers smile at the sun. And even better - jump on a bike and break the enveloping pine air with speed. Or just fill yourself with it from head to toe, slowly floating along the turns of stitch paths. And you can carelessly rush somewhere in the depths of countless pine rows in swimsuit shorts - there is also a cool river, and even dunes, and you can see the tangled roots of pine trees growing on a high bank-cliff. In the Solotchinskiye pine forests, sanatoriums and rest houses are hiding.
Describing the beauty and aromas of pine forest is a thankless task. See for yourself: 
For those who like facts, here is the information: Solotcha is the land of the vast forests of Meshchera. (In the word "Meshchera" the stress is on the last syllable). Since ancient times, Meshchera was divided between three principalities into Moscow, Vladimir and Ryazan. Swamps stretch for kilometers - mshary. And the forests of Meshchera are dense, dense and mysterious. They say there are places where time stops...
We're coming here to see Solotchi Convent, which, if described in one word, it will be - warmth. If several, then I will add - silence and joy. The monastery is located right in the center of Solotchi. Solotcha is a small pretty small town. It could be called a large village, but this is hindered by the central concrete square, still headed by Ilyich, with stunted, unkempt plantings in the flower beds. The look of the statue hollows out the monastery wall. We parked. Entered. 
The Solotchinsky Monastery was founded 10 years after the Battle of Kulikovo (in 1390) by Prince Oleg of Ryazan. Here he took tonsure and schema, and after another 12 years (in 1402) he found his last resting place. For some reason, I often come across discrepancies - in one place they write that the Pokrovsky Monastery (in the name of the Intercession of the Most Holy Theotokos), in another, that it is the Nativity of the Mother of God (in the name of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin). Didn't find any details. Probably when it was re-consecrated.
The first temple of the monastery, erected under Prince Oleg, indeed, was Pokrovsky, stood on the banks of the Oka, and later the tomb of Prince Oleg (in the schema of Joachim) and his wife, Princess Euphrosyne (in monasticism Evpraksia) was installed in it.
In 16th century. built a beautiful white stone Cathedral of the Nativity(in the center). His style is Old Russian. 
In the 17th century being completed Spiritual Church(in the name of the Holy Spirit) with the refectory(left), Holy Gates with the Gate Forerunner Church(in the name of John the Baptist) and Bell tower and cells(left). Builds - Yakov Bukhvostov. Style - Naryshkin baroque. Decorates with tiles - Stepan Polubes(if not himself, then his workshop). Particularly beautiful tiled figures of the four evangelists are on gate church.
Spiritual Church
On the gate church there are tiled figures of the four evangelists
Glazed tiles by the workshop of Stepan Polubes:
In the 18th century. Sandy shore landslide, together with a fragment ( NW angle) monastery. The river bank was strengthened, and the princely relics were transferred to the Nativity Cathedral.
The territory of the monastery is quite large, with a minimum of asphalt paths.(only one, I think). Throughout the rest of the space - velvet low grass, trees and behind the fence, flower beds and beds of nuns. There is also a booth offering fresh cottage cheese and milk. 
The ancient Nativity Cathedral is closed. We just bypassed it. The entrance to the Spiritual Church is decorated with birch trees - they recently celebrated the Trinity. 
My husband stayed to photograph the tiles on the snow-white walls of the church, I climbed the wooden steps and went inside. The main feeling - comfort, the sun's rays pushed the walls of the already large volume of internal space. The nuns went about their business without paying me any too much attention. I put the candles on and suddenly I saw the image of the Mother of God, from which tears almost flowed from me..
She held the child's hand to her lips. Such a maternal gesture - as if kissing her. And it completely led away from the canons. First you see the mother and the baby, then only you realize that this is the Mother of God and baby Jesus. I asked the name of this icon. - "Comforter"- they answered me. She is on the right. On the left, two unusual images also attracted attention. Mother of God. One snow-white, decorated with pearls - "Vladimirskaya". Nearby is a very dark face, shimmering with gold - "Iverskaya".
We walked around the church a little more. The territory of the monastery still requires and requires work. There were few tourists besides us. Then they asked an elderly nun where the monument to Nicholas the Wonderworker was located, which is a copy of the sculpture in Demre (Lycian Worlds) - the Turkish city where the saint was born. It turned out it's not here, i.e. not in a monastery. It is necessary to go beyond the square onto the road and drive a little. This is a rural part of Solotchi. We stopped at a bright blue church in honor of Our Lady of Kazan. Here, among the bright flower beds, there is a monument to Nicholas the Wonderworker - a figure with his hands raised up on the globe. One sculpture is located in hot Turkey in the city of Demre. The second, its copy is in Russia, in Ryazan Solotcha. Posted here in 2006. Sculptor - Raisa Lysenina. To the question " Why here in Ryazan and why a copy?”- the answer is this: in the Turkish homeland, this monument to Nicholas the Wonderworker used to stand in the center of the city, and then for some reason it was dismantled and moved closer to the ruins of the temple where the saint served. And without the globe, which the Turks “lost” somewhere... For some reason, Santa Claus now stands in its former place... Therefore, it was here on Ryazan land that people made such a decision - to recreate its copy and install it again...
«… The Lord speaks from the throne, opening the window beyond paradise: “O my faithful servant, Mikola, go around the Russian land. Protect the people tormented by grief there in black troubles. Pray with him for victories and for their poor comfort...". S. Yesenin 
The day was approaching the middle and we wanted to satisfy not only curiosity, but also our urgent hunger. There were few options, or rather, only two roadside cafes that we saw on the way to Solotcha. One on the right, the other on the left. Preference was given to the second option, called "Forest", which was located right in the pine forest. Literally. One pine even grew from the roof(apparently, they decided to leave it, not cut it, and thus mounted it in the room). 
I also want to note that Pinery in Solotch - this is a hoo what a forest - that's such a height, that's such a width. Ship! It is not for nothing that Solotcha is called the “gateway to Meshchera”, the Meshchera forests have always been an image of a dense, dense, impenetrable forest. So we immediately decided that we would sit in the air. We walked around the cafe on the left and chose a cozy wooden table under an umbrella. While waiting for the order, we walked a little through the forest, among the pines. Beauties! I was shocked by the huge lily-of-the-valley thickets-plantations that spread out like an even carpet under pine trunks. What blooms and smells sweet here in spring is probably called lily-of-the-valley paradise. The pines creaked, grumbled, the wind got stuck in their tenacious needles and, breaking out, offendedly tore round cones from pine curls and threw them down. Everything we ordered was delicious (okroshka, barbecue, salads), although the service was very slow. The main thing here is the enjoyment of pine grace.
We noticed, by the way, that on a very bumpy road inside the forest drove and drove different cars loaded with vacationers. There behind it begins the river and the beach. It's a shame we didn't see it ourselves. We read later that it is very Beautiful places. We believe!
And although we were in a hurry to Staraya Ryazan, which was the next point of our program, m the agnetism of the pines and the hot June day set up an invisible barrier for us. We abruptly braked along a beautiful pine wall and rushed into the forest heated by the sun. Dense verticals of smooth red trunks rippled the landscape before my eyes. Thick air filled my lungs. The thick sun beat through the pine clouds. Smooth, dry moss, dotted with thick freckles of flowering strawberries, stroked my legs. We, as true residents of the metropolis, tried to get the absolute absolute pleasure from this 15-minute gift. They lay down, rolled around, ran, left the cones, peered into the strawberry faces, were thoughtfully silent ... And we drove on. 
«… The unmowed meadows are so fragrant that, out of habit, the head becomes foggy and heavy. Thick, tall thickets of chamomile, chicory, clover, wild dill, carnation, coltsfoot, dandelions, gentian, plantain, bluebells, buttercups and dozens of other flowering herbs stretch for kilometers. Meadow strawberries ripen in the grasses for mowing ...". K. Paustovsky, "Meshcherskaya side"
It should also be noted that here in the Solotchinsky pine forests many resorts. And yet - mass cottage construction begins here. Cunning builders lure potential buyers picturesque quotes from Paustovsky. The writer rented a dacha in Solotcha, and not just like that, but the house of the engraver Pozhalostin. Here he wrote "Meshcherskaya Side". In my opinion, although with all due respect, this story is written by Paustovsky a little tight. And another interesting detail - look at the map - behind Solotcha through one village is the village of Laskovo. Too bad we didn't go there. There is a chapel in honor of St. Fevronia, a girl, the daughter of a forester from Laskovo, who cured Prince Peter of Murom and became his wife. July 8 - now in Russia is finally (!) Officially recognized as the day of Love - so strong that Peter and Fevronia had it.
From a story “A word about the land of Ryazan. Ryazan (New and Old). Poshchupovo and Solotcha. Konstantinovo"
