His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia, having performed a prayer service at the beginning of the rite of consecration in the Small Cathedral of the Donskoy Stavropol Monastery, on April 14, 2025, visited the premises at the northern gate of the Donskoy Monastery, which a hundred years ago were the permanent residence of St. Tikhon, Patriarch of Moscow, until the last days of his earthly life.
The last years of Patriarch Tikhon's life were connected with the Donskoy Monastery, here he found his last earthly refuge. His relics are now one of the most important shrines of the monastery. After the death of His Holiness the Patriarch, Metropolitan Peter (Polyansky) tried to preserve the furnishings of the rooms, using them to accommodate church servants, and asked for a two-year lease extension, but the verdict of the leadership of the Department of Glavnauki Narkompros, which formally subordinated the museum, located on the territory and in the buildings of the Donskoy Monastery, was categorical: "Due to the fact that Glavnauki in need of living quarters, the rental of premises gr. Polyansky should not be produced." The premises were soon occupied by new tenants and the furnishings were lost.
To mark the centenary of Patriarch Tikhon's death, a memorial museum has been opened in the premises where he spent the last years of his life after restoration.
During the restoration, the historical layout that was here under Patriarch Tikhon was returned to the premises, tiled stoves were recreated from the discovered fragments, and all the details of the decor were preserved, including carpentry filling windows and doors with hardware. The reconstruction of the living quarters was based on the memoirs of M.A. Veshneva, "This is the memory of the days in Donskoy ...", as well as a description of the chambers of the lords who lived here before the Patriarch, and fragments of the memories of people who visited St. Tikhon in the Donskoy Monastery after his release from house arrest.
His Holiness Patriarch Kirill examined the anteroom at the entrance to the living quarters, the cell attendant's room (a guard room for GPU employees who watched the Patriarch around the clock during his house arrest), the reception-dining room, a room with a stove in front of St. Tikhon's chambers, an office and a cell.
Then His Holiness examined the porch of the church of the Tikhvin Icon of the Mother of God adjacent to the cell and the church itself, where repair and restoration work is underway. The Church of the Tikhvin Icon of the Mother of God in the Donskoy Monastery was the place where Patriarch Tikhon was allowed to pray during his imprisonment.
Metropolitan Theognost of Kashira gave explanations to His Holiness Patriarch Kirill during the inspection of the museum and the Tikhvin Church.