Article from volume 6." Orthodox Encyclopedia", p. 566

(Trofimova Valentina Alekseevna; born 08/17/1930, Chudovo, Novgorod province), abbot. Pyukhtitsky in honor of the Assumption Holy Mother of God wives mon-rya. After the start of the Great Patriotic War V.’s family was evacuated to the Kirov region and, at the end of the war, settled in the city of Luga. Since childhood, V. Trofimova read and sang in the choir in churches. After receiving secondary education, she completed accounting courses. Aug 1 In 1952 she entered the Pyukhtitsa Monastery as a novice. In 1955 she moved to Vilnius in the name of St. equal to Mary Magdalene female monastery, where she lived under spiritual hands. abbesses. Nina (Bashasheva, in the schema of Varvara), V. Trofimova’s spiritual father was the priest. Nikolay Guryanov. On March 5, 1958, the vicar of Vilnius in honor of the Descent of the Holy Spirit on the Apostles, husband. mon-rya archim. Sergius (Voschenko) Trofimova was tonsured into monasticism with the name Varvara, served as assistant treasurer and supervised the restoration of the Mary Magdalene Monastery destroyed during the war. In 1960, the monastery was transferred to the Holy Spiritual Monastery. monastery in a separate room. In 1963, V. was appointed accountant of the Vilna EU, located on the monastery territory. For the 100th anniversary of the Mary-Magdalene Monastery (1965), V. compiled the “Chronicle of the Vilna Women’s Monastery”, for which she received the Iveron Icon as a blessing from Patriarch Alexy I Mother of God.

3 Jan 1968 V. was appointed abbess of the Pukhtitsky monastery, January 19. elevated to the rank of abbess. Under the management of V. Pyukhtitsa the monastery was restored, transformed and decorated. All churches were restored, monastery buildings were completely renovated. Electricity appeared in churches and cells, heating and running water were installed; the walls of the Assumption Cathedral were painted, crosses on the domes of monastery churches and chapels were gilded. The bishop's house, the Jerusalem building, and a house for representative purposes were built, and the monastery hotel was revived. A house church was built in a building for elderly sisters, the Sergius Bell Tower, the St. George Chapel in the farm yard, a church for the baptism of children and adults were built, and a stone monastery fence was erected. On June 26, 1990, Patriarch Alexy II granted stauropegy to Mon-Rue.

Over the course of many For years, the monastery has been caring for disabled children from Moscow, seriously ill orphans in the Akhtme House of Mercy, a local home for the disabled. The monastery helps Slav. gymnasium in Kohtla-Jarve, other educational institutions in Estonia. In Oct. In 2002, with the blessing of Patriarch Alexy II, the Pyukhtitsa Monastery became the venue for the international scientific and pedagogical conference “Spiritual and moral education of students in Russian schools in the Baltics,” one of the organizers was the abbess of the monastery.

V. was a participant in the Local Councils of the Russian Orthodox Church in 1971 and 1990, and ecumenical seminars held in the Pyukhtitsa Monastery in 1982, 1984, 1986, 1987 and 1989. She was a member of the Commission for the preparation and holding of the celebration of the 1000th anniversary of the Baptism of Rus'.

V. was awarded the orders of the Russian Orthodox Church: Equal to the Apostles. book Vladimir, 3rd degree (1976), St. Sergius of Radonezh, 3rd degree (1980), equal to the Apostles. Kng. Olga 2nd and 1st degree (1991, 2000), St. Innocent of Moscow (2003). Has many awards. church and public organizations: St. Foundation All-validate ap. Andrew the First-Called (1994), Russian Medical Society (2000), est. educational society "Forselius" (2000 - for special services in the spiritual education of the Estonian population). V. is an honorary citizen of Estonia.

Lit.: Zhukova I. A. Mother Varvara. M., 1989; Filimonov V.P. Elder of Hieroschim. Seraphim Vyritsky and the Russian Golgotha. St. Petersburg, 1999. pp. 261-264.

On February 8 at 7 o'clock in the morning, the abbess of the Holy Dormition Pyukhtitsa Monastery, schema-abbess Varvara (Trofimova), reposed in the Lord. She was rightly called “Abbess of All Rus'”...

It can be said without exaggeration that Mother Varvara personifies an entire era in the history of Russian female monasticism and monasticism in general. She labored as a monk for more than 50 years, of which 43 years as the abbess of the Pukhtitsa monastery. It was from this monastery, which was not closed during Soviet times, that most of the abbess of women's monasteries in different dioceses of the Russian Federation came from Orthodox Church. Under Mother Varvara, the Pukhtitsa monastery became a kind of “forge of personnel”, the capital of female monasticism. But the main thing is that it was here that genuine Christian love, kindness, hospitality, spiritual nobility were felt, which were combined with deep monastic work.

Abbess Varvara had been seriously ill for a long time and even had difficulty moving, but she did not give up her tireless work in managing the monastery. A few months before her death, she was tonsured into the schema with the same name. Her authority among her sisters was enormous, and her mother's love for everyone was endless. Last August, my mother celebrated her 80th birthday. On this date, His Holiness Patriarch Kirill awarded Abbess Varvara the Order of St. Euphrosyne of Moscow, 1st degree. The congratulations to Mother Varvara from the governor and brethren of the Sretensky Monastery said: “For many children of the Russian Orthodox Church, you are a true example of selfless love for God and people, an example of unswervingly following the commandments of Christ, an example of spiritual prosperity.”

The monks of the Sretensky Monastery visited Pyukhtitsy more than once and invariably received the warmest welcome, were honored with conversations with Mother Varvara, and received important spiritual advice. A natural continuation of this spiritual communication was the album “Pyukhtitsa - Holy Mountain”, released by the Sretensky Monastery publishing house in 2006. It included a historical essay about the monastery, memoirs of His Holiness Patriarch Alexy II, who took an active part in the formation of the monastery, memories of the sisters, and extensive photographic material.

In her memoirs, Mother Varvara talks about how His Holiness Patriarch Alexy I persuaded her to accept the abbotship of the Pukhtitsa monastery, despite her objections and doubts. “I come here, neither alive nor dead. What will i do? How? Where do I start?...”

Gradually, under the wise management of Mother Varvara, the Pukhtitsa monastery was transformed and became a real stronghold of Orthodoxy on Estonian soil. Hundreds of Estonians and pilgrims from all over the world come here every day, and for many tourists this visit becomes a turning point in their lives, they accept holy baptism and begin to lead a Christian life. Abbess Varvara enjoyed enormous prestige not only among ordinary pilgrims, but also among secular authorities and government officials - everyone considered it lucky to receive her conversation and blessing...

The abbot of the Sretensky Monastery, Archimandrite Tikhon, and his brethren express deep condolences to the sisters of the Pukhtitsa monastery. This severe and irreparable loss is alleviated only by our faith in eternal life and hope for the prayers of our dear and beloved mother Varvara in the Kingdom of Heaven. Eternal memory to her!

Abbess Varvara (in the world Valentina Alekseevna Trofimova) was born on August 17, 1930 in the city of Chudovo, Novgorod region, into a pious family, where she received a deep Orthodox upbringing. With the beginning of the war, the family was evacuated to the city of Luga, Leningrad Region. There Valentina received her secondary education, and also sang and read in the Kazan Church. After finishing accounting courses after school, she worked in her specialty.

But the heart of the young girl yearned for a different life, and in 1952 her wish came true: she became a novice at the monastery of the Mother of God - in the Pyukhtitsky Assumption convent. Since 1955, Valentina Trofimova underwent obedience at the Vilna convent in the name of Equal-to-the-Apostles Mary Magdalene under the guidance of the experienced elder abbess Nina (Batasheva) (later schema-abbess Varvara), seven of whose pupils, including Valentina, became abbess. On March 5, 1958, in Vilnius, nun Valentina Trofimova was tonsured into a mantle with the name Varvara.

Nun Varvara served as clerical clerk, assistant treasurer, and took part in the repair and construction work to restore the Vilna Mariinsky Monastery.

On January 3, 1968, by decree of His Holiness Patriarch Alexy I (Simansky) of Moscow and All Rus', nun Varvara (Trofimova) was appointed abbess of the Pyukhtitsa monastery. On January 18, on the eve of the feast of the Epiphany, Archbishop Alexy (Ridiger) of Tallinn and Estonia (later Patriarch of Moscow and All Rus') elevated nun Varvara to the rank of abbess in Tallinn's Alexander Nevsky Cathedral, and the next day, January 19, in Pükhtitsy he presented her with the abbot's staff . At the Holy Trinity Sergius Lavra, His Holiness Patriarch Alexy I laid a pectoral cross on her.

The new abbess became the third organizer of the monastery. During the 42 years of her abbotship, the monastery was transformed beyond recognition. With the arrival of Mother Varvara at the monastery, complex construction began. The monastery had its own electric mill, new cell buildings and stone outbuildings were erected, all the churches were repaired and restored, the domes and crosses of the churches were gilded, and the Assumption Cathedral was repainted. A hotel for pilgrims was equipped on the territory of the monastery, a bathhouse was built near the holy spring, and a chapel in the name of St. George the Victorious was consecrated on the economic farm.

During the reign of Abbess Varvara, the architectural ensemble of the monastery increased. The Sergius Bell Tower was built. In 1986, the house church was consecrated in the name of St. Alexis and the Great Martyr Barbara, and in 1990 - the church in the name of the Forerunner and Baptist of the Lord John and the Hieromartyr Isidore.

In the same 1990, a cardinal change occurred in the status of the Pyukhtitsa monastery: the monastery received the title of stauropegial, that is, it came under direct subordination To His Holiness the Patriarch Moscow and all Rus'.

Blessed Varvara was born presumably in 1907 in the village of Gorushko, Novgorod province, into the family of shoemaker Grigory Trofimov. Varvara's mother, Anastasia Bagrova, her father's second wife, had four sons and four daughters. The last one, Varvara, was baptized in the village of Efimovo. At baptism, the priest said: “This one comes straight with a cross.” (The girl was born blind.)

From the memoirs of Archimandrite Agafangel (Dogadin): “...By the voice of the people - the voice of God - our mother Varvara was called an “old woman”. And when they ask what merits she has before God and good deeds before people, I answer: chastity (spiritual and physical purity), humility, thinness (physical exhaustion), monastic appearance (white face, like a prosphora), moreover, the strictest faster (I ate nothing on Monday, Wednesday and Friday), an amazing comforter of the people who came to her with various sorrows and mental ulcers...

The youngest in the family, left without a mother at the age of five, and without a father at eleven. Varvara only used the shelter of her older sisters for a short time. Soon, so as not to become a burden, she went to live among good people and church almshouses, without staying anywhere for long. Many times she visited the famous monasteries of Holy Rus', such as the convent in Estonia, which was then cared for by Abbess Varvara, and even earlier, before the latter’s appointment, she met with the holy fool Catherine, they talked for a long time about salvation, the Jesus Prayer and much more. , about which only God knows. There was a pilgrim in Lithuania, in a monastery where the incorruptible relics of the Vilnius martyrs - Anthony, Eustathius and John - rest. She visited the Pskov-Pechersk monastery many times. There they came to Varvara for advice, there she received food and lodging for the night.. Archimandrite Alypiy asked her holy prayers during the days of great temptations of the monastery... Mother Varvara consoled everyone, saying: “Fear no one, you are under the Protection of the Mother of God. Rejoice, O Joyful One, who does not leave us in Your Dormition.” Abba Alypiy showed generosity towards Varvara, revered her sincerely and deeply, and sometimes, in front of a large crowd of people, allowed her to talk and give instructions to pilgrims... Mother Varvara often had to change her place of residence, endure evil people: more than once, based on their slander, they called her to the police, but seeing her meek, gentle disposition, they released her.

During the war, she went around the villages, collecting alms, feeding the wounded and orphans. She then called herself a “forest bird.” Walking through the forest, I met wolves and wild boars many times. At this dangerous moment, she sang: “Early intercessor, God is with us,” and the animals avoided her.

Varvara found permanent shelter 12 years ago in Staraya Russa. We allocated her a small cell at our almshouse... People flocked to her for advice, and she said to everyone: “Lord, save every soul”...

She... was endowed with the gift of foresight. Having learned about the appointment of a priest to a high post, mother sighed and said: “Not a voice, not a hair, not a spirit, not a hearing. The goose’s wings will grow and fly away”... A year later, the mentioned priest was fired, then banned from ministry, abandoned his family and took up trade...

The elder was always present at church services. She knew akathists, psalms, stichera, hours and many irmos of the canons from memory. She knew well the rite “as it should be to sing twelve psalms of persons.” And if something was missed while singing, she commented: “When you ate the peas, you didn’t chew them”...

Those who came found a real storehouse of wisdom in the person of mother... She saw everything - and she saw better than the sighted...

Parishioners of the St. George Church to this day remember how they brought her, already sick and weak, to the church for the beginning of the service. Sitting in the corner in front of the Old Russian Icon of the Mother of God, crossing her thin, almost transparent hands on her knees, she silently, with her lips alone, prayed for everyone - for myself, for you, for our God-saved city and all of Russia...

Elder Varvara, with an equally pure disposition of heart, treated both her spiritual children and inveterate sinners: she baptized the heads of some, and called on others to “kiss the fast,” i.e. take fasting as a medicine to curb the flesh and acquire the gift of reasoning...

She died courageously: quietly, without words, but with prayer in her blind eyes. Only the true righteous depart peacefully this way.

She lived in the world for over 90 years, and each year, due to the physical hardships and incessant spiritual warfare, can be considered “front-line”.

Long before her death, Mother prophetically predicted that she would repose in the Lord on Easter week. Contemplation of death was one of her virtues. She shared them with everyone, for these thoughts contributed to the abundance of grace, the power with which we sober up our souls and reassess the value of our earthly life.

Concluding the story about the blessed old lady Varvara, it is difficult to put an end to it: her holy, glorious path once only began on earth, but there is no end to it. And it won't. For it now lies on the royal firmament of heaven. For deep veneration of the old woman, so that she becomes our prayer book, let us remember here the words of St. John the Theologian - a spectator of ineffable revelations, when he stood with his soul in the city of Eternal Easter - Jerusalem, seeing the special honor given to virginity: “And I looked,” he writes in Revelation - and here it is. A Lamb stands on Mount Zion, and with Him an hundred and forty-four thousand, having the name of His Father written on their foreheads.” The evangelist heard a song sounded before the throne: “and no one could learn this song except these hundred and forty-four thousand, redeemed from the earth. These elders are virgins who have not known wives. They follow the Lamb wherever he goes. They are redeemed from among men, as the firstborn of God and the Lamb, and there is no guile in their mouth: they are blameless before the throne of God.”

Lord, rest the soul of the blessed old woman Varvara, rest with the saints!

Sayings of Blessed Elder Varvara

A doctor is a healer, and prayer does not interfere, and devotion to God is needed - let both go together. If I don’t understand, change the medicine. Pray that the Lord will advise you: if he does not advise you, it is true that it is better for you to live with a sore head. Help you, Lord, to speak for consolation and strengthening

This light has been given to you...

To know God, to be in revelation, you must have patience, the main thing is patience, through this the will of God is revealed.

The bone of the righteous will not be broken. (The Lord will definitely tell you where the martyr died, where the exile died, so that they can be buried with honor.)

The road is wide for everyone, but everyone has their own mind, so figure it out...

God has all the good things, but he brought them into the world - like in the sea: whatever you gather, so you will float.

If the owner is not in the house, it is bad for the house. There used to be Holy Rus', but now I live and am afraid of everyone. There was no real government in Rus', and the Lord allowed it to happen because they moved away from true Christianity and forgot God. Why does He love us? Why should we do good? But even in the midst of chaos, He preserves those who do not betray Him and do not break the commandments...

Everyone wants good children, but what are we like? What good do we give them? Time of evildoers, sons of adulterers. Previously, children were told at every step: this is possible, this is not possible. Now they gave birth, baptized, and released into the world. Sail into the sea on the waves of your will! And whoever wants to live by his own will will lose everything. By the will of God you can endure sorrow, but you can endure your own joy, there will be an end, but the Lord will not forget. When we die, they will ask us: who was it? what did you do?

The opportunity for correction has been given by the Lord. Repent and thank God. Without sorrow and labor there is no path There. Oh, my friends, you shouldn’t fade away, but trust in God: “Lord, help me! And He Himself will show everything.”

Compiled by Olga Rozhneva.

Abbess Varvara (in the world Valentina Alekseevna Trofimova; 1930-2011) is a famous ascetic of the 20th century. Mother personifies an entire era of Russian female monasticism. She was rightly called the Abbess of All Rus'. She labored in the monastic rank for more than fifty years, of which for more than forty years she carried the heavy cross of the abbess of the Pukhtitsa Monastery.

Mother Varvara told about herself: “I come from the city of Chudovo, Novgorod region. Both my parents and all my relatives were deeply religious people. His father worked as a foreman at a local glass factory, and his mother raised seven children. She naturally had a beautiful voice and instilled in us children a love of church and church singing. In our family, everyone was a singer - both aunts and uncles were vocal, and uncle Fyodor Ivanovich Polyakov was the regent of the church choir before the war. All the guests will gather to us, start singing, people stop at our windows to listen and ask to sing more. I was the youngest in the family, my older sisters got married, and I was still with my mother - she sings in the church choir, and I am with her.”

Mother Varvara also recalled: “I was twenty years old, I went to visit my older sister, who lived in Vilnius. And I really enjoyed visiting the local monastery, I liked everything there: the leisurely services, the monastic singing, the measured reading, and the long robes of the nuns. Apparently, this is where my calling to work first manifested itself. monastic life... I didn’t know anything about other monasteries. And suddenly they tell me: “There is a convent in Estonia.” I asked my mother for permission to go and have a look and stayed in Estonia.”

Four years later, the young novice Valentina moved to the Vilnius monastery of St. Mary Magdalene, Equal-to-the-Apostles, where she lived under the spiritual guidance of the abbess, the experienced elder abbess Nina (Batasheva) (later schema-abbess Varvara), whose seven pupils, including Valentina, became abbess. The spiritual father of Valentina Trofimova was the elder Archpriest Nikolai Guryanov.

March 5, 1958 by the governor of Vilnius in honor of the Descent of the Holy Spirit on the Apostles monastery Archimandrite Sergius (Voschenko) Valentina Trofimova was tonsured into monasticism with the name Varvara.

The young nun was destined to return to where she began her monastic journey - to Pyukhtitsa. On January 3, 1968, by decree of His Holiness Patriarch Alexy I of Moscow and All Rus', nun Varvara (Trofimova) was appointed abbess of the Pyukhtitsa monastery.

Abbess Varvara spoke about the monastery: “During the war, the front passed here. When our troops arrived, the Germans bombed them. The target for the bombing was our cathedral, built in 1910. They fly up and bomb us, but the bombs keep flying beyond the fence where our vegetable gardens are, and not one of them hit the cathedral. When the Russians knocked out the Germans, it was the same thing. They fly up, it’s cloudy, you can’t see anything, they bomb at random. And again all the bombs missed. And not a single house was broken. Only on the mountain the old wooden bell tower was “mown down” by the shock wave. Instead, a new bell tower was built within the same dimensions. A few years later, the pilot who bombed us came to Mother Rafaila and said: “Mother, tell me, what protected you from our bombing?” Mother answered him: “The Mother of God protected. Come, I’ll show you the miraculous icon that appeared here four hundred years ago. Here She is, our Intercessor, our Defender.” He says: “This is She. When I was flying to bomb the monastery, I suddenly saw in the air: some Woman in blue appeared in front of me in the clouds and said: “Son, don’t ruin My house,” and disappeared.”

Metropolitan of Rostov and Novocherkassk Mercury (Ivanov) recalled: “Talking about Mother Varvara is talking about the Pyukhtitsa Assumption Convent. Mother Varvara and the Pyukhtitsa Monastery are a single whole. She served as abbot here for forty-three years. Under her, the monastery reached its peak, its perfection. Therefore, it is no coincidence that Mother Varvara was lovingly called the All-Russian Abbess. After all, the Pukhtitsa monastery raised a whole galaxy of abbess of convents for the Russian Church. This happened thanks to the amazing spiritual atmosphere that was created in the monastery and which contributed to this spiritual growth.”

Bishop of Yegoryevsk Tikhon (Shevkunov), vicar of the Patriarch of Moscow and All Rus', abbot of the Moscow Sretensky Stavropegic Monastery, said: “Mother Varvara preached the word of God with her whole life. She not only fulfilled the commandment “Love your neighbor as yourself,” but, without a doubt, she loved us much more than she loved herself. Wisdom and humility, sincere simplicity in everything - that’s what was amazing about her. And also - the desire for beauty. In the temple, in the monastery garden, in the barnyard - wherever her care extended. But the main thing was her desire for beauty in the souls of the sisters given to her by God, for the Divine beauty that she found in the soul of every person. Therefore, mother completely sincerely never condemned anyone. It seemed to come quite easily to her. But we understand that such a structure of the soul is a great lifelong feat.”

Bishop of Narva and Prichudsky Lazar (Gurkin) recalled: “We know little about the inner monastic life of mother. Like a true monk, she revealed little. This is how it should be out of the greatest humility. But we saw with what awe, love, reverence and respect pilgrims, politicians and diplomats treated our dear mother. I have never met a single person who was dissatisfied with something, even the slightest, or remained upset after a conversation with his mother. This speaks of the spiritual wisdom, humility and love of Christ for man that the Lord gave to his chosen one...”

Abbess Filareta (Kalacheva) recalled: “When the pain subsided slightly, we heard mother’s voice: “Sisters, how I love you, how I love you...” - and she repeated this many, many times. When we realized that not only the days, but also the hours of her life were numbered, we asked mother with tears: “How, how can we live without you, mother???” She answered very quietly but clearly: “Children, love each other.”

Schema-abbess Varvara (Trofimova) was buried in the monastery cemetery, near the altar of the St. Nicholas-Arsenyevsky Church.

It can be said without exaggeration that Mother Varvara personifies an entire era in the history of Russian female monasticism and monasticism in general. She labored as a monk for more than 50 years, of which 43 years as the abbess of the Pukhtitsa monastery. It was from this monastery, which did not close during Soviet times, that most of the abbess of convents in various dioceses of the Russian Orthodox Church came out. Under Mother Varvara, the Pukhtitsa monastery became a kind of “forge of personnel”, the capital of female monasticism. But the main thing is that it was here that genuine Christian love, kindness, hospitality, spiritual nobility were felt, which were combined with deep monastic work.

Abbess Varvara had been seriously ill for a long time and even had difficulty moving, but she did not give up her tireless work in managing the monastery. A few months before her death, she was tonsured into the schema with the same name. Her authority among her sisters was enormous, and her mother's love for everyone was endless. Last August, my mother celebrated her 80th birthday. On this date, His Holiness Patriarch Kirill awarded Abbess Varvara the Order of St. Euphrosyne of Moscow, 1st degree. it was said: “For many children of the Russian Orthodox Church, you are a true example of selfless love for God and people, an example of strict adherence to the commandments of Christ, an example of spiritual success.”

The monks of the Sretensky Monastery visited Pyukhtitsy more than once and invariably met with the warmest welcome, were honored, and received important spiritual advice. A natural continuation of this spiritual communication was published by the Sretensky Monastery publishing house in 2006. It included a historical essay about the monastery, memoirs of His Holiness Patriarch Alexy II, who took an active part in the formation of the monastery, memories of the sisters, and extensive photographic material.

In her memoirs, Mother Varvara talks about how His Holiness Patriarch Alexy I persuaded her to accept the abbotship of the Pukhtitsa monastery, despite her objections and doubts. “I come here, neither alive nor dead. What will i do? How? Where do I start?...”

Gradually, under the wise management of Mother Varvara, the Pukhtitsa monastery was transformed and became a real stronghold of Orthodoxy on Estonian soil. Hundreds of Estonians and pilgrims from all over the world come here every day, and for many tourists this visit becomes a turning point in their lives, they receive holy baptism and begin to lead a Christian life. Abbess Varvara enjoyed enormous prestige not only among ordinary pilgrims, but also among secular authorities and government officials - everyone considered it lucky to receive her conversation and blessing...

The abbot of the Sretensky Monastery, Archimandrite Tikhon, and his brethren express deep condolences to the sisters of the Pukhtitsa monastery. This severe and irreparable loss is alleviated only by our faith in eternal life and hope in the prayers of our dear and beloved mother Varvara in the Kingdom of Heaven. Eternal memory to her!

Abbess Varvara (in the world Valentina Alekseevna Trofimova) was born on August 17, 1930 in the city of Chudovo, Novgorod region, into a pious family, where she received a deep Orthodox upbringing. With the beginning of the war, the family was evacuated to the city of Luga, Leningrad Region. There Valentina received her secondary education, and also sang and read in the Kazan Church. After finishing accounting courses after school, she worked in her specialty.

But the young girl’s heart yearned for a different life, and in 1952 her wish came true: she became a novice in the monastery of the Mother of God - in the Pukhtitsa Assumption Convent. Since 1955, Valentina Trofimova underwent obedience at the Vilna convent in the name of Equal-to-the-Apostles Mary Magdalene under the guidance of the experienced elder abbess Nina (Batasheva) (later schema-abbess Varvara), seven of whose pupils, including Valentina, became abbess. March 5, 1958 in Vilnius nun Valentina Trofimova took monastic vows with the name Varvara.

Nun Varvara served as clerical clerk, assistant treasurer, and took part in the repair and construction work to restore the Vilna Mariinsky Monastery.

January 3, 1968 by decree of His Holiness Patriarch of Moscow and All Rus' Alexy I (Simansky) nun Varvara (Trofimova) was appointed abbess of the Pyukhtitsa monastery. On January 18, on the eve of the feast of the Epiphany, Archbishop Alexy (Ridiger) of Tallinn and Estonia (later Patriarch of Moscow and All Rus') elevated nun Varvara to the rank of abbess in Tallinn's Alexander Nevsky Cathedral, and the next day, January 19, in Pükhtitsy he presented her with the abbot's staff . In the Holy Trinity Lavra of Sergius, His Holiness Patriarch Alexy I laid a pectoral cross on her.

The new abbess became the third organizer of the monastery. During the 42 years of her abbotship, the monastery was transformed beyond recognition. With the arrival of Mother Varvara at the monastery, complex construction began. The monastery had its own electric mill, new cell buildings and stone outbuildings were erected, all the churches were repaired and restored, the domes and crosses of the churches were gilded, and the Assumption Cathedral was repainted. A hotel for pilgrims was equipped on the territory of the monastery, a bathhouse was built near the holy spring, and a chapel in the name of St. George the Victorious was consecrated on the economic farm.

During the reign of Abbess Varvara, the architectural ensemble of the monastery increased. The Sergius Bell Tower was built. In 1986, the house church was consecrated in the name of St. Alexis and the Great Martyr Barbara, and in 1990 - the church in the name of the Forerunner and Baptist of the Lord John and the Hieromartyr Isidore.

In the same year, 1990, there was a cardinal change in the status of the Pukhtitsa monastery: the monastery received the title of stauropegial, that is, it came under direct subordination to His Holiness the Patriarch of Moscow and All Rus'.