Today’s sunny summer day at the Seraphim-Diveyevo monastery was made even brighter: the young artists, equipped with colorful palettes, brushes and pencils, were scattered all over the territory of the monastery. Peering into the architecture and the landscape of the monastery, they tried to depict what they saw on paper.

A group of sixty-three young artists arrived from the children’s art schools in the settlements of Kulebaki, Vyksa, Navashino, the village of Gremyachevo and the village of Savasleika. Accompanying the children were Nadezhda V. Lazareva, the director of Kulebaki children’s art school, the teachers and artists Irina G. Shabardina and Valentin V. Krekin, who offered practice sessions to the children in Diveyevo.

This trip is not simply a pilgrimage to the holy place; the children came to Diveyevo to take part in plein air competition called the “Paintings of the native land.” The event is held as part of the project “Plein Air Trails” with the support of the Presidential Fund of Cultural Initiatives. The project was organized by the Kulebaki Children Art School.

The Seraphim-Diveyevo monastery is the second stop along the school’s plein air trail. A similar event was held just recently in the Gremyachevo village, where the children drew the famous springs. After Diveyevo, the plein airs will take place in Murom and Kulebaki.

One of the purposes of the project is the spiritual education of students, so it is no coincidence that the monasteries, the churches and the nooks and corners of their small motherland were selected as competition areas. This morning, all participants had a tour of the territory of the monastery. The majority of them arrived to Diveyevo for the first time. Nadezhda Vladimirovna says that the children were very interested to hear the narrative shared by their guide. They learned about the saints and the holy relics of the Diveyevo monastery, and venerated the relics of the saints of Diveyevo.

The will conclude their visit to Diveyevo with the wrap-up of the results of the competition and the diplomas and the gifts will be awarded to the winners and the participants.

Among the teachers accompanying the children is Elena N. Shilnova. She is an experienced teacher with an extensive teaching experience. “One of my students was Anatoly Valerievich Alyoshin. He is a well-known artist now, who worked a lot for the Diveyevo monastery as well. Back in 1988 he, upon graduating from the school and serving in the army, has told me about Diveyevo and invited to visit this holy place. That’s how I came here for the first time and I grew to love this monastery ever since, whereas my student has become my spiritual mentor,” told Elena Nikolaevna.