Creation of Holy Intercession Monastery was associated with the transfer in 1726 by Bishop of Belgorod Yepifaniy Tihorsky and Prince Mikhail Golitsyn Bishop's School to Kharkiv. The school was known as the Greek-Latin-Slavic School and since 1734 it called - Kharkiv Collegium. At that time in the collegium studied up to 500 children from different social classes of residents of Eastern Ukraine. Here worked famous Ukrainian philosopher Hryhorii Skovoroda.

Holy Intercession Monastery developed around built in 1689 Intercession Church. Intercession Church is the oldest of the surviving buildings of Kharkiv and a monyment of Ukrainian architecture of the 17th century. This is one of the oldest stone structures of Kharkiv. The inner walls of the upper church were painted by master of Ilya Repin - talented Ukrainian painter Ivan Bunakov.

Holy Intercession Monastery School is quickly becoming one of the main Orthodox education and training centers in Ukraine along with Kyiv-Mohyla Academy.

In Holy Intercession Monastery next to Intercession Church was built a new church - Ozeryanskaya Church that was consecrated on 21st of November 1896. It has cost more than 196 000 Russian Emipre rubles collected by donations.

Ozeryanskaya Icon of the Mother of God

Ozeryanskaya Icon of the Mother of God was fround at the end of the sixteenth century at a place called Ozeryanka, 40 kilometers from Kharkiv to the south-east. Later there was built a hermitage called Ozeryanskaya founded in 1710 by Sviatohirsk Monastery Archimandrite Sebastian.

The legend says that during period of Tatar invasions one farmer from the village of Ozeryanka released in the summer to cut the grass in the meadow. After starting to mow the grass by spit the farmer heard a human groan. Mower bent down and saw a candle burning before the icon of the Mother of God. The icon was painted on canvas and hit of spit was cut the icon into two halves.

The farmer took both halves and a candle, brought home and placed near the other icons. The next morning he was surprised to see that the cut parts are connected and so tight that it was almost invisible the trace.

After closing of Ozeryanka hermitage in 1787 the icon was transferred to Kuryazhsky monastery near Kharkiv and after it was abolished in 1788 in Kharkiv Holy Intercession Monastery where remained until 1797 when it was moved to the newly restored Kuryazhsky monastery. From then until the revolution of 1917 the icon each year (from September, 30 to April, 22) was transferred to Holy Intercession Monastery. The ceremony was followed by a solemn procession, singing and play of bells of Kuryazhsky monastery, Holy Intercession Monastery and more than other sixty Kharkiv churches.

In 1922 the Bolsheviks as a new government did their best to close Holy Intercession Monastery. To do this they used the services of the newly-minted renovationist "Living Church". So Kharkiv Regional Executive Committee decided to close Holy Intercession Monastery like all other monasteries on the Ukrainian territory and on 30th of September 1922 the monastery was closed with the expulsion of the brethren in the provincial monasteries which they wish to select for living. Since 1922 Holy Intercession Monastery has been occupied by various organizations.

During the Second World War Intercession Church was partially destroyed and for a long time was in ruins.

In 1944 the Bishops House was transferred to the use of Kharkiv Historical Museum. Gradually the entire territory of Holy Intercession Monastery has come to represent a museum town.

In 1958 Ukrainian restoration organization "Budmonument" started repair work of Intercession Church. Were restored roof, laid temporary shields on window and doors. But further work on the restoration of Intercession Church stopped. In 1967 the restoration project has been reviewed and approved by USSR State Committee of Construction. Work on the restoration of Intercession Church and bell tower were resumed but then again stopped because of lack of funding.

Holy Intercession Monastery was returned toUkrainian Orthodox Church in 1990. In 1997 Kharkiv Historical Museum has vacated the Bishops House and finally the last building of Holy Intercession Monastery was vacated by the museum in 2003.

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