CHAPTER XL 



NUNS AND CONVENTS. 



BEFORE continuing our ride toward the Crimea, 

 let me ask the reader to retrace a few versts of our 

 road, and visit a Russian convent. 



A few miles south of Kharkoff is the convent 

 monastery of Karashavitch. It occupies a picturesque 

 knoll overlooking the rich bottom lands of the River 

 Donetz, and contains quarters for both monks and 

 nuns. Sascha and I were enjoying the hospitality of 

 the Rostoff merchant's family before spoken of, and it 

 being Sunday we paid a visit to the monastery. 



Monks I had visited in the Alexandra Nevski Mon- 

 astery at St. Petersburg, and the Nicholai Oograshinski 

 Monastery near Moscow, but this was the first oppor- 

 tunity that had presented itself of seeing something of 

 the manners and custom of the " brides of Christ " in 

 holy Russia. In most countries it is difficult for a 

 male biped to gain admittance into a convent, but the 

 holy Sisters of Russia are extremely liberal in their 

 ideas ; and the monastery of Karashavitch, the grounds 

 being occupied in part by monks, was as easy of access 

 to one sex as to the other. Its very name, Karasha, 

 in fact, signifies literally, " all right." 



We timed our visit so as to see the nuns at dinner, 

 which we were told would be the most interesting 

 event of the day. We arrived, however, in time for 

 the morning service in the church as well. A visit to 



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