Compiled by Nikita Simmons from an Internet forum discussion
by Stephen Reynolds, Rebecca Redmile,
Pauline Costianes and Jopi Harri (with a few emendations of the original texts)
Among the attributions of published items of church singing we find references to specific monasteries. While these are for the most part obvious, there are several vague designations which are not clear, including:
Lavrskii ("of the Lavra") - Since there were only two Lavras in Russia, the Kiev Caves (Pecherskii) Lavra and the Trinity-Sergius Lavra (in Sergiev Posad, just outside of Moscow), it should not prove too difficult to determine which Lavra is being referred to, depending on the style of the melody and/or setting.
Monastyrskii ("of the monastery") - This is possibly the Danilov Monastery, which claims to be the senior monastery in Moscow (founded in 1282), but there are other possibilities. Novospassky may have been founded in the 12th century and only transferred to the Kremlin in 1300; in any case it was moved to its present location in 1490. Andronikov was founded in 1360 and the Novodevichy Convent in 1524. Especially significant for the present question are Simonov (1370 or 1371) and Donskoi (1591); both were renowned in the 19th century, when most of the attributions originated; some effort was made to record their chant, but if it was ever published a citation has not yet been located (bibliography on this topic is far from adequate, and much more work needs to be done). Archimandrite Feofan of the Donskoi Monastery composed works that are heard in many churches today, and there is some reason to believe that at least some of the repertory known as compositions by Feofan are actually his renderings of the traditional church singing of his monastery. Another composer, the Ukrainian Viktor Vysotskyi, set chants of the Simonov monastery in addition to composing works of his own. There were, of course, a number of other monasteries in and around Moscow, but traveling further abroad there are other possible candidates, such as the Riazan Monastery.
Pustynnii ("of the hermitage") - This is possibly the Optina Hermitage. There is the further complication that a skete may exist within a monastery; indeed, a "skitok" may exist within a skete (as at Maniava).
Skitskii ("of the skete") - There are a number of possibilities for this designation, but it should be kept in mind that most of the sketes in Russia were forcibly closed after Patriarch Nikon (mid-1600s), and the monks were integrated into full monasteries; this was done as a measure of "damage control" following the disastrous Solovetsky rebellion and the schism of the Old Believers. A few sizable Russian monastic communities retained the title "skete" or "hermitage", despite their later expansion into full monasteries. (If referring to to the Carpathians, it could possibly be a reference to the Maniava Skete, but this is not likely, since we are dealing with Great Russian music.)