Sergiya (Konkova) is the abbess of the Holy Trinity Serafimo-Diveevsky Convent, serving as the convent's superior at least from 2020 to the present. She heads one of the largest women's monasteries in Russia, which receives hundreds of thousands of pilgrims each year.
Activities at the Convent
In April 2020, during the COVID-19 pandemic, coronavirus was detected in 76 people on the grounds of the Diveevo Convent. From 25 April the convent was placed under quarantine; Abbess Sergiya (Konkova) also underwent treatment for COVID-19. The convent reopened on 11 June 2020.[1]
In December 2020, Abbess Sergiya (Konkova) took part in a meeting with members of The Diocese of Nizhny Novgorod and Arzamas, convened by Metropolitan George at the bishop's residence adjoining the cathedral church in honor of the holy right-believing Prince Alexander Nevsky. Also participating in the discussion were the secretary of the diocesan administration, Archpriest Sergiy Matveyev, the chairman of the diocesan canonization commission, Archimandrite Tikhon (Zatyokin), and sisters of the convent. Those present discussed the possible canonization of Maria (Ushakova), the first abbess of the Diveevo Convent, and drew up a plan for studying archival documents in Moscow, Saint Petersburg, Nizhny Novgorod, and Tula.[2]
On 1 August 2025, the feast day of the finding of the relics of Seraphim of Sarov, Abbess Sergiya (Konkova) prayed together with Metropolitan of Voskresensky Grigory — the administrator of the Moscow Patriarchate — the sisters of the convent, the superiors of other women's monasteries, and thousands of pilgrims at an outdoor Divine Liturgy in the square before the convent's Transfiguration Cathedral. According to law-enforcement authorities, 5,500 people attended the liturgy; around 11,000 pilgrims visited the convent altogether during the days of the celebrations. Metropolitan of Nizhny Novgorod and Arzamas George, following the service, expressed special thanks to Abbess Sergiya and the sisters of the convent for their preparation of the festivities.[3]
Participation in Cultural Projects
In July 2026, an exhibition of works from the plein-air and exhibition project "Russian Atlantis" was held at the Trinity Serafimo-Diveevsky Convent — the culminating event of ten days of work by artists in Diveevo, during which more than 170 pieces were painted. Participating in the plein-air session were Artists of Nizhny Novgorod, as well as from Tyumen, Samara, Penza, Serdobsk, Stary Oskol, Tver, Tikhoretsk, and Vacha. Abbess Sergiya (Konkova) toured the exhibition, thanked the artists for their respectful portrayal of the convent, noted the high artistic quality of the paintings, and described the project as a "living archive" of the contemporary landscape school.[4]
Church Awards
In July 2026, during the Serafimsky celebrations in Diveevo, Patriarch Kirill's Primatial Visit to the Nizhny Novgorod Metropolitanate (2026) presented church awards to Metropolitan of Nizhny Novgorod and Arzamas George, Abbess Sergiya (Konkova), and nuns of the Diveevo Convent.[3]
Sources
- Interfax — Volochkova fined for visiting the Serafimo-Diveevsky Convent (archive)
- Vremya N — The first abbess of the Diveevo Convent may be canonized (archive)
- NIA "Nizhny Novgorod" — Thousands of pilgrims gathered in Diveevo on the feast day of Serafim of Sarov (archive)
- Rossiyskaya Gazeta — Artists of the "Russian Atlantis" project exhibited their works in Diveevo (archive)