The building of the current Holy Intercession Cathedral was built in 1821. In 1858 the temple was rebuilt. Reconstruction completed in 1865. The restructuring carried out did not fundamentally change the architecture of the temple.

The second time the temple was rebuilt at the beginning of the 20th century for the anniversary of the 300th anniversary of the Romanov dynasty in 1913. A third dome was built over the central part of the temple, towers were built on, the triangular pediment was replaced by a rounded arched one.

In the 30s of the twentieth century, the temple suffered the fate of most Orthodox shrines: it was closed. Again, for a short time, the Holy Intercession Cathedral was opened during the Great Patriotic War - in 1941. Here is how this event was described by its participant, now canonized at the Bishops' Council in 2000, the new martyr, Archimandrite Seraphim (Shahmut): and the priests could not serve, and there was a temporary break...”.

In August 1941, a shrine was transferred from the local anti-religious museum to the temple - the relics of St. Euphrosyne, Abbess of Polotsk. They stayed in the church until October 22, 1943, from where, after a solemnly celebrated Divine Liturgy with a prayer service to St. Euphrosyne, they were taken by train to the St. Sophia Cathedral of Polotsk, and then transferred to the Transfiguration Church.

During the war, the building of the Holy Intercession Cathedral was significantly damaged: the second tier of the towers was destroyed, the roof was destroyed. The building, which had not been repaired, gradually fell into disrepair, collapsing from the effects of weather conditions. Being in the center of the city, it was a mute reproach to the townspeople who had forgotten about their spiritual roots.

At the end of the 80s, the temple was being prepared for demolition, but the beginning of the thaw of perestroika made it possible for the social movement of the intelligentsia of the city of Uzgor’e to save the temple.

In 1986, a decision was made to reconstruct the Holy Intercession Church. On November 20, 1989, the Council for Religious Affairs under the Council of Ministers of the USSR decided to register in Vitebsk the "second religious society" of the Russian Orthodox Church. On the feast of the Intercession of the Most Holy Theotokos on October 14, 1990, the first divine service was held at the Holy Intercession Cathedral.

The full restoration of the cathedral was completed in July 1992, when celebrations were held in the Vitebsk region in honor of the 1000th anniversary of Orthodoxy in Belarus.

On September 25, 1998, he visited the Holy Intercession Cathedral, which is now evidenced by a memorial plaque fixed on the western facade of the building.

At the cathedral there are: a Sunday school, a sisterhood, a parish library, a sewing workshop, a refectory.

The temple is painted with frescoes under the direction of the Moscow icon painter V.A. Sidelnikov, a member of the Russian Union of Artists.

The rector of the parish is priest Alexander Mozolev.

Shrines of the temple:

• icon of St. Innocent of Moscow with a particle of St. relics;
• icon of St. rights. John of Kormyansky with a particle of St. relics;
• icon of St. Demetrius of Rostov with a particle of St. relics;
• icon of St. Euphrosyne of Polotsk with a particle of St. relics;
• icon of St. John of Rylsky, consecrated at his St. relics;
• icon of the Intercession of the Most Holy Theotokos;
• ssmch icon. Alexander Chagrinsky with a particle of St. relics;
• icon of the righteous Sophia, Princess of Slutsk and Juliana, Princess Olshanskaya;
• wooden shrine st. Euphrosyne of Polotsk, in which her relics were transferred in 1910 from Kiev to Polotsk. Transferred November 6, 2007.

Cathedral of the Intercession of the Most Holy Theotokos on the Moat(colloquial name - St. Basil's Cathedral listen)) is an Orthodox church located on Red Square in Moscow. A well-known monument of Russian architecture. Until the 17th century, it was usually called Trinity, since the original wooden church was dedicated to the Holy Trinity; was also known as "Jerusalem", which is associated both with the dedication of one of the chapels, and with the procession to it from the Assumption Cathedral on Palm Sunday with the "procession on a donkey" of the Patriarch.

Status

Currently, the Pokrovsky Cathedral is a branch of the State Historical Museum. Included in the UNESCO World Heritage List in Russia.

Pokrovsky Cathedral is one of the most famous sights of Russia. For many, he is a symbol of Moscow, Russia. In front of the cathedral in 1931, a bronze Monument to Kuzma Minin and Dmitry Pozharsky was erected, which has been standing on Red Square since 1818.

Story

Versions about creation

Intercession Cathedral was built in 1555-1561 by order of Ivan the Terrible in memory of the capture of Kazan and the victory over the Kazan Khanate, which happened on the day of the Intercession of the Most Holy Theotokos - in early October 1552. There are several versions about the founders of the cathedral. According to one version, the famous Pskov master Postnik Yakovlev, nicknamed Barma, was the architect. According to another, widely known version, Barma and Postnik are two different architects, both involved in the construction; this version is now obsolete. According to the third version, the cathedral was built by an unknown Western European master (presumably an Italian, as before - a significant part of the buildings of the Moscow Kremlin), hence such a unique style, combining the traditions of both Russian architecture and European architecture of the Renaissance, but this version is still never found any clear documentary evidence.

According to legend, the architects of the cathedral (Barma and Postnik) were blinded by order of Ivan the Terrible so that they could no longer build such a temple. However, if the author of the cathedral is Postnik, then he could not be blinded, since for several years after the construction of the cathedral he participated in the creation of the Kazan Kremlin.

The temple itself symbolizes the Heavenly Jerusalem, but the meaning of the color scheme of the domes remains an unsolved mystery to this day. Even in the last century, the writer Chaev suggested that the color of the domes of the temple can be explained by the dream of Blessed Andrei the Holy Fool (Constantinople) - the holy ascetic, with whom, according to church Tradition, the feast of the Intercession of the Mother of God is connected. He dreamed of Heavenly Jerusalem, and there "there were many gardens, in them tall trees, swaying with their tops ... Some of the trees bloomed, others were decorated with golden foliage, others had various fruits of inexpressible beauty."

Basil's Cathedral in 1613

F. Ya. Alekseev Basil's Cathedral and Spassky Gates

Cathedral at the end of the XVI-XIX centuries.

In 1588, the Church of St. Basil the Blessed was added to the temple, for the device of which arched openings were laid in the northeastern part of the cathedral. Architecturally, the church was an independent temple with a separate entrance.

At the end of the 16th century, figured domes of the cathedral appeared - instead of the original cover, which burned down during the next fire.

In the second half of the 17th century, significant changes took place in the external appearance of the cathedral - the open gallery surrounding the upper churches was covered with a vault, and porches decorated with tents were erected over the white stone stairs.

The outer and inner galleries, platforms and parapets of the porches were painted with grass ornaments. These renovations were completed by 1683, and information about them is included in the inscriptions on the ceramic tiles that decorated the facade of the cathedral.

As P. V. Khavsky pointed out, in the book of 1722 there were 18 churches (thrones) in the temple: the Life-Giving Trinity, the Entrance to Jerusalem, Paraskeva-Pyatnitsa, St. Nicholas Velikoretsky, the Beheading of John the Baptist, Varlaam Khutynsky, Apostle Andronik, Cyprian and Justinia, Gregory of Armenia, the Deposition of the Robe of the Virgin (with the relics of John the Blessed), Basil the Great, the Virgin Theodosius, Alexander Svirsky, Sergius of Radonezh, Mary of Egypt, Theophany, All Saints and the Three Patriarchs.

In 1817, the architect Osip Bove, reconstructing Red Square, laid out the retaining wall of the temple with stone and installed a cast-iron fence (at first along Moskvoretskaya Street; in 1834, after laying Maslyany Lane, on the south side of the temple).

Restoration

Fires, which were frequent in wooden Moscow, greatly harmed the Intercession Cathedral, and therefore, already from the end of the 16th century. it was undergoing renovations. For more than four centuries of the history of the monument, such works have inevitably changed its appearance in accordance with the aesthetic ideals of each century. In the documents of the cathedral for 1737, the name of the architect Ivan Michurin is mentioned for the first time, under whose leadership work was carried out to restore the architecture and interiors of the cathedral after the so-called "Trinity" fire of 1737. The following complex repair work was carried out in the cathedral by order of Catherine II in 1784-1786. The restoration was led by the architect Ivan Yakovlev. In the 1900s - 1912, the restoration of the Temple was carried out by the architect S. U. Solovyov. In the 1920s, the repair and restoration work in the temple was carried out by the architects N. S. Kurdyukov and A. A. Zhelyabuzhsky.

In 1918, the Intercession Cathedral became one of the first cultural monuments taken under state protection as a monument of national and world significance. From that moment began its museumification. Archpriest John Kuznetsov became the first caretaker. In the post-revolutionary years, the cathedral was in distress. Roofs leaked in many places, windows were shattered, and in winter even inside the churches there was snow. John Kuznetsov single-handedly maintained order in the cathedral.

In 1923, it was decided to create a historical and architectural museum in the cathedral. Its first head was E. I. Silin, a researcher at the Historical Museum. On May 21, the museum was opened to visitors. Active collection of funds began.

In 1928, the Pokrovsky Cathedral museum became a branch of the State Historical Museum. Despite the constant restoration work that has been going on in the cathedral for almost a century, the museum is always open to visitors. It was closed only once - during the Great Patriotic War. In 1929, divine services were banned in the temple, and the bells were removed. According to the testimony of the restorer P. D. Baranovsky, in the mid-1930s. the temple was threatened with demolition, but it escaped destruction. Immediately after the war, systematic work began to restore the cathedral, and on September 7, 1947, on the day of the celebration of the 800th anniversary of Moscow, the museum reopened. The cathedral gained wide popularity not only in Russia, but also far beyond its borders.

Since 1991, the Intercession Cathedral has been in the joint use of the museum and the Russian Orthodox Church. After a long break, services were resumed in the church.

Temple structure

The height of the temple is 65 meters.

The cathedral consists of temples, the thrones of which were consecrated in honor of the holidays that fell on the days of the decisive battles for Kazan:

Plan of the cathedral (second tier)

• trinity,
• in honor of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker (in honor of his Velikoretskaya icon from Vyatka),
• Entrance to Jerusalem
• in honor of martyr Adrian and Natalia (originally - in honor of St. Cyprian and Justina - October 2),
• St. John the Merciful (until XVIII - in honor of St. Paul, Alexander and John of Constantinople - November 6),
• Alexander Svirsky (April 17 and August 30),
• Varlaam Khutynsky (November 6 and 1st Friday of Petrov Lent),
• Gregory of Armenia (September 30).

All these eight churches (four axial, four smaller between them) are crowned with onion domes and are grouped around the ninth pillar-shaped church towering above them in honor of the Intercession of the Mother of God, completed with a tent with a small dome. All nine churches are united by a common foundation, bypass (originally open) gallery and internal vaulted passages.

In 1588, the tenth chapel was added to the cathedral from the northeast, consecrated in honor of St. Basil the Blessed (1469-1552), whose relics were located at the site where the cathedral was built. The name of this aisle gave the cathedral a second, everyday name. St. Basil's chapel adjoins the chapel of the Nativity of the Most Holy Theotokos, in which Blessed John of Moscow was buried in 1589 (at first, the chapel was consecrated in honor of the Deposition of the Robe, but in 1680 it was re-consecrated as the Nativity of the Mother of God). In 1672, the uncovering of the relics of St. John the Blessed took place in it, and in 1916 it was re-consecrated in the name of Blessed John, the Moscow miracle worker. In the 1670s, a hipped bell tower was built.

There are only eleven domes, of which nine domes are above the temple (according to the number of thrones):

1. Protection of the Mother of God (center),
2. Holy Trinity (east),
3. Entry of the Lord into Jerusalem (west),
4. Gregory of Armenia (northwest),
5. Alexander Svirsky (southeast),
6. Varlaam Khutynsky (southwest),
7. John the Merciful (formerly John, Paul and Alexander of Constantinople) (northeast),
8. Nicholas the Wonderworker Velikoretsky (south),
9. Adrian and Natalia (formerly Cyprian and Justina) (north).

Two more domes are located above the chapel of St. Basil the Blessed and above the bell tower.

The cathedral has been restored several times. In the 17th century, asymmetrical outbuildings, tents over the porches, intricate decorative processing of the domes (originally they were gold), ornamental painting outside and inside (originally the cathedral itself was white) were added.

In the main, Intercession Church, there is an iconostasis from the Kremlin Church of the Chernihiv Wonderworkers, which was dismantled in 1770, and in the chapel of the Entrance to Jerusalem, there is an iconostasis from the Alexander Cathedral, which was dismantled at the same time.

The last (before the revolution) rector of the cathedral, Archpriest John Vostorgov, was shot on August 23 (September 5), 1918. Subsequently, the temple was transferred to the disposal of the renovation community.

First floor

basement

There are no basements in the Intercession Cathedral. Churches and galleries stand on a single base - a basement, consisting of several rooms. Strong brick walls of the basement (up to 3 m thick) are covered with vaults. The height of the premises is about 6.5 m.

The construction of the northern basement is unique for the 16th century. Its long box vault has no supporting pillars. The walls are cut with narrow holes - products. Together with a "breathing" building material - brick - they provide a special microclimate of the room at any time of the year.

Previously, the basement premises were inaccessible to parishioners. Deep niches-hiding places in it were used as storage facilities. They were closed with doors, from which the hinges are now preserved.

Until 1595, the royal treasury was hidden in the basement. Wealthy citizens also brought their property here.

They got into the basement from the upper central church of the Intercession of the Mother of God along the intra-walled white stone staircase. Only the initiates knew about it. Later, this narrow passage was laid. However, during the restoration process of the 1930s. a secret staircase has been discovered.

In the basement there are icons of the Intercession Cathedral. The oldest of them is the icon of St. Basil the Blessed at the end of the 16th century, written especially for the Pokrovsky Cathedral.

Also on display are two icons from the 17th century. - "Protection of the Most Holy Theotokos" and "Our Lady of the Sign".

The icon "Our Lady of the Sign" is a replica of the facade icon located on the eastern wall of the cathedral. Written in the 1780s. In the XVIII-XIX centuries. the icon was above the entrance to the chapel of St. Basil the Blessed.

Church of St. Basil the Blessed

The lower church was added to the cathedral in 1588 over the burial place of St. Basil the Blessed. A stylized inscription on the wall tells about the construction of this church after the canonization of the saint by order of Tsar Fyodor Ioannovich.

The temple is cubic in shape, covered with a groin vault and crowned with a small light drum with a cupola. The covering of the church is made in the same style with the domes of the upper churches of the cathedral.

The oil painting of the church was made for the 350th anniversary of the beginning of the construction of the cathedral (1905). The Almighty Savior is depicted in the dome, the forefathers are depicted in the drum, the Deesis (the Savior Not Made by Hands, the Mother of God, John the Baptist) is depicted in the crosshairs of the arch, the Evangelists are in the sails of the arch.

On the western wall there is a temple image "Protection of the Most Holy Theotokos". In the upper tier there are images of the patron saints of the reigning house: Theodore Stratilates, John the Baptist, St. Anastasia, the martyr Irina.

On the northern and southern walls are scenes from the life of St. Basil the Blessed: "The Miracle of Salvation at Sea" and "The Miracle of the Fur Coat". The lower tier of the walls is decorated with a traditional ancient Russian ornament in the form of towels.

The iconostasis was completed in 1895 according to the design of the architect A. M. Pavlinov. The icons were painted under the guidance of the famous Moscow icon painter and restorer Osip Chirikov, whose signature is preserved on the icon "The Savior on the Throne".

The iconostasis includes earlier icons: “Our Lady of Smolensk” of the 16th century. and the local image "St. Basil the Blessed against the backdrop of the Kremlin and Red Square" XVIII century.

Above the burial of St. Basil the Blessed, an arch decorated with a carved canopy was installed. This is one of the revered Moscow shrines.

On the southern wall of the church there is a rare large-sized icon painted on metal - “The Mother of God of Vladimir with selected saints of the Moscow circle “Today the most glorious city of Moscow flaunts brightly” (1904)

The floor is covered with cast-iron plates of Kasli casting.

St. Basil's Church was closed in 1929. Only at the end of the 20th century. its decoration was restored. On August 15, 1997, on the feast day of Saint Basil the Blessed, Sunday and holiday services were resumed in the church.

Second floor

Galleries and porches

Along the perimeter of the cathedral around all the churches there is an external bypass gallery. It was originally open. In the middle of the XIX century. the glazed gallery became part of the interior of the cathedral. Arched entrances lead from the outer gallery to the platforms between the churches and connect it with the internal passages.

The central church of the Intercession of the Mother of God is surrounded by an internal bypass gallery. Its vaults hide the upper parts of the churches. In the second half of the XVII century. the gallery was painted with floral ornaments. Later, narrative oil painting appeared in the cathedral, which was repeatedly updated. Currently, tempera painting has been uncovered in the gallery. Oil paintings of the 19th century have been preserved in the eastern section of the gallery. - images of saints in combination with floral ornaments.

Carved brick entrances leading to the central church organically complement the decor. The portal has been preserved in its original form, without late plastering, which allows you to see its decoration. The relief details are laid out from specially molded patterned bricks, and the shallow decor is carved on site.

Previously, daylight entered the gallery from windows located above the passages to the promenade. Today it is illuminated by mica lanterns of the 17th century, which were previously used during religious processions. The multi-headed tops of the remote lanterns resemble the exquisite silhouette of the cathedral.

The floor of the gallery is made of bricks "in the Christmas tree". Bricks from the 16th century have been preserved here. - darker and more resistant to abrasion than modern restoration bricks.

Gallery painting

The vault of the western section of the gallery is covered with a flat brick ceiling. It demonstrates a unique for the XVI century. engineering method of the flooring device: many small bricks are fixed with lime mortar in the form of caissons (squares), the edges of which are made of figured bricks.

In this section, the floor is lined with a special rosette pattern, and the original painting imitating brickwork has been recreated on the walls. The size of the drawn bricks corresponds to the real one.

Two galleries unite the aisles of the cathedral into a single ensemble. Narrow internal passages and wide platforms give the impression of a "city of churches". Having passed the labyrinth of the inner gallery, you can get to the platforms of the porches of the cathedral. Their arches are "flower carpets", the intricacies of which fascinate and attract the eyes of visitors.

On the upper platform of the right porch in front of the Church of the Entry of the Lord into Jerusalem, the bases of pillars or columns have been preserved - the remains of the decoration of the entrance. This is due to the special role of the church in the complex ideological program of the consecrations of the cathedral.

Church of Alexander Svirsky

The southeastern church was consecrated in the name of St. Alexander Svirsky.

In 1552, on the day of memory of Alexander Svirsky, one of the most important battles of the Kazan campaign took place - the defeat of the cavalry of Tsarevich Yapanchi on the Arsk field.

This is one of four small churches 15 m high. Its base - a quadrangle - passes into a low octagon and ends with a cylindrical light drum and a vault.

The original appearance of the interior of the church was restored during the restoration work of the 1920s and 1979-1980s: a brick floor with a herringbone pattern, profiled cornices, and stepped window sills. The walls of the church are covered with paintings imitating brickwork. The dome depicts a "brick" spiral - a symbol of eternity.

The iconostasis of the church has been reconstructed. Icons of the 16th - early 18th centuries are located close to each other between the wooden beams (tablas). The lower part of the iconostasis is covered with hanging shrouds skillfully embroidered by craftswomen. On velvet shrouds - the traditional image of the Calvary cross.

Church of Varlaam Khutynsky

The southwestern church was consecrated in the name of the Monk Varlaam Khutynsky.

This is one of the four small churches of the cathedral with a height of 15.2 m. Its base has the shape of a quadrangle, elongated from north to south with the apse shifted to the south. The violation of symmetry in the construction of the temple is caused by the need to arrange a passage between the small church and the central one - the Intercession of the Mother of God.

Four turns into a low octagon. The cylindrical light drum is covered with a vault. The church illuminates the oldest chandelier in the cathedral of the 15th century. A century later, Russian craftsmen added a pommel in the shape of a double-headed eagle to the work of the Nuremberg masters.

The table iconostasis was reconstructed in the 1920s. and consists of icons of the XVI - XVIII centuries. The peculiarity of the architecture of the church - the irregular shape of the apse - determined the shift of the Royal Doors to the right.

Of particular interest is the separately hanging icon “The Vision of Sexton Tarasius”. It was written in Novgorod at the end of the 16th century. The plot of the icon is based on the legend about the vision of the Khutynsky Monastery's sexton of disasters that threaten Novgorod: floods, fires, "pestilence".

The icon painter depicted the panorama of the city with topographical accuracy. The composition organically includes scenes of fishing, plowing and sowing, telling about the daily life of the ancient Novgorodians.

Church of the Entry of the Lord into Jerusalem

The Western Church is consecrated in honor of the feast of the Lord's Entry into Jerusalem.

One of the four large churches is an octagonal two-tiered pillar covered with a vault. The temple is distinguished by its large size and the solemn nature of the decoration.

During the restoration, fragments of the architectural decoration of the 16th century were discovered. Their original appearance is preserved without the restoration of damaged parts. No ancient painting was found in the church. The whiteness of the walls emphasizes the architectural details, executed by architects with great creative imagination. Above the northern entrance there is a trace of a shell that hit the wall in October 1917.

The current iconostasis was transferred in 1770 from the dismantled Alexander Nevsky Cathedral of the Moscow Kremlin. It is richly decorated with openwork gilded pewter overlays, which give lightness to the four-tiered structure. In the middle of the XIX century. the iconostasis was supplemented with wooden carved details. The icons of the lower row tell about the Creation of the world.

The church presents one of the shrines of the Intercession Cathedral - the icon "St. Alexander Nevsky in his life» of the 17th century. The image, unique in terms of iconography, probably comes from the Alexander Nevsky Cathedral.

The right-believing prince is represented in the middle of the icon, and around him there are 33 hallmarks with plots from the life of the saint (miracles and historical events: the Battle of the Neva, the prince's trip to the Khan's headquarters, the Battle of Kulikovo).

Church of St. Gregory of Armenia

The northwestern church of the cathedral was consecrated in the name of St. Gregory, Enlightener of Greater Armenia (d. 335). He converted the king and the whole country to Christianity, was the bishop of Armenia. His memory is celebrated on September 30 (October 13, N.S.). In 1552, on this day, an important event of the campaign of Tsar Ivan the Terrible took place - the explosion of the Arskaya tower in Kazan.

One of the four small churches of the cathedral (15m high) is a quadrangle, turning into a low octagon. Its base is elongated from north to south with the apse shifted. The violation of symmetry is caused by the need to arrange a passage between this church and the central one - the Intercession of the Mother of God. The light drum is covered with a vault.

The architectural decoration of the 16th century has been restored in the church: ancient windows, semi-columns, cornices, a brick floor laid out “in a Christmas tree”. As in the 17th century, the walls are whitewashed, which emphasizes the severity and beauty of the architectural details.

The tyabla (tyabla - wooden beams with grooves between which icons were fastened) iconostasis was reconstructed in the 1920s. It consists of windows of the XVI-XVII centuries. The royal gates are shifted to the left - due to the violation of the symmetry of the internal space.

In the local row of the iconostasis is the image of St. John the Merciful, Patriarch of Alexandria. Its appearance is connected with the desire of the wealthy contributor Ivan Kislinsky to re-consecrate this chapel in honor of his heavenly patron (1788). In the 1920s The church was given back its original name.

The lower part of the iconostasis is covered with silk and velvet shrouds depicting Calvary crosses. The interior of the church is complemented by the so-called "skinny" candles - large painted wooden candlesticks of the old form. In their upper part there is a metal base, in which thin candles were placed.

In the display case there are items of priestly vestments of the 17th century: surplice and phelonion, embroidered with gold threads. The shackle of the 19th century, decorated with multi-colored enamel, gives a special elegance to the church.

Church of Cyprian and Justina

The northern church of the cathedral has an unusual dedication for Russian churches in the name of the Christian martyrs Cyprian and Justina, who lived in the 4th century. Their memory is celebrated on October 2 (N.S. 15). On this day in 1552, the troops of Tsar Ivan IV stormed Kazan.

This is one of the four large churches of the Intercession Cathedral. Its height is 20.9 m. The high octagonal pillar is completed with a light drum and a dome, in which Our Lady of the Burning Bush is depicted. In the 1780s oil painting appeared in the church. On the walls are scenes from the lives of the saints: in the lower tier - Adrian and Natalia, in the upper tier - Cyprian and Justina. They are complemented by multi-figure compositions on the theme of gospel parables and stories from the Old Testament.

The appearance in the painting of images of martyrs of the 4th century. Adrian and Natalia is associated with the renaming of the church in 1786. A wealthy contributor Natalya Mikhailovna Khrushcheva donated funds for repairs and asked to consecrate the church in honor of her heavenly patrons. At the same time, a gilded iconostasis in the style of classicism was also made. It is a magnificent example of skillful woodcarving. The lower row of the iconostasis depicts scenes of the Creation of the World (day one and four).

In the 1920s, at the beginning of scientific museum activities in the cathedral, the church returned to its original name. Recently, it appeared before the visitors updated: in 2007, the wall paintings and the iconostasis were restored with the charitable support of the Russian Railways Joint-Stock Company.

Church of St. Nicholas Velikoretsky

The southern church was consecrated in the name of the Velikoretsky icon of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker. The icon of the saint was found in the city of Khlynov on the Velikaya River and subsequently received the name "Nikola Velikoretsky".

In 1555, by order of Tsar Ivan the Terrible, the miraculous icon was brought in procession along the rivers from Vyatka to Moscow. An event of great spiritual significance determined the dedication of one of the chapels of the Intercession Cathedral under construction.

One of the large churches of the cathedral is a two-tiered octagonal pillar with a light drum and vault. Its height is 28 m.

The ancient interior of the church was badly damaged during a fire in 1737. In the second half of the 18th - early 19th centuries. a single complex of decorative and fine arts was formed: a carved iconostasis with full ranks of icons and a monumental narrative painting of the walls and vault. The lower tier of the octagon contains the texts of the Nikon Chronicle about bringing the image to Moscow and illustrations for them.

In the upper tier, the Mother of God is depicted on the throne, surrounded by prophets, above - the apostles, in the vault - the image of the Almighty Savior.

The iconostasis is richly decorated with gilded stucco floral decorations. Icons in narrow profiled frames are painted in oil. In the local row there is an image of "St. Nicholas the Wonderworker in his life" of the 18th century. The lower tier is decorated with gesso engraving imitating brocade fabric.

The interior of the church is complemented by two remote double-sided icons depicting St. Nicholas. With them they made religious processions around the cathedral.

At the end of the XVIII century. The floor of the church was covered with white stone slabs. During the restoration work, a fragment of the original covering made of oak checkers was discovered. This is the only place in the cathedral with a preserved wooden floor.

In 2005-2006 The iconostasis and monumental painting of the church were restored with the assistance of the Moscow International Currency Exchange.

Church of the Holy Trinity

The eastern one is consecrated in the name of the Holy Trinity. It is believed that the Pokrovsky Cathedral was built on the site of the ancient Trinity Church, by whose name the entire church was often called.

One of the four large churches of the cathedral is a two-tiered octagonal pillar, ending with a light drum and a dome. Its height is 21 m. In the process of restoration in the 1920s. in this church, the ancient architectural and decorative decoration was most fully restored: semi-columns and pilasters framing the arches-entrances of the lower part of the octagon, a decorative belt of arches. In the vault of the dome, a spiral is laid out with small-sized bricks - a symbol of eternity. Stepped window sills in combination with the whitewashed surface of the walls and vault make the Trinity Church especially bright and elegant. Under the light drum, “voices” are mounted in the walls - clay vessels designed to amplify sound (resonators). The church illuminates the oldest Russian chandelier in the cathedral from the end of the 16th century.

On the basis of restoration studies, the form of the original, so-called “tabla” iconostasis (“tabla” - wooden beams with grooves between which the icons were fastened close to each other) was established. The peculiarity of the iconostasis is the unusual shape of the low royal doors and three-row icons that form three canonical ranks: prophetic, Deesis and festive.

The "Old Testament Trinity" in the local row of the iconostasis is one of the most ancient and revered icons of the cathedral in the second half of the 16th century.

Church of the Three Patriarchs

The northeastern church of the cathedral was consecrated in the name of the three Patriarchs of Constantinople: Alexander, John and Paul the New.

In 1552, on the day of memory of the Patriarchs, an important event of the Kazan campaign took place - the defeat by the troops of Tsar Ivan the Terrible of the cavalry of the Tatar prince Yapanchi, who was marching from the Crimea to help the Kazan Khanate.

This is one of the four small churches of the cathedral with a height of 14.9 m. The walls of the quadrangle pass into a low octagon with a cylindrical light drum. The church is interesting for its original ceiling system with a wide dome, in which the composition "The Savior Not Made by Hands" is located.

The wall oil painting was made in the middle of the 19th century. and reflects in its plots the then change in the name of the church. In connection with the transfer of the throne of the cathedral church of Gregory of Armenia, it was re-consecrated in memory of the Enlightener of Great Armenia.

The first tier of the painting is dedicated to the life of St. Gregory of Armenia, in the second tier - the history of the image of the Savior Not Made by Hands, bringing it to King Avgar in the Asia Minor city of Edessa, as well as scenes from the life of the Patriarchs of Constantinople.

The five-tiered iconostasis combines baroque elements with classical ones. This is the only altar barrier in the cathedral from the middle of the 19th century. It was made especially for this church.

In the 1920s, at the beginning of scientific museum activity, the church returned to its original name. Continuing the traditions of Russian patrons, the leadership of the Moscow International Currency Exchange contributed to the restoration of the interior of the church in 2007. For the first time in many years, visitors were able to see one of the most interesting churches of the cathedral.

Bell tower

Bell tower

The modern bell tower of the Intercession Cathedral was built on the site of an ancient belfry.

By the second half of the XVII century. The old belfry was dilapidated and fell into disrepair. In the 1680s, it was replaced by a bell tower, which still stands today.

The base of the bell tower is a massive high quadrangle, on which an octagon with an open area is placed. The site is fenced with eight pillars connected by arched spans and crowned with a high octagonal tent.

The ribs of the tent are decorated with colorful tiles with white, yellow, blue and brown glaze. The edges are covered with figured green tiles. The tent is completed by a small onion dome with an eight-pointed cross. There are small windows in the tent - the so-called "rumors", designed to amplify the sound of the bells.

Inside the open area and in arched openings, bells cast by outstanding Russian masters of the 17th-19th centuries are suspended on thick wooden beams. In 1990, after a long period of silence, they began to be used again.

The Holy Intercession Church is a place of the special presence of God's Spirit, a place of worship, prayerful communion with God and union with Him. The temple is a prototype of a harmonious world created by God. The Holy Intercession Church received its name with the blessing of Isidore, Archbishop of Krasnodar and Kuban. In 1995, the rector, Archpriest Mily Rudnev, sprinkled the Holy See in honor of the Icon of the Mother of God of the Intercession.

The temple conducts an active spiritual and moral activity. In addition to divine services performed daily (except Monday), religious processions are held regularly on Sundays and on the Twelfth Feasts, led by the clergy.

With the blessing of Metropolitan Isidore of Yekaterinodar and Kuban, the Parish Counseling Service operates at the church under the guidance of Mother Maria Garmash, the purpose of which is to provide the necessary assistance during the initial churching of the laity.

The Orthodox Center of Kuban Culture is organized at the temple, on the basis of which seminars are held annually with teachers of secondary schools. A sisterhood was created in the name of Martha and Mary to care for lonely people.

Priest Nikolai Simora takes care of the elderly and disabled living in the Veterans House, regularly conducts confession and communion. The sisters of the sisterhood in the name of Martha and Mary provide assistance to lonely disabled residents of the Karasun district.

The clergy, headed by the rector of the temple, patronize the children of the Children's Rehabilitation Center for Juvenile Offenders of the Central Internal Affairs Directorate in the Krasnodar Territory. Conversations are held with difficult teenagers, folklore ensembles give concerts, and students of a craft school organize exhibitions of their work, helping to reveal the talents of delinquent children.

Every week, the rector of the temple, Archpriest John, conducts Sunday school classes for adults. Everyone who wishes gathers in the refectory of the temple and, in a warm homely atmosphere, conduct spiritual conversations, discussing various issues.

A video club created at the temple acquaints parishioners with spiritual and moral films that tell about the earthly life of Jesus Christ, about the lives of saints, about places of pilgrimage; they also show documentary films aimed at resolving social problems, overcoming vices - drug addiction, alcoholism, and crime.

Another important activity of the temple is the newspaper "Pokrovsky Vestnik". The publication is addressed not only to adults, who can find here a description and interpretation of the meaning of church holidays, quotations from the writings of the holy fathers, memoirs from the life of monks, stories about holy pilgrimage sites; but also for children - from the smallest to the older children. For them, the newspaper always picks up a colorful illustrative row, and under special headings they publish the poetry of Russian writers, prayers, descriptions of icons, excerpts from the lives of saints and fairy tales.

Temple history

The history of the Holy Intercession Church dates back to the 90s of the last century, when the city administration in the building of the former Palace of Culture of the cotton mill, Valentin Mertsev, the first rector, and several other priests were provided with a room for performing spiritual services. In those cramped conditions, for several years they performed Divine Liturgies.

In 1992, when a land plot and a store were allocated for the Holy Intercession Church, its parish was officially registered. The temple got its name with the blessing of the Archbishop of Krasnodar and Kuban Isidore (now Metropolitan of Ekaterinodar and Kuban). The rector at that time was already Archpriest Mily Rudnev, and in 1995 he sprinkled the Holy See in honor of the Icon of the Mother of God of the Intercession.

From 1993 to 2004, hegumen Tikhon Nechaev was the rector of the church. Under him, in 2003, the transfer and installation of a marble plaque to the site of the future construction of the temple took place. Father Tikhon was replaced by Archpriest Leonid Chernykh, and from 2005 to the present, the rector is Archpriest John Garmash, during whose rectorship there have been noticeable changes in the life of the church and its parish.

The construction of a new building of the Holy Intercession Church began. Already in 2006, a temple chapel in the name of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker was operating, a Sunday school was opened and a craft workshop for children's creativity was launched. In 2008, the bells were solemnly raised, a year later the bell tower was crowned with a golden dome, and a new building for the church shop was built.

The cathedral was part of the complex of the Jesuit monastery, which occupied a quarter in the central part of the city. Currently, of the entire complex, only it is used for its intended purpose, since for 200 years there has been a prison in the monastery building.

Elements of sculpture and painting were widely used in the decoration of the cathedral. The uniqueness of the interior is given by the multi-figured composition of the altar and supporting pillars, framed by decorative columns of iconostases made of wood. Fresco painting looks like a multi-plot composition located in arched niches and vaults.

In the summer of 2006, due to a malfunction in the electrical wiring in the altar of the cathedral, a fire broke out, during which two statues were completely destroyed. A collection of donations was held with the help of which active work on the reconstruction of the altar became possible, therefore, in the summer of 2011, the restored altar was presented to the parishioners for viewing.

Holy Intercession Cathedral

In Belarus, in the old and beautiful city of Gorodno, there is an amazing monument of religious architecture of the 20th century - the Holy Intercession Cathedral. It is located in the old part of the city, and in 1988 it was declared a monument of urban planning and architecture and is protected by the state.

In fact, Svyato-Pokrovsky is not only a religious building, but also a memorial one. It was built in 1904 in memory of the soldiers who died in the Russo-Japanese War. The cathedral is an architectural monument of the neo-Russian style, it is decorated with beautiful domes and fine moldings. The main facade of the building is crowned with a bell tower with a dome, it is made in the form of an octagonal tent and its height is about 10 meters.

Today the Holy Intercession Cathedral is a functioning Orthodox church. The temple has several especially revered shrines: the icon of Our Lady of Kazan, the relics of the child martyr Gabriel Zabludovsky, as well as icons of the 19th century.

The Cathedral of the Intercession of the Most Holy Theotokos was built in Grodno in memory of the battles of Tsushima and Port Arthur. The horrific brutality of the fighting, which can even be called a massacre, shocked not only the Russian military. Grodno lost many of its valiant sons in distant Japan. The commemorative mournful plaques on the temple testify to the losses of the Grodno garrison.

The church began to be built even before the start of the Russo-Japanese War. Its project was developed by military engineers under the leadership of the Grodno military engineer Captain Ivan Evgrafovich Saveliev, thanks to whose efforts the church acquired the features of a pseudo-Russian style characteristic of the modern era. White stone lace on a red background makes the church unique and memorable. The temple was consecrated on September 30, 1907.

The Intercession Cathedral was built as a garrison church, however, by coincidence, it was this elegant church that became the main cathedral of the large and restless city of Grodno. Despite the efforts of all the authorities that ruled in Grodno, this proud temple was never closed either during the Nazi occupation or in Soviet times, although Soviet officials made considerable efforts to ensure that the temple was abolished.

Today, the Intercession Cathedral has already crossed its 100-year milestone. On the eve of the anniversary, it was re-restored, updated and shone in a new brilliance. The tradition has been preserved - to dedicate memorial plaques to the Grodno soldiers who died in a foreign land in the Pokrovsky Cathedral. In 1993, a memorial plaque was unveiled in honor of the internationalist soldiers who fell in distant Afghan lands.

In 2010, near the Pokrovsky Cathedral, the sculpture "Protection of the Most Holy Theotokos" by Vladimir Panteleev was installed. The height of the statue is 4.2 meters.