Address: Russia, Moscow, 2nd Obydensky lane, 6
Build date: 1702 year
Shrines: the miraculous icon of the Mother of God "Unexpected Joy", the icon of the Savior in a white tunic, the icon of the Mother of God "The Unfading Color", the icon of the Mother of God "Merciful".
Coordinates: 55 ° 44'32.0 "N 37 ° 36'13.7" E
Content:
In the historic district of the city, on Ostozhie, there is an Orthodox church that has never been closed for worship. A wooden church has stood on this site since the 16th century. At the beginning of the 18th century, a stone ship temple appeared here with the money of Moscow merchants.
Temple history
According to legend, the first church was built in 1592 in just one day. It is believed that the reason for the construction was a drought, which caused a severe harvest failure in Muscovy at the end of the 16th century. The wooden temple was erected on a vow, therefore its name "Obydensky" arose.
The stone church was built in 1702-1706 according to the project of the architect Ilya Zarudny. A record of this has been preserved in the old "contract book". It is known that the construction was supervised by the Duma clerk Grigory Derevnin. The names of the Derevnin brothers are written on marble slabs inside the church.
As a model, the architect chose the majestic cathedral church of the Nikolo-Perervinskaya monastery. According to the project, a two-story building should be built on Ostozhie, but the funds were enough only for a one-story church. When the decoration was completed, a rich seven-tiered iconostasis was arranged inside.
The Obydenskaya church acquired its modern look in the 1860s. Wealthy Moscow merchants raised money and carried out a complete reconstruction of the refectory and bell tower. During these years, a parish school appeared at the church, where children of parishioners were taught reading, writing and the basics of arithmetic. In 1882, a separate building was built for an almshouse and activities with children.
During the active anti-religious campaign of the 1930s, they wanted to destroy the church building, but believers defended it. At first, the Moscow authorities decided to close the church, but then they canceled it. During the war years, the Obydenskaya church was one of the few in the city where people came to pray and listen to a sermon.
Architectural features
The beautiful church is included in the most famous cathedrals and temples in Moscow. The temple was built in the best traditions of the Moscow Baroque. From the old building of the early 18th century, the massive base "octagon on a quadruple" and the altar part have been preserved.
The slender hipped-roof bell tower rises to a height of 36 m. There is no openwork lattice on the ringing tier on the south side. This is a trail from a bell that was dropped from the bell tower in 1940.
Interiors and shrines
Three thrones have been consecrated in the Obydenskaya church. The main one is in honor of the Prophet Elijah, the right side-altar is in honor of the Apostles Peter and Paul, and the left one is in honor of the holy righteous Anna the Prophetess and Simeon the God-Receiver.
The inside of the temple is very light and elegant. The decoration is dominated by golden tones. The walls are decorated with paintings based on Vasily Vasnetsov and Henryk Semiradsky. Under the vaults, there is an ark revered by believers with a particle of the belt of the Most Holy Theotokos.
Icons
The Moscow temple is a real artistic treasury. Everyone entering the church is greeted by an icon depicting Christ in a white tunic. It was written by Metropolitan Seraphim (Chichagov), who was shot in 1937 at the Butovo training ground. Another icon by this author depicts Seraphim of Sarov.
During the years of the struggle against religion, many monasteries and churches were closed in Moscow. Most of the icons disappeared or were destroyed, but some were saved and they were transferred to the Church of Elijah the Prophet. Today old icons can be seen in the rich iconostasis of the Elias Church.
The icons that hung on the walls of the wooden Obydensky church are considered to be real relics. Two of them were written by the famous 17th century iconographer and the master of the Armory Chamber - Simon Ushakov. Believers greatly respect the image of the "Everlasting Light" of the 18th century and the icon "Unexpected Joy" located to the left of the iconostasis, which they managed to save from the Chudov Monastery.
Another shrine was transferred to the Obydensky Church in the 1930s from the nearby Conception Monastery. Now believers can pray in front of the list of the miraculous icon of the Kikk Icon of the Mother of God "The Merciful". In addition, the church houses several icons of the nun Juliana (Sokolova), an outstanding artist and restorer of the 20th century.
Useful information for pilgrims and tourists
The doors of the temple are open to everyone from 7:00 to 22:00. Church services are held every day: on weekdays at 8:00 and 17:00, and on Sundays at 7:00 and 10:00. The church has a Sunday school for children and an Orthodox lecture hall for adults.
Excursions are conducted for visitors, during which guests are introduced to the history of the Obydensky temple, its traditions, church relics and clergy. Tours are free, but donations to the temple are welcome.
How to get there
The church is located in the center of the capital, at 6 Obydensky Lane, 6. It is easy to walk to it from the Kropotkinskaya metro station.
