Church of Alexy, Man of God (Kostroma)

Beginning - XIX century

In the XVII century, on the northern outskirts of the city was Gasheeva settlement. In the care of Anastasia’s Convent of the city of Kostroma, to which this settlement was granted under the cow’s yard, the Church of St. Alexis, a man of God, was built in 1653 .

In the second half of the 18th century, on the site of a dilapidated wooden church by the blessing of the Bishop of Kostroma and Galich Damaskin, priest John Fedorov built a two-story stone church in the name of St. Alexy, a man of God, at the expense of the parishioners. The temple was built in two stages: the temple was erected in 1759-1762, and in the 1770s the refectory and lower tier of the bell tower were completed. In addition, in the first half of the 19th century, a western porch and two upper tiers of the bell tower were built.

XX Century - Our Time

At the beginning of the 20th century, the clergy of the temple consisted of a priest and a psalm-reader. In October 1929, the Alekseevskaya church was closed by the authorities. At first it was used as an isolator by the department of public education. In 1930, the hostel was located in the temple. Also this year, the upper tiers of the bell tower, porch and drum were dismantled, and until 1988 there was a residential building in the temple. In 1988-1992, restoration work was carried out in the church, led by I. Sh. Shevelev. In the course of these works, the original appearance of the church was restored. In 1992, the church was returned to the Kostroma diocese, and on May 3, 1992, in the Alekseevsky church, Bishop Alexander of Kostroma and Galich performed the first service.

In 1993, the Alekseevskaya Church was transferred to the Kostroma Theological College, which was transformed into a seminary in 1996. Since 1994, the upper temple began to be used for services that were originally held in the lower temple. In the care of benefactors, the church fence has now been resumed, a set of bells has been installed on the bell tower.

Nowadays, the church in the name of St. Alexis, the man of God, is the spiritual center of a large parish. The rector of the temple is Archpriest John (Hutsul)

The main feature of the temple is the crown in the form of a crown on the bell tower. On this occasion, there was a legend in Kostroma that said that the bell tower was decorated in honor of a visit to the city by Catherine II in 1767. The temple is a quadrangle elongated from west to east, which is transversely oriented by the refectory with rounded corners and a three-tier bell tower. The quadrangle of the temple with a semicircular apse , which is equal in width to it, ends with an octagonal drum , a roof and an onion dome. Two cylindrical tiers rise above the square two-story lower tier of the bell tower, and the third tier is surrounded by a circular balcony. From the west, the porch adjoins the temple in the form of an open two-flight of stairs with a tent on the upper platform. The temple consists of two thrones: upper and lower. The upper throne is consecrated in the name of Rev. Alexy, the man of God, as well as Basil the Great . The lower church has one throne, which is named in the name of St. Demetrius, Metropolitan of Rostov , as well as the Monks Zosima and Savvatiy of Solovetsky.

Interior

At that time, a large wooden cross in a gilded robe decorated with pearls was honored in the church, as well as the icon of the Monk Alexy, which was transferred from the old wooden church. The icon was an ancient letter. Even in the church, the image of the Monks Zosima and Savvatiy of Solovetsky was especially revered. The murals of the temple were made using the technique of glue painting in the style that was characteristic of the late XVIII - early XIX centuries (not preserved to our time).

• Kostroma shrines. - Kostroma, Kostroma Regional Printing House named after A.M. Gorky, 2004.
• The collection "Monuments of history and culture of Kostroma." - Kostroma, Kostroma Regional Printing House named after A.M. Gorky, 2001.

• Kostroma. Church of Alexy, the man of God