Peter and Paul Cathedral (Klintsy)

Before the construction of the Peter and Paul Church in Klintsy , inhabited mainly by Old Believers , there was no church belonging to the state (“synodal”) church. For this reason, the future church was conceived as a stronghold of the Orthodox Church among the Old Believers . The construction of Orthodox churches on lands considered culturally Old Believers for Nicholas I and Count Peter Kleinmichel , who oversaw important construction projects, were part of domestic politics. The importance of construction is also evidenced by the fact that the workshop of the capital's architect Konstantin Ton was involved in the design of the temple ^[1] .

The place for the construction of the temple was chosen on a private territory along a street later called Peter and Paul. Construction began in 1835 ^[1] . The main figures in the construction of the single-faith church were the honorary citizen Pyotr Semyonov Isaev and the tradesman Erofei Yakovlev Razumeev, later the fraud of the inhabitants of the village was revealed and the construction of the church by local residents stopped. Later, in addition to the completion of the church, a allowance of 2500 rubles was also received from the Holy Synod ^[2] . By 1847, the walls of the temple were erected. On February 3, 1849, the temple was consecrated ^[1] .

In 1853, a parish school was opened at the church ^[2] .

In 1855, by the diligence of the churchwarden Pozhuev and local clergy, the church was expanded crosswise, decorated with magnificent iconostases and surrounded by a stone fence, bells with a total weight of 148 pounds were purchased ^[2] .

In 1882, at the entrance, to the right of the gate, a chapel was built in memory of the death of Emperor Alexander II , consecrated in part of his heavenly patron, Prince Alexander Nevsky .

In 1898 - 1899, the Ton Project was broken; the church was expanded by the extension of new walls on three sides and two new thrones were built in it and the main throne was moved to a new place, which was increased in length and width by 44 arshins ^[2] . The main throne in the name of the supreme Apostles Peter and Paul was consecrated on July 8, 1898, the left throne was consecrated on July 20, 1898 in honor of St. Nicholas of Myra , the right on August 16, 1900 - in honor of St. Theodosius of Chernigov ^[3] .

In 1922, during the campaign to seize church property , precious silver salaries from icons were removed from the church.

The parishes of Klintsovsky deanery in the 1920s and 1930s were captured by the Renovationists . From about 1926 to 1936, the department of the Renovationist Bishop Klintsovsky and Starodubsky Gabriel Svidersky was located in the church ^[4] . In 1929, during a new round of persecution of the Church, a tax on the rental of church land was raised, which hit the community budget sharply.

Petro-Pavlovsky Church was closed in 1930. Old-timers say that the clinicians were actively resisting the closure of the parish, so the authorities managed to carry out their plan only with the involvement of the police. As an architectural antagonist to the construction of the church, by 1930, at a distance from the temple, the largest building in the city at that time - the House of Soviets ^[2] . Domes and crosses were removed from the closed church. The spire was broken, wide carved gable-kokoshniks were knocked down. In the summer of 1937, an aviation club began to operate in the building of the Peter and Paul Church ^[1] .

In 1941, Rector of the Peter and Paul Cathedral of Klintsy, Archpriest A. Petrovsky regularly prayed for the German army on the following dates: the anniversary of the Nazi party's rise to power, the beginning of Nazi Germany’s war with the Soviet Union, Hitler’s birthday. The invaders played a significant role in using religious ideas in as an alternative to communist ideology. Hence, a special place was given to the upbringing of the younger generation. In the curriculum, an object unknown to the Soviet school was included - the Law of God. In the city of Klintsy in the current schools, priests of this church conducted lessons supporting the fascist occupation. In order to win over the clergy, the invaders provided a number of benefits to the ministers of the Church. They had the right to independently account for their income, calculate the tax and pay it to the appropriate cash registers. The premises occupied by religious communities were not levied on building taxes, land rents and rents. In accordance with the order for the issuance of seed potatoes, among the categories subject to preferential supply, temple workers were also indicated. The clergy had the opportunity to replace compulsory civil work with service in the temple. On September 20, priests left the city of Klintsy together with the German army ^[5] . After the liberation of Klintsy by the Red Army in the autumn of 1943, the temple continued to operate.

In 1962, at the height of the Khrushchev persecution of the Church, the authorities closed the Klintsovsky temple. In the spring of 1964, domes were removed. Decorating the temple frescoes were destroyed. At the direction of the Bryansk regional commune farm, the inside of the church was redrawn. Altar partitions of all three chapels were completely lost, and a single temple space was divided. Then a long alley was connected that connected the temple with the main street of the city ^[1] . A sports house was built in the temple.

On December 19, 1988, the city council of people's deputies decided to return the church of the Russian Orthodox Church . The temple was restored according to the project of architect V.N. Gorodkov, while the original appearance of the temple was not returned. Inside the temple laid marble floors. The painting of the interior walls of the temple was started by a team of Klintsy artists led by local artist Alexander Tsirik. New carved iconostases were installed in the temple ^[1] . In 1993, regular worship services began in it. In June 1994, Archbishop Melchizedek (Lebedev) consecrated the temple ^[1] .

The right limit of St. Theodosius of Chernigov was consecrated on September 12, 1999 by Bishop Melchizedek of Bryansk, and the main throne was consecrated on October 18, 2002 by Bishop Theophylact (Moiseev) of Bryansk. The left chapel of St. Nicholas was consecrated in 2017 by Bishop Vladimir Klintsovsky and Trubchevsky.

After the formation of the Klintsovo diocese on May 29, 2013, the temple becomes the cathedral of the newly formed diocese ^[3] .

Peter and Paul Cathedral is notable for its impressive size, monumental forms with decorative richness of the facade decoration ^[6] .

In the spatial-planning composition, the main baptized volume with a massive semicircle of the apse and wide side arms stands out in height. Above the intersection of volumes rose a dome with a head. The general construction is complemented by lower angular parts between the arms of the cross: the altar and deacon on the sides of the altar apse and the side aisles in the refectory volume. The vertical dominant of the building is the tetrahedral bell tower adjoining from the west with the final tier of ringing and a massive entrance vestibule ^[6] .

The abundant and somewhat heavy exterior decoration is styled according to old Russian architecture : double entrance half-columns with cubical capitals and bases, square shovels and friezes with square widths , curb and arkatura , gusseted and serrated decorations of curtain rods , window frames with half-columns on the sides and keeled-shaped finishes or by the faces. The top of the gently sloping pediment above the semicircular arch of the opening was interrupted by a square elevation with profiling on three sides. Unusual framing of round windows with a keeled taper under the bells and at the top of the apse ^[6] .

• Pavel Smelsky (1860s)
• Stefan Lapchinsky (1893-1936)
• Bogolep (Antsukh) (June 6, 1954 - January 1, 1959) igum.
• Andrei Zhamoitin (early 1960s - 1962) Fr.
• Andrei Zhamoitin (1990 - May 11, 1995) Fr.
• Vasily Volikov (since 1995) prot.

16. GABO. F. 2600. Op. 1. D. 29. L. 72; D. 87. L. 47; New way (Klintsy city). 1943. Feb 4 No 9 (134).

• Peter and Paul Church
• Church of Peter and Paul, Klintsy, Bryansk region.
• PETROPAVLOVSKAYA CHURCH