Assumption Church on Vasilyevsky Island

Trinity and Pskov monastery

In 1721, on Vasilievsky Island, in accordance with the decree of Peter I , the construction of the bishops ’houses of the members of the Holy Synod began . The building on the corner of the Neva embankment and the 15th line was purchased from the Naryshkins by the Trinity-Sergius Monastery . However, by the middle of the 18th century, the monastery moved its compound to the embankment of the Fontanka River and left the rebuilt house with the Church of the Nativity of Christ on Vasilyevsky Island. In 1756 an announcement of the sale of the first building was published in St. Petersburg Vedomosti . For ten years, the compound was only able to be leased to the Academy of Sciences, but the buyer was not found. This situation led to the fact that on April 10 (21), 1766 , Catherine II issued a decree on the transfer of the building of the Pskov diocese for the construction of the monastery ^[2] .

The metochion of the Pskov bishop's house was used mainly for the residence of bishops-synodals who came to St. Petersburg for meetings. The income was small, it was difficult to control the activities of Pskov . As a result, in 1854, at the request of the temporal administrator of the Pskov Diocese of the Archbishop of Riga and Mitava Plato (Gorodetsky) , the Holy Synod took over the administration of the estate. In exchange, the Pskov bishop's house from 1856 began to receive rent. Change of management did not change the economic situation in the courtyard. 11 (23) August 1872 it was decided to sell it.

Kiev Compound

In order to avoid transferring the complex with the home church to another department, Metropolitan of Kiev and Galitsky Arseny (Moskvin) suggested selling it to the monastery of the Kiev-Pechersk Lavra . On June 11 (23), 1875, the Highest permission was granted to sell the land without bidding for 86,000 rubles.

At the time of purchase, the courtyard was a plot built up on a two-story, repeatedly reworked, main building with a semi-basement. In it was the home church of the Nativity of Christ ^[3] . In the courtyard there are several small office buildings and a building stone warehouse arrested by the police, since the owner was not installed. At the entrance there was a public “ retreat ”, spreading the stench, and a garbage pit. The metropolitan intended to make a complete restructuring of the estate, but he soon passed away, and, in the absence of approved projects, the work did not materialize.

Since the compound was poor, its residential and business premises were leased to worldly people. Redecoration was started, buildings were attached and rebuilt; In 1879, according to the project of P. I. Shestov, a new one-storeyed outhouse was built on the 15th line, which was called the “Reserve House”. However, all this was not sufficient for the status of the farmstead, which housed the monastics and lived long-term Kiev bishops. The house Christmas church by that time could no longer accommodate all worshipers, the room itself was fire-hazardous. In 1883 - 1885, an attempt was made to overhaul the main building according to the project of N. A. Melnikov, but it did not add amenities. The premises remained dim, the flatness of the walls, floors and ceilings was broken; and in the metropolitan chambers, in order to avoid the collapse of the ceiling, cast-iron columns were installed as supports ^[3] . In 1893, at the corner of the “Reserve House”, a chapel was built according to the design of a civil engineer A. M. Vorobyov.

In 1894 an architectural competition was held for the construction of a new complex of church buildings here. The competition was attended by projects of architects A. M. Vorobyov, V. A, Demyanovsky, V. A. Kosyakov , O. I. Tibo-Brignol, and M. A. Shchurupov . According to its results, the project of V. A. Kosyakov was adopted (with the participation of B. K. Pravdzik). According to the project, the main architectural dominant of the farmstead and this part of the Neva Embankment was to be a new church, most of the buildings were supposed to be rebuilt. In 1894 - 1895 a new two-storey house was built on the site of the demolished building on the embankment, in which the apartment of the prior and the metropolitan's quarters with a balcony on the main facade were arranged. From their rooms, the metropolitan could go directly to the temple. The remaining servants of the monastery are located in a two-story courtyard wing ^[4] . The reserve house was built on the third floor ^[5] . Three years later, the garden and two courtyards were redesigned; built barn with storerooms and stables. In 1900, the fence was built. Semi-automatic anti-flood shutters were installed in the basement, windows and doors.

Thus, the compound represented a closed complex of buildings with separate entrances for the brethren, the metropolitan and visitors. The reserve house was rented out. Constantly at the compound lived about 15 monastics except the head. The brethren mainly worked on church obediences. On January 22 ( February 4 ), 1903, Metropolitan of Kiev and Galician Feognost (Lebedev) died in the compound. In 1915, the rich library of Metropolitan Vladimir (Bogoyavlensky) , which died nine years later during a flood, was stored in the basements of the farmstead.

Since 1919, a gradual “compaction” of housing began, monastics were moved from the cells to small rooms. In five rooms were classes of the Petrograd Theological Institute . In the early 1920s, the father superior of Trifillia (Smaga) actively opposed the activities of the renovation of the Higher Church Administration, referring to the autonomy of the monastery belonging to the Ukrainian part of the Church. However, under the threat of Vasileostrovsky royal archpriest Nikolai Platonov to liquidate the compound, he formally recognized the Higher Church Administration and agreed to commemorate Bishop Artemy (Ilinsky) . Such an act was not accepted at the Lavra, and Trifillia’s father, after explaining to the monastery the spiritual council of the circumstances of obeying the Renovationists, received the blessing to keep Bishop Manuel (Lemeshevsky) . In 1923, the brotherhood of the metochion was accepted into communion in the Patriarchal Church. On the night of February 2, 1924, Father Trifillius was arrested along with Bishop Manuel.

After the closure of the Kiev-Pechersk Lavra on September 29, 1926, the Compound continued to exist independently. Subsequently, a small part of the fraternity supported the Josephite movement . On the night of August 23, 1930, some monastics and some of the parishioners were arrested on charges of “systematically detaining a bargaining silver coin, thereby undermining monetary circulation in the USSR”. They were convicted under articles 58-10 and 59-12 of the criminal code, and then sent to the camps. The last members of the fraternity were arrested and sentenced to exile in Kazakhstan by March 1932 . In fact, the compound ceased to exist.

Optina Compound

By the end of the 1980s, the former courtyard complex was occupied by various organizations and communal apartments. The spare house was built on the fourth floor, private outbuildings were two floors and rescheduled. The monastery garden has lost its integrity and regularity.

In 1988, the Optina desert was reopened. In the fall of 1990, the vicar of the monastery, Archimandrite Eulogius (Smirnov), appealed to the authorities of Leningrad to consider the possibility of transferring one of the city churches (including the closed ones) for the establishment of a monastery residence in it. Among the proposed temples was Ouspensky, on whom the governor chose. Since that time, the restoration of the church and the restoration of the premises of the monastery began through the purchase and settlement of communal apartments. The vacated premises are re-planned for the needs of the farmstead.

Construction

The new church in the name of the Assumption of the Most Holy Theotokos and the Monks Anthony and Theodosius, the Pechersk wonderworkers , was founded on August 15 (27), 1895 by Archimandrite Feognost (Pashkov). Construction work continued without interruption from early morning until dark. To speed up the process, it was decided to use, instead of bricks, concrete for the device of the main arches. In September 1896, a temporary church was erected inside the temple under construction, where divine services were constantly held. On September 14 (26), 1897, crosses were raised on the domes. The main chapel in honor of the Dormition of the Most Holy Theotokos was consecrated on December 18 (30), 1897 by the Metropolitan of Kiev and Galician Ioannik (Rudnev) , and the side, in honor of the Pechersk monks, on December 19 (31) . In the summer of 1898, domes were gilded and finishing work was done. After the consecration, a temporary iconostasis was installed in the church from the old home church of the monastery ^[3] . Finishing works and painting were completed by 1903 .

1900-1935

In the church, liturgy was served daily, and on Sundays and public holidays, twice a day: early - in the chapel of St. Anthony and Theodosius of Pechersk, and later - in the main chapel of the Assumption of the Most Holy Theotokos. Popular among the people was the weekly singing of the Akathist to the Assumption of the Mother of God - a tradition established since the 1870s. Periodically, the akathist served as the Kiev metropolitan himself.

In the spring of 1922, the chalice , cross and salary from the altar Gospel were stolen from the altar of the temple. "Twenty" of the temple was accused of improper storage of property. In the 1930s, Mikhail Vasilyevich Gundyaev and Raisa Vladimirovna Kuchina, the parents of Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia , served as singers in the church ^[6] .

The first attempt to close the temple was made in 1932 . On February 4, the Vasileostrovsky District Council proposed to transfer the temple to the Metpribor plant ^[7] . Since the organization refused the proposed building, Lensovet decided to demolish the church, for which he received the consent of the People's Commissariat of Education on March 5, 1932. The parishioners managed to defend the temple, collecting more than 3,000 signatures in its defense. This action provoked the arrest of the last monks of the monastery.

After the monastery ceased to exist, the parish received stavropegic status. This provision indirectly saved the temple from decisions to close it. However, by the summer of 1932, not a single parish of the Leningrad diocese remained on Vasilyevsky Island, and the influx of Diocesan clergy from closed churches into the Assumption Church forced them to reconsider its status. As a result, on June 13, the church was transferred to the jurisdiction of the Metropolitan of Leningrad.

At the end of 1933 - the beginning of 1934, regular arrests took place in the parish (as part of the case of “Evlogiyevtsy”): four priests who served in the church were investigated. Six months later, on August 25, by the decision of the Leningrad Oblast Executive Committee, the church was closed, although services continued until January 23, 1935 .

Soviet period

After the closure of the temple, its building was transferred to the jurisdiction of the Leningrad military port. In 1936, the church was used as a gym. During the siege of Leningrad , an observatory of air defense was located under a dome painted in green; in the temple itself there is a warehouse of the RKKF , in the basement there is a bomb shelter. In the former garden of the monastery was anti-aircraft calculation.

In 1956, in accordance with the personal order of Anastas Mikoyan , the building of the temple was transferred under the device in it the first in Leningrad closed skating rink. The project was developed by the Institute "Lengiproinzhproekt". As a result of the work, the slab tiles were destroyed, the painting was destroyed or painted, the altar was equipped with an engine room and wardrobes, an ice field of 289 m ^{2 was} placed in the center, and in the choirs there were buffets and storerooms for inventory. In addition, it housed a sports equipment warehouse, a workshop for sharpening skates, and changing rooms. The hall was decorated with portraits of Lenin, flags and banners. The opening ceremony of the rink took place in 1961. Such skaters as Lyudmila Belousova and Oleg Protopopov trained there. After the construction of the Yubileiny Sports Palace in 1967, the indoor skating rink in the former church was used to train children and hold Christmas trees.

However, the state of the temple deteriorated, the building needed repair, the walls were damaged by fungus and collapsed. In order to solve financial problems, baths were opened in the building of the rink first, and then a flower plantation for sales.

Temple Restoration

In June 1991, the Leningrad Executive Committee decided to transfer the former Assumption Church to the Stavropegic Holy Monastery of Optina. On August 28, 1991, a temporary iconostasis was established in the former choreographic hall of the skating rink ^[8] , services were started.

Within five years, the technical condition of the monument was studied, a restoration project was created; at the same time, the walls installed after the closure of the temple were dismantled, garbage was taken out. The first worship service in the southern side-altar was held in October 1993 . Daily services began to be performed here only from February 1996 . At the same time, the restoration of the central altar began.

January 16, 1998 on the dome was erected a cross. By 2003, the iconostasis was restored. By mid- 2013, the church outside and inside was fully restored, and on September 15, the church was consecrated by the great rite by Patriarch Cyril.

The Church of the Assumption is five-domed, bestopolpny, with a capacity of up to 2000 people. The project is designed in pseudo - Russian style. Built with both brick and concrete. The lower part of the building is faced with gray granite, the upper - Radom sandstone. 14 varieties of facing bricks were supplied by the MV Nesterov Riga plant. Outdoor mosaics were performed in the workshop of V. A. Frolov ^[9] . During the construction of the temple, for the first time in St. Petersburg, the smooth parts of the domes were lined with sheets of aluminum.

The temple space is formed by a system of intersecting arches. In this regard, there are no pillars in the church. The walls of the church were originally painted by Moscow masters Snegirev, N. I. Strunnikov and Yakovlev under the guidance of academician F. A. Sokolov . The painting was restored by groups of restorers under the direction of L. A. Lyubimov, Yu. V. Smolyansky, E. P. Bolshakov. In addition, a group formed by the graduates of the St. Petersburg State Academic Institute named after I. Ye. Repin Ya. A. Shterenberg and G. M. Zhuravlev worked at the temple, which by the end of the work was 80 people.

The inner space of the dome depicts Christ Pantocrator with cherubs and seraphims (completed in 2007 ). Under the drum - four songs: "The Nativity of Jesus Christ", "The Baptism of the Lord", "Descent into Hell" and "The Ascension of the Lord." On the sails are the image of the four Evangelists. The main theme of the central altar is the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary, the northern one - the Archangels and Russian saints, the southern one - the Savior Emmanuel . On the inter-altar walls are the images “Crucifixion on the Cross” and “Removal from the Cross”, on the choirs - the saints of the Kiev-Pechersk Scenery .

In the altar there is a throne of Carrara marble . A porcelain gilded iconostasis was made in the workshop of L. S. Solodkov, Honored Artist of the Russian Federation.

Before the closure of the church, there were icons painted by nuns of the Moscow Novodevichy Monastery and icon painters under the guidance of the Moscow artist Nikolai Mikhailovich Sofonov. The temple list of the Assumption of the Mother of God after the closure of the monastery was transferred to the Vladimir Cathedral .

In the Assumption Church are icons:

• Rev. Elders of Optina with particles of their relics,
• Saints of Kiev-Pechersk with particles of their relics,
• Rev. Ambrose of Optina with a particle of his relics,
• the holy great martyr Panteleimon the Healer with a particle of his relics.
• Of the Mother of God "quick-hearted", written in one of the Athos monasteries;
• Of the Mother of God "The All-Saints" and of the Mother of God "The Inexhaustible Chalice"

On the belfry there are six bells with a total weight of 1128 kg.

Institutions within the complex

При подворье Оптиной пустыни действуют институт, православная гимназия, воскресная школа, антисектантский центр, золотошвейная мастерская и библиотека. В 1994 году при Подворье была открыта Общедоступная школа для детей и Богословские курсы для взрослых. В 1999 году на их базе был открыт Институт религиоведения и церковных искусств с двумя отделениями: богословским и церковных искусств. Основным направлением богословского отделение является изучение богословских и исторических наук, а также христианской культурологии. При этом во время обучения предусматривается практика в областях апологетики, миссионерства и социальной работы. Отделение церковных искусств специализируется на трёх направлениях: церковной музыки, иконописи и реставрации ^[10] . Подразделением Института является Воскресная школа, открытая в 1994 году . Православная общеобразовательная гимназия имени святого преподобного Амвросия Оптинского была основана в 2010 году .

Деятельность реабилитационного центра «Диалог» направлена на помощь лицам, пострадавшим от деятельности деструктивных религиозных организаций . Кроме того, Центр ведёт профилактическую работу по предотвращению вовлечения в псевдорелигиозные и раскольнические организации.

Скит подворья

В 1999 году подворье Оптиной пустыни получило 40 гектаров земли у посёлка Сосновый Бор Выборгского района Ленинградской области для открытия подсобного хозяйства и строительства скита ^[11] . На участке разобрали руины трёх зданий и возвели скитский дом. На животноводческой ферме содержатся коровы, куры, страусы , еноты-полоскуны ; заведена пасека; в прудах разводятся японские карпы . На территории скита в 2006 году начато строительство храма во имя преподобного Амвросия Оптинского. В 2010 году к скиту приписана каменная церковь святого благоверного князя Александра Невского, построенная в 1907 году и отреставрированная в 2007 году.

На подворье служили иерей Константин Кобец и архимандрит Гурий (Егоров) .

• Загоровская Л. И. Успенское подворье: История и люди / Под ред. А. Зимина. - SPb. : Успенское подворье… Оптина монастыря: Изд-во Зимина, 2010. — 184 с.

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