Juditten Kirche

The origin of the name of the church

There are several versions regarding the origin of the word “Juditten”. The most reliable is the "settlement of the Yud tribe." Another version says that the name came from the name of Prussian Yudetus (or Yudo), who in 1288, landmaster Meinhard von Querfurt granted land in the area. It is also believed that the church bears the name of St. Jutta (Juditta) Botisher, who died in 1260 in one of the Baltic monasteries.

Church Foundation

The time for the construction of the Juditten stone church is not exactly established. It is considered to be the date of foundation 1288 (however, some sources mention later dates). Kirche was built by the Teutonic Order . The main nave of the church is made of untreated boulders . Its western wall was erected from a larger brick with a Gothic dressing . The five-walled choir is made of boulders and bricks, the last are the corners of the building and the window niches. By the end of the 14th century, it was already a famous place of pilgrimage for knights.

Until 1945

At the end of the 14th century, a belfry was built with two bells . Then the artist Peter created frescoes on the choirs and the triumphal arch. Bright, rich colors depict Jesus Christ , the Blessed Virgin Mary and the painting "The Last Judgment ." The inscription shone on the dome in a gold frame: “Let him be the one who did evil to the master . ” Coats of arms of the Grand Masters of the Teutonic Order are decorated on the walls. Among them is the coat of arms of the Grand Master Ulrich von Jungingen , who died in 1410 on the Grunwald field . Inside was the sculpture “Madonna on the Crescent” - one of the oldest sculptures in Prussia . She was considered a masterpiece of plasticity of the XV century. All sorts of miracles and healings were attributed to her, and this has led crowds of pilgrims here for centuries. Later, the uniqueness of the church attracted tourists to Juditten. All this was the reason that people began to settle nearby, and by the beginning of the 20th century the village received all the rights of the city suburbs.

During the repair of the church in 1577, a weather vane was installed on the tower. The new altar of 1672 was made of brown wood with elements of painting and in many places gilded. The chair of 1686 with wooden carvings and portraits of the evangelists was located on the right side of the lancet arch .

In 1819 - 1820 , during the next reconstruction of the church, a transverse narthex with a cylindrical arch between the nave and the tower was built. Rebuilt western gable, northern porch and sacristy . At the end of the 19th century, the top of the bell tower was rebuilt. The main nave had arches of five spans of triangular ribs reaching a heavily overhanging pointed arch, behind which was a choir with a stellar arch. At the northern corner of the main nave is a small entrance leading to the stairs.

In 1840 , an organ was built in the church.

Field Marshal Erhard von Raeder ( 1665 - 1743 ), commandant of Königsberg, was buried in the cemetery near the church in 1743, and Field Marshal Lehwald , commander of the Prussian forces in the battle of Gross-Jägersdorf , was buried here in 1768 . In 1943 - the famous Konigsberg sculptor Stanislav Kauer . In addition, a prominent figure in the German Enlightenment, Johann Gottshed, was baptized in the church.

After 1945

The church was practically not damaged during the assault on Koenigsberg in April 1945 and, according to eyewitnesses who remained in the city until 1948 , German residents performed services in it. Immediately after the Germans were evicted, the church was destroyed by immigrants from the USSR . Soon the roof of the main nave collapsed, and by the end of the 1950s the roof of the choir and the transition from the tower to the nave were destroyed. By the early 1960s, the roof and top of the tower were destroyed. In the 1970s, walls began to crumble.

In the early 1980s, it was decided to transfer the ruins of the Judith Church to the Russian Orthodox Church for its restoration and opening of the Orthodox church. On October 6, 1985, the church was consecrated, but restoration work continued until 1990 . In 1988, during the celebration of the 1000th anniversary of the Baptism of Russia , the first service was held here. In 1999, on the basis of the St. Nicholas parish, a diocesan convent was established - the first Orthodox monastery in the Kaliningrad region. Which in 2009 was merged with the nunnery in honor of the icon of the Mother of God "Sovereign" (Izobilnoye settlement, Kaliningrad region) and converted into St. Nicholas Compound of this monastery.

Currently, St. Nicholas Church is a symbolic place of the Orthodox history of the region and one of the most visited parishes of the city. On the territory of the temple are the fraternal burial of Soviet soldiers of the times of 1945 and partially preserved memorial plates of more ancient German burials. On the courtyard of the nunnery about twenty nuns live, headed by the abbess (abbess) . There is a Sunday school for children and adults, a library, a charity refectory, a forge, a sewing and carpentry workshop, funeral services.

• V. I. Kulakov, A. P. Bakhtin, A. P. Ovsyanov, N. I. Cheburkin, “Monuments of history and culture. Kaliningrad ”, Moscow, 2005, p. 134 ISBN 5-902425-01-8
• Ovsyanov A. Kirche Juditten // Koenigsberg Courier. - 1991. - No. 4. - p. 10.
• Gubin A. Church in Juditten // Citizen (Kaliningrad). - 1997. - April 10-16. - page 3.
• Scheblekin O. The temple was built by the whole world // Guard of the Baltic. - 1995. - Apr 29 - page 3.
• Chernova V. The story of the death and new life of the Juditten church // Komsomolskaya Pravda in Kaliningrad. - 2000. - Feb 18-25. - page 5.
• History of the Kaliningrad region (Russian Civilization) (inaccessible link)
• St. Nicholas Church, courtyard of the nunnery in honor of the icon of the Mother of God "Sovereign"
• Encyclopedia of Prussia
• Newspaper "Citizen" (newspaper of the City Hall of Kaliningrad)
• Kirchen und Sozialeinrichtungen in Königsberg (Kirches and welfare institutions of Königsberg (German)
• Kirche Juditten. Acquaintance (the Konigsberg Dungeons forum)