All the Russian lands are strewn with Orthodox shrines, and here one of them, in style very much reminiscent of the red brick Kremlin in Moscow, is the Ascension-Feodosievskaya Church, built before the revolution in Perm. But initially it was the Church of the Ascension of the Lord (or Ascension), and even among the people they called it “merchant”, but today it is better known as Theodosievskaya. In 1991, it was returned to believers, and today it belongs to the Perm diocese of the Russian Orthodox Church. But before starting its description, it is necessary to mention the history of the city of Perm, which is quite amazing.
City
In 1720, by order of Peter I, the manager of state-owned factories V.N. Tatishchev (Russian historian) went to the Siberian province in order to find a place and put a silver and copper smelting plant there. He chose it near the village of Egoshihi. A year later, Tatishchev was recalled, and General G. Wilhelm took up the matter, who approved the design of his predecessor and began construction. The founding day of Perm was the official laying date of the plant (May 4, 1723), which was attended by Tatishchev himself.
In 1780, Catherine II, who bore the title of Princess of Perm, signed a decree on the creation of the provincial city of Perm on the basis of the Yegoshikhinsky plant, considering it the center of Perm governorate.
Ascension-Feodosievskaya church (Perm)
In 1902, a book of records was issued from the ecclesiastical consistory to the committee for building a new church, in which the entire list of money needed for expenditure was painted. At that time, large sums were donated for this business, some citizens signed whole wills in amounts from 30 to 200 rubles.
And in the middle of May 1903 a letter was received for laying a new church, signed by the bishop of Perm and Solikamsk, John. But at first they searched for a place for its construction and quickly found, or rather, it was donated by the merchant Babalov Alexander Pavlovich. A year later, the new Ascension-Theodosius Church adorned the central square of the city. In 1904, the throne of its lower floor was consecrated in the name of St. prp Seraphim of Sarov.
Split
From 1904 to 1918, the theologian Stefan Mikhailovich served in this church. The Ascension-Feodosievskaya Church during his reign became one of the largest and richest in Perm. Her income was more than 8,000 rubles. But when the Bolsheviks seized power, the irreparable happened - a split occurred in the community, as a result of which two groups emerged - the “Sergievites” and the “Grigorievites”. "Grigorievstvo", which strongly supported the OGPU, became a schismatic movement in the Russian Orthodox Church, which lasted from 1925 to 1940. Thus, the OGPU conducted a special operation to weaken the Holy Orthodox Church. This movement was led by Archbishop Gregory of Yekaterinburg (Yatskovsky), who also got the name. About 55 bishops participated in this split, of which half were canonical.
Fight
In 1927, parishioners of the church appeared in the city executive committee demanding the registration of a new community. The Ascension-Feodosievskaya Church in Perm was in the hands of the "Grigoryevites", but the second part of the parishioners, because of their beliefs, refused to attend the church. Therefore, in 1928, it was decided to transfer the building to a more trustworthy "Sergiev" community. Then the "Grigoryevtsy" began to turn to the authorities with a request to return the temple, but they were refused. However, the “Sergians” did not rejoice over their victory for long, as in 1930 the building was withdrawn from them, and then a hostel was placed there, then a bakery, put into operation in 1935.
Ascension-Feodosievskaya church: description, history
After several decades, in the 70s, the authorities paid attention to this building, who decided to take out a bakery, make restoration and arrange an organ hall there. But the restoration dragged on for a long time.
And only by 1991, the Ascension-Feodosievskaya Church was again returned to the faithful of the Russian Orthodox Church. Restored in 1996, it was consecrated by Patriarch Alexy II himself. A bas-relief with the image of the Savior was erected over the central entrance of the temple. In 2004, the temple was complemented by architectural lighting.
The Ascension-Feodosievskaya church in the architectural ensemble is a combination of diverse styles and is noteworthy as a multi-hipped building - one of seven in Russia along with the Assumption Church in Moscow in Putinki, Three Upper Divine in Uglich, Odigitrievsky in Vyazma, the temple in Svirsky Monasteries, the Assumption Cathedral in Kem and a temple in the village of Nenoksa, Arkhangelsk region. The appearance of this church is one of the most remarkable and famous in Perm.