In 1990, the building of the former church of the Icon of the Mother of God “Joy and Consolation”, located on the Khodynka field and used throughout the Soviet period for economic purposes, was transferred to the Moscow Patriarchate. After a whole complex of restoration and restoration work, divine services resumed in it, and today the church has taken a worthy place among other spiritual centers of the capital.
Good start
In December 1906, Moscow Governor-General S.K. Gershelman received a petition from the actual state adviser I.A. Kolesnikov, in which he expressed a desire at his own expense to build a temple on the Khodynsky field, where at that time the barracks of the 1st Don Cossack were located a shelf. With this pious deed, the dignitary wished to express gratitude to the Cossacks who took an active part in suppressing the unrest that broke out in Moscow in 1905.
In addition, the temple "Joy and Consolation" - that’s exactly what Mr. Kolesnikov wanted to call him in honor of the icon of the Mother of God — was to serve as a monument to the former Moscow Governor-General, Grand Duke Sergei Alexandrovich, who had died the year before from the hands of terrorist Ivan Kalyaev . In it, it was planned to perpetuate the memory of all those who gave their lives in the struggle against the great unrest that arose in Russia and burst out in 1905.
Temple Bookmark
Of course, permission for such a pious undertaking was obtained immediately, and after drawing up the project, which was known at that time by the famous Moscow architect Vladimir Adamovich (his photo is presented below), the laying of the future church was completed.
The solemn ceremony, which took place on April 29, 1907, on the birthday of the innocently killed Grand Duke, was preceded by a procession from the walls of the Kremlin to the place where the temple was laid. According to Moscow newspapers of that time, several thousand people took part in the march.
The tragedy of the Khodynka field
It should be noted that the choice of location for the future temple was very bold, since Khodynsky Field was notorious among Muscovites. The memory of the tragedy that took place on May 30, 1896, on the day of public festivities in honor of the coronation of Emperor Nicholas II, was still fresh.
A few days before the celebrations, it was announced that during the holiday distribution of souvenirs and free refreshments was planned. This was true, since the Moscow government procured 400 thousand bags for this case, each of which contained an enameled mug with the imperial monogram and some sweets and nuts. Popular rumor added to this supposedly cooked coins.
Starting from the evening of May 29, a crowd of hunters for a gratuitous woman began to gather on the field, and by morning it reached incredible proportions. When the stalls specially built for the distribution of souvenirs were opened, the people rushed to them with such fury that 1379 people died in the stampede, and another 900 were seriously injured.
Temple architecture
The Temple of Joy and Consolation on the Khodynka Field was built over three years; in April 1909, it was consecrated. Built in the Byzantine style, it partially resembled the famous Church of the Twelve Apostles in Greek Thessaloniki.
Four powerful pylons (supports) supported the walls of the main structure, made of red and yellow bricks and crowned with a dome with 12 vertical windows. On the tops of each of the pylons small heads were installed, which created the appearance of a five-domed head. On the west side of the temple was a richly decorated belfry.
The interior of the temple
The internal volume of the premises allowed five hundred worshipers to be present at the services simultaneously. The attention of visitors was invariably attracted by the marble iconostasis, distinguished by fine carvings and decorated with gold trim, as well as the shroud, a unique work of gold and silk sewing, created by the sisters of the Alekseevsky convent based on the sketches of V.M. Vasnetsov. The icon “The Last Supper” written by him was also presented there.
Since the Temple of Joy and Consolation on the Khodynka Field was not only a religious center, but also a memorial complex, marble memorial plaques with the names of 1845 officials of the Russian Empire killed during the period 1904-1907 were installed on the inside of its walls. for political reasons. They with terrifying directness testified to the scale that terror then took, which swept the whole country with a bloody wave.
The onset of the times of godlessness
The temple “Joy and Consolation” built on the Khodynka Field was used for its intended purpose only for 12 years. Already in 1922, in the wake of the first campaign to seize church property, all silver items were confiscated in it, and after a short time it was finally closed.
Immediately after this, by order of the new authorities, all five domes of the church were demolished, the belfry was destroyed, and the brick fence surrounding the temple complex and made in the same Byzantine style as the main building was partially destroyed. Subsequently, the resulting openings were closed with rough concrete slabs.
For all subsequent years, the building of the former church "Joy and Consolation" on the Khodynka field was used for household needs. At first, an army club was located there, then - a dormitory for workers at the Znamya Truda factory, which was replaced by a hardware store, and finally, for many years there was a construction workshop for one of the capital's enterprises.
On the brink of doom
The real threat of destruction hung over the building in 1980, when, by a decision of the city authorities, the former temple on the Khodynka field was demolished in connection with the reconstruction of the Botkin hospital located next to it. In its place, it was supposed to build a platform for turning cars approaching the hospital morgue.
The temple building was saved from destruction only by the petition of the head physician of the hospital I.P. Kuzin, who asked the authorities of the capital to save it and, having returned the church, to create the first hospital church in the Soviet Union in it.
We must give credit, in a country covered by communist obscurantism and declaring atheism a part of state ideology, for such a step, considerable courage was required. However, Muscovites owe it to this man that the “Joy and Consolation” temple on the Khodynka field, which is a wonderful example of church architecture from the beginning of the 20th century, survived from the barbaric destruction.
Shrine Rebirth
However, the authorities granted only the first part of the request of I.P. Kuzin and did not touch the building, but the request for the transfer to his church was rejected, since at that time it was not feasible for ideological reasons. Only ten years later, when in connection with perestroika a different approach to religious issues was outlined, the former church was transferred to the Russian Orthodox Church and entered the All Saints deanery, covering the Northern administrative district of the capital.
How to get to the temple?
Today, the Church of the Icon of the Mother of God "Joy and Consolation" is one of the leading spiritual centers of Moscow. It is located at ul. Polikarpova, house 16. You can get to it by any transport, following to the Khodynsky field.
A metro is under construction in this area, but has not yet been commissioned, so everyone who wants to visit the temple can take buses No. 12ts, 84, 175, 207 or 847, stopping 50 meters from it. In the same direction there are minibuses No. 18m and 216m. You can also get on trolleybuses number 1 and 82, following the Khodynskoe field. The metro, intended to greatly simplify the passage of passengers to this area, is planned to be opened already in 2017.