Among the variety of architectural monuments of temple architecture that Nizhny Novgorod is so famous for, the Nativity Church has a very special place. Built in the Stroganov style, combining elements of magnificent Moscow baroque with a traditional Russian five-headed silhouette, it looks like a precious carved casket nailed to the shore by the Volga wave.
The brainchild of Grigory Stroganov
The church was founded in 1696, but its construction stretched exactly a quarter century. The reasons for this lay in the court intrigues of that time, and in the fires, the victims of which were repeatedly Nizhny Novgorod. The Christmas Church, as follows from historical materials, was built by order and at the expense of the largest industrialist, financier and political figure of the Petrine era - Grigory Dmitrievich Stroganov. This, by the way, was the reason that, in addition to the official name, another one was assigned to it - Stroganovskaya.
During his life, the eminent nobleman built several churches, and all of them were made in a characteristic style, later named after him. Stroganov laid his next brainchild on the Volga two years after the completion of the previous church, built in the same city and consecrated in honor of the Smolensk Icon of the Mother of God.
Royal disfavor
Cool and arrogant was Grigory Dmitrievich, dared to contradict the Emperor Peter I himself, whose army financed during the years of the Northern War. But, apparently, he did not fully comprehend the character of the autocrat - he fell into disgrace. Tsar’s disfavor also affected its recent construction. In 1719, after endless delays and tribulations, the Christmas Church in Nizhny Novgorod was finally completed and consecrated, but services in it lasted no more than three years.
In 1722, Peter the Great visited the city on the Volga and, finding out from whose bounty it was erected and by whose name it was called, he ordered it to be closed immediately, sealed and henceforth not to resume services in it. The emperor recalled the old grievances inflicted upon him by the Stroganov family, and he poured out his anger at the church, which ascended to heaven, as a symbol of the inviolability of this ancient family name.
There is a legend telling that Peter I used deliberately false testimonies of his court painter Louis Karavak as an excuse for closing the church, who testified that the icons that he painted for the capital’s Peter and Paul Cathedral and were stolen from the church are allegedly stored in the Christmas Church. This version is doubtful - the wrong emperor was Peter to seek excuses for his actions. He chopped hundreds of goals without any reason, and closing the church for him was a matter and a miserable one. With that, he left Nizhny Novgorod. The Christmas Church stood locked for three years.
Next century
Its doors reopened only after the death of the emperor, which followed in 1725. Throughout the eighteenth century after that, she stood peacefully on the banks of the Volga. The ringing of her bells poured around the district, gathering pious parishioners for a prayer for the salvation of their souls and granting to the next royal royal crown bearer for many years.
At the beginning of the new, XIX century, another Stroganov, this time Alexander Sergeyevich - a member of the State Council and president of the Academy of Arts - carried out its overhaul. In 1820, he instructed the capital's architects A. A. Betankur and I. E. Efimov to strengthen its foundation by leading a solid wall made of bricks of a dilapidated and dismantled Christmas Church located nearby. It should be noted that the Stroganov brainchild received from her not only building materials, but also the name that Nizhny Novgorod has come to call her from then on. Christmas Church - this name has survived to this day.
"Leaning Tower of Pisa" on the Volga
In the early sixties, it was noticed that the church bell tower, which stood a little distance and connected to the main building with a covered passage, began to gradually tilt. Subsequent observations over twenty years showed that this process does not stop, and the upper part of the building has shifted from the axis by more than a meter. Nizhny Novgorod residents might be flattered to have their Leaning Tower of Pisa, but the fear of collapse prevailed, and in 1880 the bell tower was completely rebuilt.
On the eve of the anniversary of the reigning dynasty
At the beginning of the 20th century, it became obvious that serious restoration work was required in the temple. In addition to the fact that from time to time window frames fell into disrepair, the iconostasis, rightfully considered an outstanding example of artistic carving, was significantly destroyed. Entire fragments began to fall off from him, which, for lack of any other way, they tried to fasten with nails and ropes. To save a unique work of art from complete destruction, significant funds were required, which Veliky Novgorod was unable to collect.
The Christmas Church was visited by many eminent city merchants, and despite the fact that their contributions did not cover all the expenses associated with the restoration, they managed to reach rich people from other cities of Russia. Much of the success was facilitated by the fact that the celebration of the centenary of the Romanov dynasty was approaching, and the sovereign was expected to arrive in the city.
Temple on the eve of the revolution
In this regard, the main organizer of the work, the rector of the church, Archpriest Nikolai (Tsvetaev), got the opportunity to appeal not only to the religious feelings of potential investors, but also to loyal duty. This had an effect, and by the highest visit all work was completed.
The temple has taken on a form that has generally been preserved to this day. It is based on a quadruple crowned with five chapters oriented to the cardinal points. The domes, formerly green, were decorated in the same way as they were done at the St. Basil's Cathedral in Moscow . Outside and inside the building is richly decorated with white stone carvings that adorn windows, columns and portals of entrances. The bell tower adjacent to the church is decorated with a clock and a weather vane ending it.
On the verge of destruction
The persecution of the church that followed after the Bolsheviks came to power overwhelmed Nizhny Novgorod. The Christmas Church, whose history during these years is similar to the fate of many Orthodox churches in Russia, was closed and, in accordance with the order of the authorities, was subject to demolition.
Only the selfless actions of her abbot father Sergius (Veisov) helped prevent a catastrophe. He literally gave lectures to officials, telling about the artistic merits of the church, which is a unique example of the temple building of the Stroganov baroque.
His labors were successful, and the church was saved. They did not even try to convert it into a warehouse or a machine and tractor workshop, as was often done in those years. It created a museum of religion and atheism. Perhaps the Bolsheviks seemed very witty to place anti-religious exhibits in the church of God, or maybe they took an example from their St. Petersburg colleagues, who created a similar museum in the premises of the main Kazan Cathedral.
Restored justice
The church was returned to its parishioners in the early nineties, and a decade later it was renovated, as it was fashionable to say. Experts believe that the temple was significantly damaged, because the thoughtless use of modern technology, in their opinion, distorted its historical appearance, so familiar to everyone who had previously visited Nizhny Novgorod.
The Christmas Church, whose photos are presented in the article, nevertheless, remains a worthy decoration of the city, of which it is part of the history. In addition, it is also a major religious center, in which serious work is underway to revive the primordial spiritual values of the people. This attraction is rightfully proud of Nizhny Novgorod.
Christmas Church: where is it and how to get it
Today it, as in previous years, is full of parishioners, pilgrims and just tourists who want to see the famous masterpiece of Stroganov's baroque. Here you can meet both local residents and those who only rarely visits Nizhny Novgorod. Christmas Church, whose address: st. Rozhdestvenskaya, 34, opens its doors to all, and the grace of its holy things is poured out upon all. You can get to it by any type of public transport, following in the direction of the river station.
It is curious to note that in 2008 the collection of icons located in the church was replenished with another one handed over here personally by the President of Russia V.V. Putin. It was the icon of the "Resurrection of the Lord", stolen in 2002 and then acquired by a private collector. Fortunately, he turned out to be a decent person and, despite the fact that he lived abroad, having seen her in the catalog of stolen works of art, he considered it his duty to return it to its rightful owners. Since that time, the place of her constant stay was the Christmas Church in Nizhny Novgorod. The photo of the icon “Resurrection of the Lord” completes the article.