This church in Arkhangelsk, built in honor of the Assumption of the Mother of God, is one of the most valuable monuments of temple architecture of the eighteenth century. The temple has long been famous for the magnificent decorations of the interior and is a very favorite and revered religious building. It is known that the Assumption Church in Arkhangelsk had a difficult time. The article provides information about the history of this place, its unique architecture and preserved shrines.
About location
The Assumption Church in Arkhangelsk (photo allows you to appreciate all its splendor) is a functioning Orthodox church, impressive in the beauty of its snow-white appearance, in the scale and grandeur of Baroque architecture. The temple is located at the intersection of Loginov Street and the embankment of the Northern Dvina River. Address of the Assumption Church: Arkhangelsk, October District, ul. Loginova, house 1. It is convenient to drive here using buses No. 1, 6, 9, 10y, 42, 43, 44, 61, 75 B, 76 or minibus No. 60. Go to the stop "Loginova Street". For motorists, experts recommend using the coordinates: 64.550125, 40.515232 for ease of travel.
Assumption Church (Arkhangelsk): history
The modern church is a restored version of the temple of the early seventeenth century. The first prototype of the Assumption Church in Arkhangelsk appeared in 1626: a wooden church dedicated to the Assumption of the Mother of God was erected near the pine forest in the Borka area (which explains the origin of the second name of the church - Borovskaya). The name of the builder of the church is known - it was priest Xenophon Kozmin. In 1694, Tsar Peter I personally visited the temple. According to documents, the wooden church quite often burned. In the XVIII century, the dilapidated building was demolished, and in its place a stone temple was erected. In the mid-eighteenth century, a multi-tier 32-meter bell tower was added to the church, which was subsequently used not only for its intended purpose, but also as a lighthouse for sailors.
"Arkhangelsk Baroque"
The Assumption Parish Church was considered one of the most striking examples of the "Arkhangelsk Baroque." A single volume with a spacious refectory and aisles in it was a high double-decker four, ending with an octagonal light drum with an onion head. The architectural decoration of the facades was made up of elements characteristic of the architecture of Peter's times.
Painting and iconostasis
In 1764, artists Liberovsky, Mehryanov and Elizarov began to paint the main temple and side chapels. They wrote the iconostasis. On one of the old icons is the signature of the artist Mikhail Slepokhin. It is known that the wooden sculptural image of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker. In 1820, the Archangel merchant Andrei Dolgoshein initiated the replacement of the old church iconostasis with a new one. In 1822, a carved carpentry four-tier iconostasis made in the Empire style and crowned with an 8-pointed cross was installed in the temple.
The falling bell tower
Over time, the church has undergone reconstruction more than once. At the beginning of the twentieth century, its bell tower began to settle to the southwest, for which it was nicknamed the "falling". When the structure deviated from the vertical by more than 180 cm (fly-fathoms), the question arose about its demolition. In 1912, the banked bell tower and the church itself were reconstructed. The walls and arches of the temple were whitewashed with lime, and then decorated with paintings at the expense of the famous banker F. F. Landman, a hereditary honorary citizen of Arkhangelsk. Tiled stoves were fixed in the church, iconostases were washed, and wall paintings were restored. In 1915, on the occasion of the completion of internal work, Bishop Nathanael III arrived at the church to hold the Divine Liturgy.
On the time of trial and persecution for faith
In the 1920s, the Assumption Church in Arkhangelsk was closed. In 1922, all church valuables were seized from the church: censers, vestments, crowns, etc. Ten years later, at the request of the authorities, it was demolished. The main shrine of the temple - the miraculous icon of the Assumption of the Mother of God - was taken to the church of St. Martin the Confessor (Solombal) and saved. Today, the relic is returned to the Assumption Church.
In 1930, Archpriest Alexander Yakovlevich Ivanov, the last rector of the Assumption Church, was arrested and sent to a camp in the Nenets District. A former regimental priest, who was repeatedly awarded for his pastoral labors during the First World War, was arrested twice after the revolution for his convictions, but remained firm in his faith. In the Nenets camp, his life full of love for God and people was tragically cut short.
Recovery
In the 90s of the twentieth century, a new stage in the development of the temple began. On the site of the preserved foundation, the restoration of the church began, which was completed by 2008. At the end of construction and finishing works, the temple was consecrated and received its first parishioners. The Assumption Church, which has preserved its historical appearance, fits perfectly into the modern city development.
About interior decoration
The interior of the Assumption Church is truly unique. Its walls are painted with frescoes in the Byzantine traditions of Serbia and Greece of the fourteenth to fifteenth centuries. The authorship belongs to the Arkhangelsk icon painters Igor Lapin and Sergey Egorov.
Surrounded by celestial forces, from the central dome of the temple looks at the worshipers the image of the Almighty. On the walls there are images of the main Gospel events dedicated to Jesus Christ and the Virgin Mary, on the columns are the holy prophets and apostles. Murals of the third tier are dedicated to the holy ascetics of the Arkhangelsk lands. The project of the mosaic floor and the marble iconostasis of the temple was worked by the masters of the Arkhangelsk company LLC BusinessProekt. This beauty is embodied in stone by the masters of Roskamservis. Ancient Byzantine traditions are also used to make stone carvings and mosaic ornaments.
Currently
Today the temple is operational. His current abbot is Priest Daniil Goryachev. Regular services, various conversations and meetings are held in the temple, holiday concerts for children are organized, an Orthodox library is functioning. On the basis of the temple there is a Sunday school and a maternity protection center.
Assumption Church (Arkhangelsk): schedule of services
The patronal feast of the temple is the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary Day (celebrated on August 28). Services at the Assumption Church in Arkhangelsk (schedule):
- On weekdays (Monday to Friday) there are: confession (at 7-30), the liturgy (at 8-00). Conducting evening service and after it confession - at 18-00.
- On Saturday and Sunday in the church they hold: confession (at 8-30), at 9-00 - liturgy, at 17-00 - evening service and after it - confession.
On Fridays, after the liturgy, prayers are regularly held in the temple, and in the evening they are read by the akathist of the Mother of God. On Saturdays, after the liturgy, there are memorial services, baptisms. On Sunday evening, a prayer service is dedicated to the Assumption of the Mother of God (with an akathist).
In addition to worship
On Thursdays, at 18-30, the temple hosts meetings of a discussion club (youth department). On Fridays, at 18-30, announcing talks are held. On Saturdays, at 16-00, Sunday School (the younger group) is held at the Assumption Church. On Sundays at 11-00, classes are held for senior students, and at 18-00 - Sunday conversations (for adults).