Long before the start of the celebrations associated with the centennial of the Romanovs reigning in 1913, preparations for this momentous event began throughout Russia. In St. Petersburg, it was decided to erect a memorial cathedral, with its architectural appearance, reproducing the churches of the beginning of the 17th century, when Emperor Mikhail Fedorovich, the founder of the ruling dynasty, was elevated to the Russian throne. Such a monument to the three centuries of the Russian monarchy was the cathedral of the Theodore Icon of the Mother of God.
Design of the Cathedral Monument
To implement these plans, in 1909, under the august patronage of the Grand Duke and sibling of Emperor Nicholas II - Mikhail Alexandrovich - a special committee was established, headed by one of the prominent statesmen of those years, Major General D. Ya. Dashkov.
The committee began its work by examining several dozen architectural projects sent to the capital from all over the country. The work of St. Petersburg architect S. S. Krichinsky, who designed the Theodore Cathedral in the style of the Lower Volga churches of the 16th-17th centuries, was recognized as the best. His project was accepted for implementation.
Place for future construction
It should be noted that the choice of location for the construction of the cathedral at the intersection of Mirgorodskaya and Poltava streets was rather random. It was the result of the energetic actions of the rector of the Feodorovsky Gorodetsky monastery, whose courtyard was located precisely on this territory. Wanting to expand the land belonging to the farmstead , and at the same time to build a large and roomy temple on it at public expense, the abbot managed to persuade the commission members to the decision he needed.
Subsequently, the choice of the place where the Theodorovsky Cathedral was built was criticized by many dignitaries, and, in particular, the Moscow Governor-General V.F. Dzhunkovsky, who stated that the temple, in his opinion, was built on the outskirts of the city.
One can hardly agree with such a categorical statement. Located in the immediate vicinity of the Nikolaev railway station and the adjacent square of the same name, even at the beginning of the 20th century, when the city’s borders were much narrower than at present, the building was located near its historical center.
Cathedral Bookmark
The solemn laying of the cathedral took place in early August 1911 in the presence of members of the reigning House and the trustee of the construction committee. The worship service accompanying this significant event was led by Archbishop Anthony of Volyn (Khrapovitsky).
According to ancient tradition, at the end of the prayer, all the honored guests dipped mortgages in pre-prepared cavities. According to the newspapers of those years, the Grand Duke donated for such a solemn occasion a genuine coin from the time of the first sovereign Mikhail Fedorovich.
Completion and consecration of the cathedral
Despite the fact that in those early years such concepts of the Soviet era as “percussion” and “Komsomol construction” had not yet come into use, they nevertheless worked quickly and honestly. They were afraid of God, they knew that in the Last Judgment they would be strictly exacted for negligence. As a result, less than two years later, the central head of the cathedral still under construction was crowned with a cross. This event, like the laying of the cathedral, was accompanied by a solemn prayer, which was served by the Antiochian Patriarch Gregory IV, who was at that time in St. Petersburg .
Theodore Cathedral (St. Petersburg) was completed a year later, when on January days of 1914, in the presence of the emperor, members of his family and senior state dignitaries, the main chapel of his upper church was consecrated. Under him, a parish was created, to which the Nikolaevsky station with all its institutions and services was assigned. At the same time, Theodorovsky Cathedral was part of the courtyard of the Gorodetsky Monastery, established in honor of the Theodorov Icon of the Mother of God. It was this shrine that gave it its name.
Monument to the House of Romanov
The cathedral, which became a monument to the era of the reign of the Romanov dynasty, was built from reinforced concrete based on new technology at the time. Funds for its construction - half a million rubles, which amounted to a huge amount for those times, were completely collected from donations from all over Russia. This, truly national brainchild, in everyday life became known as the "Romanov Church."
Theodorovsky Cathedral - a magnificent building with a height of forty-seven and a half meters and crowned with the five-domed head traditional for Russian temple architecture - could accommodate more than three and a half thousand people at a time. They could easily accommodate on the area of ​​its internal premises, which amounted to three hundred and sixty square meters.
The original architectural find was a wall adjacent to the bell tower, and reminiscent of the appearance of the wall of the Moscow Kremlin. According to the author’s plan, it was supposed to symbolize the unity of the main Russian cities of St. Petersburg and Moscow - the two capitals of the great empire.
Decoration of the facades of the cathedral
As can be seen from the surviving documents, the Cathedral of the Theodore Icon of the Mother of God had a rich decorative finish, made using the mosaic and majolica technique. In particular, on the northern facade, overlooking Mirgorodskaya Street and covered with white old stone, there was a majolica panel depicting the Most Holy Theotokos stretching Her Veil over the reigning Romanov House.
On the same wall one could see the Theodore Icon of the Mother of God, as well as a tree with portraits of kings of the last three centuries. Both of these compositions were made using mosaic technique. The domes of the church were made of gilded copper and, on sunny days rare for St. Petersburg, shone with an unbearable brilliance.
Cathedral in the hands of the Renovationists
After the seizure of power by the Bolsheviks, despite their godless policy, Theodore Cathedral (St. Petersburg) as a parish church remained active for another fifteen years. Since the monastery courtyard in which it was located was abolished in 1920, its inhabitants - one monk, four hierodeacon and six hieromonks - were forced to move to the Alexander Nevsky Lavra, where the monastic brotherhood was created at that time.
The cathedral itself, until its closure, was in the hands of the Renovationists - followers of the schismatic current in the Russian Orthodox Church, which was supported for some time by the Bolsheviks. In fairness, it should be noted that throughout this period a Sunday school operated in its walls, in which children from six to fifteen years old studied.
Temple turned into a dairy
In 1932, on the basis of a resolution of the executive committee of the Leningrad City Council, the Cathedral of Our Lady of Feodorov was closed, and its premises were transferred to the disposal of a nearby dairy plant. Thus giving preference to bodily food over spiritual food, the inhabitants of the city lost an outstanding monument of their three-century history.
Having transformed the temple of God into a manufacturing enterprise, the local authorities completely rebuilt its interior. The domes that were so pleasing to the eyes of Petersburgers were also demolished. The Leningraders of the older generation, obviously, remember this mutilated building with ridiculously towering drums on the roof, hastily demolished in 1970, on the eve of the expected visit of American President R. Nixon to Leningrad.
New times - new trends
During the years of perestroika, when yesterday's fighters with a religious dope suddenly saw their light and began to baptize together in front of the camera lenses, the Cathedral of the Feodorov Icon of the Mother of God, or rather, what was left of him was returned to the fold of the Church. There was a huge work to restore it. After decades of the reign of the atheistic power, only the walls remained intact from the former temple, shrewdly erected by the pre-revolutionary architect S. S. Krichinsky from new at that time and unusually durable reinforced concrete.
As in old years for the construction of the temple, and now for its restoration was established a board of trustees, which included representatives of the leadership of the new democratic state.
Rebirth of the cathedral
Work began in 2005, and completed eight years later. By the centennial of the House of Romanov, Feodorovsky "sovereign cathedral" found its rebirth. The rite of the great consecration of the three thrones of his upper temple was performed on September 14, 2013 by the Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia Kirill. Among the guests of honor were: the Minister of Culture of Russia V.R. Medinsky, B.V. Gryzlov, as well as the Chairman of the Federation Council of the Russian Federation V.I. Matvienko.
Currently, there are two churches inside the cathedral - the lower one dedicated to the holy Prince Alexander Nevsky and made in the style of Russian churches of the 13th century, as well as the upper one, stylized in the spirit of the beginning of the 17th century - the period of the reign of the first of the Romanov dynasty. Such a decision of temple interiors is not the imagination of restorers, but is fully consistent with the creative idea of ​​the architect, which carried it out a century ago. Theodore Cathedral (St. Petersburg) again took its original shape.
Cathedral returned to the people
After all restoration work was completed, the same services began to be held in the cathedral as in other churches of Russia. In addition, here, together with the most active members of the community, extensive religious education work is being carried out among children and adults.
Sunday school is open, as well as catechesis courses for those who wish to receive holy baptism and all who want to get to know the religion of their fathers. The parish also provides assistance to people suffering from alcohol and drug addiction.