One of the most beautiful churches in the city of Yaroslavl is the Nativity of Christ. It has a unique architecture, nowhere else found in the city. But architecture is not the most important thing in the history of the creation of this temple. In the first place is her "years of life."
Description of the Church of the Nativity in Yaroslavl (the second among the ancient monuments of past centuries) will be given below.
Place for icon
This unique temple has been known since 1609. Unfortunately, information about the very first building did not reach our time. We know that in this church the miraculous icon of the Kazan Mother of God was hidden. Then the temple was not stone, an ordinary wooden church.
Fearing for the icon, they secretly carried it out at night from the Christmas convent, hiding it in the place mentioned above. The monastery was burned and was not restored anymore, and the story of the salvation of the miraculous icon reached the people living in the city.
Temple Features
Where to start when talking about the features of the Church of the Nativity of Christ (Yaroslavl)? First of all, from the material from which it is built. This is a stone. In those days, stone churches could be built only by people of the royal estate and those close to them. For the price of such construction was very high.
The second point is its architecture. Laconic and strict, it is interwoven with an unusual layout of the room - asymmetric. As a result, the church has a three-dimensional construction.
And finally, the decoration of the temple. It is special, and we will discuss it in a separate paragraph.
How it all began
If we talk about the Church of the Nativity in Yaroslavl briefly, the construction of the stone version began in 1636. Pious merchants named Nazariev - two brothers Gury and Akindin decided to build a stone church in the likeness of the first stone church in Yaroslavl in honor of Nikola Nadein. The construction of a similar church began with a four on the basement, massive, as in the above church. Five-domed domes, two-story gallery. The church was planned to be built with two limits, as evidenced by five semicircles of aspids at the level of the second tier. Judging by the fact that there were several changes in the architecture of the Church of the Nativity of Christ (Yaroslavl), the construction of a bell tower in the northwest corner was supposed.
Continuation
A brief history of the Church of the Nativity of Christ in Yaroslavl is as follows: two merchant brothers began stone construction. Following the example of the church of Nikola Nadein, as mentioned above. But they didn’t have time to complete it, they left for another world. And then the construction passed into the hands of the children of Guria: Ivan, Andrey and Mikhail. The brothers were merchants, like his father, so they had funds for the construction of the temple.
First of all, what the sons did, it significantly expanded the church building. The Kazan chapel of the temple was built. It was a square tetrahedral tower with a pitched roof. An openwork cross rose on the chapel head.
The appearance of the temple
We talked about the history of the Church of the Nativity in Yaroslavl above. Now let's look at what the temple looks like.
Its first coating was a cigarette. This is a distinctive feature of the architecture of those times. Over time, the zakomar lost its true purpose, turning into a decorative element.
The porch of the temple is large and very beautiful, on creeping arches, with a gable roof. Previously, it was decorated with authentic tiles, but they have not survived to this day.
Its decor
The architectural school of Yaroslavl of those times was characterized by restraint. As the decor of the Church of the Nativity of Christ in Yaroslavl testifies to. Windows in deep niches frame the northern, western and southern facades. Zakomars are separated by a wide cornice.
As for the drum heads. then an interesting cornice of "crackers" passes along their top. As well as zakomarnye arches are decorated with the same cornice. Speaking of the heads of the drums, one cannot but note the arcature belts with which they are decorated.
The galleries of the main church and the Kazan chapel are decorated with horizontal rows of widths. Inside each of them is a square with concave sides.
Tiles
Interesting Church of the Nativity in Yaroslavl tiles. More precisely, that is the first temple in Yaroslavl, where they use wall decoration with tiles. In addition, the facade of the temple was decorated with a tiled inscription encircling the quadrangle. This is very rare for Russian architecture, and even more so in creating text.
The merchants of the Nazariev-Guriev became the first customers of the temple, who entered their names in the construction of the temple. In the literal sense of the word.
This order was very expensive. A separate cliche was needed for each syllable, the inscription was long, and quite a few were required. Initially, the inscription was made using pale green watering. Uneven and hardly noticeable on a light background, it clearly testified that those who did it had little experience.
Bell tower
In the bell tower of the Church of the Nativity of Christ (Yaroslavl), the golden section can be easily found. It is now a 38 meter tall building that seems like a simple bell tower. Initially, it was a tented church above the gates of the fence, which now does not exist. There are no analogues of this bell tower in Russian architecture.
What is she like? Rectangular quadruple rising above the ground, as mentioned above. An octagon with openings for bells is decorated with a quad. And above the octagon is an elegant tent. The sides of the tent are decorated with two small turrets. One of them was intended once for a clockwork. In another "inhabited" staircase to the bell tower.
The tent is the most striking decoration of the structure. It could have seemed massive if not for the original decor. It smooths the massiveness of the tent, giving it harmony. Thanks to the decor, it seems that the tent is directed upward.
Previously, the belfry was crowned with eight bells. And the largest of them weighed about 100 pounds. Ancient cast in the first half of the seventeenth century. Part of the bells are cast in the Netherlands to order. However, in 1929, the bells were sent by the Soviet government for remelting, and prevented "the construction of a new, communist society."
Chapels
In Yaroslavl, in the Church of the Nativity of Christ there are five chapels. Northern was consecrated the very first in honor of St. Nicholas. He is considered the patron saint of merchants and travelers. And due to the fact that the dynasty of the merchants Nazaryev-Guryev was constantly on the move, they especially needed the intercession of Nicholas the Wonderworker.
This aisle was heated. It contained a large stove decorated with green tiles. A part of them can still be seen in the Yaroslavl Museum-Reserve.
The second aisle, located above the aisle of Nicholas the Ugodnik, was consecrated in honor of Peter and Paul. At first it was heated using a vertical inner channel. The hot air from the furnace below rose along it, and heated the aisle through the furnace. Later in this aisle was installed its own stove.
In the southern part, a chapel was laid and consecrated in honor of five martyrs: Akindin, Athos, Anempodist, Elpidiphor and Pegasius.
The deacon was “given” under the chapel in honor of the parents of the Blessed Virgin Mary - Joachim and Anna.
And finally, the Kazan chapel, which we already talked about in this article. It is located in the southwestern corner of the temple. Kazan chapel is the most beautiful, and its painting is dedicated to the events of the Polish-Lithuanian intervention.
History of 1861-1990
In 1861, the Church of the Nativity in Yaroslavl numbered nearly 300 parishioners. The revered icon of the Nativity was kept in the temple, which future mothers turned to for help.
Over time, the former appearance of the temple was greatly changed. There were no four small chapters on the main volume, the arcade that led to the bell tower was preferred to be dismantled by dismantling. Redid the custom coating.
In 1920, the temple was restored. And a year later it was closed.
1929, as mentioned above, went down in the history of the temple by the fact that its beautiful bells in the amount of 8 pieces were sent for re-melting. And in 1930, Yaroslavl began to be actively built up. This led to the fact that the temple was simply closed by all these new buildings, thereby destroying all its beauty and splendor.
Despite the active struggle with Orthodoxy in the Soviet Union, the Church of the Nativity in Yaroslavl (pictured) was transferred to the Yaroslavl Museum-Reserve as an architectural monument. For what purpose this was done - it is not clear. Probably, the city’s authorities were counting on the fact that the attraction would gradually collapse, become worthless and forget about it.
So it would have happened, the museum did not have enough funds for the restoration of the church. It gradually deteriorated, and the government was in no hurry to allocate money for repairs. And only in 1990, when the bell tower was threatened with collapse, and its wall had already begun to crumble, funds were found for restoration. The temple stood closed for a long time, awaiting repair.
Interesting fact
Unique ancient icons were stolen from the temple. They belonged to the original decoration of the Church of the Nativity in Yaroslavl. Icons were exported outside the state and sold abroad. More precisely, in Germany at an auction for 200 thousand dollars. It was 1995.
They were acquired by Russian collector from Samara Vladimir Roshchin. Moreover, as he himself argued, the icons were not purchased for collection, but for personal use. Having learned their history, the man considered it necessary to return the unique monuments of icon painting to their homeland. So the icons were back in place. They were restored and returned to the iconostasis.
Where is the cultural monument located?
Address of the Church of the Nativity: Yaroslavl, st. Kedrova, d. 1.
This unique monument, which has come down to us from the 17th century, is open from 10:00 to 17:00, daily, except Mondays and Tuesdays.
Worship services
Are divine services held in the Church of the Nativity of Christ (Yaroslavl)? Only occasionally. Unfortunately, there is no exact schedule of services in this temple.
Pilgrim reviews
What do people who are fortunate enough to be here say? The reviews are positive and very warm. Opinions agree on many things. Reviews are presented below.
- Wonderful place. Here you can think about the high.
- This is just a miracle that cannot be described in words. He must be seen.
- Very beautiful. Well-kept area, the temple is clean and comfortable.
- It is amazing how the church was preserved. And most interestingly, in the 90s, funds for restoration were found.
- Even unbelieving people cannot remain indifferent to this architectural monument. And, leaving, they buy something that could remind you of a visit here.
- Many are so enthusiastic that they promise to come back more than once.
Pilgrim Memo
The address of the Church of the Nativity in Yaroslavl, we found out. What you need to remember the one who was going to visit her? There are some rules that must be followed when going to the temple.
- Women entering the church should cover their heads. Therefore, going on an excursion to the temple, do not forget to grab a scarf.
- Ideally, the fair sex attend the temple in skirts.
- If a woman is in such trouble as critical days, the trip will have to be postponed. At least for three days. After this period, you can enter the temple. But to attach to the icons, to put candles - is prohibited. It is better to wait a week and go to church when there are no more bans on certain traditions.
- Men should be in trousers. No shorts are allowed.
- Before entering the premises, men take off their hats (caps, hats, hats).
- On the territory of the temple you can not talk loudly, go to the cry, use swear words.
- It is forbidden to smoke and drink alcohol in the church.
- If there is worship in the temple, you should put your mobile phone in silent mode. Otherwise, a case may arise that is very well described in the Orthodox public of one well-known site: "phones that make sounds during the service are seized and immersed in holy water." This is a joke, of course. It just will not be good if, during solemn liturgical chants, the telephone begins to “sing” completely non-Orthodox.
- Can I take photos in the Church of the Nativity in Yaroslavl? This question needs to be asked behind a candle box. Without permission - not advisable.
Conclusion
We got acquainted with an ancient architectural monument located in the city of Yaroslavl. If the opportunity arises, be sure to visit the Church of the Nativity in Yaroslavl. Touch the orthodox shrine.