From time immemorial the bell evangelism sailed over Moscow. Spilled raspberry ringing her "forty magpies." And always in this gracious chord the voice of the mighty bell was distinguished from the belfry of the temple erected by the royal masters - printers. He sang hot copper for the glory of the Mother of God and Her Most Holy Son.
The construction of the first wooden church
In XVII, the emperor granted land to the masters of his Printing Yard that stretched along the stream, just between the current Trubnaya and Sretenka streets. They settled, set up houses, started a farm. But what kind of life is this without the temple of God? So the printed masters built the church, consecrating it in honor of the great event - the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary. The Temple in Pechatniki was then wooden, it is known, but when it was erected, no one knows. Some sources refer to 1625, others - 1631. Who will now mention - it was a long time ago. It is known for sure that in 1659, with the zeal of all the same printers, the temple was completely rebuilt, but remained log-like.
Construction of a stone temple
He stood safely for thirty-six years, and in 1695 was dismantled. The masons were invited, and they laid down a marvelous stone temple. He was also consecrated in honor of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary.
The temple in Pechatnik of those years did not much resemble the one that Muscovites know and love today. It was one-headed and without lateral limits, which were attached later. An inscription on one of the icons helps in accurate dating. It was built in the then accepted style of Moscow baroque.
The Lord kept this temple. From the documents that have reached us, it is clear that the terrible fire that occurred in Moscow in 1937 passed around its wall. Even during the epidemic of 1771, the temple did not have to be closed - the death of all those who lived near it and attended services did not affect. Moreover, from the records of 1774 it is known that the parish of the temple is recognized as one of the most exemplary parishes of Moscow.
Building the limits of the temple
The church choir sang harmoniously, and the fertile smoke from the censers rose to the vaults. But one thing prevented the parishioners from praying and reading akathists in honor of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary - the temple in Pechatniki was not heated, and during the severe winter frosts the cold was severe. And in 1725, parishioners decided to attach a warm chapel to the temple.
Without hesitation, they got down to business, and in 1727 it was built and consecrated. Further work to expand the temple continued in 1763. Another aisle was erected on the other side of the refectory. And eight years later, a small chapel was added to the refectory building.
A remarkable Russian artist, icon painter Nikolai Nikolaevich Tyapkin, in 1794 decorated the walls of the temple with paintings, and four years later a huge bell was raised at his belfry. The new iconostasis, established in 1805, completed the general decoration, behind which was a throne consecrated in honor of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary. The Pechatniki Temple was the pride of the parishioners.
The destruction and subsequent restoration of the temple
But the Lord allowed him to suffer in 1812 at the hands of European barbarians. French soldiers sacked and burned the temple. What was saved was transferred to Sretensky Monastery. The very next year, parishioners began by all means to rebuild their church of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary. In Pechatniki, on Sretenka, work began to boil, and soon all that burned in the fire of war was recreated. The ringing of his bells floated over Moscow again.
The appearance of the temple acquired new features at the very intersection of centuries. In the period 1897 - 1902, the architect M.A. Aladyin rebuilt the refectory and the chapel. The belfry was built into the refectory. It was crowned by a small stone tent.
The fate of the temple in the XX century
With the coming to power, the Bolsheviks closed the Church of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary in Pechatniki. Moskvovedenie - the field of historical science, dealing with the past of our capital - in its research articles on this period, describes the defeat, comparable only with the invasion of the French. The mutilated building was rebuilt, and Soviet institutions were located in it.
The revival came with the period of perestroika, when the Orthodox Church returned property taken from her. In 1994, the Church of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary was again consecrated in Pechatniki. The schedule of services posted at the entrance, as in previous years, notifies parishioners that they are expected at liturgies, vespers and matins. Church life gradually returned to its path indicated by the holy fathers.