The cathedral, built in the 19th century, underwent significant changes during the activities of the Soviet government. Now it is functioning. The majestic, with golden domes, Smolensk temple in Orel is visible from different points of the city. Its history allows you to touch the events of bygone years.
History of occurrence
It all started at the end of the XVII century. Everyone knows about the rebellion of the archers, arranged during the reign of Peter I. Further history developed rapidly: the king sent the rebels to Oryol. There was a Streletskaya settlement, freethinkers continued to further equip their life. The only thing that bothered them was the lack of a temple. But the settlement was far from the city center, and visiting local churches was not very convenient because of the distances.
A century passed before the descendants of the archers got permission to build their own temple. This was during the reign of Catherine II, famous for unspoken prohibitions on the construction of new churches. The then Bishop Tikhon filed a petition in which he asked the Empress for permission to build a church, justifying this by the need to confront the schismatics, who had become active not far from the Streletskaya Sloboda. Catherine II agreed to the construction of the church of the Smolensk Icon of the Mother of God, and the work began to boil.
The land was allocated from the very center of the settlement, it was enough to build a church and a bell tower, a beautiful garden was built here. The first building was built in the 70s of the XVIII century, services began in 1777. The consecration of the laying of the second Smolensk temple in Orel (the main one) took place in 1857. Construction was completed only at the end of the 19th century, and the bell tower was erected in 1908.
XX century
You got acquainted with the pre-revolutionary history of the Smolensk church in Orel. It's time to talk about what happened to him during the years of Soviet power.
In 1938 the church was closed. And when the Great Patriotic War began, it was used as a bomb shelter. After the battles ended, the temple turned into a bakery. That was until 1995.
In April 1994, the administration of Orel ordered the transfer of the mutilated church to the faithful. A year passed, divine services resumed, and in 1998, the consecration of the right altar in honor of the Savior Not Made by Hands took place. The left chapel is consecrated in the name of the martyr Dmitry Solunsky.
By 2015, the Smolensk Church in Orel was completely restored. Finishing work inside the church was completed, a new iconostasis was installed, and domes were ennobled. Today the temple is operational, services occur daily.
Abbot
Speaking of the church, one cannot be silent about its rector. Archpriest Nikolai Shumskikh was appointed to him since 2013. The priest is 46 years old, he is married and has six children.
Father Nikolai has a higher seminary education, he studied from 1993 to 1997. During his ministry he was awarded a number of awards:
- In 2013, a medal was received in honor of the 900th anniversary of the feat of the holy martyr Kuksha.
- A year later, Father Nikolai was marked with a patriarchal sign in honor of the 700th anniversary of the Monk Sergius of Radonezh.
- In 2015, he received a medal in the 1000th anniversary of the presentation of the Holy Equal-to-the-Apostles Prince Vladimir.
- The priest was awarded the last award in 2016, this is a medal of the 1st degree of Rev. Kuksha.
Clergy
In addition to the father of the abbot, several priests serve in the Smolensk church of Orel:
- Priest Serafim (Yurashevich). Born in 1965, studied at the Minsk and Moscow theological seminaries. Married in 2002. He was awarded numerous awards for his ministry.
- Priest Oleg (Anokhin). A fairly young priest, he is 39 years old. Former policeman, served in the Ministry of Internal Affairs from 2000 to 2006. In 2007, he decided to enter the Belgorod Theological Seminary. He has two awards, married, has a son.
- Priest Vladislav (Kosenko). Born in 1974, married at the age of 19, has three children. From youth he went to God, in 1991 he was a singer in the Holy Ascension Church of the city of Krasnodar. In 2016 he graduated from the Moscow Theological Seminary, studied in absentia. Has several awards.
Schedule
In the Smolensk Church in Orel, services are conducted daily. Their schedule over the years has been unchanged:
- On weekdays, the beginning of the Divine Liturgy is at 8:00.
- On holidays and Sundays there are two liturgies. Early starts at 7 a.m., late - at 9.30 a.m.
- The evening service starts at 5 p.m. daily.
Address
The Smolensk church in Orel is located at: Normandy-Neman Street, 27. The church is open daily, anyone can come during the church’s opening hours. If you want to attend a liturgy or worship, it is better to specify the time of service in advance.
Temple shrines
The main shrine of the Smolensk temple in Orel is the image of the Blessed Virgin Mary. It is easy to guess about its name - this is the Mother of God "Smolenskaya". According to legend, the icon was painted during the life of the Virgin Mary by the Evangelist Luke.
In the church are the icons of the great martyr Dmitry Solunsky and the martyr Tatiana with particles of their relics. Another image especially honored by the parishioners is the Most Holy Theotokos "The Tsaritsa" and the Monk Seraphim of Sarov.
In the Smolensk temple, you can attach to a reliquary, in which there are particles of God's saints. And to see the clothes of the Monk Mercury of Kiev-Pechersk, the relics of the saint were dressed in it.
Conclusion
If you are a believer, then, once in Orel, be sure to visit Smolensky Cathedral. Touch the Orthodox ancient shrine, admire its majestic architecture. The church is the place where worries and worries recede; they are replaced by peace and a sense of security.
Remember the form of clothing: a hat for women, ideally a skirt or dress. Men are in the church with their heads drawn, in trousers and a closed shirt or sweater. It is unacceptable to expose the shoulders, chest and legs.