Temple of Alexander Nevsky (Chelyabinsk) - one of the most beautiful buildings in the city. It is included in the list of cultural and architectural heritage of the city. A unique building located on Scarlet Square has a rich and sometimes tragic history. But after years of oblivion, the temple is again open for worship.
Construction history
In 1881, on the outskirts of the city, Alexander Square was founded in honor of Emperor Alexander II. The merchant Kutyrev laid a chapel on the square in honor of Alexander Nevsky, the great commander and patron saint of the emperor. Funds for the chapel were allocated by the merchant himself, and city residents donated. The chapel did not have an architectural design from the very beginning, and construction without proper supervision was soon stopped, and all buildings were demolished.
In 1884, the Orenburg Conservatory made a proposal to the merchant Kutyrev to rebuild the begun chapel into a church. Again, fundraising, the search for an architect and other preparatory work began. The construction, which dragged on for many years, was only begun in 1907. According to the preserved reports, 60 thousand rubles were collected for the temple, part of which was personally donated by Emperor Nicholas II.
The author of the new church was the eminent architect A.N. Pomerantsev. He proposed to build a church in the new Russian-Byzantine style. Construction lasted four years, walls were erected, and the interior decoration was completed. The funds raised were sorely lacking, so we decided to abandon the mosaics conceived by the architect over the entrance and pedestals for high reliefs.
The iconostasis for the new church was made by a master woodworker from Verkhneuralsk. Altar icons and dome painting were created in the workshop of the artist V. M. Oshchepkov. Artwork was carried out until 1916. As a result, images of the Russian Orthodox saints Alexander Nevsky, Metropolitan John, the holy princes Boris, Gleb, Yaroslav the Wise and Monomakh looked down from the walls of the church.
In 1916, the church of Alexander Nevsky (Chelyabinsk) was opened for parishioners, and divine services began in it. Services were conducted a little over ten years.
Soviet authority
The October Revolution was a turning point in the fate of the temple. Under Soviet rule, the area was renamed from Alexandrovskaya to Aloe Field. The priests of Chelyabinsk recognized Soviet power and performed services in churches. But in the difficult years of the famine, in 1921-22, the authorities ordered that all valuables be removed from the church. The proceeds from the sale went to the hunger strike fund. March 4, 1930 the temple was finally closed. The church was left without crosses and domes, and the painting on the walls was smeared with paint.
The building, which was built as the church of Alexander Nesvky (Chelyabinsk), was given for household needs. At different times, a warehouse, a printing house, a palace of schoolchildren, and even a planetarium were located here.
Organ Hall
In 1980, the church building was transferred to the Regional Philharmonic. Amazing restoration work was carried out. According to several surviving photographs, the architect K. I. Gusarov tried to reproduce the original appearance of the building, thus preserving the church of Alexander Nevsky (Chelyabinsk). Restorers have done a unique job. The lost secrets of chain and cross masonry were discovered, which were used by builders at the beginning of the century. 13 domes were re-installed at a height of 30 m. The largest domes are 2 m in diameter and 5 m high, and the smallest ones are 1.2 m. Each dome was crowned with a 2.5-meter spire.
If the exterior was recreated in detail, then the interior was completely transformed. The acoustics were improved in the halls; on the walls appeared panels of marble, labradorite, jasper and a coil. In 1987, a magnificent organ was installed by the German company Hermann Oile. Since then, organ music concerts have been held here. World stars revered for the honor of performing in this room.
Church again
From the beginning of the 90s, the question of transferring the building of the Russian Orthodox Church began to be raised, but only on July 8, 2010 the first service in 80 years was held in the church. For several years, the temple of Alexander Nevsky (Chelyabinsk) combined the functions of the temple and the concert hall. And so, in 2011, it was decided to transfer the church building, and move the organ hall to the Cosmos cinema.
Today the church is again open to believers. The sound of the church choir fills the church of Alexander Nevsky (Chelyabinsk). The schedule of services in it is about the same as in other churches. So, in the morning, at 8 o'clock, an akathist is read, at 8:30 - the hours, confession, at 8:45 - the divine liturgy. On weekends, a prayer service, a requiem, a funeral service falls at 10 o’clock, and baptism at 11. Daily at 5 p.m. evening worship is held.
Not so long ago, a significant event took place in the life of the church, which attracted thousands of believers even from far corners of the region. In April 2016, the relics of Spiridon Trimifuntsky arrived at the temple of Alexander Nevsky (Chelyabinsk). Visitors rushed to the temple to touch the great shrine. The ark with the relics of the saint is kept in the Holy Danilov Monastery, and with the blessing of Patriarch Cyril, the relics were transferred to Chelyabinsk for several days. Saint Spyridon of Trimyphuntus is the patron saint of entrepreneurs and all who work honestly. During his lifetime, he performed many miracles and, upon death, does not leave people addressing him with his intercession. During the period when the relics were in the church of Alexander Nevsky in Chelyabinsk, more than one hundred thousand believers came here.
After a hundred years from the day of consecration, the church of Alexander Nevsky is operational, and its holy patron helps believers to find their way to God.