In Veliky Novgorod, on the left bank of the Volkhov River, among the picturesque area called Kolmovo, stands the ancient church of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary. Founded in 1530 and becoming the same age as Ivan the Terrible, it has survived to the present day, having survived with Russia the invasions of alien invaders and the misfortunes caused by the madness of their own people. Today, this monument of past centuries is included in the routes of most excursions organized in Veliky Novgorod.
Abolished cloister
The Church of the Assumption of the Virgin, located in Kolmovo, in ancient times was the main church of a large man’s monastery, abolished in 1764, shortly after the accession to the Russian throne by Empress Catherine II. It is known that the period of her reign was extremely unfavorable for many holy monasteries. In the Novgorod land during the first two years, more than seventy of them were abolished. Such a sad fate befell the ancient male monastery, located in Kolmovo. The Church of the Assumption of the Virgin, which was its main temple, received the status of a parish church and became the center of a religious community formed around it.
New parishioners of the temple
After two decades, Sovereign Catherine again remembered the monastery that she had once abolished and ordered her to open the former hospital and a "strait house" in his territory, in other words, a prison.
Since then, the bulk of the parishioners of the Church of the Assumption of the Virgin in Kolmovo (Veliky Novgorod) began to be made up of prisoners who were sent to Siberia in stages and made a short stop at the local transit prison. In addition, as far back as 1762, by the decree of Emperor Peter II, who was soon killed, a shelter for the insane was established in the monastery, which operated for all subsequent years and also replenished the number of parishioners.
The onset of blessed times
After a century later, Emperor Alexander II carried out the Zemstvo reform of 1864, which laid the foundation for a new form of local self-government, many charitable institutions in Russia moved from the jurisdiction of the previous Orders of public contempt to dependents of city and provincial authorities, which greatly improved their condition.
This also affected the arrival of the Church of the Assumption of the Virgin in Kolmovo. The hospital, the night shelter for the homeless, and the shelter for the mentally ill, operating under him, received additional funding, which made it possible to carry out a number of previously inaccessible chores.
From archival documents of that period it follows that already in 1866, that is, shortly after the Zemsky reform was implemented, two new stone buildings were built there, one of which housed an almshouse, and the other arranged a psychiatric hospital equipped with all available times of comfort. A ventilation system was installed for patients and staff, ovens were equipped, water pipes were installed, and street cesspools were replaced with water closets. In addition, the Zemstvo forces opened an elementary school for children from poor families.
Statistics of past years
The rooms of the former monastic cells, which were empty for a long time, were used to place the city archive in it, which is still there. It stores documents according to which, by the end of the 19th century, the inhabitants of the colony for the mentally ill, created at the Church of the Assumption of the Virgin in Kolmovo, were 406 (!) People of both sexes.
In addition, 40 patients were constantly hospitalized in the parish hospital, more than a hundred old people lived their lives in an almshouse, and two dozen orphans were kept in an orphanage located in the same place. This shows how prominent the role of the Assumption Church and its parishioners played in the cause of public charity and assistance to low-income groups.
Temple sanatorium
The colony for the mentally ill created at the Assumption Church was so unique in the life of Russia of that era that it deserves special attention. The Zemstvo doctor who founded it, E.F. Andriolli, established as a fundamental principle a humane attitude to patients, providing them with the greatest possible freedom, as well as using adequate labor as one of the forms of treatment.
In 1875, B. A. Shpakovsky, a major specialist in the field of psychiatry, was appointed the head of the hospital, or, as it appears in the documents, a colony. He not only became the successor of the traditions laid down by his predecessor, but also managed to use the most advanced, at that time, achievements of world medicine in the treatment of patients. The experience accumulated over the years of work was summarized by him and laid the foundation for several scientific works that were highly appreciated by specialists.
Troubles and trials of the XX century
With the establishment of Soviet power in the country, the Assumption Church was closed and subsequently almost completely destroyed. A unique medical center, an orphanage and an almshouse ceased to exist. Only the school created at the beginning of the 20th century remained operational, but during the war years it received such serious damage that after the Nazis were expelled from Novgorod land, it had to be rebuilt.
As for the Assumption Church itself, located at Veliky Novgorod, Pavel Levitt Street, 9/18, it owes its revival to perestroika, which gave an impetus to a radical change in state policy in matters related to religion. Restored from ruins in the beginning of 2000, today it again became one of the leading spiritual centers of Novgorod land.
The modern life of the temple
By the work of the rector of the church, Archpriest Nikolai (Ershov), the priest of Father Timofey and the most active parishioners, the following were opened: a social service department that provides assistance to sick, elderly and poor people, a sisterhood is organized, the members of which help to care for patients of the city clinical hospital, and a pilgrimage travel service has been established. In addition, every year the Sunday school open at the church improves its work.
Meanwhile, the parish leadership focuses on organizing a full-fledged spiritual life in it, and fulfilling the requirements of the Charter of the Russian Orthodox Church of the Moscow Patriarchate for religious communities. The order of all divine services included in the annual cycle is steadily observed. For those who, having visited Veliky Novgorod, want to take part in them, we inform you about the working hours of the Church of the Assumption of the Virgin in Kolmovo. On weekdays, her doors open at 8:00 for confession and the subsequent Divine Liturgy. The all-night vigil begins at 17:00, and at 18:00 the temple closes. On Sundays and public holidays, the church is open from 7:00 for the Early Liturgy, after which at 10:00 there is another Late Liturgy. He completes his work at 17:00, that is, an hour earlier than on weekdays.
The revived appearance of the shrine
The current appearance of the Assumption Church in Kolmovo largely corresponds to its original appearance, which you can get an idea of thanks to the preserved archival materials. Its architectural solution is fully consistent with the standards adopted in the XVI century.
The squat square building, according to its layout, is complemented by an apse on the east side - a semicircular extension, inside which an altar is placed. Very characteristic details of this architectural style are the shoulder blades - vertical ledges dividing the walls into three parts and semicircular arch-crowns crowning them. Noteworthy are the decorative window frames.