The Church of the Archangel Michael in the village of Old Chekursky is located in the Republic of Tatarstan. This church, although it does not have a long history, is known throughout the district for its features. About the Church of the Archangel Michael in Old Chekursky, the history of its construction and unusual facts later in the article.
Settlement history
The appearance of the village of Old Chekursky is directly related to the movement of Russian servicemen towards the Volga region. They gradually farther and farther away from their small homeland and began to explore new territories.
In 1647, several villages were formed along the left bank of the Tusa River, previously without a name, including Old Chekurskoye. Settlers engaged in farming and hunting. It is known for sure that the peasants who lived here were not serfs, which means they were free people.
The settlement gradually expanded, and since the vast majority of peasants were Orthodox, the need for a new church arose.
Church erection
The Church of the Archangel Michael in Old Chekursky was built in the period from 1905 to 1909. For that time, a short enough time for the construction of the church. The name of the author of the architectural project has not survived to our time.
The construction of the temple in the name of the Archangel Michael is due to the fact that most of the settlers were from the military. Michael is the archangel and the main archangel who cast the devil into the underworld. In Russia, from the time of Peter the Great, Michael was the patron saint of the defenders of the fatherland.
What was the interior of the temple at the beginning of the 20th century is unknown, but there is evidence that its main icon was the list of Archangel Michael with a fire sword in his hands. Unfortunately, this face has been lost.
Church in the 20th century
Together with the church, a parish school was built and opened. The first priest in the church of the Archangel Michael in Old Chekursky was A. A. Petrov, who was born in the village of Bolshaya Aksa. In addition to church concerns, he taught the law of God, Russian literacy, spelling and reading in a parish school.
In 1931, the temple was closed and gradually became desolate, as was the village itself. A cross was dismantled from the dome, part of the icons disappeared, and the other part was destroyed. After a short period of time, a school was set up in the former church building. In the village, the Orthodox Christian life fell silent for a long time. In the 90s, the temple building was on the verge of complete destruction, but local residents were not allowed to demolish the remaining church structure.
Church revival
After 70 years, the church began to be restored. In 2000, the Bishop of Tatarstan named Anastasius received a blessing to revive the temple. Due to lack of funds, the church remained in its former state, only its interior decoration was partially restored. This made it possible to conduct temporary services, which were conducted by Father John, as well as the first priest from the village of Big Aksa.
In 2006, in the village of Old Chekursky, the Church of the Archangel Michael was restored. Her new abbot was appointed father Oleg (Volkov). A large number of believers began to visit the temple, and pilgrims gradually began to appear. This was due to the unusual gift of a priest, Father Oleg.
The temple is a three-domed building made of wood with a conical head having a small onion dome. The upper part of the church is sheathed with white plastic panels.
The interior of the temple is quite modest, on a simple iconostasis there are a large number of icons, the main of which is the Archangel Michael. Despite the modesty of the interior, thousands of believers come here every year.
Father Oleg
Reviews of the Church of the Archangel Michael in Old Chekursky initially began to interest not only believers, but also atheists. The whole reason was the abbot of the church, who could do what few priests can do in Russia. In the Trinity-Sergius Lavra, Father German, known to almost every Orthodox believer, heals people possessed by demons. Father Oleg, the rector of the Church of the Archangel Michael, has exactly this gift.
Talk about this unusual gift immediately spread throughout the district, which attracted a large number of pilgrims. An interesting fact is that only about 20 priests possess such an unusual gift.
Rite of exile
One of the most frequently asked questions that arises when talking about the rite of exorcism is the question of why not every priest undertakes to fulfill it. The thing is that the vast majority of priests are wary, and some are even very afraid of this rite. In order to carry out the expulsion of an unclean spirit, you yourself must be inaccessible and not subject to it.
It is believed that this ritual is so dangerous for the one who conducts it that its completion can be fatal for the most exorcist. For such a ceremony, the aura of the church itself, prayer, worship and fasting are extremely important. In big cities, unfortunately, even priests succumb to temptations and violate canons. It is for this reason that it is necessary to go to a distant and deaf village, where the holy fathers are more attentive to such things. According to reviews of the Church of the Archangel Michael in the village of Old Chekursky, the obsessed are truly freed from the evil spirits that have settled in them. And only father Oleg can conduct this rite.
Rite of passage
The rite of exile in the church of the Archangel Michael is held on Friday, Saturday and Sunday. These days, the total number of people who came to church is on average more than three hundred people. In the summer, this number increases to 800. Naturally, the church does not have the capacity to accommodate everyone, so most of those who come remain on the street, gradually changing places with those who have already attended divine services.
To understand how many people come to this church for help, it should be mentioned that upon arrival at the temple everyone receives a cardboard number. This is necessary in order not to get confused in a long line.
The rite is entered in groups of 10 people, and the priest begins to conduct it. When the holy father begins to read prayers, cries, roars, moans and cries of those suffering from demon possession are heard. Upon completion, it becomes much easier for many, which can be seen even in facial expressions and eyes, but it is not always possible to help a person the first time.
Usually, a fee of 120 rubles is taken for the ritual, but they can also take a symbolic fee from the suffering person, or not take money at all. It all depends on the financial ability of the obsessed and in need of help.
Those who arrived at the temple before the evening service can visit the refectory, where they will be fed absolutely free, but it is not forbidden to leave a modest offering. Near the church you can rent a hotel room or a room in the private sector.
Church of the Archangel Michael in Old Chekursky: reviews
You can be quite skeptical about the ritual conducted by Father Oleg. Many parishioners believe that in the church of Archangel Michael in a. Old Chekursky in Tatarstan is a real miracle of healing. There is also a number of confirmed facts that people suffering from an unexplained ailment received healing after the rite by Father Oleg. And this is in those cases when doctors could neither make a diagnosis nor help the unfortunate person in any way.
Numerous reviews of the Church of the Archangel Michael (Old Chekurskoye) suggest that some inexplicable miracle is really happening in this temple. Sick and obsessed people suffering before the ceremony recover.
It is quite difficult to argue when thousands of people say that they were helped to get rid of the disease in this temple. Therefore, regardless of all the skepticism present, it is difficult to ignore such arguments; one has to look for some explanation of what is happening in the church of the Archangel Michael in Old Chekursky. Reviews claim that this is a miracle, everyone will decide for himself what it is and how to relate to it.