"It is good for us here, Lord ..." - the words of the Apostle Peter said to Christ on the day of his Transfiguration ... Once there came a time in our country when many people felt ill in the churches, because "they loved darkness more than light " And temples and cathedrals began to crumble on the orders of unreasonable power. But there is no night without morning. Church of the Transfiguration on Transfiguration Square Moscow was the last victim of the struggle of communism with the Orthodox faith. This church was blown up under the pretext of clearing the territory for the construction of the subway in 1964. Since then, not a single temple has been destroyed in the capital of Russia.
Russian churches are often built in the shape of a ship. Due to the catwalk imitating a ship deck, the Transfiguration Church is particularly similar to a seagoing vessel. Probably, the building, built according to the drawings of the late nineteenth century, could not organically fit into modern architecture. But the churches of God are called to be a kind of “alarm clock” that makes people freeze for a minute, think about whether they are going in the right direction. A piece of another world among asphalt, metal and mirrored windows of tall buildings. This is the real purpose of the house of God. Everything here is designed to “tear” a person out of endless running in a circle.
Schedule of Divine Services
The ground forces of the Russian army have their own church - the Church of the Transfiguration of the Lord on Transfiguration Square. timetable services: morning services begin daily at 8.00. On Sundays, the beginning of the Liturgy is at 9.00. Evening services are held daily at 18.00. Those who wish to confess must come one hour before the start of the service. Every Sunday after the end of the Liturgy, a water-sanctuary service is served. On Fridays and Sundays at 20.00 prayers are held for getting rid of alcohol and drug addiction and for creating and strengthening a family.
The Church of the Transfiguration of Our Lord on Preobrazhenskaya Square provides an opportunity for members of single-parent, large and low-income families to receive, by appointment, free consultations from specialists: lawyers, psychologists, hairdressers, photographers, and specialists in pregnancy and childbirth. The Sacraments of Baptism (on Saturdays at 10.00) and Weddings are performed in the church. For adults who want to be baptized, as well as parents and future adoptive parents of babies, every Wednesday at 20.00 there are announcing conversations that help to properly prepare for the Sacrament.
Temple location
One of the sights of the north-eastern part of the capital for an Orthodox pilgrim is the Church of the Transfiguration of the Lord on Preobrazhenskaya Square. Address: Moscow, Preobrazhenskaya Square, 9-a. Each church has its own special spirit. At this temple, he is one with the spirit of the eponymous regiment. This unity found expression in the design of the entire area. All its details seek to emphasize the idea of combining the spiritual and secular, in this case, the Orthodox and fighting spirit. Near, on the site of the mass grave, is a monument to the soldiers of the Preobrazhensky regiment with the image of their badge. Nearby there is a square of limes and maples where you can sit down. All this constitutes a single memorial dedicated to the history of the birth of the Russian army and the birth of the regiment, whose history is closely connected with the history of the church of the same name, which, among other things, is a symbol of the spiritual strength of the Russian army.
From consecration to explosion
The Church of the Transfiguration of the Lord on Transfiguration Square was built in the middle of the eighteenth century. It was dedicated to the holy supreme apostles Peter and Paul, and the main chapel of the Feast of the Transfiguration. In 1760, they began to build a stone temple, which stood before demolition in 1964. Consecrated a new temple in 1768. Before the destruction, the Transfiguration Church did not close and until the revolution itself was one of the many inconspicuous churches on the outskirts of the capital.
At the beginning of the twentieth century, the Church of the Transfiguration on the Transfiguration Square became a cathedral. After the revolution, many shrines and icons from neighboring closing churches were brought here. Here appeared one of the most important spiritual centers of Moscow. During the war, temples again became a haven for grieving and destitute people who always received comfort here. In 1964, when rumors of demolition appeared, parishioners in the amount of about 100 people locked themselves in the temple. About a thousand believers stood around him. For a week, the workers could not get to the church. When the defenders of the temple, having calmed down, parted, a terrible explosion occurred at night, and they realized that they had been deceived. But, apparently, the prayer of the people who united to defend the church was so hot that a miracle happened. The metro station, which was supposed to be built on the site of the temple, was built elsewhere. Instead, they destroyed a public garden. Since then, churches in Moscow were no longer destroyed. And the parishioners still had hope for the restoration of the temple.
Temple today
In 2009, the reconstruction of the Transfiguration Church began in the form that it existed at the time of destruction, according to the drawings of 1883 and the latest photographs. Now it is the church of the Transfiguration Regiment, which was completely completed and consecrated in 2015. It has five chapels. At the bottom of the temple there is a font for adults. The church has a library and a Sunday school.
During the consecration, copies of all the banners of the Preobrazhensky Regiment and the original of the very first banner were installed in the church. At the temple there is a museum of the history of the Preobrazhensky regiment and the birth of the Russian army.