After the October Revolution in 1917, many ancient Moscow churches were, unfortunately, destroyed. However, some religious buildings were almost miraculously, but still preserved. The Church of Clement, Pope of Rome, in Zamoskvorechye, on ul. Pyatnitskaya. The features of this ancient temple are rather unusual for the Orthodox Church architecture and decoration. In another way, the church is also called the Church of the Transfiguration of the Savior.
Minin and Pozharsky
Unfortunately, nothing is known to historians about the exact time of the construction of the Clement's temple. The first mention of this church is found in the annals telling about the battle of the troops of Minin and Pozharsky with the Poles on August 24, 1612. Then the Russian Cossack troops recaptured this temple and the nearby prison from Khodkevich, thereby violating the hetman’s plans to prepare for the capture of the Moscow Kremlin .
Temple before the revolution
According to the annals, in those days this building had a completely different look. It was built, like most other temples in Moscow, from wood. However, already 40 years after the battle, the church of Clement, the Pope, completely changed. On the site of an old wooden structure, a stone was built. The first mention of the new temple dates back to 1657. At the beginning of the XVIII century the church was completely rebuilt. A refectory and a bell tower with two aisles were also erected next to it. The architects of the new church were supposedly A. Yevlashov or K. Blank.
In the middle of the XVIII century. the church was again subjected to global reconstruction. The bulk of the old building was demolished, and by 1769 the builders completed the construction of the five-domed baroque church. The reconstruction was financed by the Moscow merchant of the first guild Matveyev. The architect was supposedly Italian Pietro Antonio Trezzini. It is in this form that this church has survived to this day.
Temple after the revolution
The decision to close the church of Clement, Pope, on Pyatnitskaya by the Moscow authorities was made in 1929. According to the priests, they came to disperse the faithful right on Good Friday. The parishioners were not even allowed to celebrate Easter. Archpriest Mikhail Galunov, who was appointed to this post in 1925 and did a lot for the restoration of the church, was taken to the NKVD. In the camps later he was 10 years.
In 1934, it was decided to destroy the empty Clement Church on Pyatnitskaya. Residents of a nearby house wrote a petition to the authorities about this. In it, they asked on the site of the temple to equip a playground. However, restorers Igor Grabar and Pyotr Baranovsky stood up for the church, saving thousands of ancient religious buildings in those days. Today, the Russian Orthodox Church calls them ascetics and in every possible way reveres them, even though they were unbelievers.
History of the Church of Clement, Pope of Rome: Interesting Facts
As it was, no one really knows. But about the salvation of the Church of Clement on Pyatnitskaya there is quite an interesting legend. It is believed that Baranovsky and Grabar went directly to Clement Voroshilov. After all, it was precisely this Soviet military leader and politician who was baptized in childhood in honor of St. Pope. According to rumors, by decree of Voroshilov in 1934, the first full edition of Lenin’s works, which was just published at that time, was brought to the church on Pyatnitskaya. Huge shelves were quickly erected in the temple and made them books, including the works of the leader of the revolution. That is, a library was urgently created here.
The explosives who came to destroy the temple, the workers of the book depository threatened with a call to the NKVD about sabotage. Seeing Lenin’s books on the shelves, they, according to legend, retreated.
Thus, thanks to the intercession of the two restorers, the Church of Clement, the Pope, almost did not suffer during the Soviet years. To this day, it has been preserved almost in its original form.
Associated with the church of Clement and another pretty interesting fact. Priests say that Archpriest Mikhail Galunov, who served a ten-year sentence, after his release for a long time secretly lived with his wife in the bell tower of the church. It is believed that this became possible due to the fact that religious librarians worked in the book depository organized in the church.
The state of the temple at the beginning of the new millennium
The church of Clement, Pope (Transfiguration of the Savior) was destroyed, in Moscow in the 30s, like many others, it was not. However, in the subsequent, of course, no one paid special attention to her. By 2002, the library in the temple was still working, but it was in terrible condition. Most of the windows in the building were missing, and the roof leaked.
Temple restoration
The first to repair the church , of course, were believers. With their money, a small reconstruction was carried out. To preserve the building, the roof was first blocked. The leak has stopped. Believers also took care of most of the windows. Glass was inserted into the openings. After some time, the clergy managed to draw attention to the state of the temple authorities. In 2008, at the initiative of Luzhkov, the building was transferred to the Russian Orthodox Church. Books were taken out of it. In 2014, the restoration of the church of St. Clement was almost completed. The Moscow authorities financed the reconstruction of this building, important for the spiritual life of the country.
Reviews of the Church of Clement, Pope
Of course, in the few years after the opening and restoration the temple was visited by many believers and history buffs. Reviews about the work carried out in it, there are only good. The church looks, according to many parishioners, just great. Its interiors are unusual, but they tune the believer in the right manner very well. This church has earned excellent reviews for the fact that next to it there is a clean public garden. Here you can sit in the shade, relax and breathe the air of old Moscow.
Who is Saint Clement
Actually, the patron of this church himself lived in Rome during the time of Christ and the Apostle Peter. The parents of St. Clement were called Favst and Matthew. Both were of royal origin and were relatives of the Roman emperor. In addition to Clement, they had two more children - the twins Favstin and Favstinian. Faith saint's parents adhered to pagan.
It so happened that because of the act of an ungodly person, this whole large family was bewildered. For a long time, its members considered each other dead. They reunited only 24 years after separation thanks to the Apostle Peter. The twin brothers and Clement, independently of each other, believed in Christ and followed this saint.
The sad stories of his life were told to the revered apostle by many people. Both Clement and Matthidius did this. Peter accidentally met her asking for alms at the entrance to one of the cities through which he passed. Realizing that the woman and his disciple are each other's son and mother, the apostle arranged their meeting. Other followers of Peter, including the twins Favstin and Favstinian, learned about this happy story in detail. Of course, they immediately realized who Clement and Matthew were, and hastened to meet with them.
But miracles did not end there. Happy Matthidia believed that Christ herself helped her find children, and asked Peter to baptize her. But one old astrologer heard about the ceremony in his city. The scientist began to persuade Peter not to baptize a woman, since there is no God in heaven. Yes, even if he were, then, according to the elder, he would not have allowed the death of his wife and children many years ago. After listening to the history of the astrologer, Peter realized that he was faced by the husband of Matthew and the father of his three students. So the family finally reunited.
Why the saint is called the pope
The temple of the Holy Martyr Clement, Pope of Rome, was built in honor of this saint, of course, not because of his wonderful reunion with his family, but in memory of his affairs. Having met, Clement's parents returned to Rome and were showered with gifts and all sorts of benefits by their rejoiced relative - the Roman emperor. Of course, Matthew and Favst began to actively preach the new religion. After their death, Clement continued this business. During his life, this preacher was often persecuted and ultimately drowned by pagans in the sea.
Today, the church greatly respects St. Clement, believing that it was he who first spread Christianity among the Roman nobility. Before him, this religion was the faith of the poor. As a noble man, Clement baptized a lot of wealthy Romans. As a result, Christianity has become a religion including the military and the most revered citizens. That is why priests, including Orthodox Christians, consider him a man worthy to bear the title of the first pre-split Pope.
Architecture features
Outwardly, the Church of Clement, the Pope, looks very unusual. It looks like this building is more likely not like an Orthodox church, but a Catholic one. The architecture of this building in style is very close to Western European. However, the internal Orthodox essence of the church, in the opinion of its clergy, has been fully preserved.
Interior decoration
The interiors of the Pope’s temple are made in the Rococo style, which is also unusual for an Orthodox religious building. Its interior is a bit like a Catholic. However, unlike the western temples, in the church of St. Clement there are no images of chimeras and monsters. Orthodox priests consider their presence in design a sign of the departure of the Catholic Church from the true faith.
Of course, the basis of the interior of the temple are icons. There are five old images in the church of Clement. The most revered at the same time is the icon of the Sovereign Mother of God. This image is considered even older than acquired in Kolomenskoye, which was once used in the abdication of Nicholas II.
This icon was created, like the four others, by Italian masters. Compared to traditional Orthodox, all these images look quite unusual. The church even has the image of St. Catherine, on which is represented not her, but the Empress Catherine II. Such liberties were sometimes allowed by icon painters of the 18th century. The modern Church does not approve of this. Nevertheless, the icon adorns the walls of the temple, and anyone can look at it.
How to find a temple
To get to the church of Clement, the Pope, in Moscow will not be difficult. It is located right in the center of the city, on the site of the former Cossack settlement. You can get to it by metro. This church is located directly between two large stations - the Tretyakovskaya and Kuznetskaya - and occupies almost the entire Klimentovsky lane. The exact address of the temple looks like this: Moscow, st. Pyatnitskaya, d. 26, p. 1.
Clement Church in Pskov and other cities
Of course, in honor of this revered saint in Russia, more than one temple was built on Pyatnitskaya. There are such churches in other cities of Russia. You can visit the church of the saint, for example, in Pskov. The Church of Clement, Pope of Rome, in this city is located on Olginsky Embankment, 16.
Such a temple was built in Veliky Novgorod. You can find it at the address: st. Bolshaya Moskovskaya, 36. Another church of the saint operates in the village of Kostyurino, Yaroslavl Region.