In 2012, in the city of Cherepovets, Vologda Oblast , the newly built church of Saints Athanasius and Theodosius was consecrated. The initiative to build a church was made in 2004 by residents of the city. Two years later, a parish was established with the support of the clergy and city hall. Fundraising and the organization of a project competition were handled by a specially created charitable foundation.
The temple of Athanasius and Theodosius in Cherepovets began its history with the establishment of the worship cross (2006). The first stone was laid in May 2009. Three years later, the newly built and consecrated church was opened to parishioners.
Temple architecture
The height of the classic church style is thirty-five meters. The church consists of upper and lower temples. In the lower one they are baptized, and the upper one is intended for services. In the upper temple there is a five-tiered iconostasis twenty meters wide and the throne of the Protection of the Holy Virgin.
Temple of Athanasius and Theodosius in Cherepovets - five-domed, with onion domes and crosses. The largest cross reaches six meters in height, has a mass of 750 kilograms.
The bell tower consists of 12 bells. A rectangular tent weighing fourteen tons is installed on top. The church chandelier is designed for 80 candles.
On the territory of the temple there is a house for the clergy, Sunday school, outbuildings and administrative buildings.
Saints Athanasius and Theodosius
The Temple of Athanasius and Theodosius in Cherepovets was consecrated in honor of the students of St. Sergius of Radonezh. The monks came to the confluence of the Yagorba River in Sheksna and settled here. Shortly before the arrival of the monks in these parts, a chapel was built on the initiative of the merchant.
The merchant decided to build a chapel after a miracle happened to him. Once he was transporting goods on a boat, when suddenly in the middle of the day it became dark, and the boat ran aground. The frightened merchant began to pray, and soon the darkness cleared, and the nearby mountain was lit up with bright light. The boat went aground and sailed to the mountain. The man who climbed the mountain was so amazed at the beautiful view that a year later he returned to these parts and built a chapel.
Athanasius and Theodosius erected the church of the Holy Trinity and founded a monastery. To our time, very little information has been preserved about saints. It is only known that St. Athanasius wore an iron staff to humble the flesh, and Theodosius may have been the merchant who set up the chapel.
Church location
The Temple of Athanasius and Theodosius of the Cherepovets is located in the Makarinsky Grove. In the XIX century the Vereshchagins' estate was located here. After the revolution, victims of Stalinist repressions were shot in a grove . During the war, Makarinsky Grove was used to house prisoners. Today it is a rather peaceful and beautiful place in which nothing reminds of the bloody events of the past.
According to the architect, the temple of the Monks Athanasius and Theodosius was built on the right bank of the Sheksna. The temple organically fits into the natural landscape. The exact address is Cherepovets, Makarinskaya Grove, 1. Doors for parishioners are open from eight in the morning until seven in the evening.
Other temples of Cherepovets
The Temple of Athanasius and Theodosius in Cherepovets is the third church in terms of construction time. In the XVI - XVII centuries. on this earth the Temple of the Nativity of Christ was built. In the 20th century, the church suffered from militant atheism, but was later restored.
In the city there is also the Resurrection Cathedral, in which the relics of Athanasius and Theodosius of the Cherepovets rest. This temple has a rich history, famous for frescoes of the XIX century, exterior decorations and an ancient iconostasis. The memory of the relics of the founders of the monastery of St. Athanasius and Theodosius takes place on July 18, October 8 and December 9.
Also in Cherepovets there is the Parish of the Temple of the Mother of God "Picturesque Spring", the chapel of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker and St. Philip of Iraq.