On the western outskirts of the city of Vladikavkaz is an old Meshchansky cemetery. It was on it that the small chapel of Elijah the Prophet was once built. Now this Orthodox church built in the 19th century is a historical landmark of the city.
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In 1888, for the religious needs of citizens visiting the graves of close people at the Meshchansky cemetery, the construction of the small chapel of Elijah the Prophet began. The construction lasted for 7 years, under the guidance of father V. Zhukov and urban engineer-architect F. Kovalev.
In 1895, the chapel was consecrated and assigned to the Konstantin-Eleinitsky church (the iconostasis of this church is now located in the Ilyinsky church).
In the 30s, all the churches of Vladikavkaz were closed and plundered by the Soviet government, but this fate passed the small chapel at the cemetery. She was still open to all comers. Moreover, in 1948, the Soviet authorities issued a permit that ordered the rebuilding of the chapel into a large, full-fledged temple.
During the Soviet period, the Vladikavkaz Elias Church was not subjected to persecution, confiscation of values and did not close. At that time, it was the only active temple in the city, and still it is one of the largest parishes of the region. Until 2007, it was the Cathedral Church of the Vladikavkaz Diocese.
Thus, the Ilyinsky temple was of great historical importance in the Orthodox life of the believing population of the city of Vladikavkaz.
Meshchansky cemetery
As you know, the Elias Church in Vladikavkaz is located on the territory of the old Meshchansky cemetery. In some places, the graveyard is abandoned, many graves are lost, and the inscriptions on some gravestones can no longer be read.
Once in the city there was Meshchanskaya street, where the petty bourgeois class lived - doctors, teachers, engineers and officials. They were buried in this cemetery.
There are many graves of famous people - the head of the parish school V. Pankratov, the famous doctor G. Antioch-Verbitsky, the honored doctor of Ossetia I. Gurbanov. There are many ancient tombstones, including Greek burials. Religious ministers are buried right next to the church.
Once, the legendary Ossetian poet Seka Gadiev was buried near the Ilyinsky Chapel in 1915, but over time his grave was lost. In 2012, a monument to the great poet was unveiled near the walls of the Elias Church in Vladikavkaz.
Also on the territory of the Meshchansky cemetery in 1932, blessed Anastasia Andreeva, a local revered saint, was buried. Her grave with a cross in the form of a trefoil has survived to this day.
In 1997, a stone chapel was built over the grave of Blessed Anastasia, which is the shrine of the church of Elijah the Prophet. It is also a visited place for parishioners. They go to the chapel to pray the saint and ask her for help.
Elias Church of Vladikavkaz: description and activities
The named temple was made in an eclectic style in the form of a basilica and is an interweaving of Byzantine and Russian culture. From Russian architecture, the tent-like completion of the temple was taken, and from the Byzantine style, large arches instead of doors inside the building.
The temple has one chapel, consecrated in honor of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker.
An Orthodox library has been opened at the church of Elijah the Prophet, the purpose of which is to fill the gap in the spiritual knowledge of not only parishioners, but also clergy. At the temple there is a Sunday school for everyone.
Active social work is also being carried out to assist families in need, orphans and widows of clergy.
The clergy works in different directions: in organizing parish life, in making demands, in missionary activity. The main attention is paid to educational activities in educational institutions.
Elias Church (Vladikavkaz): work schedule and address
The temple is open daily from 10:00 to 20:00.
Every day there are divine services and prayers (for the living, for the sick, requiem for the dead, funeral). All prayers and relics are performed when necessary, after the completion of the morning liturgy.
Address of the Elias Church of Vladikavkaz: st. Dzerzhinsky, house 70. You can get to the temple by minibus number 20, 22, 26, 7, 5. It is necessary to exit at the stop "st. Dzerzhinsky. ”
The telephone number of the Elias Church (Vladikavkaz), current at the moment, can be found on the official website of the Vladikavkaz Diocese.