The Church of St. George the Victorious is one of Moscow ’s inconspicuous sights. It bypasses sightseeing tours in the capital. Not even all the indigenous inhabitants of the city know where the Georgian church is located in Moscow. Nevertheless, it exists. And this is not just a temple, of which there are many in Moscow. This is a real little corner of Georgia.
In addition, the church has a very interesting history. And its interiors, as well as the appearance, are worth it to visit this temple. And if you are a believer, then it will be interesting for you to know that the church has the status of a patriarchal courtyard, which is connected by Christian ties with the Seraphim-Znamensky monastery, the Cathedral of the Kazan Icon of the Mother of God in the village of Puchkovo and the chapel of the Virgin Mary of Iverskaya.
Georgian church in Moscow: address, how to get
This temple is located in the central part of the Russian capital, on Presnya. The exact address of the church is Bolshaya Gruzinskaya Street, house 13. As we see, the spirit of Iberia is present in the name of the places. There are also streets Malaya Gruzinskaya and Gruzinskiy Val. As well as the lane of the same name and the square. Why is there such an abundance of Georgian streets? We will talk about this below. In the meantime, let’s clarify: many people think that the Georgian church is located in Moscow on Malaya Gruzinskaya street. But this is not so. Just on Malaya Gruzinskaya there is a spectacular-looking Roman Catholic church of the Immaculate Conception of the Virgin Mary. It was built in the Neo-Gothic style and seems to be a corner of Western Europe in the center of the Russian capital, misleading some citizens.
Now back to the Georgian Church of St. George the Victorious. Getting to her is extremely easy. You can get out of the metro at the Barrikadnaya station and from there go on foot or take the trolleybus No. 66. An even simpler way to the temple is from station. metro "Krasnopresnenskaya". Walk ten minutes, constantly moving along the fence of the zoo.
Historical facts
Now it’s time to figure out the reason for the so frequent Georgian street names in the area. To do this, we need to make a small historical excursion. Turkey attacked Georgia in the first quarter of the eighteenth century. The tsar, Vakhtang Levanovich Six, arrived in Moscow in 1725 to ask for the intercession of the Emperor of Russia Peter II. The Georgian monarch arrived not alone. He was accompanied not only by the sons Bakar and George, but also by a large retinue. In 1729, Peter II granted Vakhtang Levanovich the sovereign's court, which was located on the Presnya River. Then, on the site of the palace of the Georgian king, the house was built by the merchant V. Gorbunov. In this mansion in the 70s of the twentieth century housed the embassy of Germany. Now in the house is the workshop of Zurab Tsereteli.
Well, the retinue of the Georgian king settled not far from his sovereign. So, in a few years, a rather large diaspora has formed in Moscow. So big that the whole area on Presnya was simply called - “Georgians”. That is why the monument of Shota Rustaveli was erected here in St. George's Square. But the Georgian church in Moscow appeared, of course, much earlier than the monument to the poet of the twelfth century.
Temple history
The diaspora from Iberia needed a place to worship. Money for the construction of the temple was allocated by the son of Vakhtang, Prince George. The place in the settlement for the sacred structure was not chosen by chance. After all, an Orthodox church dedicated to the Evangelist John had already stood there. But this temple burned down. And in its place, the Georgian community erected a new wooden church. Already in April 1750, the temple was consecrated by the Georgian archbishop, who lived in Russia, Joseph. This church stood for almost thirty years. But wooden structures too often fall prey to fire. This fate did not go around the “Temple in the Georgians”. The community decided to rebuild it in stone.
The new Georgian church in Moscow began to be built in the autumn of 1788, nine years after the fire. After all, it was necessary to write a petition to the Metropolitan of the Russian Orthodox Church Plato (Levshin) to obtain permission to build a temple. In 1870 a bell tower was erected.
Recent church history
At the end of the XIX century (1895-1899), the Georgian church in Moscow was completely rebuilt. Architect V. Sretensky enlarged the temple in size and gave it the appearance of a Byzantine basilica. This new building is organically adjacent to the old building on the east side. With the advent of Soviet power, difficult times came for the church. In 1922, everything more or less valuable was taken out of it. The bells were removed and the library was stolen.
In 1930, the temple was completely closed. The bell tower was dismantled, and the church building was divided between floors. All this was done in order to instill an electromechanical technical school in a religious building. Only in 1933 the old part was returned to believers. An agreement was reached between the Russian and Georgian Orthodox Churches on the joint use of the temple. In 2015, the college was also evicted from the new part of the building. But much of its former splendor was lost.
Church of St. George in Moscow
The Georgian community has invested and continues to invest a lot of money to give the desecrated building its former appearance. Now there is a complete restoration of the old part of the temple. Officially, the Church of St. George belongs to the Russian Orthodox Church, the Moscow Patriarchate. But according to the agreement, the priest of the Georgian Orthodox Church conducts services in it. Also in the temple there is a refectory and a children's Sunday school. Georgians in Moscow honor customs and want their children not to forget the traditions of their ancestors. Therefore, language is also taught at school.
It is worth entering under these arches to admire the patterned analogue and the most revered icon of St. George the Victorious, located in a gilded icon case to the right of the altar. Amazing beautiful interior paintings. The frescoes were made by the famous artist Lasha Kintsurashvili, who specially came from Georgia. They shimmer with bright colors.
Shrines of the temple
Services are held in Church Slavonic and Georgian. The frescoes also depict universal saints. It is good to attend the temple during the liturgy. Then you can listen to the polyphonic Georgian singing of the church choir. There are many icons in the temple. This is the image of the Lord Almighty, the Most Holy Theotokos, St. George the Victorious. The Georgian Church in Moscow also contains particles of the relics of Saints Matryona of Moscow and Seraphim of Sarov.