When you look at this unearthly beauty, the soul is immediately enveloped in soulful warmth and divine grace. Such a shelter - the church of the Apostle Andrew the First-Called on Vuoksa - was created in the village of Vasilyevo, Priozersky district, Leningrad Region, to save human souls. To understand what this place is, we will plunge into the history of this region.
Vasilievo
People in the vicinity of Vasiliev settled since ancient times, since in the Middle Ages trade routes of two states passed here - Sweden and Veliky Novgorod. Literally three kilometers from the borders of the village itself, there are the ruins of the ancient Tiver settlement, which once was a fortified settlement of the Karelians, until at the beginning of the 14th century Novgorodians recaptured it. All this is located along the lake-river system called Vuoksa. In the Novgorod annals, it is referred to as Uzerva, which from Karelian is translated as “a new lake”.
In the XII-XIV centuries, this land was part of the Gorodensky churchyard of the Karelian district. Then Vasilyevo was called Tiuri, and it was a district of a rather large settlement, which is often mentioned in ancient census books under the name of the village of Tivra. After Veliky Novgorod fell , this Karelian Isthmus was annexed to the Moscow state. During the period of unrest, the band of Swedish campaigns intensified, as a result only 10% of the Orthodox population remained in this area. And when the Stolbowsky Peace was concluded (at the beginning of the 17th century), these lands went to Sweden. It is time for the mass displacement of the indigenous Orthodox population and the settlement of Lutheran settlers from southern Finland. This area was part of the Rääisälä Vyborg province (Finland) until 1939.
Historical area
The current name of the village of Vasilyevo appeared much later - in 1948. Tiuri was renamed Vasilyevo in 1948 in honor of the second lieutenant Vasilyev Alexander Makarovich - Hero of the Soviet Union. He was the commander of the reconnaissance platoon of the 54th Infantry Division and died in one of the battles in 1941.
Since 1990, this village is part of the Melnikovsky village council. According to the 1997 census, 98 people lived in the village. The church itself is assigned to the Holy Trinity Parish of the village. Melnikovo Priozersky district of the Leningrad region
Miracle on the water
Returning to the theme “The Church of St. Andrew the First-Called on Vuoksa” and having previously familiarized ourselves with the history of the emergence of this region, we finally come to the most important thing. Directly on a rock in the middle of a mirrored water surface stands, as if descended from the pages of fairy tales, a bewitching and pacifying temple in honor of St. Andrew the First-Called. And it is not surprising that it is noted in the Guinness Book of Records due to the fact that it is built on a tiny island. The foundation for it was a monolithic rock.
Temple of St. Andrew the Apostle: Vuoksa River
Since in this place groups of people are engaged in boat trips, it was originally planned to build a resting place for boaters on one of the stone ledges. However, a professor at the University of Herzen proposed to build a temple. This original idea was supported by his acquaintance summer clerk Andrei Lyamkin, who lives near this place, who became the sponsor of the construction of this church. The rocky island, which was selected for development, had an area of 100 square meters. m. This idea was immediately approved by the Metropolitan of St. Petersburg and Ladoga John (Snychev). He blessed the construction of the temple, the designer of which was the architect Andrei Nikolayevich Rotionov (now deceased). Two Andrews were so inspired by the project that they wanted the church to be named after their saint, who also patronizes sailors and fishermen, so you can often see St. Andrew’s flag on ships.
The Church of St. Andrew the First-Called on Vuoksa was created in 2000, and in the same year, on September 23, it was consecrated.
God's joy
The church was named after one of the twelve apostles and disciples of Christ - Andrew the First-Called. According to legend, he was here and baptized people in local waters.
The Church of St. Andrew the First-Called on Vuoksa is a small tent-shaped church in the style of wooden architecture, made in the form of a figure eight. An example of such an interesting architectural solution was the old Ascension Church on the Moscow River in Kolomenskoye. Now, to look at this paradise, pilgrims and guests come together not only from Russia, but also from other countries.
You can visit this church on liturgical days according to the schedule and with the permission of the rector of the church to perform the sacraments of wedding or baptism. There are no grandiose crowded Christian ceremonies, as we used to see. This place is specially created for solitary prayer with God, for reflection and rethinking of one’s life in the most relaxed atmosphere surrounded by picturesque nature, where forest, water and birds singing create a real idyll. In the near future it is planned to build a bridge here and lay the road to the pier, as well as to arrange around the church a platform for parishioners and a bathhouse for the sacrament of baptism.
The Church of St. Andrew the First-Called on Vuoksa is unique in its own way, but in the world there are many temples on the water. These are churches in Volgograd, Kalyazino on the Volga, Kondopoga, the Church of the Assumption in Slovenia. But this church on a rocky islet is irresistible and attractive in its own way.
Temple of St. Andrew the First-Called on Vuoksa: how to get there?
The place is located near the village of Vasilyevo in the Priozersky district. You need to get from St. Petersburg along Priozernoye Shosse to Losevo, then turn left to Saperny, then you need to go to Melnikovo, and after 8 km turn left from the highway to Vasilyevo. Passing Vasilyevo, you need to pay attention to the fact that immediately after it there will be a pointer, and you will need to turn right (there will immediately be a parking lot). Then you need to walk 200 meters on a trodden path directly to the church. It takes two hours to get to the place.
It attracts with its mystery, surrounded on all sides by water, the Church of St. Andrew the First-Called on Vuoksa. The photos of this place are so bewitching and beautiful that they can be looked at endlessly. They act so conciliatoryly. Pushkin would be immediately inspired by a couple of his magnificent poems.