The twentieth century has changed a lot in the life of the Russian people. Most of all, the Soviet government influenced these changes. Many suffered from the repressive rule of Stalin, but the Orthodox Church got the most. Temples are destroyed. They were robbed as they could, and the bulk of these barbaric actions took place in the thirties. Moreover, the destruction continued until the eighties of the last century and led to a reduction in church buildings by about ten times.
Empire and Orthodoxy
Many are now wondering why the temples were destroyed during the USSR. Everything is very simple, monarchy and Orthodoxy have always been around. And the ideology of Lenin suggested that everything connected with the empire should be destroyed and buried. Accordingly, they introduced anti-religious propaganda, and persecution began against the church.
Ulyanov did everything so that the dominant and bourgeois culture disappeared, he fought this in all possible ways. Still, Orthodoxy formed the basis of the Empire, so the destroyed churches, which destroyed, desecrated and denigrated as much as possible, were part of the basic condition of the Bolshevik struggle with the heritage.
Figures
According to data from 1914, more than 54 thousand churches were located on the territory of the empire, and this number includes not only monastery churches, but also brownies and cemeteries. Only military churches were not counted. There were also 25.5 thousand chapels and more than a thousand monasteries. During the reign of the Soviet regime, a lot was irretrievably destroyed, so it is almost impossible to determine exactly and in full which churches were destroyed. Some of them were completely dismantled or the buildings exploded.
The same that they could not completely destroy, re-formed. Museums were arranged on the territory of the former temples, they were adapted for warehouses and cultural houses. There were even cases when they made houses out of churches and settled people in apartments. When they summed up in 1987, it turned out that only about 7 thousand churches and 15 monasteries remained on the territory of the Soviet Union.
Church of Antipius of Pergamon
Location - Vologda. It began to be built at the end of the eighteenth century and completed at the beginning of the nineteenth. It was built to replace the old cemetery church. Significantly helped in the construction of the merchants Rybnikov, who were directly involved in the construction process. In 1930, it was decided to reform this building into a warehouse. And until 1999 it was not returned to the Orthodox. Although the authorities returned this sacred building, nobody actively started repairing it like that.
Church of the Archangel Michael
Location - Tula region in the village of Gudalovka. Local landlords were engaged in construction at the end of the nineteenth century. They looted the temple, tried to take it to the barn in the fifties, but nothing came of it. Therefore, it was decided to store grain in it, and afterwards they arranged a calf. Now it is being restored, since 1997.
Vvedensky church
Location - not far from the Ryazan region in the village of Pet Pitelinsky.
It did not exist for long, only twenty years. It was completed in 1910, and closed in 1930.
Temple of Demetrius of Solunsky
Location - Mozhaisk district of the Moscow region, the village of Shimonovo. It was erected in the period from 1801 to 1805. The exterior of the structure is repeated by the Moscow temple of Cosmas and Damian. That is, a brick structure whose style is classicism. The metropolitan twin can be seen on Maroseyka. After the revolution, the destroyed temple was closed, and the bell tower was dismantled.
Since then, information about the period of the reign of the USSR, neither about the structure, nor about the village in which it is located, has been preserved. After perestroika, the village practically ceased to exist, people just left to seek a better life. The temple itself is now in disrepair. The interior decoration was lost, the roof collapsed almost completely in the refectory, and the main altar was simply dismantled. But if you look closely at the ruined temple, you can find similarities with the Moscow twin.
Church of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary
Location - Lipetsk region, Gryazinsky district, the village of Kuzovka. The structure was erected in 1811. During the reign of Soviet power, it was closed and plundered. But in 2010, the parish was again opened. The temple itself is destroyed and not suitable for worship, so ceremonies are held in a house of worship.
Church of the Nativity of the Mother of God
Location - Verkhovlyany village. This is a stone structure made in the eclectic style. It used the motives of the architecture of Ancient Russia. Build time - late nineteenth - early twentieth centuries. At the moment, only the wooden structure of the church, dating from the eighteenth century, and a small part of the planted park that constituted the estate were preserved.
In the thirties, it was decided to arrange a room here where workers could repair equipment, namely the tractor. A little later, the southern and northern sides were destroyed, the structure has not yet been reconstructed.
St. Nicholas Church
Location - Moscow Region, Lytkarino. If we consider the destroyed churches of Moscow, then this is the oldest structure in the entire district. It was built back in 1680. Now it is located on the territory of the empty Petrovskoye estate. Under Soviet rule, the interior decoration and the dome collapsed. In the seventies of the last century, a certain Cavelmacher took on the role of a restorer.
He managed to restore the tent, make window trims and erect a three-span belfry over the entrance to the destroyed temple. The estate is located a little further, on the high bank of the river, everything except the basement and the first floor of white stone was destroyed and only in 1959 they began to rebuild the second floor using brick. Also restored the park and ponds that were here before.
Abandoned Temple of the Kazan Icon of the Mother of God
This is an unusual magnificent structure erected by hard efforts. Since 1780, as much as fifty years this rubbish was built in the style of classicism. It is located opposite the gate of the estate of Count Chernyshev. It was closed only in 1962, then regrouped in the utility room. This was the reason for the destruction of this building, but so far tourists can freely get inside and appreciate the full scale and grandeur of this building.
Church of the Nativity
Location - Moscow region, Ilkodino tract. Earlier, in this picturesque place near the intersection of the Poli and Klyazma rivers, there was a village through which the Vladimirsky tract, popular at that time, passed. The temple was built of stone around the middle of the nineteenth century. During the construction, brick, white-stone blotches were used, the building style was classicism.
The church was closed immediately after the revolution, but the village ceased to exist in 1953. There was an important reason for this, the lands were ordered by the authorities under the Kosterevsky military training ground. After which there was a forced relocation of local residents. At the moment, from the traces of civilization there are only the ruins of the church and cultural trees.
Church of the Savior of the Miraculous Image
The ruins are located in the village of Sergino. The temple was built at the very end of the nineteenth century, the painting of the walls was entrusted to the famous artist Shishkin. This is one of the many destroyed churches of Russia, which was simply closed in Soviet times and completely plundered.
Church of the Protection of the Holy Virgin
This one-domed church made of white stone in the Baroque style once impressed with its decorative frame. It was built in 1762. At the end of the nineteenth century it was expanded, adding a refectory and a bell tower. During the Soviet persecution, the priest of the Church of the Assumption was arrested and shot. In 1993, the building was returned to the Orthodox.
Conclusion
Looking through the photos of the destroyed temples, one can only imagine and fantasize how chic and beautiful these sacred places were during the time of the Russian Empire. Unfortunately, we can only hope that one day they will be restored. Too many religious buildings have disappeared forever in the depths of history. It is inconceivable how many buildings, people, cultural monuments were simply erased by the Bolsheviks.
Of course, work is underway, and the authorities are trying to correct the mistakes of their predecessors, to restore not only the connection of a person with religion, but also our culture, history, and memory of our ancestors. But to cover the full scale of the catastrophe created by the anti-religious propaganda of Lenin and Stalin is simply impossible. But now, almost every destroyed or surviving wall of temples is a historical memorial of federal significance. And you need to value this memory and do everything possible to restore.