The Church of St. George the Victorious in Kupchino was built and consecrated recently - in 2002.
The Holy Great Martyr George the Victorious is considered the patron saint of all soldiers. Initially, it was planned to build a whole complex in the park of the Internationalists, which would include a chapel and a hotel. Construction began in 1997.
The end of the 90s and the beginning of the zero years was a difficult period for the country - after the default of 1998, funding was completely discontinued. Despite this, the construction continued, but already at the donations of patrons and parishioners.
Construction and Consecration of the Temple
The authors of the project were famous architects of St. Petersburg Kuminov I.V. and Solodovnikov I.A. For the construction, a hollow red brick and monolithic slabs were chosen as interfloor ceilings.
The bricks were marked with the names of people and organizations who helped in the construction of the temple with their donations and feasible cooperation. It has always been like this in Russia - churches were built by the whole world.
And, as has always been the case, services began long before the end of their construction. So, in 1999, when only the first floor was built, Metropolitan Vladimir consecrated the main throne of the lower church in honor of the Nativity of Christ. From that moment, services began in the temple under construction.
Through the efforts of Archpriest Alexei Isaev, the first rector of the church, despite the difficulties with financing and a lack of workers, the construction went on without stopping.
In 2003, the upper temple was finished, and construction was completed. On December 17, the great consecration of the built Temple of St. George the Victorious in Kupchino took place. Before this event, another thing happened - a particle of the relics of the great martyr George arrived in the temple. It was a gift from the Gornensky Convent.
The Gornensky Monastery was founded in 1883 in the village of Ein Karem in the vicinity of Jerusalem. A plot for it was bought with money collected by a special committee.
St. George is the patron saint of the army, and the temple is dedicated to Russian soldiers who fought and died outside the homeland.
Temple location
Starting construction, the church authorities examined seven sketches of the future temple, submitted to the competition. Metropolitan Vladimir focused on the project of the architect Igor Alexandrovich Solodovnikov.
The completion of the construction of the Church of St. George in Kupchino, among other things, it was decided to coincide with the 300th anniversary of the city. The construction initiative came from the St. George Foundation and the Orthodox community. The head of the community at that time was V.P. Brown; he was also the head of the foundation.
The metropolitan approved the place for the temple, which the architect chose - in a residential area, away from entertainment centers. A big plus for the future temple was the fact that it is surrounded by densely populated quarters.
The architect Solodovnikov was attentive to the choice of location for the building under construction - he took into account the availability of communications and the availability of public transport connecting this area with the city center.
According to the development plan adopted back in 1966, a leisure park was to be located here. But time has made its own adjustments. Now there is a temple-monument in the name of St. George the Victorious.
According to a long-standing Orthodox tradition, the building is strictly oriented in parts of the world. The altar is facing east, the central doors of the temple overlook the west. A pedestrian alley leads to them.
How to find a temple in St. Petersburg?
The temple is located one and a half kilometers from the Mezhdunarodnaya metro station on the Admiralty Line, at the intersection of Bucharestskaya Street and Glory Avenue.
Address: St. Petersburg, Church of St. George the Victorious in Kupchino, Prospect of Glory, 45.
Building architecture
The dimensions of the building, including the side aisles, the altar and the narthex, are 14 meters on each side. The building is crowned with an octagonal tent. Its height is 27 meters from the foundation of the building.
The layout of the building is not quite ordinary. It has two temples - the upper and lower. The lower chapel is located in the basement, you need to go down into it as if into a cave. The height of the cave temple arches is 3.5 meters. The floor of the upper temple is 1.25 meters above ground level.
The main entrance to the building is made in the form of a portal, which, in addition to the main staircase, also has two side staircases. The altar part, the southern and northern sides of the building are also decorated with portals. In the appearance of the structure, there is a slight mixture of styles.
If you carefully look at the photo of the Church of St. George in Kupchino, you can see that the architectural appearance of the building is a tradition of Moscow temple architecture of the XVI-XVII centuries. resonate with the architectural style of the city.
So, numerous zakomaras of the main tent are made in the style of sandriks, characteristic of the Petersburg Empire. The Russian style is emphasized by the portals around the perimeter of the building and the design of the heads in the form of heroic little little girls.
Sunday School
In the Church of St. George the Victorious in Kupchino, a Sunday school for children and adults is organized. The program of classes for preschool children includes lessons on the Law of God and Church Slavonic language. Theology is also taught, but for older children.
Lessons are taught in playing the piano and drawing. For children from 7 years old, the schedule includes needlework lessons. Schoolchildren from the age of 11 read the lessons of Kindness, they study the history of the Church. Since 9 years old, schoolchildren have been taught Church Slavonic. Younger students read the Old Testament. Older schoolchildren - New Testament.
The school holds holidays and tea parties, in which both parents and teachers take part. Great concern for the school is shown by Rector Alexei Isaev. He personally participates in many school activities.
Every Sunday, classes are held to prepare for the next church holiday, exhibitions and competitions on the theme of Orthodoxy are organized, excursions and pilgrimages are made.
Service Schedule
You can see the schedule of services for the Church of St. George the Victorious in Kupchino on the official website by clicking on the proper link in the left menu.
The site is operational, constantly updated, and you will receive fresh and relevant information, taking into account the upcoming holidays and events in church life. The site has phone numbers by which you can ask your questions.