The last Russian emperor Nicholas II was known for his piety, he did a lot for the Russian Orthodox Church. In 1903, on his initiative, the hieromonk of the Sarov Monastery, Prokhor Isidorovich Moshin (in the world) was counted as “reverend”.
Rev. Seraphim
Despite the fact that Saint Seraphim of Sarov was recently reckoned to be, he rightfully became one of the most revered saints. He is worshiped not only by the Orthodox, but also by Catholics, drawing a parallel between him and his holy Francis of Assisi. Among the many glorious deeds performed by Seraphim of Sarov in the name of the Church, for example, such as the foundation and further patronage of the Diveevo female monastery, the great saint left an unquenchable memory of himself, having completed seven feats. These include obedience and monasticism, desertification and congregation (not a very frequent occurrence in the Christian church), silence, seclusion and old age. He brought his whole life to the Lord’s altar without a trace. He died with his arms crossed on his chest.
History of the village of Kuntsevo
This church is consecrated by many churches throughout Russia and abroad. The temple of Seraphim of Sarov in Kuntsevo is one of them. Since 1960, the village of Kuntsevo itself has become an intracity municipality, part of the Western Administrative District of Moscow. This village near Moscow was first mentioned in documents in 1454. It is natural to assume that the church, as in any other locality in Russia, already existed then. This country house has always been owned by representatives of the best Russian families. The village belonged to the Mstislavsky, Miloslavsky, Naryshkins. Naturally, a palace was erected here, a garden, as expected, with white marble sculptures, and a church. And so they were good that royal people came here, for example, Catherine II and Friedrich-William III. The last owner of Kuntsevo was a well-known entrepreneur-Old Believer Kozma Terentyevich Soldatyonkov, a major book publisher. He bought the village in 1865.
How the temple arose
After all these events, the temple of Seraphim of Sarov in Kuntsevo appeared. The history of its occurrence is associated with the Polunin Cross Exaltation Women's Community. History knows many examples when a successful, successful person leaves the worldly bustle and becomes a monk. So it happened with the merchant V.I. Polunin.
Having settled in the cell of the old man Plato, who was in the desert area of the Ryazan region, Polunin, at his own expense, built a stone chapel here and founded a women's almshouse. His sons in 1890 filed a request for conversion of the almshouse to the community. And already in 1906, by decree of the emperor, land in the amount of 3600 sq.m was assigned to the Poluninsky community. Here the temple of Seraphim of Sarov in Kuntsevo, a village donated to the community in 1906 by the peasants of Krylatsky, was erected. The management of the construction of the monastery and the temple was taken up by the cassock novice Ekaterina Ilyeva and the nun Seraphim. The temple project, provided by the architect V.F. Zhigardlovich in 1907, was later simplified, apparently due to a lack of funds.
Good plan
According to the project, the church of Seraphim of Sarov in Kuntsevo was a five-domed church, the main part of which was separated from the altar by a luxurious two-story, almost 5-meter iconostasis of carpentry. A one-headed refectory adjoined the temple. It was designed for 300 people. In the process of erection, the beautiful porch and semicircular windows were abandoned, and the facade of the church was not decorated. Archimandrite Daniel consecrated the temple of Seraphim of Sarov in Kuntsevo in 1909.
The community was developing intensively, houses for nuns were being built, the temple was plastered both outside and inside, wall painting depicted the death of Seraphim of Sarov. Already in 1915, permission was received for the construction of the holy gates and premises for gatekeepers, as well as for the construction of a chapel with a belfry. Summer residents and local residents gave the monastery the name "Kuntsevo Monastery".
Years of unbelief
In the alarming 1917, the Kuntsevo Compound became an independent community, the nun Seraphim was appointed the head. They abolished the community in 1922. Then, despite the fact that the parishioners took care of the church, which became a parish, and made repairs on their own, the authorities decided to select a religious building for kindergarten. Along the way, "conscious" citizens rallied and collected signatures on the closure of the temple, which officially took place in 1929. Despite the fact that the community has not broken up, terrible times have come for ministers and parishioners. The first abbot, Archpriest Rusinov, was shot in 1938. The second rector Priest S. Feltsin was shot in 1937 together with Deacon V.I. Krasnokutsky. All of them were glorified in the face of the new martyrs. Of course, the church was broken and rebuilt to the needs of the new owners, who changed very often.
Rebirth
The second life of the temple began with the formation of a new community in 1993, and in 2006 the status of the Patriarchal Compound was granted to the temple. At one time, prayers were performed at the gates, as entry into the courtyard was prohibited. Here, at the gate, a temporary building was erected, in which the temple of Seraphim of Sarov in Kuntsevo inhabited. The photo shows this church, including against the background of multi-storey buildings. The temple is located at: Moscow, st. Bagritsky, house 10, building 3. The project of a new two-story church, which will be supposedly built on the site of the chapel, was approved in 2001.
Now the church is doing all kinds of services. There is a schedule that is widely available, from which you can find out on what days what sacraments are performed by the temple of Seraphim of Sarov in Kuntsevo. Unction (blessing), for example, falls on Saturday. Or they are notified in advance.