Capital Moscow is literally all strewn with magnificent Orthodox churches inherited by our contemporaries from our ancient ancestors. All these shrines actually became dumb witnesses of the history of the formation of the great Russian state. One of them is the Church of the Transfiguration of Our Savior on Bolvanovka, which for several centuries has been sanctifying this place with prayers to the Lord of priests and faithful parishioners. And once this area in Zamoskvorechye was set aside for the settlement of foreigners.
Church of the Transfiguration of the Savior on Bolvanovka in Moscow
There is a legend that where this church now stands, the great Moscow princes met the Khan's envoys with a "blockhead" or "basma" (an outdated word means "idol"). This is the name of the khan figurine made of felt. Once the Tsar of All Russia, John III (1440–1505), broke, tore and trampled a blockhead into the ground. And by this he showed the enemies of the Russian land that from now on he was not going to pay tribute, and ordered the Mongol-Tatar ambassadors to arrest and kill. In memory of this event, he decided to build a temple at the place of execution.
According to unverified data, this (then still wooden) church in Moscow was built around 1465. But the first written mention of it dates back to 1626. However, at first it was built in honor of St. George the Victorious. In 1635, the Church of the Transfiguration of Our Lord appeared nearby , erected by the nun Martha - the mother of the Russian Tsar Mikhail Fedorovich. And already here they opened a settlement. It began to be owned by Evdokia Lopukhin, who was the first wife of Peter the Great. It is known that in the 17th century near the wooden church on Bolvanovka thrones existed in the name of the Transfiguration of the Lord Jesus Christ and St. George the Victorious.
Repair and restoration
In 1708, the Church of the Transfiguration of the Savior on Bolvanovka was greatly dilapidated. Then the parishioners filed a petition with the Synod. They wrote to the tsar that the church was in disrepair: during rain it was impossible to stand in the service, the floors rotted and collapsed, the porch also fell apart. Parishioners asked their sovereign to reconstruct the Transfiguration Church. Therefore, in the same year money was allocated for the construction and permission was obtained from Metropolitan Stefan of Ryazan.
But several decades passed, and the Church of the Transfiguration of the Savior on Bolvanovka changed its wooden buildings to brick. In the clerical records for 1823 there is evidence that from 1722 the capital construction of the walls of the stone temple began. The construction lasted long enough. It ended only by 1755. Sponsors were merchants K. Matveev and D. Olenev, V. Obukh became the author of the architectural project.
Blessing of the aisles
At this time, the shrine of St. George was converted into the aisles of Evdokia and the icon of the Mother of God, named "All Joy of Mourners." However, time is ruthless. Therefore, soon only one building from the temple remained from the original composition. In 1839, his parishioners again set to work. Under the careful guidance of the merchant of Moscow Ozersky Andrian Ivanovich Ozersky, the refectory and the bell tower were designed according to the design of N.I. Kozlovsky.
And then, with the blessing of Metropolitan Filaret, the throne of the icon of the Mother of God “Joy of All Who Sorrow” was re-consecrated to the chapel named after the holy martyr Tatiana. In this matter, the wishes of Tatyana Ivanovna, the wife of Ozersky, the chief assistant to the titular adviser Putilov, whose late wife was also called Tatyana, were taken into account. At the end of the work, both thrones, the right (holy Martyr Eudokia) and the left (holy Martyr Tatiana), were consecrated on October 10 in 1839 by Bishop Filaret.
Closing
In 1930, this temple in Moscow was closed. The bell tower and the refectory were destroyed, the icons depicting the Transfiguration of the Lord, the Mother of God “Iverskaya” and “Satisfy My Sorrows” were stolen. In 1932, the temple was beheaded, and the cross was removed. Then, the Rot Front chocolate factory was located in the building. And in the period from 1980 to 1990, the site of the repair and construction department of the State Committee for Scientific and Technical Services worked in the temple. Then long negotiations began on the return of land back to the ownership of the church. They are still being conducted with the Rot-Front factory. In 1991, the possessions of the Church of the Transfiguration of the Lord were partially returned. In 1992, church services were resumed.
Church of the Savior Transfiguration on Bolvanivka: shrines, address
The church has its own shrines: the miraculous icons of the Mother of God, called “Help in childbirth”, “Iverskaya” and “Satisfy my sorrows”. The address where the Church of the Transfiguration of the Lord on Bolvanovka is located: Moscow, 2-nd Novokuznetskiy lane, 10, building 1 (Paveletskaya metro station). Today the shrine belongs to the Moscow diocese of the Russian Orthodox Church and contains five thrones: the Transfiguration of the Lord, the martyr Eudokia, St. Tatiana, St. George the Victorious and the icon of the Mother of God “All Who Mourn Joy.”