Moscow Church of Elijah the Prophet in Cherkizovo was erected in 1690. Previously, in this place in 1370 there was a wooden church, which burned down.
Temple foundation
The history of the church is connected with the history of the village itself - Cherkizovo. It is known that it was erected in the XIV century. The village was named after its owner, Tsarevich Serkiz, who after baptism became Ivan Serkizov. He was a native of the Golden Horde. However, Serkizov did not own his village for long, since he soon sold it to his fellow countryman, Ilya Ozakov. The story says that he was a very devout person. Out of respect for his heavenly patron - Elijah the Prophet, he ordered the construction of a temple. So the Iliyinsky church was built in Cherkizovo.
It was located on the banks of the Sosenka River, in a very picturesque place. The Sosenka River is a right tributary of Hapilovka; its source is located in the Golyanov area. Its length is 9 kilometers. Nowadays, the main part of the channel is enclosed in a pipe. Only thanks to the Cherkizovsky pond, on the banks of which there is a church, people remember where the river once flowed on the surface. Now it flows in the reservoir along the eastern shore of the reservoir.
Wooden church. Stone temple
The stone church in Cherkizovo was built on the site of a wooden church, when there was still a suburban residence of Metropolitan Alexy. Until 1764, the village was the property of the Moscow metropolitans, after some time the church became a parish.
In 1883, aisles and a refectory were added to it, and in 1899, a tented bell tower with three tiers. The decoration involved the iconostases of the 19th century, the fence of a small cemetery - also of that time. On it is the grave of Ivan Yakovlevich Koreisha - a well-known Moscow seer, local holy fool and saint (years of life: 1783-1861). At that time, the temple was not closed, with him there was a Sunday school for all the inhabitants of the village.
Cherkizovsky Metropolitan and Patriarchal Dacha
The village really liked Metropolitan Alexy, a minister of Moscow and All Russia, namely: its picturesque location, the surrounding expanses, proximity to Moscow. In 1360, he decided to acquire the village not only for himself, but also for his successors in dignity. From that moment, Cherkizovo became one of the main estates of the Moscow Cathedral Chudov Monastery, an abbey with a large and spacious courtyard, as well as a well-developed manor house.
For Metropolitan Alexy, the Church of Elijah the Prophet became a place of rest and solitude. In it, he could calmly look back on his life path, restore his strength, which would be useful to him in the future, or just see people close to him. When the metropolitan of all Russia passed away, Cherkizovo for a long time remained the summer bedchamber of the Moscow metropolitans.
When the Patriarchate was restored, the Moscow Metropolitan, Kolomna Hierarch and Miracle Worker Tikhon became the Patriarch of All Russia. He began to call the summer residence the Patriarch.
Throughout the history of its existence, the courtyard of the temple was rebuilt many times. His story is connected with the saint and Metropolitan Innocent, by whose order another perestroika was made in the middle of the 19th century.
The temple in Soviet times
In Soviet times, most of the churches in Moscow were completely destroyed, but the Elias Church survived. During the Great Patriotic War, all church believers were able to collect one million rubles for the construction of aircraft and sent them to Stalin. He sent a thankful telegram in response. Why planes? The fact is that the Prophet Elijah is the defender of aviation.
In the middle of the 20th century, icons from all the neighboring churches that were to be destroyed were brought to the church of Elijah the Prophet in Cherkizovo. At that time, the rector of the church was Archpriest Pavel Ivanovich Tsvetkov.
Ilyinsky churches of Moscow
The prophet Elijah is considered one of the most respected saints of the Old Testament. Three churches in Moscow are dedicated to him: the Church of the Prophet Elijah on the Vorontsov Field, the Church of Elijah the Prophet in Cherkizovo and the Church of the Prophet Elijah in Obydensky Lane. In any of them there are many holy relics, various objects that Christians venerate, as well as icons.
Divine services are held here:
- everyday liturgy - daily from 9:00 and 17:00;
- on great holidays and on Sunday - from 7:00 and 10:00, from 17:00 - evening service.
A Sunday school is open at the temple.
A few words about Cherkizovsky cemetery
Similarly, like the Church of Elijah the Prophet in Cherkizovo, the cemetery has its ancient history. It is the oldest burial site. It got its name from the village, next to which it was formed. There is a cemetery near the church. More precisely, it surrounds her. The cemetery is a very ancient historical necropolis. It was not ravaged in Soviet times. Since 1998, they began to maintain an archive in which the registration of all burials, even related ones, is indicated. On the territory there is a rental site for agricultural equipment for the care of graves. Cherkizovo cemetery is open daily from 9:00 to 19:00 (from May to September) and from 9:00 to 17:00 (from October to April). Funeral rites are performed from 9:00 to 17:00 daily.