Church of Peter and Paul on Gorodianka: description and photo

The Church of Peter and Paul on Gorodyanka is the oldest in Smolensk. It is small and unplastered. And in this "naked" form immediately attracts the eye. This is how the church looked originally. And in its original form it was preserved until the twenty-first century.

History of the Church

The Church of Peter and Paul on Gorodyanka (Smolensk) has a controversial construction date. Traditional - 1146 But scientists say that this date is incorrect, because the information about many churches is erroneous. And in 1964 it was proposed to consider the date of the appearance of the temple 1170-ies.

There is practically no information on the first 4 centuries of the work of the church in the annals. The church was built in a hunting prince's reserve. This is evidenced by the type of temple - patrimonial. Under the church in advance princely arkosolii were prepared for burial.

The famous period of the temple's history begins only in 1611 during the Polish intervention. Poles, having captured the city of Smolensk, created in it an episcopate, the residence for which the church of Peter and Paul was chosen. Over time, additional chambers were attached to it from the west. And the church became a church. After the expulsion of the Poles, the unitary episcopate was liquidated. And next to the church appeared natrovaya bell tower.

Updates, Recovery

Over time, the temple was completed, the floors were raised, and next to it appeared a new one - the Great Martyr Barbara. In 1812, the church of Peter and Paul on Gorodyanka was badly damaged in the fire, even the bells turned out to be melted.

Only thanks to the priest Zubovsky partially managed to save the property. After the restoration, everything he took returned to the temple. Repair and restoration of the building lasted until 1837. The ancient chapter was replaced with a new one, but the base of the drum remained the same. After the revolution, the church was used as a museum, but at the same time there were services in it. Only they were conducted in the temple of Barbara, with which it was connected.

In 1924, the restoration of the building began again. But in 1936 the church was closed, and the ministers were repressed. The building was again used for other purposes. The church housed the archive. In the early 60's. Restoration of the church took up the famous architect Peter Baranovsky. He separated the temple from Varvarinskiy and restored the former appearance, which was in the twelfth century. And now, Smolensk can boast of the church of Peter and Paul, which looks like 900 years ago.

Architecture and features of construction

The church of Peter and Paul is characterized by strict proportions. The church has a single-headed cross-domed four-temple church. The walls are built of plinth, some - local, for the arkature belt and masonry semicolumns. At the ends there are many relief signs. During construction, plastic clay was used as a binder. To facilitate the laying, ceramic large voice was used. Paul was also originally made of plinth. Later it was replaced with colored majolica tiles. But over the centuries it has not survived. Only by separate fragments in the princely burial vaults.

The facades of the church are separated by the shoulder blades. The averages are made in the form of half-columns, which do not have corner corners. The temple's windows are semicircular, wide, with single-step niches. In the walls there are preserved channels from the forests. On the facades at the level of zakomar - ribbon with a double curb, forming a kind of cornice.

The Church of Peter and Paul on Gorodyanka kept fragments of Romanesque architecture. These portals are semi-circular with tympanum. But they are very modest and have only rectangular traction. In the interior of the temple there are powerful pillars in the form of a regular cross and connected with the arches. Vaults of cylindrical shape, turned by the shelges to the north-west.

The interior of the temple

Thanks to the architectural solution of the windows and niches in the church of Peter and Paul, you can observe an interesting lighting effect. In the altar there used to be a seat for the clergy. Choruses with cylindrical arches and transverse formations are located only in the western part of the building.

Church of Peter and Paul on Gorodyanka has no narthex. On the south side, the choirs are occupied with an isolated chapel. It is separated by brick piers. On the northern half of the church a staircase is built, illuminated by 2 slit-like windows. Under the choirs in the southern and northern part - 2 pairs of arcosolias.

Earlier, the walls and openings of the windows of the temple were painted. To date, there are only fragments of painting. But it was not possible to restore the plots, as the painting is almost completely lost. It partially existed in the early 20th century, but then it almost completely disappeared.

Modernity

The Church of Peter and Paul on Gorodyanka (Smolensk, address: Kashena St., 20) is currently operational. Divine services have been restored in the church since 1991. In 1993 the church was visited by Alexius the second, Patriarch of All Russia. And in 1996, in honor of the jubilee (85th anniversary) of the temple, a scientific conference was held. From 1992 to 2000 The church was restored.