The Church of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker in Kuznets, who survived the hard times

In the very center of Zamoskvorechye there is an old and unusually cozy church, which did not close all the time of the atheistic hard times. In the people it is known as the temple of St. Nicholas in Kuznetsi. There are no books written about the history of its creation, and most of the information was collected by members of the religious fraternity organized within its walls. Here is a little of what I learned.

Sloboda, founded by blacksmiths

At the end of the XV century in the area of Zamoskvorechye moved from behind the Yauza family of blacksmiths - residents who had been there since the time immemorial Blacksmith's settlement. They founded a new settlement with the same name, for which a plot was located in the area of the current Vishnyakovskiy lane.

Well, since an Orthodox person can not do without the Grace of God, then immediately erected a church that received the name of Novokuznetsk. It was located just right where today stands the temple of Nicholas the Wonderworker in Kuznetsi, and the voice of her bell sometimes merged with the sound of numerous anvils.

The predecessors of the present temple

The information about the monastery has practically not been preserved, and the only mention of the church built by blacksmiths in their new settlement is found among the documents of the Patriarchal Order, dated 1625. But they also report only its name and the fact that this temple was God's wooden, like most of the buildings of that time.

The church stood until 1683, giving way to a new stone church. Whether it burned in the fire so often visited Moscow fires, or the God-loving inhabitants of the capital city deliberately dismantled it, making room for a more solid and durable construction - is unknown. But only on the patriarchal blessing the temple was built, which stood for one hundred and twenty two years, and on the site of which in 1805 was laid a new, preserved to our days and well-known to the Muscovites church of St. Nicholas in Kuznetsi.

Holy patron and patron

It is not surprising that the main throne of the new church was consecrated in honor of this saint, known for his protection as traveling people, as well as widows, orphans, islanders and other people, whose life had an unenviable fate. And since there were always such people in Russia, the important bells went to the bells of his bells and set off for a long voyage, and a rolled-up, copper penny revered for happiness.

The unique and original look of the temple

Temple of Sts. Nikolay in Kuznetsk Sloboda acquired its present appearance after the reconstruction, made in 1847. Then an additional third tier of the bell tower was built up, and the volume of the refectory - the central part of the temple, in which the general worship services took place - was somewhat increased.

The name of the architect who created the temple project is unknown, but for a number of reasons it can be assumed that this was one of the pupils of the famous Russian architect M.F. Kazakova. His school is indicated, in particular, in the strict and laconic plane of walls, in accordance with the canons of classicism, a powerful apse - an oval ledge of the western facade, in which an altar room is placed, a spherical dome called "rotundal", and a powerful light drum on which he installed.

In general, according to its architectural design, the temple is a vivid example of Empire style. Its appearance is laconically entered, the relief images of the holy Evangelists, placed in circular niches located above the northern and southern entrances, as well as the image of St. Nicholas placed in the apse in mosaic technique. The undoubted discovery of the architect was the combination of the sun color of the main parts of the building with the whiteness of the elements of its decorative decoration.

The Church of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker in Kuznets is also distinguished by the special laconicism and simplicity of its internal premises. In them, the architect managed to achieve the effect of an inconspicuous flow of walls to the base of the dome, which creates the impression of openness and spaciousness. This sensation enhances the flow of light pouring from the large triple windows of the drum and filling the refectory and lateral limits. In its rays, the iconostasis, shining with gilding of stucco decorations, especially wins.

The center of spiritual life

In the years of godlessness, elevated to the rank of official state ideology, the general campaign to close the temples was bypassed by the church of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker. The history of her service to God and people has not been interrupted for the entire long period of the domination of godless power. The temple not only remained the focal point of spiritual life, but was also a refuge for many shrines brought to it from the closed churches of Moscow.

Nowadays, when the people are awakened from atheistic dope, the churches again became the property of the religious communities that formed around them. Together with them, the Church of Nicholas the Miracle-Worker in Kuznets continues to serve God and people. The schedule of services held in it, hardly differs from the schedule of services in other metropolitan churches. Traditionally on weekdays in the morning they start at 8:00 and then continue at 17:00. The exception is Sundays and holidays, when the Divine Liturgy is performed twice - early at 7:00 and late at 9:30.

Clergymen of the temple and the most active members of his community are constantly engaged in extensive spiritual and educational work among the parishioners. In particular, in recent years, in addition to the previous Sunday school, the Orthodox Gymnasium began to operate, in which students, along with the study of general subjects, spend a lot of time on Sacred History and the Catechism.