The temple of the icon of the Mother of God "Joy and consolation" on the Khodynka field

In 1990, the building of the former church of the icon of the Mother of God "Otrada and Solace", located on the Khodynka Field and used throughout the Soviet period for economic purposes, was transferred to the Moscow Patriarchate. After a whole complex of restoration and restoration works, divine services were resumed in it, and today the temple took its rightful place among other spiritual centers of the capital.

A good start

In December 1906, Moscow Governor-General S. K. Gershelman received a petition from the actual State Councilor IA Kolesnikov, in which he expressed the desire at his own expense to build a temple in the Khodynka Field, where at that time the barracks of the 1st Don Cossack a shelf. With this pious deed the dignitary wished to express gratitude to the Cossacks, who took an active part in suppressing the popular unrest that broke out in Moscow in 1905.

In addition, the temple "Joy and Consolation" - just so, in honor of the icon of the same name, the Mother of God wished to call him Mr. Kolesnikov - was to serve as a monument to the former Moscow Governor-General, Grand Duke Sergei Aleksandrovich, who died the year before from the hands of the terrorist Ivan Kaliayev . It also planned to perpetuate the memory of all who gave their lives in the fight against the great turmoil that originated in Russia and broke out in 1905.

Bookmark the temple

Of course, permission for such a pious undertaking was received immediately, and after the drafting, on which the well-known Moscow architect Vladimir Adamovich worked (pictured below), the laying of the future church was completed.

The solemn ceremony that took place on April 29, 1907, on the birthday of the innocently murdered Grand Duke, was preceded by the procession from the walls of the Kremlin to the place where the temple was laid. According to Moscow newspapers of the time, several thousand people took part in the march.

The tragedy of the Khodynka Field

It should be noted that the choice of a place for the future church was very bold, since among the Muscovites the Khodynka field was notorious. Still fresh was the memory of the tragedy that took place on May 30, 1896, the day of the festivities on it in honor of the coronation of Emperor Nicholas II.

A few days before the festivities, it was announced that during the holiday the distribution of souvenirs and free treats is scheduled. This corresponded to reality, since the Moscow government had prepared for this case 400 thousand bags, each of which had an enameled mug with an imperial monogram and a number of sweets and nuts. People's rumor added to this and allegedly cooked coins.

Even on the evening of May 29, a crowd of hunters after the donorship began to gather on the field, and by the morning it had reached an incredible size. When special stalls opened for distribution of souvenirs, the people rushed to them with such fury that 1379 people were killed in the crush, and another 900 were seriously injured.

Temple architecture

The temple "Joy and Consolation" on the Khodynka Field was built for three years, in April 1909, it was consecrated. Built in the Byzantine style, he resembled, in part, the famous church of the Twelve Apostles in Greek Thessaloniki.

Four powerful pylons (supports) supported the walls of the main structure, made of red and yellow bricks and crowned with a dome with 12 vertical windows. On the tops of each of the pylons were installed small glans, which created a five-headed view. On the western side of the temple there was a richly decorated belfry.

The interior of the temple

The internal volume of the room allowed for five hundred worshipers to attend the services at the same time. The attention of visitors was invariably attracted by the marble iconostasis, distinguished by fine carvings and decorated with gold trim, and also the shroud - a unique work of gold and silk embroidery, created by the sisters of the Alekseevsky nunnery under the sketches of VM Vasnetsov. There he also presented the icon "The Last Supper" written by him.

Since the temple "Joy and Consolation" in the Khodynka Field was not only a religious center, but also a memorial complex, marble memorial plaques with the names of 1845 officials of the Russian Empire who were killed for the period 1904-1907 were installed on the inner side of its walls. For political reasons. They with frightening directness testified to the scale that the terror took then, a bloody wave sweeping the whole country.

The onset of godless times

The temple "Delight and Consolation", built on the Khodynka Field, was used for its intended purpose only for 12 years. Already in 1922, in the wake of the first campaign to seize church values, all silver products were confiscated in it, and after a short time its final closure followed.

Immediately after that, by the order of the new authorities, all five domes of the church were demolished, the belfry was destroyed, and a brick fence surrounding the temple complex was also partially destroyed and executed in the same Byzantine style as the main building. Subsequently, the openings were closed with coarse concrete slabs.

All subsequent years the building of the former temple "Otrada and solace" in the Khodynka field was used for economic needs. Initially, the army club was located there, then the hostel of the workers of the Znamya Truda factory, which was replaced by a hardware storehouse, and, finally, for many years there was a building shop of one of the capital's enterprises.

On the brink of death

The real threat of destruction hung over the building in 1980, when the decision of the city authorities the former temple on the Khodynka field was determined for demolition in connection with the reconstruction of the nearby Botkin Hospital. In its place it was supposed to build a platform for turning the cars approaching the hospital morgue.

The building of the temple saved from destruction only the petition of the chief physician of the hospital IP Kuzin, appealed to the authorities of the capital with a proposal to preserve it and, having restored the church, to create in it the first hospital hospital in the Soviet Union.

We must give credit, in a country embraced by communist obscurantism and declared atheism to be part of state ideology, a considerable courage was required for such a step. However, it is to this man that Muscovites are indebted to the fact that from the barbarous destruction the temple "Joy and Consolation" on the Khodynka Field has survived, which is a remarkable example of church architecture of the beginning of the 20th century.

Revival of the Shrine

However, the authorities satisfied only the first part of IP Kuzin's petition and did not touch the building, but the request for the transfer of his church was rejected, because at that time it was impracticable for ideological reasons. Only ten years later, when, in connection with perestroika, a different approach to religious issues emerged, the former temple was transferred to the Russian Orthodox Church and entered the All-Svyatsky Deanery, covering the Northern Administrative District of the capital.

How to get to the temple?

Today the temple of the icon of the Mother of God "Joy and Consolation" is one of the leading spiritual centers of Moscow. It is located at ul. Polikarpova, house 16. You can get to it on any transport that goes to Khodynka field.

The metro is being built in this area, but it has not yet been commissioned, so anyone wishing to visit the temple can take buses No. 12c, 84, 175, 207 or 847, stopping 50 meters from it. In the same direction, there are also fixed-route taxis No. 18m and 216m. You can also reach trolleybuses No. 1 and 82 following Khodynka Field. Metro, which is intended to greatly simplify the travel of passengers to this area, is planned to open already in 2017.