Church of the Archangel Michael, Yaroslavl: history, description and interesting facts

In Yaroslavl, on the bank of the river Kotorosli - the right tributary of the Volga, the Savior-Transfiguration Monastery, founded in the XI century, is located. On both sides it is surrounded by the Temple of the Epiphany and the Church of the Archangel Michael. Yaroslavl is one of the most ancient Russian cities, and these temples are just as ancient. One of them, the one that is consecrated in honor of the archangel-leader of the Celestial Host, today, as for many centuries, is the place of spiritual care for the earthly warriors - defenders of the Fatherland.

Documentary evidence of the foundation of the church

About when and by whom the church of Michael the Archangel in Yaroslavl was founded, the history of which is inextricably linked with this city, we are told by ancient chronicles and church books that have survived to this day. One of them, compiled in 1530 and containing the lives of princes Vasily and Constantine, for humility and pious life ranked as the saints, also tells us that the Novgorod prince Konstantin Vsevolozh laid two churches in his Yaroslavl subordinate. One of them was the Assumption Cathedral, and the second was a church in the name of the Archangel Michael, patron of military people. Knowing the years of the reign of this Novgorod prince and the date of the Assumption Cathedral, it is not difficult to determine that the church referred to in this article was built around 1215.

Also curious information contains and the manuscript of the XVIII century, kept in the church. It says that it was built in 1216, and safely stood for eighty years. But then the wife of the specific Yaroslavl prince Fyodor Rostislavovich Chorny Anna, deeming her unnecessarily dilapidated, ordered to demolish, and on this place to lay a new temple.

Gift of the wife of Khan Nogai

In passing, it is worth noting that a rather romantic story is associated with the prince's couple, who was preoccupied with the laying of a new church. The fact is that the name Black, which is used by historians, is actually pronounced as Chermnoi, that is, "beautiful". According to annalistic information, he really was a rare handsome man, and once, during a visit to the Golden Horde, the wife of the khan Nogai himself fell madly in love with him.

It is not difficult to guess what could have resulted in the jealousy of her husband, if only the slightest excuse had been given to her. But she proved to be wise and circumspect woman - it was not without reason that she was the daughter of Byzantine emperor Michael VIII Paleologue. Unable to give the Russian prince her heart, she gave him his wife's daughter, who adopted the name of Anna in Orthodoxy. Her worries and the church of the Archangel Michael (Yaroslavl) was founded.

Church - a monument of the past centuries

About why the princess of the Tatar-Greek origin decided to consecrate the church in honor of the Archangel Michael, there are several hypotheses. The most likely of them are two. According to one of them, it was done in memory of his father - Michael VIII Palaeologus. Another hypothesis sees in her decision grief for the beloved, but the earliest died stepchild Michael - the son of Prince Fyodor the Black from a previous marriage.

Up to now, several icons preserved in the church since the time of Princess Anna have been preserved. This is the image of the Archangel Michael, who was in the Soviet period in the collection of the Tretyakov Gallery, two icons of the Virgin Mary of Vladimir and Smolensk, as well as the image of St. Anthony the Great, according to the researchers, which in previous centuries was a temple icon, Consecrated in honor of this saint.

The status of the garrison temple

In the XVII century, the area surrounding the church was given to the settlements of the streltsy, that is, the military people, for whom the Archangel Michael, the leader of the Heavenly Host, was the patron. It is quite natural that since then the church has received the status of a garrison temple, which is still there. At the same time, the old church building was decided to be renovated and partially rebuilt.

It should be noted that the transfer of the temple to the military department brought him more honor than the money needed for perestroika. The Yaroslavl governors were very stingy people, and the work dragged on for a quarter of a century. They ended only in 1682, at the very beginning of the reign of Peter the Great, the great commander who brought the heavenly patron of his army a lot of trouble.

Due to the scarcity of military financing, the work was mainly carried out on the donations of Yaroslavl merchants, but the one who pays is known to order music. Everything was done according to the desires of the donors, whose tastes changed for a quarter of a century. As a result, the Church of the Archangel Michael (Yaroslavl) absorbed the features inherent in several temple architectural styles.

Church of Michael the Archangel: description

In general, it is similar to other Yaroslavl temples built during the same period. It is based on the correct quadrilateral with three apses - semicircular projections, inside which the altars are located. The whole structure is mounted on a high base, the lower part of the building. It stored goods intended for sale in a market located nearby - the merchants were baked about their souls, but they did not forget about the mammon either. Initially, on the north and west wall, there were covered galleries, to which led two high porches, decorated with openwork carvings. Until now, only the western gallery has survived.

And, of course, the general view is complemented by the bell tower, built at the request of the merchant-donors in the favorite Yaroslavl style - heavy, squat, culminating in a small tent. In the church there are two side-altars, and the northern, consecrated in honor of Solovetsky miracle-workers, is crowned with a picturesque turret. The facade of the temple is elegantly decorated with window frames and pants - square indentations in the wall, in the middle of which were placed colored tiles.

Temple murals and written evidence of the past

The Church of St. Michael the Archangel in Yaroslavl was always famous for its wall painting, executed in 1731 by an artel of icon painters under the guidance of Fedor Fedorov. Their frescoes, which are somewhat simplistic in the transmission of the plot, in some ways resemble Russian splint and are very characteristic for the late period of development of this picturesque genre.

The book, which is stored in the temple, called "The Klein Record", compiled during the period 1761-1825 by the priest Semyon Yegorov, tells that in the church, besides the icons that came from ancient times, silver crosses with relics of saints shining in Yaroslavl lands . In addition, his work in full detail tells about the events witnessed in these years by the Church of Archangel Michael (Yaroslavl).

Years of Desolation

In the Soviet period, Yaroslavl became the arena of a broad anti-religious campaign unfolded in the country. The Church of Michael the Archangel - garrison, in which many generations of Russian soldiers prayed, going into battle, was closed and turned into a warehouse. In 1925, her bells were confiscated and sent to re-melting, and all utensils and other valuables were simply looted. A very small number of them have already been found in our museums in our country.

The situation changed somewhat for the better in the sixties, when the church of Michael the Archangel (Yaroslavl) was transferred to the care of the city museum-reserve. It was partially restored, but the state did not have enough money, and the former merchant benefactors had long since sunk into oblivion.

Towards a revival

So the temple remained a museum exhibit, used for household needs, until 1992, until finally returned to the Orthodox Church. During this period, in view of the changed state policy towards religious issues, many churches and monasteries, previously taken away from believers, returned to their former owners. Among them was the church of Michael the Archangel (Yaroslavl).

The schedule of services in those years and today can be seen only on the doors of its southern limit - the warm part of the church, the restoration of which is completed. The rest of the building is still locked and waiting for its hour. It only produced plastering and restored window stained glass.

The tradition of voluntary donations

There is still a lot to be done, since during the years of totalitarian godfathering, the temple suffered significant damage. In 1995, again, like in the old days, she was given the status of a garrison temple. But the restoration work did not accelerate. Apparently, without the bounty of voluntary donors, the Church of Michael the Archangel (the city of Yaroslavl) can not be fully revived.

However, statistics show that in our days the Russian land has not been depleted by voluntary donors. Officially, the percentage of the funds invested by them from the total amount of funding for restoration works is not disclosed, but judging by the rates with which the shrines that were previously in desolation take their true shape for the past decades, it is large enough.

What is the Church of the Archangel Michael dear to us?

Holy places - Yaroslavl and other cities that are part of the Golden Ring of Russia - today are the most visited both pilgrims and tourists. The historical center of Yaroslavl is listed in UNESCO, because it represents a significant historical and artistic value. Thousands of people come here from all over the country and from abroad to breathe in with the incomparable air of antiquity. But not only the cultural heritage of the past centuries is glorious this Volga city.

It is also known for its temples, a prominent place among which is the church of Michael the Archangel, whose description today can be found both in printed guidebooks and on its Internet sites. Here, in the walls that have witnessed so many services, prayer becomes especially blessed.

It is important to note that the cause of the return of the people to its original spiritual roots is not only the services performed in it, but also concerts of choral and bell music, held here every August in the framework of the All-Russian festival "Transfiguration". Participation in them is taken by professional collectives and church choirs created by the forces of individual parishes. Their singing, accompanied by the ringing of the bells, becomes a symbol of holiness, reborn after decades of spiritual darkness and desolation.