City of Saratov, Holy Trinity Cathedral: photo, schedule of divine services, opening hours, description, address, phone, history

On the Museum Square of Saratov stands the ancient Holy Trinity Cathedral. We heard its walls and the whistle of the Tatar arrows, and the hubbub of the multilingual Pugachov's band, and the voices of the revolutionary speakers hoarse from tearing, calling for "destroying and building ...", however, what exactly it is necessary to build, they themselves represented vaguely. Much has been destroyed by them irretrievably, but the marvelous and desolate temple has revived - the beauty and pride of the Volga region. The story of his birth should begin, back to four centuries ago.

Wooden precursor of the cathedral

In 1590, with the pious prince Fyodor Ioannovich, the streltsy on the Volga bank founded a guard town, named Saratov. About the churches in which the Orthodox people prayed in the first decades of its existence, there is no information, but it is for certain known that in 1674 the bishop of Astrakhan Parfenii was blessed to build a wooden church in the name of the Most Holy Trinity for the only time in the city square.

The zeal of the parishioners was built in the very place where the famous Trinity Cathedral (the city of Saratov) stands now. For ten years the church served the salvation of the souls of the people, but in 1684 the Lord let the Great Fire in Saratov happen - a frequent guest of all the old Russian wooden cities, and the defenseless log wooden temple was destroyed.

Remained in place of the church are some of the firebrings - the parishioners of sorrow, and its rector, the archpriest Ignatius (Danilov), so generally ruin. And they went to beat the brow of Astrakhan Metropolitan Savvaty, so that he allowed the construction of a stone cathedral, and his archpastoral blessing would be strengthened with money, for which such a case required a very good quantity.

Erection of a stone building

Well, about the money is unknown, and the blessing was given by his lord, and even indicated what features the future cathedral should differ from its brethren, in the set erected by that time in holy Russia. With the receipt of the metropolitan diploma, work on the city square began to boil, and the entire Orthodox Saratov took part in it. The Trinity Cathedral was built not only on the people's means, that is, voluntary donations of citizens, but also by their own hands. It is known that all works that did not require special qualifications were performed by the future parishioners themselves.

Upon completion of the construction in 1659, Archimandrite Iosif was sent from Astrakhan, who strictly examined the new cathedral and at the same time consecrated both of its temples - the upper one, in the name of the Blessed Trinity, and the lower one, in honor of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin. Until now, the act of acceptance, compiled by the meticulous archimandrite, has been preserved. It details in detail all the structural features of the building, and most attention is paid to the luxurious and very rare for the provincial temples of the Dutch oven, installed on the first floor and covered with "marvelous tiles."

New fires and disasters

But the furnaces that brought warmth and comfort to their homes were fraught with real danger. Here and in 1712 a burning coal fell from someone under the cast-iron flap, and Saratov again fluttered, most of the buildings still remained wooden. This fire went down in history as the most terrible and pernicious of all that happened in the city since its foundation.

With pain, the contemporary described what he turned fire into the main city shrine. Roof, window frames, doors and all other wooden parts of the building completely burnt, there was only a stone covered skeleton covered with soot. The rich interior decoration of the cathedral, made up for the donations of the God-loving parishioners, was also lost.

However, who in Russia is surprised? The history of most of the ancient temples is a continuous series of fires and subsequent rebuilding. So, in Saratov, the Orthodox people, having burned down, climbed into the eggpots for five hundred and hryvnia for the repair of the shrine. The work of God can not be denied.

Risen from the ashes

Reborn after the fire, the Saratov Trinity Cathedral looked better than before. The refectory of the lower and upper floors were elongated and interconnected by arches. In the upper part of the building a covered gallery was built and, what is very important, a bell tower. At that time, she not only convened the bells of pilgrims by the sound of bells, but also served as an observation point, from which the possible approach of the Tatars, up to 1717, repeatedly raided and devastated suburbs.

The rebuilding of the cathedral, which was the result of the fire, stretched out for more than ten years. An event that is part of the history of Saratov is associated with it . In 1722, going on a Persian hike, Prince Peter the Great visited his journey with his wife Empress Catherine I. In the city archives, records were preserved that the king personally ascended to the forests that covered the cathedral building, and having, as you know, the skill in Carpentry and construction, gave very sensible instructions.

In 1774 the Lord sent the Saratovites new trials. In May, there was another fire in the cathedral rebuilt by that time, greatly damaged the upper church, and in the summer the city survived the invasion of Pugachev, who had approached him at the head of many thousands of troops. Most of those residents who fled to the forest and thus escaped death, having returned, found in their former homes only the ashes, and those who remained in the city, relying on the will of God, many said goodbye to life, becoming victims of "senseless and Ruthless "riot, which swept across the cities and Saratov. Trinity Cathedral rebels, however, did not touch.

Great Russian "maybe"

The next stage in the history of the cathedral covers the period from 1786 to 1811 and is a very typical illustration of Russian life. The fact is that in the middle of the eighties on the facade of the building appeared and began to gradually increase the cracks - the obvious result of design errors or construction defects. Since in this state the cathedral represented a danger (it could collapse at any moment), the ruling bishop sent the governor an order to completely disassemble the emergency building and erect a new one in his place.

It is understandable that only a large stone building is needed to dismantle a huge building, and even more so to build a new one. However, there were many good wishes in the episcopal charter, but there was not a word about money. The inhabitants of the city, with all their piety, could not collect such a sum.

Therefore, it was decided, relying on the Will of God and the great Russian "maybe", the cathedral did not close, but continue the services in it, especially since for many years everyone was used to it. So the Saratovites prayed, looking askance at the ceilings, until 1795, until an official came to Astrakhan consistory with the strictest instruction to immediately seal the temple.

The cathedral stood there until 1800, until the townspeople decided: since it has not collapsed yet, the Lord will continue to carry on. The seals were removed, the services resumed, but they established a committee at the church that consisted of honorary citizens of the city. His duties included regularly inspecting the walls and giving an official opinion - whether they were creeping or not. For eleven years, respectable men made technical reports, in which the only justification for continuing the work of the temple was God's mercy.

Finally, in 1811, the local salt industrialist and wealthy MA Ustinov financed the construction of the building at his own expense. To its walls were brought powerful vertical ribs - buttresses, hidden from the eyes of a covered gallery over them and a two-storeyed porch. By his labors, the wooden covering of the roof was replaced with an iron one, and new rich iconostases were built inside. That was the end of a period that lasted exactly a quarter of a century, during which the cathedral was then closed - collapsed, then reopened - God is merciful. This time it has passed - it would always be so!

The period of prosperity of the cathedral

In 1826, a new cathedral was built and consecrated in the city in honor of the Holy Prince Alexander Nevsky. Since then, he was the center around which the Saratov spiritual life was building. The Trinity Cathedral became an ordinary parish church, but, having gained for many years of its history the love of the Saratovites, enjoyed their affection and, importantly, donations. Thus, in 1836, the merchant of the first guild of F. Ya. Pulkin, chapels dismantled during the Soviet period and not preserved to the present day were added to both refectory temples.

The beginning of the 20th century was marked by preparations for major works on the reconstruction and reconstruction of the church. To implement them, a committee was set up, headed by the vice-governor of Saratov - the actual State Councilor VN Azancheyev -Azanchevsky and his deputy - the rector of the church, Archpriest Gennady (Makhrovsky). The Committee carried out the development of a plan for construction and restoration work, which was prevented by the events of 1917 that overwhelmed Saratov.

Years of total God-fighting

The Trinity Cathedral was located on the square, which at that time became the center of the political life of the city. It was constantly held by revolutionary and anti-religious rallies, followed by the actions of various organizations and movements, including such a scandalous as "Down with shame!", Which proclaimed physical nudity the only possible form of equality.

Survived in the XVIII century invasion of Pugachev, Saratov once again plunged into the nightmare of arbitrariness and lawlessness. The mass arrests of representatives of the clergy and the most active parishioners began. In September 1919, the rector of the Holy Trinity Cathedral, Archpriest Gennady (Makhrovsky), and a number of other clerics were shot without trial and investigation, and a month later the ruling bishop of the Saratov diocese and many of his entourage received the martyr's crown.

Already in the early thirties almost all the temples of Saratov ceased their work, many of them were destroyed. Closed and Holy Trinity Cathedral. The city of Saratov became the scene of an unparalleled atheist and atheistic campaign. The monument of temple architecture, which by then had more than three centuries of its history, was first used as a warehouse, and then determined to be demolished as not representing interest for members of a new socialist society.

Fight for the temple

And he would share the fate of many irretrievably lost by God's churches in Russia, but there were people who were not afraid to vote in his defense. They were not only parishioners, but the best part of the urban intelligentsia. The main initiative was shown by employees of the Saratov University and workers of city museums. On their part, this was a manifestation of unprecedented civil courage, since in those years any actions directed against the general line of the party, which included the struggle against religion, were considered as anti-state and could lead to the most tragic consequences.

But their struggle was crowned with success - Troitsky Cathedral of Saratov survived, although it remained inactive. This continued until the difficult situation on the fronts of the Great Patriotic War led the government to reconsider its attitude to religion, seeing in it a powerful force capable of rallying the people and giving it the forces necessary to defeat the enemy. It is known that during these years many churches, formerly closed and used for household needs, became operational again.

In October 1942, the Trinity Cathedral (Saratov) resumed its work. The description of his years is capable of filling the heart of every person with pain - not only the believer, but simply relating to the trembling of his own history. Vandals, atheists, in whose hands he was for many years, broke the iconostases, looted the sacristy, destroyed the liturgical books and icons.

However, the warm prayer of the parishioners warmed the devastated and cold Trinity Cathedral (Saratov). Schedule of services - a small piece of paper that appeared on his door - was the first swallow of the spiritual spring, the time of which was bound to come. And she was approaching. Her envoys were thousands of people who came to the temple in the first post-war years, most of which were yesterday's front-line soldiers.

Restoration of the interior of the cathedral stretched for many years. The reason for this was the extreme poverty of the people. People brought to the temple only those small means that they could hardly find out from a meager home budget, but they also unceremoniously withdrew this money from state officials to replenish them with the "Soviet Peace Fund."

Significant improvements came only in the early fifties, when the famous Paleshan artist PL Parilov painted forty icons for the cathedral, which were included in the iconostases of the upper and lower temples. By this time, many facade works were also carried out. Until the end of the eighties, the Trinity Cathedral (Saratov), whose photo is presented in the article, remained one of the two functioning city temples.

The good changes of the nineties

An important event in the life of the Trinity Cathedral was his visit to the Most Holy Patriarch Alexy II in 1993 and the Divine Liturgy that he performed, the first in the four-century history of Saratov, which was served by the Primate of the Russian Orthodox Church.

However, in order to achieve its present magnificence, which in all details repeats the former appearance, the Troitsky Cathedral (Saratov) was still to pass a long and difficult path. His opening hours were still limited. But perestroika has already brought a new, to be more precise, old, pre-revolutionary attitude to religion and questions of faith. Thanks to this, everyone was able to decide for themselves what the road to the temple means to him and how he is ready to worship.

Freedom of conscience ceased to be an empty declaration. But perestroika brought with it many problems, including material ones. Throughout the country, believers were returned to their formerly taken away temples, and their restoration required significant funds, which were not in the city budgets. Saratov did not have them either. The Trinity Cathedral, the history of construction and decoration of which is inextricably linked with the voluntary donations of parishioners, was also in poverty.

The change came with the appointment of a new ruling bishop, Bishop Longin (Korchagin), who was able to find material resources in a short time, and agree with the Ministry of Culture of the Russian Federation on drawing up a restoration project and find the right specialists. But the main role, as always, was played by parishioners, who helped to the best of their abilities and abilities - who ruble, and who performs the feasible work.

Today among the numerous Russian churches the Troitsky cathedral (Saratov) has taken a worthy place. The schedule of services posted at the entrance shows that the services in it are conducted in full, as stipulated in the church charter, as it was before in the pre-revolutionary years. Again, its doors are widely open to all who are looking for their way to God, and such with every day becomes more and more.

Trinity Cathedral (Saratov): timetable of divine services, address and telephone number

Everyone who visits the church knows that the range of annual services is strictly regulated by the Church Charter, according to which the life of individual parishes is conducted. In the same way, the Trinity Cathedral (Saratov) also plans its liturgical activity. The schedule of the services held in it, despite the fact that it has its own characteristics, is generally similar to the schedules of the work of other churches.

During weekdays:

• The Divine Liturgy at 8:00.
• Vespers, matins and polies at 17:00.

During holidays:

• Early liturgy at 7:00.
• Late Liturgy at 9:00.
• All-night vigil at 17:00.

Volga cities traditionally attract the attention of tourists who want to feel the air of Russian history. For them, undoubtedly, Saratov will also be of interest. Trinity Cathedral, whose address: st. Moscow, 6 (Museum Square), will be a bright and memorable stage of their journey. All information on the activities of the parish, its history and the peculiarities of the schedule of services during these or those holidays can be obtained from the numerous resources that sanctify his life. And for those who would like to receive more complete information before visiting Saratov (Trinity Cathedral), phone: +7 (845) 223 62 51. Call, you will be pleased to answer and give all necessary explanations.