In the Church of the Nativity of Christ in Izmailovo

This ancient cathedral is located in the Eastern District of Moscow. It is noteworthy that, despite repressions, the church was not closed during the years of Soviet power, and many clergymen from the closed parishes began to serve here.

In the care of Russian autocrats

The Church of the Nativity of Christ in Izmailovo is built of stone on the site of a wooden church in the patrimony of the boyars of the Romanovs by the Kostroma masters at the behest of Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich in 1676 and consecrated by Patriarch Joachim. The Church of the Nativity of Christ in Izmailovo is the residence of Russian tsars. The whole family of the second autocrat from the Romanov dynasty came to worship the icons with the holy faces of the heavenly patrons.

The architectural structure is sustained in the style of the late uzoroch'ya. The construction of the temple took almost ten years. In 1678 three iconostases were created by the Kostroma master Sergiy Rozhkov. In 1690, the chapels were added: the Kazan Icon of the Mother of God and Nicholas the Wonderworker, which were consecrated, and in 1760 - the refectory and the bell tower in the Baroque style. At the beginning of the 18th century, by the order of Anna Ioanovna, the icons were renewed by the iconographer Piskulina, and in the middle of the 19th century the carvings and iconostasis were decorated with carvings.

The main shrine of the temple

Only 15 years have passed since the crucifixion of Christ, when the Evangelist Luke painted an icon of the Jerusalem Mother of God. The shrine traveled a lot, even once saved Constantinople. The list from it appeared in the Assumption Cathedral in Moscow. It remained there until the attack of Napoleon, then disappeared without a trace.

In 1771, during the Moscow plague epidemic, believers came to worship a particularly revered icon of the Mother of God of Jerusalem in the Church of the Nativity of Christ. In Izmailovo, a copy is kept, which has already become famous for its miracles by the time described. Now she is the main shrine in the temple.

Construction of the chapel

The end of the XIX century. Izmaylovo doubled due to people from other provinces, now this is a large and industrial village with a population of more than 2.5 thousand inhabitants. The workers labored at the manufactory and could not come to church, therefore it was decided to build a chapel on the territory of the factory for the spiritual nourishment of the workers. It was consecrated in 1890.

The case of the merchant I.V. Butyugina

The turn of the centuries is marked by the next stage of repair and construction works in the Church of the Nativity of Christ in Izmailovo. A major contribution to the reconstruction was made by the merchant Ivan Vasilyevich Butyugin (1841-1911). He came from a sort of well-to-do peasants, who had their own wool factory and brick factories in Izmailovo and Moscow. By order of his relative for the Nativity Church, a cross was made, which in 2000 was transferred to the Silver Island in the Church of the Intercession of the Blessed Virgin.

Like his family, he was involved in the organization of factory production and charity. He was the trustee of the library, the zemstvo school, allocated funds for the temple, in his will mentioned his house, which he gave to the poor for shelter and permanent housing for elderly maidens and widows, who in 1912 was opened.

At the expense of Butyugin designed by architect P.P. Salnikova (1864-1901) in the late 19th century, double iron doors were created, still standing at the main entrance to the Church of the Nativity of Christ in Izmailovo. In addition, at the request of Ivan Vasilievich during the renovation of icons, several images of St. Nicholas and the Mother of God of Kazan stood in the respective chapels of the church.

Temple painting

At the beginning of the 20th century, the church was redecorated. This was done by the famous Moscow artist Guryanov Vasily Pavlovich (1866-1920). At that time, all reconstruction work was controlled by the Moscow Archaeological Society. It recommended painting in the style of the XVII century, but Vasily Pavlovich in his work used the example of the Kiev Vladimir Cathedral, which was restored by the artist V.M. Vasnetsov.

The then rector of the Church of the Nativity of Christ in Izmailovo Mikhail Volkov On this account answered that modest funds were allocated for painting, the old age stylization was beyond the power of the temple. The archaeological society accepted the work with a very low estimate, especially displeased underlining the interpretation of the re-creation of "Prayer for the Cup" and the altar painting of the Holy Trinity. Nevertheless, Guryanov's painting was preserved until the end of the 20th century without renewal. The same master was a complete restoration of the iconostasis and individual icons. The Imperial Archaeological Commission in 1911 allowed the whitewashing of the walls, the heads of the Nativity Church and the roofs covered with median. Next year, water heating was installed.

Period of revolution

The Church of the Nativity of Christ in Izmaylovo was deprived of the parish school on the grounds that the church is separated from the state. The clergy were forbidden to conduct classes under the Law of God in the Zemstvo school. Despite this, the children still came to the temple and sang in the choir.

In 1922, the seizure of valuables was carried out. By this time Izmaylov residents had been informed that no resistance could keep the commission from taking out the valuables. They took 196 different objects: eighty crowns from icons, fifty silver rhizas, three censers, crosses, silver corners from the Gospels, and others.

The greatest indignation of the believers was caused by the action of the commission for the removal of the chasuble from the miraculous image of the Mother of God of Jerusalem. The Bolsheviks began to trample it to free precious stones. Indignant parishioners wrote a letter of protest against the removal of church values, for which they later arrested them, but were soon released.

During 1923, the temple filled the loss of things. Only silver replaced copper. It is not known how, but the robe returned to the place, which was removed from the miraculous icon of the Jerusalem Mother of God.

The architecture and the internal structure of the Christmas temple captured the history of the parish from the rise to our days and the fate of people associated with it.