St. Nicholas Church of Sevastopol and its history

St. Nicholas Church of Sevastopol - a monument to Russian soldiers who died on this earth during the Crimean War of 1853-1856. This bloody massacre cost Russia a huge number of lives. The bodies of the defenders of the city are buried here in nameless graves. As they stood shoulder to shoulder in battle with the enemy, they remained inseparable after death.

Construction of a temple-monument

In this war, the destiny of the country was largely decided, and grateful Russians considered it their duty to preserve the memory of the heroes. A fundraising was announced for the construction of a memorial temple in their honor. Without exaggeration, we can say that all strata of Russian society took part in this good deed. In less than a year and a half, how the amount was collected, which made it possible to start work. And on March 18, 1856, the construction of the church began in honor of St. Nicholas.

St. Nicholas Church of Sevastopol was built according to the project of architect A.A. Avdeev, later awarded him the title of academician. Construction and decoration work took more than three years, and in 1870 the church was solemnly consecrated. Since then, thousands of Russians have gone to him to honor the memory of the heroes of this legendary defense. Their flow is especially great in the days when a requiem for the dead soldiers is being served. This occurs annually on August 29th.

Creating mosaic panels

The history of interior decoration is interesting. Initially, it was decided to decorate the St. Nicholas Church in Sevastopol with frescoes made with oil paint. For this purpose, a group of artists was invited, led by the famous Russian painter F.A. Bruni. They honorably fulfilled the task entrusted to them. Particularly impressive was the figure of the Savior written above the main entrance.

But the designers did not take into account the important factor - salty sea air. For a decade and a half, he ruined the picturesque layer of frescoes. As a result, an imperial decree was received to replace the damaged painting with mosaic. The works on its manufacture were commissioned by the Italian workshop of A. Salviati, and the sketches were made by the artist M.N. Protopopov.

So he immortalized the memory of his defenders Sevastopol. St. Nicholas Church, a brotherly cemetery and all this land, drenched in blood, became a place of regular pilgrimage of members of the Reigning House. As a sign of special respect for the memory of the heroes, it was decided after the liturgy to bypass the temple with the procession of the cross. This continued until 1917.

Post-revolutionary period and war

After the revolution, the St. Nicholas Church of Sevastopol was closed, but, fortunately, it was not destroyed, and its walls survived. Still, the arm of the godless power did not rise to the sacredness of its people. His misfortune befell during the war. For many months the defense of the city from the fascists continued. As a result of artillery fire, the building suffered great damage.

The outer covering of the walls was destroyed by bullets and shell fragments. Almost completely lost mosaic. A direct hit of the projector brought down the upper part of the pyramid of the building, so that the crowning diorite cross split into parts. By the end of the war the temple lay in ruins.

Restoration of the temple-monument

Restorative work began in 1968, but was delayed and completed only by the end of 1974. However, the former species was returned only to the external appearance of the temple. The most affected part of the mosaic was lost by 95%. An important stage in the life of the temple-monument was 1988. A governmental decision was made to transfer it to the Russian Orthodox Church.

Again, there were various delays, but by 1994 it became the property of a religious community. Since that moment, the restoration work has entered a completely different phase. In the same year, the mosaic image of the Savior was restored above the central entrance. It was recreated with the help of the masters of the restoration center in Zagreb. Two years later, with the help of the leadership of the Russian Orthodox Church, the mosaic panel of the eastern portal was restored. It depicts the Wives of the Myrrhbearers.

But the restoration work does not stop until now. In 2012, at the top of the church was installed crowning cross. Until that time, his place was occupied by a specially made copy. In addition, most of the outer facings of the building were dismantled and sent to the restoration workshops. All this allows us to hope that the shrine will acquire its original appearance.

Revival of the spiritual life

Spiritual life is gradually reviving. Among the Orthodox churches again appeared one that all of Russia knew. This is the St. Nicholas Church (Sevastopol). "In the reeds," the residents of the city added affectionately. So they call it by the name of Kamyshovaya Bay, near which it is located. Many people come to worship the graves of heroes in the brotherly cemetery. Many Orthodox parishes organize pilgrimage trips to Sevastopol. St. Nicholas Church, whose address - st. Bogdanova, 43 (Brotherly Cemetery) - today is known in all parts of the country, once again became a temple-monument of our heroic history.