The Moscow temple (in Yasenevo) of Peter and Paul

In the South-West Administrative District of Moscow, in the area of Yasenevo, is an ancient temple, built in honor of the apostles Peter and Paul. It is the home of the well-known Optina desert. Considered by right not only a religious center, but also a historical monument, it attracts a large number of parishioners, and just lovers and connoisseurs of antiquity.

Erection of the first wooden church

The church of Peter and Paul in Yasenevo has a long history, numbering at least seven centuries. In the historical documents that have come down to us, Yasenevo has been mentioned since the 14th century. Since in the papers certifying the rights of its owners, it is designated exactly as a village, this suggests the presence of a church in it, since it was part of the tradition of the past.

The earliest documentary evidence of this, with a description of the structure itself, refers to the times of Tsar Mikhail Fedorovich. Near the place where the church of the Apostles Peter and Paul is now located (in Yasenevo), in 1626, by the order of Patriarch Filaret - the father of the first tsar from the Romanov dynasty, the construction of a wooden church began.

It should be noted that in the historical period, when the years of hard trials came to an end in Russia, which went down in history as the Time of Troubles, the tendency to spiritual growth in the minds of Russians became apparent. This was expressed primarily in the construction of many churches, cathedrals and monastic complexes. The temple, which is discussed in this article, was a part of this universal process.

Commission sent by the highest edict

In the Historical Archives the letters of the owner of the village FA Lapukhin have been preserved, which, beginning in 1733, repeatedly asked the diocesan authorities to erect a new stone church on the land that belonged to him instead of a dilapidated wooden church.

As it often happens here - the case dragged on, and only in the reign of Empress Elizabeth Petrovna her personal decree was sent to Yasenevo commission. She was instructed to determine the degree of dilapidation of the old wooden church, and in case it is found unfit for further use, to petition for the erection of a new - this time stone.

The appearance of a stone church in Yasenevo

The state men looked around the church that had rickety from time and darkened, listened cautiously to the creaking of its roof and gave an opinion about the impossibility of conducting divine services there. This document became the legal basis for the beginning of construction, as a result of which the church of the holy apostles Peter and Paul (Yasenevo) appeared.

The original form of the temple was different from the one that has survived to the present day construction. In those years it was only the eastern part of the cubic form. In it was the central - unheated - side-altar. Above it towered an octagonal drum, cut through the windows and crowned with a dome. This building was made in a fashionable then-style, called the Catherine Baroque. In 1822, the parents of the future writer Leo Tolstoy, Princess MN Volkonskaya and Lieutenant Colonel N. I. Tolstoy, were married in this church .

Further reconstruction

The temple in Yasenevo (Peter and Paul) acquired its modern appearance in the period when the village belonged to Prince SI Gagarin. In 1832, by his order, a warm side chapel was built, consecrated in honor of St. Barbara, who was the heavenly patroness of his wife. In the same year, the bell tower was built and preserved until now.

However, over the years, significant errors in the work were revealed. In particular, the built-up warm side-chapel was not strong enough, and one of its walls squinted. A lot of criticism was expressed about the bell tower - extremely narrow and disproportionate to the whole building. In addition, there was a need for redevelopment of the inner room for greater convenience of the numerous parishioners of the temple.

The final shaping of the temple

In this regard, in 1860, the owners of the manor appealed to the leadership of the diocese and personally to the ruling metropolitan for permission to rebuild the temple, taking into account all of the above shortcomings. The blessing for the work was received, and the reconstruction began in the same year.

The architect of the new temple was the architect Kalugin. In 1665 the church in Yasenevo (Peter and Paul) was solemnly consecrated, but this event occurred after the death of the owner of the estate - Sergei Ivanovich Gagarin, who died in 1862.

As a result of the works, the image of the church, so well-known today for all Muscovites, was finally formed. Its architecture corresponds to a three-part composition symmetrically arranged along the longitudinal axis of the building. Its components are a temple, a porch and a bell tower. This type of temple buildings was very common in the XIX century in the patrimonial possessions of Central Russia.

The fate of the temple in the years of universal atheism

In the Soviet period, the temple in Yasenevo (Peter and Paul) suffered the fate of many religious centers of the country. In the thirties, it was closed, but, fortunately, it was not destroyed, but was used as a sovkhoz warehouse.

The building as a whole is preserved, but the internal painting of the walls, made in the first half of the 19th century, was lost irretrievably and represented a high artistic and historical value.

From 1973 to 1976, the restoration work was carried out in the temple, as a result of which the external facade of the building was brought to its original appearance, and crosses were erected on the dome and bell tower. However, this matter was limited. The territory on which the architectural monument was located belonged to the local motor depot and was closed to outsiders. The question of the resumption of worship in the temple was not raised at all.

Return of the church to the parishioners

Only with the onset of democratic changes and a change in the state's policy toward the church, the temple (in Yasenevo) of Peter and Paul was returned to the believers. It happened in 1989, and ten years later it received the status of the Moscow farmstead of Optina desert. Today it is one of the most famous Orthodox churches in the capital. Every day, the services held in it are attended by members of a large parish community, as well as those who came from other regions and cities of the country to pay homage to the shrines kept here. For everyone, the Peter and Paul Church in Yasenevo opens its doors widely.

The schedule of services, posted at the entrance and placed on the official website, indicates that the services are held in full, as stipulated in the Charter of the church. Everyone who is going to visit Moscow, it is recommended to visit this center of Orthodoxy. The address where Peter and Paul's church is located: Moscow, Yasenevo, Novoyasenevsky Avenue, 42. You can get to the metro station "Novoyasenevskaya" by metro.