Transfiguration Church of Belaya Tserkov

The construction of the unusually beautiful snow-white and majestic Spaso-Preobrazhensky Cathedral, which is the pearl of Belaya Tserkov (Ukraine), is associated with the name of the Orthodox landowner Alexandra Vasilievna Branitskaya. In old age, she was called the countess, the temple-publisher, this is indicated by archival documents, as she promised to build twelve Orthodox churches.

Transfiguration Church

There is one more person, well-known at that time and related to the construction of this city shrine - Metropolitan of Kiev and Galich Eugene (Bolkhovitinov). In 1833, in his name came an appeal, which was brought by the envoy Alexandra Branitskaya. In her letter, the countess asked for blessings for the construction of a stone church in the White Church.

According to the request, the Holy Transfiguration Church should have three holy altars: the first - in honor of the Savior, the other two - in honor of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker and the Blessed Prince Alexander Nevsky. The countess was going to build the temple solely at her own expense. The permission was received, along with this dean of the village Grebinok Eustace Durdukovsky was ordered to consecrate a place for the construction of the temple. In the spring of 1833, Father Eustathius consecrated a place on the Cathedral Square of the city, and after this construction work began, which lasted six years, for that time the term was very insignificant.

Rector Protopriest Peter Lebedintsev

The Countess-Maecenas hoped to see her child even in her lifetime, and her wish was fulfilled. She died before the Lord at the age of 84 in 1838. A year later, September 24, 1839, the newly-converted Countess of the Transfiguration Church was consecrated by the Metropolitan of Kiev and Galicia Filaret (Amfiteatrov).

One of the most famous priors of the church from 1851 to 1860 was the archpriest Peter Gavrilovich Lebedintsev. This clergyman was very learned and well-known throughout Russia, a historian, an ethnographer, a member of several scientific partnerships, the author of many reform projects in the church life of the Kyiv region. For such a prolific activity, Father Peter received the greatest number of awards among the priests of the Kiev region of the XIX century. He has state orders of St. Anna III and II degree, St.. Vladimir IV degree. He corresponded with the ecumenical patriarchs and received awards from foreign kings.

Father Peter, being the rector of the Transfiguration Church, was the first to open a network of paraphilic schools in the Russian Empire and invest many efforts in the prosperity of the temple entrusted to him.

Nadrosye

According to the property inventory of 1852, the Transfiguration Church was the best in Nadrosye in terms of providing church things. The main shrines were a piece of the Life-Giving Cross, the Gospel of the 1600th edition (Vilna) and the Gospel in red velvet and the silver-gilt rim of the edition of Lviv in 1636.

There was one significant drawback in the temple. Father Father Fyodor Gankevich informed the Metropolitan that it was very cold in winter because of drafts penetrating through windows and doors. In accordance with this in 1884-1887, works on insulation were launched, double windows and doors were put in place, heaters were installed in the beginning of the 20th century.

Test Times

Almost every prior of the church did many good deeds, which increased the welfare of the Belotserkov shrine. But with the advent of Soviet power, the Transfiguration Church was deserted, some shrines were sent to the museum, and most of them were melted for the state needs and for the needs of the hungry. The lands (143 desyatins) were also confiscated.

On the territory of the temple was the grave of Countess Alexandra Vasilyevna Branitskaya, who was defiled and thrown into the garbage. Gradually, the temple was ruined and closed, then it opened the archive of the NKVD. And then power structures began to physically destroy the pastors. In 1938, among the other pastors was arrested and shot by the father of Alexander Rudskoy, who for a long time was rector.

During the Great Patriotic War the Savior's Transfiguration Church was badly damaged by bombardments, while archives and utensils were burnt, but the mighty walls of the temple stood up even under the onslaught of this terrible fire.

During the war, he was discovered, and he began to act after he was transferred to the newly created Ukrainian Autocephalous Orthodox Church (UAOC), but the parishioners were few.

And already in 1944, after mitigating atheistic terror, city believers returned the church to the UOC-MP. The paraphilical temple operated since 1962. Then the local authorities closed it again, referring to the emergency situation. Despite the fact that the building in the 70's belonged to monuments of architecture, it housed a sports hall.

The temple was rediscovered in 1989 and was appointed by the rector of Protopriest Ilya Kravchenko, who immediately began the restoration and restoration of the dilapidated cathedral.

The abbots

In 1994, the church became the main shrine of the newly created Belotserkovsky diocese, received the status and name of the Savior's Transfiguration Cathedral.

First Bishop Seraphim (Zaliznitsky) was appointed the first bishop to the Belotserkovsky department, who conducted a number of internal works, installed a new iconostasis and made wall paintings of the church.

Since May 31, 2007, the decision of the Holy Synod of the UOC was led by the Belotserkovsky Department of His Eminence Archbishop Mitrofan (Yurchuk), under his leadership the revival of the central church of the diocese was continued. The system of scoring was installed, the limit of Serafim of Sarov was updated, the church courtyard was ennobled, etc.

July 20, 2012 Archbishop of Belotserkovsky and Boguslavsky appointed Augustin (Markevich). Today, under his leadership, the Transfiguration Cathedral is experiencing a new stage of prosperity.

On the territory of the Preobrazhensky church there is the Nikolaev church, which dates from 1706.