Church of Nikola on matting. Church of St. Nicholas at the Rogozhsky cemetery. Interesting facts about the Church of St. Nicholas at the Rogozhsky cemetery

In the second half of the XIX century. merchant N. M. Alasin sponsored the reconstruction of St. Nicholas Church, which by that time had become rather dilapidated. The work was supervised by the architect N.V. Karneev. A three-tier hipped bell tower with two hipped hanging weights was rebuilt (its main bell weighed 360 pounds). The vaults of the temple itself became higher by more than 2 meters.

Nicholas at the Rogozhsky cemetery

In 1872, the northern chapel was consecrated in honor of the Intercession Holy Mother of God, and in 1881, instead of the Vladimir chapel, they arranged and consecrated the southern chapel in honor of the icon of the Mother of God "Three Hands". The shape of the building became cruciform. Decor elements were borrowed from the motives of Russian architecture of the 17th century.

The last changes in the exterior of the Nicholas Church at the Rogozhsky cemetery were carried out at the beginning of the 20th century. Today, its architecture corresponds to the Russian or Byzantine-Russian style characteristic of the 19th century.

The interior of the temple is fascinating: a high light vestibule with a blue vault, decorated with gilded stars; the pompous five-tiered iconostasis in the main temple amazes with ancient rare icons; beautiful painting in the Greek style; vaults and walls of the aisles are decorated with biblical scenes.

AT Soviet time the monastery was not closed, and now it belongs entirely to the RCP.

The Old Believers began to build in 1791. They received permission from the Moscow authorities, involved the architect M.F. Kazakov, who decided to build a large building in the style of classicism, and began laying the foundation stone for the monastery. However, the plans had to be revised ...

Metropolitan Gabriel of St. Petersburg complained to Catherine II about the construction of a temple larger than the Assumption Cathedral, which clearly humiliates the first in Russia. After the debriefing, it was ordered to adjust the plan of the building.

So the altar apse was eliminated, the church spire was reduced in size, and instead of five domes, one turned out. The cathedral has three portals - northern, southern and western (where the entrance is located), as well as northern and southern aisles - in honor of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker and Sergius of Radonezh, respectively.

In 1856, through the efforts of Metropolitan Filaret, the altars of the churches in the churchyard were sealed. They were printed out in 1905, and the Old Believers still consider that day a holiday. In honor of the joyful event in 1910, it was built.

Resurrection at the Rogozhsky cemetery

The architect of the temple was F. F. Gornostaev (in addition, the most famous historian of Russian architecture). The height of the structure is about 80 meters, and the largest bell weighed 1000 pounds (more than 16 tons). On the facade of the bell tower, there were relief images of birds of paradise and a tawny owl (pelican) feeding its chicks with its blood.

At the base of the bell tower there was a small Church of the Resurrection. Its interior was decorated with paintings in the Novgorod style of the 16th century; its iconostasis consisted of ancient icons. The book depository was located on the second tier.

In 1933 Resurrection Church was closed. His books and manuscripts were sent to Lenin's library, and most of the bells were melted down. The building was used as a warehouse.

During the war, it was decided to blow up the bell tower so that it would not attract the attention of German artillery. They laid explosives, there was an explosion, but the building survived. Only a crack appeared along its entire length. It is still visible in places today.

Church of the Resurrection at the Rogozhsky Cemetery

After the war, the church-bell tower was transferred to the Archdiocese. The temple was soon restored, an extension was made to it and consecrated in the name of the Dormition of the Most Holy Theotokos. In 1990, a huge bell was again erected on the bell tower (it was preserved in the Moscow Art Theater). And in the 2000s, the restoration of its facades was carried out.

In December 2013, restored crosses were installed on the cupolas of the temple, solemnly consecrated by Metropolitan Cornelius. On February 1, 2015, the bell tower was consecrated in the name of the Resurrection of Christ.

Now there is an archive of ancient books, open to everyone who wants to get acquainted with the history of ancient Orthodoxy (Old Believers).

Today the Pokrovsky Cathedral and the Resurrection Bell Tower are objects cultural heritage federal significance.

Rogozhsky settlement, or Rogozhskaya Sloboda, is a very peculiar and unexpected district of Moscow. This is the center of the Russian Orthodox Old Believer Church, spiritual center one of the branches of the Old Believers - the priesthood of Belokrinitsky consent. And a metropolis spread around: high-rise buildings, an industrial zone, an overpass of the Third Ring Road. The Old Believers settled here since the 17th century. During the plague of 1771, all cemeteries within the city were closed, and the dead were buried in mass graves outside the outposts. So, not far from the Rogozhskaya outpost, such a cemetery was created, where the Old Believers-priests were buried. After the epidemic, Catherine II, in gratitude to the Old Believers merchants who had done a lot to fight the plague, allowed the construction of two stone churches near the cemetery - summer and winter. Gradually, a whole Old Believer village with its own special way of life was formed and grew here, where, according to the memoirs of contemporaries, the customs and customs differed sharply from the rest of Moscow.

Temples of Rogozhskaya Sloboda

Initially, after the permission of Catherine II, a temple was erected in the Rogozhskaya Sloboda in the name of the Intercession of the Most Holy Theotokos or the Pokrovsky Cathedral. This is the main cathedral church Rogozhskaya community. Most of the Old Believer churches in Russia were consecrated in the name of the Intercession of the Most Holy Theotokos, since it was believed that it was her patronage that helped the Old Believer Church overcome hardships and hardships.

The temple was built in 1790-1792 by the outstanding Russian architect Matvey Fedorovich Kazakov in the style of classicism. During the construction of the temple, it turned out that it surpasses the Assumption Cathedral in the Kremlin in terms of area. Therefore, at the direction of Empress Catherine II, the temple was “shortened”: instead of five domes, one was left on the church, the altar ledges were dismantled, and the spire was shortened. The interior of the cathedral was impressive: the walls and vaults were painted in the old Russian style, the temple was decorated with huge candlesticks, lamps, chandeliers. The richest collection of ancient Russian icons of the 13th-17th centuries was stored in the cathedral.

For two centuries, the Pokrovsky Cathedral was the largest Orthodox church in Moscow, accommodating up to seven thousand believers at a time. Only the construction and reconstruction of the Cathedral of Christ the Savior twice moved it to second place among Christian churches in terms of area. However, it must be admitted that in terms of spiritual value and prayerfulness, this is, of course, one of the most significant churches in the capital and the country as a whole.

To this day, frescoes and icons have been preserved in the Intercession Cathedral almost in their original form, including an icon attributed to the disciples of Andrei Rublev in the iconostasis. The temple also houses hundreds of authentic Orthodox shrines and relics collected over many years. The Pokrovsky Cathedral is illuminated by silver chandeliers of Catherine's time, not converted to electric lighting (!!!). Before the start of the service, candles are lit manually (!) on the chandeliers using a special wooden stairs on wheels, triangular shape similar to a children's slide. And even in the church there are wooden, unpainted, cleanly scraped floors (the last time I saw this was 20-30 years ago in the countryside)! All this creates some kind of extraordinary, fabulous, and at the same time homely cozy atmosphere.

Next to the summer Pokrovsky Cathedral is the winter Church of the Nativity of Christ.

It was built in 1804 according to the project of the architect I.D. Zhukov. In the 1920s, the temple was closed, the dome and rotunda were dismantled. AT different time there was a canteen for workers, factory workshops, a bomb shelter and even a Soyuzattraction slot machine base. It is clear that the interiors have not been preserved. Now the service here is conducted infrequently.

Closer to the Rogozhsky cemetery there is a temple in the name of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker (Nikola of Myra at the Rogozhsky cemetery). At this place, first in 1771, an Old Believer church was built. wooden chapel, later replaced by a temple in the style of classicism, later, in 1864, rebuilt in the pseudo-Russian style. In the same years, a three-tiered bell tower was built. In Soviet times, the temple was not closed. At present, the temple does not belong to the Old Believer community, it is a parish of the same faith, Russian Orthodox Church Moscow Patriarchy.

The restored temple can be viewed as a painted toy, as a bright fairy-tale fantasy from childhood. Here on each side of the bell tower there is such a porch ...

... the windows are so intricately decorated ...

... this is how the domes are intricately decorated and this is how the bell tower looks like in general

A truly pearl of the architectural ensemble of the Rogozhskaya Sloboda is the church-bell tower in the name of the Resurrection of Christ. Majestic and graceful, inexpressibly beautiful and harmonious, with its aspiration to heaven similar to a spaceship at the start, with its silhouette evoking images of ancient Russian temples, the bell tower of Rogozhskaya Sloboda is an undoubted masterpiece of cult architecture, it may not be so replicated and clearly underestimated from a tourist point of view

In 1856, the tsarist government sealed the altars of the summer and winter churches, and the church of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker, built by that time, was turned into a common faith church. Only in 1905, on the basis of the tsar's manifesto on religious tolerance, the Rogozhsky churches were unpacked. It was in memory of the unsealing of the altars of local churches that the church-bell tower was erected in 1906-1913 in the name of the Resurrection of Christ (architect F. I. Gornostaev). In 1949, the temple was re-consecrated in the name of the Dormition of the Most Holy Theotokos, and in early 2015, back to the original dedication to the Resurrection of Christ. Initially, during construction, bells weighing 1000, 360 and 200 pounds were installed on the bell tower. In the 1920s they were removed and sent for melting down, the church was closed. After restoration in 1990, a bell weighing 262 pounds 38 pounds (4293 kg) was raised to the bell tower. This bell, cast in 1910, has been kept at the Moscow Art Theater since the 1930s.

The height of the bell tower is about 80 meters, which is only a meter lower than the Ivan the Great Bell Tower in the Kremlin, above which it was forbidden to build in Moscow for centuries. But, as the guide told us, there is a persistent opinion among the Old Believers that the bell tower of the Rogozhsky village is only one brick lower than Ivan the Great, or even lower than the Kremlin bell tower only according to documents, but in fact it is equal or higher. In addition to extremely harmonious proportions, the bell tower is remembered for its elegant carvings.

The arch of the belfry is decorated with relief images of a pelican. It used to be that the pelican feeds its chicks with its blood, so it served as a symbol of parental love.

In the Soviet period, most of the territory of the Rogozhsky settlement was used for the construction of buildings for the plant of automatic lines and special machine tools. According to data gleaned from the Internet, in 1995 the Moscow government approved a plan for the reconstruction of the historical and architectural ensemble of the Rogozhskaya Sloboda, and in 2011 this plan was canceled. I can personally testify that before 2011 restoration work was carried out here, and recently, literally in 2014-15, noticeable changes took place. Compare these two photos here. Pay attention to the dome of the bell tower

This is just an illustration of the transformation of the temple for last years: the first photo was taken in 2013, and the second in 2016. The following moment is especially noteworthy here. AT recent times in the construction of places of worship began to be widely used modern technologies and materials. In particular, the domes of churches are often covered with titanium alloy, an example of this is the Cathedral of Christ the Savior. But the Old Believer community is true to the traditions of their ancestors - the domes of the bell tower of the Rogozhsky village were covered with gold leaf. So, when driving along the Third Ring Road, between Nizhegorodskaya Street and Entuziastov Highway, on the outside, pay attention to the slender, beautiful bell tower, unique in shape.

Old Believer Fair

From my own experience, I will say that it is most interesting to visit Rogozhskaya Sloboda on the feast of the Week of the Holy Myrrh-bearing Women, when the Old Believer fair is held here. You will get a double impression: both from the architectural beauties and from staying, I am not afraid of this comparison, in a different reality. See for yourself. On the day of the fair, a market unfolds on the territory of the village, where bearded men in shirts trade, and women and girls go exclusively in sundresses and headscarves - pay attention to the appearance of people in this photo and in the following photos.

At the fair, you can buy (or just look at)) just such clothes ...

... homespun (!!) canvases ...

…hand-embroidered towels…

… wooden Toys…

... various household utensils ...

... and even a cart!

In the shade, live geese brought for sale are waiting for their fate

Products from Altai are also widely presented at the fair: honey, herbal preparations and teas, balms and more.

This holiday is celebrated annually on the second Sunday after Easter, i.e. sometime in May. In addition, again from my experience, it is most advantageous to photograph here in the summer.

If you did not get to the fair, then you can use two year-round shops, which are located nearby, on the way to the village from Nizhegorodskaya Street. One shop sells different types beekeeping products, herbal teas and other products. The other is clothing, footwear, literature, handicrafts and household items such as those presented at the fair. Below I will tell you how to find them.

How to get to Rogozhsky village

Getting to Rogozhsky village by public transport is somewhat problematic, because there are no metro stations nearby and you have to change to ground transport. When visiting the village on a guided tour a few years ago, we traveled from the Marksistskaya metro station by trolley bus. This, by the way, is quite a profitable option, because here you can use several buses and trolleybuses, but it takes a long time to walk. From the metro station Aviamotornaya or Ploschad Ilyich, ground transport is much less. Favorable prospects are opened for us by the Central Ring: several buses and trolleybuses go from the MCC Nizhegorodskaya station, and the ride is much closer, literally the next stop. Both from Marxistskaya and from Nizhegorodskaya transport goes along Nizhegorodskaya street and you will approach the village from the south. This is how to go from the "Modern University" stop if you are coming from the Marxistskaya metro station

This is how to go from the stop "Platform Kalitniki - Old Believer Street", if you are coming from the Nizhegorodskaya MCC station

Below, on the map of the Rogozhsky village, the South Gate is indicated (marked with the number 18). They are usually closed, the entrance gates are located to the left, that's why the route is laid to them on the maps above.

Scheme of the historical and architectural complex "Rogozhsky village"

On the left, along Staroobriadcheskaya Street, the number 17 marks the Holy Gates on the diagram. Near them there is a bus stop coming from the side of the Enthusiasts Highway, i.e. from the metro station Aviamotornaya or Ilyich Square. By the way, it is at these gates (inside) that the fair unfolds.

There are many parking lots for cars and, what is nice, many are free. So, there is parking along the Old Believer Street (as it is called on the diagram), it is also Rogozhsky Village Street (on the map). But during the fair, these parking lots are usually busy. There is a large parking lot at the corner of the Rogozhsky cemetery and Old Believer Street, where the number 1 is on the diagram. In addition, there is parking on the north side of the Rogozhsky cemetery, along Petrovsky Proyezd.

On the fence of the village near the gate there are rules that indicate that the time to visit the complex is from 7.00 to 22.00. That is, we can conclude that the gates are locked at night. Also on the territory of the village it is forbidden to smoke, swear, be with dogs and other animals, ride bicycles (except for preschool ones). Baby strollers are allowed.

IMPORTANT! The following announcements hang on the doors of the Old Believer churches of the Rogozhsky village:

“Visiting temples by non-Old Believers is possible if they observe the rules of dress and behavior adopted in ancient Orthodox churches:

Women must wear skirts below the knees, long sleeves and headscarves. Hats, scarves and makeup are not good.

Men must wear trousers and long sleeves. Everyone should have closed shoes on their feet, and for women - without high heels.

Some places of worship, such as the Divine Liturgy, are prescribed by the rules to be performed only among fellow Christians, so visitors will be asked to leave the temple for a while. Also, during some moments of the service, it is forbidden to enter and move around the temple, so those who are unfamiliar with the ancient Orthodox charter should stay close to the entrance and do not perform any prayer actions.

From my own experience, I will say the following. You can simply walk around the territory of the village without the above restrictions, i.е. women go around in trousers, hats and bare heads, and I have never heard any complaints. They are very loyal to outside visitors to the fair, this is generally the most secular event of the community. The only thing, all the same, it is necessary to exclude very open and provocative clothes: bare shoulders and stomachs, shorts, bermudas, etc. for both women and men.

BUT! If you plan to visit temples, then you must strictly follow all the requirements for appearance and behavior. I witnessed how a group of 20 people was not allowed into the temple because two women were wearing trousers, and judging by the reaction of the guide, this was predictable and inevitable. I would recommend visiting temples when there is no service there - it is more likely that you will not be asked to leave. It must be understood that belonging to a different confession will be determined immediately: there are a lot of nuances that are difficult for an outsider to observe, and it is not necessary, I think. If other confessions are allowed in the temple, then we must take the opportunity and show respect for the people we came to visit and whose shrines we want to see.

In the temple, one should not be baptized, kiss the icons, put candles, etc. Shooting is strictly prohibited, it is generally better to remove the camera so as not to attract too much attention. Personally, I stick to the tactics of restrained curiosity. Usually inside, I first stand at the entrance in order to form an image of a respectful visitor among those around me, and to determine the features of the place where I got myself (for example, it happens that men and women pray in different halves of the temple or there is an active part of the ceremony and it is better to leave). Then slowly, trying not to disturb anyone and not violate personal space, I move around the temple in stages. In my experience, the best and most profitable tactic of behavior is peacefulness and respect.

The approximate schedule of services is as follows. The morning service usually starts at 7:30, ends on weekdays around 10:30, and on weekends around 12:00. Evening services usually begin at 15:30 and last until 19:00 on weekdays, and on the eve of holidays Sundays until 20-21h.

How to get into the shops and refectory of the Rogozhsky village

From whatever public transport stop you come from Nizhegorodskaya Street, you will definitely have to go under two overpass bridges. As soon as you turn under them, on the opposite side of the passage under the bridges you will see this building

According to the sign on the building, this is Rogozhsky village, 35, according to the Yandex map - Rogozhsky village, 29с9, and on the maps above this building is signed "Cossack hive". If you go around this building on the right, then the first door will be to the refectory of the Rogozhsky village. There are beautiful and tasty pastries, as well as many other dishes that I have not tried. If we go further, there will be another grocery store, we go around it and around the corner, in the courtyard, we see just such a tiny shop

Opening hours are approximately as follows: on weekdays from 10:00 to 19:00, on Saturdays from 10:00 to 17:00, on Sundays from 10:00 to 16:00.

Further in the courtyard behind it is a handicraft shop, where you can find traditional Russian clothes, Cossack uniforms, all kinds of utensils, and souvenirs. Please note that trading is not conducted here in the morning during Sunday and especially revered services, as well as in the evening on the eve of church holidays. In general, the opening hours are daily from 10:00 to 18:00.

If you approached or drove up to the village from the other side, then you need to go beyond it through the gates of the southern part of the village.

Behind the Church of the Intercession is the Church of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker, built in 1776 on the site of the original wooden chapel. Has side chapels - Intercession of the Most Holy Theotokos, icons Mother of God"Three-handed", Reverend Seraphim of Sarov. Nikolsky temple in 1854 was transferred to fellow believers. If you go through the covered passage connecting the Church of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker and the former cells, you can get to the Old Believer Rogozhskoe cemetery.

Back in 1771, a wooden chapel in the name of St. Nicholas was built at the Rogozhsky cemetery, which was replaced five years later by a stone church that still exists. The church was built in 1776 and originally belonged to the Rogozhsky Old Believer community. Temple in the name of Nicholas the Wonderworker, built at the expense of Moscow Old Believer merchants. After the Edinoverie was approved in Russia by the Moscow Metropolitan Platon in 1800, in 1854 the temple was transferred to fellow believers and became officially called the Nikolo-Edinoverie Church at the Rogozhsky cemetery in Moscow. The church was rebuilt in the Russian style at the expense of the merchant N. M. Alyasin in 1866 according to the project of the architect N. V. Karneev. A three-tiered bell tower with a hipped roof was built anew, on which bells with a total weight of 660 pounds were raised, the main one weighing 360 pounds. Instead of the Vladimir chapel, in 1872, the northern chapel was built in the name of the Intercession of the Most Holy Theotokos, and in 1881, the southern chapel was built in the name of the Mother of God "Three Hands". In Soviet times, the temple was not closed. From 1923 to 1993 The Pokrovsky aisle was transferred to the Beglopopovtsy Old Believers and separated from the main aisle by a wall, now abolished. main temple and the southern aisle until the 1960s. considered to be of the same faith. In 1988, the church of the Mikhailovskaya Sloboda in the Moscow Region was provided to fellow believers to perform services. Beglopopovtsy in 1993 went to the Church of the Intercession of the Most Holy Theotokos on Novokuznetskaya Street. At the same time, the Church of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker at the Rogozhsky cemetery was completely transferred to the Russian Orthodox Church. Since the 1970s, the church has been repeatedly restored both inside and outside. Currently, the temple has the main altar of St. Nicholas, the aisles of the Intercession of the Most Holy Theotokos and the icon of the Mother of God "Three Hands", St. Seraphim of Sarov. The church has a Sunday school and a library. To the west of the St. Nicholas Church is the house of the Moscow Old Believer Archbishop connected to it by a covered passage.

The Church of St. Nicholas of Myra is located in the corner of the northern part of the Rogozhsky village, in front of the entrance to the cemetery of the same name. St. Nicholas Church, crowned with five domes, is a pearl of church architecture of the 19th century. It resembles a snow-white ship, as if sailing between two low hills. Once, until 1934, a beautiful pond spread out in front of it, from which the fast river Maya flowed. Due to the numerous underground springs, the water in them was very cold even in summer time. Old-timers remember that rarely anyone dared to swim in the hottest time. The temple began to be built in the 19th century. on donations from parishioners who converted to Edinoverie from the Old Believer Belo-Krinitsky (Austrian) community of priestly consent, on the site of a small wretched Old Believer chapel built in 1771. The construction was given - in agreement with the government of Emperor Nicholas I and the Holy Synod - the highest blessing of the Moscow Metropolitan Filaret (Drozdov). This event is evidenced by the Diploma of the Metropolitan himself, preserved to this day in the main altar of the temple. When Metropolitan Philaret's report was presented to the emperor, he wrote on it: "Thank God, a good start." Back in 1800, Moscow Metropolitan Platon approved the Edinoverie in Russia. The Old Believers who converted to the Edinoverie were allowed to perform divine services according to the old rites, but only by the priests of the Russian Orthodox Church. In view of the fact that the temple was built exclusively by co-religionists, it began to be officially called the Nikolo-Edinoverie church at the Rogozhsky cemetery in Moscow. In those days, the Rogozhskaya Edinoverie community was in the very center of the Old Believer priestly split and contributed a lot to the spread of Edinoverie among the Rogozhsky schismatics. However, Edinoverie began to assert itself here more than half a century later. The highest was allowed to turn the smallest and most miserable St. Nicholas chapel into a church of the same faith. A prominent role in this was played by the first warden of the church, Vladimir Andreevich Sapelkin (1800-1864). In 1855, he also built a chapel of the Holy Equal-to-the-Apostles Grand Duke Vladimir. AT a short time the temple was so embellished with the works of the new converts that the parishioners, who knew the old chapel, did not recognize it in a new form. In subsequent years, under the guidance of architect N.V. Karneev and at the expense of the merchant Nikandr Matveyevich Alasin, work began on the restructuring of the entire, already rather dilapidated church. A three-tiered bell tower with a tent top and two tent hanging weights was built anew. The vaults of the main volume of the temple were raised by three arshins. Instead of the Vladimir chapel, in 1872 a northern chapel was built in the name of the Intercession of the Most Holy Theotokos, and in 1881, a southern chapel in the name of the Mother of God "Three Hands". The building became cruciform in plan. Motifs of Russian architecture of the 17th century were used in the decor. Bells with a total weight of 660 pounds were raised to the bell tower. The main one weighed 360 pounds. Unfortunately, they decorated the temple until 1933. Their further fate is unknown. Perhaps someday the bells will be found again. After 70 years, new bells appeared on the bell tower, but they are far inferior to the former ones in terms of sounding power. The final architectural completion of the temple was already at the beginning of the 20th century. Note that the architecture of the temple corresponds to the prevailing in the XIX century. Russian or Byzantine-Russian style. The architraves of the building resemble the forms of the Naryshkin baroque, and the hipped lockers with tiers of keeled kokoshniks are structures of an even earlier period. The completion of the main volume of the church and the aisles are five large blue domes, with faceted white drums. The central drum is larger than all the others and has windows. Crosses on the heads are wooden, in iron shirts. The temple has a polychrome color: a white plane of the wall, red shoulder blades, blue and green details of the cornice, kokoshniks and decoration of the bell tower. In Soviet times, despite repeated attempts to close the temple, it did not close. From 1923 to 1994 The Pokrovsky chapel was transferred by the secular authorities to the Beglopopovtsy Old Believers and separated from the main chapel by a wall, now abolished. Somehow in the 30s of the last century, due to the temporary absence of the rector's father, the enemies of the faith decided to hang a lock on the church. On the night before this event, the highly revered nun Sevastiana Leshcheva (1970), then carrying almost all church obediences, saw through the doorway a light-like old man, very similar to the icon-painting image of the Saint of God Saint Nicholas. The elder looked affectionately at the nun, blessed her with the sign of the cross, and became invisible, leaving in her soul a good hope for his heavenly help. In the 30s of the last century, Orthodox believers from neighboring churches began to come to the temple. In the 1960s, due to their small number, fellow believers moved to the right aisle in the name of the Three-Handed Icon of the Mother of God, and the Orthodox - to the main Nikolsky aisle. At the same time, the icon of the Mother of God "Three Hands" was transferred to the main chapel. After in 1988 fellow believers were given the opportunity to perform services in the church of the Mikhailovskaya Sloboda in the Moscow Region, and in 1993 the fugitives in the Church of the Intercession of the Most Holy Theotokos on Novokuznetskaya Street in Moscow, the church was completely transferred to the Russian Orthodox Church. I would especially like to say about the completely unique architecture of the church of St. Nicholas of Myra. Entering the temple, the parishioner finds himself in a bright and high vestibule, the blue vault of which is decorated with gilded stars. To the right on the wall in front of the entrance to the main chapel there is a memorial plaque of the 19th century, on which words are inscribed, telling about the founders and beautifiers of the temple. Behind the narthex is the main aisle, where the gaze of the parishioner will see a majestic five-tier iconostasis, and to the left and right - the aforementioned aisles: Pokrovsky and the icon of the Mother of God "Three Hands". The interior painting of the temple is made in the Greek style. The icons of the main iconostasis are ancient, of good writing, but not of paramount importance. Here are, for example, rare large-sized icons - the holy martyr Uar and the Nativity of the honest glorious Prophet, Forerunner and Baptist of the Lord John. The vault and walls of the main and right aisles are decorated with wall paintings on subjects Holy Scripture . In the main chapel there are large icons of the Mother of God, in caskets: “Three-Handed”, “Iberian”, “Kazan”, “Joy of All Who Sorrow”, “Unexpected Joy”, as well as an icon with five images of the Mother of God. There are also icons of many revered saints: the Three Hierarchs, Hieromartyr Hermogenes (with a particle of relics), Blessed Princess Anna Kashinskaya (with a particle of relics), St. Nicholas of Myra with life. One very interesting and instructive parish tradition is connected with the icon of St. Nicholas. The icon itself was brought in 1856 from some northern monastery. And a little earlier, in 1855, the St. Nicholas Church was visited by the heir to the Russian throne, Grand Duke Nicholas, son of Emperor Alexander II, who, some time later, sent this icon as a gift to the church through Metropolitan Filaret (Drozdov). Upon arrival in Moscow, the icon was placed by Metropolitan Filaret on the relics of St. Alexis of Moscow in the Miracle Monastery of the Moscow Kremlin. From there, the following year, she was transferred to our church. The icon was met by all the clergy of the same faith, headed by the metropolitan. The temple could not accommodate all the worshipers, and they stood for seven hours under the scorching rays of the sun. There is an empty square in the bottom line of the icon in the middle. What does this mean? According to the Orthodox tradition, the icons of St. Nicholas have different names, for example: winter Nikola, summer Nikola, wet Nikola, Nikola Zvenigorodsky, etc. In our parish, apparently, since the transfer of the icon to the temple, it has been called in a special way - Nikola the Ever-Active, i.e. always active. Since the church consciousness has the belief that St. Nicholas worked miracles, works, and will work until the end of time. The unknown pious icon painter, and perhaps he was not alone, leaving an empty square, sincerely believed that sometime in the future an extraordinary miracle would happen in front of this icon, which the new icon painter would depict on it. When this happens - soon or not: God knows! But that it will be done without fail - none of the parishioners doubts this. Each aisle of the St. Nicholas Church has only its own beauty and peculiarity. In the right aisle of the Mother of God "Three Hands" there are very large icons: the Lord Almighty and St. Nicholas of Myra. But what is especially remarkable is that here the soul of the parishioners is gladdened and consoled by the Feodorovskaya icon of the Mother of God. One amazing event is also connected with this icon. From the lips of old parishioners, I have heard the following more than once. In 1946, a carved kivot was made for this icon. However, it turned out to be three centimeters narrower than the icon itself. Then the carpenters decided, in order not to trouble themselves with parsing the bow, saw off the “extra” centimeters from the icon. The work was already almost half done, when suddenly a lightning-fast fire broke out from under the saw. At first, the workers were frightened, but after a while, having calmed down a little, they resumed work. And again, a very bright light illuminated everything around, the flame broke away from the icon with force, leaving behind a charred seal and the right corner of the icon torn off. Further work the masters stopped, called the father rector and with horror told about the event that had happened. The next day this was reported to the Moscow Patriarchy. But since the times were not easy for the Church at that time, His Holiness Patriarch Alexy I suggested that this event not be widely publicized. The torn off piece was glued to the icon, but the trace of it in the form of a seam is still visible. And this extraordinary miracle was forever imprinted in the memory of the parishioners. Years pass... There are fewer and fewer witnesses of that amazing event. Therefore, on the advice of the late esteemed church warden Pavel Ivanovich Bulychev (2000), I decided to preserve in writing from oblivion such a wondrous reminder of The Mother of God Herself. Five years ago, in 2002, this icon was restored with church funds, and the parishioners saw the native, original image of the Most Pure Face. Sixteen particles of the relics of saints, glorified before the Lord, should also be attributed to the number of especially revered shrines of the temple. They are taken out of the main altar for worship on Saturdays and holidays. Already in our time, since the 1970s, the temple has been repeatedly restored both inside and outside. Restoration work is ongoing. Currently, the northern Pokrovsky chapel is being restored. The work is coming to an end. With the help of one God-loving family, a beautiful antique oak iconostasis was built and several new icons were painted by the diligence of the parishioners. http://uv-vikariatstvo.ru/index.php/hramy/khram-mirlikiyskogo

The spiritual center of the settlement was the Rogozhsky Old Believer cemetery, which in the old days was called the Rogozhsky almshouse - the largest and richest center of the Old Believers.
The formation of the Rogozhsky cemetery was facilitated by the pestilence (plague) epidemic of 1771.
By order of Empress Catherine II, in order to prevent an epidemic, all cemeteries within the city were closed, including two Old Believers - at the Serpukhov and Tver outposts.
Count Grigory Grigoryevich Orlov, who arrived in Moscow to fight the plague
allowed the Old Believers to bury the dead during a pestilence in the field behind the Rogozhskaya outpost to the right of the Vladimir tract (the modern name is the Enthusiasts Highway) on the ground, earlier
belonging to the peasants of the village of Novoandronovka.


Considering the great contribution of the Old Believers in the fight against the devastating epidemic, Catherine II allowed them to build two of her summer and winter churches near the cemetery.
Over time, almshouses, houses for clergy and a clergy, monastic cells, a large hospital named after S.I. Morozov, the Rogozhskoe school, an orphanage, five convents and even an asylum for the mentally ill.

As a complete architectural ensemble, Rogozhskaya Sloboda finally took shape by 1860-1880. The planning axis of the ensemble is emphasized by three temples located on one straight line.

The boulevard running from the southern gate through the temples to the necropolis separates the zone of residential buildings from the churches. From the altar part of the temples there is a flowing pond with spring water.

At the end of the 19th century, a wooden bell tower stood on the boulevard in front of the St. Nicholas Church. At the beginning of the 20th century, opposite the Holy Gates, a new stone bell tower and a large hospital named after S.I. Morozov were erected on the territory of the cemetery.

Churches of the Rogozhsky cemetery.
Pokrovsky Cathedral of the Old Believer Rogozhsky community
(Summer Church in the name of the Intercession of the Most Holy Theotokos)

Most of the Old Believer churches in Russia were called in the name of the Intercession of the Most Holy Theotokos, since it was traditionally believed that the patronage of the Virgin allowed the Old Believer
Churches overcome hardships and hardships.
Intercession Cathedral - the main cathedral church of the Rogozhskaya Old Believer community.

It was built in 1790-1792 by the outstanding Russian architect Matvey Fedorovich Kazakov in the style of classicism.
Initially, the Old Believers began to build a huge temple, exceeding the size of the Assumption Cathedral of the Kremlin, but the commander-in-chief of Moscow, Prince Prozorovsky, made a report about such a proud intention to Empress Catherine II, as well as his St. Petersburg Metropolitan Gabriel.

After that, an investigation was carried out and it was ordered to “break off the inlets for the altar” (they broke the altar part), instead of five chapters, “make a plan with one chapter and a cross”, “humiliate” and reduce” the Spitz. The building was lowered, as a result of which the proportions of the temple turned out to be disproportionate and the temple turned out to be without the usual altar part from the east.

However interior decoration The temple impressed both the Old Believers and those who fought with them.
The walls and vaults were painted in the Old Russian style, the temple was decorated with huge candlesticks, lamps, chandeliers. The richest collection of ancient Russian icons was kept in the cathedral
XIII-XVII centuries And today you can see rare icons here, for example, an icon depicting the Chief Savior of the XIV century.
In the 19th century, on major holidays, this huge temple could hardly accommodate the pilgrims who came from all over Moscow. “In front of the ancient icons in precious vestments, shining with gold and stones, pood candles were lit, the service went on decorously with all observance of the charter, a good choir of singers sang in the kliros in the old way.”

The temple inside is really very beautiful and strict. The icons are amazing - old, prayed.
There are no such as they write now, like Palekh pictures.

Under Catherine II and Alexander I, the Old Believer cult was not subjected to persecution and the churches of the Rogozhsky cemetery prospered, but since the accession to the throne of Nicholas I, hard times began for the Old Believers.
In 1827, the Old Believers were forbidden to accept priests who were passing from the official church. But they still accepted. There were many reception places, although Irgiz and Kerzhenets were ruined.

On July 7, 1856, at the insistence of Metropolitan Filaret, the altars of the Intercession Cathedral and the Church of the Nativity were sealed. Through the walls of the iconostasis and royal doors a thick cord was passed through, and huge seals lay on it.
The temples turned into simple chapels, and the Church of the Nativity built by this time was turned into a common faith. Only on April 17, 1905, on the basis of the royal manifesto on religious tolerance, the Rogozh altars were unpacked, and the liturgy resumed in the churches.

By the mid-1930s, almost all Moscow Old Believer churches were closed, but in the Pokrovsky Cathedral, unlike other churches of the Rogozhsky cemetery, services did not stop, although there were attempts to take away the church and turn it into a theater.
Shrines were transferred here from closed Moscow Old Believer churches, singers from closed Old Believer churches, in which there were strong singing schools (Karinkinskaya, Apukhtinskaya, Zamoskvoretskaya), also moved here.
Services were held here during the war.
Now worship services are held here daily. All the most important events in the Old Believer world of Russia take place in the Pokrovsky Cathedral.
So, in 2005, the 100th anniversary of the unsealing of the altars was celebrated here.

Today, the unsealing of the altars is solemnly celebrated annually on the day of the Myrrhbearing Women, on this day a particularly solemn service is held here, which attracts the clergy and laity from different parts of Russia.
Also traditionally there is an evening of spiritual chants.

Church-bell tower of the Resurrection of Christ.
Since 1947 - the church-bell tower of the Assumption of the Mother of God.

Next to the Church of the Intercession rises the church-bell tower of the Resurrection of Christ with one high dome and two lower side ones.
The bell tower was erected in 1907-1912 in memory of the unsealing of the altars of the churches of the Rogozhsky cemetery by the architect Fyodor Fyodorovich Gornostaev.
The bell tower was erected in two years, it took several more years to finish it, already six months after the start of work, bells weighing 1000, 360 and 200 pounds were raised to the bell tower, and in September
In 1909, a cross was installed on the dome of the bell tower.

In 1913, a small Resurrection Church was consecrated in the lower tier of the bell tower.
The iconostasis of the temple was decorated with ancient icons of Novgorod and Moscow letters of the XV-XVII centuries.
The bell tower also housed a room for storing rare books and old manuscripts.
Funds for the construction of the temple-bell tower were donated by the families of famous Old Believer entrepreneurs: the Kuznetsovs, Morozovs, Pugovkins, Rakhmanovs.
The bell tower has a height of about 80 meters, which is only a meter lower than the Ivan the Great Bell Tower in the Kremlin, and is a kind of ancient pillar-shaped temples and belfries.

The facade of the bell tower is decorated with relief images of the owl bird - pelican. One of the ancient symbols of Christ.

In the mid-1920s, the bells were removed from the bell tower, and in 1933 the Church of the Resurrection of Christ was closed.
Unique books and manuscripts were transferred to the Lenin Library, and the bells were removed and sent for melting down. The largest bell was given to the Moscow Art Theater.
The building of the bell tower was used as a warehouse.
After a thunderstorm in 1938, a huge cross fell off it. During the war, the porch and the lower part of the bell tower were destroyed by an explosion. But the building itself survived, and in 1947 the bell tower was transferred to the Old Believer Archdiocese.
Soon the temple was restored, an extension was made to it in the name of the Assumption of the Most Holy Theotokos and the temple was re-consecrated in honor of the Assumption of the Mother of God.

In 1990, the bell was again raised to the bell tower, cast in 1910 through the efforts of the hereditary honorary citizen Feodosia Ermilovna Morozova at the plant of the partnership of P.I. Olovyanishnikov (as evidenced by the inscription on the bell) and since the 1930s. stored in the Moscow Art Theater.
The weight of the bell is 262 pounds 38 pounds (4293 kg.).
Now the premises for the library have been restored in the bell tower, and exhibitions of rare books, manuscripts, church utensils are held in the chambers on the first and second floors.

Church of the Nativity of Christ of the Rogozhskoy community.
Winter (warm) temple in the name of the Nativity of Christ.

The winter one-domed church in the name of the Nativity of Christ, located to the south of the Intercession Cathedral, was built in 1804 according to the project of the architect I. D. Zhukov "with the permission of the Moscow mayor A. A. Bekleshev", who was in a quarrel with Metropolitan Platon, an ardent opponent of the Old Believers .

The temple had calorific heating and was used for worship from Intercession (October 14) to Holy Saturday next year, the rest of the time, services were held in the unheated Pokrovsky Cathedral. Inside the temple, two independent limits were arranged, consecrated in the name of St. Nicholas, the Archbishop of Myra, the wonderworker and the Archangel Michael.

The temple was decorated with paintings in the ancient style and many icons. The altars of the Church of the Nativity were sealed on July 7, 1856 until April 16, 1905, at which time the temple acted as a chapel. In 1812, the temple was robbed by the French, as evidenced by icons with traces of saber blows for a long time.

From the first half of XIX centuries, in addition to worship, church councils and meetings are held here.
At the beginning of the 20th century, the temple served as the venue for several Old Believer cathedrals.
In 1929 the Church of the Nativity was closed.
In the 1920s, the dome and rotunda were damaged by fire and were dismantled, the wall paintings were destroyed, and the liturgical utensils were taken apart.

On August 25, 2008, on the feast of the Transfiguration of the Lord, the frame of the dome, which had been missing from this church for more than 70 years, was restored at the Church of the Nativity of Christ in the Rogozhskaya Sloboda.
On December 2, 2008, a solemn ceremony of installing a cross on the dome of the temple took place.
Together with the installed cross, the height of the temple was 47 meters.
On December 24, 2008, the temple was completely freed from scaffolding.

Opposite the Church of the Nativity there are two two-story buildings of the middle of the 19th century.
Before the revolution, one of them housed monastic cells, the other served as a priest's house.

At the entrance to the complex, we are met by the Balashevs' two-story almshouse with a hotel for pilgrims. It is still used as a hotel for pilgrims.