Schedule of Divine Liturgy Church of Clement of the Pope. Church of Clement, Pope of Rome: description, history and interesting facts. Video about the Church of the Hieromartyr Clement
I never tire of marveling at the providence of God. Yesterday I collected a daddy about the church of St. Clement in Zamoskvorechye - until the time will delve into history. But here's how - in the news yesterday they talked about the fact that, FINALLY, the temple of the Hieromartyr Clement has been completely restored, about the uniqueness of this temple for the architecture of Moscow, about its perfectly recreated baroque interior.
How was it to resist?
If you get off at the Tretyakovskaya metro station, you will not miss the elegant tall church of amazing beauty...
The first church of St. Clement on this site was mentioned as early as 1612 in connection with the battles of the defenders of Moscow against the Polish-Lithuanian troops. Then a stone temple was built. And in 1769, at the expense of the merchant K. M. Matveev, a five-domed baroque temple was completed, which has survived to this day. After the construction was completed, the temple included seven thrones with seven iconostases - a huge number for a parish church. In addition to the aisles in the temple and its refectory, two more aisles were consecrated in the choirs.
And he stood here, delighting with his beauty, but our October Revolution happened. And the churches were no longer needed ...
“In the center of Zamoskvorechye, the Church of Paraskeva Pyatnitsa on Pyatnitskaya Street disappeared at the same time (in its place it was necessary to build an exit for the Novokuznetskaya metro station), Nikita the Martyr on Novokuznetskaya Street (a residential building was built here for police officers), the Intercession of the Virgin in Goliki, where A. N. Ostrovsky (the place was allotted for a square and a playground). The same fate awaited Clement, if not for the intervention of academician Igor Grabar. One of the arguments, as he later told the students, was the assumption of the authorship of the famous Moscow architect D.V. The Red Gate created by Ukhtomsky was demolished - thus Clement remained the only surviving creation of the architect.In addition, the square conceived on the site of the temple could be broken at the expense of the territory of the churchyard facing Pyatnitskaya Street, for which it was only necessary to remove the church fence - a miracle of blacksmithing art XVIII century."
According to another version, presumably, the church was built by I. Ya. Yakovlev according to the project of Pietro-Antonio Trezzini, and Clement Voroshilov himself stood up for the temple, not forgetting his patron saint.
The names of the architects Yevlashev, Michurin, Rastrelli, Blanca also appear.
Buildings without love and care, like people, deteriorate and grow old. This is what the temple looked like in the 1920s and 1930s:
So - in the 40-50s
And so in the 90s of the 20th century
Now imagine that in such conditions from 1934 to 2008 were the storerooms of the Lenin State Library. No conditions for proper storage, even the glass was not inserted everywhere, there was no heating. Nevertheless, the staff managed to save five of the seven church iconostases, a significant part of the stucco decoration and other interior elements.
The beautiful creation of human hands lasted for almost a century, waiting to be remembered ... In six years, it was possible to completely restore appearance and the interior of the temple. And yesterday, in his speech, Metropolitan Kirill said that if those who lived a hundred or more years ago got here, they would say: yes, this is the same church ...
ICONOSTASIS OF THE CHURCH OF CLEMENT
In terms of the richness of its facades, the St. Clement's Church belongs to the outstanding baroque examples in Moscow.
The main volume is crowned with five powerful domes on high light drums and richly decorated with stucco depicting a cherub. and mov, shells and rock a ili.
After 70 years of silence in Moscow, prayers sounded at the Church of the Holy Martyr Clement on Pyatnitskaya. They were held in the open air, in any weather - whether it be rain, snow or wind - as a hope for the revival of the great Russian cathedral. And the temple rose to life - first with the Znamensky chapel handed over to the parishioners in 2005. And in 2008, after the return of the entire church to believers, a grandiose restoration began.
Story
A monument of world art, the Zamoskvoretsky Miracle, as the Cathedral of St. Clement of the Pope was called in the old days, is the only temple of the Moscow Posad that survived the Napoleonic fire of 1812. 2 centuries earlier, the place on which the then stone church towered was glorified by the battle that was given by the militias of Minin and Pozharsky in defense of the Kremlin from the Poles. “The battle at Klementovsky prison was, as it were, the seed of saving Moscow and Russia,” historians later noted, and the temple itself, as a witness to an important event, acquired “special historical significance for the Fatherland.”
St. Clement's Church stood until 1756 and fell into complete disrepair. The renewed history of the temple is also associated with a military victory, already domestic. The new cathedral was built under the auspices of Empress Elizaveta Petrovna, who came to power with the forces of the Preobrazhensky Regiment. The accession to the throne of the new Russian Empress took place on December 8, 1740, on the feast day of the Hieromartyr Clement Pope of Rome. Therefore, the newly erected cathedral was called the temple of the Hieromartyr Clement, and the main altar was erected in honor of the Transfiguration of the Lord. The new Moscow Cathedral, which arose during the period of rapid construction of St. Petersburg, was noticeably different from the temple buildings both in the first capital and throughout the empire.
The governor of Crimea, Count Pyotr Vorontsov, put a lot of effort into creating the appearance of the temple - it was he who initiated the creation of a unique multi-tiered iconostasis, which became the heart and main ensemble of the cathedral. The iconostasis of enormous height - about 30 meters - was designed by the Italian architects invited by the Count, and Russian craftsmen brought it to life, who performed exquisite intricate carving and further gilding according to native Russian technologies.
The baroque architecture of the facade conveys the luxurious plasticity of the lines and outlines of the cathedral, and the interior of the temple in the rococo style has no analogues.
“This is a unique monument of world art,” says Leonid Kalinin, rector of the Church of the Holy Martyr Clement of the Pope of Rome. “Despite the fact that it looks like a Western European one, our temple is completely different in meaning and image. This is not a palace rococo, but an amazing embodiment architectural style in the richness of forms as an attempt to convey the whole diversity of God's creation.
Hieromartyr Clement
The Church of the Holy Martyr Clement of the Pope of Rome is unique not only in its external and internal appearance, but also in its spiritual content. To most of our contemporaries, his name means nothing, but this was not always the case. In the pre-Mongolian period, Clement, a disciple of the Apostle Peter, was one of the most revered saints by our ancestors. Temples were built in his honor, images of the Saint can be seen on many ancient frescoes and icons. A righteous life, an apostolic feat and many thousands of followers made Clement revered, both in the Catholic and Orthodox world. But since ancient times, St. Clement has been considered the great patron of the Russian land.
Several centuries after the martyrdom of Clement in Chersonese, the learned preachers Cyril and Methodius, taking the holy relics of the apostle, go with them to Rome. Upon learning of this, Pope Adrian himself came out to them. What happened next was tantamount to a miracle. The liturgical books translated into Slavonic by the preachers were consecrated by the pope, although at that time in western church only three languages were considered liturgical: Hebrew, Greek and Latin. So, for the first time, prayers were heard in the Slavic language, and the Russian land received its own written language and culture.
Later, Prince Vladimir transferred the relics of the Hieromartyr Clement to the Church of the Tithes, and baptized Russia with this apostolic shrine. The first Christian shrine in Russia became exclusively revered, and the image of the Hieromartyr Clement is still associated with the defender of the Russian land.
Temple Revival
One of the most beautiful churches in Moscow was closed in 1934 and miraculously survived the destruction. The building was transferred to the State Library. Lenin for stock storage, thanks to which unique icons and a multi-tiered iconostasis have been preserved.
In 2008, restoration and restoration work began in the temple.
“The temple was in ruins: the facade was badly damaged, the roof was leaking, windows were broken, birds were nesting on the iconostasis,” rector Leonid Kalinin recalls about the state of the temple before restoration. “The first thing we did was to patch up the holes, put in order the facade and vaults of the cathedral, and then proceeded to restore the interior of the temple.”
One of the most difficult stages of the restoration was the restoration of the unique iconostasis. Rotten in places, big share losses of varying degrees, the iconostasis required the virtuoso work of restorers.
“A clean, meticulous restoration,” says Alexander Zuev, head of the arts and crafts workshops of the Vozrozhdenie RAC, about the project. - “An artistic council was assembled for each fragment of this unique object. We discussed each tier, made a decision, and then proceeded to the resurrection. They removed pollution, strengthened and revived the author's gesso (primer)."
After the base was restored, the craftsmen started the final process - gilding. To do this, special "scaffolding" was placed so as not to damage the original gilding on the iconostasis, and gilding was carried out from top to bottom, carefully along each tier of the 30-meter iconostasis.
The task is not to re-gold, but to restore it has become the main task for art restorers. In order for the gilding to be executed in the manner of the original, and also to match the color of the coating, the gilders used gold leaf from the Russian manufacturer NPP Raritet.
It took about a year for the masters to make the iconostasis shine again with its splendor, as for the first time in 1772. Luxurious composition, exquisite forms, expressive lines, flowing golden light: an amazing harmony of earthly style in the embodiment of the Majesty of God.
Two major stages of the restoration of the Church of the Hieromartyr Clement have been completed; subsequently, the cathedral will have to restore the unique icons of the temple.
Moscow - interesting city, big and cozy. Moscow is not geography, it is bright emotions, a mosaic of the past and the present, a series of golden-domed cathedrals, cozy courtyards and urban hi-tech. But her soul is old temples. One of them is the Church of Pope Clement, the hero of our story.
Church of the Hieromartyr Clement: split of two churches
The uniqueness of this cathedral as a landmark of Moscow is due to the fact that it bears the name of a Catholic saint, and yet two Christian churches - Roman Catholic and Greek Orthodox - have been in schism since 1054. The primates of these churches in the 11th century proclaimed mutual anathemas against each other, but they have not been lifted for almost ten centuries. To say that relationships are difficult is an understatement.
And suddenly, in Zamoskvorechye, where there are many interesting buildings that make up the sights of Moscow, next to the Orthodox churches, the temple of Clement grows, consecrated in the name of one of the Primates of the Roman Throne, anathematized. And the temple is not Catholic, but Orthodox, subordinate to the Moscow Patriarchate, and even in the most conservative merchant part of old Moscow near Pyatnitskaya Street in Klimentov Lane.
However, this is not unusual, since Saint Clement, according to legend, lived in the 1st century, i.e. before the split of the churches, he was baptized by the Apostle Paul, became bishop of Rome and, like all Christians, was persecuted. For this he was canonized as a saint. And so Pope Clement became an important person in Moscow!
Let me build a temple!
The first mention of the temple dates back to 1612. This is the year of the end of the Troubles - civil war in Russia in early XVII century, complicated by the invasion of Polish and Swedish troops. The temple is mentioned in connection with the actions of the militia of K. Minin and D. Pozharsky to expel the interventionists from Moscow, when at the Klimentovsky "ostrog" (a small fortress - translated into modern language) there were battles between the militias and the detachments of Hetman Khotkevich. But this guard was most likely made of wood. Only in 1652, under Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich, when Russia gradually regained its former strength, a stone cathedral was erected on this site.
An interesting story related to Moscow is connected with this event. stone buildings in medieval Russia- a rarity, because the main construction material we have a tree. The stone is expensive, but very prestigious. Mostly churches were built from it, and few Muscovites could build residential stone chambers for themselves.
The first stone St. Clement's Cathedral was erected on an old wooden foundation with the money of the Moscow clerk Alexei Durov. In 1636, he fell out of favor with Mikhail Fedorovich, the first tsar of the new Romanov dynasty, and, as usual, he was imprisoned in a fortress with a real prospect of being on the chopping block. How great were the sins of the unfortunate clerk - history is silent. But only on the night before the execution, he had a dream that there would be no execution! And indeed, Durov was released, the charges were dropped. And he, as was customary in Russia, promised to build a stone church in Zamoskvorechye. So the Basilica of St. Clement, one might say, is a votive church at the address: Klimentovsky per. in Zamoskvorechye.
Further, as usual, the church began to be rebuilt endlessly. In the 18th century, this was done twice, until once again the building was demolished and a baroque cathedral was erected in its place in 1769 with the money of a merchant from Moscow, K.M. Matveev and vice-chancellor of the Elizabethan time A.P. Bestuzhev-Ryumin, whose main Moscow chambers were located in the parish of this church. This is what we see in numerous photos.
AT Soviet time in 1929 it was closed as a religious building. They wanted to blow it up, but it was saved by Grabar, who considered this church to fall out of the Moscow circle and endowed with "features of high-style St. Petersburg architecture." But the St. Clement Cathedral in Moscow was very lucky. It was given not for a vegetable store, like the Cathedral of the Savior on Blood in St. Petersburg, and not for a prison, like the Spaso-Evfimiev Monastery in Suzdal, but for the storage of the Moscow Lenin Library (now it is the RSL, the Russian State Library). The looting of the church and the destruction of the frescoes did not happen. But still the building gradually decayed, fell into complete decay.
In 2008, the St. Clement Cathedral was returned to the church, and for several years now it has been a functioning temple, in which restoration work is being carried out at the same time. Outwardly, he has already seriously changed.
Is this a church? No, the palace!
Who the architect of the temple of the Holy Martyr Clement Pope of Rome is unknown. It is believed that the project was developed by Pietro Antonio Trezzini himself, and the construction of the building was led by I.Ya. Yakovlev.
This is a huge five-domed temple, built in the style of the so-called Rastrelli or Elizabethan baroque, very similar to a palace. The facade of the building is divided into floors, richly decorated with double columns, decorated with decorative lattices.
There are always a lot of tourists here, since Zamoskvorechye is a unique historical Moscow district. The main throne of the temple is consecrated in honor of the Transfiguration of the Lord. The temple is prayed for, loved not only for its amazing front beauty, but also for home comfort, closeness and true Moscow charm!
When visiting Moscow churches, do not forget about the rules established by the Russian Orthodox Church: strict clothing and a headscarf are mandatory for women.
Video about the Church of the Hieromartyr Clement
If you liked the article, you received an interesting and useful information or want to supplement it with your impressions, we will be grateful for your comment. To consolidate new knowledge, I suggest watching an educational film about the Hieromartyr Clement.
- One of the most famous churches in Moscow, located on Pyatnitskaya street, is a unique example of church baroque.
- Saint Clement (2nd century AD) was "an apostle from the 70", the 4th bishop of Rome. At that time, the division of the church into Orthodox and Catholic had not yet occurred.
- The temple, according to the main version, was built in the 17th century.. one of the richest merchants in Moscow, Kozma Matveev, whose estate was located on Pyatnitskaya Street.
- It is believed that the author of the project- Pietro Antonio Trezzini - Swiss architect, author of many palaces and temples in St. Petersburg.
- In the iconostasis of the temple and its external decoration revealed the rich architectural language of the Moscow Baroque.
The northern (left) aisle of the refectory is dedicated to the icon Holy Mother of God"Burning Bush", placed to the left of royal doors and protection from fire and fires. To the left of the Transfiguration chapel is a chapel in honor of the icon of Our Lady of the Sign.
The southern (right) aisle of the refectory is dedicated to Pope St. Clement and Archbishop Peter of Alexandria. This aisle occupies the site of the original temple, near which the Polish and Russian troops fought in 1612.
In the main part of the building there are five aisles, which is rare for Moscow churches. Temple icon of St. Clement is usually placed on a lectern. There are ancient icons of the 18th century in the wall cases under the arch.
The main part of the temple was built in 1770 and made in the style typical for Western European temples. The statues of angels stand on pedestals at the level of the second tier, the icons are set in luxurious frames and are made in the style of Italian art of the 18th century. For the first time in Moscow, the “kiot” structure of the iconostasis was used in the temple, when all five thrones of the central part of the temple were covered by a single iconostasis. The closest analogue is the iconostasis of the Peter and Paul Cathedral in St. Petersburg.
Temple of Clement, Pope of Rome, on Pyatnitskaya July 12th, 2012
The Church of Clement, Pope of Rome, is an Orthodox church in honor of the Hieromartyr Clement, located in Moscow at the intersection of Klimentovsky Lane and Pyatnitskaya Street. It is the largest temple in Zamoskvorechye. Its main throne is consecrated in honor of the Transfiguration of the Lord and the second name of the church is the Church of the Transfiguration of the Savior. The current church building was built in 1770. 
The temple was first mentioned in written sources under its own name in 1612, in connection with the events of the Moscow battle between the Russian militias and the Polish-Lithuanian army of Hetman Khodkiewicz. On August 24, 1612, heavy battles unfolded between the Cossacks defending the prison and the infantry of Hetman Khodkevich near the "fort (Klimentevsky prison) that was at the place of Clement of the Pope of Rome". During these battles, when the hetman's troops captured the prison and the church of St. Clement, St. Avraamiy (Palitsyn) accomplished one of his feats, stopping the retreat of the Cossacks from the prison. 
The first stone temple on this site is dated 1657; in 1662 he already had three aisles. 
The temple was rebuilt in 1720, then in 1756-1758 a refectory and a bell tower were added to it. 
In 1762, the parishioners received permission to demolish the main volume of the old church, and by 1770, the five-domed Baroque church, which has survived to this day, was completed at the expense of the merchant K.M. Matveev. The authorship of the building has not been established: presumably, it was built by I.Ya. Yakovlev according to the project of Pietro-Antonio Trezzini. 
The first found photo of the temple was made in 1882 from Klimentovsky lane:
1905:
1906:
The pavilion, which was located in the fence of the temple, is in the 1920s. Unfortunately, it was demolished in 1932 due to the widening of the street.
The end of the 1920s - the pavilion itself was built in the 18th century. Currently, it has already been restored and is located on the side of Pyatnitskaya Street.
In 1929 the temple was closed.
View from Pyatnitskaya street to the temple in 1931:
The pavilion in 1932 - you can see how badly dilapidated it is - it will be demolished in the same year:
And the next 2 pictures for comparison were taken from Pyatnitskaya Street. The first one was made in 1932 - the pavilion is still in place:
And this is a picture after 1932 with a view of the temple and the already missing pavilion:
In 1934, the temple was given to the Lenin Library for storage of books.
1940 - in front of the temple from the side of Pyatnitskaya street there is a small square with benches:
The first half of the 1960s - the temple itself was very dilapidated and it is a miracle that it was also not destroyed. Here you can see the tram tracks that used to run along Pyatnitskaya Street.
The first color photograph found dates back to 1972 - there are no more tram tracks and trees have grown very strongly in the square in front of the temple.
1975 - view from Pyatnitskaya street:
View of the temple from Klimentovsky lane in 1976:
View of the temple from the other side (not so popular with photographers of those times, judging by archival photographs) from the Tretyakovskaya metro station in the 1980s:
1986:
1989:
1989 - scaffolding is visible on the temple - apparently, so that it does not completely collapse:
View of the temple in 1992 from Klimentovsky lane:
Temple fence in the mid-1990s:
View of the temple in the mid-1990s from the Tretyakovskaya metro station:
And finally, a few more archival photographs of the temple in 1997, when it clearly needed restoration:
In 2008 the temple was returned to the Russian Orthodox Church, the books were taken out, and on the initiative of Yu.M. Luzhkov, a large-scale restoration was launched to recreate the historical appearance, which partly continues to this day. Although the main scaffolding has already been removed. The pavilion was also restored, which until 1932 was in the fence from the side of Pyatnitskaya street. 
The entrance to the temple of Clement, Pope of Rome, on Pyatnitskaya is located from the side of Klimentovsky Lane, not far from the exit from the Tretyakovskaya metro station. 
The temple of Clement, Pope of Rome, is located on Pyatnitskaya at the address: Pyatnitskaya street, 26, building 1. The nearest metro stations are Novokuznetskaya or Tretyakovskaya.
Official website of the temple -
