Temple of Zechariah and Elizabeth. Church of Zechariah and Elizabeth (Tobolsk)
). The architectural appearance of this unusual building combines elements of pseudo-Gothic and Romanesque styles. According to its purpose, the church is not only a religious building, but also a clearly visible landmark from the sea for ships passing along the coast.
This is also the cultural center of Tarkhankut; one of the first parochial schools in Western Crimea operated here for a long time.
Architecture
The Christian Church of the Saints and Righteous Zechariah and Elizabeth, built in 1838, owes its creation to the Governor-General of the Novorossiysk Territory, the owner of the Ak-Mechetskaya economy, Mikhail Semenovich Vorontsov. The author of the project was the architect Torricelli.
The temple building, built in the pseudo-Gothic style, common in Europe in the 18th - first half of the 19th centuries, attracted attention with its original architecture and served as a guide for ships sailing to Ak-Mechet Bay. Travelers enjoyed viewing and visiting “an ordinary house with lancet windows, with a quadrangular tower attached to it, on which there is an octagonal pyramidal spire 120 feet high.”
The church was built with an unusual bell tower - similar to English cathedrals from the time of William Shakespeare. The design of windows and doors contains elements of Romanesque architecture (semicircular arches in window and door openings). The building is completely different from the Orthodox churches familiar to believers: there are no gilded domes or rich portals, complex window casings are replaced by modest stone carvings, stained glass windows are used for decoration, and the high bell tower with a semicircular spire resembles the tower of the ancient residences of feudal lords. Local residents are accustomed to the unusual architecture of the church building. But visitors express sincere surprise when they learn that this is an original building from the first half of the 19th century—an Orthodox church.
The temple was built during the period of the spread of the “pseudo-Gothic” style in Europe and Russia, which revived the architectural forms and decorative motifs of medieval Gothic. M. S. Vorontsov was the son of the Russian envoy to England, lived in London for a long time, had a passion for Western culture, so he was commissioned to do just such a project.
Story
After the inclusion of Crimea into the Russian Empire in 1783 and the settlement of territories emptied as a result of the emigration of the Crimean Tatars by immigrants from Russia and Ukraine, the need to build an Orthodox church became obvious.
We must pay tribute to the skillful and enterprising owners of the Tarkhankut estates, who were able to develop this distant corner of Crimea not only economically, but also took care of the spirituality of the settlers.
So today in the village of Chernomorskoe, formerly called Ak-Mosque, a Christian church stands as a symbol of a new era in Crimea, the era of Catherine II, Potemkin, Dolgoruky and Suvorov, Ushakov and Kutuzov.
In the 30s of the 19th century, M. S. Vorontsov resettled peasants from Russia to Tarkhankut and, in order to consolidate the Christian population, in 1838 he built a “stone church with a beautiful fence” and consecrated in the name of the saints and righteous Zechariah and Elizabeth.
“Whoever goes to the Ak-Mosque from the west will first see the eastern cape of Karantin, with walls going down to the sea, then a fish factory, buildings on the embankment... In the rear of the coastal buildings there is a Gothic church with a high bell tower, behind it is a settlement. As you approach Ak-Mechetskaya Bay, the church with the bell tower will be visible above the eastern cape…”, - mentions the Church of Saints and Righteous Zechariah and Elizabeth Lotius of the Black Sea in 1851.
It also says here that the bell tower is visible from 16 or 17 miles away, like a minaret (1 mile is equal to 1852 meters).
Archival data indicate the date of construction of the church - 1838. This is also mentioned by Hermogenes, Bishop of Pskov, former Tauride and Simferopol in the book “Tauride Diocese”.
The iconostasis in the Ak-Mechet Church was single-tiered, not particularly luxurious, and dilapidated, as indicated in later church documents. There is one throne in the temple in the name of the saints and righteous Zechariah and Elizabeth, revered on September 5th. Based on the Decree of the Holy Synod of March 1, 1865 No. 3, the parish was to consist of a priest and a psalm-reader.
Significant support for the church was provided by landowners Count M. S. Vorontsov and V. S. Popov, who allocated 100 rubles from their savings for its maintenance. in year.
The names of the saints in whose honor the temple was consecrated were not accidental. According to Biblical tradition, the saints and righteous Zacharias and his wife Elizabeth were revered in the Christian church as the ancestors of John the Baptist.
Count Vorontsov's wife's name was Elizaveta Ksaverevna (née Branitskaya). Smart, charming, educated, she enjoyed the gratitude and respect of those around her. A.S. Pushkin was selflessly in love with her; he dedicated the poem “The Burnt Letter” to her. Until the end of his days, Alexander Sergeevich wore the ring given to him by Elizaveta Ksaveryevna. And she kept the poet’s letters for a long time, re-reading them even after the poet’s tragic death.
The religious holiday of Saints Zechariah and Elizabeth coincided with the birthday of Elizaveta Ksaverevna Vorontsova.
The Crimean War of 1853–1856 left its mark on the history of the church. In 1854, during the shelling of the Ak-Mosque, a cannonball hit the bell tower of the church. After peace was concluded, Russia presented Turkey with a long list of losses it had suffered. The incident with the Ak-Mechet Church was regarded as an insult to the shrine, and until the First World War, the Turks carefully paid an annual indemnity for this.
Bishop Hermogenes reports that the church parish included 5 villages with a Russian population: Yarylgach (inhabited in the 60s of the 19th century), Kunan, Tarpanchi, Karadzha, Tarkhankutsky lighthouse (now Mezhvodnoye, Krasnoselskoye, Okunevka, Olenevka) and 11 villages with mixed population - Tatar and Russian: Ablah-Ajak, Ak-Bat, Akulchuk, Bayki-yat, Kelegah, Kerlut, Comrat, Kostelkoy-chan, Sabanchi, Tabuldy-as, Terekly-as. Parishioners - 2087 people. There are 12 clergymen. In addition, in the Tatar parish there are 3917 souls of both sexes and a small number of Jews and Gregorian Armenians.
Since 1885, a parochial school operated here; in the 1893–1894 school year, 25 boys and 11 girls studied there. The teachers were Anna Andreevna Maryanenko, who completed a course of science at the Stavropol Olyinsky Women's Gymnasium, and the priest Kondrat Kozitsky. The school was maintained with funds received from Ak-Mechetskaya, Count Shuvalov's savings - about 500 rubles.
360 rubles, from a local church 100 rubles. and from guardianship 32 rubles. It is interesting to know that teachers received 300 rubles for their work, and priests received 120 rubles.
In 1890–1900, the local zemstvo built a number of public buildings. Instead of a two-year parochial school, a zemstvo school was built, which taught arithmetic, writing, reading, civil and ecclesiastical literacy, and the law of God.
The October Revolution changed the course of historical development.
In the context of the formation of an atheistic worldview, persecution of clergy and believers began, and churches were liquidated.
In 1930, the church in Ak-Mosque was closed. In Protocol No. 68 of the meeting of the Presidium of the Central Executive Committee of the Soviets of Workers', Peasants', Red Army and Naval Deputies of the Crimean Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic, this is reflected as follows:
“Due to the refusal of believers to use the church and as a result of the demands of the workers, the church should be liquidated and used as a club.”
Since 1930, a club was opened in the church premises, where films were shown and dances were held in the evenings. In subsequent years, the church building was used for other purposes. From 1941 to 1945 it was a warehouse. But after the Great Patriotic War, the church was reopened. The rector of the church lived in the courtyard with his family. However, by 1958–1959 the parish had shrunk, and the question of the inappropriateness of the costs of maintaining the church again arose. It was closed. Some of the icons were taken to the Evpatoria Church, some were taken home by parishioners. And in 1981, it was decided that a two-story building for a children's and youth sports school with a gym would be added to the former church building. The church building itself became a gym. In this regard, it was refurbished, and significant changes were made to its appearance. At the end of the 80s of the 20th century, attitudes towards believers changed. In 1990, a decision was made to transfer “to the jurisdiction of the Russian Orthodox Church the previously closed Orthodox church in the name of the saints and righteous Zechariah and Elizabeth in the town of Black Sea...”.
The parishioners, returning to their long-suffering church, decorated it as best they could and brought disassembled icons. Unfortunately, many of them are irretrievably lost. The lost metal cross has now been replaced by a wooden one.
Lua error in Module:Wikidata on line 170: attempt to index field "wikibase" (a nil value).Church of Zechariah and Elizabeth- a monument of Siberian Baroque, erected in 1758-76. in the city of Tobolsk.
Description
The church was built between 1758 and 1776 by stone mason Andrei Gorodnichev according to a design sent from St. Petersburg. The domes of the cathedral were gilded “through fire” at the expense of the Tobolsk merchant Nevolin. There were 6 thrones in the church. The parish belonged to 1670
courtyards and 6 villages on the left bank.
In the planning structure of the lower city, the church occupied a dominant place. Located on Bazarnaya Square, it, together with the Church of the Virgin Mary and other buildings, formed the commercial and administrative center of the city of Tobolsk. In terms of its space-planning structure and decorative plastic facades, the church has no equal among the religious buildings of the city. Just like the Resurrection Church in Tomsk, it was built in the rare Siberian Baroque style.
The huge two-story church with a solemn monumental composition and rich, varied decor belongs to the best examples of “Siberian Baroque.” All its volumes - a large quadrangle with a pentagonal apse, two aisles with semicircular apses, a two-story vestibule with chambers - are fused together, forming a dense, weighty monolith. The impression of unity is facilitated by the cut off upper corners of the quadrangle, decorated with lush cartouches with round lunettes. Thanks to this, the quadrangle organically and sculpturally transforms into a complex domed completion.
Two spherical vaults, placed one on top of the other, form a high stepped dome of the temple, carrying a light drum with a dome. The pedestals of the corner chapters are treated like decorative phials. The dynamic plasticity of the crowning forms, round windows, cutting through cartouche pediments, platbands with characteristic “torn” frames, triple decorative brackets above the pilasters of the first floor, multi-profile cornices create a complex decorative image. This effect is enhanced by double-braced (ledged) inter-window and corner pilasters, smoothing out right angles.
The Summer Church is distinguished by the height and soaring of its space, the abundance of light, and the expressive plasticity of the vault, revealed by lucarnes. Iconostases and utensils have been lost.
Gallery
ZakhariusElizabeth-church Tobolsk.JPG
Main facade of the church
ZakhariusElizabeth-church4 Tobolsk.JPG
View of the church from the pier
ZakhariusElizabeth-church2 Tobolsk.JPG
Church of Zechariah and Elizabeth. End of the 19th century.
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Literature
- V.A. Silantiev. Architectural heritage of the Tyumen region. Tyumen 2008. p. 130.
Excerpt characterizing the Church of Zechariah and Elizabeth (Tobolsk)
No matter how much I wanted to listen to the reasonable voice of logic, my naughty brain believed that, despite the fact that Veya apparently knew exactly what she was talking about, I would still achieve my goal and find those people earlier than I was promised (or creatures) who were supposed to help me get rid of some incomprehensible “bear hibernation” of mine. At first, I decided to try again to go beyond the Earth, and see who would come to me there... Naturally, it was impossible to think of anything more stupid, but since I stubbornly believed that I would achieve something after all, I had to go with my head again plunge into new, perhaps even very dangerous “experiments”...For some reason, my good Stella almost stopped “walking” at that time, and, for some unknown reason, she was “moping” in her colorful world, not wanting to reveal to me the real reason for her sadness. But I somehow managed to persuade her to go for a “walk” with me this time, getting her interested in the danger of the adventure I was planning, and also by the fact that I was still a little afraid to try such “far-reaching” experiments alone.
I warned my grandmother that I was going to try something “very serious”, to which she just calmly nodded her head and wished her good luck (!)... Of course, this outraged me “to the bones”, but having decided not to show her my resentment, and pouting like a Christmas turkey, I swore to myself that, no matter what it cost me, something would happen today!... And of course, it happened... just not exactly what I expected.
Stella was already waiting for me, ready for “the most terrible feats,” and we, together and collected, rushed “beyond the limit”...
This time it turned out much easier for me, maybe because it was not the first time, and maybe also because the same violet crystal was “discovered”... I was carried like a bullet beyond the mental level of the Earth, and It was then that I realized that I had overdone it a little... Stella, according to the general agreement, was waiting at the “borderline” to insure me if she saw that something had gone wrong... But it had already gone “wrong” from the very beginning, and where I was at the moment, she, to my great regret, could no longer reach me.
All around me in the cold of the night was the black, ominous space that I had dreamed of for so many years, and which now frightened me with its wild, unique silence... I was completely alone, without the reliable protection of my “star friends”, and without the warm support of my faithful friend Stella ... And, despite the fact that I saw all this not for the first time, I suddenly felt very small and alone in this unfamiliar world of distant stars surrounding me, which here looked not at all as friendly and familiar as from the Earth, and a petty panic, cowardly squeaking in undisguised horror, gradually began to treacherously engulf me... But since I was still a very, very stubborn little person, I decided that there was no point in getting limp, and began to look around where it was all- I got carried away...
I was hanging in a black, almost physically tangible void, and only occasionally some “shooting stars” flashed around me, leaving dazzling tails for a moment. And right there, seemingly very close, such a dear and familiar Earth shimmered with a blue radiance. But, to my great regret, she only seemed close, but in fact she was very, very far away... And suddenly I wildly wanted to go back!!!.. I no longer wanted to “heroically overcome” unfamiliar obstacles, but I just really wanted to to return home, where everything was so familiar and familiar (to grandma’s warm pies and favorite books!), and not to hang frozen in some kind of black, cold “peacelessness”, not knowing how to get out of all this, and, moreover, preferably without any -or “terrifying and irreparable” consequences... I tried to imagine the only thing that came to mind first - the purple-eyed girl Wei. For some reason it didn’t work - she didn’t appear. Then I tried to unfold her crystal... And then, everything around sparkled, shone and swirled in a frenzied whirlpool of some unprecedented matters, I felt as if I was suddenly, like a big vacuum cleaner, being pulled somewhere, and immediately “unfolded” in front of me "in all its glory, the already familiar, mysterious and beautiful Weiyin world.... As I realized too late - the key to which was my open purple crystal...
Image of the original church 1751 - 1752 on Truscott's plan of St. Petersburg 1753:
During all subsequent reconstructions (including the most recent one designed by L.N. Benois), the composition of the church with the bell tower was preserved.
At the beginning of the 19th century. During the construction of the barracks of the Cavalry Guard Regiment, the facades of the church received a new finish in the style of classicism according to the design of L. Ruska (I do not know whether the interior was also changed). Here is a sheet from the album of drawings by L. Rusk (A, sheet XV; on the website - p. 100):
It is clear that such decoration could not have been in the original church built in the Baroque era.
In the explanations to the drawings (page 27 (on the website - 45) Ruska limited himself to one phrase:
"La Planche XV nous donne l"élévation de l"eglise." - "Plate XV shows the façade of the church." It does not show whether the project was carried out, but old images of the church before the last reconstruction (photos 6, 8) indicate that it was carried out. (Only minor differences are visible in the shape of the top of the bell tower and the end of the main volume - this is probably the result of alterations in the mid-19th century.)
Strange as it may seem, nothing is said about Rusk’s alteration either in “Historical and Statistical Information”, or in “Laurels, Monasteries and Temples”, or in “Temples of the Army and Navy” by Tsitovich (everywhere it is said that the church was allegedly preserved in its original form ), nor in “Shrines of St. Petersburg” (it is written only about later alterations, and it even says that the bell tower was allegedly built only in 1856 - 1858 by K.K. Ziegler von Schafhausen - which is generally a misunderstanding).
And here are some more drawings from Ruska's album.
A, sheet XI (on the website - page 93). Facades along Zakharyevskaya (above) and Shpalernaya streets. The church stood between two three-story buildings with orderless facades. Nearby is a one-story building and a side facade
Church in the name of Saints Zechariah and Elizabeth of the Cavalry Regiment
Zakharyevskaya street, 22
Zachary is the father of John the Baptist, a priest who belonged to an ancient priestly family. Until his old age he was childless. When he had a vision in the temple of an angel announcing the birth of his son, Zachary doubted, for which he was struck by dumbness and was released from it only after the promise given to him was fulfilled. He had a son, John, whose destiny Zachary sang with a solemn song.
Elizabeth, the wife of Zechariah and the mother of John the Baptist, was a relative of Mary; she was the first, after the Annunciation, to greet her as the Blessed One among women and as the Mother of God.
The church was founded in 1752 by order of Elizabeth Petrovna. The consecration took place in September 1756 in the presence of the Empress. The church was built for officials and those who served at the Reserve Yard, in 1806 with the relocation
It became a regimental regiment of the Cavalry Regiment. Throughout the existence of the first church, its appearance remained unchanged, only the interior decoration changed. The most significant alteration was in 1856: then the iconostasis was restored, granite columns were installed instead of brick ones, and parquet floors were laid. Until 1844, the church housed a chapel in the name of the Apostle and Evangelist John the Theologian, built under vaults that were dismantled in 1856. The iconostasis of the camp church was kept here, all the icons of which were painted on white satin on a gold background. Iconostasis as a monument of history and culture of Russia in the 18th century. in 1846 it was transferred to the Armory Chamber in Moscow. The first church was single-altar, stone; its dome and bell tower are wooden, the iconostasis is three-tiered; the icons were painted on a black background.
The shrines of the church were the altar cross with particles of holy saints; silver liturgical vessels granted to the regiment by its chief, Empress Alexandra Feodorovna; the icon of the Mother of God, called the “Three Joys”, with which in 1848 Alexandra Feodorovna blessed the regiment on the Hungarian campaign. The regiment's standards, decorated with St. George's crosses in memory of the Patriotic War of 1812, were kept in the church. Between the standards on a marble pedestal there was a silver plaque with the names of dead and wounded officers and indicating the number of killed and wounded lower ranks. The church also kept the uniforms of Alexander I and Nicholas I.
In 1897 - 1899 According to the project of academician of architecture L.N. Benois, an elegant, Baroque-style church was erected on the site of the previous one. M. V. Nesterov took part in the decoration of its interiors, creating mosaic icons. The utensils were made by the famous Faberge company. The iconostasis and standards were transferred to the new church from the previous one.
The building was demolished in 1948.
Faithful Zechariah and Elizabeth at the Life Guards Cavalry Regiment
Zakharyevskaya st., 22
V. Ulrich. Arrival of Alexandra Fedorovna at the barracks of Her Majesty's Cavalry Regiment on May 7, 1849. Around 1851. From Dupressoir's original (1849). State Russian Museum (Religious Petersburg / comp. P. Klimov; State Russian Museum. - St. Petersburg, 2004)
The cavalry guards appeared in 1724 as an honorary escort of Catherine I, who later led them with the rank of captain. From then on, the regiment's chiefs were always the Empresses. Under Elizaveta Petrovna, the cavalry guards formed a life company, which had a marching Vvedenskaya Church, consecrated on March 5, 1743. In 1800 the regiment became a guards regiment. Mostly hereditary nobles served in it. The cavalry guards distinguished themselves in the war with Napoleon - they took part in the battles of Austerlitz, Borodino and Kulm.
At first, the regiment had only a camp church. In 1803, the premises belonging to employees of the Reserve Court and the court chancellery were turned into regimental barracks. Together with them, the Zakharyevskaya Church, built in the 1740s from wood, also came into the possession of the regiment. On August 9, 1752, a decree was issued to build a stone church with a two-tier bell tower. The utensils were brought to it from Moscow, and Empress Elizaveta Petrovna herself was present at the consecration on September 5, 1753.
In 1762, Catherine commanded: “there will not be a church with this regiment, since it will always be where my court is,” and therefore from now on the cavalry guards had to pray in the court church. However, the temple was left open for employees of the Reserve Yard. In 1779, the main iconostasis was replaced, but the old one remained in the choir, in the chapel of St., consecrated on February 28, 1756. John the Theologian. According to legend, this two-tiered atlas iconostasis was brought from Greece in the 16th century and was with Ivan the Terrible near Kazan (in 1844 it was transferred to the Armory Chamber).
In 1844 the temple was redecorated; in 1855 arch. K. K. Ziegler, based on a project by A. I. Stackenschneider, began reconstruction: he erected a bell tower, made a choir and installed a new iconostasis, which was carved by Ivan Vladimirov. The Emperor donated 3 thousand rubles. silver for the decoration of the temple. On October 1, 1858, a new consecration took place. During construction, they served in the marching St. Michael's Church.
Unknown artist. Iconostasis of the Church of Her Majesty's Cavalry Regiment. Second half of the 1850s. Lithograph with tone. State Russian Museum (Religious Petersburg / comp. P. Klimov; State Russian Museum. - St. Petersburg, 2004)
The temple stood in this form until 1896, when, according to the plan of L.N. Benois, its major reconstruction began. Only the walls remained of the old building; even the plan was changed, which took the shape of a Greek cross. On May 16, 1897, the ceremonial laying took place. Construction at the expense of the Dowager Empress Maria Feodorovna and officers proceeded quickly, and already on January 14, 1899, military protopresbyter A. A. Zhelobovsky, who served in this temple until 1888, consecrated it in the Supreme presence.
L.N. Benoit. Project for the reconstruction of the Church of Saints Zechariah and Elizabeth of the Cavalry Guard of Her Imperial Majesty Maria Feodorovna Regiment in St. Petersburg. South facade. 1896. GMIR (Religious Petersburg / comp. P. Klimov; State Russian Museum. - St. Petersburg, 2004)
The picturesque church, stylized as Elizabethan Baroque, with a high spire on the bell tower, could accommodate 1,500 people and was richly decorated inside. Thanks to the sloping floor (a kind of novelty), the service was clearly visible from any place. The iconostasis was installed as before, only restored. Academician P. P. Chistyakov made sketches of external mosaic icons; The modeling inside was done by P. S. Kozlov. The bells were cast by Orlov's factory.
The silver throne, made by Faberge and weighing 13 pounds, was presented by Z. N. Yusupova. The bronze lamps were cast by master N. A. Meltser; The marble throne was made by Bott's workshop. The temple was illuminated by a beautiful bronze chandelier, dated 1834.
Regimental standards were placed near the choirs; in the display cases were chefs' uniforms, St. George's crosses and soldiers' medals; near the wall there was a small monument to those who fell in the war with Napoleon. At the end of the 19th - beginning of the 20th centuries, in the presence of the Empress, on September 5, a temple and regimental holiday was solemnly celebrated. Each squadron also had its own holiday, during which, after the liturgy, a prayer service was served in front of the squadron image.
Many valuable things were donated to the temple from chiefs, commanders and officers: in 1848, Empress Alexandra Feodorovna presented gilded silver vessels; in 1896 book. S. S. Saltykov in memory of his son, a cavalry guard, - two 18th-century images decorated with precious stones: Christ the Savior with a piece of the Robe of the Lord and the Vladimir Mother of God; A. N. Bezak - Gospel in a silver setting by Faberge. Several more highly artistic works were kept here: “The Savior Not Made by Hands,” which in 1679 Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich gave to clerk Vinius; two images on the atlas from the mentioned 16th century iconostasis; a shroud from 1677 and an elegant Crucifix carved from ivory.
In 1891, M. V. Nesterov made sketches for the interior of the mosaic icons “The Resurrection of Christ” and “St. Alexander Nevsky”, in front of which burned silver lamps made in Faberge’s workshop according to a drawing by Prof. E. A. Sabaneeva. On December 2, 1902, after another renovation, the church was illuminated with a small consecration.
M.V. Nesterov. The image of the Blessed Prince Alexander Nevsky from the Church of the Righteous Zechariah and Elizabeth. 1894-1895. GMIR (Religious Petersburg / comp. P. Klimov; State Russian Museum. - St. Petersburg, 2004)
The rector in 1903-1910 was the famous theologian Rev. Evgeniy Petrovich Akvilonov, professor of the Theological Academy and future protopresbyter, and the last before the revolution was Prot. Stefan Vasilievich Shcherbakovsky.
The wooden Kazan Church in the summer camp of the regiment, built in 1905 in Krasnoe Selo, was assigned to the church.
Since the regiment was disbanded after the revolution, in the summer of 1918 the church became a parish. Since 1922, the church has been one of the centers of renovationism led by Alexander Vvedensky. Closed by decision of the Presidium of the Leningrad City Council on August 1, 1835, later converted into a gym, and completely demolished in 1948. In its place, the building of the Military Engineering and Technical University was erected.
Archival sources
RGIA F.468. Op.1. D. 1734; F.544. Op. 1. D.468; F.796. Op.43. D.200.
TsGIA SPb. F 19. Op.1. D. 4668; Op.31. D.3641.
Literature
Historical and statistical information about the St. Petersburg diocese. T.4. Part 2. 1875. pp. 152-162.
Historical and statistical information about the St. Petersburg diocese. T.6. Part 1. 1878. P.15.
Voeikov V.N. Icon of the Savior... in the Church of Zechariah and Elizabeth. St. Petersburg, 1897.
Tsitovich G. A. Temples of the Army and Navy: historical and statistical description. Part 1. Pyatigorsk, 1913. P.53-57.
Panchulidzev S. A. History of the cavalry guards. T.4. St. Petersburg, 1912. P.351-380.
Cherepnina N. Yu. Shkarovsky M. V. Orthodox churches of St. Petersburg. 1917-1945: reference book. St. Petersburg, 1999. pp. 141-144.
Source: Antonov V.V., Kobak A.V. Shrines of St. Petersburg: encyclopedia of Christian churches. - St. Petersburg. : Faces of Russia; Spas, 2010. - pp. 159-160.
Church of the Righteous Zechariah and Elizabeth at the Life Guards Cavalry Regiment
The church was located on Zakharyevskaya Street in the Liteinaya part of St. Petersburg, where employees of the court department lived since the reign of Empress Elizaveta Petrovna, the laying of the first stone church for which took place in 1752. On September 3, 1756, in the presence of Empress Elizabeth Petrovna, the church was consecrated in the name of the righteous Zechariah and Elizabeth.
V.S. Sadovnikov. Church parade of the Cavalry Regiment on Maslyany Meadow on Elagin Island. 1850-1851. Timing belt Every year on regimental temple holidays (September 5 - the day of Righteous Elizabeth and October 5 - the day of Righteous Zechariah) a prayer service was served on Elagin Island and after the service a church parade was held on the Butter Meadow in front of the palace. (Religious Petersburg / comp. P. Klimov; State Russian Museum. - St. Petersburg, 2004)
Almost half a century later, in June 1803, by the highest personal decree, the building of the Reserve Yard was ordered to be rebuilt as the barracks of the Life Guards Cavalry Regiment. So the church became a regimental church.
Under the arches of the temple there was a chapel of the Apostle John the Theologian, in which there was a folding iconostasis with icons painted on atlas. According to legend, this was the iconostasis of the camp church of Ivan the Terrible, which was with him during his campaign in Kazan. The iconostasis was in the temple from the middle of the 18th century until 1844, when, by order of Nicholas I, it was transferred to the Hermitage, and then to the Armory. The chapel with the newly installed iconostasis existed until 1855, when, on the occasion of the centennial anniversary of the temple, a decision was made to repair the entire church. Work on developing a plan for reconstruction and drawing up estimates was entrusted to A. I. Stackenschneider. This time included the construction of small choirs, the replacement of the stone floor with parquet, the production of a new iconostasis and the restoration of old images.
In the second half of the 1890s, the Church of the Righteous Zechariah and Elizabeth at the Life Guards Cavalry Regiment, built in the era of Elizabeth Petrovna, underwent major restructuring. A commission was formed to organize work dedicated to the centennial anniversary of the regiment. Architect L. N. Benois, at the request of the officers of the Cavalry Regiment, drew up a project that received the approval of the august chief of the regiment, the Dowager Empress Maria Feodorovna, on February 21, 1897. The ceremonial laying of the temple took place on May 16, 1897. Somewhat earlier, in April of the same year, construction of the building began with funds allocated by Emperor Nicholas II, Empress Maria Feodorovna and the officers of the regiment. After all major work was completed in November 1897, a camp church was placed in the still unfinished church. On January 14, 1899, in the presence of the imperial family and the entire regiment, Protopresbyter A. A. Zhelobovsky consecrated the temple.
In fact, using the old walls, the architect built a new temple. In its appearance, in the general dynamics of architectural forms, the features of the Baroque, chosen by L. N. Benois as a stylistic prototype, were easily discernible. The Elizabethan era was reminiscent of the characteristic shape of the domes, decorated with relief gilded ornaments, round hatch windows in the roof of the refectory, arched pediments, carved openwork doors with small mirror glass.
Famous craftsmen took part in the decoration of the facade and interior of the church. The external mosaics were made according to the originals by P. P. Chistyakov, the images of “The Resurrection of Christ” and “The Blessed Prince Alexander Nevsky” were painted by M. V. Nesterov, and the throne, donated to the temple by Princess Z. N. Yusupova, was made by the firm of C. Faberge. Among the items transferred to the new church from the old one, a high baroque iconostasis stood out. Each squadron and each regiment command had its own special icon in the church and celebrated the so-called squadron holidays with obligatory prayer services. All the images, thanks to the diligence of the officers, were decorated with silver vestments and had rich gilded icon cases.
The church is like other similar temples. Acted as a regimental museum. Regimental standards, uniforms of regiment chiefs, St. George's crosses and medals of soldiers and officers were kept in it, and near its wall stood a small monument to the cavalry guards who fell in the war with Napoleon.
In 1919-1923, the rector of the temple was Archpriest Alexander (Vvedensky), who later became the first hierarch of the Renovationist Church. On July 1, 1935, the temple was closed and converted into a gym. In 1948, it was demolished, and the building of the Military Construction School named after A. N. Komarovsky was built on this site.
Source: Religious Petersburg /comp. P. Klimov; State Russian Museum. - St. Petersburg, 2004. P. 274, 383.
Church in the name of Saints Zechariah and Elizabeth of the Cavalry Regiment
Zakharyevskaya street, 22
The church was founded in 1752 by order of Elizabeth Petrovna. The consecration took place in September 1756 in the presence of the Empress. The church was built for officials and those who served at the Reserve Court; in 1806, with the relocation of the Cavalry Guard Regiment, it became a regimental church. Throughout the existence of the first church, its appearance remained unchanged, only the interior decoration changed. The most significant alteration was in 1856: then the iconostasis was restored, granite columns were installed instead of brick ones, and parquet floors were laid. Until 1844, there was a chapel in the church in the name of the Apostle Evangelist John the Theologian, built under arches that were dismantled in 1856. The iconostasis of the camp church was kept here, all the icons of which were painted on white satin on a gold background. The iconostasis as a monument to the history and culture of Russia in the 18th century was transferred to the Armory Chamber in Moscow in 1846. The first church was single-altar, stone; its dome and bell tower are wooden, the iconostasis is three-tiered; the icons were painted on a black background.
The shrines of the church were the altar cross with particles of holy saints; silver liturgical vessels granted to the regiment by its chief, Empress Alexandra Feodorovna; the icon of the Mother of God, called the “Three Joys”, with which in 1848 Alexandra Feodorovna blessed the regiment on the Hungarian campaign. The regiment's standards, decorated with St. George's crosses in memory of the Patriotic War of 1812, were kept in the church. Between the standards on a marble pedestal there was a silver plaque with the names of dead and wounded officers and indicating the number of killed and wounded lower ranks. The church also kept the uniforms of Alexander I and Nicholas I.
In 1897-1899 According to the design of the architect L.N. Benois, an elegant, Baroque-style church was erected on the site of the previous one. M. V. Nesterov took part in the decoration of its interiors, creating mosaic icons. The utensils were made by the famous Faberge company. The iconostasis and standards were transferred to the new church from the previous one.
The building was demolished in 1948.
Source: Dluzhnevskaya G. Lost temples of St. Petersburg. - St. Petersburg: Litera Publishing House, 2003. P. 130-132.