Temple of St. Sergius of Radonezh schedule Krapivinsky lane. Church of St. Sergius, which is in the wrens. Church of St. Sergius of Radonezh in Krapivniki in photographs from different years

Also here could be a settlement of wrens, who were engaged in the preparation of nettles. In the old days, it was finely chopped, mixed with flour and fed to horses and pigs. And cabbage soup was made from young nettles.

In 1625, the Church of Sergius of Radonezh appeared in Krapivniki. In 1678, a pillarless building was built on the site of a burnt wooden church, and in 1749 it was rebuilt, a second tier was added and a bell tower was erected. Around the same time, the refectory and chapel of John the Baptist appeared. The project for rebuilding the temple was presumably prepared by an architect from the team of D.V. Ukhtomsky.

In 1883, the Church of St. Sergius of Radonezh in Krapivniki, which did not have its own parish, was transferred to the Patriarchal Metochion of Constantinople, and a complex of three-story buildings designed by S.K. Rodionova. The facade was decorated with Byzantine, Old Russian and Muslim ornaments. So the architect wanted to show that the ancient Patriarchate is located in a Muslim country, but the courtyard is on Russian soil. For a long time the temple was also the tomb of the Ukhtomskys.

In 1938, the church in Krapivniki and the courtyard were closed, and the bell tower was partially dismantled. Skate production was set up inside, since the Petrovsky skating rink was nearby.

In 1991, the temple was returned to the Russian Orthodox Church. Now its most famous shrine is the Kiy Cross with the relics of 400 saints, although some of them have been lost. It was made for the Kiysk Monastery in memory of the miraculous rescue of Patriarch Nikon from a storm on the White Sea. Cypress was brought from Jerusalem especially for this cross. The size of the shrine exactly repeats the cross on which Jesus Christ was crucified. The cross was covered with silver sheets, and particles of the Lord's cross and parts of Christ's robe were placed inside. It was decorated with 15 gilded stars with particles of the Holy Sepulcher, parts of the Nativity scene stone and parts of the coffin of the Virgin Mary. On the front side of the cross there are the relics of 97 saints with signatures, and on the back there are the relics of another 300 saints without signatures.

In the 1930s, the Kiy cross was in the anti-religious museum on Solovki, then it was kept in the storerooms of the State Historical Museum. In 1991, the shrine was transferred to the Church of St. Sergius of Radonezh in Krapivniki.

Church of St. Sergius of Radonezh in Krapivniki in photographs from different years:

Krapivensky Lane, located on the outskirts of the Vysoko-Petrovsky Monastery, existed since late XVI century. S.K. Romanyuk in his book “From the History of Moscow Streets” notes: “Its name is associated with thickets of nettles, which supposedly grew especially lushly here. However, in Moscow, alleys were usually named after the name of the homeowner who lived in it. A document from 1752 mentions a certain collegiate assessor Alexei Krapivin, who lived here - perhaps the name of the lane came from his last name... Part of the large estate of the Odoevsky princes also overlooked Krapivensky Lane. It was a manorial estate with a large stone house in the center, with a garden and a pond.”

The church in Krapivensky Lane has been known since the end of the 16th century. It was consecrated in honor of the great prayer book and mourner of the Russian land - St. Sergius of Radonezh. The founder of the Trinity Monastery is rightfully considered the greatest of the saints Ancient Rus'. Sergius was born at a very difficult time for our country, when it was almost impossible to find a person on Russian soil who would remember what it was like to live not under the yoke of the Tatar-Mongols. People helplessly gave up, hopelessly surrendering to their deplorable situation, not finding any way out or consolation. Sergius of Radonezh gave the Russian people much needed consolation and hope.

The monk settled in a remote, impenetrable forest thicket, but the light of his good deeds shone from there and spread throughout all of Rus'. Sergius of Radonezh was an example of moral perfection for his compatriots, an example of how to “live in Christ.” He tried to leave the world in order to devote his life to fervent prayer and serving God, but without his sensitive participation, without his careful blessing, not a single major event took place. historical event second half of the 14th century. The famous Russian historian V.O. Klyuchevsky characterizes the role of St. Sergius of Radonezh in the life of the Russian people and state:

“Sergius, with his life, the very possibility of such a life, made the grieving people feel that not everything good in them had yet extinguished and froze; by his appearance among his compatriots, who were sitting in darkness and the shadow of death, he opened their eyes to themselves, helped them look into their inner darkness and see there the still smoldering sparks of the same fire that burned the light that illuminated them. A person, once he has inspired such faith in society, becomes for it the bearer of a miraculous spark, capable of igniting and calling into action these forces whenever they are needed, when the available everyday means of people’s life turn out to be insufficient.”

Moscow, and after it all of Rus', began to venerate St. Sergius as their heavenly patron. In the minds of Russian people, he took a place next to Boris and Gleb - the national defenders of Rus'. The Sergius Church behind the southeastern wall of the Vysoko-Petrovsky Monastery, founded in the 14th century by Metropolitan Peter, was closely connected with it. According to one version, not only monks, but also laymen worked in the monastery, and since it was impossible to baptize or marry in the monastery, a temple was built specifically for this in the name of St. Sergius. However, there is still controversy surrounding the reasons for the emergence of a church on this site.

One of ancient names Sergievsky Church - “in Starye Serebryaniki”. Previously, there was an Old Silver Settlement here, where silversmiths lived - artisans who worked at the Mint. In the local books of the 17th century, the church has the clarification “what is in New Watchmen”. Consequently, palace guards settled in this territory. In Moscow there are churches of the Life-Giving Trinity in Serebryaniki and the Ascension of the Lord in Storozhi. In terms of the number of toponymic clarifications, the Church of St. Sergius of Radonezh will give odds to many Moscow churches. It was also called the St. Sergius Church “what’s on the Trumpet” or “on Petrovka near the Trumpet.”

The hole in the wall of the White City, made specifically for the Neglinnaya River, was popularly called the “Pipe.” The Temple of Sergius of Radonezh was located just between Petrovka and Truba. But the clarification “in Wrens” raises the most questions. The church was located within the White City in close proximity to the ancient Vysoko-Petrovsky Monastery, and it is difficult to believe that in the 16th–17th centuries there was a remote area overgrown with nettles. If you look at Sigismund’s plan of Moscow in 1610, you can see that the entire area between Petrovka and the Neglinnaya River is built up with wooden houses.

On the other hand, destructive fires often occurred in the capital, which could result in a vacant lot overgrown with nettles. We should not forget the version about the homeowner, assessor Krapivin, proposed by Romanyuk. The Church of St. Sergius of Radonezh was first mentioned in documents in the first half of the 17th century. The church burned down in a fire in 1677, and a year later construction began on a new stone church. In the scribe's book of 1680 it is called "the church of St. Sergius the Wonderworker, which is near the Trumpet, made of stone." The temple was a pillarless quadrangle with a triple apse and a bulbous dome on a drum. A bell tower was built next to the church.

In the book late XIX century, dedicated to the St. Sergius Church, it is said about one of the bells: “In the summer of 7197 (1689) this bell was poured out, the steward Prince Mikhail and Prince Ivan Yuryevich Ukhtomsky contributed from their small alms for their many sins in the church of the Venerable Father Sergius the Wonderworker, which is between Petrovka near the Neglinnaya River, near the Truba, in Starye Serebryaniki, to commemorate their deceased relatives. The weight of this bell is 73 pounds.” The name of the princes Ukhtomsky is mentioned in this book for a reason. In the XVII and XVIII centuries in the church of St. Sergius of Radonezh there was a family tomb of this noble family.

The Ukhtomskys descended from Rurik and were a junior branch of the appanage princes of Belozersky. The founder of the family, Prince Ivan Ivanovich, owned the Ukhtomsk volost on the Ukhtoma River and took his surname from this volost. Characteristic genus - its abundance. The Ukhtomskys were recorded in the noble genealogical books of more than ten provinces. There were many famous names among the Ukhtomskys. Vasily Ivanovich, nicknamed “Big”, distinguished himself in the Kazan campaign of 1467. Khlynovsky governor Mikhail Fedorovich stopped the attack on Vyatka during the Time of Troubles. The most well-known representative This princely family is the architect D.V. Ukhtomsky.

In 1702, a wide southern chapel of John the Baptist was added to the St. Sergius Church, and a few years later - a northern St. Nicholas chapel. In 1749, a major alteration of the Church of St. Sergius of Radonezh in Krapivniki took place, thanks to which it acquired a look close to its modern one. A bell tower and the upper tier of the church appeared in the form of a low quadrangle with cut corners. In the main faces upper tier Windows were cut out, the intermediate edges were decorated with arched niches, and the corners with pilasters. By the way, D.V. In the mid-18th century, Ukhtomsky worked at the Vysoko-Petrovsky Monastery and could take part in the reconstruction of the Sergius Church.

In January 1771, a terrible disaster began in Moscow - a pestilence opened. Local historian E.A. Zvyagintsev in the article “The Plague in Moscow in the 16th and 18th centuries.” notes: “The epidemic of 1771 was a widespread disease predominantly of the urban poor. In their embittered state, the Moscow “rabble” was ready to think that the infection was the work of someone’s evil will. Suspicious rumors about the criminal behavior of doctors were spread, and the ever-present distrust of representatives of the tsarist government and the nobility worsened. A deep discontent was brewing among the people, which in September 1771, when the merciless plague reached greatest strength, resulted in the so-called plague riot.”

Due to the pestilence, only six courtyards remained in the parish of the Church of St. Sergius of Radonezh in Krapivniki. The priest died, the church did not work for several years, and the parish was assigned to the Church of the Sign outside the Petrovsky Gate. The Sergius Church was closed for the second time after Napoleon’s invasion of Moscow in 1812. The French invaders plundered the church, and the terrible Moscow fire caused severe damage to it. In 1813 she long years turned out to be assigned to the Church of Gregory the Theologian in Bogoslovsky Lane near Dmitrovka. The Church of St. Sergius was in such a deplorable state that in the 1820s they wanted to dismantle it.

Only thanks to Metropolitan Philaret of Moscow, who considered the building durable, was it possible to preserve the temple in Krapivensky Lane. In 1848, the monks of the Athos Panteleimon Monastery asked to transfer the St. Sergius Church to them to establish a courtyard in it. But this was the only temple in Moscow, the main altar of which was consecrated in honor of Sergius of Radonezh, so Filaret refused the Athonite monks. “It’s another thing to go to Athos for silence, and another, after retiring to Athos for silence, with the name of the Athonite silencer, go to live in the Moscow rumor in the courtyard,” - as always, the bishop briefly and precisely explained his decision.

In 1870, the parishioners and clergy of the Church of Gregory the Theologian once again refused to give up the Church of St. Sergius of Radonezh - now to house the Serbian metochion in it. In the book published by the Sergius Church, there is a description of the temple in Krapivensky Lane in the 19th century: “In the center of the street facade there was a bell tower, partially extending beyond the red line of the lane. The first tier of the bell tower was a cubic volume with rusticated decoration of the main facade, in which the gate is visible. On the side facades the finishing takes the form of wide rusticated pillars supporting a profiled cornice that completes the first tier.

The second tier of the bell tower is an equilateral octagon, each side of which has an arch, protruding somewhat from the plane of the wall and completed with a keystone. Bottom part Each wall of the octagon is decorated with a flat rectangular panel, the upper part (above the arch) is decorated with a flat figured panel reaching to the cornice. The joints of the walls of the octagon are decorated with corner pilasters, on which lies a complex multi-profile cornice. The end of the bell tower is domed; there are triangular recessed pediments at the cardinal points, finished with complex profiling. A blind cylindrical drum is installed on the dome.”

In 1883, a metochion of the Church of Constantinople in Moscow was established in the church of St. Sergius of Radonezh. At that time, the head of the Patriarchate of Constantinople was Patriarch Joachim III, who was called “the luminary of the patriarchs” for his fruitful church activities. Joachim was a tireless defender of the Greek Church and did not allow the Turkish authorities to infringe on the rights of the Orthodox. The Patriarch enjoyed enormous support Russian government and great respect among Russian clergy. In 1887–1892, on the site of the houses, there was a clergy according to the design of S.K. Rodionov, a building was built for the Patriarchal Metochion of Constantinople.

The houses were built along the perimeter of the site, forming a tight courtyard around the church. irregular shape. In the basement of the building, striped Byzantine masonry was depicted using painted bricks, and Muslim ornaments were depicted on the main part of the wall. In the casings of the upper windows, Byzantine columns framed keel-shaped openings. In the crowning cornice on the courtyard facades, ancient Russian motifs were used - curbs, towns. In fact, this is an encrypted message that reads something like this: the courtyard of the ancient Patriarchate of Constantinople, located in a Muslim country, was built on Russian soil.

In the 1920s, the Church of St. Sergius was closed, and the Constantinople courtyard was liquidated. The temple was adapted for an institution: new windows appeared, a door was knocked out in the central apse. The bell tower, which protruded beyond the red line of the alley, was broken down to the first tier. In the 1960s and 70s, the temple building housed a workshop for a metal products factory, which produced skates and ski bindings. The bell tower housed the district transformer substation. New additions have distorted the original appearance of the church. The building of the Constantinople courtyard was occupied by residential apartments and various offices.

In 1991, the temple was returned to believers. His Holiness Patriarch Alexy II consecrated the main altar in honor of St. Sergius of Radonezh, after which regular services resumed in the church. The main shrine of the Sergius Church is the famous Kiy Cross of Patriarch Nikon with particles of the relics of more than a hundred saints. Once upon a time, the cypress reliquary Cross was located in the Cross Monastery on the island of Kiy. According to legend, in 1639 the future patriarch miraculously escaped from imminent death during a storm in the White Sea. Together with “a certain Christian,” Nikon ended up on an uninhabited rocky island.

“What is this island?” – Nikon asked his companion, but he didn’t know. Then Nikon said: “Let this island be called Kiy.” To thank God for his miraculous salvation, he placed a worship Cross on the shore, on which he himself painted the image of the crucified Christ. In the 1650s, Nikon (and by that time he had already become the Patriarch of Moscow and All Rus') ordered the construction of the Cross Monastery on the island of Kiy. At Nikon's request, a cypress cross was brought from Palestine, the dimensions of which corresponded to the dimensions of the Calvary Cross. Before the monastery was closed in 1923, the Cross left the island only once - in 1854 due to the invasion of the British.

In 1930, the Kiy Cross was transferred to the anti-religious museum on the Solovetsky Islands. Then it was kept in the storerooms of the Historical Museum in Moscow. Since August 1991, it has been located in the Church of St. Sergius of Radonezh in Krapivniki. Kiysky Cross is a unique shrine. It contains particles of the relics of the prophet Daniel, John the Baptist, the evangelists Matthew, Mark and Luke, the apostles Paul, Thomas, Equal-to-the-Apostles King Constantine, Saints Basil the Great and John Chrysostom and many other famous saints. In the center of the Cross there is a silver reliquary with a part of the Robe of Christ and a particle of the Life-Giving Cross.

In the 1990s, the Nikolsky chapel of the Church of St. Sergius of Radonezh in Krapivniki was consecrated in the name of Seraphim of Sarov. In 1993, a lyceum of spiritual culture was opened at the temple. With the help of architect T.S. Antonova, with an accuracy of several centimeters, managed to restore the size and shape of the bell tower according to the model of the 18th century. On Bright Week, May 6, 2002, the first concert of the festival took place at the bell tower bells. Senior bell ringer of the Moscow Kremlin and the Cathedral of Christ the Savior I.V. Konovalov performed the ringing Novodevichy Convent. In 2003, the dome and altar wall of the main altar were painted.

In addition to the Kiysk Cross, the shrine of the temple is the icon of the Feodorovskaya Mother of God, to which people who are looking for a good marriage, expecting a child, or those who have not had children for a long time pray. Many of Moscow's treasures are hidden in alleys. So, hidden in a small Krapivensky lane is the amazing temple of St. Sergius of Radonezh. Almost like a necklace, it is surrounded by the unusual building of the former Constantinople courtyard, in which red and white bricks intricately alternate. This proximity makes St. Sergius Church even more mysterious. This corner of Moscow has remained virtually unchanged since the 19th century and is a real gem of the city.

Denis Drozdov

The fact is that not only monks worked in the monastery, but also laypeople who settled nearby. As you know, you can neither baptize nor marry in a monastery. For these needs of the surrounding residents, a temple was built in the name of St. Sergius.

Often, “what’s in Starye Serebryaniki”, “on Petrovka near the Truba”, “in Krapivniki” were added to its name. All three definitions are understandable.

Previously, in this area there was an old Silver Settlement, where silversmiths lived. “On Petrovka near Truba” indicates the location between Petrovka and Trubnaya Square. (The square itself, by the way, is called so because “Pipe” was the name given to the drainage of the Neglinnaya River under the wall of the White City. In the 17th century, at the bottom of the present Petrovsky Boulevard there was a Lubyanoy market: they sold logs, boards, doors, etc. In this place they built a square, which became known as Trubnaya.)
As for the definition of “in the Wrens” (or “in the Wrens”), there are two opinions. Either there were a lot of nettles growing on the site where the church was built, or the name of Krapivensky Lane came from the name of the owner of a plot of land in this area.

Nikon Cross

The main shrine of the temple is the Cross, in which 300 particles of the relics of saints are placed. Among them are the relics of the prophet Daniel, St. John the Baptist, the evangelists Matthew, Mark and Luke, the apostles Paul, Thomas and the Lord's brother James, Equal-to-the-Apostles Tsar Constantine, Saints Basil the Great and John Chrysostom.
And also particles of such shrines as the Stones of the Holy Sepulcher and the Sepulcher Holy Mother of God and even the Stone from the place where Abraham arranged a meal for the Holy Trinity.

It is unlikely that there is anything similar to this Cross anywhere. His story is interesting.
This reliquary Cross was the main shrine of the Cross Monastery on the island of Kiy. It was brought to Rus' from Palestine by order of Patriarch Nikon, which is why it is called Nikonovsky.
In 1639 Nikon had to sail along White Sea“in a small ship with a certain Christian.” A storm broke out, and the travelers were in danger of imminent death, but they noticed a small island and landed on it. The island (essentially a rock formation) was completely uninhabited and unsuitable for life.

What is this island? - Nikon asked his companion, wanting to know the name of the island. But he didn’t know this.
“Let this island be called Kiy,” Nikon decided.
To thank the Lord for salvation, he placed a worship Cross on the shore, on which he himself painted the image of the Crucified Christ.

In 1652, Nikon (then Metropolitan of Novgorod), by order of the Tsar, went to the Solovetsky Monastery to retrieve the relics of Metropolitan Philip. On the way, he landed on the already familiar Kiyu Island and was happy to see that the Cross he had erected was safe and sound. Standing in front of him with the relics of Metropolitan Philip, he promised to build a church and a monastery on the island, about which four years later he confronted Sovereign Alexei Mikhailovich.

Around 1656, at the request of Nikon (he was already a patriarch), two cypress crosses were brought to Moscow from Palestine, the dimensions of which corresponded to the size of the Cross on which Jesus Christ was crucified. One was intended for the Calvary chapel of the Church of the Resurrection of Christ in the New Jerusalem Monastery, the other - for the Monastery of the Cross on the island of Kiy.
From Moscow the Cross was taken to the White Sea. And along the way, when stopping for the night, copies of it were made. One of them has been preserved in the cemetery church of the Creation of Lazarus in the city of Onega (data as of 1997).

The cross remained on Kiy Island until the monastery was closed in 1923. During the existence of the monastery, it was removed only once - in 1854 due to the invasion of the British. In this case, some relics were lost.

From 1923 to 1930, the Cross was in the anti-religious museum in the Solovetsky camp. Then it was brought to Moscow, where it was kept in the storerooms of the Historical Museum.

To the temple St. Sergius Radonezhsky in Krapivniki The cross was transferred in August 1991. It is interesting that the secondary consecration of the main chapel of the temple took place on August 30, 1991, on the day of remembrance His Holiness Patriarch Nikon, 310 years after his death.

Very little is known about the history of this small church. Like many Moscow churches, at first it was wooden, then a stone building was built.
In the XVI-XVIII centuries. The temple served as the tomb of the Ukhtomsky princes. On the northern wall of the chapel of St. Sergius you can still see four stone slabs and on the leftmost wall you can make out the surname of Princess Ukhtomskaya. IN late XVIII V. A pestilence was raging in Moscow. The priest who served in the Sergius Church died, and so few parishioners remained in the church that they were transferred to one of the nearest churches - “assigned” to it (similar “assigned” churches existed in Moscow until the end of the 19th century).

The city recovered from the epidemic, and parishioners again appeared at the temple, but a new misfortune befell it. In 1812, during the French invasion, the building was damaged so badly that it was even deleted from the list of Moscow churches, and the parishioners were again “assigned” to another church. The remaining utensils and property were taken there. Only miraculous icon St. Sergius was transferred to the church in the village of Borodino.

Soon the civil authorities demanded that all houses in the White City be made of stone. Since the Sergius Church was empty, enterprising townspeople decided to use it as a quarry, but Metropolitan Philaret did not allow the church to be destroyed. The temple was restored and services resumed.

Officially, it was still considered “attached” and without a parish, because the parishioners moved to another church. In fact, the local residents did not need the temple, so they decided to use it to establish the Patriarchal Metochion of Constantinople (something like a secular embassy). At the same time, the temple came into the possession of the Ecumenical Patriarchate, and houses were built next to it for the workers of the metochion.

These buildings are still a wonderful decoration of the city. It seems that this corner of Moscow has not changed at all since that time. And you also get the impression that you are not in Russia, but in Byzantium: these buildings look so unusually colorful compared to the rest. The outside walls are decorated with a red and white floral pattern, which was characteristic not so much of Greece as of the Muslim East. From a distance they resemble a fairy-tale gingerbread house.

In the 20s the temple was still active. But already in the next decade it was closed and the building was converted into an institution. The bell tower housed the district transformer substation.

In the early 90s, the church was reopened as the Patriarchal Metochion.