The Temple of Nikita the Martyr on Old Basmanny: a description

Among all Moscow churches, the church of NikitaThe Martyr on Old Basmannaya Street is one of the oldest. Its basis refers to the reign of Ivan the Terrible's father, Grand Duke Vasily III. Remained to this day, the walls remember AS Pushkin, PA Vyazemsky, KN Batyushkov, Marina Tsvetaeva and FS Rokotov. As with every monument of antiquity, this church has its own special history.

Corner of the former Moscow

Old Basmannaya Street lay on the spot wherethere was a road linking in the XVII century the capital with the village of Elokhovo near Moscow, located on the site of the current Elokhov Square, and extending further to the suburban imperial residences Izmailovo and Rubtsovo-Pokrovskoye.

By the same time, educationBasmannaya settlement, the name of which occurs, according to researchers, from the Tatar word "basma", which means a relief impression on the skin, metal or bread. This allows you to build various assumptions about the occupation of the residents of the settlement.

Shrines from Vladimir

Concerning the history of the creation of the temple of NikitaThe martyr on Staraya Basmannaya has a legend, only partially confirmed by the surviving documents. According to the chronicle, in the spring of 1518, the miracle-working icon of the Mother of God was brought to the Holy See for renovation, and with it the image of Christ the Savior. The work took a year, after which both sacred objects were sent back to Vladimir, arranging a solemn procession on this occasion.

Tradition says that on the same day it was plannedconsecration of a wooden church built by the decree of Grand Duke Vasily III for the residents of Basmannaya Sloboda. In view of such a significant event, the procession was deviated from the previously planned route and headed to the place of celebrations.

Stone temple damaged by fire

Thanks to this occasion, the wooden church wasis consecrated in honor of the Vladimir Icon of the Mother of God. Since the event occurred on September 15 (28), on the day of the memory of the Great Martyr Nikita, in the next century, when a stone church was erected in its place, a chapel dedicated to this saint was added to it. This was the first temple of Nikita the Martyr on Staraya Basmannaya.

Built in 1685, he was badly injured inthe time of the fire that happened half a century later. Damage was so significant that after the work was not possible to fully restore its former appearance. Especially sharply traces of the recent disaster stood out against the background of the church built in 1728 by Peter and Paul, which was nearby and executed in the fashionable Baroque style. It is believed that the construction of the temple was carried out at the personal order of Peter I.

The idea of ​​creating a new temple

Despite the fact that Old Basmannaya Streetpassed in the distance from the center of the capital, in the middle of the XVIII century it was considered a very prestigious area. It was settled not only by rich merchants, but also by noblemen, for whom Moscow churches were always a matter of special concern. This affected the religious consciousness, and a sense of national pride. It was the nobles who initiated the construction of the new church of Nikita the Martyr on Staraya Basmannaya. Such a good intention has found response among ordinary residents of the capital.

Before proceeding with the construction of the temple,should have been granted the highest permission. And in 1745 the corresponding petition was sent to the name of Empress Elizaveta Petrovna. Having given her consent, the empress allowed to consecrate one of its limits in honor of John the Baptist ─ the heavenly patron of the main temple-builder, the merchant of the first guild of Ivan Rybnikov, whose voluntary donations became the financial base of future construction.

The construction of the new Nikitsky temple

Regarding the name of the architect who created the projecttemple and supervised subsequent work, the researchers do not have a common opinion, but most of them are inclined to believe that he was very popular in those years, architect D. V. Ukhtomsky. Others attribute this honor to Karl Blank and Alexei Evlashev.

The construction of the church was completed in 1751. Despite the fact that the main chapel was consecrated in honor of the Vladimir Icon of the Mother of God, the temple among the people, like its predecessor, began to be called Nikitsky. To the credit of the architect, it should be noted that, by creating a new one, he managed to carefully preserve the legacy of the past. Without destroying the ancient walls, the architect skillfully rebuilt them, creating a refectory with two side-altars. On the western side of the building, he erected a smart three-tiered bell tower, creating a traditional ship, which fully met the requirements of the Petrine era.

Architectural masterpiece on Old Basmannaya Street

The basis of the main volume of the building is laidthe traditional for that time complicated octagon with the apse (the altar room serving from the east), and on the western side - the porch - the annex located in front of the entrance. The southern and northern gates of the temple were decorated with decorative porticoes. The undoubted success of the architect was a dome, decorated with round windows and ending with a drum, crowned with a small cupola.

The original color solution of the facadeThe building, which seems to be fiery, thanks to the contrast of the snow-white stucco decoration, the red walls and the gleaming gold of the domes. The temple of Nikita the Martyr on Staraya Basmannaya is considered to be a generally recognized masterpiece of Elizabethan baroque.

Famous parishioners of the temple

The terrible Moscow fire of 1812, fortunately,spared the Nikitsky church and the buildings adjacent to it, without causing them serious harm. As early as the beginning of the 19th century, Old Basmannaya Street became one of the most aristocratic districts of Moscow and, in its prestige, was not inferior to Prechistenskaya and Arbat. Then in the following years many celebrities also settled and became parishioners of the St. Nicholas Church.

Among them, the hero of the Russo-Turkish War, the famouscommander Count PA Rumyantsev, legendary diamond prince AB Kurakin, father of three brothers of the Decembrists Ippolit, Matvei and Sergei ─ Ivan Matveyevich Murav'ev-Apostol, A. Pushkin's uncle ─ Vasily Lvovich, as well as many other persons, left a trace in the domestic history.

Known was the Nikitsky Temple and its owncelebrities. At the beginning of the 20th century, one of them was Protodeacon Mikhail Kholmogorov, who had such a wonderful bass that the crowds of people invariably gathered to listen to him. Fans called their idol second Chaliapin.

The tragedy of the twentieth century

In the summer of 1905, a fire broke out in the temple, on firewho died a very venerated parishioners image of St. Basil the Blessed. And although this happened due to the negligence of the ministers, in subsequent years the fire was remembered as a certain omen of disasters that befell Russia after the Bolsheviks came to power.

After the October Revolution, the Nikitsky Templewas destined to serve God and people only fifteen years. In 1933, according to the plan approved by the Moscow City Council, an administrative building should be built in its place. In connection with this, a decree was issued on closing and demolishing the church. The services in it were terminated, and all property was mercilessly plundered. Simultaneously with this terror, both clergymen and ordinary parishioners were subjected to the authorities. Many of them in those days found death at the notorious Butovo test site.

Years of total atheism

Fortunately, the decision to demolish the temple was soonwas canceled, after which its premises were used for many years for various economic needs. Having knocked down all the stucco decorations that adorned them and destroyed part of the adjoining fence, the new masters of life arranged for him a training center for air defense. Over time, he was replaced by a warehouse of the Ministry of Culture, located in the walls of the church, which later lost its place to a working hostel.

In the 60 years, despite the intensified in the countryanti-religious campaign, the Nikitsky temple managed to be included in the number of cultural heritage monuments under state protection. At the same time, the first attempt was made to restore it. However, no serious results were achieved, in view of the fact that the building continued to be used inappropriately.

Restoration of historical justice

Partially the restoration work was resumed in80-ies, but they were fully realized only after in 1994 the temple of Nikita the Martyr was transferred to the Russian Orthodox Church. At the same time, his consecration was repeated.

Today it is part of the EpiphanyThe deanery uniting the parishes located on the territory of the Krasnoselsky, Basmanny and Central administrative districts of the capital. This church-administrative education was established in 1996. Currently Epiphany Deanery is headed by the rector of the St. Nicholas Church in Pokrovsky Archimandrite Dionisy (Shishigin).

Return to the spiritual roots

Like throughout Russia, most of the templesThe Moscow diocese of the Russian Orthodox Church today became educational and educational centers, whose task is to fill the gap in the field of religious knowledge that arose among the population during the years of Soviet power.

The temple of Nikita the Martyr is no exception,at which the Sunday school operates. It has the opportunity to learn the basics of Orthodoxy, not only children, but also their parents. A deeply thought-out teaching system allows students to join the sources of the spiritual life of their homeland.