Church of St. Nicholas in Khamovniki
Encyclopedia
Church of Saint Nicholas in Khamovniki is a late 17th century parish church of a former weavers sloboda
in Khamovniki District of Moscow
. The church is a federal listed memorial building. It marks the corner of present-day Komsomolsky Prospect and Leo Tolstoy Street, two blocks beyond the Garden Ring
. The church yard occupies a whole block between Leo Tolstoy and Timur Frunze streets and includes a row of small old houses.
The church is an example of late Muscovite Baroque
that preceded short-lived Naryshkin Baroque
of 1690s. It belongs to a numerous class of bonfire temples – church buildings without three internal load-bearing columns, crowned with layers of small circular kokoshnik-type gable
s. Each gable is a symbol of a heavenly fire (biblical thrones
- angel
s or seraph
s); a tightly packed group of gables is an architectural metaphore for the Throne of God. Small decorative columns "supporting" the lower level gables are an indicator of a Western influence in a typically vernacular building.
The church was severely damaged by the fire of 1812
and reopened only in 1849. Shortly before that, in 1848, the church acquired its principal relic - a copy of Defender of the sinners icon of Theotokos
from Odrin convent, donated by Dmitry Doncheskul; the icon was permanently placed in the former Saint Dmitry annex. It also possesses 17th century icons of Saint Alexis and Hodegetria of Smolensk. In 2002 the church donated its icon of Archangel Michael to the reopened church of Archangel Michael in Devichye Pole
.
The church operates continuously singe 1849. It was never closed in the Soviet period although it lost its main bell (restored in 1992). It was restored externally twice, in 1949 and 1972. Father Pavel Lepekhin served here one of the longest continuous tenures in the 20th century Orthodoxy – from 1915 to 1960. Metropolitan Pitirim Nechaev (1926–2003), who was offered the tenure in Khamovniki in 1972, declined the offer: according to Pitirim, the congregation always filled the church beyond its capacity, making service exremely difficult physically even for young priests.
Leo Tolstoy
lived in the church parish, two blocks to the north on the street now bearing his name.
Sloboda
Sloboda was a kind of settlement in the history of Russia, Belarus and Ukraine. The name is derived from the early Slavic word for "freedom" and may be vaguely translated as "free settlement"....
in Khamovniki District of Moscow
Moscow
Moscow is the capital, the most populous city, and the most populous federal subject of Russia. The city is a major political, economic, cultural, scientific, religious, financial, educational, and transportation centre of Russia and the continent...
. The church is a federal listed memorial building. It marks the corner of present-day Komsomolsky Prospect and Leo Tolstoy Street, two blocks beyond the Garden Ring
Garden Ring
The Garden Ring, also known as the "B" Ring , is a circular avenue around the central Moscow, its course corresponding to what used to be the city ramparts surrounding Zemlyanoy Gorod in the 17th century....
. The church yard occupies a whole block between Leo Tolstoy and Timur Frunze streets and includes a row of small old houses.
History
First records of a presumably wooden church on this site are dated 1625. The main five-domed church was built in 1679-1682; belltower and refectory were completed around 1694. Present day church sources claim that the belltower in Khamovniki is one of the highest tent-style belltowers in Moscow region. In 1757 the builders added a side annex dedicated to Saint Dmitry of Rostov.The church is an example of late Muscovite Baroque
Baroque
The Baroque is a period and the style that used exaggerated motion and clear, easily interpreted detail to produce drama, tension, exuberance, and grandeur in sculpture, painting, literature, dance, and music...
that preceded short-lived Naryshkin Baroque
Naryshkin Baroque
Naryshkin Baroque, also called Moscow Baroque, or Muscovite Baroque, is the name given to a particular style of Baroque architecture and decoration which was fashionable in Moscow from the turn of the 17th into the early 18th centuries.-Style:...
of 1690s. It belongs to a numerous class of bonfire temples – church buildings without three internal load-bearing columns, crowned with layers of small circular kokoshnik-type gable
Gable
A gable is the generally triangular portion of a wall between the edges of a sloping roof. The shape of the gable and how it is detailed depends on the structural system being used and aesthetic concerns. Thus the type of roof enclosing the volume dictates the shape of the gable...
s. Each gable is a symbol of a heavenly fire (biblical thrones
Thrones
The Thrones are a class of celestial beings mentioned by Paul of Tarsus in and related to the throne of God. They are living symbols of God's justice and authority. According to the New Testament, these high celestial beings are among those Orders at the Christ's service...
- angel
Angel
Angels are mythical beings often depicted as messengers of God in the Hebrew and Christian Bibles along with the Quran. The English word angel is derived from the Greek ἄγγελος, a translation of in the Hebrew Bible ; a similar term, ملائكة , is used in the Qur'an...
s or seraph
Seraph
A seraph is a type of celestial being in Judaism and Christianity...
s); a tightly packed group of gables is an architectural metaphore for the Throne of God. Small decorative columns "supporting" the lower level gables are an indicator of a Western influence in a typically vernacular building.
The church was severely damaged by the fire of 1812
Fire of Moscow (1812)
The 1812 Fire of Moscow broke out on September 14, 1812 in Moscow on the day when Russian troops and most residents abandoned the city and Napoleon's vanguard troops entered the city following the Battle of Borodino...
and reopened only in 1849. Shortly before that, in 1848, the church acquired its principal relic - a copy of Defender of the sinners icon of Theotokos
Theotokos
Theotokos is the Greek title of Mary, the mother of Jesus used especially in the Eastern Orthodox, Oriental Orthodox, and Eastern Catholic Churches. Its literal English translations include God-bearer and the one who gives birth to God. Less literal translations include Mother of God...
from Odrin convent, donated by Dmitry Doncheskul; the icon was permanently placed in the former Saint Dmitry annex. It also possesses 17th century icons of Saint Alexis and Hodegetria of Smolensk. In 2002 the church donated its icon of Archangel Michael to the reopened church of Archangel Michael in Devichye Pole
Devichye Pole
Devichye Pole is a historical medical campus, built in 1887-1897 in Khamovniki District of Moscow, Russia, to the master plan of Konstantin Bykovski. It is located between the Garden Ring and Novodevichy Convent...
.
The church operates continuously singe 1849. It was never closed in the Soviet period although it lost its main bell (restored in 1992). It was restored externally twice, in 1949 and 1972. Father Pavel Lepekhin served here one of the longest continuous tenures in the 20th century Orthodoxy – from 1915 to 1960. Metropolitan Pitirim Nechaev (1926–2003), who was offered the tenure in Khamovniki in 1972, declined the offer: according to Pitirim, the congregation always filled the church beyond its capacity, making service exremely difficult physically even for young priests.
Leo Tolstoy
Leo Tolstoy
Lev Nikolayevich Tolstoy was a Russian writer who primarily wrote novels and short stories. Later in life, he also wrote plays and essays. His two most famous works, the novels War and Peace and Anna Karenina, are acknowledged as two of the greatest novels of all time and a pinnacle of realist...
lived in the church parish, two blocks to the north on the street now bearing his name.
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| The tented belltower of Khamovniki is one of the highest of its type in Moscow region |
A row of small houses in the church yard |
Worshippers of the icon Our Lady, protector of sinners |