Ufa: Church of the Nativity of the Virgin. History and revival of the shrine
The Nativity of the Virgin Mary Church is located on Kirova Street, 101 (formerly Priyutskaya), the place was chosen by Bishop Anthony in 1901. Due to a lack of funds, construction was delayed until the Ufa philanthropist, merchant Nikifor Mironovich Patokin, came to the rescue.
On August 23, 1909, bells were raised to the bell tower of the new church. There were eight of them in total. The largest weighed 50 pounds 35 pounds, the smallest - 10 pounds. The church was brick, with the same three-tier bell tower and a single-domed wooden dome, covered with iron and painted brick color. On the dome of the bell tower and the altar there were iron crosses, bronzed through fire, the roof was covered with iron and painted green. The floors are asphalt, the edges are cement. The length of the church, including the bell tower, is 206.5 fathoms, the greatest width is 10.5 fathoms.
On September 6, 1909, His Grace Nathanael, Bishop of Ufa and Minzelinsk, consecrated the Church of the Nativity Holy Mother of God. Vasily Grigorievich Lezenkov was appointed the first rector. The church was active in the 20s and 30s.
By resolution of the Presidium of the Bashkir Central Executive Committee of April 5, 1934, the church was closed, the temple was transferred to Bashkino in December 1935 for the installation of sound cinema. Subsequently, it was transferred to aircraft workshops, according to the Resolution of the City Council of October 16, 1938. By Resolution of the Ufa City Council No. 224 of June 21, 1955, the building of the former Church of the Nativity of the Virgin Mary was transferred to a cinema, which received the name "Yondoz". Great destruction was caused, the dome part was destroyed. The support pillars were half demolished. The cinema was located in the temple premises until 1991.
By resolution of the City Executive Committee No. 14/608 of August 21, 1991, the building was returned to the Diocesan Administration.
Boris Borisovich Razveev was appointed the first rector after the opening of the temple. The restoration of the temple began. With the blessing of Nikon, Bishop of Ufa and Sterlitamak, Fr. Boris reconstructed the temple, expanded the church, built a bell tower, and covered the roof with iron.
A few years later, construction switched to a financing system through the republican budget. The contractor was the BNZS trust. Archpriest Valery Viktorovich Mokhov became the new rector. During this time, the zero cycle of the “Mission”, a one-story building of a church shop, and a chapel in honor of the holy new martyrs were built. In the temple itself, rough floors have been made, new bells and domes made of stainless steel coated with titanium nitride have been installed. Basically, networks (heat, light, water) were laid to the building of the temple, church shops and mission. Then, due to a lack of funding, construction was suspended for a long time.
In 2002, a new attempt was made to continue construction. However, only the Department for the Execution of Punishments of the Republic of Belarus, represented by Major General Shalygin, responded to the call of the diocese. It was he who found it possible to provide 50 volunteers from among the convicts, who, using improvised means, beat off all the plaster inside the temple that had already become unusable.
Things moved forward in 2003, when Bashkirenergo OJSC came up with a proposal to finance the completion of the reconstruction of the temple. It was especially gratifying that the management of Bashkirenergo approached this construction with passion. In addition to solving the necessary problems, they financed the landscaping of the territory temple complex, completion of the mission building, chapel, production of a mosaic icon of the Virgin Mary for the bell tower and professional lighting of the entire complex, as well as many other issues.
Currently, the main construction work has been completed. Interior decoration continues.
Cathedral The new Church of the Nativity of the Virgin Mary (Ufa) is one of the most beautiful operating shrines in the Republic of Bashkortostan. The church is an object cultural heritage Russian Federation and is protected by the state.
Story
The site for the construction of the church was indicated on the city development plans in the 19th century. But she appeared later and decorated a city called Ufa. The Church of the Nativity of the Virgin Mary was built between 1901 and 1909. The main financial investments were made by the merchant N. M. Patokin. The consecration of the temple took place in September 1909.
The northern aisle was named in honor of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker, the southern aisle - the Archangel Michael. Architectural style churches returned the laity to the revival of the building traditions of the pre-Petrine era of Russia. The life of the entire country and the temple took place on the eve of the revolution, as a result of which many churches were lost, but the Ufa one survived.
The revolution of 1917 brought fundamental changes to minds, changed priorities, reshaped every locality. Ufa was no exception: the Church of the Nativity of the Virgin Mary underwent many trials. Since 1919, the Ufa Cathedral became a hospital, but services were still carried out. Until 1922, they were ruled by priests-new martyrs, who suffered the tragic fate of many people who disagreed with the new ideology. The rector of the temple, Father Vasily Lazenkov, was arrested in November 1937. A few months later he was shot. Priest Alexey Kulyasov (Gorshunov) was sentenced to exile after his arrest. His further fate is unknown.
Since 1922, the Church of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary (Ufa) was given into the hands of the renovationists. In 1934, the church was closed, and the building was transferred to the balance of Bashkino. Soon films began to be shown here. After four years indoors former temple Aviation workshops were located. In 1955, the building was converted into a cinema. To achieve this, the bell tower was partially demolished, the main dome and supporting pillars were dismantled, and extensions were made that violated the harmony of the architectural design.
The cinema was closed in 1991. After this, Orthodox life began to return to a city called Ufa. The Church of the Nativity of the Virgin Mary began its revival with a significant event. Several icons were cast in myrrh in the city - “Iveron Icon of the Mother of God”, “Seeking the Lost”,
Recovery
The Church of the Nativity of the Virgin Mary (Ufa) and the area around it were reconstructed over the course of 15 years. Bishop Nikon was an active participant in all processes. He could often be seen at the construction site and work planning meetings. Nowadays, the restored temple building shines with golden domes and sky-blue walls. The height of the bell tower is 47 meters. The cathedral itself rose 21 meters high. In the evenings the church is illuminated - the shrine looks very beautiful.
The interior decoration is not inferior to the external gloss: the surfaces are decorated with white marble, the floors are covered with pink Italian stone, the walls are decorated with skillful mosaics assembled from granite and serpentinite, and frescoes with biblical scenes. The vault is very beautifully painted. The Cathedral of the Nativity of the Virgin Mary in Ufa has already become a landmark of the entire region.
Activity
Services are held daily in the cathedral, where many lay people and guests come, whom Ufa receives. The Church of the Nativity of the Virgin Mary is the center of spiritual life for believers, a landmark and a place where active social, educational and educational work is carried out. In 2003, a Sunday school was organized for children. Its main goal is to develop a versatile personality. It is considered as a significant addition to basic education.
During their studies, children study the history of the church and Christianity, gain knowledge about the Old and New Testaments. Teachers try to teach kids to be kind, fair, and respond to the needs of their neighbors with help. Also at the school there are general development clubs, where the younger generation masters the art of recitation and singing, and there is a theater studio. Children's classes are held on Sundays from 9:00 to 14:00. Any child whose place of residence is Ufa can enroll in the school.
The Church of the Nativity of the Virgin Mary is also open to young people. Every Sunday from 12:30 to 14:00 meetings are held at which exciting issues are discussed, reports are made, and the Law of God is studied. The group members go on hikes, conduct missionary activities and help the elderly, large and low-income families. Meetings for accomplished adults help to find like-minded people and gain knowledge on the history of the church and religion. Everyone is welcome here. The doors are open to both regular parishioners and those who are just showing interest in religion.
Where is?
In the Cathedral of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary, services are held daily, all church rules are also followed, baptisms, weddings, confessions, and funerals are held. You can ask for spiritual help every day, and it will definitely be provided in both word and deed.
You can easily find the Church of the Nativity of the Virgin Mary (Ufa). The address is Kirova Street, building 102. You can get to the temple public transport- by tram (routes No. 18, 1, 16, 21) and trolleybus (No. 13, 13K, 21). You need to go to the stop on the street. Kirov. By bus (No. 51, 73c) you need to get to the street. Aiskaya. Then you need to walk down the street to the next transport stop. You can also use a minibus.
The Nativity of the Theotokos Church is the current cathedral of Ufa. The church is rightfully considered one of the largest in the entire republic; at the same time, about three thousand parishioners
The temple is real architectural masterpiece, sky blue in color and with golden domes. The height of the temple reaches 21 meters, and if you count the bell tower, then all 47 meters. Unfortunately, the original appearance of the temple has not reached us, since it was reconstructed 4 times. The decoration used marble brought from Greece, Italy and Pakistan. The decorative mosaic is assembled from granite and serpentinite. There are also many frescoes on a biblical theme.
History of the Nativity of the Virgin Mary Church
The first stone for the construction of the church was laid in 1889. Construction dragged on for many years, but then Nikifor Mironovich Patokin, a local merchant, offered financial assistance.
20 years after the start of construction, in 1909 the temple was opened to parishioners. Initially, the cathedral was built of brick, had a bell tower and a dome made of wood, which was covered with red-painted iron. The domes were decorated with massive crosses covered in bronze. The original dimensions of the church are length – 206.5 fathoms (including the bell tower), width – 10.5.
At the end of the revolution, a small hospital was set up in the church, but this did not prevent services from being held.
In 1938, aviation workshops were set up here.
On June 21, 1955, the city council ordered the organization of a cinema, which received the name "Yondoz". During reconstruction, the structure lost most of its supporting beams and domes. The cinema was closed at the beginning of 1991.
On August 21 of the same year, the ROC (Russian Orthodox Church) returned the church building to its possession.
Ufa Cathedral today
The temple began its revival with an amazing event. Several icons began to stream myrrh in Ufa.
After the building returned to the fold of the Russian Orthodox Church, Boris Razveev became the rector. He began a gradual reconstruction. During the reconstruction of the building, it increased in size, acquired a bell tower, and the roof was restored and covered with iron. The restoration of the temple took 15 years. The architect of the cathedral was Elena Favorskaya.
The interior also had to be restored: the walls were decorated with marble, the floor was made of pink stone, the decor was wall mosaics made of granite and serpentinite, as well as many frescoes. The vault is hand-painted. The temple is considered one of the attractions of Ufa.
Every day services are held here, which are attended not only by local residents, but also tourists. The cathedral has become a real center of the spiritual life of Christians, a historical landmark and a place where educational activities are carried out. The local rector opened a Sunday school for teenagers and children in 2003. The main goal is to develop a child into a full-fledged personality. In addition, there are several clubs at the temple where you can master the art of singing, recitation, etc.
Address: Ufa, Kirova street, 102
Church of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary(based on materials from the book "Temples and Monasteries of Lipetsk and Yelets diocese. Lebedyansky district. Part I / A.I. Gamayunov, A.Yu. Klokov, A.A. Naydenov - Lipetsk: Lipetsk Regional Society of Local Lore, 2009. - 416 pp."):
Located in the former Pushkarskaya settlement at the foot of Tyapkina Mountain, the Church of the Nativity of the Virgin Mary is sometimes called “Podgorodnya” or “Podgorenskaya”. The temple is of significant interest as an architectural monument in the “Moscow Baroque” style, and is the oldest temple in Lebedyan, excluding the monastery churches of the Trinity Monastery.
Already at the end of the 19th - beginning of the 20th centuries. in itself, no one remembered the time of construction of the Nativity of the Virgin Mary Church, and the city residents referred to a legend according to which the church existed for more than 300 years.
And it should be recognized that folk tradition, as happens quite often, preserved historical information with a great degree of accuracy. Indeed, the wooden church of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary was first mentioned in the scribe books of 1627-1628: “Behind the fort on the settlement, on the banks of the Don River, there is the Pushkarskaya settlement, and in it there is a wooden church, with a porch, in the name of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary, and in the church Divine Mercy images and church vessels and vestments and bells and every church building of the world, and the books of the building of priest Savelya, and the psalter with the following great seal tribute to the sovereign Tsar and Grand Duke Mikhail Fedorovich of All Russia salary..."
In 1663, the wooden Nativity of the Virgin Church burned down, and a new one was built in its place, but whether it was wooden or stone is still unknown. Historian P.N. Chermensky believed that the stone church of the same name with the chapel of Saints Cosmas and Damian was built in the second half of the 17th century. But in all the documents of the second half of the 17th century, the Nativity of the Virgin Church is not spoken of as being made of stone, although the fact of stone construction at that time was unique, despite the existing stone buildings in Trinity monastery, and one would expect that the authors of documents of that time were the first urban stone church definitely mentioned. However, in the salary books of the Ryazan Metropolis of 1676 we find the following information about the temple itself, the amount of church land and parishioners: “Church of the Nativity Holy Mother of God in Pushkarskaya Sloboda on Posad. Next to the church is the yard of priest Andrei. Dyachkov's yard. Yes, priest Vasily's yard. There are eight church lands in poly, and two in half. There is no hay cutting or fishing. Yes, in the parish of that church: thirty-nine households of Pushkar, two households of clerks, one household of a Posatsky man. And in total there are forty four courtyards." In the scribe book of the Lebedyansky district "letters and surveys" of the steward Yuri Fedorovich Shishkin and the clerk Vasily Temny in 1685-1686 it is stated: "... in the Pushkarskaya settlement the Church of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary. Near that church in the cemetery the length of the land along the Sukhaya Gorodenka River near the roadway street is thirty-three fathoms, on the other side the length near the roadway lane is thirty-five fathoms, the cross-section along the bank of the Don River is eighty fathoms, the other cross-section from the Pushkar courtyards along the roadway is twenty fathoms . Near that church is the courtyard of priest Vasily, the courtyard of sexton Stenka Kirilov, and the place is a sexton, and there is some malt. Yes, on the same church land behind him, the priest, in the yard there is a bob Mikishka Semyonov’s son Inozemets with children with Merkushka, with Kharka, with Efimko, with Davydko..."
The first mention in documents of the stone Nativity of the Theotokos Church is contained in the census books of 1710: “Pushkarskaya settlement, in that settlement there is a church in the name of the Nativity of the Virgin Mary, and a stone chapel of the holy wonderworkers Cosmas and Domian... In the village of Krutoy, behind the Bogoroditsky priest Iyakov Vasilyev, there are two courtyards Bobylsky..." As we see, the chapel church of Saints Cosmas and Damian is also mentioned here for the first time. Since earlier, in documents of 1676, 1678 and 1685-1686. nothing was said about the side altar; it can be assumed that the stone church in Pushkarskaya Sloboda was built between 1686 and 1710.
A full-scale examination of the now existing Church of the Nativity of the Virgin Mary shows that the temple itself and the northern aisle were founded simultaneously with their common refectory, divided into two equal parts by a central pillar and two girth arches located along the longitudinal axis of the temple. Therefore, the longitudinal axis of the refectory does not coincide with the longitudinal axis of the temple part and is shifted to the north. The temple was built like an octagon on a quadrangle and was crowned with a high dome with a light drum, an onion and a cross on the cross. On the eastern side, the quadrangle of the temple was originally adjacent to three semicircular apses, connected by passages. The altar apse was twice as wide as the side ones, which housed the sacristy and deacon. Three doorways with semi-circular lintels led from the temple to the apses. A special feature of the temple is the deviation of the altar by 20 degrees to the north, as well as stepped sails, three tiers of voice boxes, one in the upper part of the quadrangle, two in the octagon and a chapel iconostasis. Under the floor of the northern half of the temple there was a room with an entrance on the north side. The bell tower, made in the classical style, was added to the temple at the very end of the 18th century. The bell tower was crowned with a faceted dome and a tall gilded spire with a cross on the cross.
According to the description of 1856, the Church of the Nativity of the Virgin Mary “consists of an altar, a temple and a refectory, in which there is a chapel of Saints Cosmas and Damian in the dungeon attached to the north. The altars and the refectory are illuminated with one light, and the temple with two lights.” The Kosmodamian chapel was already heated at this time and, apparently, served as a winter church for the parishioners. In the main iconostasis "... five panels with icons of dark writing. The Royal Doors are carved, gilded, with carved gilded images of the Archangel Michael with a branch, the Mother of God, four evangelists and six cherub heads. The ancient icon of Our Lady of Kazan is painted on a dark field of walnut color. In the chapel noteworthy are two icons of St. Nicholas with a sword in his right hand and with a view of the temple in his left 1) an ancient letter in a basma frame, on which is carved: “174 (1666) year. Moscow", and 2) carved, on a linden board in a silver gilded chasuble."
In 1875, the altar apse was rebuilt and expanded. After that, it acquired a rectangular shape with rounded corners, and in the altar itself, instead of three vaults, one was made. At the same time, the central arch of the entrance to the altar was hewn out and two new side entrances were hewn out, closer to the central axis, while preserving the old ones. There are currently five doorways leading into the main altar. Simultaneously with the reconstruction of the apse, the doors and windows in the first tier of the temple part and the refectory were cut down, and at the same time the baroque platbands were cut down, which it seems necessary to restore together with the old openings according to the model of the baroque platbands and windows of the second tier that have survived to this day, which will give the temple its original appearance , a more interesting and ancient look. After perestroika, the Nativity of the Virgin Mary Church was consecrated again on September 15, 1876.
Ten years after this, the priest of the Church of the Nativity of the Virgin, Fr. Dimitry Bazhanov filled out the metric sent by the Imperial Archaeological Society to the dioceses of the Russian Orthodox Church to collect information about all churches built before 1800. Thanks to it, today we can imagine much of the external and internal decoration of the Nativity of the Virgin Mary Church that did not “survive” hard times XX century: "The outer walls are smooth, in the middle of the church there is a belt made of brick, in the middle decorated with brick battlements (curb. - Note auto), at the corners of the walls there are smooth brick columns. There are no other figures. There are cornices at the top, under the roof itself, in the form of belts and teeth... The roof of the temple is somewhat curved, octagonal, covered with green paint. The lantern is blank, hexagonal, directly above the arches, covered with white iron; the lantern has a forehead and a belt decorated with gilded spoons. Chapter one is made of tinplate, decorated with a patterned belt and gilded spoons; just under the cross there is a gilded chapter.” The cross on the church is iron, four-pointed, gilded. There are three doors, a porch on one side. The bell tower is quadrangular in shape, in three tiers, in the lower corner there are four semicircular columns, in the second tier there are two semicircular and two smooth columns, and in the third tier there are three semicircular columns in the corners; in addition, the bell tower is decorated with cornices, ebbs and battlements. There are six bells, two large ones were cast in the present (XIX century - Note auto) centuries, and four are ancient. The walls inside are painted with pink oil paint, not painted... The iconostasis is wooden, of an old design, its body is white, there are gilded carvings in places, the Royal doors are of two leaves, with carvings." In the main iconostasis, all the icons were of an old script and, except for the image of the Savior, were not renewed In the iconostasis of the side altar in the warm church, all the icons belonged to the end of the 19th century. The altar in the main altar was wooden with an ordinary cypress board, wooden, two steps higher, both choirs were semicircular, white, without. decorations. The floor is wooden throughout.
According to insurance estimates from 1910, the Church of the Nativity of the Virgin was painted on the outside with oil paint and plastered and painted on the inside.
Its length with the bell tower was 48 arsh., the greatest width 19 arsh., the height to the top of the cornice 12 arsh., large windows 14 and small 8. The iconostasis in the present church is 12 arsh long and 12 arsh high. (valued at 4000 rubles), in the refectory the length of the iconostasis is 9 and the height is 5.5 arsh. (valued at 1000 rubles), the refectory was heated by 3 Dutch ovens, the bell tower was in three tiers, 37 arsh high to the top of the cornice, the nearest building was the brick residential building of the priest Bazhanov, 15 sazhens on the south side.
Attractions of the temple at the beginning of the 20th century were the Kazan Icon of the Mother of God “of very ancient writing, especially revered for being miraculous,” the icons of the Nativity of the Virgin Mary and the “Descent into Hell,” the Gospel of 1703 and the copper ark of the 17th century.
In the Nativity of the Theotokos Church of Lebedyan, the confiscation of valuables took place on March 25, 1922. As a result, the parish lost a silver chasuble with a gilded aureole weighing 6 pounds 9 spools. This robe was removed from the revered icon of the Savior, located in the iconostasis on the right side of the Royal Doors, and this was done at the insistence of the chairman of the executive committee, despite the protests of the commission.
In 1925, the Church of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary was registered by the museum department of the Main Science of the People's Commissariat for Education. At this time, Archpriest John Semyonovich Theologian served in the church.
After 1929, the Church of the Virgin Mary was closed and subsequently changed several owners. At first there was a workshop here, before the war there was a fruit and vegetable dryer, and after the war there was a sausage shop, a repair and construction site for the KBO, and warehouses were located. Cement was stored in the altar, and the moisture that entered turned it into a multi-ton concrete monolith.
The bell tower was destroyed back in the 1930s, and now it can only be seen in a painting by B. Kustodiev and rare photographs from the beginning of the 20th century.
Then the Nativity of the Virgin Mary Church for a long time empty, disfigured and desecrated. The refectory was especially badly damaged by vandalism and time. And only under the dome in the temple part, the remains of paintings and stucco decorations from the early 19th century have been preserved.
The restoration of the temple began only at the beginning of the third millennium. The parish of the Novo-Kazan Cathedral installed a temporary iron roof on the temple. IN Lately Work began inside the temple, during which the girth arch of the side altar was half-filled, and a stone pillar was placed on the second (northern) half, dividing it in half. What lies ahead is a full-fledged restoration of the Nativity of the Virgin Mary Church, which is one of the most ancient and interesting church buildings in Lebedyansk land, based on comprehensive scientific research.
The temple is a beautiful sky-blue building with golden domes. The height of the cathedral is 21 m, the bell tower is 47 m. The current appearance of the temple is at least the fourth reconstruction of the building. The walls and floors are decorated with stone - pink Italian, white Greek and yellow Pakistani marble. The green mosaic tiles are Italian serpentinite, the blue-gray ones are South African granite. All walls and ceilings are painted.
The following departments of the Ufa diocese operate at the temple:
- Missionary department
- Youth department
- Volunteer Center of the Bashkortostan Metropolitanate
- Diocesan warehouse of church utensils and spiritual literature
- Diocesan accounting
The cathedral church of the Nativity of the Virgin Mary was built at the end of the 19th - beginning of the 20th centuries at the expense of the famous Ufa philanthropist Nikifor Patokin. The cathedral was erected on the same line with two other churches in the area - Sergievskaya and Pokrovskaya. In September 1909, His Grace Bishop Nathanael consecrated the chapels of the Church of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary: the southern chapel in honor of the Archangel Michael, the northern chapel in honor of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker.
After the revolution, the cathedral building housed a hospital for the sick and wounded, but the temple remained operational. New martyr priests Alexey Kulyasov and Vasily Lezenkov served here. In April 1934, the church was closed, and warehouses and aircraft workshops were located in the temple. In the 50s, the temple was rebuilt - the main dome and wooden drum were removed (completion of the bell tower). Until the 90s, the Yondoz cinema was located here.
After the return of the Russian Cathedral Orthodox Church Work began on the restoration of the temple: the building was expanded, the bell tower was returned to its original location. Later, new bells were installed in the temple and mosaic icons were placed; a church shop and a chapel in honor of the holy martyrs appeared next to the main building.
