Old abandoned churches in Russia

2024 Author: Miguel Ramacey | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 06:11

Over the past 100 years, an incredible number of abandoned buildings have appeared on the territory of present-day Russia, built in different eras and functioning in different directions. Old abandoned temples and churches are especially popular. And if in the 90s vandals hunted inside their walls, the echoes of which can be seen in the form of graffiti, today people are mainly interested in their history.

Abandoned temples are especially popular with fans of extraordinary photo shoots. Many areas are under protection, but there is no recovery with them: most die, in particular wooden buildings, from heavy rains, scorching sun or harsh winter days. But among the so-called stalkers, there are still defenders of authenticity who want to see this destruction for as long as possible.

Forsaken by all

The Soviet Union left a big imprint on the modern look of all abandoned churches. The communists who came to power did not stand on ceremony withthe heritage of Christianity and some objects were disposed of by blowing them up, others were turned into warehouses, and still others were flooded to create another reservoir. There are a lot of abandoned churches all over Russia, but there are especially attractive and interesting ones.

Earlier, every seedy town or village had its own temple, sometimes it was so small that only a couple of people could fit there, but neither the townspeople nor the villagers could imagine life without God's house nearby. Sometimes you can find abandoned wooden churches, since wood was much cheaper and easier to build than stone. Temples were built mainly on donations from the local population. Some of them no longer have a trace, in particular because of the atheistic influence of the Bolsheviks on the development of the country. Now more and more people arrange for themselves a kind of tours of historical places with abandoned churches. Below are five of the most interesting and picturesque abandoned temples in Russia.

Drowned Woman

Most of the monuments of architecture during the Soviet period were subjected to flooding to create artificial reservoirs and hydroelectric power stations. Here is the "drowned woman" chapel near the Arkhangelskoye-Chashnikovo tract, timidly peeking out with its bell tower from under the water surface. There is no exact historical data on the beginning of the construction of this abandoned church, but it is known that services were already held there in 1795. Today, the ruins can be seen from time to time when the water level in the Vazuz reservoir drops.

The mosta popular version of the appearance of an old abandoned church says that the creator was a local landowner who mourned his drowned son. But according to the historical annals, no church was ever mentioned in these places. Some believe that this is not a chapel at all, but a real family tomb.

The easiest time to get to the ruins is during the winter months, when there is almost no water left in the reservoir. And in order to get to the area itself, you need to get to the village of Mozzharino and drive along the dam, and then along the bridge over the waters of the reservoir. The road will lead to an abandoned village, and then to the ruins of an abandoned church.

Mysterious Paraskeva Church

Another abandoned church in Russia is located on the territory of the Kaluga region. It is called so in honor of the Pyatnitskaya mountain. According to legend, it is man-made and earlier there was an ancient settlement on it, which was founded in the 6th century. According to rumors, there are still underground passages and tunnels inside this giant mound, as well as burials.

The construction of the church began at the end of the 18th century right at the bend of the Mozhaika River. By the way, it operated until 1936, until the Bolshevik authorities blew up the bell tower and took it away for building materials. Initially, the abandoned church had two altars, one of which was dedicated to St. Nicholas the Wonderworker, and the second to the Virgin Mary.

Unfortunately, almost no wall frescoes have survived to this day, but the architectural ensemble of God's house itself deserves attention. The view from the mountain is alsobeautiful, it is not surprising that the temple was decided to build here. After the cessation of activity, the church premises were turned into a warehouse. But you can look at the chicly painted walls in another place - the Church of Ignatius the God-bearer, built in 1899. It is located nearby, and the frescoes in it are even better preserved than the frame of the building.

Treasury Church

The village of Boykovo has a real religious treasure - the ruins of the Tolga Church, which has been talked about since the 18th century. But here is a whole story associated with its creator. Once upon a time, a rich landowner, who had a thousand serfs in his farmstead, went blind, and not a single doctor could help him, everyone shrugged and sent him home. Then he decided that somewhere he had seriously sinned and hit the religion, having gone to the Tolgsky monastery, which is near Yaroslavl. There a vision came to him, in which it was said that if he built a church in his village, he would be able to see again.

Of course, as soon as the landowner began to build the temple, his vision immediately returned to him. Then, believing in a miracle of God, he himself joined in the construction of the church: he dug trenches, carried bricks, and so on. Next to the church, the landowner built a house for himself, and there he was buried many years later. However, with the advent of Soviet power, the treasures left by the first landowner and the next owner of the house were buried on the territory of the church, but so far no one has been able to find them.

War-ravaged

On the Nikolsky churchyard, to which you need to get through Rzhev, there is a temple,keeping its history of the war. Once, in 1914, this five-domed Sorrowful Church received up to two and a half thousand parishioners, and now it is even difficult to determine where the village houses stood here.

Former grandeur and beauty turned into ruins in 1942, when the church was shelled by the Fritz. Later, battles were also fought for the temple, during the offensive of the Soviet troops. The Germans then hid behind its walls and, when leaving, they left the Finn, who fought on their side, to cover. And for reliability, so that he would not run away, the Germans also chained him to the wall. As a result, he was able to lay down many Red Army soldiers until he blew himself up with a grenade. Mostly locals know about this story. Bullet holes can still be found inside the church building.

After the war, they did not begin to restore the village and the house of God, and after more than half a century, the church was left on the churchyard all alone, without the residential buildings surrounding it before. Only nature takes its toll.

Tomb for Count Chernyshev

In the village of Yaropolets, near Volokolamsk, there is a dilapidated abandoned wooden church with a stone finish of the Icon of Our Lady of Kazan, erected in the 18th century. It is located opposite the same abandoned estate of the Chernyshevs and is the burial place of the count's family. He designed it himself, and the style of construction is truly unique.

The church consists of two parts: one was intended for the tomb, the other - for the service. Now many pillars have rotted and fallen to the floor, inside - a completedevastation, although the overall picture is very impressive. The church survived the fall of the bell tower on the roof, the fire of the iconostasis, the hurricane that tore off the crosses, and even the bombing during the Second World War, but so far she is experiencing people's indifference to history with difficulty.