The Dying Church. Church of the Entrance to Jerusalem: history, state, prospects

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

Two centuries have passed since the stone church was founded, consecrated in honor of the Lord's entry into Jerusalem. Could our ancestors imagine that the temple would be methodically destroyed in the 21st century, and the believers would hear an indifferent answer from the authorities: "There is no money for restoration."

A Brief History

As written above, the Church of the Entrance to Jerusalem The Church of the Entrance to Jerusalem, which now lies in ruins, was built at the beginning of the 19th century. The exact date is unknown, but mention is made of the laying of the stone in 1801. The construction was finally completed in 1804 or 1805.

Funds for the construction were allocated by a local merchant - Grigory Ivanovich Dunaev, who lives near the place where the stone church grew. The Church of the Entrance to Jerusalem, judging by the description of past years, was amazingly beautiful, in the photo you can see its magnificence. Stone building with the same bell tower. A fence was built on the east side. In the temple on thatAt the moment there were three thrones: in honor of the Lord's entry into Jerusalem, in honor of which the church was named the Church of the Entrance to Jerusalem, in honor of the three saints of Moscow - Alexy, Peter and Jonah, and also in honor of the Holy Great Martyr Paraskeva Pyatnitsa.

In 1808, the building was badly damaged by a city fire, but thanks to the efforts of parishioners and donors, it was quickly restored. A few decades later, in the middle of the 19th century, an almshouse appeared at the temple.

Soviet years

The new government that replaced Tsar Nicholas II turned out to be monstrous. Temples and monasteries were closed everywhere, marauders did not hesitate to rob them, taking away all the most valuable things. Soligalich (Kostroma region), with its temple splendor, the Soviet authorities did not pass by.

The church in honor of the Lord's entry into Jerusalem turned out to be closed, a house of culture was located in its premises. He stayed there until 1988, then moved to a new building, leaving the church. The Church of the Entrance to Jerusalem, built more than a century ago at that time, remained in a deplorable state.

Local marauders did not disdain to make forays into an empty temple. Everything that was possible to destroy and destroy was carried out by them. Local authorities did not pay attention to the quietly dying temple. Until today, the situation has not changed. The structure continues to deteriorate, it has long turned into a place where the population drinks alcohol, here they relieve themselves and leave obscene records on the walls.

Appearanceoutside (nowadays)

It is difficult for an Orthodox Christian to calmly look at the current state of the church. The Jerusalem Church is slowly dying, but no one cares about the crumbling monument of a bygone era.

The remains of the temple are striking from afar, it stands in mute silence, surrounded by unsightly village houses. On the faded dome, of course, there is no cross. Huge cracks ran along the wall of the bell tower, crossing the barely noticeable decoration left over from past years. The bell tower was numb a hundred years ago, and has remained so to this day.

Outside the altar of the church, a large piece of the wall has almost fallen off, three windows are tightly boarded up with old boards. Under one of them is an inscription, clearly made by the hands of teenagers. There are large cracks all over the outside of the building. here and there the walls are falling apart.

Inside the temple: first floor

But what is inside the church is the real abomination of desolation, it is impossible to watch without tears. It is worth starting with the fact that there is no entrance to the temple as such, but there is an impressive breach in the wall leading inside.

On the ground floor, a stage is striking, or rather, its remnants. The steps have practically collapsed from dilapidation, everywhere is dirty and dusty. Part of the walls is painted white and green, the paint has peeled off in some places and bricks are visible. The windows are boarded up with thin beams of light coming through them. On the floor are numerous beer bottles, which are described above, bags of chips and other food. Somewhere dirty rags are lying around, oncewere human clothing. Wooden doors are broken, once they were white. The remains of a Dutch stove have been preserved in the corner.

Inside the temple: second floor

On the second floor of the Church of the Lord's Entry into Jerusalem, the picture is no less sad. Here the walls are painted blue and white, peeling in places, brown-gray bricks are visible. The white color has long turned into a gray-black, but in some places its original appearance is still preserved. The wooden ceiling still retained its appearance, but had already worn out in some places. The windows here are partially boarded up, there are no glasses on them. Penetrating dim light casts glare on wall inscriptions and drawings. The floor is almost rotten, it is dangerous to walk on it.

Prospects

No one is going to restore the church. The Church of the Entrance to Jerusalem continues to collapse, the authorities say they do not have the funds to restore it.

The Russian Orthodox Church does not comment on the situation, perhaps the time will come when it will pay attention to the dying temple. Unfortunately, the Church of the Entry into Jerusalem (the church is located in the city of Soligalich) is not the only one that is dying in these places.

Attitude of locals

It is worth going around the temple, as the eye stumbles upon a well-maintained bright yellow two-story house, designed for several apartments. Its inhabitants are indifferent to the fate of the temple, as well as the rest of the city.

From what you can see inside the church, the local youth and the drinking-loving older generation use the premises as a hobby club. More precisely, bya single interest called alcoholic products.

Indifference is the trouble of modern people. In the cycle of life, the most important thing is forgotten - the Lord, who gives us every day. Instead of treating the Creator with gratitude for this gift, people pass by the ruined temple, and it would be okay if they just walked, so they also need to arrange a dump in the place where their ancestors once prayed.

Address

The crumbling temple is located at: Kostroma region, Soligalich, Karl Liebknecht street, house 8. For those who want to visit it, see for themselves what they have read, we publish the map:

The map shows a bar next to a crumbling temple, the question is brewing: why turn a monument of the past into a drinking establishment, if there is one nearby?

Conclusion

Among the Orthodox, there is an opinion that every church has an angel given to it at the consecration of the throne. And no matter what happens, the angel always remains at his post, even when the church is destroyed. The Church of the Entrance to Jerusalem is guarded by the same angel, he stands at the destroyed throne, among spat on walls and beer bottles, crying with bitter tears. No one hears his moan, sees no tears, but only continue to aggravate the situation.

How many of them are angels weeping over the ruins of shrines? As many as the destroyed churches remain in Russia. If you managed to find yourself in Soligalich, visit the dying church. Just in memory of the past.