Russian land is rich in monuments of sacred architecture. One of the extraordinary places of worship is the Church of the Sign (Dubrovitsy). The temple was erected at the end of the 17th - beginning of the 18th century. Information about the designer and builders of the church has not been preserved to this day. It is only known that domestic and foreign masters worked on the creation of an architectural masterpiece.
Temple History
The Church of the Sign in the village of Dubrovitsy was founded by the tutor of Peter the Great, Prince B. A. Golitsyn. Boris Alekseevich was slandered, and the tsar ordered him to return to the family estate. A year later, Peter I changed his anger to mercy, and as a sign of reconciliation with the Sovereign, the prince decided to build a temple.
At that time, on the site of the future architectural monument, there was a wooden church of the prophet Elijah. In 1690, she was transferred to the village of Lemeshevo.
White stone was chosen for the construction of the new temple. The material is easy to process, but quite durable, suitable for carving, creating decorative details. The work was carried out for nine years, but withthe consecration of the temple was not in a hurry. The prince really wanted to invite Peter I to the ceremony, but the tsar left Moscow for a long time. According to another version, the consecration of the church was prevented by Patriarch Adrian, who did not like the baroque building.
The Church of the Sign (Dubrovitsy) was consecrated only in 1704 by the locum tenens of the Moscow Patriarchal Throne, Metropolitan Stefan of Ryazan and Murom.
In 1812 the village was occupied by the French. The conquerors did not treat Orthodox churches very carefully, but the church in Dubrovitsy remained untouched. Probably, the soldiers of the Napoleonic army were captivated by the beauty of the religious building.
In 1929 the church was closed, and in 1931 the bell tower was blown up. Divine services resumed only in 1991.
Architecture
Znamenskaya Church (Dubrovitsy) is designed as an equal-ended cross with rounded blades. Together with the dome, the temple rises above the ground by more than forty meters. The contour of the building is repeated by a narrow gallery ten steps high, enclosed by a parapet. An ornament has been applied to the plinth of the temple and the parapet.
Decorates the church and sculpture. At the western doors, parishioners are greeted with statues of St. John Chrysostom, Gregory the Theologian. Above one of the doors is a statue of Basil the Great.
Evangelists look at the laity from plinths, and apostles from the octagonal tower. The facade is decorated with figures of angels. The church is crowned with a gilded metal crown.
Interior
A significant part of the space inside the temple is occupied by reliefcompositions. The sculptures are made of stucco - artificial marble, which is made using fired gypsum, alum, glue, lime, chalk and other materials.
In the center of the temple is the composition "Crucifixion", to the right of which seated angels point to passages from the Holy Scriptures. Initially, the inscriptions were created in Latin, but in the 19th century, Metropolitan Filaret of Moscow ordered that the wall be decorated with quotations from the Gospel in Church Slavonic. In 2004, the Latin texts were returned to their original place.
At the top of the western ledge are the choir stalls. A beautiful stone staircase leads from the pylon to the lower tier. This part of the temple is decorated in the form of a balcony, repeating the outlines of the wall of the western narthex.
The images are in perfect harmony with the sculptures. The most revered icon is the Mother of God "The Sign".
Social activities
The parish of the Church of the Sign provides charitable assistance to the disabled, sick, abandoned children, pensioners. Residents of Moscow and the region are invited to charitable excursions, conversations with a priest, and tea parties. The Podolsk city hospital receives diapers, diapers, children's clothing, medicines, medical equipment purchased with funds from the parish budget.
A Sunday school works at the temple. Teachers introduce students to the Law of God, the history of Russia and the Church, the Church Slavonic language. The pupils also master church singing and are engaged in creativity.
Another direction of the school's work is the organizationcharity concerts and pilgrimages. Children and parents take walks to the temples of the Podolsk region, take a boat to the holy spring, visit monasteries. If someone wants to make a pilgrimage trip, but does not know where to start, then the Church of the Sign (Dubrovitsy) will help to carry out their plan. How to get to this or that holy place, the organizers of trips at the temple know.
The rector of the church, Archpriest Andrey Gritsyshyn, talks every Sunday with the mothers and fathers of the students, other parishioners.
Service Schedule
Znamenskaya Church (Dubrovitsy) is a functioning temple. On weekdays, Sundays and holidays, services are performed according to the established schedule. From 8.30 there are hours of liturgy, memorial services. Confession is being taken at the same time.
The sacraments of baptism, weddings, unction, the funeral ceremony are performed by agreement with the priest. You can visit the church every day from 9.00 to 17.00. Evening services continue until 20.00.
Znamenskaya Church (Dubrovitsy): how to get there
Before you get to the temple, you need to get to Podolsk. Electric trains run to the district center, as well as bus number 417 (from the Yuzhnaya metro station), minibus number 65. It will not take much time to drive your own car.
From Podolsk you should take a bus to the Dubrovitsy stop. Motorists are advised not to reach the exit from the city to turnto the right, and then again to the right, focusing on the signs. To get closer to the temple, you have to drive through the whole village. Address - Moscow region, Dubrovitsy, Church of the Sign.
The best view of the church opens from the hill. The hill allows you to carefully consider the surroundings of the temple, admire the picturesque landscapes, the Desna and Parkha rivers. The village of Dubrovitsy was built in one of the most beautiful places in the Moscow region.
