The twentieth century has changed a lot in the life of the Russian people. Most of all, these changes were influenced by the Soviet government. Many suffered under Stalin's repressive rule, but the Orthodox Church suffered the most. Temples are destroyed. They were robbed as best they could, and the main part of these barbaric actions took place in the thirties. Moreover, the destruction continued until the eighties of the last century and led to a reduction in church buildings by about ten times.
Empire and Orthodoxy
Many are now wondering why churches were destroyed during the USSR. Everything is very simple, the monarchy and Orthodoxy have always been close. And Lenin's ideology assumed that everything connected with the empire should be destroyed and buried. Accordingly, anti-religious propaganda was introduced, and persecution began against the church.
Ulyanov did everything to make the dominant and bourgeois culture disappear, he fought it in every possible way. Still, Orthodoxy formed the basis of the Empire, so that the destroyed churches, which destroyed, defiled and denigrated as much as possible, were part of the main conditionBolshevik struggle against legacy.
Numbers
According to the data for 1914, there were more than 54 thousand churches on the territory of the empire, and this number includes not only monasteries, but also brownies and cemeteries. Only military churches were not taken into account. There were also 25.5 thousand chapels and more than a thousand monasteries. During the reign of Soviet power, a lot was irretrievably destroyed, so it is almost impossible to determine exactly and in full which temples were destroyed. Some of them were completely dismantled or the buildings exploded.
The same that could not be completely destroyed, re-formed. Museums were arranged on the territory of the former temples, they were adapted for warehouses and houses of culture. There were even cases when churches were turned into houses and people were settled in apartments. When the results were summed up in 1987, it turned out that only about 7,000 churches and 15 monasteries remained on the territory of the Soviet Union.
Church of Antipius of Pergamon
Location - Vologda. It began to be built at the end of the eighteenth century and finished at the beginning of the nineteenth. It was erected to replace the old cemetery church. The merchants Rybnikovs, who were directly involved in the construction process, greatly helped in the construction. In 1930, it was decided to reorganize this building into a warehouse. And until 1999 it was not returned to the Orthodox. Although the authorities returned this sacred structure, no one actively began to repair it.
Church of Archangel Michael
Location - Tula region in the villageGudalovka. Construction was carried out by local landowners at the end of the nineteenth century. The temple was looted, they tried to dismantle it for a cowshed in the fifties, but nothing came of it. Therefore, it was decided to store grain in it, and then they set up a calf house. Now it is being restored, starting in 1997.
Vvedenskaya Church
Location - near the Ryazan region in the village of Pet Pitelinsky.
It did not last long, only twenty years. It was completed in 1910 and closed in 1930.
Church of Demetrius of Thessalonica
Location - Mozhaysky district of the Moscow region, the village of Shimonovo. It was built between 1801 and 1805. The appearance of the building repeats the Moscow temple of Cosmas and Damian. That is, a brick structure, the style of which is classicism. The capital's twin can be seen on Maroseyka. After the revolution, the ruined temple was closed, and the bell tower was dismantled.
Since then, there has been no information about the period of Soviet rule, either about the building or about the village in which it is located. After perestroika, the village practically ceased to exist, people simply left to look for a better life. The temple itself is now in disrepair. The interior decoration was lost, the roof in the refectory almost completely collapsed, and the main altar was simply dismantled. But if you look closely at the ruined temple, you can find a resemblance to the Moscow twin.
Church of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary
Location - Lipetsk region, Gryazinsky district, Kuzovka village. The building was erected in 1811. DuringThe Soviet authorities closed it and ransacked it. But in 2010, the parish was reopened. The temple itself is destroyed and not suitable for worship, so the ceremonies are held in the prayer house.
Church of the Nativity of the Mother of God
Location - the village of Verkhovlyany. This is an eclectic stone building. It used the motives of the architecture of Ancient Russia. Time of construction - the end of the nineteenth - the beginning of the twentieth centuries. At the moment, only the wooden structure of the church, dating from the eighteenth century, and a small part of the planted park that made up the estate have survived.
In the thirties, it was decided to arrange a room here where workers could repair equipment, namely tractors. A little later, the southern and northern sides were destroyed, the building has not yet been reconstructed.
St. Nicholas Church
Location - Moscow region, Lytkarino. If we consider the destroyed temples of Moscow, then this is the most ancient building in the entire district. It was erected in 1680. Now it is located on the territory of the empty estate Petrovskoye. Under Soviet rule, the interior decoration and the dome collapsed. In the seventies of the last century, a certain Kavelmacher took on the role of a restorer.
He managed to restore the tent, make window architraves and build a three-span belfry over the entrance to the ruined temple. The estate is located a little further, on the high bank of the river, everything except the basement and first floormade of white stone, was destroyed and only in 1959 did they begin to restore the second floor using brick. They also restored the park and ponds that used to be here.
Abandoned Church of the Kazan Icon of the Mother of God
This is an unusual majestic structure built with great effort. Since 1780, this trash has been built in the style of classicism for fifty years. It is located opposite the gate of the estate of Count Chernyshev. It was closed only in 1962, at the same time it was regrouped into a utility room. This was the reason for the destruction of this building, but for now, tourists can freely get inside and appreciate the full scale and majesty of this building.
Church of the Nativity
Location - Moscow region, Ilkodino tract. Previously, in this picturesque place near the intersection of the Poli and Klyazma rivers, there was a village through which the popular in those days and very busy Vladimir tract passed. The temple was built of stone around the middle of the nineteenth century. During the construction, brick was used, white stone inclusions, the building style is classicism.
The church was closed right after the revolution, but the village ceased to exist in 1953. There was an important reason for this, by order of the authorities, the lands were taken under the Kosterevsky military training ground. Then there was a forced relocation of local residents. At the moment, only the ruins of a church and cultivated trees remain from the traces of civilization.
Church of the Savior of the Holy Image
Location of ruins -Sergino village. The temple was built at the very end of the nineteenth century, the painting of the walls was entrusted to the famous artist Shishkin. This is one of the many destroyed churches in Russia, which was simply closed during the Soviet era and completely looted.
Church of the Intercession of the Mother of God
This single-domed, white-stone baroque church used to impress with its decorative framing. It was built in 1762. At the end of the nineteenth century, it was expanded by adding a refectory and a bell tower. During the period of Soviet persecution, the priest of the Assumption Church was arrested and shot. In 1993, the building was returned to the Orthodox.
Conclusion
Looking through the photos of the destroyed temples, one can only imagine and fantasize how chic and beautiful these sacred places were during the Russian Empire. Unfortunately, we can only hope that one day they will be restored. Too many buildings associated with religion have disappeared forever into the depths of history. It is unimaginable how many buildings, people, cultural monuments were simply erased by the Bolsheviks.
Of course, work is underway, and the authorities are trying to correct the mistakes of their predecessors, to restore not only the connection between man and religion, but also our culture, history, and the memory of our ancestors. But it is simply impossible to capture the full scale of the catastrophe created by the anti-religious propaganda of Lenin and Stalin. But now almost every destroyed or surviving wall of churches is a historical monument of federal significance. And you need to appreciate this memory and do everything possible forrecovery.
