Assumption Church (Arkhangelsk): description, history, schedule of services

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

This church in Arkhangelsk, built in honor of the Assumption of the Mother of God, is one of the most valuable monuments of temple architecture of the eighteenth century. The temple has long been famous for its magnificent interior decorations and is a very beloved and revered religious building by the townspeople. It is known that the Assumption Church in Arkhangelsk had a chance to go through difficult times. The article offers information about the history of this place, its unique architecture and preserved shrines.

About location

The Assumption Church in Arkhangelsk (the photo allows you to appreciate all its splendor) is a functioning Orthodox church, impressive with the beauty of its snow-white appearance, the scale and grandeur of baroque architecture. The temple is located at the intersection of Loginova streets and the embankment of the Northern Dvina River. Address of the Assumption Church: Arkhangelsk, Oktyabrsky district, st. Loginova, house 1. It is convenient to get here using busesNo. 1, 6, 9, 10u, 42, 43, 44, 61, 75 B, 76 or by fixed-route taxi No. 60. Go to the stop "Ulitsa Loginova". For motorists, connoisseurs recommend using the coordinates: 64.550125, 40.515232.

Assumption Church (Arkhangelsk): history

The modern church is a restored version of an early seventeenth century church. The first prototype of the Assumption Church in Arkhangelsk appeared in 1626: not far from a pine forest, in the Borka area (which explains the origin of the second name of the church - Borovskaja), a wooden church dedicated to the Assumption of the Mother of God was erected. The name of the builder of the church is known - he was the priest Xenophon Kozmin. In 1694, Tsar Peter I personally visited the temple. According to documents, the wooden church burned quite often. In the XVIII century, the dilapidated building was dismantled, and a stone temple was erected in its place. In the middle of the eighteenth century, a multi-tiered 32-meter bell tower was added to the church, which was subsequently used not only for its intended purpose, but also as a lighthouse for sailors.

Arkhangelsk Baroque

The Assumption parish church was considered one of the most striking examples of the "Arkhangelsk baroque". A single volume with a spacious refectory and aisles in it was a high double-height quadrangle, ending with an octagonal light drum with an onion dome. The architectural decoration of the facades was made up of elements characteristic of the architecture of Peter the Great.

Painting and iconostasis

In 1764 the artists Liberovsky,Mekhryanov and Elizarov began to paint the main temple and side chapels. They also painted the iconostasis. One of the old icons bears the signature of the artist Mikhail Slepokhin. It is known that a wooden sculpture of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker. In 1820, the Arkhangelsk merchant Andrei Dolgoshein initiated the replacement of the old church iconostasis with a new one. In 1822, a carved carpenter's four-tiered iconostasis was installed in the temple, made in the Empire style and crowned with an 8-pointed cross.

"Falling" bell tower

Over time, the church has undergone reconstruction more than once. At the beginning of the twentieth century, its bell tower began to sink to the southwest, for which it was nicknamed "falling". When the building deviated from the vertical by more than 180 cm (sazhen), the question arose of its demolition. In 1912, the leaning bell tower and the church itself were reconstructed. The walls and vaults of the temple were whitewashed with lime, and then decorated with paintings at the expense of the famous banker F. F. Landman, a hereditary honorary citizen of the city of Arkhangelsk. Tiled stoves were repaired in the temple, iconostases were washed, wall paintings were restored. In 1915, on the occasion of the completion of internal work, Bishop Nathanael III arrived at the church, who celebrated the Divine Liturgy in it.

About the time of trials and persecution for the faith

In the 1920s, the Assumption Church in Arkhangelsk was closed. In 1922, all church valuables were confiscated from the temple: censers, robes, crowns, etc. Ten years later, at the request of the authorities, it was demolished. The main shrine of the temple is miraculousthe icon of the Assumption of the Mother of God - was taken to the church of St. Martin the Confessor (Solombal) and saved. Today the relic has been returned to the Assumption Church.

In 1930, Archpriest Alexander Yakovlevich Ivanov, the last rector of the Assumption Church, was arrested and exiled to a camp in the Nenets District. The former regimental priest, who during the First World War was repeatedly awarded for his pastoral labors, was arrested twice after the revolution for his beliefs, but remained firm in faith. In the Nenets camp, his life full of love for God and people was tragically cut short.

Recovery

In the 90s of the twentieth century, a new stage in the development of the temple began. On the site of the preserved foundation, the restoration of the church began, which was completed by 2008. Upon completion of construction and finishing works, the temple was consecrated and received its first parishioners. The Assumption Church, which has preserved its historical appearance, fits perfectly into the modern development of the city.

About interior decoration

The interior of the Assumption Church is truly unique. Its walls are frescoed in the Byzantine tradition of Serbia and Greece of the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries. The authorship belongs to the Arkhangelsk icon painters Igor Lapin and Sergey Egorov.

Surrounded by heavenly forces, the image of the Almighty looks at the worshipers from the central dome of the temple. On the walls are images of the main Gospel events dedicated to Jesus Christ and the Virgin Mary, on the columns - the holy prophets and apostles. The murals of the third tier are dedicated to the holy asceticsArkhangelsk lands. The masters of the Arkhangelsk company BusinessProject LLC worked on the project of the mosaic floor and the marble iconostasis of the temple. This beauty is embodied in stone by the masters of Roskamservis. Ancient Byzantine traditions are also used in stone carving and mosaic ornamentation.

Currently

Today the temple is active. Its current rector is Priest Daniil Goryachev. Regular services, various conversations and meetings are held in the church, festive concerts for children are organized, and an Orthodox library functions. A Sunday school and a maternity protection center operate on the basis of the temple.

Assumption Church (Arkhangelsk): service schedule

The patronal feast of the temple is the Day of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary (celebrated on August 28). Services at the Assumption Church in Arkhangelsk (schedule):

• On weekdays (from Monday to Friday) there are: confession (at 7-30), liturgy (at 8-00). Evening service and confession after it - at 18-00.
• On Saturday and Sunday in the temple they hold: confession (at 8-30), at 9-00 - liturgy, at 17-00 - evening service and after it - confession.

On Fridays, after the liturgy, prayers are regularly held in the church, and the Akathist to the Mother of God is read in the evening. On Saturdays, after the liturgy, requiems and baptisms are held here. On Sunday evening, a prayer service is served to the Assumption of the Mother of God (with an akathist).

Besides worship services

On Thursdays, at 18-30, meetings of the debating club (youth club) are held in the templedepartment). On Fridays, at 18-30, public discussions are held. On Saturdays, at 16-00, Sunday school classes (junior group) are held in the Church of the Assumption. On Sundays at 11-00, classes are held for older students, and at 18-00 - Sunday talks (for adults).