Rising in the old part of Krasnoyarsk, not far from the banks of the greatest Siberian river Yenisei, the church, built and consecrated in honor of the Intercession of the Most Holy Theotokos, is the oldest and most famous building in the city. Returned after many decades of desecration to the Orthodox community, today it has taken its rightful place among the leading spiritual centers of Siberia.
The disaster that befell the city
Located in Central Siberia, Krasnoyarsk from time immemorial was built almost exclusively of wood - since the surrounding taiga supplied this material in abundance. But the cheap and easy-to-work material had a significant drawback - it caught fire at the first carelessness with fire. For centuries, this natural property of it became the cause of fires that destroyed entire cities in Russia.
Krasnoyarsk was no exception. A terrible fire that broke out in it at the end of May 1773 destroyed most of the city's buildings, including a number of administrative buildings (also wooden), churches and dwellings of citizens. The governor's house, wine and powder cellars were turned into a pile of ashes. Died in the fire anda small Church of the Intercession built here in the middle of the 17th century.
Krasnoyarsk, barely recovering from the misfortune that befell it, began to rebuild, and, in order to avoid a repetition of what had happened, the strictest instructions were received from the capital: henceforth, administrative buildings should be built exclusively from stone. As for the churches of God, it was forbidden to build them out of wood either - the Holy Synod notified the citizens of Krasnoyarsk about this in a special circular.
Report of the city governor
As you know, it is easy to indicate and forbid, but what if there is not a single bricklayer in the whole city, and bricks have not been produced here for centuries? Only Semyon Polymsky, the city voivode, promptly, but very peculiarly, reacted to the directive from the capital. At public expense, he hired craftsmen in Yeniseisk, from there he ordered all the necessary material and built himself a stone mansion, although one-story, but spacious and roomy. Having finished the job, the voivode reported to the capital on the fulfillment of all the instructions, which made the St. Petersburg officials incredibly happy.
Unhappy beginning
However, his initiative was not picked up by fellow countrymen. Imported bricks were expensive, and the newcomers masons broke the prices at exorbitant prices. So the city was rebuilt in the old fashioned way - axes were knocking everywhere, and the smell of fresh pine resin was slowly replacing the burning of a recent conflagration. The Church of the Intercession was also restored.
Krasnoyarsk, as you know, is thousands of miles away from the capital, which is why the parishioners dared to turn to the Tobolsk lordArchbishop Varlaam with a request to condescend to their wretchedness and allow them to cut down the wooden church again. They promised to build in such a way that later, if God's Will (and money), lay a stone temple next to it.
The Bishop of Tobolsk entered into their position and in September 1774 gave his permission. The new wooden church of the Intercession of the Most Holy Theotokos was founded in the same year, but its fate was sad. Upon completion of construction, it was renamed twice, moved from place to place three times, until, finally, in 1792 it burned down, sharing the fate of its predecessor.
Stone temple - all over the world
But even before this unfortunate event happened, the pious Krasnoyarsk citizens attended to the erection of the same stone building, which they wrote about in due time to Archbishop Varlaam. The new, this time stone Church of the Intercession (Krasnoyarsk) was built in the way it was done from time immemorial - by the whole world.
From the archival materials that have come down to us, it can be seen that residents of three hundred and twenty-two households, located both in the city itself and in its environs, became voluntary donors. The position of "church builder", that is, the head of all work, was entrusted to a retired official, nobleman Mikhail Stepanovich Yushkov, who came from an ancient Cossack family.
And again the Yenisei masters
Having taken up his duties, Mikhail Stepanovich facedwith traditional problems for Krasnoyarsk - the lack of specialist masons in the city and the material necessary for their work. Again, as in the recent past, the Yenisei craftsmen were invited, and again carts with bricks were pulled to Krasnoyarsk. Arriving at the place, the craftsmen brought with them a ready-made construction plan, the model of which was the Trinity Church built in Yeniseisk in 1726.
The construction of the stone church began with the fact that in the place where the voivode's office was previously located (today the corner of Mira Avenue and Surikov Street) in February 1785, the military team cleared the necessary territory, on which they began to dig a foundation pit under foundation.
True People's Democracy
Further, from the same archival sources, a rather interesting picture emerges of the powers that the parish world had at that time, that is, ordinary people, with whose funds the church was built. It turns out that it was they who, by a majority of votes, approved the project for the future construction, all contractors were required to report to them for every penny spent and provide them with an estimate of costs. Through their trusted parishioners had the opportunity to control the overall progress of work and make changes to it. That is, everything was extremely transparent.
It is curious that even at the beginning of construction, the diocesan authorities wished that the Intercession Church (Krasnoyarsk), contrary to the original plan, was renamed Epiphany. This issue was put to a popular vote (referendum), and, after the parish peace by a majorityvotes insisted on the former name, the Tobolsk bishops could not do anything. The explanation is simple - the construction is being funded by the people, and only the people have the right to decide how and on what they will be spent.
National construction
But the role of the townspeople was not limited to making donations and participating in parish meetings. Everyone helped as much as they could. Those who had their own horse-drawn transport delivered bricks and sand, brought barrels of water. Those who did not have horses performed feasible auxiliary work or guarded building materials. In those years, there was no expression “nationwide construction” yet, but it was indeed the whole people who built the Church of the Intercession.
The construction was completed in 1795, at the same time the solemn consecration of the church took place. It stood for half a century before additional work was carried out, as a result of which the Intercession Church in Krasnoyarsk (the description of the building of those years was preserved in the archive) took on its present form.
The result of common work
Today, as in those years, the composition of the church is based on the longitudinal axis east - west, at the beginning of which there is a semicircular altar, and then - the square of the building itself, the refectory and the bell tower. Such a layout is traditional for temple buildings in Central Russia and the Urals, erected in the 17th-18th centuries, and is called the "ship". Only warm, heated side chapels are original in the design of the Church of the Intercession.
The three-horse, or, as they say, "three-light" building of the temple is crowned with an octagonal multi-tiered tower, bearing an additional drum, completed with an onion tetrahedral dome. At the corners of the temple rise the same, but somewhat reduced drums, which is typical for the Moscow style of five domes. On the western side there is an octagonal two-tiered bell tower, ending with a small cupola. The undoubted decoration of the temple is the decorative design of the facades, always solid and unusually rich.
The ordeals of the Soviet era
Today the Church of the Intercession in Krasnoyarsk, which has a history of more than two centuries, is reopened after a long break. In the twenties, despite the complexity of the situation in the country, the church remained active until the early thirties, when it was finally closed and transferred to the disposal of one of the military units. But in October 1945, services resumed and continued until Khrushchev's anti-religious campaign in the early sixties.
On the wave of perestroika
As you know, in the nineties, as a result of perestroika that began in the country, an active process of returning temple buildings to their former parish communities began. Among others was the Church of the Intercession. The temples of Krasnoyarsk were in urgent need of repair and restoration. As in previous years, funds for the implementation of these works were collected by the whole world. After their completion and solemn consecration, the church received the status of a city cathedral.
Intercession Church in Krasnoyarsk: address and phone number
Gradually forcibly interrupted religious life in it entered its former course. Today the Church of the Intercession (Krasnoyarsk), whose address is: st. Surikova, d. 26, united around itself the largest number of parishioners in the diocese. Hierarchal services are often held in it, which gather residents not only of other districts, but also of numerous suburban villages. You can find out about them in advance by calling: +7 (391) 212 33 95. For those wishing to use the mail services, we also indicate the postal code: 660049.
An ancient fresco accidentally discovered in 2008 during the restoration of the arched vault, dating, according to experts, to the end of the 18th century and containing the image of one of the patronal feasts, enjoys universal reverence. It has been restored and is currently included in a number of other attractions that the Intercession Church (Krasnoyarsk) is famous for.
Reviews of numerous tourists who visited it, very eloquently indicate that this temple, which has risen from oblivion, has not left anyone indifferent. Many note that it was under its vaults that a feeling of union with God came to them, which is the main goal of religion. It is only important to direct your thoughts in the right direction. The Intercession Church will help all those who come to Krasnoyarsk. The address, telephone and postal code are indicated in the article.
