The Temple of Elijah the Prophet is almost 200 years old. It was built in 1841 with donations from the merchant Lepetov. Churches in Ivanovo survived many trials in the 20th century. And the temple in honor of Elijah the Prophet, unfortunately, was no exception.
For more than half a century, he stood defeated. But years have passed, and now this church is one of the most beautiful in the city.
History
Ivanovo has always been famous for its chintz and cotton. And it all started with Moscow devastated by Napoleon. It was after the war with the French that the production of calico began in Ivanovo.
The merchant Alexander Alekseevich Lepetov was trading then in chintz and yarn. He made his fortune himself, although he came from ordinary peasants. The merchant allocated funds for the construction of a church in Ivanovo in honor of Elijah the Prophet. And the land for it was donated by Ivan Deomidovich Kiselev. He, like Lepetov, was a merchant.
Initially, the construction site of the temple was called Vorobyovskaya Sloboda. But the locals decided to change it. They turned to Archbishop Partheny, asking him to rename the Vorobyovskaya Sloboda to Ilinskaya. The archbishop granted the request, the settlement was renamed.
The construction of the temple began in 1838 and was completed three years later. It was consecrated only in 1842. Alexy Egorovich Pokrovsky became the priest who headed the parish for a whole decade. And in 1852 he was replaced by his son-in-law. For more than half a century, priest Grigory Afanasievich Leporsky was the rector of the church of Elijah the Prophet. Until his death in 1904.
The late father was replaced by his son. Nikolai Grigorievich was the rector of the temple for 13 years, until the revolution.
And then a series of church closings began. Priests were exiled, arrested and shot. In 1935, the temple of Elijah the Prophet was closed. It was transferred to the regional archive. They dropped the bells, took off the crosses, and the desecrated temple calmed down, it would seem, forever.
New time
But it wasn't there. The year 1989 has come. And the church in honor of Elijah the Prophet was returned to believers. And in 1990 - the Ivanovo diocese.
Restoration work has begun. The first service was served on Christmas Day 1990. By 1993, the impossible had been accomplished - the building was raised from the ruins. However, full restoration work was completed only in 2013.
Today the temple is active. It hosts daily services.
Address
Address of the church in Ivanovo, built in honor of Elijah the Prophet: Koltsova street, 19/1. The map will help you find the temple faster.
Services are performed every day. Morning worship starts at 8:00 am. Evening service starts at17:00.
Conclusion
We talked about one of the oldest churches in Ivanovo. If you manage to visit this city, be sure to visit it.
