One of the unique monuments of old Moscow is the church of St. Nicholas in Pyzhi. Built in the 17th century, it has become a part of our history and a witness to many of its important events. Today, returned to people after long years of atheistic stagnation, it again accepts under its arches all those who are looking for their path to God.
Church in Streltsy Sloboda
From archival documents it is known that in 1593 the wooden church of the Annunciation of the Lord was founded on the site where the church of St. Nicholas in Pyzhy is now located. She became one of the first erected in Moscow after the establishment of the patriarchate. Since archers settled nearby, led by the royal steward M. F. Filosofov, they became her first parishioners.
But the fate of a military man never let him sit still. During the reign of Sovereign Alexei Mikhailovich, the brave archers, together with their commander, were sent to Kyiv to carry out guard duty there, and the regiment of governor Bogdan Pyzhov took their place. It was his name that turned out to be immortalized in the name of the new stone temple, founded in1657 on the site of a wooden church and nearby Pyzhevsky Lane.
Construction and beautification of the temple
In 1691, with donations made by the archers, a chapel was erected in the name of St. Nicholas, which later gave the name to the entire church, and through the zeal of the former parishioners of the regiment of the steward Philosophov, another one, in honor of the Pechersk saints Anthony and Theodosius. The chapel itself was abolished in 1858, but until now the celebration in their honor is held annually and is performed with great solemnity.
In subsequent years, the church of St. Nicholas in Pyzhi underwent significant reconstruction, which largely changed its original appearance. According to the memoirs of contemporaries, among other Moscow churches, he stood out for the extraordinary harmony of his outlines.
In the fire of the great war
Trouble befell the church of St. Nicholas in Pyzhi in 1812. Like many Moscow shrines, it was devastated and burned by the French. In place of the former splendor, only blackened walls remained. After the expulsion of the invaders, the city and church authorities for a long time could not begin its systematic restoration, since neither the Synod nor the parishioners were able to bear such significant expenses, and the treasury directed all available funds to the construction of administrative and residential buildings that died in Moscow fire.
Only in 1848 did the restoration of the temple begin. By this time, it was finally possible to collect the necessary amount, made up of voluntarydonations, to which were added money released from the treasury at the behest of Tsar Nicholas I. Much of the merit in the restoration of the temple belongs to its permanent trustee and main donor - the Moscow merchant of the first guild I. A. Lyamin. During the forty years that the work was carried out, he exercised general supervision over them and, importantly, helped in solving intermittent financial problems.
Years of Total Atheism
But the main trials awaited the temple ahead, when in the coming XX century, power in the country seized the godless government. In 1934 the temple was closed, and many of its priests and parishioners were repressed. Suffice it to say that three of his clerics were later canonized as New Martyrs and Confessors of Russia.
Partly St. Nicholas Church was lucky that it was not destroyed, like so many of its Moscow counterparts, and after internal redevelopment was used for various household needs. The main aisle of the temple was divided into three floors, and in the premises formed in this way, at first the hostel of the construction trust was located, then the scientific and technical laboratory, and finally the sewing workshops.
Return of the shrine
In 1990, in the wake of perestroika, among other Moscow shrines, the church of St. Nicholas in Pyzhy was returned to believers. The schedule of services first appeared on its doors after a 56-year break. However, for the first six months they were carried out in the neighborhood of the one who continued to work in the main aislesewing workshop.
In the course of restoration work, the iconostases of both aisles of the temple, destroyed in the thirties, were recreated. Work on them for eleven years was performed by the Moscow painter I. V. Klimenko. The miraculously preserved frescoes of the end of the 19th century, created at one time by the artist A. Sokolov, were also cleared and put in order.
Serious work to restore the appearance of the building was carried out using old photographs and blueprints found in the archive. As a result, already in 1993, the former church of St. Nicholas (in Pyzhy) appeared before the Muscovites. The photos included in the article give an idea of its current appearance.
Again serving God and people
Today, when more than a quarter of a century has passed since the return of their shrine to the parishioners, the atmosphere of high spiritual life that was inherent in the temple at all historical stages has been fully restored. Under the pastoral guidance of the rector, Archpriest Father Alexander (Shargunov), a full circle of services prescribed by the Church Charter is performed, and a lot of work is being done to educate the parishioners and those who are just about to receive holy baptism. The church of St. Nicholas in Pyzhy cordially opens its doors to everyone. Address: Moscow, st. B. Ordynka, 27a/8.
Morning services begin at 8:00 am and evening services at 5:00 pm (6:00 pm in summer). On Sundays and holidays, two liturgies are celebrated: early at 7:00 am, and late at 10:00 am. Wednesday evening services are accompanied by readingsakathist to St. Nicholas the Wonderworker.
