The Church of the Kazan Icon of the Mother of God in Uzkoye is an Orthodox church located in the South-West of Moscow. It was built at the end of the 17th century in the Moscow ("Naryshkin") baroque style. About the temple, located in the Uzkoye estate in Moscow, its features and history of creation will be described in this article.
Church History
Uzkoe, or Uskoe, is a wasteland in which, in the middle of the 17th century, M. Stershnev, who was the brother of Empress E. Stershneva (the wife of Tsar M. F. Romanov, the first of this dynasty), built a manor. Later, the estate was bought by a relative of M. Streshnev - boyar Tikhon Nikitich. The latter decided to build a temple of the Kazan Icon of the Mother of God in Uzkoye.
The painstaking preparations for the first phase of construction have begun. Boyarin conceived not only to build a temple, but also to amaze everyone with its beauty and high cost of interior and exterior decoration. Lists were ordered from various icons, including from the image of the KazanMother of God. By 1692, the construction of a church with five domes and an unusual four-lobed plan was completed. All domes had the same height, however, a bell tower was built in one of them. The temple had the so-called Naryshkin baroque in architecture, which was quite popular at that time.
Temple in the 18th-19th centuries
In the 18th century, the domes of the church were rebuilt, giving them a more elongated shape. It should be noted that it is not known for certain who was the author of the temple project. However, there is a version that it was O. Startsev, but there is no documentary evidence for this. The Temple of the Kazan Icon of the Mother of God is a unique monument of Russian church architecture. The fact that it has survived to this day in this form is a real miracle, despite some alterations.
After the revolution of 1917, the estate and the temple were transferred to the jurisdiction of the USSR Academy of Sciences. Currently, the estate is used as a sanatorium. In 1930, the church was closed, and its premises were used as a repository for documents and especially valuable books, while no reconstructions were made inside the building. Among the stored books there were really rare folios written by Soviet scientists, as well as trophy libraries brought from different regions of Nazi Germany.
The Church in Our Time
In 1990, the Kazan Church was transferred to the jurisdiction of the Russian Orthodox Church. Two years later, all the books of the temple were taken out, and the church itself was consecrated. Gradually, the restoration of the interior and the building itself began. In the process of carrying out construction work on the reconstruction weresome distortions have been committed that violate the legislation on the protection of architectural monuments.
Back in 1970, the heads of the church underwent a significant change. After reconstruction, they changed their shape from oblong to bulbous. In the 90s of the 20th century, the porch of white stone, which belonged to the construction of the 18th century, was completely destroyed. In 1998, a new porch was completed, and fragments of the old one were partially used in the design of front gardens and flower beds located behind the church building.
Description
The Temple of the Icon of the Kazan Mother of God in Uzkoye is generally built in the shape of a cross. As mentioned earlier, the church has five domes. Four of them are oriented strictly to the parts of the world and are painted black with a gold border at the bottom. The central fifth dome has a bell tower inside and is covered with gold leaf.
Kazan Church has a lot of windows, which helps the light to better penetrate into the temple, illuminating the interior. The façade is painted white, while the windows on the first tier of the building are painted turquoise.
An interesting fact is that the West-facing drum of the dome is used as a sound resonator when the bells are ringing. This is an unusual technique in Russian temple architecture. There is a legend that it was from this bell tower that Napoleon Bonaparte watched his retreating army, which was pursued by Russian soldiers during the war of 1812. Externally, the temple looks very solemn and moderately pompous. The severity of forms and lines is striking in itsprecision and beauty.
Interior decoration
The Church of the Icon of Our Lady of Kazan in Uzkoye has a mesmerizing decoration. Despite the incorrectly made reconstruction and restoration errors, it was possible to keep the interior almost intact.
The church has two chapels: the 1st and 2nd acquisition of the head of John the Baptist and the chapel of St. Nicholas. The main throne of the temple was created in the name of the Kazan Mother of God. Inside the temple there is a carved wooden iconostasis made of precious wood, covered with gilding. The iconostasis contains more than 10 icons depicting saints and archangels. It is crowned with the icon of Our Lady of Kazan.
The main part of the church is combined with the aisles by arched passages, which are decorated with decorative stucco and gilded elements. In the very center of the temple there is a four-tiered chandelier, which has a golden color, the lanterns of which are stylized as candles. Thanks to numerous windows, as well as competent lighting, the interior looks very elegant and beautiful. In addition, the temple has preserved unique acoustics, which are literally felt by the body when singing.
Heaven's Gate
Various sights are located in Uzkoye estate. "Heavenly Gates" are located in close proximity to the Temple of the Kazan Icon of the Mother of God, referring to its possessions. They are a fairly high and massive arch with a semicircular vault. Date of construction of this gateunknown, as well as the author of the project. It is assumed that they were erected at the beginning of the 19th century, and the architect could be one of the serfs of the owner of the estate.
An interesting fact is that the “Gate of Heaven” is very similar to the arch, which is located in the ancient Roman city of Tuburbo Maius (the current territory of Tunisia). It should also be noted that similar structures were located in other cities of the Roman Empire, but the gates mentioned earlier are best preserved.
Great Greenhouse Pavilion
Next to the Church of Our Lady of Kazan, belonging to the Moscow diocese of the Russian Orthodox Church, there are several greenhouses. In the 19th century, there was a well-developed horticultural economy. Exotic fruits, vegetables and flowers were grown here. Greenhouses grew oranges, lemons and even bananas.
There were separate greenhouses for different types of flowers, for example, there was a special rose garden where different types of roses were grown. Also engaged in the selection of flowers, trying to improve existing varieties.
The image of Our Lady of Kazan
This icon is especially revered by Orthodox Christians. It bears this name because it was found in the city of Kazan in 1579. The icon of Our Lady of Kazan is considered miraculous. From this image, countless lists were made, which subsequently spread throughout the territory of present-day Russia and the former Soviet republics.
Very often this facebecomes the basis for the construction of a new temple, such as the Church of Our Lady of Kazan in Uzkoy, in the Yasenevo district (Moscow). There are various options for creating lists, depending on the direction of the icon painting schools.
By the will of fate, the image of Our Lady of Kazan was abroad. For some time she was in the Vatican, where she was transferred by a collector who purchased the icon. However, in 2004, the face of Our Lady of Kazan was solemnly handed over to representatives of the Russian Orthodox Church.
Amazing aura
History of the Wasteland Narrow is a unique example of how a manor is created from nothing by human hands, which has many buildings for personal as well as spiritual needs.
People who came here note not only the unusual beauty and tranquility of the entire territory and the temple itself, but also the amazing aura of these places. The Church of the Icon of the Kazan Mother of God in Uzkoye sets you in a good mood and allows you to see everything in a different light. Here they think about the eternal, leaving all worldly troubles behind the threshold of the temple.
The interior of the church, as it were, returns a person a century ago, and he finds himself in a completely different place. When contemplating the facade of the temple, one feels the age of these walls and at the same time one is surprised how competently and subtly the architectural calculations were made and then implemented.
Tourists who have visited the Uzkoye estate note the beauty of its buildings, the Church of the Icon of Our Lady of Kazan, preserved sights, and beautiful nature. In summer, the estate is surrounded by greenery of trees and shrubs. This placedefinitely worth a visit, being in Moscow, it is unique and you will not find another such piece of history anywhere else.
