Temple of St. George the Victorious in Kupchino: construction history, location and architecture

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

The Church of St. George the Victorious in Kupchino was built and consecrated recently - in 2002.

The Holy Great Martyr George the Victorious is considered the patron saint of all soldiers. Initially, it was planned to build a whole complex in the Internationalist Park, which would include a chapel and a hotel. Construction began in 1997.

The end of the 90s and the beginning of the 2000s was a difficult period for the country - after the default of 1998, funding was completely stopped. Despite this, construction continued, but with donations from patrons and parishioners.

Construction and consecration of the Temple

The authors of the project were well-known architects of St. Petersburg Kuminov I. V. and Solodovnikov I. A. Hollow red brick and monolithic slabs were chosen for the construction as intermediate floors.

The bricks were inscribed with the names of people and organizations that helped in the construction of the temple with theirdonations and hard work. This has always been the case in Russia - temples were built by the whole world.

And, as always happened, services began long before their construction was completed. So, in 1999, when only the first floor was built, Metropolitan Vladimir consecrated the main altar of the lower church in honor of the Nativity of Christ. From that moment, services began in the church under construction.

Through the efforts of Archpriest Alexei Isaev, the first rector of the temple, despite the difficulties with funding and the lack of labor, the construction went on non-stop.

In 2003, the decoration of the upper temple was completed, and the construction was completed. On December 17, the great consecration of the built Temple of St. George the Victorious in Kupchino took place. Before this event, another thing happened - a particle of the relics of the Great Martyr George arrived at the temple. It was a gift from the Gorny Convent.

Gornensky Monastery was founded in 1883 in the village of Ein Karem near Jerusalem. The plot for it was bought with money raised by a special committee.

St. George is the patron saint of the army, and the temple is dedicated to Russian soldiers who fought and died outside their homeland.

Temple location

Beginning the construction, the church authorities considered seven sketches of the future temple submitted for the competition. Metropolitan Vladimir settled on the project of architect Igor Aleksandrovich Solodovnikov.

Completion of the construction of the Temple of St. George the Victorious in Kupchino, among other things, it was decidedcoincide with the 300th anniversary of the city. The construction initiative came from the St. George Fund and the Orthodox community. The head of the community at that time was V. P. Brown, who was also the head of the fund.

The Metropolitan approved the place for the temple, which the architect chose - in a residential area, away from entertainment centers. A big plus for the future temple was the fact that it is surrounded by densely populated neighborhoods.

Architect Solodovnikov was attentive to the choice of location for the building under construction - he took into account both the availability of communications and the availability of public transport connecting this area with the city center.

According to the development plan adopted back in 1966, a recreation park was supposed to be located here. But time has made its own adjustments. Now there is a memorial temple in the name of St. George the Victorious.

According to a long-standing Orthodox tradition, the building is strictly oriented to the parts of the world. The altar part looks to the east, the central doors of the temple face to the west. A pedestrian alley leads to them.

How to find a temple in St. Petersburg?

The temple is located one and a half kilometers from the metro station "Mezhdunarodnaya" of the Admir alteyskaya line at the intersection of Bukharestskaya Street and Glory Avenue.

Address: St. Petersburg, Church of St. George the Victorious in Kupchino, Glory Avenue, 45.

Building architecture

The dimensions of the building, including the side aisles, the altar and the vestibule, are 14 meters on each side. The building is crowned with an octagonal tent. Its height is 27 meters from the foundation of the building.

The layout of the building is not quite ordinary. ATIt has two temples - upper and lower. The lower chapel is located in the basement, you need to go down into it, as if into a cave. The height of the vaults of the cave temple is 3.5 meters. The floor of the upper temple is 1.25 meters above ground level.

The central entrance to the building is made in the form of a portal, which, in addition to the main staircase, also has two side ones. The altar part, the southern and northern sides of the building are also decorated with portals. There is a slight mix of styles in the exterior of the building.

If you look closely at the photo of the Church of St. George the Victorious in Kupchino, you can see that in the architectural appearance of the building, the traditions of Moscow temple architecture of the 16th-17th centuries. echo the architectural style of the city.

Thus, numerous zakomaras of the main tent are made in the style of sandriks, characteristic of the St. Petersburg Empire style. The Russian style is emphasized by portals around the perimeter of the building and the design of the domes in the form of heroic erihonkas.

Sunday school

A Sunday school for children and adults is organized in the Church of St. George the Victorious in Kupchino. The program of classes for preschool children includes lessons on the Law of God and the Church Slavonic language. Theology is also taught, but for older children.

Lessons on playing the piano and drawing are held. For children from 7 years old, needlework lessons are included in the schedule. Schoolchildren from the age of 11 are taught lessons of the Philokalia, they study the history of the Church. Starting from the age of 9, schoolchildren are taught the Church Slavonic language. juniorStudents read the Old Testament. Older students - New Testament.

The school holds holidays and tea parties, in which both parents and teachers take part. Rector Alexei Isaev takes great care of the school. He personally participates in many school activities.

Every Sunday, classes are held to prepare for the next church holiday, exhibitions and competitions on the theme of Orthodoxy are organized, excursions and pilgrimages are made.

Service Schedule

You can see the schedule of services of the Temple of St. George the Victorious in Kupchino on the official website by clicking on the appropriate link in the left menu.

The site is active, constantly updated, and you will receive fresh and relevant information, taking into account upcoming holidays and events in church life. The site has phone numbers where you can ask your questions.