Church-chapel of the Archangel Michael at the Kutuzov hut is part of the Borodino panorama museum. The Chapel of the Archangel Michael is assigned to the Church of St. George the Victorious, which is located on Poklonnaya Hill. About the Church of the Archangel Michael at Kutuzovskaya (as it is sometimes called), its history and features will be described in the article.
History
The Church of the Archangel Michael at the Kutuzov hut began to be built in September 1910. The church was built at the expense of the society of banner-bearers of the city of Moscow. The temple-chapel was founded in honor of the Archangel Michael, as you know, he is the heavenly patron of the Russian army.
Also, the solemn laying of the first stone was dedicated to the memory of M. I. Kutuzov. To appreciate the importance of this event, it should be noted that this event was attended by the Governor, Mayor and Metropolitan of Moscow and Kolomna Vladimir. This place was of particular importance, because nearbywas the Kutuzov hut.
Description
The project for the construction of the Church of the Archangel Michael on Kutuzovsky was created by architects N. D. Strukov and M. N. Litvinov. The chapel has a Russian-Byzantine style, and its decorative elements are brick decor and mosaics. The church turned out to be small in size, as it was originally conceived as a chapel.
But it is fair to say that this intimacy gives the temple its own unique feature. The church has a red brick color with white painted corner elements, as well as columns at the entrance. On the central part of one of the walls of the chapel, there is a skillfully executed mosaic depicting Archangel Michael with a shield and a spear slaying a dragon. The Church of the Archangel Michael on Kutuzovsky was dedicated to the great field marshal and, in fact, became the first museum.
Interior decoration
Inside the church has a classic finish for an Orthodox church. The walls are painted with floral patterns in soft light colors. The arches of the chapel are decorated with frescoes from the life of Jesus Christ, the Mother of God and various saints. The temple has arched, elongated windows, which is typical for temple architecture of that period. The church has a fairly large number of icons and frescoes.
Here is the icon of the Matrona of Moscow, as well as a shrine with a piece of her relics. The image of the Monk Nikita the Stylite is also especially revered, but the main role is assigned to Archangel Michael. Despite the large number of images, the overall impression ofThe interior decoration of the Church of the Archangel Michael on Kutuzovsky is quite harmonious and unsatisfied.
A carved, gilded iconostasis made of precious wood was installed in the church, but later it was replaced with a marble one. The central vault has a massive chandelier, made in the form of a huge candelabra with candles. However, at present, for fire safety purposes, the role of light elements is performed by electric lamps in the chandelier, and not by candles, as originally.
Temple Museum
The Church of the Archangel Michael near the Kutuzov hut also acts as a museum. The personal belongings of Field Marshal Kutuzov from the so-called Kutuzov hut were transferred to the chapel. This is a military history museum, located nearby. In one part of the chapel there are authentic items of the 1812 model - a variety of weapons, uniforms and personal belongings of the field marshal, which were transferred to the museum by his descendants. One of the main exhibits of the chapel-museum is the traveling carriage of M. I. Kutuzov. It was in it that he visited the battlefields and made trips until the end of 1813.
In addition to the hall, which is completely dedicated to the field marshal, a place was allocated where special patriotic readings were held for young men and cadets. The grand opening of the museum took place on August 16, 1912. It was timed to coincide with the centenary of the Battle of Smolensk in the Patriotic War in 1812. The chapel was assigned to the Church of the Intercession of the Most Holy Theotokos, located in Fili. In early September, the chapel was consecrated in the name of Archangel Michael. Every year, on the dayfeast of the Archangel Michael, a memorial service for M. I. Kutuzov began to be performed. Also, a religious procession was annually sent to the chapel from the Intercession Church to perform a prayer service.
The Church in Soviet times
At the end of 1920, the chapel was turned into the so-called Church of the Archangel Michael at the Kutuzov hut by numerous requests from local residents and pilgrims. This request was granted, however, a decade later, some residents began to demand that the temple be closed and the premises used for other needs. The church and museum dedicated to the great field marshal were closed.
After the temple was closed, the dome was demolished, and there was a question of dismantling the entire building. Only thanks to the well-known architect P. D. Baranovsky, who was a member of the expert commission, was it possible to avoid the complete destruction of the church. The building was empty for a long time, but in the post-war years a club for workers was opened here. A little later, the premises were transferred to the jurisdiction of the USSR Ministry of Finance, and after the destruction of the Soviet Union, this building was occupied by a commercial organization for a short time.
In 1989, the building of the chapel was intended to open a museum dedicated to Field Marshal Kutuzov, however, five years later, it was returned to the jurisdiction of the Moscow Patriarchate. The church has been completely restored and restored. Later, at the expense of believers and parishioners of the temple, the niche-apse, outside the building, was decorated with a magnificent mosaic in the Byzantine style. In mid-November 2000, Patriarch Alexy II consecrated the chapel-temple.
Kutuzovskaya izba
The hut, which is quite often mentioned whentalking about the temple of the Archangel Michael, is a historical military museum, located not far from the church. The museum is an exactly recreated peasant's hut, in which the famous military council was held and the difficult decision was made to leave Moscow during the offensive of Napoleon Bonaparte's troops.
The atmosphere of that time has been restored inside, so that when you visit the museum, you get the impression of a complete immersion in that era. The Kutuzov hut, as well as the chapel in the name of the Archangel Michael, are an integral part of the historical and memorial complex dedicated to the Patriotic War of 1812.
When you are in Moscow, you should definitely visit these unique places. Here you can not only visit the temple, but also learn about the historical facts that took place in such a difficult time for Russia. In addition, you can enjoy the beautiful eclectic architecture of the church. Having been here for the first time and feeling the extraordinary aura of this place, I want to come back here again.
