Churches of Kostroma: Church of the Ascension on Debre

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

If you have been to Kostroma, you will agree that there is something to see there. Have you visited the Church of the Resurrection? The one on Debra? Do you know that this is not just an old church? It belongs to the cultural heritage of the Russian Federation. Monument of federal importance.

Details about the Kostroma Church of the Ascension on the Debre in this article.

A bit of history

Ascension Church - Posad. It is the only one left in the city. Built around 1640-1650s. No later than 1652.

Church on Debre in Kostroma, where does this name come from? Lower Debrya is the name of the street. It ran along the left bank of the Volga. The river was thick with thickets, a real thicket. About what is indicated in the title. Wilds - wilds where you can get lost.

A wooden church was built first. No matter how silly it may sound, but it appeared thanks to the dogs. Do not be surprised, just the Kostroma prince Vasily was a great lover of hunting. And he hunted in the forests above the Black River. In order not to carry a pack of hunting dogs with him every time, the prince decided to move the kennel closer to the hunting grounds. The Church of the Ascension was built for the psars.

Voznesensky Posad grew on the banks of the Volga. And it was decided to build a stone church instead of a wooden one. The churches of Kostroma were almost all wooden. No sooner said than done. The construction of the stone temple begins. The merchant Cyril, the son of Isakov, made a special contribution. He was very rich, lived near the construction site. We can assume that the stone temple of the Ascension was built with funds allocated by Isakov. And it was like this: he ordered barrels of paint from England. Among them was one especially valuable. Instead of paint - gold coins. The merchant marveled, and decided to use the suddenly fallen gold for a good deed. Use for the construction of the church in Kostroma, the first stone one.

Architects from Yaroslavl and Veliky Ustyug were engaged in the construction of the temple. It was painted by Vasily Zapokrovsky and Gury Nikitin.

It is known that Emperor Nicholas II and his daughters visited the Temple of the Ascension in 1913.

Godless Time

Many temples and churches in Kostroma were desecrated during the Soviet years. The Temple of the Ascension was no exception. In 1922, a certain group of "living churchmen" separated from the Russian Orthodox Church. And the temple passed into their hands. After 8 years, in 1930, it was closed. Initially, a hostel for port loaders and a warehouse were arranged in the temple. However, in 1946 the temple was reopened. The Soviet authorities opposed this with all their might, trying to close it again. Andhere the parishioners began to resist with the church authorities. The confrontation ended with the fact that the Church of the Ascension was made a cathedral. It was considered that it is located at a distance from the main streets. Not so much striking in the eyes of the authorities, let yourself be. Yes, and they were afraid to contact the people.

Our days

When the church was reopened in Kostroma, it was in a deplorable state. There is no floor, the windows are broken, the icons and the iconostasis are broken. With the joint efforts of believers, the temple was put in order. Divine services resumed despite the dissatisfaction of the people's authorities.

Until 1991, in the temple, and now the Cathedral of the Ascension, an icon revered by the inhabitants of the city was kept. Fedorovskaya Mother of God, an icon from the destroyed Assumption Cathedral. Then she was given to the Epiphany-Anastasia Monastery.

Now the cathedral is active. It has services. Schedule of services for those who wish:

• Weekdays: Divine Liturgy at 8:30. Evening service at 17:00.
• Sundays and holidays: Early Liturgy at 6:30 am, late Liturgy at 9:30 am. Evening service at 17:00.

Conclusion

The article introduced the reader to another unique historical monument. Like most of the churches in Kostroma, it was not spared a sad fate. But the forces of the Orthodox people managed to defend the Church of the Ascension. One more church restored.