The Orthodox faith from ancient times was reinforced not only by the reviving souls from Christian teachings, but also by the construction of significant temples and churches, the architecture of which surprises, pleases and delights to this day.
On the territory of Russia there are a lot of objects of cultural Orthodox heritage, one of which is the Church of the Mother of God "Merciful", the address of which is located: St. Petersburg, Bolshoy Prospekt of Vasilievsky Island, 100.
Christian value of the building
The Church of Our Lady of Mercy is active today and carries the most significant historical monuments that are important for every believer and the country as a whole. The temple was erected in memory of the coronation of the imperial couple: Alexander III and Maria Feodorovna.
The miraculous healing icon of the Mother of God (“Merciful”, its other name is “It is worthy to eat”, was brought from Athos) in the building itself.
History of Creation
The Church of Our Lady of Mercy was built in the pre-revolutionary period for ten years (1889-1898).
After the construction work was completed, the main altar of the church was consecrated by the Holy Father John of Kronstadt and the Orthodox Bishop Veniamin of Yamburg. Metropolitan Anthony also gave his blessing for faithful service to the people, who in 1900 bothered to consecrate the chapel in memory of the saints of Radonezh and Chernigov.
In the church itself there was a charitable brotherhood that organized a shelter and a school for orphans. The church was attended by many residents of St. Petersburg, especially famous were the sermons of Father Gapon, which gathered more than three thousand people.
The Church of the Icon of the Mother of God “Merciful” performed its vital function in developing and strengthening the faith of parishioners for only thirty-four years, having managed to bless thousands of Orthodox Christians for good deeds during this time.
Architectural features of the ancient structure
The project of the building of the Temple of the Merciful Icon was created by architect V. A. Kosyakov and engineer D. K. Prussak. The stone church was erected in order to provide fifteen thousand residents of the Galernaya Harbor with a Christian parish.
The temple is crowned with five domes, its appearance is very similar to the St. Sophia Cathedral in Constantinople. The church rises forty-two meters above ground level. A chapel was built at the level of small domes.
The Byzantine architectural style is accentuated by the presence of towers decorated with neat windows around the circumference, which provides bright lighting inside the building.
Inside the walls were decorated with colorful paintings, golden iconostasis, valuable historical icons. The construction and arrangement of the church was financed by people rich at that time, the very first altar was M. F. Kirin, the skipper of the port, so the decoration and decoration of the temple was very rich and beautiful.
Of course, there were difficulties during the construction of the stone temple, but all efforts were not in vain. The most beautiful building, due to its durability, retains its attractiveness to this day.
Based on the project of this church, temples were built in Novosibirsk, Sochi and Moscow.
Reason for closing
Despite the good and good deeds that were supported by the church parish, history has made its own adjustments. The understanding of the Christian faith was subjected to destruction and persecution, new trends in the way of life led to a new understanding of hereditary values, which, as practice has shown, turned out to be wrong. But, nevertheless, the Church of the Icon of the Mother of God "Merciful" for many years could not fulfill its direct function.
During the revolution, the temple building survived, but its beautiful interior decoration was barbarously destroyed. The parish turned out to be unnecessary for those who followed in the footsteps of the revolutionary future, breaking all Christian laws.
The new government gave preference to more pressing issues, as it was believed then, and in 1932 gave the Church of the Merciful Icon at the disposal of the diving detachment at the Galernaya harbor. The buildings, by their very nature, hid the pressure chamber, which wasequipped in the church. It was here that many rescue divers trained.
The most beautiful holy Temple of the Mother of God "Merciful" has not lost its external essence, but the internal refurbishment has made adjustments to the understanding of what value this iconic building carried, which warmed the soul of more than one believer.
Interesting facts
The Church of the Icon of the Mother of God "Merciful" is directly connected with the name of the current President of the Russian Federation V. V. Putin. His father served precisely in the detachment of submariners, the training base for which was located in this church.
Returning the Church to Christians
Having passed many tests of history, the most beautiful cathedral, which hid a military complex behind its walls for many years, has retained its uniqueness and attractiveness. But internally, its condition fell into complete decline, since the maintenance of the building was not funded by any government agencies.
Realizing the true purpose of the cultural heritage site of the Russian Federation, only in 1990 attempts were made to return the Church of the Icon of the Mother of God "Merciful" to the faithful parishioners. A request for transfer was submitted to the Ministry of Defense and the Government of the country.
The case got off the ground thanks to caring activists only in 2008. It was then that a chapel was opened on the territory of the temple. In 2009, the bell tower was repaired, and with the first ringing after many years since its closure, the temple was filled with faith in a full restoration.
2012 is considered the year of the victory of the Christian faith in souls, becauseit was then that the church parish officially returned the Church of the Merciful to its leadership. St. Petersburg has acquired another functioning Orthodox facility, which will serve not as a training military complex, but as a center for the spiritual development of the Russian armed forces and law enforcement agencies.
Modern restoration of Christian heritage
After many years of misuse, the temple fell into disrepair, which requires immediate restoration. Back in 1999, a conclusion was made about the need for reconstruction. In this matter, the mayor of the city, Anatoly Sobchak, petitioned a lot.
Today, the restoration of the temple is being carried out at the expense of the accumulated funds of parishioners, a program has been developed to attract donations from private sponsors, and federal budget funds are also being attracted under the Culture of Russia project.
So there is hope that the Temple of the Icon of the Mother of God "Merciful" will be fully restored over the next few years and will delight future generations with its beauty and tranquility.
