The Church of John the Baptist in Kirov occupies a special place among the monuments of Vyatka architecture. This is the oldest parish church in the city of Kirov. As an interesting historical monument, it can be put on a par with the pearls of Vyatka architecture, such as the ensemble of the Assumption Trifonov Monastery or Velikoretsky Castle.
At the origins of the temple
At the end of the 17th century, the city of Khlynov (as the city of Kirov was then called) was surrounded by a high earthen rampart with wooden walls and towers. Rapid construction was going on inside the rampart, and soon the entire settlement was densely built up. Outside the Kremlin, at the ends of Voznesenskaya and Ilyinskaya streets, a settlement of about 100 households appeared.
The parishioners of the Church of St. John the Baptist in Kirov did not yet have their own church, and then they asked for a blessing from Bishop Dionysius of the Vyatka diocese to transfer the old Intercession Church to the garden of Gerasim Shmelev (that was the name of one of the parishioners). The disassembled wooden building was located next to the stone Intercession Church, built in 1709.year. The petition was sent to Moscow. The answer to it followed immediately, and when Vladyka Dionysius was in Khlynov on May 24, 1711, he signed the charter of the church.
By the end of the 19th century there were almost 40 churches and cathedrals in Kirov. The architectural temple ensemble made up a whole constellation of squares. One of the 10 of these and the most ancient was the square at the Church of John the Baptist. But its integral formation began when it began to be rebuilt from a wooden temple into a stone one. This is what makes her unique today.
Special territorial position and sights of the church
The city of Kirov itself had a special location. It should be noted that he was at the intersection of two trade routes. The main one ran from south to north along Preobrazhenskaya and Pyatnitskaya streets, then further across the Vyatka River and straight to Arkhangelsk. This explains why there were a large number of merchants in the parish who willingly donated funds to this temple. It is also no coincidence that since ancient times the Georgian icon of the Mother of God has been located in this church, which was the patroness of all merchants, traders and travelers. She is revered on September 4 every year in a new style.
The influence of the architectural talent of Ivan Apollonovich Charushin
The temple has been rebuilt many times over the decades and centuries. Its last restructuring was at the beginning of the 20th century, according to the project of the famous Vyatka architect Ivan Apollonovich Charushin - a talented architect, one of the representatives of the glorious Vyatkathe Charushin family. He graduated from the St. Petersburg Academy of Arts, was fluent in many styles of architectural architecture. Under his leadership, more than five hundred buildings were designed in the Vyatka province.
In the Church of St. John the Baptist in Kirov, he uses his favorite architectural technique - the penetration of natural light into the depths of the room. He used the same method in building his house.
Especial painting in oriental style
At the beginning of the 20th century, another very famous person was engaged in the design of the temple - decorator Nikolai Georgievich Dzhimukhadze. He was born in the city of Tiflis and graduated from art school there. The artist called his speci alty "ornamentalist in room painting." Artel Dzhimukhadze from 1900 to 1927 in Kirov finished the facades and interiors of stone and wooden buildings. Then the artel of the artist Dzhimukhadze painted the central church of John the Baptist. A feature of this decoration was the oriental painting of the facade, which is so unusual for the inhabitants of the Vyatka land.
The decline of the temple in the Soviet era
Soviet time was reflected in the appearance of the Church of John the Baptist in Kirov. It was closed, the crosses were removed, the bell tower was dismantled. The premises of the former church first housed the party archive, then the society for the protection of monuments, and even later the planetarium. Kirov pioneers studied the starry sky under the dome of the temple. Under the church vaults there is an exposition of the discoverers of space.
Revival of the pearl of Kirov
In the early 90s, likeAs soon as the opportunity arose to revive services in the church, the parishioners again turned to Vladyka and the local authorities. The head of the Vyatka and Sloboda regions was then Metropolitan Khrisanf. He gave his blessing to begin the revival of the temple, and in September 1994 the border of the Georgian Icon of the Mother of God was again consecrated, and in 1998 the border of Zacharias and Elizabeth was consecrated. The first Divine Liturgy in the central part of the Church of the Nativity of John the Baptist in Kirov was celebrated in September 2005, led by Metropolitan Chrysanth.
Church of John the Baptist restored
Now the ancient temple has been returned to its former appearance, services are going on in the Church of John the Baptist according to the schedule. Parishioners can observe how the bell tower acquired new bells, how all the architectural elements of the temple were restored, and all wall paintings were restored. Vyatka artists Vladimir Vostrikov and Viktor Kharlov did a great job. They were able to reproduce all the images with amazing accuracy, relying on the style and intent of the artists of those distant times.
Church life today
Now the temple lives an active life. Services in the Church of John the Baptist in Kirov are scheduled from 8 am until late in the evening, and on Sundays from 9 am. Also, weddings, baptisms, funerals of the dead and much more are regularly held in the church.
Today the rector of the church is Archpriest Konstantin Varsegov, who was recently awarded the Order of Parental Glory.
