As much as the ancient Greeks worshiped the god Mercury, erecting temples in his honor, just as the Slavs, paying homage to their patroness of the merchant people, Saint Paraskeva, built churches in her honor, called Pyatnitsy. They inherited this name from small chapels that were once built along the endless Russian roads. Pyatnitskaya Church in Chernigov, which will be discussed in this article, is one of them.
Church built in Chernihiv
It just so happened that the center of social life of any old Russian city was its trading square. It was on it that the most significant events took place, and most importantly, trade was conducted, which was the basis of its prosperity, and sometimes the cause of decline. And it is not surprising that it was on the marketplaces that temples were once built in the name of the saint who patronized this important occupation.
a servant of God, whose patronage was so necessary for the local merchants. The Pyatnitskaya church in Chernigov, the description of which has survived to this day, was the fruit of their pious labors.
The period of spiritual revival of Ukraine
Pyatnitskaya Church in Chernihiv was built on a spacious shopping area, even before its appearance was called Pyatnitsky field. It should be noted right away that in the life of the city she began to play such a prominent role that she soon became the main shrine of the female Chernigov monastery formed next to her, which burned down in the fire of 1750. However, there is practically no documentary information about what form it had in this early period of its existence, and its first detailed description dates back to the end of the 17th century.
This period in the life of Ukraine was marked by a stormy process of its spiritual and cultural revival, headed by a whole galaxy of prominent religious figures. It manifested itself especially brightly in Chernigov, due to its geographical position, which was the closest city to the Muscovite state. It was in it that a new architectural trend, known today as the Ukrainian Baroque, was born and developed.
New look of the old church
From the documents that have survived to this day, it is known that by the end of the 17th century, the Pyatnitskaya Church in Chernigov, which had almost five centuries of its history, was very dilapidated, and its major repairs were required. All the trouble, and most importantly, the costs associated with such a difficult matter, tookVasily Stepanovich Dunin-Barkovsky, Colonel of the General Transportation Department, who became famous for his activities aimed at restoring the monuments of Chernihiv antiquity, took over a we althy philanthropist.
Under his patronage, the completely rebuilt Pyatnitskaya Church in Chernigov took on the appearance of magnificent and pompous buildings, made in the above-mentioned Ukrainian baroque style. With the refinement of its facade, it attracted everyone's attention, and already in those years it became one of the brightest sights of the city. However, the work carried out completely deprived it of its historical appearance, once created by ancient masters.
Changes made to the architecture of the building
Only in our days, as a result of scientific research, it became known that the original Pyatnitskaya Church in Chernigov (12th century) was a building in the form of a rectangle, measuring 12.4 x 11.4 m. It was traditional for that time cross-domed building. Three altar apses adjoined it from the western side - semicircular outbuildings in which altars were placed. Inside the building, four powerful columns held the dome and vaults.
During the work carried out in the 17th century, additional extensions were added to the main volume of the building, the head was built on, which changed its overall height. The walls of the church were decorated with magnificent crenellated pediments. The old windows were enlarged and new ones added to them. A number of other changes have also been made.
Trouble experienced by the Church
In the future, its appearancechanged repeatedly. Fires, frequent guests of ancient cities, did not bypass the church erected on the Pyatnitsky field. Each time after another fiery disaster, the building had to be repaired, and at the same time it acquired new features.
Thus, it reached the 20th century, repeatedly changing its original appearance. During the Great Patriotic War, the Pyatnitskaya Church was almost completely destroyed. The photo in the article gives an idea of the extent of its destruction.
Restoring the original appearance of the church
In 1943, immediately after the liberation of Chernigov from the Germans, work began on the conservation of church ruins, which made it possible to avoid their final destruction. It was during this period that some of the original architectural features of the building were installed.
Thanks to this, during the restoration work, a group of architects headed by Professor P. D. Baranovsky managed to reproduce with great accuracy the building erected on this site back in the pre-Mongolian period. Thus, the current Pyatnitskaya Church in Chernihiv, the photo of which is presented in the article, is very close to the original in its appearance.
Ancient shrine today
In the Soviet years, the museum of the famous "Tale of Igor's Campaign" was located in the premises of the temple restored from the ruins, the same age as the creation of which is its former building, erected in the 12th century. After the collapse of the USSR, the temple was transferred to the jurisdiction of the Russian Orthodox Church of the Kyiv Patriarchate, and inour days is valid.
Every year on November 10, according to the new style, the Orthodox celebrate the memory of the Great Martyr Paraskeva. On this day, the Pyatnitskaya Church in Chernigov, where her miraculous icon is located, is filled with hundreds of worshipers. Located in the center of the current square named after Bogdan Khmelnitsky, it is well known to all citizens.
Known primarily for its patronage of merchants, Saint Paraskeva Pyatnitsa has been interceding before the Lord for many centuries for all people who turn to her in prayer with faith and reverence, regardless of what their requests are.
