The temple was founded in 1916 in the neo-Russian style and was named after St. Nicholas the Wonderworker. The creator of the project was the famous architect Fyodor Shekhtel. It was originally planned to be built as an undoubted monument to the First World War. During the Soviet period, the building was demolished, and restoration began only in 1997. The reconstruction was carried out according to new drawings near the old site.
Rise of the temple
In the early years of the 19th century, the Russian State University named after K. A. Timiryazev was called the Petrovsky Academy. This establishment was guarded by a man whose home was a gatehouse with a thatched roof. Hence the name of the monastery. The place where the temple will be erected in 1916 was a holiday village, through which travelers reached the village called Petrovsko-Razumovskoye.
A small four-room thatched house, similar to a hut, has not been preserved, but it played a necessary role in history. According to Konstantin Melnikov, the famous architect, who was born in this gatehouse, it was surrounded by an impenetrablefence, inside the yard there was a shed where firewood was stored. Also on the territory of the house there was a horse stall and a shallow well. Some additions to the information about the gatehouse can be obtained from the story of V. G. Korolenko "Prokhor and students".
During the unrest of 1905 among young people and students, the village of Petrovsko-Razumovskoye was placed under the care of the city police, and the thatched gatehouse became the bailiff's habitat. After the revolution, there was a police department here, and at the end of the Second World War, the building was dismantled. Today, a modern house flaunts in its place.
Next to the academy was a garrison battalion stationed here for the summer. After the announcement of the outbreak of the First World War in these places, they undertook the creation of army reinforcements, which soon left for the front. Some time later, a proposal was made to establish a summer temple here with donated money, which was collected about 3,000 rubles. Contributions were made not only by officers and commanders of the army, but also by the owners of the nearest holiday villages.
Construction of the Church of St. Nicholas at the Straw Gatehouse
The architect of the building Fyodor Ivanovich Shekhtel, sending a postcard depicting this monastery to the abbot, noted that he had not created a more beautiful creation in his life. The construction of the monastery, which accommodated about a hundred parishioners, took about thirty days. The architect was quite able to recreate many of the traditional techniques and details of tent-style temples. The differences were in the frame structure of the building.and the bell tower, which was put together with the monastery. Wooden tent churches of the northern regions of Russia of the 16th-18th centuries served as models for the construction of this church.
Feropontov Monastery served as an example for decoration and painting inside. Real icons of the 6th-7th centuries filled the interior of the temple, and the most valuable of them began to decorate the main gate. Shekhtel's own children, recognized masters of painting, were engaged in painting. The architect lived not far from his creation, so he could often visit the monastery and assess its condition.
First activity
Bishop Demetrius was the man who lit up the Temple at the Straw Gatehouse on July 20, 1926. The ceremony was held in the presence of Elizabeth Feodorovna, the Moscow Governor-General, officers, commanders and the local population. On the same day, a solemn speech was delivered about the great significance of the new building, which became the first monument to the terrible events of the war experienced.
After ten years of operation, many flaws in the general condition of the church were revealed. Fedor Shekhtel submitted a report to the construction commission and asked that the walls inside be upholstered with asbestos or Swedish cardboard. He recommended to conduct electric heating to monitor the condition of the underground. Unfortunately, his instructions were ignored.
How the monastery existed during the USSR
Before the revolution, the temple was used for the needs of the army, after 1917 it became open to parishioners. The number of people attending church is significantincreased when neighboring monasteries were closed. The temple served everyone for quite a long time. A few clergy, living and working in the name of the people and God, were later canonized as holy people. The history of the temple remembers their names: Vasily Nadezhdin, Vladimir Ambartsumov, Mikhail Slavsky.
The first was appointed as a priest (ordained married priest) of the Temple at the Straw Gatehouse in 1921. Vasily Nadezhdin was entrusted with the duty of spiritual and moral education of the children of professors of the academy. His merits include the creation of a church choir and the holding of Sabbath preaching programs. In 1929, Nadezhdin was arrested by the Soviet authorities, Ambartsumov was put in his place. In 1932, the last abbot of the monastery was detained.
The church at the Straw Gatehouse was closed in 1935, and its belfry and tent were destroyed. However, some eyewitnesses claimed that services and baptisms continued for a certain period of time. Later, the building was turned into a hostel, and in 1960 the former monastery, which was completely destroyed, was demolished. His place was taken by a residential high-rise building for the police.
New life of the monastery
In December 1995, the idea of reviving the inn was submitted under the leadership of the rector of the neighboring church. A new place for the foundation was 33 acres of land, located on the outskirts of the Dubki park. The idea was supported by a large number of local citizens, abbots and some businessmen.
Architect Bormotov developed a new construction plan based on the samples of the surviving drawings. Work began in 1996, and the church was illuminated a year later. During the construction, many rules of scientific restoration were not observed. The people responsible for the construction did not collect all the necessary and documented approvals. Georgy Polozov, rector of the Church of the Sign in Khovrin, admitted his haste, but said that he would never have finished the work if he had done everything according to the rules of architectural craft.
Restoration of the Church of St. Nicholas at the Straw Gatehouse has become a big deal. Today there is a museum, an open Orthodox sisterhood, and a Sunday school. The parishioners note the pleasant and hospitable atmosphere of this place and the active position of the abbots and monasticism.
Church at the Straw Gatehouse: service schedule
The monastery is located at the address: Moscow, Ivanovskaya street, house number 3. The nearest metro station is "Timiryazevskaya", which is located 400 meters from the entrance to the inn of the Church of St. Nicholas at the Straw Gatehouse. The schedule of work and services can be seen at the main entrance, in addition, all information about this is available on the Global Web.
