Address: Russia, Yaroslavl region, Yaroslavl, Deputatsky lane, 4
First mention: 1636 year
Start of construction: 1891 year
Completion of construction: 1895 year
Coordinates: 57 ° 37'30.7 "N 39 ° 53'19.7" E
Content:
Everyone who comes to the ancient Russian city rarely ignores this architectural landmark. Sretensky temple stands in the very center of Yaroslavl, in a short pedestrian Deputatsky lane, which was previously named after Sretensky by the name of the church. The dome directed towards the sky is clearly visible among the dense buildings. And the beauty of the unique brickwork imitating patterned stucco molding attracts many pilgrims and tourists to the temple.
History of the Church of the Presentation of the Lord
A wooden church dedicated to the Christian feast of the Presentation stood in Yaroslavl for a very long time. For believers, the Meeting has always been a revered celebration. This day in the history of Christianity marks the landmark meeting of the Mother of God and the baby Jesus with the righteous Jerusalem resident Simeon the God-receiver. It happened on the fortieth day after the birth of Christ and is described in the Gospel of Luke. The popular holiday, celebrated in February, had another meaning among the people. It was considered the border between winter and spring and symbolized the change of two seasons.
View of the Church of the Presentation of the Lord from Deputatsky Lane
For the first time, the Yaroslavl wooden church is mentioned in the city's census books, compiled in the first half of the 17th century (in 1636 and 1646). The place where it was located was very good. The temple was located in the city center, next to noisy shopping malls.
Cities and villages grew rich, and the times came when the Rostov Metropolitan Iona Sysoevich, known throughout Russia, initiated the beginning of stone construction in his diocese. In 1685, Yaroslavl architects erected a two-story building of the Sretensky Church with a side-altar dedicated to the Byzantine saint of the 8th century, Archbishop Stefan of Surozh. This became possible thanks to the money of a wealthy merchant from Yaroslavl, Pavel Yakimovich Denisovsky. As it was then customary to say, the church appeared on his "dependency".
Next to its western facade there was a warm temple, consecrated in honor of the feast of the Sign of the Mother of God. The exact date of its construction is not known. Both churches - cold and warm - were single-domed, had brick floors and whitewashed walls. The roofs of the churches were covered with boards, and the heads were covered with more expensive ceramic tiles. There were no internal paintings in them yet. Around almost a whole block, a green park was laid out, so the temples were visible from afar. However, Yaroslavl was upset, and in 1815 new merchant houses were built almost close to the church.
According to the documents, in 1819 the warm Znamenskaya church was dismantled. And in its place a new one was built, which adjoined the porch of the cold church with a wall. At the same time, a new refectory and an altar appeared at the temple.
At the same time, a beautiful wooden carved iconostasis was made for the Sretenskaya Church. It is known that these works of art were made by Kuzma Gavrilovich Stolarev, a tradesman from Yaroslavl. A year later, the new iconostasis was gilded by Aleksey Mikhailovich Shitikov, a tradesman from Vologda. At the same time, they began to work on interior painting. The Royal Doors were painted by Semyon Stepanovich Zavyazoshnikov, and the wall frescoes were made by the local master Fyodor Vasilyevich Banshchikov.
The Sretensky temple was completely rebuilt twice. The first time this happened was in 1833. The significantly dilapidated church was made one-story, at the same time combining cold and warm temples into a single architectural ensemble. At the same time, the Sourozh side-altar was already equipped in a heated church.
The second restructuring took place at the end of the 19th century and was led by the Russian architect and restorer Nikolai Ivanovich Pozdeev. She gave the iconic building the monumentality characteristic of all Orthodox art. Not only the internal premises, but also the facades of the church underwent a major alteration. They were decorated with brick ornaments in the style of Russian ornamentation.
In 1896, another altar dedicated to the healer Panteleimon was consecrated in the Sretensky Church. These works were sponsored by a wealthy Yaroslavl businessman Ivan Nikolaevich Dunaev, a hereditary owner of a large tobacco production.
Bell tower of the Church of the Presentation of the Lord
The church once housed a brick chapel. Initially, it was adjacent to a warm temple. And during the alterations under the leadership of Pozdeev, the chapel was moved to the northern part of the church fence. It is known that the Sretensky temple also had an excellent bell ensemble. It housed 18 bells of various sizes and weights, from the largest (the so-called evangelist) weighing more than 350 poods to a small ringing bell weighing only 1 pood.
The talent of the architects who built the Sretenskaya Church was also manifested in the fact that the temple was famous for its excellent acoustics. That is why the famous Russian clergyman, church composer and master of sacred music Vasily Nikolaevich Zinoviev created a singing chapel in it, which existed here from 1918 to 1925. In the same church on March 30, 1925, a funeral service for Fr. Vasily.
During the struggle of the Soviet regime with religion, in 1929, the Sretenskaya church was closed, and services were no longer held in it. At first, a club was located here, then the building was given for storage facilities and a bakery, and later for sewing shops. In 1931, the temple was miraculously not destroyed, although the authorities' decree to blow up the church had already been signed. For six and a half decades, without proper maintenance, the building and the metal fence were badly destroyed. And one of the chapters was lost.
Church gate
In 1994, the church was transferred to the parish community, and its condition was deplorable. Gradually, with the help of professional restorers and volunteers, the interiors were put in order, and the lost chapter was recreated. The parishioners dismantled the floors built in the Soviet years and took out several cars with garbage. The power supply was restored in the temple, a heating system was installed and a newly made iconostasis was installed. The Yaroslavl mayor's office helped financially to restore the church. Thanks to the efforts of many people, the Sretensky temple has changed beyond recognition.
The church remained in the history of cinematography. She appears in the stills of the feature film Late Flowers, based on the novel of the same name by A.P. Chekhov in 1969, as well as in the film "The Scavenger" (2001).
Architecture and interior decoration of the Church of the Presentation of the Lord
The tent-roofed temple with a chapel and a fence was built in the architectural style of retrospectiveism. His tent, soaring high into the sky, is the architectural dominant of the historical center of Yaroslavl to this day.
The Sretensky temple is distinguished by an abundance of decorative decoration of the facades. The brickwork, made with masterly craftsmanship, skillfully imitates stucco molding and is an excellent example of the pseudo-Russian style. The temple fence facing Deputatsky lane is no less interestingly decorated. Thanks to the luxurious decor, which uses the motives of Russian architecture of the 17th century, the church looks elegant and solemn. However, today there is an acute problem of restoration of church facades and restoration of the domes of the temple. And the parish community diligently collects money for this.
Church fence
The current state of the temple and the visiting regime
The Sretenskaya Church is active, and services are held in it every day - in the morning and in the evening. On weekdays - at 8.00 and 17.00, on Saturdays and Sundays - at 8.00 and 16.00. The temple enjoys a special love among Yaroslavl residents and is considered one of the most visited in the city. Two temple holidays are celebrated here - the Presentation of the Lord and the day of the blessed Matrona of Moscow.
How to get to the Church of the Presentation of the Lord
Sretenskaya Church is located in the city center (4 Deputatsky Lane).
By car. The federal highway M8 leads from Moscow to Yaroslavl. Within the city limits, it is called Moskovsky Prospekt. On it you need to cross the Korotosl River, and after 0.5 km - turn right onto Deputatsky Lane, where the temple is located.
By train. From Moscow to Yaroslavl, express train trains reach in 3 hours 16 minutes. The journey by regular train takes from 4 to 5.5 hours. From Moskovsky Train Station in Yaroslavl, the distance to Sretenskaya Church is 3.1 km. You can walk to it or take a taxi.
