In the historic center of Murom, on the high bank of the Oka River, rises the Church of St. Nicholas Naberezhny. Its golden domes and bright yellow façade are visible not only from the side of the river, but also from the city's Oka Garden.
Short story
In accordance with the ancient tradition, the Nikolskaya Church was built near the water, since St. Nicholas the Wonderworker possessed power over the water element, stopping storms and waves with prayer. The people revered Nicholas as the savior of the drowning, the patron saint of those who swim and travel. Also Nikolo-Embankment Church is called the Temple of St. Nicholas the Wet or the Temple of St. Nicholas on the Waters..
Nikolo-Embankment Church against the background of the Oka River and the Murom Bridge
In the days of spring floods, the water almost rises to the walls of the temple, and then the inhabitants of Murom say: "Nikola's feet are wet." Construction of the first wooden church in the name of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker is attributed to Ivan the Terrible, who visited Murom on the eve of the campaign against Kazan.
Nicholas Embankment Church from a bird's eye view
In the middle of the 16th century, opposite the Cathedral of St. Nicholas the Wet stood the courtyard of the sovereigns, and on it were the prince's mansions, upper rooms and tumblers. As "the sovereign's building", the Nikolo-Naberezhnaya church enjoyed the highest favors. So, Tsar Mikhail Fedorovich (1596 - 1645) granted her fishing and beekeeping lands rich in honey and beeswax.
It is not known whether the wooden St. Nicholas Church burned down or fell into disrepair. In the 1710s, the Moscow priest Dmitry Khristoforov began to erect a stone church in memory of his father, who served in the Nikolo-Naberezhnaya church.
In 1707, a blessed letter for construction was received, and in 1714 a carved gilded iconostasis was installed in the new church, in which, along with other icons, were placed images of sibyls (prophetesses), made by the famous Murom icon painter A.I. Kazantsev.
Before the revolution, the church housed an ancient icon "Nicholas the Wonderworker" dating back to the 14th century. Today this miraculous image is kept in Murom History and Art Museum.
Architecture and chapels of the Nikolo-Embankment Church
Nicholas Embankment Church is a rare example of "Peter's Baroque" in the provinces... With its clear lines, restrained decor on a yellow background and round windows in the upper tier of the belfry, it resembles Moscow temples of the early Petrine era. The drums of the heads are decorated with arches and topped with helmet-shaped domes. Beams of columns are installed under the common capital at the corners of the building; the frames of the windows on carved consoles are made of the same columns. The bell tower has a dome rather than a hipped roof.
In 1803, a stone refectory was added to the main building of the church, and the chapel of the Descent of the Holy Spirit was created in it. In 1847, another side-chapel appeared in honor of St. Blasius, the patron saint of animals, since among the benefactors of the church were the Suzdaltsev-Ushakov merchants who trade in cattle. In Russia, they turned to Hieromartyr Blasius for help if a horse suddenly got sick or a calf got lost.
Shrines of the Nicholas Embankment Church
During the years of Soviet power, the Church of St. Nicholas was closed, but in 1991 services were resumed in it.... Pilgrims come here to venerate the relics of St. Juliana of Murom, famous for her pious life and the support of the poor. During the terrible famine under Boris Godunov, when there were cases of cannibalism, Juliana sold all her property to buy bread for the starving.
The relics of this saint need to be prayed for if babies are sick. At the foot of the hill on which the Nikolo-Naberezhnaya church stands, the Nikolsky spring springs. According to legend, Nicholas the Wonderworker himself appeared at this spring several times, so his water is considered healing. Near the church of St. Nicholas the Wet, in a ravine, there is the Chapel of Our Lady "Life-Giving Spring".
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