Many beautiful historical monuments today are ruins. Among them is an abandoned church in Yaropoltsy, Moscow Region. Once it was a large shrine that astounded the parishioners with its rich decoration and sophisticated architecture. Today, the temple looks at the surrounding expanses with broken windows, and its doors are boarded up. But, despite the emergency condition, this attraction deserves attention.
The spiritual center of Yaropolts: past greatness
At the end of the eighteenth century in the village of Yaropolce (modern Volokolamsk district of Moscow region) was the estate of Count Chernyshev. In 1780, by order of the landowner, the construction of the temple was started opposite the front entrance gate to the manor house. The development of the project was personally led by Count Chernov. In 1797, construction was completed, the temple was consecrated in honor of the Kazan Icon of the Mother of God. This church is interesting in terms of architecture. The temple has two symmetrical baroque domes, which is not typical for our country. The temple is rectangular in plan, two apses are attached to its ends - one of them is an altar, and the second is a tomb. The facade and interior are richly decorated with columns and stucco. The abandoned temple in Yaropolets was originally conceived as a tomb church, here Field Marshal Z. G. Chernyshev found eternal peace.
The difficult fate of the shrine
The temple was rebuilt several times, in 1839-1871. a bell tower was built. For an unknown reason, Chernyshev's estate after the 1917 revolution was not turned into a museum. The manor house and neighboring buildings were gradually stolen, the same thing happened with the church. The abandoned temple in Yaropolets was significantly damaged during the Great Patriotic War. A shell hit the building, but it survived. After the war ended, the temple was returned to believers and remained operational until 1966. In the 1970s, the church was reconstructed. After repairing the roof and replacing several columns, the work stopped. Today the temple is in desolation and continues to collapse.
An abandoned temple in Yaropolts: how to get there and is it possible to get a tour?
The shiny plate on the facade of the old temple recalls that the object is protected by the state. Unfortunately, this inscription does not give any protection to the historical shrine. Organized excursions to attractions do not lead. But if you want to look at an unusual church, everyone can.
Let's say your goal is an abandoned temple in Yaropolts. How to get to this attraction? By private car you can drive in less than an hour and a half. Turn off from 63 km of the Moscow Ring Road onto Novorizhskoye Shosse. Continue along the M-9 highway to Volokolamsk. Then follow the signs for Yaropolets. It is more convenient to drive through the center of Volokolamsk and exit along Lenin Street, then drive through Kashino and at the fork after it turn onto Yarolets. By public transport you can get by bus, following the route Moscow - Yarolets from the metro station Tushinskaya.
The future of the ancient temple
The temple of the Kazan Icon of the Mother of God is recognized as a historical landmark of the Moscow Region and is protected at the federal level. Although in fact there is no protection: everyone can get inside a dilapidated church today. Every year the structure is more and more destroyed. Despite the fact that the temple is boarded up and surrounded by a fence, no signs of the beginning of restoration work were noticed. One can only hope that the abandoned church in Yaropoltsi will be noticed by the government or some private investor. And the restoration will begin before this unique object disappears from the face of the earth.