Church of St. Nicholas in Klenniki is located in house number 5 on Maroseyka street, just a few meters from the Kitay-Gorod station. This church, according to records from 1886-1887, officially belonged to the so-called Sretensky magpie and is currently a state-protected architectural monument of the seventeenth to eighteenth centuries.
Saint Nicholas the Wonderworker
St. Nicholas, in whose honor St. Nicholas Church in Klenniki got his name, is one of the most revered in Christianity. He was born in the territory of modern Turkey, in the city of Patara in the third century. As a young child, Nicholas showed amazing learning abilities, loved solitude and was very pious. Even in his youth, he chose the path of ministry of the Orthodox Church and was subsequently ordained to the priesthood. During his life, Nicholas became famous for the many miracles that happened through his prayers. In addition, the saint always defended the innocently convicted. Throughout his life, he sought to appear at the call of the needy and provide the necessary assistance.
The history of the temple
The Church of St. Nicholas in Klenniki, or rather its history, goes back many centuries. As early as the middle of the fifteenth century, according to the vow of Ivan III, a small “ordinary” wooden church was erected at this place. It was built in honor of the salvation of the Moscow Kremlin from a major fire. The stone church of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker in Klenniki was erected much later, in early 1657, close to this wooden church. And originally it was referred to as "Nikola in the Pancakes." Historians directly attribute this to the large number of bakers who at that time lived in the area and traded pancakes. After almost forty years, a new throne appeared at the temple. And almost at the same time, “pancakes” transformed into “maples”. The latter indicates the location of the church in a
maple grove. Since 1771, in all official documents, this religious building is referred to as the Church of St. Nicholas in Klenniki.
The main stages in the life of the temple
In the eighteenth century, the church was hit twice by large fires, and as a result, it was subjected to various reconstructions several times. So, for example, in 1701, at the same time as the restoration of the destroyed southern side of the temple, they began to build on the second floor and erected a new Kazan chapel. After a fire in 1749, the facades of the church were partially changed and a three-tier bell tower of the Baroque type appeared. During the nineteenth century, the church of St. Nicholas in Klenniki was updated three more times, and the last time it was in 1894. Thirty-eight years later, the church was closed, beheaded and even partially dismantled. The authorities gave her main building under the warehouse. Subsequently, there were institutions related to the Komsomol Central Committee. In early 1990, the church of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker in Klenniki was returned to the Orthodox Church and consecrated. It resumed worship. Today the temple is completely restored, and with it the parish library and icon painting school work.
Thrones of the temple
The main shrines of the church in Klenniki are the image of the Mother of God "Feodorovskaya" and the ark with the relics of the righteous Alexy. The main throne, which is located in the upper church of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker, is consecrated in honor of the widely revered icon of the Mother of God. Side extension - in the name of Nicholas of Myra. As for the lower church, one of its thrones was consecrated in honor of All Saints who shone in the Russian land, and the other - in honor of the holy martyr Sergius and the righteous Alexy, who are the presbyters of Moscow.