John the Baptist, Baptist, saint, predecessor of Jesus Christ. Adhered to asceticism, lived in the desert and preached sacred baths, which later became known as the rite of baptism. The icons of John the Baptist have a special difference - in the left hand the saint holds a prosperous cross.
Truncation chapter
As a result of the wiles of the Jewish queen Herodias and her daughter Salome, John the Baptist was executed in prison, his head was cut off. Since then, in Russia there has been a feast of the Beheading of John the Baptist, which falls on August 29. In memory of the great fasting John, strict fasting is observed on this day.
The parishes of John the Forerunner especially increased during the reign of Ivan the Terrible, and from the middle of the 16th century temples dedicated to the Holy Baptist of God began to be erected throughout Russia.
Location
The most famous churches and cathedrals of John the Baptist are located in large Russian cities. The following is a list of existing temples:
- Church of the Nativity of John the Baptist in Moscow, Presnya.
- Temple in Kolomenskoye.
- Church of the Beheading of St. John the Baptist in Kaluga.
- Church of the Holy Baptist in Brateevo.
- Church of the Forerunner in Kerch.
- Church of the Baptist in Nizhny Novgorod.
- Church of St. John the Baptist in Kirov.
In addition to these churches, there are many more churches in Russia dedicated to the Holy Baptist.
Church in Moscow
The Church of St. John the Baptist on Presnya was built in the period from 1714 to 1734. In 1804 there was a fire, the fire destroyed the wooden bell tower. The damage to the church was tangible, and the Orthodox diocese of Moscow decided to rebuild the bell tower of stone. It was supposed to build a three-tier structure 25 meters high with a head and a cross. At the same time, the project provided for the entrance to the church through the double Palladian arch, located between the rusticated pylons. The architectural value of the building increased sharply, in Moscow then there was not a single bell tower of this type, except for the huge four-tier belfry of the Kudrinsky Church of the Protection of the Virgin.
Surety of the patron
Architects paid much attention to arranging the refectory of the church. Famous Moscow architect - Shestakov Fedor Mikhailovich joined the project. The refectory and associated annexes were to be built by the fall of 1828. In order to meet the deadlines, a noble parishioner of the church, a state adviser, Ushakov Nikolai Vasilievich vouched for the construction.
During the years of Soviet power, the Church of St. John the Baptist on Presnya did not receive any funds from the state and existed exclusively on donations from parishioners. It was a difficult period both for the church and for the clergy, who remained faithful to the architectural masterpiece.
Recovery
When the post-Soviet period came, the Church of St. John the Baptist on Presnya was repaired again, in the 90s, Father Superior Nikolai initiated restoration work. The roof was completely replaced; all slopes were covered with sheet copper. Gilded the cross on the bell tower, rebuilt the belfry. At the entrance to the church, icons were installed in special niches. The bells sounded again, and the new large bell, brought from afar, rang especially beautifully.
A special decree of the Government of Moscow Church returned a plot of land in 13 acres. Thus, the Church of St. John the Baptist on Presnya was completely reborn. Grateful parishioners are going to cultivate the land in order to receive an ecologically clean crop.
Church in Kolomenskoye
The Church of St. John the Baptist, which is essentially located in the village of Dyakovo, was built in the second half of the 16th century. It is located near the main attraction of Kolomensky - Ascension Church, built in 1534. By its architecture, the Church of the Holy Baptist belongs to the pillar-shaped sacred buildings. Historian scholars suggest that the laying of the church was dedicated to the wedding of the kingdom of Ivan the Terrible (in 1547). Although some experts are inclined to believe that the construction of the temple is associated with the birth of Tsarevich Ivan, who was born in 1554.
In any case, the Church of St. John the Baptist in Kolomenskoye was built, and for some time prayers were served in it for the health of Tsarevich Ivan. Later, the church received parishioners from all over the district, Muscovites and residents of nearby villages.
Unity of styles
The temple is a central octahedron with a height of 35 meters with four tower-shaped aisles adjoining it (each 17 meters high). All five buildings are interconnected by a covered gallery. On the western facade there is a two-tier gallery bearing a belfry, which in its architecture echoes the bell tower of the Dukhovskaya church in Sergiev Posad. The external contours of the peripheral pillars reflect the style of Pskov church architecture.
Update
The Church of St. John the Baptist in Kolomenskoye was radically updated in 1964, reconstruction was carried out in order to restore the original appearance. First of all, fragments of icon-painting plots on the arch of the dome of the main pillar were cleared and finalized. During the restoration work, unique details of the painting were discovered, the significance of which scientists could not explain. Research is still ongoing, but there are no concrete results yet.
Vyatka church
There is a magnificent city of Kirov. The Church of St. John the Baptist is one of the first places in the list of attractions. The church was built in 1711-1723, and this was done bypassing the decree of Peter I, which strictly forbade any stone buildings in Russia, with the exception of St. Petersburg.
The architecture of the temple repeats the canons of sacred architecture, which the builders strictly followed. The lower part was an octagon, this shape was more consistent with wooden churches, and was practically not used in stone buildings. And indeed, at first the church was built of wooden logs, a log house was installed on an earthen rampart near the city gate. This happened in 1711. Then a parish was organized. The Church of St. John the Baptist was consecrated, and it became the most popular place for believers.
Three years later, the priest Luke, together with the church headman Gregory, with the support of the parishioners, decided to build a stone church. The construction continued for a long time, the refectory and the bell tower were ready only at the end of the 20s of the 18th century. On a square base lay the pillar of an octagonal tower with a belfry and a small cupola on a thumping drum. The shape of the upper part of the temple was borrowed from the church of Veliky Ustyug.
Then several times the refectory was redrawn, which seemed dark and not spacious enough. Reconstruction allowed to significantly raise the central nave, due to which there was an opportunity to equip the upper lighting.
During the years of Soviet power, the church lost the eights and upper tiers of the bell chapel, since it was converted into a party archive. Then (starting in 1961) a planetarium was located in the church, where the whole city of Kirov flocked to look at the stars. The Church of St. John the Baptist was returned to believers only in the early 90s of the last century. All the premises had to be renovated and rebuilt in order to restore the church to its original appearance.
Church of St. John the Baptist, Nizhny Novgorod
The oldest Orthodox church of the Arzamas Diocese. Its history goes back to the 16th century.
The church parish has been known since the 15th century as the wooden crate church of John the Baptist at the Nizhny Posad trade.
In 1676, the merchant Dranishnikov Gavriil Stepanovich received the favor of Metropolitan Filaret to erect a stone church with his own money. With construction, he wanted to confirm his adherence to the Orthodox faith, since his wife, along with his son, were unfaithful to her, became Old Believers and retired to the Kerzhensky Monasteries. Having received a building permit, the merchant invested in the project and, despite his illness and poor health, set to work.
In August 1679, the Dranishnikov Gabriel died, but the temple was completed by the efforts of his brother Lawrence. The church was built on a high brick foundation, the premises inside of which were later used to lease a merchant brethren. So the commercial vein of the merchant-builder and this time proved itself. In the creation of the Church of St. John the Baptist, the merchant sought profit.
However, the church was still built. In 1855, the chapel of Alexander Nevsky was added to the temple. Fifteen years later, the bell tower was completely rebuilt. And finally, in 1899 the altar was laid.
Soviet power did not bring anything good to the Church of St. John the Baptist. In 1937, the abbot was shot by order of Beria, the organization DOSAAF was placed in the church.
The Nizhny Novgorod diocese received its property back after the collapse of the USSR, in the 90s of the last century. Services began in 1994, and 10 years later, repair work began in the Church of St. John the Baptist. Multimillion-dollar funds were received thanks to patrons, in particular, the Balakhna PPM made a good contribution. The repairs were carried out quickly enough, in the spring of 2005 three new crosses for the domes were already consecrated, and in August a dome and a cross were installed on the bell tower. It is characteristic that during the repair work the services in the temple did not stop.
Church of St. John in Kaluga
Kaluga Church of St. John the Baptist was originally wooden, made of dry pine. He stood until 1735, when a fire broke out in the city. The church burned to the ground along with the annexes. The sexton managed to make the icon, and he died in the fire. The ashtray was leveled and a stone temple was erected on the site of the burnt church.
Another shock happened in 1956. The city authorities of Kaluga demolished the altar chapel, which overlooked Moskovskaya Street and allegedly interfered with automobile traffic. The parishioners then compared the actions of the city executive committee with the “beheading of the head," by analogy with the fact that John the Baptist himself was also once cut off his head.
In 1995, the temple was finally transferred to the Orthodox diocese of Kaluga. It took three years to restore the masterpiece of church architecture, which is the Church of St. John the Baptist. Kaluga soon celebrated the start of worship. Today, a Sunday school is open at the church.
Church of St. John the Baptist in Kerch
The oldest church building in Russia - the cross-domed church of the Baptist of God John - is located on the Crimean peninsula. The time of construction is determined by the VIII-IX centuries of our era. During the restoration of the church in the masonry were found "voices" - amphoras that made trumpet sounds when the wind was blowing. The temple is made of white stone, interspersed with rows of red bricks. This masonry was characteristic of the Byzantine architectural style.
From 1974 to 1978, the church was restored. It was necessary to strengthen the central dome, damaged by time and seismic vibrations. A hard metal frame was installed inside, and the artists did the same painting on ancient plaster. At the end of the restoration work, a separate exposition of the Kerch Museum of History was opened in the church.
More than six hundred years ago, when the Black and Azov Seas were dominated by the Genoese, and the Kerch Strait bore the name of St. John, the Church of St. John the Baptist became the main pilgrimage site for Orthodox believers. Kerch is considered one of the most religious cities in Crimea. Therefore, today the Moscow Patriarchate is investing heavily in the maintenance of the current church.
Brateevo, the address of the temple
In the Moscow municipal district of Brateevo, in the southeast of the capital, there is the Temple of the Beheading of John the Baptist. The parish has been known since the 16th century, and the stone church in Brateevo, John the Baptist, was built in 1892. The church had two thrones, the main one, the Baptist of God, and the side, Archangel Michael.
Then, for more than half a century, the temple existed on donations from parishioners. During World War II, the church was completely destroyed. Then the long post-war period did not allow to begin the construction of a new church, and only in 1996 the temple in Brateevo, John the Baptist, was restored. Currently, the services in it are in full.
Parishioners are happy to visit the Church of St. John the Baptist. Address in Brateevo: 115563, Moscow, Kashirskoye Shosse, 61A.