Church of St. Nicholas in Klenniki in Moscow

2024 Author: Harold Hamphrey | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 10:06

The Church of St. Nicholas in Klenniki is located at house number 5 on Maroseyka Street, just a few meters from the Kitai-Gorod station. According to the records of 1886-1887, this church officially belonged to the so-called Sretensky magpie and is currently a state-protected architectural monument of the seventeenth-eighteenth centuries.

St. Nicholas the Wonderworker

St. Nicholas, after whom the church of St. Nicholas in Klenniki got its name, is one of the most revered in Christianity. He was born on the territory of modern Turkey, in the city of Patara in the third century. As a small child, Nicholas showed amazing learning abilities, loved solitude and was very pious. Even in his youth, he chose the path of serving the Orthodox Church and was subsequently ordained to the priesthood. During his lifetime, Nicholas became famous for the many miracles that took place throughouthis prayers. In addition, the Saint always defended the innocently condemned. Throughout his life, he sought to come to the call of those in need and provide the necessary assistance.

The history of the appearance of the temple

The Church of St. Nicholas in Klenniki, or rather its history, has more than one century. Back in the middle of the fifteenth century, on the vow of Ivan III, a small "ordinary" wooden church was erected on this site. It was built in honor of saving the Moscow Kremlin from a major fire. The stone church of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker in Klenniki was erected much later, at the beginning of 1657, close to this wooden church. And initially it was referred to as "Nikola in Pancakes". Historians directly attribute this to the large number of bakers who lived in the area at that time and sold pancakes. Almost forty years later, a new throne appeared at the temple. And almost at the same time, "pancakes" was transformed into "klenniki". The latter signifies the location of the church in the maple grove. Since 1771, in all official documents, this religious building has been referred to as the Church of St. Nicholas in Klenniki.

Main stages in the life of the temple

In the eighteenth century, the church suffered twice from great fires, as a result of which it was repeatedly subjected to various restructurings. So, for example, in 1701, simultaneously with the restoration of the destroyed southern side of the temple, they took up the superstructure of the second floor and erected a new one. Kazan chapel. After the fire that occurred in 1749, the facades of the church were partially changed and a three-tier baroque bell tower appeared. During the nineteenth century, the church of St. Nicholas in Klenniki was renovated three more times, and the last time it was in 1894. Thirty-eight years later, the church was closed, decapitated and even partially dismantled. Its main building was given over to the authorities as a warehouse. Subsequently, there were institutions related to the Central Committee of the Komsomol. In early 1990, the church of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker in Klenniki was returned to the Orthodox Church and consecrated. Worship services resumed there. Today, the temple has been completely restored, and the parish library and icon painting school operate under it.

Temple Thrones

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, was consecrated in honor of the widely revered icon of the Mother of God. Lateral extension - in the name of Nicholas of Myra. As for the lower church, one of its altars was consecrated in honor of All the Saints who shone in the Russian land, and the other in honor of Hieromartyr Sergius and Righteous Alexy, who are presbyters of Moscow.