Church of the Nativity? The Blessed Virgin Mary on Kuli?shkakh (on Strelka) is an Orthodox church of the Intercession Deanery of the Moscow diocese.
The temple is located in the Tagansky district, the Central Administrative District of Moscow. The main altar was consecrated in honor of the feast of the Nativity of the Most Holy Theotokos; aisles in honor of the holy Apostle John the Theologian, in honor of the holy great martyr Demetrius of Thessalonica.
Since 1996, it has been the Patriarchal Alanian Compound. The service in the temple is performed in Church Slavonic and Ossetian languages.
The Church of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary is located in the historical district of Moscow, which used to be called Kulishki. "Kulishki" (more correctly, kulizhki) is an old Russian word, interpreted by various sources in different ways. Among the options for meanings, you can find a marshy swampy place, and a forest after chopping. The ancient district of Kulishki was located at the confluence of the Moscow River and the Yauza. Currently, this is the Solyanka area with adjacent lanes to Yauzsky Boulevard and the Yauza embankment and the entire territory of the former Orphanage.
The church is located on the arrow formed by Podkolokolny Lane and Solyanka. Apparently, Podkolokolny Lane got its name from the bell tower, from which it starts and goes towards Khitrovskaya Square.
In 1547, a wooden church of the Nativity of the Virgin on Kulishki (on the Strelka) was mentioned at this place - at the fork of two ancient roads - in Zayauzie (Solyanka Street; the former Bolshaya Kolomna road, reaching Kolomna on the Oka and further going to the Ryazan principality), and in the grand-ducal village of Vorontsovo on the Vorontsovo field (Podkolokolny lane).
In connection with the location of the church building at the gathering place of the all-Russian army on the Vasilyevsky meadow before the march to Kulikovo field and the dedication of the main throne to the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary, the famous historian and archivist of the early XIX century A.F. the construction of a wooden temple on this site with the perpetuation of the memory of Russian soldiers who fell in the Battle of the Don on September 8, 1380. Since his work was first published only in 1992, this important information remained completely unnoticed for almost 170 years.
In 1600, a brick church was built on the site of a wooden church.
The current building of the Nativity Church in the style of mature classicism was built according to the project of the architect D. Balashov (according to other sources - the brother of V.I. Bazhenov - Dmitry Bazhenov) in 1803-1804 on the site of the old one, with a bell tower and a refectory, rebuilt in 1801-1802 .
The temple was badly damaged during the fire of 1812: the fire destroyed the rotunda, the silver salaries of icons, crowns, lamps, clothes, antimensions were stolen.
The sacristy of the church was built in 1880 according to the project of the architect VN Karneev.
The temple was closed in 1935, decapitated, but survived. In Soviet times, the church building housed: a sculptural workshop, Lesproekt, an X-ray and radiological institute, medical institutions, a beauty salon.
In 1991, he was returned to the Russian Orthodox Church, worship was resumed.
In 1996, with the blessing of Patriarch Alexy II of Moscow and All Russia, the Church of the Nativity of the Most Holy Theotokos on Kulishki was transferred to the Moscow Ossetian community and became known as the Alan Compound.
In 2007, hegumen George (Bestaev) became rector of the Church of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary on Kulishki. He came to Moscow from the monastery of the Holy Trinity St. Sergius Lavra, where for the last 8 years he served as a skete leader in the church of St. Equal-to-the-Apostles Mary Magdalene in the village of Loza.
In the winter of 2008, the temple and the bell tower were covered with scaffolding - repair and restoration work began.
In 2009, the gilded completion of the bell tower was restored and a cross was installed.
Pilgrimage to the Church of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary on Kulishki
Photo: Church of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin on Kulishki
Photo and description
The first wooden church on the site of the current Church of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary on Kulishki was known from the first half of the 16th century. The church was built in the place where the Russian army gathered before, under the command of Prince Dmitry Donskoy, to go to the Battle of Kulikovo with the army of the Horde temnik Mamai.
This area was called Kulishki, because, apparently, at that time it was the land left after felling the forest, destined for arable land. Kulishki were located at the confluence of two rivers - Moscow and Yauza, and now Solyanka Street passes here, on which the temple stands. All Moscow streets, whose names come from the word "salt", received them because of their proximity to the Salt Fish Yard, built in the 16th-17th centuries. In addition, the temple stood at the confluence of two roads - to Vorontsovo and Zayauzie.
During its history, the temple burned twice in a big way. This happened for the first time in 1547, and after that fire, by the beginning of the 17th century, the temple building was rebuilt in brick. The second fire occurred during the Patriotic War of 1812, but before the fire it was run by Napoleonic soldiers, who took out all the utensils and valuables. The temple building, built quite recently, at the beginning of the 19th century, was partially damaged then - its rotunda burned down.
In the 1930s the church was closed. After the demolition of the heads of the building, it housed institutions of various profiles: from a sculptor's workshop to a beauty salon. In the 1990s, divine services in the temple were resumed, and it was handed over to the Ossetian community - so the temple became the Alan Compound, and divine services are also held in the Ossetian language. At the beginning of this century, restoration work was carried out in the building, and in 2010, a monument by Zurab Tsereteli "In memory of the victims of Beslan" was erected near the Church of the Nativity of the Virgin. The building of the temple is an object of cultural heritage of the Russian Federation.
Address: st. Solyanka, 5/2
How to get to the Church of the Nativity of the Virgin on Strelka: st. Metro Kitai-Gorod
The very first wooden church of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary on the Strelka (Kulishki) was built in 1547 in the White City at the fork (arrow) of major roads, one of which led to Zayauzye, and the second to the grand princely village of Vorontsovo. Now it is a fork of Solyanka Street and Podkolokolny Lane in the Tagansky District of Moscow. This area in the old days was called Kulishki, or Kulizhki - according to one of the versions that interpret this word, glades cleared from the forest were called Kulizhki. The Kulishki district in the past was at the confluence of the Yauza with the Moscow River, and now it is the Solyanka, the lanes adjacent to it up to the Yauzsky Boulevard and the embankment, as well as the site on which the former Orphanage is located.
In 1600, the wooden building of the church was replaced with a brick one. The main throne of the temple was consecrated in honor of the Nativity of the Virgin. The first chapel of the Nativity Church was built in honor of the Apostle John the Theologian (1722), and the second in honor of Dmitry Rostov (1763-1858). In 1858, the chapel of Dmitry of Rostov was re-consecrated in honor of the Great Martyr Dmitry of Thessalonica.
In 1800-1802, according to the project of the architect D. Balashov, a refectory with a bell tower was added. And in 1803-1804, the same architect (according to another version - Dmitry Bazhenov), instead of the old church, built a new one, in the style of mature classicism, which has survived to this day. The Church of the Nativity of the Virgin on Strelka was significantly damaged during the Moscow fire of 1812, so in 1821 it was partially rebuilt. In 1880, a sacristy appeared near the Nativity Church, which was built according to the project of the architect V. Karneev.
Unlike many churches, the Church of the Nativity of the Virgin on Strelka operated for a long time after the 1917 revolution. Only in 1935 the church was closed and beheaded, but the building itself was not destroyed. For several decades, various institutions were located here, including: a sculptural workshop, Lesproekt, an X-ray and radiological institute, and even a beauty salon. During this time, the interior of the church was completely rebuilt.
In 1991, the temple was returned to the Russian Orthodox Church, and on the feast of the Nativity of Christ in 1992, after a long break, the first service was held here, which was held in Church Slavonic and Alan (Ossetian) languages (the church is in use by the Ossetian diaspora in Moscow).
At the beginning of 2008, the church and the bell tower of the Church of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary on Strelka were restored.
History reference:
1547 - the first wooden church of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary was built on Strelka (Kulishki)
1600 - the wooden building of the church was replaced with a brick one
1722 - a chapel was built in honor of the Apostle John the Theologian
1763 - a chapel in honor of Dmitry Rostovsky was equipped
1800 - 1802 - according to the project of the architect D. Balashov, a refectory with a bell tower was added
1821 - the Church of the Nativity on Strelka was partially rebuilt
1858 - the chapel of Dmitry of Rostov was re-consecrated in honor of the Great Martyr Dmitry of Thessalonica
1880 - a sacristy was added to the Church of the Nativity, designed by architect V. Karneev
1935 - the church was closed and beheaded
1991 - the temple was returned to the Russian Orthodox Church
1992 - after a long break, the first service was held here
The main building was built in 1712 (according to other sources of 1773) at the fork of two important country roads - in Zayauzye and in the village. Vorontsovo in the White City (now the fork of Solyanka St. and Podkolokolny Lane) on Kulishki (more precisely, "kulizhki" - cleared glades in the middle of the forest). Erected on the site of the temple in 1600 (it was preceded by a temple known since 1547). The current building in the style of mature classicism was built according to the project of the architect D. Balashov (according to other sources - the brother of V.I. Bazhenov - Dmitry Bazhenov) in 1803-1804. on the site of the old one, at the bell tower and the refectory, rebuilt in 1801-1802. After a fire in 1812, it was partially rebuilt in 1821. Significantly renovated in 1863 and 1891. The sacristy of the church was built in 1880 according to the project of the architect V.N. Karneev.
The architectural appearance was influenced by the transition from late baroque to early classicism. The main building is cross-domed (in plan - in the form of an equal cross) with a low smooth dome. The refectory is built on a triangular plan with rounded corners and Tuscan pilastered porticos on the facades facing the street and the alley. The recesses between the temple and the refectory were built up after 1850. The bell tower is three-tiered.
The main altar of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary. Aisles: St. an. John the Theologian (1722, rebuilt in 1801-02 and 1858), St. Demetrius of Rostov (1763, rebuilt in 1801-02, reconsecrated in 1858 in the name of the Great Martyr Demetrius of Thessalonica).
In connection with the location of the church building at the gathering place of the all-Russian army on the Vasilyevsky meadow before the march to Kulikovo field and the dedication of the main throne to the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary, the famous historian and archivist of the early 19th century A.F. Malinovsky, in his fundamental manuscript work “Overview of Moscow”, connected the initial construction of a wooden church on this site with the perpetuation of the memory of Russian soldiers who fell at the Battle of the Don on September 8, 1380. Since his work was first published only in 1992, this important information remained completely unnoticed for almost 170 years.
The temple was closed in 1935, beheaded, but survived. In Soviet times, the church building housed: a sculptural workshop, Lesproekt, an X-ray and radiological institute, medical institutions, a beauty salon. The completion of the temple and the bell tower were dismantled. The inside of the building has been completely rebuilt.
In 1991, he was returned to the Russian Orthodox Church, and divine services were resumed. In 1996, with the blessing of His Holiness Patriarch Alexy II of Moscow and All Russia, the Church of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary on Kulishki was transferred to the Moscow Ossetian community and became known as the Alan Compound. The Council of the Moscow Ossetian community and the Permanent Mission of the Republic of North Ossetia-Alania formed a working group for the revival of the temple. A monument to the victims of Beslan was erected in front of the temple.
Information from http://www.patriarchia.ru/db/text/276112.html and from Wikipedia
Church of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin on Kulishki, on the Strelka (Solyanka Street, house number 5/2).
The temple appeared in the ancient part of Moscow, at the fork of two roads along Solyanka Street and Podkolokolenny Lane. Therefore, they began to call him "on the Strelka". His other nickname "on Kulishki" means that he was in an area with forest areas cut down for arable land. A wooden temple has been known here since the middle of the 16th century. In 1600, a new church building was built, which was rebuilt in 1712 (according to other sources - in 1773). In 1800-1802. according to the project of architect Dmitry Balashev, a warm refectory and a three-tiered bell tower were built. In the refectory, aisles of the Apostle John the Theologian and St. Demetrius of Rostov were arranged. The cold summer Nativity Church was built on the site of the demolished in 1803-1804. Its majestic and balanced classical forms were of great importance for urban planning, echoing the buildings of the monumental Orphanage. In 1880, two small sacristy rooms were added symmetrically to the church. The main iconostasis was four-tiered, gilded and decorated with golden carvings. In the aisles there were three-tiered iconostases. In plan, the building is an equilateral cross. Its rectangular volume is crowned with a flat dome. The facades of the triangular refectory, oriented along the red line of Solyanka and Podkolokolny Lane, are decorated with pilasters and Tuscan porticos.
The temple was closed in 1935 and gradually turned into a four-story building with many cell rooms, destroying all the interior decoration and wall paintings. In 1991, the first divine service was held in the mutilated church, and a long and difficult work began to restore the church in its former form. Now it has been transferred to the use of the Alanian (Ossetian) diaspora of Moscow. Since 1992, worship has been conducted here in two languages - Church Slavonic and Alan.
Mikhail Vostryshev "Orthodox Moscow. All churches and chapels".