Church of Athanasius and Cyril. Temple of Athanasius and Cyril of the Patriarchs of Alexandria (Resurrection of the Word), which is on Sivtsev Vrazhek Temple of Athanasius and Cyril of Alexandria

Saints Athanasius and Kirill on Sivtsev Vrazhek are mentioned in documentary sources in 1634 as a “new arrival”. However, one of the gravestones in the churchyard has the date 1565, which clearly indicates a much earlier time of the founding of the temple. It is assumed that it stood in the courtyard of the Kirillo-Belozersky Monastery (itself located in the Vologda region).

Initially, like most churches of that time, it was wooden, but already in 1722 there is evidence of a stone church on this site. The remains of old walls indicate that it had five domes.

The year 1812 became significant in the history of the church on Sivtsev Vrazhek. When Napoleon began his march through the Russian lands, a particularly revered shrine was taken from Smolensk to Moscow - the icon of Hodegetria of Smolensk. Athanasius and Kirill found himself on the path of the icon’s march to the Assumption Cathedral of the Kremlin, and for some time it was located here. Only then was the Smolensk Icon of the Mother of God transferred to the Kremlin in a procession of the Cross. This did not save the temple from destruction and desecration by Napoleonic soldiers, but it may have contributed to its speedy restoration. Already on January 2, according to the old style, the chapel of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker was re-consecrated, where services began to be held on major holidays. In 1815 - 1817 Thanks to the generous donation of the daughter of Colonel Praskovya Yushkova, the central part with the main altar in honor of the Savior Not Made by Hands was also restored, setting up a chapel of Athanasius and Cyril, the Patriarchs of Alexandria, in the refectory between the arches.

In 1836, the reconstruction of the Savior Church began, apparently due to dilapidation. The refectory was completely rebuilt in the Empire style, a new bell tower was erected, ending with a high spire, and above the quadrangle there was a large light drum, which did not harmonize well with the refectory and the apses of the aisles. Construction proceeded slowly, despite the fact that donations did not dry out. Even the famous poet Fyodor Tyutchev was one of the benefactors. The consecration of the temple took place only in 1856, and at the request of one of the main donors, the main altar was reconsecrated in honor of the Resurrection of the Word. Now the temple from Spassky has turned into the Resurrection, but parishioners, out of habit, called it the temple of Athanasius and Cyril after one of the side chapels.

By the 1870s, the temple had fallen into disrepair again and required expansion. After collecting donations as a result of the necessary construction work, by the end of the 19th century. has acquired a modern look. The altar apses of all three chapels were aligned in one line.

After the revolution of 1917, services were still held in the Resurrection Church until the early 1930s, but then Church of Saints Athanasius and Cyril on Sivtsev Vrazhek taken away from the believers. It was even supposed to be demolished, but God had mercy. The church building housed either warehouses or various enterprises. In 1970, an electromechanical plant was located here, which, in preparation for the 1980 Olympics, was moved to another location, with the intention of redeveloping the temple into a concert hall for organ music. But these plans were not allowed to come true, and on April 7, 1992, 60 years after its closure, the building was returned to the believers. Already on November 5, 1992, the chapel was again consecrated in honor of Athanasius and Cyril, the Patriarchs of Alexandria, and services began, while carrying out restoration, returning and collecting the shrines of the temple. On September 11, 1993, residents of the area became witnesses, and many also took part, in the procession of the Cross, which returned the main temple icon - Saints Athanasius and Cyril (January 31, New Style) to its original place. In those years, this temple was known to Muscovites and guests of the capital for its rich bookstore, where one could purchase the rarest, and sometimes simply unique, publications.

And only 10 years later - on January 14, 2003, on Candlemas - the main altar of the temple was consecrated, as before, in honor of the Savior, the Image Not Made by Hands. The Nikolsky chapel was consecrated even later - on December 17, 2009.

For some time in 1812, the Smolensk Icon of the Mother of God (also called the Hodegetria of Smolensk) was kept here, but this did not save the temple from destruction by Napoleonic troops. However, through the efforts of the parishioners, and mostly P.P. Yushkova, the temple was restored a few years later. And in 1836, its grandiose reconstruction in the Empire style began.

Most of the funds were allocated for this by the merchant K. S. Bubnov. The boundaries were redone, a new light drum was erected, as well as a refectory and bell tower. Fragments of the foundation and base of the walls remain from the old building of the 17th century.

The temple was consecrated in 1856, and at the request of the philanthropist, the Spassky Throne was renamed in honor of the Resurrection of the Word, after which the temple began to be called Resurrection.

In 1899, the last reconstruction was carried out - the building was expanded, placing the altars of the side chapels in line with the main altar. Now it is a square structure in plan - with three apses, with vaults and stucco decoration. The quadrangle is completed with a domed rotunda on a wide drum. The temple ensemble includes a tetrahedral two-tier bell tower with a high spire and a refectory.

Temple of Athanasius and Cyril Patriarchs of Alexandria, on Sivtsev Vrazhek

One time Temple of Athanasius and Cyril Patriarchs of Alexandria, on Sivtsev Vrazhek, hosted famous Russian writers, philosophers, and historians. Among them are I. S. Turgenev, N. V. Stankevich, the Aksakov family, etc.

In 1932, the temple was closed, and the building housed warehouses and workshops, small enterprises, a hostel, and even an electromechanical plant.

The monastery was restored in 1970, the previously destroyed bell tower was restored. But only in 1992 was it handed over to the Church. In the same year, the chapel of Athanasius and Cyril was consecrated, and in 2003, the chapel of the Resurrection of the Word.

Photo: Church of Athanasius and Cyril, Patriarchs of Alexandria, on Sivtsev Vrazhek

In the center of Moscow, in Filippovsky Lane, there is a temple of Athanasius and Cyril, the Patriarchs of Alexandria, on Sivtsev Vrazhek. The temple has three chapels - the Resurrection of the Word (main), St. Athanasius and Cyril and St. Nicholas, belongs to the Central Deanery of the Moscow City Diocese of the Russian Orthodox Church. What’s interesting is that the temple is not officially named after the main throne. The current building of the temple was built in the middle of the 19th century.

The first wooden church was erected on this site at the beginning of the 16th century. The temple was badly damaged during the Time of Troubles and was not restored for a long time.


In the documents of the Holy Synod for 1722, the temple was already mentioned as a stone one (there are suggestions that the stone temple was built in 1710). During the Patriotic War of 1812, the miraculous Smolensk Icon of the Mother of God ("Hodegetria"), taken from besieged Smolensk, stayed for several days in the Church of Athanasius and Cyril, in preparation for the procession to the Assumption Cathedral of the Kremlin.

In 1816, 4 years after the looting and fire, the chapel was restored and consecrated in the name of St. Athanasius and Cyril, and in 1817 - the central altar in the name of the Savior, the Image Not Made by Hands, and the chapel in the name of St. Nicholas.

From 1836 to 1856, the temple was completely rebuilt in the Empire style and, upon completion of construction, was re-consecrated (moreover, the Spassky throne was re-consecrated in the name of the Resurrection of the Word). At the same time, a bell tower and a refectory were built.

The first photograph found of the temple was taken in 1881:

And this is a photo from Bolshoy Afanasyevsky Lane in 1914 with a view of the church bell tower:

In 1932 the temple was closed. It was supposed to be demolished, but only the bell tower was destroyed. During Soviet times, the building was used for workshops and warehouses.


In the 1970s, restoration began (it was planned to open a concert hall in it) and intermittently it lasted until 1990. In 1976 there was no bell tower yet:

View from Filippovsky Lane in 1983 - the dome of the temple (on the right side of the photo) is hidden behind the trees:

The temple in 1985-1987, when its restoration was underway:

In 1989, the restored bell tower is already visible. The one-story house attached almost to the temple itself no longer exists.

The same angle in 1992 - the restoration is almost complete:

The restored bell tower in our time:

On the day of the Annunciation of the Blessed Virgin Mary, April 7, 1992, the temple was returned to the Russian Orthodox Church. In the same year the chapel of St. Afanasy and Kirill, and in 2003 - the chapel of the Resurrection of the Word.


The temple of Athanasius and Cyril, Patriarchs of Alexandria, is located on Sivtsev Vrazhek at the address: Filippovsky Lane, no. 3. The nearest metro stations: "Arbatskaya" or "Kropotkinskaya".
When writing this article, in addition to my own photographs, photographs of old Moscow from the website were used

1881. Church of St. Athanasius and Cyril, on Sivtsev Vrazhek. From Naydenov's album

The Church of Saints Athanasius and Cyril (Resurrection of the Word) on Sivtsev Vrazhek is located in the Arbat district.

Belongs to the Central Deanery

Address: Filippovsky lane, 3.

The main altar is the Image of the Savior Not Made by Hands; southern - St. Athanasius and Cyril of Alexandria; northern - St. Nicholas of Myra.

From the history:

• Many researchers believe that the church presumably existed from the beginning of the 16th century, since it received ruba. Having suffered greatly during the Time of Troubles, it did not recover for a long time, which is why in 1631, according to the books of the Patriarchal Order, the church was listed as a “new arrival.” In 1657 and 1689 the church was still wooden. The church became a stone church at the beginning of the 18th century; the main altar was consecrated in honor of the Savior, the Image Not Made by Hands; the other chapel is in honor of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker. In 1749, at the request of Lieutenant Pleshcheev, a chapel of Saints Athanasius and Cyril was built in the refectory part of the church, and in documents the temple began to be called “Athanasius-Cyril Church.”
• In 1812, the Smolensk Icon of the Mother of God, taken from Smolensk, was initially placed in the Church of Saints Athanasius and Cyril and from here was transferred to the Assumption Cathedral of the Kremlin.
• The temple, destroyed in 1812, was renovated in 1815-1817 at the expense of the daughter of Colonel Praskovya Petrovna Yushkova.
• In 1836, a thorough reconstruction of the church in the Empire style began: a new bell tower, a refectory and a new light drum were built. The consecration of the renovated temple took place on September 19, 1856, and at the request of the benefactor, honorary citizen Bubnov, the Spassky Throne was renamed the Resurrection Throne. In 1899, in order to expand the temple, the altars of the side chapels were rebuilt, and the building acquired its current appearance.
• Under Soviet rule, the temple was closed in 1932, and its building housed warehouses, various small enterprises, an electromechanical plant, and dormitories. In the 1970s, partial restoration of the building began, since it was planned to open a concert hall with an organ.
• In 1991, a decision was made to return the temple to believers, which was carried out on April 7, 1992. It was decided to re-consecrate the main altar in the name of the Image Not Made by Hands, but first, on November 5, 1992, the chapel of Saints Athanasius and Cyril was consecrated. On September 11, 1993, the main temple icon of Saints Athanasius and Cyril was returned from the Church of the Resurrection of the Word on Arbat. The main altar was consecrated on January 14, 2003, Nikolsky on December 17, 2009.
• March 4, 2017 - Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Rus' performed the rite of great consecration of the temple

Abbots:

• from 1991 -