Spiritual developmentChristianity

Church of Michael the Archangel (Yaroslavl): address, history, photo

On the bank of the Volga, where the Kotorosl River flows into it, the ancient Russian city of Yaroslavl is situated, which has been famous for its holy places since ancient times, one of which is the church of the Archangel Michael, which stands near the walls of the Transfiguration Monastery. Built in honor of the leader of the Heavenly Host, today, as in previous years, it serves as a place of spiritual nourishment for the defenders of Russia.

Church in the name of the patron of the warriors

About who and when was built the church of Michael the Archangel (Yaroslavl), whose history is inseparable from the military glory of Russia, narrates the ancient chronicles and church archives that have come down to us from times past. Among other documents there is a charter, drawn up in 1530. It tells how the Novgorod prince Constantine ordered to lay in Yaroslavl two churches, one of which was the Assumption Cathedral, and the second he dedicated the patron of military people, from whom then (and now) depended not only on well-being, but the very life of Russians of people.

This information allows us to establish with high accuracy that the church of Michael the Archangel (Yaroslavl) was built in 1215, as the exact date of construction of the Assumption Cathedral, erected simultaneously with it, is known from the archives. It is clear from the same sources that at the end of eighty years it was quite dilapidated, since it was built of wood - a material known to be short-lived, and was rebuilt anew in stone by the order of Princess Anna, the wife of the Yaroslavl specific prince Fyodor the Black.

Granddaughter of the Byzantine Emperor

It is curious that this Yaroslavl prince and his wife are mentioned in the annals in connection with one very romantic story. The fact is that Black - this is not the name of the prince, but his nickname, derived from the Slavic word "black", which means - "beautiful." Indeed, there is evidence that he was a man of extraordinary beauty, which was immediately noticed by the wife of the Tatar khan Nogaya, whom the prince once visited.

Having fallen in love with a handsome Rusica at first sight, she, nevertheless, understood that she was threatening both of them if her husband had even the slightest occasion for jealousy. Therefore, not being able to give him love, she gave his daughter, named in the holy baptism of Anna, for him, with whom the prince forever found a particle of her heart. It should be added that the wife of the khan was the daughter of the Byzantine emperor Michael VIII of Palaeologus and, undoubtedly, was of a subtle kind. Here is her daughter, the granddaughter of the Byzantine emperor, who became a handsome prince a faithful companion, and ordered to rebuild the church of Michael the Archangel (Yaroslavl).

Memory of the father and sorrow for the stepson

On the question of why the princess, erecting the church, dedicated it to Michael Archangel, historians have divided opinions. Some explain this by the desire to perpetuate the memory of his father, who bore the name of Michael, others tend to see in that sorrow the untimely dead beloved stepchild Michael - the son of Prince Feodor from his first wife.

Since those ancient times several icons have come down to us, which after a long break again returned to the church of Michael the Archangel (Yaroslavl). A photo of one of them - the Kazan Icon of the Mother of God - is presented in the article. In addition, the most revered shrines of the temple are: the image of Archangel Michael, seized in the thirties and then placed in the Tretyakov Gallery, and the icon of St. Anthony the Great, written by an unknown master of the Novgorod school in the early 14th century.

Garrison church

After accession to the throne in 1645, Tsar Alexis Mikhailovich all the surrounding territory was given to the settlements of the Streltsi, and the Church of Michael the Archangel (Yaroslavl) became their garrison church, since the saint, after whom she was consecrated, was considered the patron saint of military people. This status, being preserved for it for centuries, has come down to our days. At the same time, being at the disposal of the military department, it was thoroughly repaired and partially rebuilt.

However, if you look at the documents, it's easy to see that the Yaroslavl voivods in fact turned out to be rather sparse, and the sovereigns did not rush to shell out. From the transfer of the temple to the military department was a lot of honor, but money for repairs did not appear. It was necessary for the Yaroslavl merchants to give pleasure to the splendor of the garrison church and to ease their taut pockets.

For all the delay, the repair stretched out for many years and was completed only in the eighties of the XVII century, after the accession to the throne of Peter the Great, during the reign of which many wars were waged, and the patronage of Archangel Michael was actual.

The shape of the military temple

Such a long period of repair of the church has left its mark on its appearance. Over the years, the architectural fashion has changed, and with it the tastes of the merchant who paid for the work, and accordingly dictated their demands to the architects. As a result, a meticulous look can reveal in her features traces of several styles that have replaced each other in that era.

According to its layout, the Church of the Archangel Michael (Yaroslavl), whose old photos have survived to this day and give an idea of how it looked before, does not go beyond the traditions that once existed in the Volga cities. It is based on an unchanging quadrilateral, completed with three apses - rounded projections of the building, inside which there are altar spaces.

Traditional is the high podklet - the lower floor of the building, intended for household needs, and in the large trading cities, which was always Yaroslavl, often used to store goods - the good is the market has always been close. Never did the loving merchantry, caring for the soul, forget about the mammon.

Facade, bell tower and internal painting

Church bell tower - an integral part of any temple complex - is made in accordance with the tastes of customers who paid for its construction. This is a rather squat, heavy structure with a tent-like completion. Particularly pleasing to the eye is the decoration of the facade, richly decorated with carved window frames and so-called flyers - rectangular recesses, in which colorful colored tiles are placed. The Church of Michael the Archangel (Yaroslavl) is a three-table church. In addition to the main limit, there are two more, one of which, dedicated to the Solovetian saints miracle workers, is crowned with an elegant turret.

The undoubted landmark of the church are frescoes, made in 1731 by the Novgorod icon painters' team, led by the famous master Fedor Fedorov. Their work has many very characteristic features that distinguish them from the works of other artists. The main of them is a certain simplicity of the transmission of images, to some extent related to them with Russian lubok. The works of these masters are full of life and colors, very harmoniously combined with the architecture of the church and its interior decoration.

Years of ruin and gloom

When in 1917 the Bolsheviks seized power in the country, the church of Michael the Archangel (Yaroslavl), like most Russian churches, was closed and a warehouse was built in its premises. With the exception of a small number of items of interior decoration, transferred to the museums of the country, all values were plundered, and what, in the opinion of the new owners of life, was not of interest-it was simply destroyed. Bells, several centuries called for the prayer of pious Yaroslavl people, were removed and sent for remelting.

Only in the sixties, as a result of the great work done by the representatives of the urban intelligentsia, it was possible to get the church building transferred to the local museum of local lore, which greatly improved its position and allowed to start the restoration of the facade. But for many years among the city temple buildings used for needs far from religion, there was the church of Michael the Archangel (Yaroslavl). Divine services were not held here until the beginning of the nineties of the last century, which became the boundary of the era of total atheism.

Waiting for the God-loving donors

Despite the fact that the Moscow Patriarchate, along with other city churches, has also transferred the temple of Archangel Michael (Yaroslavl), the schedule of services can still be seen only on the doors of the winter church, attached to the main building and being part of the overall complex. The main building still awaits voluntary donors, ready to make their financial contribution to the cause of the restoration of the shrine. In all ages Russian land was famous for their abundance. It remains to be hoped that they have not been extinct in our days, and one day the Church of Michael the Archangel (Yaroslavl) will fully revive its religious life. Address for those who want to see it with their own eyes: Yaroslavl, Pervomaiskaya Str. 67.

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