Where is the Georgian church in Moscow?

The Church of St. George the Victorious is one of the inconspicuous sights of Moscow. She is avoided by sightseeing tours around the capital. Not all the city's natives know where the Georgian church is in Moscow. Nevertheless, it exists. And this is not just a temple, many in Moscow. This is a real little corner of Georgia.

In addition, the church has a very interesting history. Yes, and its interiors, like appearance, are worth visiting this temple. And if you are a believer, you will be interested to learn that the church has the status of a patriarchal metochion that is connected by Christian ties with the Seraphim-Znamensky monastery, the cathedral of the Kazan Icon of the Mother of God in the village of Puchkovo and the chapel of the Virgin Mary of Iversk.

Georgian Church in Moscow: how to get there

This temple is located in the central part of the Russian capital, on Presnya. The exact address of the church is Bolshaya Gruzinskaya Street, house 13. As you can see, the spirit of Iberia is present in the names of places. There are also the Malaya Gruzinskaya and the Georgian Val streets. And also the alley and square of the same name. Why such an abundance of Georgian streets? This we will discuss below. In the meantime, we will make it clear: many people think that there is a Georgian church in Moscow on Malaya Gruzinskaya Street. But this is not so. Just on Malaya Gruzinskaya there is a spectacular Roman Catholic temple of the Immaculate Conception of the Virgin Mary. It is built in the Neo-Gothic style and seems to be a corner of Western Europe in the center of the Russian capital, misleading some citizens.

Now back to the Georgian church of St. George the Victorious. Getting to it is extremely easy. You can get off the metro at the station "Barrikadnaya" and from there move on foot or drive up trolleybus No. 66. An even simpler version of the way to the temple is from the station. Metro station Krasnopresnenskaya. Go for ten minutes, constantly moving along the fence of the zoo.

Historical facts

Now it's time to figure out the reason for the so often encountered Georgian street names in the area. For this we need to make a little historical digression. In the first quarter of the eighteenth century, Turkey attacked Georgia. Tsar, Vakhtang Levanovich Six, in 1725 came to Moscow to ask for intercession with the Emperor of Russia Peter II. The Georgian monarch arrived not alone. He was accompanied not only by the sons of Bakar and George, but also by numerous retinue. In 1729, Peter II granted Vakhtang Levanovich a sovereign court, which was located on the river Presnya. Then, on the site of the palace of the Georgian king, the merchant V. Gorbunov built a house. In this mansion in the 70 years of the twentieth century was the embassy of Germany. Now Zurab Tsereteli's workshop is in the house.

Well, the retinue of the Georgian king settled near his sovereign. So, for several years in Moscow a fairly large diaspora has formed. So big that the whole area on Presnya was called simply - "Georgians". That is why the Shota Rustaveli monument was erected here, in St. George Square. But the Georgian church in Moscow appeared, of course, much earlier than the monument to the poet of the twelfth century.

History of the temple

The Diaspora from Iberia needed a place to worship. The son of Vakhtang, the Tsarevich George, allocated money for the construction of the temple. The place in the village under the sacral structure was not chosen by chance. After all, there was previously an Orthodox church dedicated to the evangelist John. But this temple burned down. And in its place the Georgian community erected a new wooden church. Already in April 1750 the temple was consecrated by the Georgian archbishop who lived in Russia, Joseph. This church stood for almost thirty years. But wooden structures too often fall prey to fire. The fate of the "Temple on the Georgians" did not escape this fate. The community decided to rebuild it in stone.

The new Georgian church in Moscow began to be built in the autumn of 1788, nine years after the fire. It was necessary to write a petition to the Metropolitan of the Russian Orthodox Church Platon (Levshin) for permission to build a church. In 1870 a bell tower was erected.

The newest history of the church

At the end of the XIX century (1895-1899) the Georgian church in Moscow was completely rebuilt. Architect V. Sretensky enlarged the temple in size and gave it the appearance of a Byzantine basilica. This new structure was organically adjacent to the old building on the east side. With the advent of Soviet power, difficult times have come for the church. In 1922, all of it was more or less valuable. The bells were removed, and the library was plundered.

In 1930, the temple was completely closed. The belfry was dismantled, and the church building was divided by interstorey floors. All this was done in order to instill in the cult building an electromechanical technical school. Only in 1933 the old part was returned to the believers. An agreement was reached between the Russian and Georgian Orthodox Churches on the joint use of the church. In 2015, the technical school was evicted from the new part of the building. But much of the former grandeur was lost.

Church of St. George in Moscow

The Georgian community has invested and continues to invest a lot of money to give the defiled building its former appearance. Now there is a complete restoration of the old part of the temple. Officially, the Church of St. George belongs to the ROC, the Moscow Patriarchate. But according to the agreement, it holds divine services and a priest of the Georgian Orthodox Church. Also in the church there is a refectory and operates a children's Sunday school. Georgians in Moscow honor customs and want their children not to forget the traditions of their ancestors. Therefore, the language is taught in school.

It is worth entering under these arches to admire the patterned analog and the most honored icon of St. George the Victorious, located in the gilded kioto to the right of the altar. Amazing beautiful murals of the interior. Fresco made a famous artist Lasha Kintsurashvili, specially arrived from Georgia. They shimmer with bright colors.

Shrines of the temple

The services are held in the Church Slavonic and Georgian languages. The frescoes also depict the universal saints. It is good to visit the church during the Liturgy. Then you can listen to the many-voiced Georgian singing of a church choir. There are many icons in the temple. This is the image of the Lord Almighty, the Blessed Virgin, St. George the Victorious. The Georgian church in Moscow also contains pieces of the relics of St. Matryona of Moscow and Seraphim of Sarov.