Church of St. John the Baptist on Presnya. Church of St. John the Baptist in Kolomenskoye

John the Baptist The Baptist, the saint, the forerunner of Jesus Christ. He adhered to asceticism, lived in the desert and preached sacred ablutions, which later became known as the rite of baptism. Icons of John the Baptist have a special difference - in the left hand the saint is held by a prosperous cross.

Beheading

As a result of the intrigues of the Jewish queen Herodias and her daughter Salome, John the Baptist was executed in prison, his head was cut off. Since then, there is a holiday in Russia. The beheading of John the Baptist, which falls on August 29. In memory of the great John fasting, a strict fast is observed on this day.

The popularity of the parishes of John the Baptist grew especially during the reign of Ivan the Terrible, and from the middle of the 16th century throughout Russia began to build churches dedicated to the Holy Baptist of God.

Location:

The most famous churches and cathedrals of John the Baptist are in large Russian cities. Below is a list of existing temples:

• Church for the Nativity of John the Baptist in Moscow, on Presnya.
• Temple in Kolomna.
• Church of the Beheading of the head of John the Baptist in Kaluga.
• Temple of the Holy Baptist in Brateevo.
• Church of the Precursor in Kerch.
• Temple of the Baptist in Nizhny Novgorod.
• Church of St. John the Baptist in Kirov.

In addition to these churches, there are many churches in Russia dedicated to the Holy Baptist.

Church in Moscow

The Church of St. John the Baptist in Presnya was built between 1714 and 1734. In 1804, a fire broke out, the fire destroyed a wooden bell tower. The damage to the church was noticeable, and the Orthodox Diocese of Moscow decided to rebuild the bell tower from the stone. It was supposed to erect a three-tier structure 25 meters high with a head and a cross. At the same time, the project envisaged entering the church through a double palladian arch located between rustic pylons. The architectural value of the building has increased dramatically, in Moscow, then, there was not a single bell tower of this type, except for the huge four-tier belfry of the Kudrin Church of the Intercession of the Virgin.

The sponsor's sponsorship

Great attention was paid to the construction of the refectory of the temple. The famous Moscow architect - Shestakov Fyodor Mikhailovich - joined the project. The refectory and accompanying extensions were to be built by the fall of 1828. In order to meet the deadlines, the noble parishioner of the church, the state councilor, Ushakov Nikolai Vasilyevich, was entrusted for the construction.

During the Soviet era, the Church of St. John the Baptist in Presnya received no funds from the state and existed solely on the donations of parishioners. This was a difficult period for both the church and the clergy, who remained faithful to the architectural masterpiece.

Recovery

When the post-Soviet period came, the church of John the Baptist in Presnya was repaired again, in the 1990s, Father-Superior Nikolai initiated restoration works. Completely replaced the roof, all the stingrays covered with sheet copper. Gilded the cross on the bell tower, rebuilt the belfry. Icons were installed in special niches at the entrance to the church. The bells rang again, the new big bell, brought from afar, was ringing beautifully.

A special piece of the Moscow Government was returned to the church a plot of land of 13 acres. Thus, the Church of John the Baptist on Presnya was completely revived. Grateful parishioners are going to cultivate the land to get an environmentally friendly harvest.

Church in Kolomenskoye

The Church of St. John the Baptist, which is in fact in the village of Djakovo, was built in the second half of the 16th century. It is located near the main sight of Kolomna - the Church of the Ascension, erected in 1534. In its architecture, the Church of the Holy Baptist refers to the pillar-shaped sacral buildings. Scientists-historians suggest that the laying of the church was timed to coincide with the wedding of Ivan the Terrible (in 1547). Although some experts are inclined to believe that the construction of the temple is associated with the birth of Prince Ivan, who was born in 1554.

In any case, the Church of St. John the Baptist in Kolomenskoye was built, and for some time prayers for the health of Tsarevich Ivan really served in it. Later the church received parishioners from all over the district, Muscovites and residents of nearby villages.

Unity of styles

The temple is a central octahedron with a height of 35 meters with the adjoining four tower-shaped aisles (17 meters high each). All five buildings are connected by a covered gallery. On the western facade of the gallery is a two-tiered gallery bearing a belfry, which, in its architecture, echoes with the bell tower of the Church of the Dukhov in Sergiev Posad. The outer contours of the peripheral pillars reflect the style of the Pskov church architecture.

Update

The Church of St. John the Baptist in Kolomenskoye was radically renovated in 1964, the reconstruction was carried out in order to restore the original appearance. First of all, fragments of icon-painting subjects on the arch of the dome of the main pillar were cleared and refined. During the restoration work , unique details of the painting were discovered, the significance of which scientists could not explain. Studies continue to this day, but no specific results so far.

Vyatka Church

There is a magnificent city of Kirov. The Church of St. John the Baptist takes one of the first places in the list of sights. The church was built in 1711-1723, and this was done bypassing the decree of Peter I, who strictly forbade any stone constructions on the territory of Russia, with the exception of St. Petersburg.

The architecture of the temple repeats the canons of sacred architecture, which the builders followed unswervingly. The lower part was an octagon, this form more corresponded to the wooden churches, and in stone buildings it was practically not used. And indeed, at first the church was built of wooden logs, a frame was erected on an earthen rampart near the city gate. This happened in 1711. Then the parish was organized. The Church of St. John the Baptist was consecrated, and it became the most popular place for believers.

Three years later, the priest Luke together with the church elder Gregory, with the support of the parishioners, decided to build a stone church. The erection continued for a long time, the refectory and the bell tower were ready only in the late 20s of the XVIII century. On a square base rested a pillar of an octagonal tower with a belfry and a small headboard on a blank drum. The shape of the upper part of the temple was borrowed from the church of Veliky Ustyug.

Then a few times reshaped the refectory, which seemed dark and not spacious enough. Reconstruction allowed to significantly raise the central nave, due to which it became possible to equip the top lighting.

During the Soviet era, the temple lost its octal and upper tiers of the bell chapel, as it was converted into a party archives. Then (since 1961) the church housed a planetarium, where the whole city of Kirov flocked to see the stars. The Church of St. John the Baptist was returned to believers only in the early 90s of the last century. All the premises had to be repaired and rebuilt again in order to restore the church a pristine appearance.

Church of John the Baptist, Nizhny Novgorod

The oldest Orthodox church of the Arzamas Diocese. Its history dates back to the 16th century.

The church parish was known since the 15th century as a wooden cage church of St. John the Baptist in the Nizhnesposadsky bargaining.

In 1676 the merchant Dranishnikov Gavriil Stepanovich received the favor of Metropolitan Filaret for erecting a stone church with his own money. By construction, he wanted to confirm his commitment to the Orthodox faith, since his wife and her son had changed her, became Old Believers and retired to the Kerzhen Sketes. Having received the building permit, the merchant invested in the project and, despite the illness and poor state of health, set to work.

In August 1679, Dranishnikov Gabriel died, but the temple was completed by the efforts of his brother, Lavrenty. The church was erected on a high brick foundation, the premises inside which later were used to lease the merchant brotherhood. So the commercial vein of the merchant-builder and this time proved itself. In the creation of the temple of John the Baptist, the trader was looking for a profit.

However, the church was built. In 1855 a chapel of Alexander Nevsky was added to the church. Fifteen years later, the bell tower was completely rebuilt. And, finally, in 1899 the altar was moved.

Soviet power did not bring anything good to the church of John the Baptist. In 1937, the abbot was shot by order of Beria, the organization was placed in the church DOSAAF.

The Nizhny Novgorod eparchy received its property back after the collapse of the USSR, in the 1990s. In 1994, divine services began, and after 10 years in the church of John the Baptist, repair works were developed. Multimillion-dollar funds were received thanks to patrons, in particular, Balakhna PPM made a good contribution. The repairs were fast enough, in spring 2005, three new crosses for the domes were already consecrated, and in August a dome and a cross for the bell tower were installed. It is characteristic that during the repair work the services in the church did not stop.

Church of St. John in Kaluga

The Kaluga Church of St. John the Forerunner was originally wooden, made of dry pine. He stood there until 1735, when a fire broke out in the city. The church burned to the ground with the annexes. The sexton managed to bear the icon, and he died in the fire. The ashes were leveled and a stone church was erected on the site of the burnt church.

Another shock happened in 1956. The city authorities of Kaluga demolished the altar chapel, which faced the Moscow street and allegedly interfered with the traffic. The parishioners then compared the actions of the city executive committee to the "truncation of the head", by analogy with the fact that John the Forerunner himself was once also chopped off.

In 1995, the temple was finally transferred to the Orthodox Diocese of Kaluga. Three years it took to restore the masterpiece of church architecture, which is the Church of St. John the Forerunner. Kaluga soon celebrated the beginning of the divine services. Today, the Sunday School is open at the church.

Church of St. John the Baptist in Kerch

The most ancient church structure on the territory of Russia - the cross-domed temple of the Baptist of God John - is located on the Crimean peninsula. The time of construction is determined by VIII-IX centuries AD. During the restoration of the church in the masonry were found "voices" - amphorae, which issued trumpet sounds when the wind blew. The temple is made of white stone, alternating with rows of red brick. Such a masonry was characteristic of the Byzantine architectural style.

From 1974 to 1978 the church was restored. It was necessary to strengthen the central dome, affected by time and seismic vibrations. Inside, a rigid metal frame was installed, and the artists made the old painting on the old plaster. Upon completion of the restoration work in the church, a separate exposition of the Kerch Museum of History was opened.

More than six hundred years ago, when the Black and Azov Seas were dominated by the Genoese, and the Kerch Strait was named after St. John, the Church of St. John the Forerunner became the main place of pilgrimage for Orthodox believers. Kerch is considered one of the most religious cities in the Crimea. Therefore, today the Moscow Patriarchate invests heavily in the maintenance of the functioning church.

Brateevo, the address of the temple

In the Moscow municipal district of Brateevo, in the southeast of the capital, is the Temple of the Beheading of the head of John the Forerunner. The parish has been known since the 16th century, and the stone church in Brateevo, St. John the Forerunner, was built in 1892. The church had two altars, the main, the Baptist of God, and the side, the Archangel Michael.

Then more than half a century the church existed on the donations of parishioners. During the Second World War, the church was completely destroyed. Then the long post-war period did not allow the construction of a new church, and only in 1996 the church in Brateevo, John the Baptist, was restored. At present, the services in it are fully implemented.

Parishioners are happy to attend the Church of St. John the Forerunner. The address in Brateevo: 115563, Moscow, Kashirskoye shosse, 61A.