Pskov, the temple on the hill. The Church of Saint Basil the Great on Gorka

Despite the fact that the temple on the Hill of Basil the Great was subjected to many attempts to destroy, it still survived to this day. He is considered one of the most famous monuments of architecture, built in the XV-XVI centuries.

Now the place where the temple on Gorka (Pskov) towers proudly, is surrounded by picturesque greenery of trees. And in ancient times it was just an islet in the middle of a swamp, at the foot of which a small stream called Zrachka flowed. Now in its place lies the street Pushkinskaya.

The emergence of the temple

The first construction work on the construction of the church began in 1337. The founder of the temple was a merchant named Christopher Karel Dol, who was of German origin. He also appeared as the ancestor of such later well-known surnames as Levshiny, Yakhontov and Svechiny.

About the merchant of German origin, there are records in the chronicle, where it is said that Dol arrived in Pskov from his estate of Gdov. Here he received the Orthodox faith and was baptized under the name of Basil, and handed his possessions to the Pskov prince. Then he built a wooden church near the Truperchev Gate. It was named in honor of St. Basil the Great.

In the chronicle, dated 1597, Gorku is already called Vasilyeva. And in the old document under 1415 there is an entry in which it says that in the summer a stone church was erected in honor of St. Basil. Later it will be completed and restored more than once.

In the middle of the XVI century, the temple of Basil on Gorke was already at the wall of the Middle city. This was the name of the ancient part of the Pskov historical center. Near the church towered a quadrangular tower with a built-up belfry, where a hanging bell hung, calling all residents of the city in case of any trouble. As the old legend says, in 1581 it was he who informed the people about the advancing troops of Stefan Batory.

Further construction

In the years 1585-1587, the northern chapel of the church of the Apostle John the Theologian was built , in which there was an annex. It was a chapel-burial-vault, but, unfortunately, it did not survive.

In the 16th century, a sub-church was built, which is the lower floor of the building. It was in her more than 10 years ago that an ancient children's coffin was found, in which were the remains of a small child, buried in the XVI-XVII centuries. His legs are shod in beautiful leather shoes with bent socks, so it was suggested that the baby belonged to one of the noble families. This discovery was discovered in 2002 during the repair and restoration works.

Temple icons

At the beginning of the 16th century, a very important event took place in the history of the church. The Basil temple on Gorka acquired its own icon of the Tikhvin Mother of God, which had an akathist in 24 hallmarks. This means that, in addition to the image of the Blessed Virgin, there were also illustrations of her life in the rectangles. This icon was in the upper tier of the old iconostasis. Now it is stored in a museum-reserve, located on the territory of the city (Pskov). The temple of Basil on Gorka had other, highly revered shrines, but nothing is known about where they are at the moment.

Bells

Approximately at the same time, when the image of the Tikhvin Mother of God was written, ie, in the early 30s of the 16th century, in honor of the feast of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary, the belfry of the church was decorated with the first bells. They were cast at the request of the city headmen, the voivode and other wealthy residents. Like the fate of icons, the whereabouts of the first ancient bells are still unknown.

Attempted destruction

If in the sixteenth century the Gorka temple flourished, then the centuries following it turned out to be a period of endless hardship and laziness. The church was trying to destroy, it lost its old utensils and was eventually closed. In 1820 several parishes of Pskov were subject to demolition, in view of their desolation and partial destruction. Among them was the church of Saint Basil the Great. But this was not meant to happen. After 9 years it was allowed to be repaired.

In the seventies of the XIX century the church on Church Hill was purchased by the rector of the Ioanno-Theological Kripetsky Monastery. At the end of the century the building was renovated and crowned with a dome with a cross.

Post-Revolutionary and Military Periods

In 1921, the services in the temple were no longer conducted, and it was closed. At the same time it was given to the archaeological society of the Pskov province, which was engaged in the protection of monuments of antiquity. For a long time its premises were used as an archive for various documents.

In 1941, when Pskov was captured by the Nazi invaders, the Gorka church was handed over to the community of Old Believers. And in 1944, as a result of the bombing, the roofing, the northern side-chapel and one of the four-corner corners were severely damaged. After 3 years the church was closed again.

New Age

Late night on August 5, 2002, the temple on Gorka was set on fire by several intruders. The fire extinguisher extinguished the fire within 5 hours. The fire was found in the ceilings, from where it spread through the beams, where the bells are fastened. As a result, the roof of the vestibule and the southern chapel was destroyed. In addition, the metal dome on the bell tower from the high temperature melted and strongly sagged.

It must be said that shortly before the incident, this unique monument of architecture was deprived of alarm and disarmed. Gradually it turned into a place of a gathering of homeless people and drug addicts.

Four days after the first arson, a re-ignition occurred - at the same place. This time the entire roof of the building was destroyed. And the next night a part of the temple wall, where the southern side-chapel was, collapsed.

In a very short time a number of benefactors with the support of believers and clergy did a great job, and already in early December 2003, the day of the Feast of the Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary, the first service for long years of oblivion took place. So the revival of the church began.

To date, the temple has two chapels. The first of them is dedicated to Alexis the Man of God, and the second to John the Theologian. The territory of the church is already, according to the established tradition, the property of the Krypetsk Monastery.

Now there are daily worship services, and the temple on Gorka is open for visiting. Opening hours: 8.00 - 19.00. The abbot is Archpriest Andrey Bolshanin.

It is worthy of expressing grateful gratitude to the inhabitants of different parts of Russia for the fact that they are completely free of charge involved in the restoration of already dilapidated or long-abandoned temples. The shrines that have been struck during the reign of Soviet power begin to rise from the ashes due to people who are not indifferent, disinterested and active. It is safe to say that such work brings only joy and satisfaction!