The Church of Boris and Gleb in Degunino is one of the oldest in the Moscow region

The Church of Boris and Gleb in Degunino, as well as churches in many other places in Russia, are dedicated to the children of Grand Duke Vladimir. They are famous first of all by being the first Russian saints. Boris and Gleb were canonized by both Russian and Constantinople churches.

The first Russian saints

Why are they martyred martyrs? Because they were artfully killed by their own brother Svyatopolk, nicknamed by the people because of this "Cursed." The brothers accepted death voluntarily, knowing about it in advance. Boris and Gleb did not raise their hands on their elder brother. An integral part of the Christian faith - non-resistance to evil by violence - was a wonder for pagan Russia, which had just adopted Orthodoxy. The fratricide Sviatopolk fled to Poland from the troops of Yaroslav the Wise, but, like Cain, he could not find a place anywhere. According to legend, even from his grave came a stench. And Boris and Gleb after canonization became patrons and keepers of Russia. Honor them immediately after death.

"Praying" church

The temple of Boris and Gleb in Degunino is first mentioned as destroyed by the Polish-Livonian troops. It happened in 1585. The village itself is mentioned for the first time in 1336 in the charter of Ivan Kalita. To admit the idea that there was no church in the village is impossible, especially since in 1394 the settlement for 400 years departs to the church. The village near Moscow, at the base known as the Deguninsky, ceased to exist in 1960. It has become part of Moscow, which is constantly expanding its borders. The temple of Boris and Gleb in Degunino is known for being destroyed several times, being exposed to fire. But each time on the site of the destroyed temple, a cult construction made of wood is again being built. This was, perhaps, because of a lack of funds for the construction of a stone building. For example, in 1633 the church was built with the money of a local priest.

Revived from the ashes always like a phoenix

The newly built temple according to the documents (1676) is listed as the Church of the Saints and Blagovravnyh Boris and Gleb with the chapel of John the Evangelist, the Evangelist and the Apostle. Under Peter I, in the first years of his reign, namely in 1700, by the decree of the then-Patriarch Andrian, the village of Boris and Gleb in Degunin was transferred to Alekseevsky Monastery, founded in 1360 by Metropolitan Alexy. Until now, the legendary Old Monastery Monastery has not survived, in its place now is the Cathedral of Christ the Savior. At the time of the invasion of Napoleon's troops, when all Moscow burned , the church of Boris and Gleb in Degunino survived. Probably, because in those days the village was considered a remote suburb. It should be noted that the stone Borisoglebskaya church in this village opened its doors to the parishioners only in 1866.

Again, the wooden

And in 1762 the old dilapidated church was rebuilt. However, the new church is erected again from the tree. Two years later, Degunino, which stands on the river Lichoborka, was taken out of the church and handed over to civil jurisdiction, that is, secularized. From 1843 to 1851 in Russia the construction of a railroad connecting Moscow with St. Petersburg is being carried out. The branch passed through the lands belonging to the village, for which the community was paid a fairly large amount of compensation for the alienated land. This also pushed the Deguninists to the idea of a new stone church. The appeal of parishioners and rector of the church of the priest Simeon Florovich Strakhov to Metropolitan Philaret, Vladyka Moskovsky, was sent in 1863. In the neighboring village of Verkhniye Likhobory was a stone plant, and its owner, the merchant of the I-th Guild of VA Prorekhov, provided the necessary number of bricks in the amount of 360,000 pieces for future construction. That was the biggest contribution to this good cause.

Handsome man of stone

Stone church of the Holy. Boris and Gleb in Degunin grew up next to an old wooden church, dismantled in 1884. It was executed in pseudo-Russian or Russian-Byzantine style. The three-folded massive temple turned out to be beautiful. It is built in the form of a parallelepiped with a single inner space. There is a refectory and a bell tower with two large bells. The church is decorated with a high semicircular apse, adjacent to the main semicircular, a lower part of the building. As a rule, it is an altar ledge. At the time of opening the walls and vaults of the church were very beautifully painted, the iconostasis was rich. 1887 was the year of renovation of the three iconostases of the temple in Degunino.

Temple-martyr

The further fate of the church is traditional. The era of atheism has come, but the temple of the faithful princes Boris and Gleb in Degunin operated until 1930, when the services stopped due to the lack of priests. Officially, the church was closed in 1941, and until that time the Deguninsky parish existed, as it were. And it should be noted that in the 20-30s the church life in the village continued. So, the community sought permission to carry out the Cross processions to the homes of believers. And in 1925 the Charter of the Boris and Gleb Orthodox community was registered. After the official closing, the church was adapted to the needs of the dispensary. Artel invalids "Rodina" moved into the walls of the former church in the 60s of the last century. In order to rebuild the building under the production hall necessary for the artel, the upper tiers of the bell tower were demolished, the building was enclosed by extensions and surrounded the reinforced concrete fence. The factory was here until 1985. Further - worse. In the church, the garage of the intersectoral scientific and technological complex "Eye Microsurgery" was placed.

New Life of Boris and Gleb Church

The church was revived after the new registration of the community and the transfer of the church building to it in 1990. The first divine liturgy was performed in the church in 1991 on July 14. And the gradual restoration of the Boris and Gleb religious building began. From 1994 to 2005, the walls were twice painted, the tents of the bell tower and the temple buildings were rebuilt, the roof and appearance were restored, and the iconostasis was restored. This temple can also be called a martyr, like those saints, in honor of whom he was originally erected, the Blessed Boris and Gleb. This Orthodox church is located at: ul. Deguninskaya, 18a.