Temple of John the Warrior on Yakimanka: history of the church and its shrine. Church of Ivan the Warrior

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Church of St. John the Warrior on Yakimanka in Moscow - an Orthodox church in honor of the martyr John the Warrior (IV); is administered by the Russian Orthodox Church; located in Moscow's Yakimanka district

The temple building was erected in 1704-1713, during the reign of Peter the Great. The supposed author of the project is an architect.

Story

The lowlands between the modern street Bolshaya Yakimanka and , regularly flooded in the spring, Sloboda settlements were located there, archers, Poles and ordinary peasants lived there.

In 1709, Peter I, having examined the damage caused by the flood, noticed the destruction of the Church of St. John (1625), which was then closer to the river, and ordered the construction of a new church in a safer place - in memory of the Battle of Poltava; According to legend, the new temple was built according to the drawings of the king himself.

In 1711, the construction of a refectory with a southern aisle was completed; The consecration of the entire temple was carried out on June 12, 1717 by Exarch Metropolitan of Ryazan Stefan Yavorsky. In 1759, the southern aisle was built.

The forged patterned fence on a brick foundation was erected in 1754-1758 (its eastern side was moved significantly closer to the temple in 1984 due to the expansion of the street; the fence on the southern side appeared even later, after the demolition of the house that stood there).

In 1785-1796, Priest Matvey Desnitsky, the future Metropolitan of Novgorod and St. Petersburg Mikhail, served in the church. Already in his young years he gained fame as a talented preacher.

In 1779-1791, the church was decorated by Gabriel Domozhirov (frescoes) and (iconostasis); these works were lost in the 1860s. In 1928, the church was equipped with an iconostasis from the destroyed Church of the Three Saints at the Red Gate.

From 1906 until his death in May 1922, the rector of the temple was Archpriest Christopher Nadezhdin. Under him, in 1912, the temple celebrated its 200th anniversary - the liturgy on the occasion of the anniversary and the temple holiday on July 30 was performed by Metropolitan of Moscow and Kolomna Vladimir (Epiphany).

In 1922, Archpriest Christopher was accused of “opposing the confiscation of church valuables” and was shot along with some other members of the Moscow clergy by the verdict of the Moscow Revolutionary Tribunal (glorified by the Council of New Martyrs and Confessors of Russia in 2000).

The temple was never closed for worship and was not renovated.

In the 1930s, some shrines from closed or destroyed neighboring churches were placed here; one of them was the closed temple of Maron the Hermit, whose rector Alexander Voskresensky in 1930 became rector of the temple of John the Warrior († 1950).

Architecture

The architecture of the building combines elements of the Moscow Baroque styles with the Ukrainian Baroque, and the European influence common in Russian architecture during the time of Peter the Great.

The architect remained unknown; similarities with suggest the work of Ivan Zarudny.

The main building is a traditional Moscow octagon in a square (an octagon on a quadrangle), however, in this case there are two coaxial octagons, each crowning half of the dome.

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Helpful information

Church of St. John the Warrior on Yakimanka

Cost of visit

for free

Address and contacts

Moscow, B. Yakimanka st., 46

Shrines

The southern aisle of the temple is in the name of the martyr. Guria, Samona and Aviva; northern - St. Dimitry of Rostov; attached - Great Martyr Barbara

In the temple there is also a revered icon of the latter from the Varvara Church on Varvarka Street, particles of the relics of over 150 saints of God in arks and in icons.

In the temple, in addition, there are remarkable icons of Joachim and Anna (“The Conception of St. Anna, when the Most Holy Theotokos was conceived”) with marks - in the northern aisle (was brought from the destroyed temple of Joachim and Anna), and the Savior of the “Great Council Angel” - in front of the salt the main altar, next to the also highly revered temple icon of the martyr John the Warrior.

The architecture of the building combines elements of the Moscow Baroque styles with the Ukrainian Baroque, and the European influence common in Russian architecture during the time of Peter the Great. The architect remained unknown; similarities with suggest the work of Ivan Zarudny. The main building is a traditional Moscow octagon in a square (an octagon on a quadrangle), however, in this case there are two coaxial octagons, each crowning half of the dome.

Church of St. John the Warrior on Yakimanka: history, architecture, revered shrines, location features

The church in the name of the holy martyr John the Warrior on Yakimanka, “which is in Maly Luzhniki” (erroneously called “Maly Luchniki”) is located in a very picturesque and historically interesting area. Bolshaya Yakimanka Street connects the Yakimanskaya and Kadashevskaya embankments of the Moscow River (Maly Kamenny Bridge) with Kaluga Square. This area with Babyegorodsky, Maronovsky, Golutvinsky (and some other) lanes, streets - Bolshaya Ordynka, Bolshaya Polyanka, Pyatnitskaya, from ancient times was called Zamoskvorechye (a remarkably beautiful part of Moscow that lies beyond the Moskva River opposite the Kremlin).

The name of the street “Yakimanka” comes from the dedication of the revered temple in the name of the saints Godfather Joachim and Anna (1684-1686), “which is beyond the Moscow River in Kadashev, in Golutvinskaya Sloboda, at the Patriarchal Court on Yakimanka,” located at its beginning. The name Joachim in everyday speech sounded like “Yakim” or “Akim”. The street began to be called Yakimanka on maps only in the 18th century; before that it was called Bolshaya Kaluzhskaya.

The location of the Church of St. John the Warrior, “which is in Malye Luzhniki,” comes from the tract that stretched from Bolshaya Yakimanka to the very bank of the Moscow River. Sometimes in the literature there is another name for the church: “that at the Kaluga Gate.” It comes from the gates of Zemlyanoy Gorod, which were erected at the end of the 16th century along with Zemlyanoy Val and led to Kaluga Square, which is located at the end of Yakimanka.

The first mention of the wooden church of St. John the Warrior, located in a slightly different place (at the beginning of the Central House of Artists complex), dates back to 1625. However, most likely, it already existed earlier, from the second half of the 16th century, when rifle regiments settled near the Crimean Bridge by decree of Ivan IV the Terrible. This area also kept a memory going back centuries, but a sad memory. It was here that there was a ford across the Moscow River, which was used to transport hordes of Crimean Tatars during their raids on Moscow. This circumstance was reflected in the numerous “names” of the church: John the Warrior, “which is at the Crimean courtyard on the shore”, “which is under the mountain”, “on the Crimean Ford” and “at the Konyushennaya Settlement”. In the “Book of the Construction of Church Lands” for 1657, the “wooden church of St. Martyr Ivan the Warrior." Even earlier - in 1625 - the Church of “St. Martyr Ivan, near the Crimean courtyard, on the shore."

The place often suffered from floods, and the church was eventually washed away during a flood. In its place, in 1671, a stone church with the same altar was consecrated. In his parish in 1686-1694, the Ilyinsky regiment was stationed under the command of Ilya Durov, who, among many, carried the city guard. At the turn of the 17th and 18th centuries, the young sovereign Peter I Alekseevich abolished the system of streltsy regiments. He evicted many Streltsy families from Moscow. After this, the church gradually deteriorated. In 1709, it was flooded again during the next spring flood: “the water was great in Moscow, it came under the stone bridge, under the windows, and carried away courtyards from the banks, with mansions and people, and drowned many people, also many churches, and John the Warlord, beyond the Moscow River, drowned the Church of God.” After this, the temple was restored to the place where it is now - at the end of Bolshaya Yakimanka Street.

Preparations for moving the temple began a little earlier. In 1702, land was purchased here on a plot previously occupied by one of the Streltsy courtyards for a “church building.” In 1709, parishioners of the old church and the vice-governor of the Moscow province Vasily Semenovich Ershov submitted a petition to the sovereign to “build a new church of St. John the Warrior on the purchased land, because the old church is damaged from the spring flood, and ... that yard [place future construction – approx. auto] on an elevated place.” This year was special for Tsar Peter I. He won a famous victory near Poltava. Perhaps that is why the response to the petition was so favorable. The locum tenens of the patriarchal throne, Stefan (Yavorsky), sent a blessed letter for the construction of a new church. The Emperor, following the ancient pious custom, in gratitude for God’s help on the battlefield, made a generous contribution to these works - 300 rubles. There were also other donors. Thanks to this, by 1711 the chapel of Sts. had already been completed and consecrated. Guria, Samona and Aviva in the south-eastern corner of the church under construction (the throne of these saints existed in the first stone church). After the consecration of the throne, the old temple was dismantled (until the 1920s, there was a chapel in its place). Two years later, the main church with a bell tower was erected “roughly”. By 1717, work on its decoration was also completed, and the patriarchal locum tenens Metropolitan of Ryazan and Murom Stefan (Yavorsky) consecrated the main altar of the newly built church.

The Church of St. John the Warrior on Yakimanka is a unique phenomenon both in the elegance of its architecture and in the unusual design. It has not yet been possible to find exact information about the architect who built it, but it is assumed that it was Ivan Petrovich Zarudny. The general plan of the temple is a three-part composition, quite common in Moscow church architecture of the late 17th - early 18th centuries: temple - refectory - bell tower, elongated along the east-west axis like a ship. The only addition to this plan was made in 1759. At the request of Empress Elizabeth Petrovna, a chapel was erected on the left side of the refectory in the name of Metropolitan Dmitry of Rostov, canonized in 1852. There were no further changes to the architecture of the church.

Basically, the temple that interests us is a design that was well known in the second half of the 17th century - an octagon on a quadrangle. However, a skillful piece of engineering visually makes it look like a rotunda. The plasticity of the church is very expressive. Its masses rush upward in soft ledges, “flowing” into each other through arches. The elegance of the external appearance of the temple is given by carefully thought out decorative details of each tier.

The first tier is a rather high quadrangle. It does not give the impression of heaviness due to the “double light”, that is, windows located in two rows. In the bottom row they are rectangular and decorated with elegant frames in the form of curly white stone branches (the same ornament is used in the decoration of the refectory windows). The second row of windows consists of two round side windows and tall rectangular central openings, inscribed in semicircular “pediments” that crown the facades on all four sides. The windows of the three altar ledges are crowned with complex decorative compositions of torn white stone sandstones and a flower-shaped ornament on a small pedestal framed by S-shaped scroll-volutes. This motif is very characteristic of the work of Ivan Zarudny.

The corners of the lower tier are designed in the form of three pilasters. This technique is also very indicative, since it already belongs to a new style in architecture. The triple ledge formed by pilasters replaced the picturesque “bundle” of three columns, so familiar to us from the 17th century. Another detail of the new style is the group of three “pinnacles” above the pilasters. The church doors are extremely intricately decorated. On their sides rise flat pilasters topped with Corinthian capitals. The space between them is filled with carved white stone panels consisting of acanthus leaves and flowers with a figurine of an angel in the center. Above the figures are small icons crowned with lush crowns of leaves. The shoots from these crowns frame the icon below and support another figurine of an angel at the top. We can find similar figures in large quantities in Moscow and St. Petersburg architecture of the early 18th century.

The soft outlines of the vault on the formwork “transmit” the current movement of the masses towards the octagonal dome, on the four sides of which, directly above the pediments, there are hatches. Instead of window openings, they contain fresco paintings (the most famous of which is “The King of Glory”) in white stone frames. The design of these frames also includes S-shaped curls. The lucarnes are crowned with triangular pediments. The solution for this tier is complemented by an unusual detail - small balconies in front of the windows. Their fences are made of white stone balusters of elegant design. The same balusters make up the fence at the base of the lower octagon. In the corners of the balconies and above the hatches there are miniature carved flowerpots on pedestals. This detail would later become extremely common in St. Petersburg architecture. The octagon itself is decorated rather modestly. Its entire white stone decoration consists of pilasters with Corinthian capitals (the same pattern as the capitals of the decoration decorating the entrances to the temple) decorating the corners, and a carved cornice in the upper part.

The octagon is covered by a second – small – octagonal dome. The third tier rises above it. It also has an octagonal shape. Its corners are elegantly decorated with carved volute-shaped details. The edges themselves are cut through by elongated windows with semicircular ends. They occupy almost the entire surface of the faces and make the second octagon look like a lantern. Above the octagon rises a structure in the form of a truncated pyramid with concave walls. She supports a small chapter. The exterior decoration of the church is complemented by the multi-colored painting of both octagonal domes, made in red, black, yellow and green “checkerboard” paint. It is unknown when it appeared, but there is a legend that in the 1790s Emperor Paul I really liked it, and since then it has always decorated the temple to one degree or another. Now, of course, we see the restored painting of a modern work.

The interior decoration of the temple is no less magnificent than the exterior decor. Its characteristic feature is the abundance of light pouring from many windows. The interior itself, with its splendor, resembles a ceremonial ceremonial hall. What this hall was like originally is now difficult to judge. In 1779 - 1785, the vaults and walls were decorated with white stone and gilded carvings, which framed the magnificent picturesque compositions of the vaults and walls. This splendor was created under the leadership of the architect Vasily Ivanovich Bazhenov. The painting was done by the artist Gavriil Domozhirov. Unfortunately, the original decoration has not been completely preserved. Stucco details still decorate the church, and the paintings that we admire when entering the temple date back to 1859-1861. They were made by the painter E.A. Chernov during repair work. At the same time, he wrote down the previous painting.

The original iconostasis, which once existed in the Church of St. John the Warrior, has not been preserved. Strictly speaking, it should have been written “not preserved.” No information has yet been found about the iconostasis of the wooden St. John's Church. Some icons from the first stone church were in the current church until the end of the 18th century, along with icons from the iconostasis of 1717. In 1785-1791, Vasily Ivanovich Bazhenov created a magnificent four-tiered iconostasis for the church, which was later replaced, just like the paintings by Gabriel Domozhirov. In 1859, it seemed too cumbersome and did not correspond to the splendor of the new painting, work on which had just begun at that time. The new iconostasis, already the fourth, was created according to a drawing by the architect Zykov and also has not reached us. The iconostasis that is in the temple now was completed in 1712 for the Church of the Three Saints at the Red Gate (late 17th century). Mikhail Yuryevich Lermontov was baptized there and the funeral service was held for General Mikhail Dmitrievich Skobelev. Despite this, the church was demolished in 1928. The iconostasis, transferred to the museum collection, by some miracle ended up in the Church of St. John the Warrior.

Many revered icons of this temple have a similar fate. They were transferred here from temples in this area that were being demolished and closed. In particular, the icon of “Saints Joachim and Anna” with 80 hagiographic marks was a temple image of the church (1684-1686), which gave its name to Yakimanka street, and was demolished in 1970. The icon “Great Martyr Barbara” with particles of holy relics comes from the Varvara Church on Varvarka Street. Kazan icon Holy Mother of God for a long time stood in the local row of the Kazan Church, built at the end of Yakimanka in 1696 and demolished in 1972. Especially now revered in the temple are two images made by royal iconographers of the 17th century: the image of the Savior (“Savior of Smolensk”) from the chapel near the Spasskaya Tower of the Moscow Kremlin and the image of St. Nicholas from the chapel near the Nikolskaya Tower.

A few words should be said about the bell tower of the Church of St. John the Warrior. In terms of its type, this is a structure of this kind common for Moscow architecture of the late 17th and early 18th centuries - an octagon on a quadrangle. Belonging to a new stage in the development of Moscow architecture is indicated by the absence of the usual tent-shaped completion for such a bell tower, since its dome is crowned on a high octagonal drum. The clarity and even dryness of the decor, which is entirely integrated into the order system, is also unusual. Both the quadrangle and the octagon are clearly divided into tiers by profiled cornices. The lower tier of the quadrangle is cut through on three sides by wide openings with a semi-circular ending (one of them represents the entrance to the temple). The second tier is decorated only with the already familiar “chess” painting. The corners of both tiers are made in the form of three pilasters running in ledges. This detail, like the shape of the huge openings, has already been encountered in the decor of the temple itself.

The octagon of the bell tower is divided into three by cornices. The faces of the lower octagon alternate: large and small. The tier is decorated with a cornice that has curved outlines above the small edges. The second octagon, intended specifically for bells, consists of high and elongated ringing arches. Finally, the third low figure of eight is decorated with round rumor windows inscribed in the edges. The corners of both octagons are decorated with flat pilasters supporting cornices of complex profile. The bell tower is crowned by an octagonal dome, already familiar to us from the design of the church. A drum with a small head rises above it.

This somewhat harsh graphic decor is somewhat enlivened only by the “chessboard” painting of the dome and one of the quadrangles. However, initially the painting was successfully complemented by the bright colors of ceramic panels with images of the evangelists. They were located under the bell arches. According to legend, the author of this miracle of “Tsenin” work was the Belarusian master Stepan son Ivanov, nicknamed Polubes. He decorated many Moscow churches, including the Cathedral of the Holy Fathers of the Seven Ecumenical Councils in the St. Daniel Monastery, the Church of St. Gregory of Neocaesarea on Bolshaya Polyanka and the Intercession Cathedral in the residence of Emperor Alexei Mikhailovich in the Izmailovo estate. Now, of all the panels of the bell tower, only one has survived - “Mark the Evangelist”.

Bell selection of the Church of St. John the Warrior was not large and did not have very heavy bells. It is now difficult to say which bells were included in it originally. We currently only have information from the 1813 inventory, compiled after the church, which had suffered greatly from the atrocities of Napoleonic soldiers in 1812, was put in order and re-consecrated. This inventory speaks of seven bells. The Blagovestnik weighed 130 poods, the polyeleous one - 61 poods, and the daily one - 22 poods. In 1872, the number of bells increased, since at the factory D.N. Samghin, a new evangelist was cast for the church, the weight of which was 303 pounds.

In all likelihood, despite not being very heavy, the bells of St. John's Church were very well chosen and had a magnificent sound. This conclusion can be made based on the fact that the Church of St. John the Warrior, by decree of the Consistory, was one of the churches that “listened” to the cathedral gospel. It should be explained here that in order to strictly observe the time of the bell, mandatory for all Moscow churches, ringing was prescribed to begin only simultaneously with the belfry of the Assumption Cathedral in the Moscow Kremlin. Those churches that, due to the great distance, could not hear this ringing, began it simultaneously with the “famous churches,” where they “listened” and “transmitted” the ringing of the cathedral belfry. They were chosen by the Consistory in every forty. In Zamoskvoretsky forty such churches were: the Church of the Resurrection in Kadashi, St. Nicholas on Bersenevka, St. Cosmas and Damian in Nizhnye Sadovniki and St. John the Warrior on Yakimanka.

This remarkable selection has not survived to this day. In the 1920s, the temple experienced complete destruction; the bell tower completely lost its bells. During the restoration of the bell in the 1990s, Tatyana Vasilievna Doronina donated to the church of St. John the Warrior is a unique bell, cast in 1694 in Amsterdam. His ornamental belt depicts intertwined plant shoots, eagles, and even deer among the vines. The bells missing to ring had to be selected according to their tone from among the surviving ones, those that sounded in the bell towers of the demolished temples.

Church yard of St. John the Warrior is surrounded by a fancy forged fence in the form of curly branches with leaves. This is a true masterpiece of artistic forging of the Elizabethan Baroque era. In 1746 - 1758, a fence with heavy wrought iron gates and often placed stone pillars was made to replace the previous, collapsed fence. Initially, the line of its installation was more picturesque. The fence was restored and moved several times. It acquired its current position in 1984.

In the 1920s, the church escaped the tragic fate of many Moscow churches. It was never closed, but in 1922 almost all the precious utensils and liturgical objects were removed from it. As already mentioned, the iconostasis of the temple has not been preserved. The surrounding area, one of the most beautiful areas of Zamoskvorechye, has also largely lost its charm. In the 19th century, Bolshaya Yakimanka had a wonderful view from Kaluga Square and the Crimean Bridge. On both sides of the street there were mansions among green gardens and numerous churches: the Apostles Peter and Paul on Yakimanka (1713-1740); Kazan Icon of the Blessed Virgin Mary (1696); Transfiguration of the Savior in Nalivki (1730s); Rev. Maron the Hermit (1731); St. John the Warrior (1709-1717). Of these temples, the last two have survived and they are thoroughly built up with modern buildings. From the side of the Small Kamenny Bridge, from the high bank of the Moscow River, one could see churches that belonged to the school of the 17th century: St. Cosmas and Damian of Assia, in Kadashi (1655-1656); Saints Godfather Joachim and Anna (1684-1686); St. Nicholas in Golutvin (1686-1692). Of these, only the Church of St. Nicholas has survived. However, even now, the surviving temples of Yakimanka and its quiet courtyards have retained a piece of their former charm.

Literature:

Kondratyev I.K. The gray old man of Moscow. M., 1999 (reproduced from the 1893 edition). S.: 402, 403, 594, 595

Ivanov O.A. On the history of the Church of St. John the Warrior // Moscow Journal. 1999. No. 7. S.: 28

Gorchakov N. Church of St. John the Warrior in Moscow // Moscow Provincial Gazette. 1841. No. 10. P.: 100

Materials for the history, archeology and statistics of the city of Moscow, as determined by the City Duma, collected and published by the leadership and works of Ivan Zabelin. M., 1891. Part 2. Stb. 256 (No. 207)

Grigory (Voinov-Borzetsovsky), archimandrite. Church of St. John the Warrior in Moscow. M., 1883. S.: 3, 4; 14-16, 19, 27, 28, 38, 40, 58, 68

Zhelyabuzhsky I.A. Notes // Notes of Russian people. St. Petersburg, 1840. P.: 245

Krasovsky M.V. Essay on the history of the Moscow period of ancient Russian church architecture. M., 1911. S.: 417-421

Grabar I.E. History of Russian art. St. Petersburg, 1913. T.4

Voevodchenkova E.B. Short story construction of the Church of St. John the Warrior and features of the formation of the icon collection // Tsaritsma Scientific Bulletin. M., 1999. S.: 345-379

Frolov N.V., Frolova E.V. About the Temple of John the Warrior. Kovrov, 1998

The dating of the bell and description of the ornament are given from photographs by Konstantin Mishurovsky

Ilyin M., Moiseeva T. Moscow and Moscow region. M., 1979

Temples that were not closed under Soviet rule are usually distinguished by their special splendor and nobility of interior decoration. This also applies to the Church of St. John the Warrior, and the local antiquity does not oppress and does not create a feeling of “museum-likeness”. The entrance to the temple is located on the north side at the base of the bell tower. Even before entering the refectory, the visitor is greeted by an icon of the holy martyr John the Warrior, as if reminding who the temple is dedicated to. There is a large icon of the saint inside, but the abundance of large dark ancient icons of various saints can really be confusing. The location of these icons and something special in their appearance immediately indicate that they have been hanging in their place for many centuries, despite any external storms, and create a particularly reverent feeling in the temple.

The internal structure of the temple is typical for churches of similar layout: a wide porch in the far part of the refectory ends with two side chapels, of which the southern one, in the name of the holy martyrs Guria, Samon and Aviv, was consecrated before the central altar, and the northern one, in the name of St. Demetrius of Rostov, on the contrary, it was added later. Between them, a narrow passage with icons (among them is the icon of St. Anna Kashinskaya with a particle of relics) leads to the main, most spacious and most luxurious part of the temple. However, the interior of the refectory, which has not seen the usual alterations for Soviet times, is distinguished by its splendor: stucco molding, ornamental and subject paintings, gilding, relief heads of angels and other figures. However, the main temple benefits from its spaciousness, light pouring from high windows, and a beautiful carved iconostasis. The iconostasis narrows at the top, because of this there are not so many icons in its upper rows, but their lack, at least from a visual point of view, is compensated by the subtle decoration.

As from the outside, from the inside the main quadrangle of the temple gives the impression of a rotunda, thanks to the oblique slopes of the roof and the octagonal end going up. The current paintings and the interior decoration of the temple in general dates back mainly to the middle of the 19th century, when they were completely renovated; the earlier paintings have not survived, but since then the interior appearance can be considered generally preserved. There are not enough details: for example, before the revolution, along the western wall there were wooden choirs with a pulpit, to which a staircase led along the northern wall. Such a typically Western element as the pulpit (after all, in the Orthodox Church, salt is usually enough for preaching), once again clearly emphasized the era in which the temple arose and the situation that prevailed then. Also in those days there was a wooden canopy above the throne on six columns. Attractions of the interior include wooden sculptures of the Crucifixion and Seated Christ from the 18th century, as well as an ancient bishop's chair on a high place, which, according to unconfirmed reports, was originally the coronation throne of Emperor Paul I.

Currently, there is a fourth, portable altar in the temple, consecrated in the name of the Great Martyr Barbara. It was built and consecrated in 1991 with the blessing of His Holiness Patriarch Alexy II.

Magazine "Orthodox Temples. Travel to Holy Places." Issue No. 156, 2015

The very first mention of the Church of St. John the Warrior dates back to 1625. Then it was located on the banks of the Moscow River, closer to the Crimean Bridge, approximately where the territory of the Central House of Artists (CHA) and the intersection of Yakimansky and 2nd Babyegorodsky lanes begins and was called the Church of John the Warrior “that is at the Crimean Courtyard on the shore.” John the Warrior, or as they previously said the Warrior, was the patron saint of the archer warriors who lived at that time in this place since the 1550s by order of Tsar Ivan the Terrible. The church was located “under the mountain” and river floods often flooded it. This entire area was heavily flooded until the construction of the Vodootvodny Canal in 1786.

Through the efforts of the archers, the construction of a new stone church began. In 1671 the temple was rebuilt, but did not last long. After the Streltsy uprising, the surviving Streltsy and their families were evicted from Moscow, the temple was abandoned, and in 1708 it was flooded during a flood. In 1709, according to an eyewitness of the events, “the water was great in Moscow, it came under the stone bridge, under the windows, and carried away courtyards from the banks, with mansions and people, and drowned many people, also many churches and those of John the Warrior for The Moscow River drowned the Church of God.”

There is also a folk legend according to which Peter I, driving along Yakimanka, saw that the church was standing in the water and parishioners were approaching it in boats. Having learned that this was the temple of John the Warlord, the king exclaimed: “This is our patron! Tell the priest that I would like to see a stone church on a hill near Bolshaya Street, I will give a contribution and send a plan.” Two months later, he himself came with a plan and, seeing that they had already begun to import material for construction, he praised the priest. And in the book for entering deposits he allegedly wrote: “I give a deposit of three hundred rubles. Peter". The name of the priest who accepted the contribution of Peter the Great in the name of God is Father Alexy Fedorov (born 1731).

In 1712, a vacant lot and several courtyards, also from Streltsy quitrent lands, were allocated for the church cemetery. The Moscow governor, Prince Mikhail Grigorievich Romodanovsky, canceled the payment of quitrent money from these lands, and ordered the owners to pay only “bridge money” - to put in order the roads near their possessions. After some time, the new governor, boyar Alexei Petrovich Saltykov, ordered the collection of quitrent money. Thus, arrears arose behind the Church of St. John the Warrior (from 1714 to 1720): 89 rubles, 22 altyns, 2 quitrent money and 24 pavement rubles.

For the consecration of the temple in 1717, Peter the Great sent golden vessels, a painting and a pound weight on a massive chain. It was hung at the entrance to remind people to maintain order during the service. The painting, which was more than two arshins in length and width (about 142 cm), had the inscription at the top: “A pharmacy that heals sins.” However, there is every reason to believe that the construction of the temple was planned earlier in a new place: so for the construction of a new church, land was purchased back in 1702 from Streltsy quitrent lands. But, apparently, it was the desire and finances of Peter the Great that prompted the start of construction of the Church of St. John the Warrior. The author of the plan and its architect was one of the favorite architects of Peter I, Ivan Petrovich Zarudny (born 1727). Already on June 11 (23), 1711, the chapel of St. was consecrated in the southeastern corner. martyrs and confessors Guria, Samon and Aviv, and divine services began in the temple.

The great consecration of the temple on June 12, 1717 was performed by the Patriarchal Locum Tenens Metropolitan of Ryazan and Murom Stefan (Yavorsky). From this day, which is considered the beginning of the life of the new temple, according to the profound remark of Father Nazarius, abbot of Valaam, “the guardian angel of the Throne of the Lord persistently abides in the temple of God.”

A document from 1721 has been preserved, according to which the priest Alexei Fedorov bought for 5 rubles from the widow of the guard of the Uniform Chancellery Agafya Potapovna Chertikhina her buildings (probably a house and outbuildings), located near the church on Bolshaya Kaluzhskaya (that was the name of Yakimanka in those years). She “ceded over the land on which all this was located to the Church of John the Warlord for the construction of an almshouse on it.” Thus, along with Peter the Great, priest Alexei Fedorov should be recognized as the founder of the new Church of John the Warrior.

In 1752, a significant event occurred in the history of Orthodox Russia - the relics of St. Dmitry of Rostov were found incorrupt and later canonized. The year of the saint's presentation coincided with the year of the foundation of the church of St. Martyr John the Warrior. The burial of the Saint, his deceased friend, was performed by the same Metropolitan of Ryazan and Murom Stefan (Yavorsky), who consecrated the temple. The life of the newly-minted Saint and the temple thus proceeded almost simultaneously and spiritually interconnected. The interweaving of dates and events prompted parishioners to ask to consecrate a new altar in the name of this saint. Thus, in 1760 the Church of St. Martyr John the Warrior became three-throne.

In 1812, during the invasion of Napoleon, the Church of St. Martyr John the Warrior was desecrated by the French. “Attracted by gold, silver, pearls and precious stones, the French could not open the western church doors, broke off the southern ones, then opened the northern ones, locked, like the southern ones, from the inside, and brought their horses into the temple of God. Looking for treasure, they hacked the floor, cut down the walls, but the treasure was not given to them. They noticed a basement right under the altar, but instead of going down into it using the passage from the northern side of the temple or through the (lower) windows, they broke through the lower vault in the middle of the altar, not suspecting that the southern part of the basement, near which the jewelry was located, was separated by a stone wall" ( “Memoirs of an eyewitness about the stay of the French in Moscow in 1812.” Moscow, 1862, pp. 82-85).

The Lord also saved the temple from fire: the flames raging on Yakimanka stopped when they reached the church fence. The temple and the entire right side of the street up to the Kaluga Gate (where Kaluga Square is now) remained outside the fire. After the enemy, the thrones were consecrated anew: St. Guria, Samona and Aviva - February 20, St. Demetrius of Rostov - March 9, St. John the Warrior - June 29, 1813. The few days when the temple was looted remained the only days in the entire 300-year history of the temple when no services were held in it. Thanks to generous donations and precious contributions, the temple gradually restored its utensils and interior decoration and by 1840 it had reached its former splendor.

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According to legend, Peter I himself chose the site for the construction of the Church of St. John the Warrior in memory of the victory near Poltava. The Emperor actively participated in its design and sponsored the reconstruction of the temple after the next flood.

The wooden Church of St. John the Warrior was first mentioned in 1625, but it was then located near the modern building of the Central House of Artists. These places often suffered from floods, and the church was simply washed away during the flood. Therefore, a new temple was erected on Yakimanka. It was consecrated in 1711, and by 1717 all decorative work was completed. The only change in the architecture of the church was made in 1759: a chapel appeared in the name of Metropolitan Dmitry of Rostov.

The architect of the Church of St. John the Warrior remains unknown, although similarities with the Menshikov Tower suggest the work of Ivan Zarudny. At its core, the temple is an octagon on a quadrangle, but is visually similar to a rotunda. The Church of St. John the Warrior is decorated with white stone carvings and figurines of angels. The domes are painted with red, black, yellow and green “checkerboard” paint. It is not known when this color scheme appeared, but there is a legend that in the 1790s. Paul I liked it and has been decorating the temple ever since. The bell tower stands out a little from the general appearance of the church with its dry decor and painted clock. And the temple courtyard is surrounded by a forged fence in the form of curly branches with leaves.

The interior decoration of the Church of St. John the Warrior was created under the direction of Vasily Bazhenov, the paintings were carried out by the artist Gavriil Domozhirov. The original decor has not been completely preserved, although restorations were carried out as close as possible to the original. The iconostasis, which now stands in the Church of St. John the Warrior, was created in 1712 for the Church of the Three Saints at the Red Gate (where Lermontov was baptized and General Skobelev’s funeral service was held). But in 1928 the temple was demolished, and the iconostasis miraculously ended up in the Church of St. John the Warrior. This temple operated during Soviet times, so icons were transferred here from nearby closing churches: the icon “Saints Joachim and Anna” was transferred from the church on Yakimanka, the icon “Great Martyr Barbara” - from the Varvara Church on Varvarka, the Kazan icon of the Most Holy Theotokos - from the Kazan Church on Yakimanka.

They say that the bells of the Church of St. John the Warrior had a magnificent sound, and by decree of the Consistory he was one of those who “listened” to the cathedral gospel. Moscow churches were supposed to start ringing at the same time as the bell tower in the Moscow Kremlin. Temples located far away were oriented toward “famous churches,” where they “listened” and “transmitted” the ringing of the Kremlin bell tower. They were chosen by the Consistory. In Zamoskvorechye such churches were the Church of the Resurrection in Kadashi, the Church of St. Nicholas on Bersenevka, the Church of Saints Cosmas and Damian in Nizhnye Sadovniki and the Church of St. John the Warrior on Yakimanka.

However, in the 1920s. Some bells from St. John's Church were taken for melting, and some were given for artistic accompaniment of performances at the Moscow Art Theater.

Guide to Architectural Styles

Church of John the Warrior on Yakimanka in Moscow - An Orthodox church named after the martyr John the Warrior, located in the Moscow district of Yakimanka.
In the most picturesque area on Yakimanka Street, in the shade of old trees, one of the most beautiful Temples in Moscow - the Temple of St. John the Warrior - is comfortably located. By the way, Yakimanka Street itself is named in honor of the righteous Joachim and Anna, the parents of the Virgin Mary, that is, the grandparents of Jesus Christ. The first mention of the Temple dates back to 1625, when the Temple was located below, on the river bank and was often flooded. There is a legend that Peter I, driving along Yakimanka, saw that the church was standing in the water and parishioners were approaching it in boats. Having learned that this was the temple of John the Warlord, the king exclaimed: “This is our patron! Tell the priest that I would like to see a stone church on a hill near Bolshaya Street, I will give a contribution and send you a plan.”
The temple building was erected in 1704-1713 during the reign of Peter 1.
In 1711, the construction of a refectory with a southern aisle was completed; The consecration of the entire temple was carried out on June 12, 1717 by the Exarch Metropolitan of Ryazan. In 1759, the southern aisle was built.
The forged patterned fence on a brick foundation was erected in 1754-1758 (its eastern side in 1984 was significantly moved closer to the temple due to the expansion of the street; the fence on the southern side appeared even later, after the demolition of the house that stood there).
The temple was never closed for worship.
In the 1930s, some shrines from closed or destroyed neighboring churches were placed here; one of them was the closed Temple of Maron the Hermit, whose rector Alexander Voskresensky in 1930 became rector of the Church of John the Warrior.
The baroque style existing in the temple (1712) was transferred in 1928 from the destroyed Church of the Three Saints at the Red Gate.
The original stucco decoration of the interior and wall painting (1785, artist G. Domozharov) appeared in 1859 - 1862; The classic side-side iconostases in the refectory date back to the same period.
In 1754 - 1758 The church site was decorated with a wonderful baroque fence with openwork wrought iron bars and gates.
The supposed author of the project is architect Ivan Zarudny
The main altar was consecrated in the name of the martyr John the Warrior, the side chapels in honor of the martyrs Guria, Samon and Aviv, and St. Demetrius of Rostov.
The main boundary was consecrated in 1717 by the locum tenens of the patriarchal throne, Metropolitan Stefan (Yavorsky) of Ryazan.
The services were performed in the church by His Holiness Patriarchs Sergius (still in the rank of Metropolitan), Alexy I, Pimen, and Alexy II.
The temple contains many shrines from destroyed temples, since this church was not closed.
At the church there is a children's Sunday school with a theater group, and a parish library.

The Church of St. John the Warrior was located under the mountain near the Moscow River; river floods constantly flooded it. The entire area was drowned for a long time until a drainage system was built in 1786. The church was first mentioned in 1625. By order of Tsar Ivan the Terrible at that time, warriors lived there - archers, whose patron was John the Warrior, in whose honor the temple was named.
The construction of the stone temple was the fruit of the efforts of the warriors. The church was rebuilt in 1671. Soon there was a Streltsy uprising. The surviving soldiers, taking their families, were forced to leave Moscow and the temple remained empty. Moreover, in 1708, a flood completely flooded it. According to eyewitnesses of that time, then it was very large-scale, both the church and the bridges were flooded.

There is a legend that in 1731, Tsar Peter I was passing by a flooded temple along Yakimanka. Seeing people sailing on boats to the church, he asked in whose honor this temple was named. They answered him that it was in honor of John the Warrior. Hearing this, the king ordered the priest to rebuild the temple on a hill. He provided material and funds for construction. A book about deposits has survived to this day, in which there is a line that the great tsar gave Father Alexy Fedorov 300 rubles in the name and honor of God’s cause.

The church also had its own cemetery in 1712. The church cemetery included wasteland and courtyards abandoned by soldiers. Moscow governor Mikhail Romodanovsky removed all taxes from these lands, the church paid only for the repair of roads near the territories. After a while, the new governor nevertheless imposed taxes on the land. So over time, the temple acquired debts to the state.
Peter the Great sent many gifts for the consecration of the church, among which were golden vessels, a weight on a massive chain and a painting. The weight was hung above the entrance so that people would remember to follow the rules during services. The painting was almost 1.5 meters in size, and it was written on the painting: “A pharmacy that heals sins.” We can safely assume that the “Pharmacy” is a temple.
The order, money and material of Tsar Peter the Great pushed everyone to start construction. After all, for the construction of the church, the land was purchased a long time ago, back in 1702.

The main and favorite architect of the tsar was Ivan Petrovich Zarudny. He came up with the main project, according to which the construction was done. Soon in 1711, the church was consecrated and began to hold services.
The priest Alexey Fedorovich bought her land for 5 rubles from one of the local women, Agafya Potapovna Chertikhin, to build an almshouse on it. Her house was located next to the church. This is confirmed by a document found in the office of 1721. Therefore, we can consider that the temple has two founders.

In 1752, at the request of the people, Metropolitan of Ryazan and Murom Stefan (Yavorsky), who consecrated the church, arrived again to consecrate the new throne in honor of one saint. This year was very memorable and important for Rus'. The incorruptible relics of St. Dmitry of Rostov were discovered and canonized. After this event, the temple already had three altars.

During the war with Napoleon in 1812, the French, flattered by gold and jewelry, plundered the temple. They broke down doors and windows, smashed floors in the hope of profit. The horses were unceremoniously led into the church. But they never found the treasure. The temple was under the protection of God; during the fire, the fire only reached the fence and stopped.
But the world was being restored. All thrones were re-consecrated. The temple did not hold services for only a few days in its entire history during the looting.

By 1840, thanks to donations from people from the inside, the church again shone with rich decoration and was fully equipped.
During communism, things were very difficult for the temple. For loyalty and devotion to Christianity, the rector of the church and Dean of Zamoskvorechye, Father Christopher, was killed. He was canonized for his unshakable faith in the 90s, and to this day people pray to him for loyalty and devotion to God.

According to all Christian traditions and customs, services and liturgies were always held in the temple.
In 1922, by order of the authorities, all property and valuables were confiscated from it. But due to the closure of most Moscow churches, this temple acted as a warehouse and custodian of all shrines.

In the church there were such images as the All-Merciful Savior of Smolensk and St. Nicholas the Wonderworker. Icon of the righteous Anna and Jokim and the image of St. Basil. The relics of the Holy Great Martyr Barbara were even transported to the church from her temple. After the Church of the Three Saints was destroyed and demolished, the carved iconostasis was transferred to the Church of St. John the Warrior. This beautiful, gilded iconostasis remains there to this day.
In other years there were no changes in the temple. Only in 1746 - 1758. The church fence was moved due to changes in street widening.

Shrines of the temple: the miraculous icon of the martyr. John the Warrior with his life, icon of the Mother of God of Vladimir with stamps, icon of the martyr. Guria, Samona and Aviva, icon of the right. Joachim and Anna, icon and part of the finger with the VMC ring. Barbara, icon of St. Basil the Blessed, the image of the Savior of Smolensk, the image of St. Nicholas, icon of St. Anna Kashinskaya with a particle of relics, icon of St. Seraphim of Sarov with a particle of relics, particles of over 150 saints of God in arks and in icons, a lectern icon of the saint. Christopher (Nadezhdin), former rector of the Church of St. John the Warrior on Yakimanka.