Temple of the Prophet Elijah (Exaltation of the Holy Cross) in Cherkizovo. Temple of the Prophet Elijah (Exaltation of the Holy Cross) in Cherkizovo Divine services Church of the Prophet Elijah in Cherkizovo

The Church of Elijah the Prophet (Exaltation of the Holy Cross) in Cherkizovo is an Orthodox church of the Transfiguration deanery of the Moscow diocese.

The temple is located in the Preobrazhenskoye district, Eastern administrative district of Moscow. The main altar was consecrated in honor of the Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross; chapels in honor of the Prophet Elijah, in honor of St. Alexy, Metropolitan of Moscow and All Russia, Wonderworker.

The history of the Elias Church is inextricably linked with the history of the village of Cherkizovo, where it was built in the 14th century. The village got its name from its owner, Tsarevich Serkizi, who after baptism became Ivan Serkizov. Ivan Serkizov owned the village for a short time and then sold it to Ilya Ozakov, a fellow native of the Golden Horde. Ilya Ozakov was a baptized Tatar and a very devout person. It was he who built a church in Cherkizovo in honor of his heavenly patron, Elijah the Prophet.

Elias Church was located in a picturesque place, on the banks of the Sosenka River. Sosenka is the right tributary of Khapilovka, its source is located in the Golyanov region, and the length of the entire river is almost nine kilometers. Currently, the main part of the Sosenka channel is enclosed in a pipe. Cherkizovsky Pond, on the banks of which the Ilyinskaya Church still stands, is one of the few places where the river comes to the surface.

Together with his brother Sergei, Ilya was one of the close servants of Metropolitan Alexy. It was to the metropolitan that Cherkizovo passed from Ilya Ozakov. Metropolitan Alexy liked the picturesque location of the village and he made the temple the summer residence of the Moscow patriarchs. Over time, especially under Saint Innocent (Veniaminov), the residence grew and was rebuilt.

In 1689-1690, on the site of a burnt wooden church, a stone church was built. The temple was consecrated on June 18, 1690, it already had a chapel of St. Alexis, a refectory and a belfry. In the 19th century, the Elias Church was rebuilt twice. After the first reconstruction in 1821-1825, the temple for some time became five-domed. A more serious reconstruction was carried out at the end of the 19th century on the initiative of the rector of the church, Father Paul, and the church warden, merchant Alexander Zelenyaev, who wrote in an appeal to the diocesan authorities: “The Church of the Holy Prophet Elijah in the village of Cherkizovo does not correspond to a fairly significant number of parishioners...” . The plan for the reconstruction of the church and the construction of a new bell tower according to the design of the architect Egorov was approved in 1888. After the completion of work in the late 1890s, the temple was re-consecrated.

Elias Church is surrounded by a cemetery, which is the oldest cemetery in Moscow. This is one of the rare domestic historical necropolises that was not destroyed during the Soviet era. In 1861, the famous Moscow holy fool Ivan Yakovlevich Koreysha, who was revered as a saint for a long time, was buried here. His popularity is evidenced by the fact that the image of Koreishi is depicted in the works of N.S. Leskova (“Little Mistake”) and F.M. Dostoevsky (“Demons”).

During the Great Patriotic War, the believers and clergy of the temple collected 1 million rubles for the construction of aircraft and sent them to I.V. Stalin. Stalin sent a telegram of gratitude in response. And the temple survived all the difficult years of Soviet rule. In the middle of the 20th century, icons from neighboring churches that were to be destroyed were brought to the temple. The rector of the temple at that time was Pavel Ivanovich Tsvetkov.

Pilgrimage trips to the Temple of Elijah the Prophet in Cherkizovo in Moscow

The massive construction of Orthodox churches always indicates that religion is truly a necessary spiritual “medicine” for the people. This statement cannot be refuted, because in fact it is so. In religion one can find a certain peace and tranquility, and a person can also receive explanations for what was not available in other areas.

History of the founding of the church

The history of the construction of the temple is directly intertwined with the emergence of the village in which it is located. The village of Cherkizovo was inhabited back in the 14th century. It owes its name to the owner, but, unfortunately, after some time the village was sold to another person. He turned out to be a representative of the Golden Horde. The second owner was devout, and it was under his patronage that the church named after Elijah was built. The location of the Church of the Prophet Elijah in Cherkizovo was chosen quite well: a picturesque area of ​​the village on the bank of the river called Sosenka. It is a right tributary of the Khapilovka River.

Today, most of the river is imprisoned in a pipe, except for a beautiful reservoir. Now it is called Cherkizovsky Pond, on the shore of which there is a beautiful church, which is a true decoration of this place, reminding residents of religious life. The owner of the village had a brother, both of them were one of the close associates of Metropolitan Alexy.

Even the metropolitan himself liked the incredibly beautiful location of the church; according to his decision, the monastery became the summer residence of the Moscow Patriarchate. Over time, new buildings began to appear here, the residence expanded and acquired new colors.

Stone Church

Over time, it was decided to build a magnificent stone church on the site of the old wooden temple building. This decision was implemented from 1689 to 1690. The temple was built as quickly as possible, and already in June 1690 it was illuminated. In addition to the temple, a refectory and a belfry were erected.

But already in 1821, another restructuring took place, and the temple became five-domed, but this did not last long. Subsequently, the Church of Elijah the Prophet in Cherkizovo underwent more impressive reconstructions. Thus, in the 19th century, by the decision of the mentor of the church, Father Paul, a plan was developed for the construction of a new bell tower according to the design of the famous architect Egorov, and already in 1888 this project was fully approved. The work was completed in 1890 and the monastery was illuminated again.

Surprisingly, the temple is surrounded by a cemetery, which is one of the oldest in the entire city of Moscow. It is here that people who had significant historical significance are buried. This cemetery was not plundered during the Soviet era, as happened to many others. The bodies of famous people rest here, for example, in 1861 the Moscow holy fool, who was canonized, was buried here. Many facts testify to his abilities. Koreysha, who was captured in the prose of Leskov and Dostoevsky, is an image copied from this man.

At the time when the Great Patriotic War unfolded, about 1 million rubles were collected by devout people and the leadership of this temple, which were sent to Stalin for the construction of aircraft. To which the leader sent a telegram of gratitude in response. It was thanks to this act that the temple managed to survive the difficult Soviet years without being damaged or destroyed. Already in the middle of the 20th century, holy images from neighboring churches began to be brought to the temple; it was these icons that were supposed to be destroyed, but thanks to the holy walls they were preserved.

Monastery today

At the moment, the Church of Elijah the Prophet in Cherkizovo is fully functioning. The schedule of services can be viewed upon entering the monastery. Services are held daily, in the morning at 9.00 and in the evening at 17.00.

On December 30, 2011, Archimandrite Savva was appointed spiritual director of the temple. He is one of the archimandrites of the Russian Orthodox Church.

Cemetery Cherkizovskoye

The cemetery, which is located near the church, is one of the smallest in the entire city. Its name coincides with the name of the village in which it was located. In 1904, this cemetery was included in the burial grounds of the city of Moscow. Since 1998, an archive of registration of all buried people has been kept here. At the cemetery there is a special rental point for the necessary items for caring for graves. Today, only family burials are held on the territory; the cemetery is open every day and can be visited.

Icons

The shrines of the Church of Elijah the Prophet in Cherkizovo daily help many parishioners in various needs. The main shrines include:

• Holy image of the Virgin Mary "Assumption".
• "Life-giving spring"
• "Healing of St. Alexy Tandula."

There are also many other shrines here, for which people come to these regions in the hope of God’s grace.

How to get there

The monastery is located at the address: Moscow, B. Cherkizovskaya street 17. The easiest way to get there is by metro, metro station. "Cherkizovskaya" or "Preobrazhenskaya Square". Getting to the temple will not be difficult. But if you find yourself in Cherkizovo, be sure to visit this unique place. Here even the air is saturated with history and goodness.

Elias Church was located in a picturesque place, on the banks of the Sosenka River. Sosenka is the right tributary of Khapilovka, its source is located in the Golyanov region, and the length of the entire river is almost nine kilometers. Currently, the main part of the Sosenka channel is enclosed in a pipe. Cherkizovsky Pond, on the banks of which the Ilyinskaya Church still stands, is one of the few places reminiscent of where the river previously flowed on the surface. The river itself flows in a collector along the eastern shore of the pond.

Together with his brother Sergei, Ilya was one of the close servants of St. Alexis, Metropolitan of Moscow, who reigned from 1354 to 1378. Metropolitan Alexy liked the picturesque place and in 1378 he bought from him “the village of Cherkizovo with his silver,” as stated in his spiritual letter, i.e. with cell money, and according to his will he left it to the Moscow Metropolitanate, in the possession of the Chudov Metropolitan Monastery in the Kremlin. Later, this purchase was secured by a charter from Prince Vasily the Dark (1425–1462). It is no coincidence that in the census books of the 17th century the village of Cherkizovo is called “the patrimony of the miracle worker Alexy.” Subsequently, he made the temple the summer residence of the Moscow patriarchs. Over time, especially under Saint Innocent (Veniaminov), the residence grew and was rebuilt.

Stone Church

In the 1690s, a stone church was built on the site of a burnt wooden temple. The temple was consecrated on June 18, 1690, it already had a chapel of St. Alexius, a refectory and a belfry. In the 19th century, the Elias Church was rebuilt twice. After the first reconstruction in 1825, the temple for some time became five-domed. A more serious reconstruction was carried out at the end of the 19th century on the initiative of the rector of the church, Father Paul, and the church warden, merchant Alexander Zelenyaev, who wrote in an appeal to the diocesan authorities: “The Church of the Holy Prophet Elijah in the village of Cherkizovo does not correspond to a fairly significant number of parishioners...”. The plan for the reconstruction of the church and the construction of a new bell tower according to the design of the architect Egorov was approved in 1888. After the completion of the work at the end of the 1970s, the temple was re-consecrated.

Elias Church is surrounded by a cemetery, which is the oldest cemetery in Moscow. This is one of the rare domestic historical necropolises that was not destroyed during the Soviet era. In 1861, the famous Moscow holy fool Ivan Yakovlevich Koreysha, who was revered as a saint for a long time, was buried here. His popularity is evidenced by the fact that the image of Koreyshi is captured in the works of N. S. Leskov (“Little Mistake”) and F. M. Dostoevsky (“Demons”). Ivan Yakovlevich is mentioned by A. N. Ostrovsky (“The Marriage of Balzaminov”).

During the Great Patriotic War, the believers and clergy of the temple collected 1 million rubles for the construction of airplanes and sent them to I.V. Stalin. Stalin sent a telegram of gratitude in response. And the temple survived all the difficult years of Soviet rule. In the middle of the 20th century, icons from neighboring churches that were to be destroyed were brought to the temple. The rector of the temple at that time was Pavel Ivanovich Tsvetkov.

Temple of Elijah the Prophet in Cherkizovo today

On December 30, 2011, Archimandrite Savva, deputy manager of the affairs of the Moscow Patriarchate and head of the control and analytical service for the management of the affairs of the Moscow Patriarchate, a member of the Inter-Council Presence of the Russian Orthodox Church, was appointed rector of the church.

Clergy

• The rector of the temple, Bishop Savva- born February 19, 1978. in 1999 - 2001 he studied at the Moscow Seminary.
• Archpriest Georgy Chvilev- born November 14, 1958. Graduated in absentia from the Moscow Theological Academy.
• Priest Andrey Silin- born April 29, 1975. He was ordained to the priesthood on December 7, 1997.
• Priest Roman Tarabrin- born July 24, 1982.
• Priest Timofey Gotyashvili- February 19, 1983.
• Priest Alexey Kotemaka- born June 12, 1981. Graduated from Volga Institute from 1999 to 2004.
• Protodeacon Alexander Bakhtin- born August 14, 1960. Graduated

Cherkizovo is one of the villages near Moscow that became part of Moscow in the 20th century. The first mention of the village of Cherkizov dates back to the 14th century, when the boyar Andrei Serkizov, the son of the Tatar prince Serkiz Bey, the Kolomna governor, took possession of it. During the Tatar-Mongol yoke, many Tatars went into the service of the Russian princes, and among them were high-ranking princes who did not have good relations with the khans of the Golden Horde. It is interesting to note that the governor himself, Andrei Serkizov, died in 1380 on the Kulikovo field. During his lifetime, the village of Cherkizovo came into the possession of Ilya Ozakov, who was also a Tatar, a native of the Golden Horde, who converted to Orthodoxy. Ilya Ozakov sold his villages and villages near Moscow to Metropolitan Alexy of Moscow. From that time on, Cherkizovo became one of the estates of the Moscow Chudov Monastery. The first church in Cherkizovo appeared under Ilya Ozakov. Initially, the church in the name of St. Elijah the Prophet was wooden. It was staged by Ilya Ozakov in honor of his heavenly patron - Elijah the Prophet. The village of Cherkizovo was purchased by Metropolitan Alexy with his cell money, so it was supported by a deed of sale. The people's memory has long preserved the memory of the deeds of Metropolitan Alexy for the benefit of Moscow and Rus'. Metropolitan Alexy was canonized as a saint by the Russian Orthodox Church. Therefore, probably, in the census books of the 17th century, the village of Cherkizovo is mentioned as “the estate of the miracle worker Alexy.”
In the 16th century, Tsar Ivan the Terrible liked to come to Cherkizovo to hunt.
In its current form, the Church of St. Elijah the Prophet in Cherkizovo was built in 1690. At the same time, a stone chapel was added to it in the name of St. Alexis, Metropolitan of Moscow. Later, another chapel was built near the church - in the name of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross and a high bell tower with a hipped roof was built. The construction of the stone Cherkizovsky church dates back to the reign of Patriarch Adrian, the last patriarch of the pre-Petrine era. In all likelihood, the construction of the Elias Church took place in 1689–1690. Thus, according to the testimony of the famous Russian writer of the 17th–18th centuries Karion Istomin, on June 18, 1690, the newly built church of the Holy Prophet Elijah in Cherkizovo was consecrated by the abbot of the Chudov monastery, Archimandrite Joasaph, and cellarer German Lutokhin, and “decorated with all kinds of decorations.” Next to the church there was a parish cemetery, where there was a wooden chapel. According to the inventory of 1701, the church in Cherkizovo looked like this: “... a stone one in the name of the Prophet Elijah, and in the chapel of Metropolitan Alexei with a meal... in the altar there are two windows, and in the church there is one glass window... and in the meal there are three windows The windows are glass, the stove is marbled, and on the refectory wall there is a stone bell tower, and on it there are five bells.”
The Church of Elijah the Prophet was rebuilt several times. In 1821 it was renovated with the participation of the famous architect M.F. Kazakov. Four side domes were added to the central dome of the church, and the church bell tower was also rebuilt. The temple was repaired several times in the second half of the 19th century.
During Soviet times, the temple continued to remain operational. But due to the ban on bell ringing, all bells were removed from the temple in the 1930s. The temple was repeatedly planned to be closed and demolished. One of the dangers loomed over the temple during the construction of a metro line near it. But the temple survived and services continued there. It is very good that this wonderful monument of Russian architecture has survived to this day!

Church of Elijah the Prophet in Cherkizovo on the Sosenka River

st. Staff slide, 17; near B. Cherkizovskaya st., 95

“The village of Cherkizovo was named in the 14th century after its owner, boyar Andrei Serkiz, a participant in the Battle of Kulikovo.”

“The first owner of Cherkizovo in the 14th century was Ilya Azakov, who erected a wooden church here in the name of the prophet Elijah. Metropolitan Alexy, who ruled from 1354 to 1378, bought from him “the village of Cherkizovo with his silver,” as stated in his spiritual charter , i.e., with cell money, and according to his will, he left it to the Moscow metropolis, in possession of the Chudov Metropolitan Monastery in the Kremlin. All that remained was the land under the bishop's house, a quitrent mill on the pond and a few grounds, a new stone church built in 1690." .

The last building of the metropolitan dacha, built near the center. Elijah St. Metropolitan Moscow Innocent in the 1870s, has survived to this day, has the address B. Cherkizovskaya, 93/101. The house, a two-story wooden house, was occupied by the repair and construction department, and the house church that was previously here was destroyed.

“In the scribe books of 1573-1574, this is listed as “church land.” The wooden church was mentioned in 1646. The current stone church, according to clergy records, was built in 1690. The chapel of Metropolitan Alexy was rebuilt in 1856. In 1683 in symmetry with this northern aisle, a new southern aisle was built in honor of Elijah the Prophet, and the main one was renamed “Exaltation of the Cross of the Lord.” In 1893, a new bell tower was built in the spirit of the ancient tented ones. At one time in the 19th century, the church was five-domed.

"The interior decoration of the main chapel is at the same time as the temple. In 1883, the refectory and chapels were added and the apse was redone."

"The Bell Tower 1899." "Fence with two gates of the 19th century."

Judging by the photograph from Naydenov's album of 1888, the temple had five decorative domes, decorated in the Baroque style. The reconstruction at the end of the 19th century probably includes a new single dome of the temple with a bulbous finish, round medallions in the upper part of the quadrangle and window casings. In 1912, Ostankovich noted: “Recently, a chapel of the Exaltation of the Honest Life-Giving Cross was built and a new bell tower was built.”

"In the 1860s, the main altar of the Exaltation and two chapels were rebuilt; at the same time, a new tented bell tower was built. Notable icons now in the temple: the locally revered Mother of God of Jerusalem, the Dormition of the Mother of God, the Life-Giving Source, “Joy of All Who Sorrow.” In the northern aisle in a heavy frame there is a rare scene of the healing of Khansha Taidula by St. Alexis. In the iconostasis of the southern chapel there is an ancient temple image of the prophet Elijah.

In the 1930s the temple did not close. The fence around it is maintained in order, but its continuation in the cemetery is collapsing. The bells hanging on the bell tower are ringing. The building with a fence and two gates is under state protection under number 170.

At the entrance to the cemetery from the southwest of the temple there is a canopy and an unquenchable lamp burns near the graves of the famous Moscow holy fool of the 19th century. Ivan Yakovlevich Koreysha (1783-1866) and Deacon Nikifor. The life of Ivan Yakovlevich, in which many figures of Russian culture of the 19th century were interested. (including Gogol, who came to the Preobrazhenskaya hospital, where he was kept, before the burning of the 2nd volume of Dead Souls, but never decided to go inside), is described by A. F. Kireev, as well as E. Poselyanin. The beloved holy fool in Moscow at the same time attracted the attention of the intelligentsia who looked down on Orthodoxy, who wrote about him with a greater or lesser degree of mockery, starting from I. G. Pryzhov and N. S. Leskov right up to B. Pilnyak and the recent emigrant from the USSR A. Rovner, who named his novel one word from Koreishi’s famous prophecy - “Kololatsy”. F. M. Dostoevsky also worked with Ivan Yakovlevich, for whom he served as the prototype for the holy fool Semyon Yakovlevich in “Demons” (see). The monk Parfeniy (Ageev) also mentions him.

In the Church of Elijah the Prophet in Cherkizovo there is a revered image of the Mother of God "Life-Giving Spring" from the late 18th - early 19th centuries.

At the end of the 1980s. There was a threat to the very existence of the temple due to the construction of a new metro line under its “hill”, which with difficulty, but managed to be diverted.

In 1990, through the diligence of the church elder B.B. Dubovenko, the restoration of the church almshouse began at the address: st. Shakhovskaya house number 27, opposite the temple across the pond - where it was even before the October revolution. Through the efforts of the same elder, a new church house was built with a baptismal sanctuary and a sort of chapel, where it is planned to open a new church, which will be announced in due course.

In addition, according to Yu. V. Pukhnachev, in the bell tower of the Church of Elijah the Prophet in Cherkizovo, one of the only two intact bells in Moscow, which is now in use, has been preserved.