Epiphany Cathedral, the city of Orel: address, mode of operation and photos

On the arrow of two rivers (Orlik and Oka), whereonce stood Orel fortress, now stands the majestic Epiphany Cathedral in the city of Orel. This monument of antiquity, which has survived many difficult periods of life together with Russia, has more than three centuries of its history, but, like in previous years, it is one of the main spiritual centers of the region.

Wooden church - the predecessor of the cathedral

His story began, as it often happened informer centuries, with a small wooden church, built in 1646 and consecrated in honor of the appearance of our Lord Jesus Christ. And the name of her was appropriate - Bogoyavlenskaya. About how it looked and was great, there was no information. She was destined to serve God and people no more than half a century.

Time it was hard. During the Time of Troubles, the city of Orel was completely burnt by the Polish and Lithuanian interventionists, after which for almost thirty years it remained in desolation. Only in 1636, Tsar Mikhail Fedorovich issued a decree on his restoration, and life returned to the old ashes, but because of the constant Tatar raids carried paramilitary character.

Erection of a stone cathedral

New stone Epiphany Cathedral (St. Eagle) was built in the beginning of the XVIII century, and, as it should be assumed, no later than 1714. This can be concluded on the basis of a decree issued that year by Peter I, which forbade the erection of stone buildings throughout Russia. A new capital of the state, St. Petersburg, was being built, and all masonry specialists had to work on the banks of the Neva. This restriction was valid for sixty years, and, of course, Orel architects would not dare to break it.

Later, the temple was rebuilt several times, butaccording to the surviving drawings and drawings it can be concluded that it was an outstanding example of the Moscow or, as it is customary, Naryshkin baroque. This style, widespread in the architecture of the XVII and the beginning of the XVIII century, received its name after the Boyar family of the Naryshkins, in whose estates buildings were erected in this new for that time Russia.

Epiphany Cathedral (St. Orel) undoubtedly became the decoration of the city, and when the main cathedral Christmas Cathedral decayed, and it happened in the sixties of the XVIII century, it began to hold all the solemn episcopal worship. Up to now, many eyewitness accounts have survived, telling about the splendor with which they were performed.

The subsequent reconstruction of the cathedral

Years passed, and new trends invaded the quietprovincial life of the Eagle. They touched and architecture. In place of the baroque, which had outlived its century, with its magnificent decor, came the strict and complete outlines of classicism. Since among the parishioners of the cathedral there were many eminent merchants - pious people and with means, in 1837 it was decided to make a major overhaul of the building, following the metropolitan samples in all. Wished the fathers of the city and God to glorify themselves and not to drop.

Conceived it was possible to carry out as well as possible. The very building of the temple was significantly expanded and decorated with classical porticos and massive apses - altar ledges, adjacent to the main volume and changed its artistic appearance. In conjunction with the baroque domes and bell-tower that remained in their former form, the Epiphany Cathedral (Oryol) embodied in its appearance the continuity of the two architectural styles.

"Leaning Tower of Pisa" on the shore of Orlik

Another time construction work wasrenewed already at the beginning of the XX century. The fact is that the bell tower in the thirties of the previous century began to slope to the side. But since this process was very slow, and its restructuring required considerable funds, the fathers of the city did not hurry to take appropriate measures, hoping, mainly, at the mercy of God.

However, by 1900 the slope had become sothreatening that a commission was established, which included both representatives of technical services and persons of spiritual rank. After a thorough examination of the bell tower, despite the assurances of the parishioners that "it stood and will stand for another hundred years," it was decided to disassemble.

However, this time also did not become hasty. Eight years passed before the construction of a new one began on the site of the old belfry, the project of which was executed in the Neo-Russian or, as it is called, pseudo-Russian style, which included a combination of traditions of Old Russian and Byzantine architecture.

Hard times

The first two decades that followedOctober revolution, the Epiphany Cathedral (Oryol) survived with less losses than other city temples. He was not included in the list of his seventeen brethren, who were subject to immediate closure, and even during the campaign for the seizure of church values ​​was not fully generalized.

His troubles began not long before the war, when inIn 1939, the new bell tower was ordered to dismantle. Her vaunted combination of Old Russian style with Byzantine traditions did not save her. And she stood this time absolutely exactly, just needed a new power bricks, here and dismantled the architectural monument. The same fate befell the church fence.

War and subsequent years

During the whole war the temple remained active, under hisvaults prayed for victory over the enemy and for all who shed blood on the battlefields. In 1945, a protective board appeared on its wall. She reported that the city department for architecture, after seeing the miraculous image, finally appreciated the uniqueness of the structure and placed it under the protection of the state.

However, this security guarantee was sufficient only fortwenty years. In the sixties, the sad and memorable Khrushchev campaign to combat religious relics was unfolded in the course of which the Epiphany Cathedral was not only closed but also rebuilt for the needs of the puppet theater located in its walls. Domes with crosses were demolished, and the inner vaults were blocked by a flat ceiling. All wall paintings, made by the masters of the XIX century, plastered, as not responding to the ideological focus of the cultural institution that housed it.

The Long Way of Revival

Today Epiphany Cathedral Eagle, whose address: Epiphany Square 1, revived to life, reopened the doors for its parishioners. But this was preceded by a long and difficult path, the beginning of which was laid back in 1994, immediately after its transfer to the ownership of the church. Suffice it to say that the restoration of the shrine after many decades of mockery took almost twenty years.

Only after in 1996 it was consecratedthe main throne, among other city churches, resumed regular worship services and the Epiphany Cathedral (the city of Orel). The baptism of children and adults, weddings, funeral services and other treasures began to be performed again, as in the old days. All this took place against the backdrop of continuous restoration work. In 2000, a group of artists completed the restoration of the interior painting of the cathedral, returning its walls a pristine appearance.

The bell tower returned from non-existence

One of the main stages of the work wasrestoration of the bell tower destroyed in the pre-war period. In 2008, on the site where the ground was rising above the ground, construction began, completed in an unusually short time. The following year the main bells were raised on it, and in 2013 the consecration of their complete set was completed.

On May 24, 2014, on the square where theEpiphany Cathedral in Orel, flocked numerous crowds of believers and people not indifferent to what is happening. It was a truly remarkable day. On the bell tower of the cathedral a dome and the cross that crowned it were installed, after which a long-awaited blessing swam over the city. The last time it was distributed in Orel in 1919, when after the departure of the White Guard troops, Lenin's decree on the prohibition of bell-ringing came into force.

The parish life of the cathedral today

Not long before this significant eventdean of the Oryol temples, Archpriest Alexander (Prishchepa) was appointed rector of the cathedral. Under his pastoral life, the community's life has reached a new level. A Sunday school and a choral studio were opened, an altar chapel was built in which water from the artesian well located on the cross flows down the cross, which undoubtedly adorns the Epiphany Cathedral.

The mode of operation of the temple as a whole corresponds totimetable of all other Orthodox churches. On weekdays morning services begin at 8:00, and at 17:00. On Sundays and holidays, two liturgies are served: the early one at 7:00 and the late one at 9:00. We inform all those who are going to visit the Epiphany Cathedral for the first time (Oryol) - phone for information: +7 (4862) 54-31-59.