Temple of Alexander Nevsky (Chelyabinsk): the revival of spirituality

The Temple of Alexander Nevsky (Chelyabinsk) is one of thebeautiful buildings in the city. It is included in the list of objects of cultural and architectural heritage of the city. The unique structure, located on the Scarlet Square, has a rich and sometimes tragic history. But after years of oblivion, the temple is again open for worship.

History of construction

In 1881 on the outskirts of the city was foundedAlexander Square in honor of Emperor Alexander II. The merchant Kutyrev laid a chapel in honor of Alexander Nevsky, the great general and the patron saint of the emperor. Means for the chapel were allocated by the merchant himself, and the inhabitants of the city also donated. Architectural project of the chapel was not originally, and the construction, conducted without due supervision, was soon stopped, and all buildings were demolished.

In 1884 The Orenburg Conservatory made a proposal to the merchant Kutyrev to rebuild the chapel that was begun in the church. Fundraising, the search for an architect and other preparatory work began again. Prolonged for many years, the construction was started only in 1907. According to the surviving lists, the temple was collected 60 thousand rubles, some of which donated personally to Emperor Nicholas II.

The author of the new church was the famous architect A.N. Pomerantsev. He proposed to build a church in a new Russian-Byzantine style. For four years the construction was continued, the walls were erected, the interior decoration was finished. The collected funds were sorely lacking, so they decided to abandon the mosaics conceived by the architect over the entrance and pedestals for high reliefs.

The iconostasis for the new temple was made by the master-woodmanfrom Verkhneuralsk. Altar icons and dome paintings were created in the artist's studio by V. M. Oschepkov. Art works were conducted until 1916. As a result, the images of Russian Orthodox saints Alexander Nevsky, Metropolitan John, holy princes Boris, Gleb, Yaroslav the Wise and Monomakh looked up from the walls of the church.

In 1916 the Church of Alexander Nevsky (Chelyabinsk) was opened to the parishioners, and divine services began there. The services were conducted just over a decade ago.

Soviet authority

The October Revolution was a turning point in thethe fate of the temple. Under Soviet rule, the area from Aleksandrovskaya was renamed into the Aloye Pole. Priests of Chelyabinsk recognized Soviet power and conducted services in churches. But in the difficult years of famine, in 1921-22, the authorities ordered the removal of all valuables from the temple. The money earned from the sale went to the relief fund for the hungry. On March 4, 1930 the church was finally closed. The church was left without crosses and domes, and the painting on the walls was covered with paint.

The building, which was built as a temple of Alexander Nevsky (Chelyabinsk), was given for economic needs. At different times there was also a warehouse, a printing house, a schoolchildren's palace, and even a planetarium.

Organ Hall

In 1980 the building of the church was transferred to the regional philharmonic society. Grandiose restoration work was carried out. The architect KI Gusarov tried to reproduce the original appearance of the building on several surviving photographs, thus preserving the Alexander Nevsky (Chelyabinsk) temple. Restorers held a unique work. The secrets of the chain and cross brickwork that were used by the builders at the beginning of the century were discovered. 13 domes were erected at a height of 30 m. The largest domes are 2 m in diameter and 5 m in height, and small ones - 1.2 m. Each dome was crowned with a 2.5-meter spire.

If the exterior is recreated in detail, thenthe interior was completely transformed. In the halls acoustics were improved, on the walls appeared panels of marble, labradorite, jasper and serpentine. In 1987 the German company "Hermann Oile" established a magnificent organ. Since then, there have been concerts of organ music. The stars of world importance were honored to perform in this hall.

Church Again

Since the beginning of the 1990s, the issue of transferringthe building of the Russian Orthodox Church, but only on July 8, 2010 the first divine service for 80 years passed in the church. For several years the temple of Alexander Nevsky (Chelyabinsk) combined the functions of the temple and concert hall. And so, in 2011, it was decided to transfer the church building, and the organ hall to the cinema "Cosmos".

Today the church is again open for believers. The sound of the church choir fills the temple of Alexander Nevsky (Chelyabinsk). The schedule of services in it is about the same as in other churches. So, in the morning, at 8 o'clock, the Akathist is read, at 8:30 - hours, confession, at 8:45 - the Divine Liturgy. On weekends for 10 hours there is a moleben, a requiem, a funeral service, and on 11 - baptism. Every day at 5 pm, evening worship is held.

Not so long ago, there was a significant event inthe life of the church, which attracted thousands of believers, even from the far corners of the region. In April 2016, they arrived at the Alexander Nevsky (Chelyabinsk) temple of the power of Spiridon of Trimifuntsky. Visitors rushed to the temple to touch the great shrine. The ark with the relics of the saint is kept in the Holy Danilov Monastery, and with the blessing of Patriarch Kirill, the relics were transported to Chelyabinsk for several days. Holy Spyridon of Trimiphunt is the patron of entrepreneurs and all who work honestly. During his lifetime, he created many miracles and on death does not leave the people turning to him by their intercession. During the period, while there were relics in the Alexander Nevsky temple in Chelyabinsk, over one hundred thousand believers came here.

In a hundred years that have passed since the day of consecration, Alexander Nevsky's temple functions, and its patron saint helps believers find their way to God.