Sretensky monastery, a new Church: description, history and interesting facts

The feast of the ascension, celebrated in the year 2017 may 25 spiritual centers of the capital added new temple of the Sretensky monastery (the address: Moscow, Bolshaya, 19, building 1). It was built in honor of the servants of God victims of persecution of the Church, by long years of Bolshevik power. This is reflected in its name: the Church of the new Martyrs and Confessors of Russia.

Contest for the creation of the memorial Church

Within two months (October-November 2012) continued the Moscow Patriarchate announced the competition to design the new Church of the Sretensky monastery on the Lubyanka. According to the creators, he was supposed to be a monument to all Russian new martyrs, victims of terror against the Church, waged by the Bolsheviks after coming to power in an armed coup in 1917, and also during the subsequent historical period. It is because it was initially supposed to call it the temple of Martyrs and Confessors of Russia.

The Need to expand space for worship

In addition to the spiritual needs to perpetuate the memory of these people, one of the reasons why the brethren of the monastery to appeal to the Primate of the Russian Orthodox Church for a blessing at such a pious undertaking, were reasons of a purely practical nature.

The fact that, after decades of Communist rule the only active Church in the territory of the monastery was the Cathedral of the presentation of the mother of God, do not accommodate all those wishing to attend worship services. As a result, many parishioners were forced, remaining outside, listening to the broadcast services, sounded in the loudspeakers. This problem has had to deal with the creation of the Sretensky monastery the new Church.

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Basic requirements for projects

After receiving the Patriarch's blessing was a jury of the upcoming contest, which included, besides representatives of the monastery, a well-known Metropolitan art historians and architects. It was announced in advance that we accepted to review the projects must meet a number of strictly defined requirements.

First of all, its shape should match the idea of the House of God, which is the Foundation on which rests the whole Orthodox Church architecture. In addition, he is obliged to reflect the spiritual greatness of the feat, as made by Russian new martyrs in the name of faith.

Possible styles of construction of the future Church

The participants of the competition were asked to design a building of the new Church of the Sretensky monastery in the tradition of Russian Church architecture. Possible styles in this case were: Moscow, Novgorod, Vladimir-Suzdal, Pskov and neo-Byzantine. However, there were inclusion of some modern elements.

These items were laid in the basis of the requirements, but the list of tasks assigned to the participants of the competition did not stop there, because one of them included the decision of a number of purely technical questions. One of the main among them was the requirement that the design capacity of the future Cathedral should be not less than 2 thousand.

Additional requirements

Another requirement was to provide opportunities in the summer to hold services in the open air, as is commonly done, for example, in the Pskov-Pechersk monastery, and arrange around the Cathedral procession moves. Given the lack of the monastery grounds, the solution of these problems was a certain complexity.

Finally, the draft of the new Church of the Sretensky monastery should provide the greatest possible number of different utility rooms such as the sacristy, technical services, audience catechetical education center, Sunday schools, established in the monastery of the Orthodox publishing house. In the underground floor had to accommodate a lot of cars, many components of the monastic fleet.

Such a density of outbuildings was caused by the fact that the Sretensky monastery, with its very small area, is the most populous in the capital. 45 in addition to monks, its permanent inhabitants are about 200 students of the theological Seminary. However, the mission emphasized that the fulfillment of all technical requirements should not be to the detriment of the General appearance of the Cathedral.

Creative contest

To participate in the competition to build the new Church of the Sretensky monastery on the Lubyanka there were 48 papers, many of which could rightly be called a talented and original. During their examination the members of the Commission have made every effort to the most objective determination of the winner.

Even before the announcement of his name, Abbot of ─ Bishop Tikhon (Shevkunov) is sent to all architects who have sent their work, letters of appreciation for their participation in this creative competition. Under the terms of the contest, despite the fact that life had to incarnate only one project recognizedbest, rewards, expected the first three winners.

Announcement of the winner of the contest

After careful consideration and thorough discussion of submitted work was defined the winner of the contest. They became the project developed by the architectural Studio led by D. Smirnov. Decided the names of two other winners. After that, the decision of the Commission was approved by Patriarch Kirill.

What made the jury members to give preference to this work? Answering questions of journalists, Bishop Tikhon, in particular, stressed that the architect Dmitry Smirnov and his colleagues have most fully embodied in his draft the features of the Cathedral is a monument to the triumph of Christ and his faithful followers, which is what the Holy new martyrs of Russia. The proposed image of the temple is extraordinarily majestic and bright. At the same time, its installation on a pedestal-the platform gives it the features of the monument.

Controversy

Particularly successful, in the opinion of the jury, was the decoration of the main facade of the building located above the entrance of the picturesque images of the Savior and His saints. This fully can be called eschatological (doctrinal) expression of the victory of the Church, which is in the midst of the Heavenly city of Jerusalem the image of the lamb of God ─ Jesus Christ. However, among visitors of the exhibition of works submitted for participation in the competition, it is this architectural discovery caused the most heated debate.

There were many skeptics who saw in it a kind of evasion towards modernism. Hardly a similar point of view has under itself the serious bases, as likewise decorated the facade of the main temple is famous Pskovo-Pechersk monastery, and never his architectural concept has been criticized. At the same time artistic parallel between the new Church of the Sretensky monastery in Moscow and those that located in city of Pechory, emphasizes the spiritual connection long established between these realms. In this case an important role was played by the fact that the Bishop Tikhon began his monastic life in the Pskov-Pechersk monastery.

For all the originality of the structure the appearance of a new temple is quite traditional. If the exterior architecture is fully consistent with the Russian style, which is evident even at a cursory glance, for the interior decoration of premises used elements of Byzantine art.

Technical issues

Significant credit for architects is that the new Church of the Sretensky monastery has a number of design advantages. First of all, its capacity is 2 thousand people, which fully meets the technical specification. In addition, the designers have positioned it in such a way that with very dense development of the surrounding area, the building is clearly visible from very long distances. This is achieved due to the fact that it is located on the same line as the street houses and not out on Christmas Boulevard. By the way, this project D. Smirnov and his colleagues favorably with the works of most of the contestants.

The Unexpected

However, the construction of the temple was not without serious conflict with the defenders of Moscow's architectural heritage and residents of nearby areas. The fact that the implementation of the project it was necessary to demolish six of the monastic buildings that are historical monuments within the city's buffer zone. In addition, was the fear that the building of the Cathedral, whose height is 61 meters, becoming the highest building in the entire district, will distort the image of the Christmas Boulevard. However, the Ministry of culture changed the boundaries of the buffer zone, and approved the demolition of scheduled buildings.

In this regard, five architectural and graduading organizations sent a letter to the President with a request to prevent the destruction of historical buildings and to initiate the establishment of a Commission to conduct a full examination on this issue. However, their labors were fruitless, and in December 2013, all scheduled monastic buildings were demolished.

The opening of the Church

Shortly after construction began, and in September 2016 was installed in the main dome of the new Church of the Sretensky monastery. The opening of its solemn consecration took place a year later. The feast of the ascension, which was celebrated on 25 may, his Holiness Patriarch Kirill consecrated a new Cathedral, and at the same time it was made the first divine Liturgy.

After the service in the new Church of the Sretensky monastery entered in accordance with the procedure established by the Charter of the Church, were solemnly transferred the relics of the Holy Russian new Martyr Hilarion Troitsky ─ a prominent religious figure who is a victim of the red terror. Also, coming into the temple, believers can worship the relics of many saints of God stored there and are his shrines.

Schedule of services in the new Church of the Sretensky monastery

Despite the fact that the Cathedral was built on the territory of the monastery and is a monastery temple, the activity of the clergy is aimed equally on the spiritualthe pastoral care of the parishioners, for whom his door is always open. Moreover, as mentioned above, in the preparation of the project of the Cathedral was taken into account the possibility of services not only indoors, but when a large gathering of people, under the open sky near the new Church of the Sretensky monastery.

Schedule of services thus are designed to meet the spiritual needs of the brethren and of the laity. On weekdays, specially for the monks of the monastery at 6:45, held brotherly prayer, and then at 8:00 am divine Liturgy, which brings together everyone. Evening service the public and starts at 18:00. In holiday days the schedule changes somewhat. Are two liturgies ─ early at 7:00 and late at 10:00. Evening service begins as usual at 18:00.