Sofia embankment church. Temple of Sophia of the Wisdom of God in Sredniye Sadovniki Gate Church of the Icon of the Mother of God “Seeking the Lost” in Sredniye Sadovniki. Laboratory of thermomechanical processing

Temple of Sophia the Wisdom of God in Sredniye Sadovniki
The Temple of Sophia of the Wisdom of God is located on the right southern bank of the Moscow River opposite the historical center of Moscow - the Kremlin, in an area enclosed between the main channel of the Moscow River and its former channel, or oxbow lake, which over time turned into a chain of small reservoirs and swamps, which received the common name "Swamps". This unique temple was erected by Muscovites in honor of their victory over Novgorod. The first wooden church, founded at the end of the 15th century, according to scientists, was located a little further from the place where the stone St. Sophia Church now stands - closer to the House on the Embankment.
The wooden church was first mentioned in chronicles in 1493. At that time, ancient Zamoskvorechye was also called Zarechye, where the road to the Horde passed. However, the terrible fire of 1493, which devastated the settlement (the area near the eastern wall of the Kremlin), also reached Zarechye. The fire also destroyed the St. Sophia Church.
In connection with the decree of Ivan III in 1496 on the demolition of all churches and courtyards opposite the Kremlin: “That same summer, along the Moscow River against the city, he ordered a garden to be repaired,” it was forbidden to settle in Zarechye opposite the Kremlin and build residential buildings on the embankment. And in the space freed from housing, it was necessary to arrange something special. And the Zarechensky territory was given over to the new Sovereign’s Garden, called Tsaritsyn Meadow, by the future Gardeners, which was laid out already in 1495.
Near the Sovereign's Garden, a suburban settlement of the Sovereign's gardeners arose, caring for the Garden. It was they who gave the later name to the area. Only in the 17th century did gardeners settle in the immediate area of the garden itself and in 1682 they built a new stone St. Sophia Church.
Not long before, Archpriest Avvakum himself preached in the old church, and “he excommunicated many parishioners with his teaching.” As a result of this “desolation of churches,” he was exiled from Moscow.
In the fire of 1812, the St. Sophia Church was slightly damaged. In the report on the condition of Moscow churches after the enemy invasion it was said that on the St. Sophia Church “the roof collapsed in some places due to the fire, the iconostases and the holy icons in them are intact, in the present (in the main church) the throne and clothes are intact, but the antimension was stolen. In the chapel, the throne and antimension are intact, but the saccharine and clothes are missing. ... The books for sacred services are intact, but some of them are partly torn.”

Already on December 11, 1812, less than 2 months after the expulsion of the French, St. Andrew's chapel of the temple was consecrated. In this chapel, as in all existing churches in Moscow, on December 15, 1812, a thanksgiving prayer service was held for the victories won over the army of the “twelve tongues.”
After the device in the 1830s. stone embankment, it was named after the Church of Sophia located here, it was named Sophia.
In March 1862, Archpriest A. Nechaev and church warden S. G. Kotov turned to Moscow Metropolitan Philaret with a request to build a new bell tower, since the previous one was already quite dilapidated.
They asked to build a new bell tower along the line of the Sofia embankment with a passage gate with two-story outbuildings, one of which was to house a church in honor of the icon of the Mother of God “Recovery of the Lost.” The need for construction was also motivated by the need to continue worship in the event of flooding of the main temple in the spring with water.
Construction of the bell tower lasted six years, and was completed in 1868. The bell tower of the St. Sophia Church became the first high-rise structure built in the center of Moscow after the completion of external construction work on the Cathedral of Christ the Savior, completed in 1859.
The construction of the bell tower was only part of the plan, the author of which was Archpriest Alexander Nechaev and architect Nikolai Kozlovsky. A grandiose construction of the main building of the temple was also planned, corresponding in scale and architectural appearance to the bell tower building. If this project were implemented, the Sofia ensemble would undoubtedly become the most important architectural ensemble in Zamoskvorechye.
The design of the ensemble of the St. Sophia Bell Tower and the St. Sophia Temple was based on a certain range of ideas associated with the Cathedral of Christ the Savior. Like the Cathedral of Christ, the St. Sophia Church was supposed to be built in the Byzantine style. The very expression “Byzantine” emphasized the historical Orthodox roots Russian state. “The construction in the center of Moscow, commensurate with the Cathedral of Christ the Savior and the Kremlin cathedrals, the Temple of Sophia of the Wisdom of God, named after the main temple of the Byzantine Empire, received a very relevant sound. It referred to the well-known concept “Moscow is the third Rome,” recalling the age-oldness of Orthodoxy and the eternal goals of the Russian state, the liberation of Greece and the Slavic peoples enslaved by Turkey, as well as the main Orthodox shrine - the Church of Sophia of Constantinople.”
Moscow recognized itself not only as the successor of Rome and Byzantium, but also as a global stronghold of the Orthodox Church, which was consonant with the idea of Moscow as the House of the Mother of God. The main symbols of this complex composition were the Kremlin Cathedral Square with the Assumption Cathedral and Red Square with the Church of the Intercession on the Moat, which was the architectural icon of the City of God - Heavenly Jerusalem. Zamoskvorechye echoed the Kremlin in its own way and represented another part of the urban planning model of Moscow. The Sovereign's Garden was built in the image of the Garden of Gethsemane in the Holy Land. And the relatively modest church of Hagia Sophia became both the most important symbol of the Mother of God and the image of the main Christian shrine of the Garden of Gethsemane - the Burial Nativity scene Mother of God. The burial place of the Mother of God is symbolically connected with the feast of Her Assumption, which is interpreted by the glorification of the Mother of God as the Queen of Heaven, and the St. Sophia Church embodies precisely this idea, precisely this image of the Mother of God, echoing the Kremlin Assumption Cathedral.
The construction of the bell tower took place during the period following the defeat in the Crimean War, which led to a sharp weakening of Russia's position. Under these conditions, the construction of the Sofia ensemble is presented as a material expression of prayer for future victories and confidence in regaining former power. The geographical location of the St. Sophia Temple gave additional meaning to this theme. If the Cathedral of Christ the Savior, located to the west of the Kremlin, was a monument in the fight against Western invasion, then the position of the St. Sophia Church to the south of the Kremlin geographically coincided with the direction to the Black Sea.
Unfortunately, the grandiose plans did not correspond to the small size of the site, which was very elongated in length between the Moscow River and the bypass canal. The commission found that the building would not fit into the narrow plot, and the possibilities for expanding the plot had been exhausted. As a result, it was decided to abandon the construction of a new temple. As a result, the dimensions of the bell tower came into conflict with the dimensions of the temple itself.
On April 14, 1908, the temple experienced a severe flood, during which enormous damage was caused to the church property and building, estimated at more than 10,000 rubles. On this day, the water in the Moscow River rose by almost 10 meters.
In the Temple of Sophia, water flooded the interior to a height of about 1 meter. Iconostases in the main church and chapels were damaged, cabinets in the sacristy were overturned and vestments were soiled. On the main altar, the silver ark with the holy gifts was demolished to the floor.
On next year After the flood, an extensive complex of repair and restoration work was carried out in the temple.
Little is known about the fate of the temple for the first time after the revolution. In 1918, the new government confiscated the total capital of the temple, which amounted to 27,000 rubles.
In 1922, a campaign was announced to confiscate church valuables for the benefit of the starving.
Regarding the excesses that arose during the confiscation, His Holiness Patriarch Tikhon wrote: “And therefore our hearts were filled with grief when news reached our ears about the massacres and bloodshed that took place in other places during the confiscation of church things. Believers have legal right declare demands from the authorities that there be no insult, much less desecration of their religious feelings, that vessels, like sacred objects during Holy Communion, which according to the canons cannot have non-sacred uses, are subject to redemption and replacement with equivalent materials, so that To monitor the correctness of spending church values, representatives from the believers themselves were recruited to help the starving. And then, if all this is observed, there will be no place for any anger, enmity and malice from believers.”
The seized property was mainly described by weight. Twenty silver vestments alone were taken. Of particular value was the golden chasuble, decorated with two diamonds.
The most famous icon located in the temple and described in several pre-revolutionary scientific works was the icon of the Vladimir Mother of God, painted in 1697 by priest Ioann Mikhailov. During the liquidation of the temple in 1932, all church property was confiscated. The icon of the Vladimir Mother of God was transferred to the Tretyakov Gallery, where it is still kept.
The revolution stopped for a long time in the temple church life, but her last years before closing, they were illuminated as if by a bright radiance in the approaching night, by the flourishing of spiritual life that resisted godlessness.
One of the outstanding people associated with the Church of Sophia of the Wisdom of God was Metropolitan of the Urals Tikhon (Obolensky).
The clergy register for 1915 contains the first mention of the rapprochement with the St. Sophia Church of Archbishop Tikhon of the Urals: “for lately His Eminence Tikhon of Ural visits the temple very often, almost every Sunday and holidays».
As Bishop of the Urals and Nikolaev, Bishop Tikhon took part in the Council of 1917-1918. And since 1922, due to the impossibility of managing his diocese (he was deprived of the right to leave), Bishop Tikhon lived in Moscow and was close to Patriarch Tikhon. In 1923, he joined the Holy Synod under His Holiness Patriarch Tikhon.
In February 1925, not long before his death, His Holiness Patriarch Tikhon served the liturgy in the St. Sophia Church.
On April 12, 1925, Metropolitan Tikhon was one of those who signed the act of transferring the highest church power to Metropolitan Peter (Polyansky) of Krutitsa, and on April 14, 1925, Metropolitan Tikhon, together with Metropolitan Peter Polyansky, paid a visit to the Izvestia newspaper to transfer the will of Patriarch Tikhon for publication .
Metropolitan Tikhon died in May 1926 and was buried in the Church of Sophia the Wisdom of God.
In 1923, at the recommendation of Tikhon of the Urals, his cell attendant, a young priest, Father Alexander Andreev, was appointed rector of the St. Sophia Church. Thanks to his outstanding personal qualities, the St. Sophia Church became one of the centers of spiritual life in Moscow.
On September 14, 1923, the administrator of the Moscow diocese, Archbishop Hilarion (Troitsky), instructed Fr. Alexander Andreev “temporary performance of pastoral duties at the Moscow Church of St. Sophia, in Sredniye Naberezhnye Sadovniki - until his election as a parish.” This election took place a little later, and from then on the further service of Fr. Alexandra is inextricably linked with the Sofia parish.
In the new place, the preaching and organizational talent of Fr. Alexandra turned around to his full width.
A sisterhood was born here. The sisterhood included about thirty women who were not ordained monks, but were deeply religious; folk singing was established in the church. The purpose of creating the sisterhood was to help the poor and beggars, as well as work on the temple to maintain its decoration and church splendor. There was no official written charter for the sisterhood. The life of the sisters as prescribed by Fr. Alexandra was built on three foundations: prayer, poverty and works of mercy. One of the first obediences of the sisters was to provide hot meals for numerous beggars. On Sundays and holidays, dinners were held in the church dining room at the expense of parishioners and the sisterhood, which brought together from forty to eighty needy people. Before dinners Fr. Alexander always served a prayer service, and at the end, as a rule, he delivered a sermon, calling for a truly Christian way of life. The sisters never collected monetary donations for dinners, since the parishioners, seeing the high, noble goal of their activities, brought donations themselves.
Father Alexander arranged living quarters for the sisters.
In 1924-1925 Father Alexander undertook an extensive range of work to renovate and rebuild the temple.
The main iconostasis and the iconostasis of the St. Nicholas chapel were moved from the Church of the Nativity of the Virgin Mary on Stary Simonovo and were installed in the St. Sophia Church.
At the same time, at the end of 1928, Father Alexander invited the famous church artist Count Vladimir Alekseevich Komarovsky to paint the temple. V. A. Komarovsky was not only an icon painter, but also an outstanding theorist of icon painting, one of the founders of the Russian Icon society and a member of the editorial board of the collection of the same name. He was concerned with cultivating good taste and understanding in the matter of iconographic decoration of churches.
Komarovsky worked on the paintings all day, and sometimes at night. I rested right there, in the small sacristy of the temple, located under the bell tower.
In the Church of Sophia, Komarovsky depicted the plot “Every creature rejoices in You” above the middle arch, and on the pillars under the arch, angels in the style of Andrei Rublev. The plaster in the refectory was all knocked down and replaced with new one. The priest himself worked all day long, often even sleeping on the scaffolding.
Finally, the repairs were completed - although, unfortunately, not everything was accomplished as planned. Divine services during the renovation, however, were not interrupted in the temple. And, most amazingly, a strong, continuous connection was constantly felt between the altar and the worshipers.
After the abbot was exiled, the temple itself was closed. It was occupied by the Union of Atheists.
The Presidium of the Moscow Regional Executive Committee issued the next decree on the closure of the temple for the use of a club at the nearby Red Torch factory in December 1931.
A real drama unfolded around the fate of the temple, the background of which, unfortunately, is not known. At its meeting on February 19, 1932, the Commission on Cults under the All-Russian Central Executive Committee again canceled this decision, deciding to leave the church for the use of believers.
However, on June 16, 1932, the Commission again returned to this issue and approved the decision of the Presidium to liquidate the church “subject to the provision of the Red Torch plant to the Regional Executive Committee with a re-equipment plan, information on the availability of funds and building materials" A month later, this decision of the Commission was approved by the All-Russian Central Executive Committee, and the St. Sophia Church shared the sad fate of many Moscow churches. Crosses were removed from the church, interior decorations and bells were removed, and the icon of the Vladimir Mother of God was transferred to the Tretyakov Gallery. No information about the further fate of the temple decoration is known.
After the club of the Red Torch factory, the temple premises were converted into housing in mid-1940 and separated by interfloor ceilings and partitions.
Inside the temple there was a thermomechanical processing laboratory of the Institute of Steel and Alloys. In the 1960-1980s, the trust for underwater technical and construction works “Soyuzpodvodgazstroy” was located in the bell tower.
In 1960, by decree of the Council of Ministers of the RSFSR, the temple buildings and bell tower were placed under protection as architectural monuments.
In 1965 M.L. Epiphany wrote: “The church has a shabby, dirty appearance. The plaster had collapsed in places, some bricks had fallen out, and the door in the altar was broken. The crosses were broken and TV antennas were attached in their place. Residential apartments inside. The bell tower was restored in the 1960s.”
In 1972, a study of the temple's paintings was carried out. In 1974, restoration work began.
The paintings themselves, covered with layers of whitewash, long years were considered lost. But at the beginning of 2000, restorers managed to clear away the paintings on the vault and several fragments on the walls, and a truly beautiful picture was revealed to them.
The expert’s conclusion, made at the request of the current rector of the church, Archpriest Vladimir Volgin, and the church parishioners, states: “The surviving fragments of the church’s paintings should be considered as a unique monument of Russian church art of the 20th century and as a relic of the Church worthy of special worship.”
In 1992, the church building and bell tower, by order of the Moscow Government, were transferred to the Russian Orthodox Church. Extremely serious condition the resulting buildings did not allow the immediate resumption of worship. Only in December 1994 did services begin in the bell church of the “Recovery of the Dead.”
On April 11, 2004, on Easter, a Liturgy was held within the walls of the Church of Sophia the Wisdom of God - the first since those dark times of desolation.
Restoration was carried out in 2013 appearance bell tower building "Recovery of the Dead" by the organization RSK "Vozrozhdenie" LLC.
Currently, restoration work is being carried out inside the bell tower. Divine services there have been suspended until restoration work is completed.

In March 1862, Archpriest A. Nechaev and church warden S. G. Kotov turned to Moscow Metropolitan Philaret with a request to build a new bell tower, since the previous one was already quite dilapidated. They asked to build a new bell tower along the line of the Sofia embankment with a passage gate with two-story outbuildings, one of which was to house a church in honor of the icon of the Mother of God “Recovery of the Lost.” The need for construction was also motivated by the need to continue worship in the event of flooding of the main temple in the spring with water. Construction of the bell tower lasted six years, and was completed in 1868. The bell tower of the St. Sophia Church became the first high-rise structure built in the center of Moscow after the completion of external construction work on the Cathedral of Christ the Savior, completed in 1859. The construction of the bell tower was only part of the plan, the author of which was Archpriest Alexander Nechaev and architect Kozlovsky. A grandiose construction of the main building of the temple was also planned, corresponding in scale and architectural appearance to the bell tower building. If this project were implemented, the Sofia ensemble would undoubtedly become the most important architectural ensemble in Zamoskvorechye.

The design of the ensemble of the St. Sophia Bell Tower and the St. Sophia Temple was based on a certain range of ideas associated with the Cathedral of Christ the Savior. Like the Cathedral of Christ, the St. Sophia Church was supposed to be built in the Byzantine style. The very expression “Byzantine” emphasized the historical Orthodox roots of the Russian state. “The construction in the center of Moscow, commensurate with the Cathedral of Christ the Savior and the Kremlin cathedrals, the Temple of Sophia of the Wisdom of God, named after the main temple of the Byzantine Empire, received a very relevant sound. It referred to the well-known concept “Moscow is the third Rome,” recalling the age-oldness of Orthodoxy and the eternal goals of the Russian state, the liberation of Greece and the Slavic peoples enslaved by Turkey, as well as the main Orthodox shrine - the Church of Sophia of Constantinople.”

Moscow recognized itself not only as the successor of Rome and Byzantium, but also as a global stronghold of the Orthodox Church, which was consonant with the idea of Moscow as the House of the Mother of God. The main symbols of this complex composition were the Kremlin Cathedral Square with the Assumption Cathedral and Red Square with the Church of the Intercession on the Moat, which was the architectural icon of the City of God - Heavenly Jerusalem. Zamoskvorechye echoed the Kremlin in its own way and represented another part of the urban planning model of Moscow. The Sovereign's Garden was built in the image of the Garden of Gethsemane in the Holy Land. And the relatively modest Church of Hagia Sophia became both the most important symbol of the Mother of God and the image of the main Christian shrine of the Garden of Gethsemane - the Burial Den of the Mother of God. The burial place of the Mother of God is symbolically connected with the feast of Her Assumption, which is interpreted by the glorification of the Mother of God as the Queen of Heaven, and the St. Sophia Church embodies precisely this idea, precisely this image of the Mother of God, echoing the Kremlin Assumption Cathedral.

The construction of the bell tower took place during the period following the defeat in the Crimean War, which led to a sharp weakening of Russia's position. Under these conditions, the construction of the Sofia ensemble is presented as a material expression of prayer for future victories and confidence in regaining former power. The geographical location of the St. Sophia Temple gave additional meaning to this theme. If the Cathedral of Christ the Savior, located to the west of the Kremlin, was a monument in the fight against Western invasion, then the position of the St. Sophia Church to the south of the Kremlin geographically coincided with the direction to the Black Sea.

Unfortunately, the grandiose plans did not correspond to the small size of the site, which was very elongated in length between the Moscow River and the bypass canal. The commission found that the building would not fit into the narrow plot, and the possibilities for expanding the plot had been exhausted. As a result, it was decided to abandon the construction of a new temple. As a result, the dimensions of the bell tower came into conflict with the dimensions of the temple itself.

On April 14, 1908, the temple experienced a severe flood, during which enormous damage was caused to the church property and building, estimated at more than 10,000 rubles. On this day, the water in the Moscow River rose by almost 10 meters. In the Temple of Sophia, water flooded the interior to a height of about 1 meter. Iconostases in the main church and chapels were damaged, cabinets in the sacristy were overturned and vestments were soiled. On the main altar, the silver ark with the holy gifts was demolished to the floor. The next year after the flood, an extensive complex of repair and restoration work was carried out in the temple.

Post-revolutionary years

Little is known about the fate of the temple for the first time after the revolution. In 1918, the new government confiscated the total capital of the temple, which amounted to 27,000 rubles. In 1922, a campaign was announced to confiscate church valuables for the benefit of the starving. Regarding the excesses that arose during the confiscation, His Holiness Patriarch Tikhon wrote: “And therefore our hearts were filled with grief when news reached our ears about the massacres and bloodshed that took place in other places during the confiscation of church things. Believers have the legal right to make demands from the authorities so that there is no insult, much less desecration of their religious feelings, so that vessels, like sacred objects during Holy Communion, which according to the canons cannot have non-sacred uses, are subject to ransom and replacement with equivalent ones materials so that representatives from the believers themselves are involved in monitoring the correct expenditure of church values specifically to help the hungry. And then, if all this is observed, there will be no place for any anger, enmity and malice from believers.” The seized property was mainly described by weight. Twenty silver vestments alone were taken. Of particular value was the golden chasuble, decorated with two diamonds. Seized: From the Church of the Recovery of Lost Valuables weighing 12 pounds 74 spools of St. Sophia - 9 pounds 38 pounds 56 spools. The most famous icon located in the temple and described in several pre-revolutionary scientific works was the icon of the Vladimir Mother of God, painted in 1697 by priest Ioann Mikhailov. During the liquidation of the temple in 1932, all church property was confiscated. The icon of the Vladimir Mother of God was transferred to the Tretyakov Gallery, where it is still kept.

The revolution stopped church life in the church for a long time, but its last years before its closure were illuminated as if by a bright radiance in the approaching night, the flowering of spiritual life that resisted godlessness. One of the outstanding people associated with the Church of Sophia of the Wisdom of God was Metropolitan of the Urals Tikhon (Obolensky).

The clergy register for 1915 contains the first mention of Archbishop Tikhon of Uralsky’s rapprochement with the St. Sophia Church: “in recent times, His Eminence Tikhon of Uralsky has been visiting the temple very often, almost every Sunday and holiday.” As Bishop of the Urals and Nikolaev, Bishop Tikhon took part in the Council of 1917-1918. And since 1922, due to the impossibility of managing his diocese (he was deprived of the right to leave), Bishop Tikhon lived in Moscow and was close to Patriarch Tikhon. In 1923, he joined the Holy Synod under His Holiness Patriarch Tikhon. In February 1925, not long before his death, His Holiness Patriarch Tikhon served the liturgy in the St. Sophia Church. On April 12, 1925, Metropolitan Tikhon was one of those who signed the act of transferring the highest church power to Metropolitan Peter (Polyansky) of Krutitsa, and on April 14, 1925, Metropolitan Tikhon, together with Metropolitan Peter Polyansky, paid a visit to the Izvestia newspaper to transfer the will of Patriarch Tikhon for publication . Metropolitan Tikhon died in May 1926 and was buried in the Church of Sophia the Wisdom of God.

In 1923, at the recommendation of Tikhon of the Urals, his cell attendant, a young priest, Father Alexander Andreev, was appointed rector of the St. Sophia Church. Thanks to his outstanding personal qualities, the St. Sophia Church became one of the centers of spiritual life in Moscow. On September 14, 1923, the administrator of the Moscow diocese, Archbishop Hilarion (Troitsky), instructed Fr. Alexander Andreev “temporary performance of pastoral duties at the Moscow Church of St. Sophia, in Sredniye Naberezhnye Sadovniki - until his election as a parish.” This election took place a little later, and from then on the further service of Fr. Alexandra is inextricably linked with the Sofia parish.

Sisterhood

In the new place, the preaching and organizational talent of Fr. Alexandra turned around to his full width. A sisterhood was born here. The sisterhood included about thirty women who were not ordained monks, but were deeply religious; folk singing was established in the church. The purpose of creating the sisterhood was to help the poor and beggars, as well as work on the temple to maintain its decoration and church splendor. There was no official written charter for the sisterhood. The life of the sisters as prescribed by Fr. Alexandra was built on three foundations: prayer, poverty and works of mercy. One of the first obediences of the sisters was to provide hot meals for numerous beggars. On Sundays and holidays, dinners were held in the church dining room at the expense of parishioners and the sisterhood, which brought together from forty to eighty needy people. Before dinners Fr. Alexander always served a prayer service, and at the end, as a rule, he delivered a sermon, calling for a truly Christian way of life. The sisters never collected monetary donations for dinners, since the parishioners, seeing the high, noble goal of their activities, brought donations themselves. Father Alexander arranged living quarters for the sisters.

Renovation and reconstruction of the temple

In 1924-1925 Father Alexander undertook an extensive range of work to renovate and rebuild the temple. The main iconostasis and the iconostasis of the St. Nicholas chapel were moved from the Church of the Nativity of the Virgin Mary on Stary Simonovo and were installed in the St. Sophia Church. At the same time, at the end of 1928, Father Alexander invited the famous church artist Count Vladimir Alekseevich Komarovsky to paint the temple. V. A. Komarovsky was not only an icon painter, but also an outstanding theorist of icon painting, one of the founders of the Russian Icon society and a member of the editorial board of the collection of the same name. He was concerned with cultivating good taste and understanding in the matter of iconographic decoration of churches. Komarovsky worked on the paintings all day, and sometimes at night. I rested right there, in the small sacristy of the temple, located under the bell tower. In the Church of Sophia, Komarovsky depicted the plot “Every creature rejoices in You” above the middle arch, and on the pillars under the arch, angels in the style of Andrei Rublev. The plaster in the refectory was all knocked down and replaced with new one. The priest himself worked all day long, often even sleeping on the scaffolding. Finally, the repairs were completed - although, unfortunately, not everything was accomplished as planned. Divine services during the renovation, however, were not interrupted in the temple. And, most amazingly, a strong, continuous connection was constantly felt between the altar and the worshipers.

Arrest of Father Alexander

March 25, 1929 Fr. Alexander was arrested and prosecuted under Art. 58 clause 10 for the fact that “being a minister of a religious cult, he conducted anti-Soviet agitation among the believing masses, organizing and supporting the existence of an illegal sisterhood.” In addition, he was accused of “praying for those killed and in prison openly in front of everyone from the pulpit and delivering sermons of religious content.” He was also charged with the fact that the sisterhood collected money and other donations “to help clergy and members of church councils in exile and prison.” On May 10, 1929, priest Alexander Andreev was sentenced to three years of exile to Kazakhstan. From 1929 to 1932 he lived as an expelled settler in the city of Karkaralinsk, Semipalatinsk region. Since at the end of the link Fr. Alexander was deprived of the right to reside in Moscow and some other large cities, then he arrived in Ryazan. Father Alexander Andreev was arrested on January 14, 1936 and was kept in custody in the Taganskaya prison in Moscow. By a special meeting of the NKVD of the USSR on April 4, 1936, Archpriest Alexander Aleksandrovich Andreev was sentenced to five years in a concentration camp “for participation in a counter-revolutionary group.”

Union of Atheists and Club

After the abbot was exiled, the temple itself was closed. It was occupied by the Union of Atheists. The next decree on closing the temple for the use of a club at the nearby Red Torch factory was made by the Presidium of the Moscow Regional Executive Committee in December 1931. A real drama unfolded around the fate of the temple, the background of which, unfortunately, is not known. At its meeting on February 19, 1932, the Commission on Cults under the All-Russian Central Executive Committee again canceled this decision, deciding to leave the church for the use of believers. However, on June 16, 1932, the Commission again returned to this issue and approved the decision of the Presidium to liquidate the church “subject to the provision by the Red Torch plant to the Regional Executive Committee of a re-equipment plan, information on the availability of funds and construction materials.” A month later, this decision of the Commission was approved by the All-Russian Central Executive Committee, and the St. Sophia Church shared the sad fate of many Moscow churches. Crosses were removed from the church, interior decorations and bells were removed. No information about the further fate of the temple decoration is known.

Laboratory of thermomechanical processing

After the club of the Red Torch factory, the temple premises were converted into housing in mid-1940 and separated by interfloor ceilings and partitions. Inside the temple there was a thermomechanical processing laboratory of the Institute of Steel and Alloys. In the 1960-1980s, the trust for underwater technical and construction works “Soyuzpodvodgazstroy” was located in the bell tower.

60s

In 1960, by decree of the Council of Ministers of the RSFSR, the temple buildings and bell tower were placed under protection as architectural monuments. In 1965 M.L. Epiphany wrote: “The church has a shabby, dirty appearance. The plaster had collapsed in places, some bricks had fallen out, and the door in the altar was broken. The crosses were broken and TV antennas were attached in their place. Residential apartments inside. The bell tower was restored in the 1960s.”

In 1972, a study of the temple's paintings was carried out. In 1974, restoration work began.

The paintings themselves, covered with layers of whitewash, were considered lost for many years. But at the beginning of 2000, restorers managed to clear away the paintings on the vault and several fragments on the walls, and a truly beautiful picture was revealed to them.

The expert’s conclusion, made at the request of the current rector of the church, Archpriest Vladimir Volgin, and the church parishioners, states: “The surviving fragments of the church’s paintings should be considered as a unique monument of Russian church art of the 20th century and as a relic of the Church worthy of special worship.”

Resumption of services

In 1992, the church building and bell tower, by order of the Moscow Government, were transferred to the Russian Orthodox Church. The extremely difficult condition of the resulting buildings did not allow worship to be resumed immediately. Only in December 1994 did services begin in the bell church of the “Recovery of the Dead.”

On April 11, 2004, on Easter, a Liturgy was held within the walls of the Church of Sophia the Wisdom of God - the first since those dark times of desolation.

Opposite the Kremlin, on Sofia Embankment, is the Church of the Icon of Sophia. From here you have a beautiful view of the center of the capital. The attraction is located on the southern bank of the Moscow River. It was this Church of Sofia on Sofia Embankment that gave it its name. The white bell tower of the temple harmonizes perfectly with the red walls of the Kremlin. There are many interesting historical and architectural values of the capital gathered around.

History of origin

The first wooden church was built a little further from the place where the temple was built. It was built after the victory of the Muscovites over the army of Novgorod. Its construction was mentioned in ancient chronicles in the 15th century. It was built by forcibly displaced Novgorodians. They revered Sophia the Wisdom and named the temple in her honor. In 1493, the writings indicated that a great fire near the eastern wall of the Kremlin spread to Zarechye and completely destroyed the wooden church.

In 1496, Ivan III issued a decree on the demolition of all buildings near the Kremlin. It was forbidden to build residential premises and churches here. Afterwards, the empty territory was given over to lay out the Great Garden for the sovereign. This area began to be called Tsaritsyn Meadow. A settlement was subsequently built near this territory, in which gardeners lived who looked after the garden. It was thanks to them that this area was called the Gardeners in the future.

Temple name

The personification of wisdom and knowledge in Christianity is Sophia the Wisdom. This term is another name for Christ. Sofia Embankment in Moscow is named after this concept and the temple of the same name. The feminine principle in God is Sophia the Wisdom. Sofia embankment is shrouded in this spiritual symbol.

Built with this name a large number of churches around the world. In Moscow, the Church of Sophia the Wisdom of God on Sofiyskaya Embankment was originally built by residents of Novgorod. They especially respected the image of Sophia, which is why the church received this name.

In ancient times, the Novgorodians even had a battle cry associated with this image: “We will die for Hagia Sophia!” Even on their coins, they did not have portraits of princes, but the image of Sophia (an angel with wings - the embodiment of wisdom). Residents of Novgorod identified this image with a woman and bowed before the icon of the Mother of God while saying a prayer for Sophia during services and before aggressive campaigns against other states.

Historical facts

In 1682, garden workers built a stone church. It gradually developed and became a large temple on the Sofia embankment. After a big fire in 1812 as a result of a French attack, the church suffered little damage. The roof was burned and some holy books were stolen.

Already in December of the same year, a prayer service was held in the temple in connection with the victory over the invaders. In 1830, a stone embankment was laid out and named after the temple. In 1862, construction of a new bell tower began and lasted 6 years. This need arose due to the dilapidation of the old one, and a place was needed in which services would be held in the spring. Because when the river overflowed, it flooded the old temple premises.

In 1908, the temple on Sofia Embankment suffered serious damage due to flooding. Then the water in the river rose 10 meters. Recovery after the flood took several years.

But the church could not hold services for a long time. After the revolution, it was devastated, and enormous damage was caused both to the building itself and to sacred things. Temple for a long time was forgotten and not used for its intended purpose. IN Soviet times it was attached to the Red Torch plant.

And only in 1992 the building was transferred to the ownership of the Russian Orthodox Church. The depressing condition of the buildings made it impossible to hold liturgies for another 2 years. Only in 1994 was the first service held in the bell tower.

On Easter in 2004, the first festive liturgy was held directly in the Church of St. Sophia the Wisdom of God on Sophia Embankment. In 2013, extensive work was done to restore the façade of the bell tower. No less ambitious restoration measures are currently underway inside the building.

Temple today

In 2013, new bells were installed. They were cast to order and create a whole harmonious composition. The most important of them weighs more than 7 tons. Repair work is constantly carried out here to maintain the functionality of the temple.

All parishioners are welcome to come and help clean the buildings on the grounds after repair work. Donations are also accepted for its restoration and management. The temple on Sofiyskaya Embankment actively conducts social activities. Constant assistance is provided to those in need with food and supplies.

Also, a special group of volunteers helps low-income parishioners make minor home repairs or checks on lonely people in hospitals. People who cannot move independently are provided with all possible assistance:

going to the store and pharmacy;
cleaning the house;
minor repairs.

Divine services are held daily at 8.00 on weekdays. On Sunday services begin at 7:00 and 9:30. The all-night vigil begins at 18.00. The schedule of festive liturgies can be viewed on the temple website.

Sunday School

The Church of Sophia on Sophia Embankment runs a Sunday school. Children from 3 years old and adults can study here. Classes for children under 6 years old are held in a playful way. Here children are taught respect for parents and the church. 25-minute Bible and tradition lessons are taught.

Older children study the Law of God in an accessible form. There are also classes on fine arts. Teenagers study the Old Testament in class. Adults take a more in-depth course in several areas:

"God's Law";
"Liturgics";
"Old Testament";
English language.

Classes are taught by experienced teachers and spiritual mentors. Also, the school often hosts master classes in different areas of development:

drawing;
needlework;
icon painting

On holidays, children are organized with all sorts of activities and tea parties. All students can attend a variety of excursions and exhibitions. Lessons for children begin after Sunday communion and last 2-3 hours.

Singing school

The temple on Sofiyskaya Embankment conducts classes at a singing school. Here people practice vocals and sing in a choir of different ages. After listening, students are divided into different groups depending on their level of preparation.

The school provides personal vocal lessons with experienced teachers. Students who complete a certain course of study are allowed to sing during church services.

Admission is based on the results of the audition. Music education is encouraged, but not a requirement. Children learn to sing in a choir. Classes are held on weekday evenings and on weekends after services.

The teachers are professional musicians and church ministers. The Sunday school has all the necessary list musical instruments and other benefits.

Social activities

The temple provides donations to the Kursk charity fund "Mercy". This organization is headed by Father Mikhail. The fund helps crisis-ridden large families from rural areas. During the existence of the organization, not a single child was removed from the families in their care.

The church often holds courses for Sunday school students and ordinary parishioners on first aid. For example, a plan of action to help a frozen person on the street is being developed.

Also, temple employees can help people who find themselves in difficult situations receive free legal advice. Also often appears on the temple website interesting information regarding the provision of preferential services to large families in the city.

Charity meetings and children's parties are held on the territory of the temple. During such events, gifts and sweets are given to low-income families and children from crisis families. Children from Sunday school stage performances based on famous fairy tales. In this way, “difficult” children learn to be kinder and more merciful.