In ancient Vladimir there is the Dmitrievsky Cathedral, completely covered with carved images of fantastic animals.
Lions, griffins, unicorns - their intricacy not only entertains, but also forms a text. In Moscow there is also a house with a significant zoomorphic ornament.
The Church of the Trinity on Gryazekh built its apartment building near the Pokrovsky Gate in 1905–1907, and the architect Lev Kravetsky used ancient Russian motifs in the decoration of the house, according to the fashion of that time. True, there is no point in reading into animal secret writing: the appearance and location of animals are subject to the laws of pure aesthetics.
Since then, the one-of-a-kind Moscow Dombestiary has become a landmark in the area. And it grew in size - by two floors, in 1945. It was in 1905 that church people had enough of two floors for needy parishioners and two more for rent - and in the middle of the century the housing crisis forced the Moscow Council to build up all the houses where the walls and foundation allowed.
Gift
An icon was delivered to our church from Georgia. The abbot of the Svetitskhoveli Monastery, Archimandrite Seraphim, sent us an icon of St. John of Zedazni and his twelve disciples, large in size and remarkable in writing.
The inscriptions on the icon are Georgian, so we will list by name those who are depicted on it - in the center is St. John. And in the brands, if you look from left to right and move from top to bottom (as when reading a book): Stefan of Hir, Ise, Bishop of Tsilkan, Aviv, Bishop of Nekres, Joseph, Bishop of Alaverdi, Isidore of Samtavi, Shio Mgvim, David of Gareji (with three stones! ), Michael of Ulumbia, Pyrrhus of Brettsky, Anthony of Martkob, Zenon of Ikalta, Thaddeus of Stepantsminda.
These are Syrian ascetics, the founders of Georgian monasticism, who came to Georgia from Cappadocia in the middle of the 6th century.
God bless you for such a gift!
The construction of the first church on the site of the current Church of the Holy Trinity on Gryazekh dates back to the 16th century, when noble families from Novgorod and Pskov began to settle on the Stromynskaya road (present-day Maroseyka). The first stone church was built in 1649. In 1701, the church was rebuilt, with a new chapel for the Entry of the Blessed Virgin Mary into the Temple. In 1819, this warm church, dilapidated by that time, was dismantled and a new one was built, with the side chapels of the Cathedral of the Mother of God or the “Three Joys” icon of the Mother of God, which is celebrated on the day of the Cathedral of the Mother of God on January 8 and St. Nicholas.
There is an interesting story associated with the “Three Joys” icon. The icon is a copy, or copy, of Raphael's Italian icon of the Holy Family. It came to the temple at the beginning of the 18th century, during the time of Peter I. Then one of the painters, sent to study in Italy, returned with him a copy of the Italian icon and left it with his relative - the rector of the Church of the Holy Trinity on Gryazekh. After the artist’s death, the priest placed the icon on the church porch. After some time, one woman’s husband was slandered and sent into exile. As a consequence of this, the estate was taken into the treasury. To top it all off, her only son was captured by the enemy. The poor woman cried out to the Most Holy Theotokos for a long time asking her to help her in these troubles. And one day, during prayer, I heard a voice: “Find the icon of the Holy Family and pray in front of it!..” The sufferer found the icon on the porch of the Church of the Holy Trinity on Gryazekh and prayed in front of it. And very soon she received three good news: her husband was acquitted, her estate was returned, and her beloved son returned from enemy captivity. It was after this that the icon received its name “Three Joys” and became the main shrine of the temple.
The icon fell in love with the Russian people; it was especially revered in the Don and Kuban. It was believed that praying in front of it helps return home the Cossacks who have been on a spree.
In 1861, the temple was completely rebuilt according to the design of M. D. Bykovsky. The architect put it on stilts. It is interesting that the main altar of the Church of the Holy Trinity was located on the right, and the central chapel of the “Three Joys” icon of the Mother of God became central.
Another shrine of the temple is the icon of St. David of Gareji, the great Georgian ascetic of the 6th century. Saint David of Gareji has the grace from God to help women with their weaknesses and ailments associated with childbearing. They turn to him with prayer for help in childbirth, for the gift of a child or for the healing of an illness, and also to thank him for receiving what he asked for. The basis for such a prayer appeal was an episode from the life of the monk, which brings to us his life. The Monk David of Gareji came to Georgia from Syria in the middle of the 6th century and settled in the vicinity of Tbilisi. He was a preacher of the Christian faith, for which fire-worshipping priests took up arms against him. Having persuaded one seduced girl, they declared him the culprit of her shame. Summoned by the residents to the trial, the Reverend approached the girl and, touching her womb with his staff, asked: “Am I your father?” A voice was heard from the womb: “No,” and the true culprit of her fall was named. After that, in front of everyone, the girl gave birth to a stone. In memory of heavenly intercession, the Reverend asked the Lord on that mountain for a healing spring, to which Georgians still resort to in their women’s infirmities.
In 1929 the temple was closed. It housed a granary and, from the mid-50s, a club. The drum and bell tower were demolished; Everything inside has been greatly rebuilt, and an assembly hall has been equipped in the central aisle.
In 1992, the building was again transferred to the church.
Now the rector of the temple is Archpriest John Kaleda.
Temple day is the feast of Holy Pentecost (movable celebration depending on the celebration of Easter).
In addition to services on Sundays, Saturdays and holidays, every Wednesday a prayer service is held in front of the “Three Joys” icon of the Mother of God with the reading of an akathist, during which the icon is taken out of the altar for veneration. People from all over Moscow and other cities come to the prayer service to pray for help for those in prison, for family well-being, and for the repayment of debts. On Mondays, prayers are performed to St. David of Gareji, on Thursdays - to St. Nicholas the Wonderworker. There is a Sunday school at the church.
Construction of the temple
Built in 1861 according to the design of a famous Moscow architect at the expense of court councilor E.V. Molchanov.
It was preceded by 4 stone churches, successively replacing each other in the 16th-19th centuries.
Nikolay Avvakumov, CC BY-SA 3.0The wooden church with the throne of Basil of Caesarea has been known in this place since 1547. It stood on the swampy bank of the small river Rachka, which is why it received the name “mud”.
The throne of the Intercession has been known since 1619.
Nikolay Naidenov, 1834-1905, Public Domain In 1649, the first stone church with both altars was built.
In 1701, a second one was built, with a new Introduction chapel.
In the summer of 1742, the bell tower with the lower and upper refectory collapsed, probably because they were built on a swampy place.
Nikolay Avvakumov, Public Domain In 1745, it was allowed to build a new church without the Vasilevsky chapel.
The Throne of the Presentation was consecrated in July 1748, the main one - Trinity, in 1752.
In 1819, the warm church was dismantled and a new one was built at the expense of Borisovskaya with the altars of the Cathedral of Our Lady and St. Nicholas.
Nikolay Avvakumov, Public Domain In 1855–1884, the archpriest of the church was Alexander Sokolov.
Temple architecture
The large, majestic structure of the Trinity Church on Gryazekh, together with the unpreserved Church of the Assumption on Pokrovka, which stood to the west on the same side of the street, largely determined the appearance of this section of Pokrovka.
The church was built using techniques and examples of Renaissance architecture. The 4-pillar temple, rectangular in plan, with lowered corner cells and a columned portico, was completed with a monumental domed drum and a high multi-tiered bell tower above the western porch.
The pilaster porticos of the large order have been preserved on the elevated risalits in the centers of the eastern and southern facades of the temple, attracting attention with the perfection of proportions and the magnificent decoration of the composite capitals. Along the top of the walls the building is surrounded by a magnificent frieze with rich stucco floral patterns. The porch in front of the main entrance from the street was interestingly designed, representing a small turret with a figured finish.
The volume of the existing building included parts of the walls of the 18th century church and its later northern aisle.
In 1929, the temple was captured by representatives of the so-called “Gregorians” (who formed the Provisional Supreme Church Council - VVTsS) led by false metropolitan Boris (Rukin).
In January 1930, the Trinity Church was closed by decision of the Moscow City Council on December 20, 1929 to occupy the church as a granary.
In the mid-1950s, the temple building was converted into a cultural center. The dome and bell tower have been demolished. The internal volume of the building was divided by partitions and ceilings into many rooms located on three floors. At the same time, the vaults of the northern aisle were destroyed and the third floor was completed. In the central chapel there was a cinema and concert hall with a stage in place of the altar.
In 1979, a crack appeared on the vault of the former temple. It was decided to close the House of Culture and carry out major renovations. In 1980-1981, repair work was carried out and the foundation was strengthened.
The first mention of a temple on this site dates back to the 16th century - it was a wooden church in honor of St. Basil; later chapels were consecrated in honor of the Intercession of the Most Holy Theotokos and the Holy Trinity. In the middle of the 17th century, the temple was built in stone - it stood for almost a hundred years, but in 1742 the bell tower of the temple with the lower and upper refectory collapsed. This probably happened because the area on which the temple was built was flooded from time to time - the Rachka River flowed nearby, flowing from the pond, which is now called Chisty, it crossed Pokrovka and went further down Kolpachny Lane. In the spring, and also after heavy rains, the crustacean overflowed and turned neighboring properties into a swampy and muddy area. Actually, this is where the name “on the Mud” comes from.
In 1745, construction began on a new church with the main chapel of the Life-Giving Trinity. The temple, completed by 1752, was made in early Baroque forms; there is a version that its builder was the famous architect Ivan Michurin.
In the fire of 1812, the church was not damaged and was not looted by the French. However, by the middle of the 19th century, the Trinity Church became cramped and could not accommodate all the parishioners. The then church warden of the temple, merchant and manufacturer Evgraf Vladimirovich Molchanov, decided to rebuild it at his own expense. He turned to a famous architect who developed a design for the new Trinity Church. He radically rebuilt the old temple, significantly increasing the area of the church building. The new temple was crowned with a large dome, on the western side a high three-tier bell tower was erected (the architect's son took part in its construction, which lasted until the 1870s); The facades of the temple were made in classical forms. Construction work was completed in 1861, the church was consecrated by St. Philaret, Metropolitan of Moscow. The locally revered icon of the Mother of God of the “Three Joys” was kept in the temple, from which it received its second name – “The Three Joys”. Built by the architect Bykovsky, the temple became the new high-rise dominant of the Pokrovka and Ivanovskaya Gorka area, along with the ancient Church of the Assumption and the Church of the Archangel Gabriel (Menshikov Tower).
The donor of the Trinity Church, Evgraf Molchanov, a hereditary honorary citizen and state councilor, was a large manufacturer, owner of several textile and calico-printing enterprises in Moscow and the Moscow region. He was also known as a philanthropist who helped poor families and orphans. Molchanov had an estate on Pokrovka, directly opposite the Trinity Church, of which he was the headman for many years. Architect Mikhail Bykovsky built a lot on Molchanov’s order - in the same 1860s, he rebuilt his manor house on Pokrovka (current building 10) and built the Znamensky Church in Molchanov’s estate Khovrino (Grachevka).
After the Bolshevik Revolution of 1917, the temple continued to operate until it was closed in 1930 for the construction of a granary here. The high dome of the temple and 3 tiers of the bell tower were dismantled, a floor was built over the former chapel, the internal space was divided by ceilings and partitions - after these reconstructions it was difficult to recognize the former temple in the building. Since the 1950s, a cultural center has been located here. In the early 1990s, the temple was returned to believers.
In 2014, restoration and reconstruction of the base and foundations of the building, masonry and structures were carried out (including the opening of window and door openings, the installation of shut-off waterproofing). The rafter system, roofing, domes above the entrance group, gilded crosses and cross apples have been repaired and restored. Copper downspouts have been replaced. Granite, white stone and terracotta plinths have been restored; granite platforms and entrance steps.
Large-scale work was carried out to restore the historical design of the facades. The white stone and stucco decor were restored and recreated; terracotta capitals of pilaster porticoes; oak window and door joinery and window grilles. The facades were plastered and painted.
For the first time, the place where the Church of the Life-Giving Trinity on Gryazekh now stands was mentioned in the annals of history back in the 16th century. Once upon a time, a wooden church was built there in honor of St. Basil the Great. In the 17th century they decided to cover it with stone, but in the mid-18th century the bell tower fell from a height and collapsed. This misfortune occurred due to the close proximity to the Rachka River, which flowed from the pond, which is now called Chisty.
The crustacean was crossing Pokrovskaya Street. In the spring or after prolonged rains, the river overflowed and turned the entire area into mud. That's why this area got its name.
Church warden
In 1812, when Moscow burned, the church was not damaged, but by the middle of the 19th century, the Church of the Life-Giving Trinity on Gryazekh was unable to accommodate all the parishioners. Therefore, the head of the church, philanthropist and Evgraf Vladimirovich Molchanov, decided to rebuild it at his own expense.
Evgraf Molchanov was a major entrepreneur, owner of several textile and calico-printing factories in Moscow and the Moscow region. All his life, Evgraf Vladimirovich helped the poor, orphans, and his workers.
And so, to implement his plan and build the temple, he turns to the famous architect and his friend M. D. Bykovsky.
Renaissance
The Church of the Life-Giving Trinity on Gryazekh at the Pokrovsky Gate will soon take on a new look. On the western side of the church, the architect decides to erect a three-tier bell tower, which will be completed in 1870. The facade of the temple is made in a classical style,
In 1861, construction was completed. The Metropolitan of Moscow at that time was St. Philaret, who consecrated the Life-Giving Trinity on Gryazekh - this is an amazing structure, since many interesting stories are associated with it. It is there that the miraculous icon with a touching story is kept.
Miraculous icon
The icon is called “The Holy Family”, and the author is the famous Italian artist Raphael. Even before the reconstruction of the temple, one pious artist brought it from Italy and gave it to his relative, who turned out to be the rector of the temple on Gryazekh. Some time later, after the artist’s death, the rector placed the icon on the porch of the church.
Forty years later, a miracle associated with the icon occurred. One woman’s husband was slandered and exiled to Siberia, and her property was returned to the treasury. And the only son was captured. The poor woman cried out to the Mother of God for help day and night. Then one day, while grieving and praying, she heard a voice telling her to find the icon of the Holy Family and pray in front of it. Fortunately, the woman finds the icon and prays with all zeal. After some time, the woman’s husband is rehabilitated, the home is given back to the owners, and the son returns from captivity.
The Church of the Life-Giving Trinity on Gryazekh becomes a place of pilgrimage for believers, and people give the icon the name “Three Joys.”
There is also an icon of the great Georgian ascetic in the temple. The life of the saint is written in the Cheti-Minea. They say that during the life of David of Gareji, the sorcerer priests, for a certain bribe, persuaded a certain girl to publicly disgrace the Christian preacher. The girl accused the saint of her pregnancy, then the man of God, holding out his staff and touching the girl’s belly, asked if he was the father of the child. To which from the womb everyone heard the voice “No.” Georgian women know this terrible story well, which is why they ask the saint for help in childbirth, giving a child, and so on.
In 1929, Moscow, or rather the Soviet government, decided to turn the Church of the Life-Giving Trinity on Gryazekh into a granary, and starting in the mid-50s of the twentieth century, a club was opened there. After the events of 1991, the temple building again belongs to the church, it still operates today, the rector is Archpriest Ivan Kaleda.
