The Church of St. Nicholas in Klenniki is located at house number 5 on Maroseyka Street, just a few meters from the Kitai-Gorod station. According to the records of 1886-1887, this church officially belonged to the so-called Sretensky magpie and is currently a state-protected architectural monument of the seventeenth-eighteenth centuries.
Saint Nicholas the Wonderworker
St. Nicholas, after whom the church of St. Nicholas in Klenniki got its name, is one of the most revered in Christianity. He was born on the territory of modern Turkey, in the city of Patara in the third century. As a small child, Nicholas showed amazing learning abilities, loved solitude and was very pious. Even in his youth, he chose the path of serving the Orthodox Church and was subsequently ordained to the priesthood. During his lifetime, Nicholas became famous for the many miracles that took place through his prayers. In addition, the Saint always defended the innocently condemned. Throughout his life, he sought to come to the call of those in need and provide the necessary assistance.
The history of the appearance of the temple
The Church of St. Nicholas in Klenniki, or rather its history, has more than one century. Back in the middle of the fifteenth century, on the vow of Ivan III, a small "ordinary" wooden church was erected on this site. It was built in honor of saving the Moscow Kremlin from a major fire. The stone church of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker in Klenniki was erected much later, at the beginning of 1657, close to this wooden church. And initially it was referred to as "Nikola in Pancakes". Historians directly attribute this to the large number of bakers who lived in the area at that time and sold pancakes. Almost forty years later, a new throne appeared at the temple. And almost at the same time, "pancakes" was transformed into "klenniki". The latter means the location of the church. Since 1771, in all official documents, this religious building has been referred to as the church of St. Nicholas in Klenniki.
The main stages in the life of the temple
In the eighteenth century, the church suffered twice from great fires, as a result of which it was subjected to various reconstructions more than once. So, for example, in 1701, simultaneously with the restoration of the destroyed southern side of the temple, they took up the superstructure of the second floor and erected a new Kazan chapel. After the fire that occurred in 1749, the facades of the church were partially changed and a three-tier baroque bell tower appeared. During the nineteenth century, the church of St. Nicholas in Klenniki was renovated three more times, and the last time it was in 1894. Thirty-eight years later, the church was closed, decapitated and even partially dismantled. Its main building was given over to the authorities as a warehouse. Subsequently, there were institutions related to the Central Committee of the Komsomol. In early 1990, the Church of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker in Klenniki was returned to the Orthodox Church and consecrated. Worship services resumed there. Today, the temple has been completely restored, and the parish library and icon-painting school operate under it.
Thrones of the Temple
The main shrines of the church in Klenniki are the image of the Mother of God "Feodorovskaya" and the ark with the relics of the righteous Alexy. The main throne, which is located in the upper church of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker, was consecrated in honor of the widely revered icon of the Mother of God. Lateral extension - in the name of Nicholas of Myra. As for the lower church, one of its altars was consecrated in honor of All Saints who shone in the Russian land, and the other in honor of Hieromartyr Sergius and Righteous Alexy, who are presbyters of Moscow.
The current church was built in the year close to the church of Simeon Divnogorets, which explains the break in the wall of the northern aisle. The church has been rebuilt several times.
The church was closed during the year. Last Divine Liturgy performed on the Annunciation. After her, the only priest of the temple who remained at large by that time was arrested. On October 6, the temple was finally closed and devastated.
Stone church of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker was built in 1657 and was called "at the Lattice" in ancient times. Rebuilt in 1701 after a fire. On the south side, a chapel of the Kazan Icon of the Mother of God was erected. The bell tower was built in 1748. Since 1771, the church has been called “Nikola in Kleniki” in documents. In Soviet times, it housed the institutions of the Central Committee of the Komsomol. The temple has been active since 1990.
On this site was the church of Simeon Divnogorets, built on the vow of Ivan III in 1468 in one day, in gratitude for the fact that the strong fire of Moscow did not spread to the Kremlin. This church is mentioned in 1625. The current church was built in 1657 close to the church of Simeon Divnogorets, which explains the break in the wall of the northern aisle. In the 17th century, the church was called the Church of St. Nicholas "in Blinniki" (Sytin mentions that pancakes were actually sold here), but in the 18th century "Pancakes" were somehow transformed into "Klenniki". There is an assumption that this is due to the appearance of the icon of St. Nicholas in the village of Klenniki near Moscow.
The church was significantly rebuilt after the fire of 1701: the upper part of the quadrangle was dismantled, and the lower part was turned into a basement, over which a new, double-height volume with an apse and a vestibule was erected, which acquired the features of the "Naryshkin style". After a fire in 1748, the church was significantly renovated, and in 1749 a bell tower was erected. Other renovations of the church are mentioned in 1853, 1868, 1894. In the 1920s, the external decor, lost during the reconstructions of the 18th-19th centuries, was restored.
The church closed in 1931. In Soviet times, the head was demolished from the bell tower, and the head, along with the octagonal drum, was removed from the quadrangle, so that it simply ended with a hipped roof. The premises of the temple housed the institutions of the Central Committee of the All-Union Leninist Young Communist League: according to some sources, they were just warehouses (the Central Committee of the All-Union Leninist Young Communist League was located in the building next door, closer to New Square). The building was under state protection. After the temple was returned to believers on July 18, 1990, the destroyed chapters were restored.
From 1893 to the 1920s, the well-known Father Alexy (Mechev), who was canonized in the Russian Orthodox Church in 2000, was the priest of the church. The relics of the saint are in the church, a separate throne is dedicated to him. After the death of Fr. Alexy in the temple was priested by his son, Fr. Sergiy Mechev, later shot in the Yaroslavl NKVD and also in 2000 canonized as a holy New Martyr.
Thrones of the temple: Nicholas the Wonderworker (main); Kazan Icon of the Mother of God; All the Saints who shone in the Russian land; Alexy, Elder of Moscow (Mechev).
Nicholas, saint, in Klenniki church (Maroseyka street, house number 5).
Here, in 1468, Grand Duke Ivan III built a wooden church of St. Simeon Divnogorets according to his vow. The name of the modern church "in Klenniki", apparently, is associated with the maple grove that existed here in antiquity. The current stone church was built in several stages. It began to be erected in 1657 close to the wooden one. In 1690, the temple was rebuilt in connection with the creation of a new throne in honor of the Kazan Icon of the Mother of God on the second floor. After a great fire in 1701, the temple was rebuilt again. From the construction of 1657, only the lower floor remained, converted into a basement. From the south, from the courtyard, the current church of the Kazan Icon of the Mother of God was built, and the chapel of St. Nicholas was moved upstairs, to the site of the former Kazan throne. The Nikolsky temple has a high two-height quadrangle, completed with an octagonal dome. In the basement there are small windows recessed into the wall, and in the main temple on the windows there are beautiful complex architraves in the Moscow baroque style. The bell tower was erected in 1749. At the end of the 18th - beginning of the 19th century, the facades of the temple were redone. According to the tastes of that time, the windows lost their luxurious architraves, and instead they received a simple, strict frame.
At the beginning of the 20th century, the modest temple on Maroseyka became famous throughout Moscow. In 1893, a young priest, Father Alexy Mechev (1859-1923), was appointed rector. The parish was small and poor. Nearby were more revered temples with large rich parishes. Father Alexy, being the only priest, served every day in the church, which in the early years of his priesthood was almost empty. But soon destitute, grieving and hopeless people were drawn here. They received love and comfort from Father Alexy. The abbot lived with his family in a small wooden house in the courtyard of the temple. In 1913-1915. book publisher Sytin built a business house of his firm nearby and new house for the clergy of St. Nicholas Church. After 1917, the number of worshipers in the temple increased. After the death of Alexy Mechev in 1923 in the St. Nicholas Church until its closure, his son, Archpriest Sergiy Mechev (1892-1942), who died in the camp, was the rector.
In 1928-1930. restoration work was carried out in the temple. Architect-restorer D.M. Sukhov did a great job of opening up the remains of hewn architraves on the facades. They were restored, but immediately after the closure of the temple in 1930, they were cut down again. In the 1970s facades were refurbished. The restorers, using the materials of D.M. Sukhov, repeated his work and again restored all the architraves. The temple then did not have a dome, removed in the 1930s. In Soviet times, the building was used for the needs of the Central Committee of the Komsomol.
In 1990, the temple was returned to the Russian Orthodox Church, and on December 17 it was consecrated. His former parishioners and their descendants immediately came here. They brought many icons that were taken from the temple for safekeeping. The temple was completely restored, using the materials of D.P. Sukhov, by 1997
In 2000, at the jubilee Bishops' Council of the Russian Orthodox Church, the Righteous Elder Alexy Mechev and his son Hieromartyr Sergius were canonized. On September 29, 2001, the relics of Elder Alexy were transferred to the church of St. Nicholas in Klenniki in a procession. In the basement, a chapel was consecrated in the name of the righteous Alexy of Moscow, where his relics are located. Nearby, the chapel of All Saints, who shone in the Russian land, was consecrated. The memorial cell in which Alexy Mechev lived is preserved.
Mikhail Vostryshev. Moscow Orthodox. All churches and chapels. http://iknigi.net/avtor-mihail-vostryshev/
The name of the village near Moscow Klenniki in urban toponymy has been preserved today only in the traditional naming of the church. However, there is reason to believe that Klenniki is the later name of the area, referred to in the documents of the 17th century as "Pancakes". According to some historians, this may be due to the fact that pancakes were sold here, because the place on Pokrovka not far from the gates of the Kitaigorod wall was already very busy then. Be that as it may, in the following centuries the name Klenniki was established; The first temple was built here much earlier. The date of foundation of the church can be considered 1468, when a strong fire broke out in this part of the city. At that time, only the Kremlin was protected by a fortress wall, the current Kitai-Gorod was a settlement surrounded only by a moat, and even further there were completely unfortified suburban settlements. However, despite the remoteness of the described area of the Moscow Posad from the center of Moscow, the fire blazed so generously that the Grand Duke of Moscow Ivan III seriously feared that the fire could spread to the Kremlin. In gratitude for the fact that this did not happen, he ordered to build a temple where the fire was strongest - his command, of course, was immediately fulfilled. This is how the church of St. Simeon Divnogorets appeared - it is considered the direct ancestor of the current St. Nicholas Church. To the wooden temple, hastily built on the orders of Ivan III, two stone aisles were later added, consecrated in the name of Nicholas the Wonderworker and in honor of the Kazan Icon of the Mother of God. Some time later, the wooden temple died in another fire, and the Simeon throne was abolished; Nikolsky and Kazansky still exist; moreover, one of them eventually gave the name to the whole temple. By the middle of the 17th century, when the current temple arose, this territory finally became part of Moscow as Pokrovka Street. The history of the church during these two centuries and exact date the fire of the Simeonovskaya church is not known; we only know, thanks to registers of birth, that the stone church was built in 1657. Its main content, at least until the 20th century, is restructuring, repairs and restoration: they had as their consequence that modern interior The temple is a rather complex combination of premises that arose in different eras. Today it is difficult for us to imagine how the temple looked at the time of its construction under Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich and Patriarch Nikon. In its current appearance, there are too many features of the Naryshkin baroque, communicated to the church already in the next century - in 1657 the temple, most likely, was poorer in decorations and looked more "Old Russian" in its appearance.
Information about numerous fires, from which the stone temple already suffered, has been preserved. They were the main reason for his subsequent restructuring. According to historical evidence, in the first century of its existence, the temple burned at least five times: fires inflicted wounds on it in 1676, 1689, 1701, 1737 and 1748. Most often, the surrounding wooden houses, and only then the fire spread to the church, which was located in a fairly dense urban area. After a fire in 1701, a major renovation of the building was undertaken. The lower part of the main quadrangle was then turned into a basement, and the upper part was seriously rebuilt - probably, having increased in volume. The temple became double-height, acquired a vestibule. There is information about the issuance of a new antimension to the church, which indirectly indicates serious damage from the fire. It was at this time that the design of the temple was given the features of the Naryshkin baroque, which became unusually widespread in the era of Peter I's youth. loss of the grandiose replanning of the city in the 1930s. In addition to a significant increase in the main volume, a new chapel was added to the temple, consecrated in honor of the Kazan Icon of the Mother of God. The Kazan chapel was here before, even before the construction of the stone building. In one of the texts of the 1620s, the church is even called Kazanskaya. Apparently, the old chapel was badly damaged, so they decided not to repair it, but to rebuild it. They did not stop there and after a while the Kazan chapel was built on, adding a second floor to it. The next most serious test dates back to 1748, and it is again associated with a great fire, which almost completely destroyed the interior of the temple. Produced overhaul, however, was not limited to one interior - the design of the facade underwent changes, but the most important innovation was the construction of a bell tower - in a somewhat restrained classical style characteristic of that era. In those days, during reconstructions, they did not bother with the harmony of style, and new parts of the temples were erected in the dominant style. given time style, not paying attention to the original style of the original building; hence the conspicuous eclecticism of many old Moscow churches. Something similar happened with St. Nicholas Church - after the appearance of the bell tower, conditionally ancient Russian features in it were fancifully "combined" with "new European" forms. The temple with the bell tower was connected by a small one-story refectory, and another chapel appeared in the north. Sometimes the church was called Kazanskaya after the dedication of the chapel.
Gradually, "Pancakes" went out of use, giving way to "Klenniki" - in the 18th century the church became known exclusively as "Nikolsky in Klenniki". In the 19th century, the temple continued to be periodically updated and rebuilt, although it no longer experienced serious fires. There is evidence of major repairs in 1868 and 1894. The last of these repairs was carried out under the abbot, who was destined to become the most famous hero the history of the Nikolsky Church and, conversely, to make the temple itself famous and remarkable, previously somewhat lost among dozens of other churches in Moscow. We are talking about the holy righteous Alexy Mechev, who was the rector of the St. Nicholas Church from 1893 until his death in 1923. Before the revolution, the St. Nicholas Church belonged to the Sretensky magpie, which was a very large formation. In the immediate vicinity of St. Nicholas Church, a house striking in its size was built in 1914 by the famous book publisher and businessman Ivan Sytin. In gratitude for the fact that Father Alexy allowed the windows of the new building to overlook the churchyard, Ivan Dmitrievich erected a new two-story clergy house next to the church, where the rector's family moved. The share of the native son of Alexei Mechev - Sergei, fell on the hardest tests. After his arrest in 1929, literally two years later, the orphaned St. Nicholas Church was thoroughly closed. The temple escaped demolition, although the matter was not without mockery and mockery - in particular, the church, the church was beheaded. The building housed first a warehouse, then various institutions. It is curious that at one time part of the temple was used for housing - the second floor until 1960 was a communal apartment where the blind were settled. There was no question of any comfort here, however. The inhabitants lived in terrible crowding. It is known that only on the site of the current landing of the stairs on the second floor there was a living room for two families, this room was occupied by six people. They got into the apartment by the back stairs from the yard. The Mechev family also lived here after the arrest of the head of the family, Father Sergius, and the closure of the temple.
With the beginning of the mass construction of standard housing on the outskirts of Moscow, in the late 1950s, the communal apartment was settled; since then, only state institutions. In 1990, the church in the name of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker in Klenniki was returned to believers. AT modern times The Nikolsky Church has been transformed - it has acquired new murals, rich utensils and revered images. At the same time, its main shrines, to which a stream of pilgrims rushes, are the locally venerated Feodorovskaya Icon of the Mother of God and the relics of the holy righteous Alexy (Mechev). Churches "sandwiched" between the walls of neighboring houses are extremely rare in our country, so the example of the St. Nicholas Church, the porch of which is closely adjacent on the western side to the neighboring house of the early twentieth century, can be called unusual. The facade of the temple is on the same line with other houses of the street, it is not separated in any way, it does not have a fence - also an infrequent occurrence. However, the temple is undoubtedly an adornment of the beginning of Maroseyka. It is quite modest, does not strike the eye, but the harmonious and proportional outline of the quadrangle and the bell tower in a series of street facades gives it, the street, a special "Moscow" zest. The noble combination of red walls with white decorative elements is instantly readable as a marker of the Naryshkin baroque and all the associations associated with this style and era, from the personality of Peter to the Novodevichy Convent. With a different location of the temple, the overly elongated refectory part could break the proportions, but, thanks to the role that it plays in shaping the “look” of Maroseyka and the clear division, the refectory, on the contrary, looks advantageous. The main quadrangle of the temple is based on the building of 1657, while its upper part refers to the post-fire reconstruction of 1701. Hence the characteristic architraves on the windows, which immediately betray the Naryshkin style. The bell tower is half a century younger, which immediately catches the eye: its more geometric forms and wide pilasters clearly belong to the next era, when classicism came into fashion. A chimney is visible on the roof of the refectory. The temple was winter, that is, services were held in it all year round, and in winter the premises were heated. Now the chimney is crowned with an elegant visor that protects the pipe from precipitation.
From the magazine "Orthodox Temples. Journey to the Holy Places". Issue #128, 2015
Church of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker in Klenniki on Maroseyka is located within the once existing White City of Moscow.
In the seventeenth century, the temple was named after Nikola in Blinniki, but already in the XVIII century it was transformed into Klenniki.
Many researchers are inclined to believe that it is more correct to call it in Blinniki, because. during the founding of the church there were pancake shops. But the maples near the walls of Kitay-Gorod did not grow at that time.
Photo 1. Church of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker on Maroseyka Street
The history of the Church of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker on Maroseyka
The first mention of the Church of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker on Maroseyka dates back to 1657.
The stone church was attached to the old, wooden one, which appeared here during the reign of Ivan III in 1468 and was named after Simeon Divnogorets.
It was this saint, as the grateful inhabitants of ancient Moscow believed, who did not allow a strong fire to spread from the White City to the territory of the Kremlin. The wooden church was considered “ordinary”, i.e. built in one day.
In 1690, the name of the Mother of God of Kazan was added to the name of the Church of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker. This was due to the addition of a new throne.
Photo 2. The interior of the Church of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker in Klenniki
In 1701, the building underwent significant rebuilding due to damage from a large fire.
The builders dismantled the upper part of the building, and turned the lower part into a basement, which was expanded and built on. So there was an extension of a semicircular shape at the end of the building (apse) and an extension for entering the church (porch).
At the same time, the Kazan chapel was erected on the south side of the Church of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker in Klenniki.
After a fire in 1749, the church begins to acquire modern features. The existing bell tower appears, the facade is rebuilt. The next updates took place in the period 1853-1894.
In the 10s of the twentieth century, Father Alexei Mechev was priest in the Church of St. Nicholas on Maroseyka. His guests in those days were the priest Pavel Florensky, the poet Chulkov, the philosopher Berdyaev, the sculptor Golubkina, Professor S.I. Kuznetsov, artists Bruni and Nesterov.
Church after the revolution and today
In the 1920s, the icon painter M.N. Sokolova, known as the nun Juliana. The circle she created at the end of the century grew into the Icon Painting School of the Moscow Diocese.
After the death of Father Alexei in 1923, his son, Father Sergius, continued to serve in the church.
In 1927, according to the project of the architect Dmitry Petrovich Sukhov, restoration work was carried out in the Church of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker in Klenniki.
Priest Fr. Sergius was arrested in 1929 and sent to camps, where he died. In 2000, the Russian Orthodox Church canonized the father and son of the Mechevs for their service to God and people.
The temple was closed by the Bolsheviks in 1931, on the eve of the Annunciation.
The church and the bell tower were beheaded, and then a warehouse was built there. A little later, the offices of the central apparatus of the Komsomol were located within these walls.
In July 1990, the Church of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker in Klenniki in Moscow was returned to the bosom of the Russian Orthodox Church and already consecrated on December 17th.
The church is located at the address: Moscow, Maroseyka, house 5 (metro station "Kitai-Gorod").
The small church on Maroseyka seems to be sandwiched between two bulky buildings, but at the same time it does not get lost against their background, standing out brightly with its red facade with white details. At the beginning of the 20th century, all of Moscow knew this temple and its rector.
The first church on this site was built in 1468: it owes its appearance to the Grand Duke of Moscow Ivan III, who erected a wooden church in honor of Simeon Divnogorets - in gratitude for the fact that the fire that occurred in Moscow on the day of the memory of this saint did not spread to Kremlin. However, later traces of the church are lost, and in the 17th century it was already mentioned as Nikolskaya, in Blinniki. The last name in the XVIII century began to sound differently - "in Klenniki". Now both options are used, but “in Pancakes” is considered more justified, since pancakes were sold in the nearby Ilyinsky Gate Square in ancient times. No mention of maples was found in this place, but the miraculous icon of St. Nicholas is known, which appeared in the village of Klenniki near Moscow - perhaps this also influenced the popular nickname of the capital's church.
The existing building consists of different parts. It is based on a stone temple of 1657, but it was significantly rebuilt several times. So, in 1690, the second chapel was consecrated in the name of the Kazan Icon of the Mother of God. After a major fire in 1701, the church became two-tiered, with the Kazan throne at the top and Nikolsky at the bottom, acquired a single-domed completion. At the same time, its facade overlooking Maroseyka received architraves, designed in the style of the Naryshkin baroque, with crests and torn pediments. Another fire occurred in 1748, after which a year later the refectory was rebuilt and a new three-tier bell tower was erected - with a rusticated arch at the bottom (later laid down and turned into a window) and a tier of ringing at the top. In the future, the church was renovated several more times, the architraves on the quadrangle were lost, but no more radical reconstructions were made.
General fame for the Church of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker on Maroseyka came in the 1910s, when Archpriest Alexy Mechev began to serve here. For his kindness, responsiveness and compassion for the grief of others, he received the nicknames "good shepherd" and "chief Moscow priest." After his death in 1923, the parish was headed by his son, Sergiy Mechev, who was subsequently arrested and died in the camps.
In the 1920s, the church continued to operate; in 1927, as a result of restoration, the architraves on the quadrangle were recreated. But in 1931, worship services ceased, after which the building was used first as a warehouse, and then was converted into offices for the Central Committee of the Komsomol. The interior decoration was completely destroyed. Outside the church, the heads on the quadrangle and the bell tower were dismantled, but most of the restored decor remained untouched. In 1990, the temple was handed over to the new Orthodox community, which resumed services. New iconostases were installed, murals were made anew. In 2000, Alexy and Sergiy Mechev were canonized, and aisles appeared in the lower tier of the church in honor of each of them.
