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The Temple of the Tikhvin Icon in Alekseevsky has been revered by all Orthodox people for a long time. The first location of the image of the Tikhvin icon is in the Church of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary, which suffered three times from fire, but the image remained unharmed.
Story
On the road to the Trinity-Sergius Lavra, known to many believers - a place of pilgrimage to the relics of St. Sergius of Radonezh, a temple of the Tikhvin Icon of the Mother of God appeared. This place has always been special, and the road leading to the temple is paved, because in order to touch the holy relics, both commoners and nobles, even the tsar himself, almost always went on a three-day journey on foot, accompanied by thoughts and prayers.
The Tikhvin Church took 7 years to build and was solemnly consecrated in the fall of 1860. According to one version, it was then, at the consecration of the temple, that the king presented the miraculous icon of the Tikhvin Mother of God.
The history of this church includes many miracles associated both with the building itself and with its main shrine - the Tikhvin Icon. For example, it is known that before the icon was transferred to this temple, it was in the Assumption Cathedral, which burned three times, but the icon was never damaged in the fire.
The miraculous Tikhvin Icon of the Mother of God
In Soviet times, when Christianity collapsed, the expensive decoration of the Tikhvin Cathedral was badly damaged, however, the gilded bells remained intact, although they fell silent for a long time.
Interesting! One of the legends associated with the miraculous icon tells how at the very beginning of the Great Patriotic War, when German troops were advancing on the Soviet Union, Stalin ordered to take the Tikhvin icon and fly around the city on an airplane with it. It was then that the Red Army managed to carry out a successful offensive and take the city of Tikhvin.
How to get to the temple
The temple is located in a convenient place for visiting; it is located at the address: Moscow, st. Prospekt Mira 130. For a non-local person, it is advisable to get there by metro. The nearest station from the Temple is VDNKh. Having arrived at this station, you can then walk to the temple itself. This journey will take only 3-5 minutes, and the distance will be 280 meters.
The opening hours of the Temple are convenient for visiting, Mon-Sun – 7:00-19:00.
Traveling around Russia, it would be a big omission not to visit this Orthodox historical place, filled with the spirit of a heavenly monastery.
Description
The five-domed church of the icon of Our Lady of Tikhvin amazes, first of all, with its size, strong and durable brickwork, but at the same time, thanks to the “Russian patterned” style, with intricate decor, complex pictorial compositions, it does not give the impression of a bulky fortress. Multiple windows of the temple, made in the Byzantine style, cut through the walls almost from floor to ceiling.
Interior of the Church of the Tikhvin Icon of the Mother of God
The interior decoration of the temple is also striking in its splendor. And first of all, of course, it should be said about the heart of the cathedral - its altar. It is made atypically tall and large, but the main wonder is not this, but the fact that during the morning service the light, passing through numerous arches of windows, falls in three golden streams onto the altar, as if symbolizing the Trinity revered by all Christians - Father, Son and the Holy Spirit.
Unfortunately, the walls of the cathedral did not preserve all the frescoes in their original form, but the hands of the most talented painters, with the blessing of the priest, decorated the walls of the temple with well-known scenes from the Old and New Testaments, as well as paintings of the lives of Saints Sergius of Radonezh and Nicholas the Wonderworker.
In the temple, the prayer rooms of the king and queen have survived to this day. The unique round tiled stove made by Russian stove-makers of the 17th century gives the royal room a special value.
The bell tower, built at the beginning of the 19th century, conveys the typical decoration of the interior church chambers of this period.
Important! You can get acquainted with the exterior and decoration of the temple by ordering an excursion program, but please note that on days of strict fasting there are no excursions.
Interesting facts and legends
There are many interesting facts and legends associated with the ancient temple, which allow us to understand its important role not only in Orthodoxy, but also in the history of the city and country.
They are:
- The very appearance of the Tikhvin icon in Rus' is unusual: previously it was kept in Byzantium, but with the fall of the latter, it was discovered floating above Lake Ladoga;
- the tiled stove in the royal chapel can be called a prototype of oven heating (the firebox was located in the basement, from where hot air entered the room through a system of internal passages);
- according to legend, during the next unrest of the Streltsy in 1689, Emperor Peter I found temporary shelter in the temple, where a delegation of Streltsy confessed to him. Peter forgave those who appeared, unlike the unrepentant rebels, who were later put on trial and executed;
- the author of the Sergius and Nicholas thrones was the outstanding Russian architect Mikhail Bykhovsky, who led the restoration of the temple in the 19th century;
- during the seizure of church valuables in 1922, 114 kg of silver items and 58 diamonds were requisitioned;
- the upper church was not closed even in Soviet times, but the winter Church of the Resurrection of the Word, located in the basement, was not so lucky - initially it was a vegetable storehouse, then art workshops and a candle factory of the Patriarchate;
- according to legend, on the personal instructions of Stalin, a miraculous image of the Tikhvin Mother of God, kept in the temple, was flown over the city in order to protect Moscow from the Germans in the most dangerous days of the winter of 1941;
- the previous Patriarch of the Russian Orthodox Church, Alexy II, since 1962, annually on March 30, held a liturgy in the church on the name day of St. Alexy, the patriarch often held services on July 9, the day of remembrance of the Tikhvin Icon;
- 19th century frescoes were discovered during restoration work carried out in the 70-80s. XX century, until that moment they were covered with later wall paintings.
Activities of the parish
The parish of the Church of Our Lady of Tikhvin carries out active social work. Thus, the temple servants developed the “Common Cause” project, aimed at reviving the wooden temple architecture of the Russian North.
Divine Liturgy in the Church of the Tikhvin Icon of the Mother of God
Social service is carried out:
- in places of deprivation of liberty;
- in orphanages and orphanages;
- in hospitals and nursing homes.
During the holidays, church volunteers conduct children's camps, organize concerts and theatrical performances.
Attention! Due to active social activities, the temple is constantly in need of volunteers who are ready to help those who need help free of charge.
Shrines
In the temple, in addition to the Tikhvin Icon of the Mother of God, there are other shrines:
- copy of the Holy Sepulcher;
- Icon of the Mother of God “Addition of Mind”;
- icon of the Kazan Mother of God;
- icon of the Mother of God “Helper in Childbirth”;
- Icon of the Mother of God “Kozelshchanskaya”;
- relics of saints.
Schedule of services of the temple in Alekseevsky
In the church there is daily chant at 08:00, and on Sundays and holidays chant at 07:00 and 10:00, all-night vigil at 17:00.
The best article for you, go to: Alexander Nevsky Temple at MGIMO
Address of the monastery: st. Church Hill, 26a
How to get there: VDNKh metro stop, new Southern exit, landmark “To the Tikhvin Temple”, then walk for five or ten minutes.
The Lord is always with you!
Patronal holidays
Every year on July 9th the patronal feast day of the Tikhvin parish is celebrated. On this day, in simple words, the birthday of the church in Alekseevskoye and the day of veneration of the Tikhvin Mother of God icon are celebrated. According to tradition, the holiday begins with the Liturgy and several sermons. The service ends with a religious procession with the icon of the Tikhvin Mother of God and spiritual singing, however, the holiday does not end there.
Patronal feast day of the Church of the Tikhvin Icon of the Mother of God in Alekseevsky
In the courtyard of the temple, ministers arrange a common lunch for all parishioners, during which you can enjoy the taste of simple Russian dishes and share with all the diners the joy that fills the heart of everyone who came that day to listen to the priest’s instructions, or simply to pray at the holy icon.
The Temple of the Tikhvin Icon of the Mother of God was built in the favorite palace village of Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich
The Church of the Tikhvin Icon of the Mother of God was erected in the village of Alekseevskoye. This village was once considered the favorite palace village of Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich. It is located on the ancient Trinity Road leading to the Trinity-Sergius Lavra.
It was along this route that Russian people left Moscow to venerate the relics of the great Russian saint, St. Sergius of Radonezh. Usually such a pilgrimage was made on foot, and kings were no exception.
Portrait of Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich. Unknown Russian artist of the second half of the 17th century. The Tsar liked the village of Kopytovka and in 1665 the heirs of A.V. Trubetskoy gave it to him. After this, the village began to be called Alekseevsky
Previously, on the site of the village of Alekseevskoye there was another village, Kopytovo, which received its name from the nearby Kopytovka River, a tributary of the Yauza. The first owner of the village was D.M. Cheremisinov.
In 1621, the village was granted to Prince D.T. Trubetskoy, for the fact that his Cossacks provided decisive assistance to the militia of Minin and Pozharsky during the liberation of Moscow from the Poles during the Time of Troubles.
1665
this year the heirs of A.V. Trubetskoy gave the village of Kopytovka to Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich
The road to the Trinity-Sergius Lavra took 3-4 days. The first stop on the way to the Lavra was considered to be a stop in Kopytovka. Until 1665, the village was owned by the widow of Prince Trubetskoy, Anna Vasilievna.
After she died, the heirs handed it over to Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich, who liked this area for hunting.
Sokolniki Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich. A.E. Arkhipov. 1889 Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich in the village of Kopytovka (Alekseevskoye) ordered in 1640 to build a travel palace for relaxation after hunting and during a pilgrimage to the Trinity-Sergius Lavra
In 1640, the king ordered the construction of his travel palace in the village. Here he stopped on the way to the Trinity Sergius Lavra or while hunting in Sokolniki.
And in 1646 - 1648 The last owner of the village, Anna Vasilievna Trubetskaya, built a church in honor of Alexy, the Man of God, the Tsar’s heavenly patron.
After this event in 1647, the village began to be called Alekseevsky.
