Restoration and consecration of the Church of the Beheading of the Head of John the Baptist near Bor in 2009-2015

Prerequisites for a large-scale restoration

On February 1, 2010, the influential churchman Alfeev Grigory Valerievich (Hilarion) was elevated to the rank of metropolitan, and on August 18 of the same year he was appointed rector of the Patriarchal Compound - churches of the holy martyrs Michael and Theodore of Chernigov and the Beheading of the head of John the Baptist near Bor.

Since 2010, on the territory of the courtyard there is a general church postgraduate and doctoral studies of Saints Equal to the Apostles Cyril and Methodius - the head educational institution of the Russian Orthodox Church. It was reported that the church is being restored for the needs of students.

Restoration was carried out jointly churches and states, including within the framework of the State Program of the city of Moscow "Culture of Moscow 2012-2016

The end of the restoration coincided with the 600th anniversary of the first mention of this temple in written sources (1415). According to recent studies, the likelihood that this particular temple was mentioned in connection with this date is very small. Read more here.

The view of the temple on the northeast side after the restoration was completed in 2015.

Painting of the temple

In the 1990s, the temple was returned to the church. However, little remains of the original decoration. In St. John the Baptist Cathedral, only a small fragment of the fresco has survived. Everything else had to be restored from scratch.

Over the creation of murals, which were based on the Byzantine style, a team worked, including about 30 masters from different countries, under the leadership of D. M. Sevastyanov, a graduate of the MDA icon painting school in the Trinity-Sergius Lavra.

Progress as of March 8, 2013

Assistant to the head of restoration work Alexander Chorba commented:

"We tried to do all the best so that the temple looked like one, that it would last many years and that it would go to our descendants."

The program included more than 300 images (individual figures and plots).

The painting of the central part of the temple is dedicated to the life of John the Baptist, in whose honor the main throne was consecrated.^[1].

― In the interiors we found paintings of the XVII and XIX centuries, ― said "TD" restorer Alexander Chorba^[2]. ― It was very important for us to preserve the little that remained of the original materials, so we mothballed them for future generations. Outside the surviving fragments are not visible ― we "hid" them under several layers of plaster, on top of which new paintings were made. Our descendants will be able to carefully remove layer by layer so as not to damage them and see them in the most saved form.

― we had to completely paint the Church of the Beheading of the head of John the Baptist, ― said the icon painter Mikhail. ― We have a large staff of artists, many of them are foreigners. To ensure that the work is coordinated, and the painting is uniform, before starting work, a project is drawn up in which the style and basic colors are determined. Then we already choose fragments for ourselves and paint them separately.

Lower row of the iconostasis. Photo by TAdviser, August 2016

Fedor Fedorovich Ushakov - an outstanding Russian naval commander, admiral (1799), commander of the Black Sea Fleet. The Russian Orthodox Church ranked among the saints as a righteous warrior Theodore Ushakov. Icon in the temple, photo TAdviser, 2017

The modern icon painter does not have to fast and pray before starting work, as was customary in Russia in ancient times, said Mikhail. And wall paintings are now very rarely made from raw plaster, affresco: this is too long and difficult a process. Paints use silicate, acrylic. Natural ― only partially.

― All this is explained by economic and temporary resources, ― explains Aleksandr Chorba. ― It took us about a year to paint this temple, more than thirty icon painters worked on it. But this does not mean that the approach of modern masters is superficial: yes, canonically, they are not required to fast and pray before starting work, but they are all ― believers and churchmen, many take the blessing from the confessor before starting painting.

The painter Maxim Petrovich Kudrin "Not ^[3] but an angel" took part in ^[3] painting of the cathedral.

Improvement of Chernigov Lane

In 2015, the prefecture of the Central Administrative District of Moscow, with funds received from paid parking, carried out the improvement of Chernigov Lane. The cost of organizing a pedestrian zone amounted to 1.2 million rubles, a representative of the transport department told RBC.

Improvement of Chernigov Lane in 2015

In August 2015, a team of 14 architects overseen by the Megabudka bureau turned the lane into a quiet and pleasant public space, closed to car traffic. Part of the lane adjacent to Pyatnitskaya Street was painted white with ordinary paint, wooden benches, flower beds, a bookshelf for exchanging books and a small amphitheater facing the white stone church wall were placed.

Artyom Ukropov, architect, project curator:

Chernigov Lane is not at all like the noisy Pyatnitskaya: there is almost nothing in it, except for a few churches, and we realized that it requires special solutions - it must be made quiet. But how? The lane will be quiet if you turn it into a reading room, putting book shelves and benches there that resemble large home chairs. In addition, we decided to paint Chernigov white. Firstly, this color is neutral, and secondly, it fits well into the context of local white stone churches. A total of 14 people worked on the project. We were generally satisfied with the implementation of the concept, although we have technical complaints against the contractor. Another large joint is an amphitheater directed towards the church. It so happened that the structure, which was originally supposed to adjoin the facade, joined the sidewalk, blocking it. Nevertheless, in the evening the amphitheater works perfectly and attracts many people^[4].

Local residents perceived the update extremely negatively. When we reconstructed the lane, people with critical comments approached us more than once. And on the Internet everyone writes that this is bad. People are very unhappy that they cannot drive directly to Pyatnitskaya Street - now they have to go through the busy Ordynka. But here's the paradox: the very idea of ​ ​ making Chernigov Lane pedestrian originally belongs to local residents. Most likely, people just wanted it blocked, leaving the passage only for them. On the other hand, many people like the project, on the contrary. They come here, look, sit on benches, take pictures. I believe that Chernigov Lane is a public zone. First of all, it should be convenient for residents of the city, and not for residents of a particular house. In this regard, I really like that the project is temporary: both positive and negative reviews of people will be taken into account, and in the future, in accordance with the wishes of the townspeople, the street will change.

Already in April 2016, improvement began again in Chernigov Lane. This time already under the program "My Street." The winner of the tender for the reconstruction of the lane was MKT LLC, which agreed to complete the work for 146.7 million rubles^[5].

Consecration of the temple

On November 1, 2015, on the Week of the 22nd Pentecost, His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia performed the rite of great consecration of the Church of the Beheading of the Head of John the Baptist near Bor. The Holy Lord then celebrated the Divine Liturgy in the newly consecrated church.

During the Liturgy, the Primate of the Russian Orthodox Church was accompanied by:

• Metropolitan Hilarion of Volokolamsk, Chairman of the Department for External Church Relations of the Moscow Patriarchate, Rector of the All-Church Postgraduate and Doctoral Studies;
• Bishop Sergius of Solnechnogorsk, head of the Administrative Secretariat of the Moscow Patriarchate;
• Archpriest Vladimir Divakov, Secretary of the Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia in Moscow;
• Archpriest Nikolai Krechetov, Dean of Churches of the Moskvoretsky District of Moscow;
• Archpriest John Baer, rector of St. Vladimir Theological Seminary in New York;
• Archpriest Vladimir Shmaliy, Vice-Rector of the All-Church Postgraduate and Doctoral Studies for Scientific Work;
• Hieromonk John (Kopeikin), Vice-Rector of the All-Church Graduate School and Doctoral Studies.

The service was attended by:

• Minister of the Government of Moscow, Head of the Department of Culture of Moscow A.V. Kibovsky;
• Head of the Department of Cultural Heritage of Moscow A.A. Emelyanov;
• Head of the Department of National Policy, Interregional Relations and Tourism of Moscow V.V. Chernikov;
• Vadim Yakunin, Chairman of the Board of Directors of OJSC Protek;
• artistic director, chief conductor of the Great Symphony Orchestra named after P.I. Tchaikovsky V.I. Fedoseev;
• Chairman of the Board of Directors of FC Uralsib"." Nikolay Aleksandrovich Tsvetkov

Liturgical chants were performed by the Moscow Synodal Choir (artistic director - A.A. Puzakov).

The patriarchal service was broadcast live on the Soyuz TV channel.

After a pure litany, the Primate of the Russian Church offered a prayer for peace in Ukraine.

Then a memorial service was held for the passengers and crew members of the Kogalymavia aircraft flying Sharm el-Sheikh - St. Petersburg who died on October 31 in a plane crash in Egypt. With the blessing of His Holiness on this day, a prayer for the repose of the souls of all, "in the plane crash over the land of the Sinai dead," was performed in other churches of the Russian Orthodox Church.

During the Liturgy, His Holiness Bishop ordained Deacon Alexy Vlasov, cleric of the Church of the Icon of the Mother of God "Satisfy My Sorrows" in Maryino, to the rank of priest.

The sermon before the communion was delivered by priest Mikhail Nemnonov, a cleric of the Chernigov Patriarchal Compound.

At the end of the service, His Holiness Patriarch Kirill addressed the believers with the First Sanctification Word, in which, in particular, he urged everyone to pray for the victims of the plane crash in Egypt.

As a gift to the newly consecrated Church of the Beheading of the head of John the Baptist near Bor, the Primate handed over to the Theodorovsky icon of the Mother of God - an exact copy of the miraculous image with which Mikhail Fedorovich, the first tsar from the Romanov dynasty, was blessed with the kingdom.

Metropolitan Hilarion of Volokolamsk, in gratitude for his work for the benefit of the Holy Church, His Holiness Patriarch presented an anniversary cross made in memory of the 1000th anniversary of the presentation of the Holy Equal-to-the-Apostles Prince Vladimir.

The Primate of the Russian Church also noted the awards of the head of John the Baptist near Bor who worked especially hard in the restoration of the Church of the Beheading. In view of the assistance in the restoration of the Chernihiv Patriarchal Compound of the city of Moscow, the following persons were awarded the insignia of the Russian Orthodox Church:

• V.S. Yakunin, Chairman of the Board of Directors of Protek OJSC - Order of St. blg. prince Daniel of Moscow II degree;

Vadim Sergeevich Yakunin

• L.M. Sevostyanov, Executive Director of the St. Gregory the Theologian - Order of St. Sergius of Radonezh III degree;
• A.A. Rybakov, General Director of the Verba-Mayer Health Center - Order of St. Blgv. Prince Daniel of Moscow III degree;
• V.V. Chernyshov, Director of the Trans-Soyuz Charitable Foundation - Order of St. Seraphim of Sarov III degree.

In view of the hard work for the glory of God and for the benefit of the Russian Orthodox Church, the Minister of the Government of Moscow A.V. Kibovsky was awarded the Patriarchal Badge of the temple builder.

Head of the Department of Cultural Heritage of Moscow A.A. Emelyanov and General Director of RSK Vozrozhdenie LLC A.A. Ivliev were awarded the anniversary medal "In memory of the 1000th anniversary of the presentation of the Equal-to-the-Apostles Grand Duke Vladimir."

Also, by the decision of His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia, according to the petition of the General Church Dissertation Council of September 8, 2015, Priest Grigory Grigoriev was awarded the degree of Doctor of Theology with the assignment of a doctoral cross.

After presenting the awards, Metropolitan Hilarion of Volokolamsk addressed the Primate of the Russian Church with a welcoming speech, who announced the decision of the Academic Council of the General Church Graduate School and Doctoral Studies to award His Holiness Patriarch Kirill the honorary degree of Doctor of Theology honoris causa and presented His Holiness with the corresponding insignia.

In response, His Holiness Patriarch Kirill expressed gratitude to Metropolitan Hilarion: "I thank you, Your Eminence, for your words, but first of all, for your works, associated with the revival of the Chernigov compound, and with the creation of the General Church Graduate School, as well as your work on the leadership of many groups that are working today to create a whole body of new textbooks for our seminaries, and for your active participation in the work of the Supreme Church Council, especially in its direction, which is associated with the promotion of reform of theological education; I also thank you and the Academic Council of Graduate School for the high honor you have shown me. "

"May the blessing of God be with you personally, with the entire teaching corporation and, of course, with the graduate students who work here in graduate school, acquiring new skills and a solid baggage of theological knowledge. We hope that all this will serve the glory of God. Thank you cordially! "- said in conclusion His Holiness Patriarch.

Then the Primate of the Russian Church, accompanied by Metropolitan Hilarion, visited the All-Church graduate school and doctoral studies.

Notes