Temple of the Beheading of the Head of John the Baptist near Bor

Dedication

The main throne was consecrated in honor of the Beheading of the head of John the Baptist. John the Baptist denounced King Herod for illegally taking his wife away from his brother, for which he was beheaded.

One side throne was consecrated in honor of St. Nicholas of Myra. The second is in honor of Kosma and Damian of Asia, who lived in Asia Minor (modern Turkey) no later than the 4th century. It is believed that God gave them the art of healing, which attracted many sick people to them, for which they never paid, observing the commandment of Jesus Christ: "For nothing they received, for nothing let us" (Matt. 10, 8). The fame of Kosma and Damian passed throughout the district, and people called them spineless. The name of the second limit is associated with one of the donors of the temple of the XVIII century. - Kosma Zamyatin.

Priors

• From 2022 - Metropolitan Anthony of Volokolamsk.
• 2010-2022 - Metropolitan of Volokolamsk Hilarion (Alfeev).
• 2006-2010 - Daniil Voronin.
• 1994-2006 - Archpriest Karamnov Sergiy Vasilievich.

History

In this article, TAdviser brought together all the available information about the history of the temple.

End of the XIV century: foundation of the monastery

The difficulties of reconstructing the early history of the Ivanovo Monastery are primarily due to the fact that two monasteries of John the Baptist may have existed in Moscow - on Kulishki and in Zamoskvorechye.

According to a common version, the history of the temple in the area of ​ ​ modern Pyatnitskaya Street dates back to the XIV-XV centuries, when Ivanovsky (St. John the Baptist) was located in this place "under the forest" monastery. The exact time of the foundation of the monastery is unknown.

What boron was in mind in the name of the monastery in the plain Zamoskvorechye is now difficult to judge. While the presence in those temporary boron on Ivanovo Hill in Kulishki is confirmed by several characteristic toponyms. Once, in time immemorial, the Kremlin Hill was covered with boron, but by the 15th century only a legend had survived about it, telling about the construction of the very first Moscow church from the trees of the mixed boron - the Nativity of the Forerunner. The chronicler uses the formula "verb," that is, "they say." Most likely, both this construction and the final reduction of boron from the Kremlin hill date back to the 12th century^[1].

The population of all of Moscow in 1400 was only about 40 thousand people.

If the St. John the Baptist Monastery existed at this place in Zamoskvorechye, then it was located on the very outskirts of Moscow, on a trade road, on the most dangerous direction in terms of a possible attack by enemies. Zamoskvorechye - "Zarechye" - both at that time and later (until the beginning of the 17th century) was a craft posad, very poor. The yards were spread out very wide. Moscow - the "big village" - was not built very well: they would burn it anyway. Indeed, during the alleged foundation of the monastery, Zarechye was destroyed to the ground by Tokhtamysh in 1382 and Edigey in 1408.

The defense of the Kremlin during the invasion of Tokhtamysh in 1382

Academician M.N. Tikhomirov, a great connoisseur of the history of ancient Moscow, wrote about the development of the XIV century:

"Zarechye even more than Zaneglimenje represented an urban suburb. Our sources never mention the existence of stone churches in it. There were not even monasteries in the area. "

It follows that if the Ioannovsky Monastery near Bor beyond the Moskva River was founded in the XIV century, then probably at the very end of it.

Unfortunately, the only mention of the Ivanovo Monastery in Moscow in the XV-XVI centuries is the story of a miracle associated with the birth of Vasily II the Dark in 1415. But, as will be shown below, most likely it is associated with the monastery on Kulishki. Therefore, it is possible to make assumptions about the existence of a monastery beyond the Moscow River even in the 15th century only on indirect grounds.

The first reliable fact associated with this place dates only to the 16th century: at this time there was a church with the dedication of St. John the Baptist (see below).

1415: Where was the monastery whose monk foretold the prosperous birth of Basil II the Dark?

Of the four sons of Basil I and Sophia Vitovna, three had died by 1415. Traditionally, it is believed that the first mention of the St. John the Baptist Monastery in the Pyatnitskaya Street area is contained in the annals when telling about the circumstances of the birth of their fifth son, the future Grand Duke Vasily II, on March 10, 1415. This is how N. M. Karamzin describes this incident:

"His mother

was not soon resolved by the burden and endured terrible torment. The restless father asked one Saint Monk of John's Abode to pray for Princess Sophia. 'Don't be alarmed! - the elder answered: "God gives you the son and heir of all Russia." Meanwhile, the confessor of the Grand Duke, the Priest of the Spassky Kremlin Monastery, was sitting in his cell and suddenly heard a voice: "Go and give the name to the Grand Duke Vasily." The priest opened the door and, seeing no one, was surprised; hurried to the palace and informed that Sofia really gave birth to a son at that very minute. The invisible messenger who came to the Confessor was considered an Angel; the baby was called Basil, and the people from this time saw in him their future Sovereign, expecting from him, as probably, something extraordinary. "

The same message in the original in the Piskarevsky Chronicler (PSRL. T. 34. M. 1978. P. 160):

"Toe of spring (1415) in a great shit, March 10, according to the nephemon, the son Vasily was born to Grand Duke Vasily Dmitreevich. Sitsa, on the other hand, is about giving birth [and] to him. When [and] the day of the same day is born to him, the mother of his velmi iznemogati, yako|l began. 459 vol.|and come to death to her. The prince, on the other hand, is great about this in sorrow. Be at that time, a certain elder is holy in the monasteries of St. John Pre-Vedechi near Bor, beyond the Moscow River, we know the Be and Grand Duke, and the ambassador to him, and sh) will pray for his princess. He, on the other hand, diverted the rivers sent to him: "Shed rtsi to the Grand Duke, let him pray to God and to the purity of his mother and the great martyr Login the centurion, on the occasion of which she was given a litter of God to your whole family, to demand all of them good. And there will be no sorrow for the princess, health will give birth to your son in the evening of these, the heir to you. " Hedgehog and speed. Always born,|L. 460|and at that hour the priest, the confessor of the Grand Duke, saddled in his cell [and] in the monasteries of the Holy Savior, and he came with someone hitting his doors, rivers: 'Go, people's name to Grand Duke Vasily'. He soon got up and took the essence for that, izyde is kelia, and not in the form of anyone's envoy for nude, and be surprised about this, as soon as the departure. And then you will go to the yard and sret and send a verb according to it, and let the name be called to the born son of the Grand Duke. And ask him, if he is, he came soon by nude, and speak: 'Nesme'. And Shed called the name of the child Vasily, just hearing better. And according to that, there is a lot of all the ardor who will be best sent|L. 460 vol.|according to him, or who is the comer, and no one has found it. He will be surprised about this and this will lead many. Stefan Diyakon told me about this, and the printer told him about the old man's old speech, Dementey, and Grand^[2] "The^[2]

Monastery.

At the same time, some experts suggest that the monk to whom the prince sent was not behind the Moskva River, but in the Ivanovo Monastery on Kulishki. They indicate that the news of the miracle appears during the processing in the 1470s of the Chronicle Code of 1448. Its earliest list is represented by the Ermolin Chronicle, preserved in a manuscript of the late 15th century, which does not mention the location of the monastery beyond the Moscow River:... " in the monastery of St. Ivan the Forerunner, in the same name near Bor. "

In this case, there are serious reasons for the assumption that in the news of the miracle of 1415 we are talking about the Ivanovo Monastery on Kulishki.

On the other hand, confusion in the annals, in the first half of the 16th century, would hardly have arisen if there had never been a monastery beyond the Moscow River. The memory of the monastery at this place existed and took shape at that time in a annalistic tradition.

In the life of St. Jacob Zheleznoborovsky, founder of the monastery in the name of St. John the Baptist in the village of Zhelezny Borok (in the territory of modern Kostroma region), there is an episode that in some places literally coincides with the stories of the annals of the birth of Vasily II. The episode begins with the words: "I was once St. Jacob in Moscow and at that time was born to Grand Duke Vasily Dimitrievich son Prince Great "^[3] This is followed by a story familiar from the annals about the suffering of the Grand Duchess, the threat of death, the request of her husband to pray, the answer of the monk (in this case St. James) and the birth of the heir. The episode in life ends with information about the special mercy of the happy father to the monastery founded by the Monk Jacob: "And all of you are divided, and from that, holding the faith of the Grand Duke to St. Jacob and having it, just one from the prophet, and then the Grand Duke of the monastery of St. James sat down, and spread, and mercy, a lot for the creation of a holy monastery. " Modern researchers Old Russian hagiography believes that identifying the Monk Jacob and the elder from the monastery in Moscow is a mistake, and the compiler of life at one time allowed her, being misled by consonance (two John's monasteries, one in Iron Borok, the other near Bor). But, as the author of the book on the monastery of St. James rightly notes, in this case, an assessment of information about the Grand Duke's attention to the monastery, which the hagiographer directly connects with the event in Moscow, is needed.

1514: Did Aleviz build the New Stone Temple in Zarechye?

99 years later, in 1514, the grandson of Vasily II - Vasily III - ordered the construction of 11 churches in Moscow, "and all those churches were master Aleviz Fryazin."

This year, "according to the favor" of Grand Duke Vasily III, the Italian architect Aleviz Fryazin Novy (probably Alvizo Lamberti da Montagnano), the architect of the Arkhangelsk Cathedral in the Kremlin, erected a stone church of the Beheading of the head of John the Baptist. The temple was consecrated on August 29, 1515. There is debate over the location of this temple.

In 1928, a short essay by P.B. Jurgenson on the architecture of the Forerunner Church in Zamoskvorechye was published, which describes the remains of the temple in 1514, allegedly preserved in the church of the 17th century. The author confidently attributed to 1514 the basement of the church and more presumably - parts of its walls. No evidence was given in the article - Jurgenson proceeded only from comparing the plan of the podcast with the plans of Moscow pillar-free churches of the mid-second half of the 16th century. However, his work became the only monographic publication about the church, published after the brochure by Sergei Strakhov and had a strong influence on ideas about this church in Soviet historiography.

Thus, according to experts of the 20th century, Aleviz Novy erected the Forerunner Church on the site of the dilapidated wooden church of the Ivanovo Monastery near Bor, which became the first stone church in Zarechye.

Already by the beginning of the 2000s, the hypothesis about the belonging of the basement to the church in 1514 unexpectedly acquired new details: in the catalog of architectural monuments of Zamoskvorechye it is reported that masonry made of small-sized "Alevizov" bricks was preserved in its lower part. However, it remains incomprehensible what this judgment is based on, since the lower parts of the basement are lined with white stone and traces of small brick masonry could not be found here (several bricks that differ from the rest in size, restorers noticed only in a quarter of the doorway leading from the four basement to the apse basement). According to the observations of restorers, the laying of the basement is one-time with the laying of walls dating back to the XVII century. Finally, even if small brick masonry really existed here, it could not confirm the dating of the temple in 1514, since the opinion of small brick as a building material of the early 16th century is untenable: as S. S. Podyapolsky convincingly showed, it spreads only in the middle or second half of the century. Thus, for 2010, according to A. Batalov and L. Belyaev, no material evidence of the existence of a stone church in 1514 on the site of the current church in Zamoskoprechye was found. ^[4].

As mentioned above, at the beginning of the XVI century. in Moscow there were two churches of the Beheading of the Head of John the Baptist near Bor, which arose independently of each other at different times: in Zarechye and on Kulishki - on the site of a modern monastery on Ivanovo Hill. At the same time, there are no traces of the construction by Aleviz Novy in 1514 of a stone church "near Bor, beyond the Moscow River." And, on the contrary, on Kulishki in the XVI century. there was a temple, clearly built by an Italian architect. The cathedral here was built by one of the Italian masters who worked under Vasily III, presumably in the 1510-1530s.

In such a situation, it cannot be ruled out that it was the cathedral of the Ivanovo Monastery near Bor on Kulishki that was the temple built by Aleviz Novy, which is mentioned in the annals under 1514 and from which the formation of a new typology began in Russian architecture of the first half of the 16th century.

An additional argument in favor of this version is that at the beginning of the 15th century the territory of the modern Ivanovo monastery on Kulishki was part of the manor possessions of Grand Duke Vasily Dmitrievich, where his courtyard, stables and gardens were located. According to A.I. Batalov, there are significant reasons to suspect that it was the monastery on Kulishki that already existed in 1415. On this territory between 1407 and 1417, not only the "new" grand-ducal court was built, but also the church of St. Vladimir. It is quite appropriate to assume that the foundation of the suburban convent of the Grand Ducal Monastery dates back to the same historical period, i.e. to the Grand Duchy of Vasily Dmitrievich. Ruzhny means that the monastery did not have land and existed at the expense of Rugi - payments from the state or from parishioners. In this case - at the expense of the Grand Duke.

It is noteworthy that in the XVI-XVII centuries the toponym "to Sadekh," quite common in the Kulishek area and included in the name not only the church of St. Vladimir, but also the Intercession Monastery, which at the end of the XV century is referred to as the Intercession in Sadekh. This may mean that the toponym "under Bor" arose earlier and could hold on just thanks to the temple or monastery place. The ancient origin of this toponym may also be evidenced by the fact that in the 17th century it became underutilized and replaced by a more common toponym "on Kulishki."

1520: The abolition of the monastery, the temple becomes a parish due to the expansion of the posad

History has not preserved documentary evidence of the time of the abolition of the Ivanovo Monastery in Zamoskvorechye, if it really existed there. According to one version, it was transferred to Solyanka, closer to the Kremlin, where the St. John the Baptist Monastery near Bor on Kulishki still resides. Some attributed this act to Grand Duke Vasily III, calling the date 1530, others to Elena Glinskaya, mother of Ivan the Terrible, and others to Grozny himself (as you know, Tsar Ivan celebrated his namesake on the day of the truncation of the head of John the Baptist).

Map of Moscow by Austrian Sigismund Herberstein (first third of the 16th century)

According to another version: we are talking about two initially independent monasteries (see above). Most likely, two monasteries are not connected with each other by succession and we should talk about two different monasteries in the name of St. John the Baptist in Moscow, founded independently of each other and at different times, A.I. Batalov believes. ^[5].

One way or another, the Ivanovo Monastery "under the bor" in Zarechye was abolished in the first half of the 16th century, and since then the Church of St. John the Baptist has been acting as a parish.

Referring to the chronicle of 1514, Strakhov suggests that the church had already become a parish by that time due to the expansion of the posad, and draws the reader's attention to the fact that in the book of the royal salary to the churches of 1625-1677. the church was designated "that there was a Ivanovo monastery near Bor" ^[6]..

1565: Princess Evdokia Shemyakina-Pronskaya bequeathes a fur coat to the temple

The first reliable fact associated with the place where the temple in Zarechye is now located dates only to the 16th century: at that time a church with the dedication of St. John the Baptist. The mention is contained in the will of one of the princesses.

In private life, distribution of clothes to churches to commemorate the soul, even women's, was produced directly in the church of this or that dress. The Spiritual Letter of Princess Avdotya (Evdokia) Ivanovna Shemyakina-Pronskaya 7073 (1564/65) states:

"... yes, by Friday, behind the swamp, the crimson fur coat is wormchat, and to Ivan Predovecha for Volot, the shupka is a wormchat shell. "

Scarlat (French écarlate) - bright red, scarlet. The type of cloth made in Flanders was originally only scarlet in color. French cloth in Russian charlat. Worm is a dark red color.

A fur coat was a type of fur coat. Length up to feet. The width of the hem was arranged by wedges. The coat differed from the letnik in the shape of the sleeves. The sleeves of the fur coat are not wide, long and hinged. Special hand slots were made above the waist - sleeves often played a decorative role. If the coat was worn in sleeves, then the sleeves were assembled on the hands in numerous transverse folds. A round fur collar was usually fastened to the fur coat.

It is believed that in the 16th century women's fur coats were traditionally white, and only in the 17th century they began to be covered with colored fabrics. But judging by the document, it was such a fur coat covered with a red French cloth that Avdotya Shemyakina-Pronskaya bequeathed to the Church of the Beheading of the Head of John the Baptist near Bor in Zarechye.

The nature of the mention of the temple in the will of the princess allows us to conclude that in 1564/65 there was no monastery at this church. In cases where the contribution was intended for the monastery, the corresponding instruction followed in the Spiritual:... " yes to Ivan Zlataustus in the monastery... "etc. ^[5]]

1578: Ivan the Terrible meets the relics of the Chernigov miracle workers at the church

In 1578, Tsar Ivan IV the Terrible, Metropolitan Anthony of Moscow, boyars and all honest people greeted the holy relics of Prince Mikhail of Chernigov and his faithful boyar Theodore at the Church of John the Baptist in Zamoskvorechye, transferred by procession from Chernigov recaptured from the Poles. Read more about the event here.

The only lifetime image of Ivan the Terrible, restored by the Space Research Institute of the Russian Academy of Sciences.

In memory of this, a wooden church was built on the opposite side of Chernigov Lane, consecrated in the name of the Chernigov miracle workers.

1612: Partial destruction of the temple during the Troubles

In 1612, at the height of the Troubles, the temple of John the Baptist was partially destroyed, as it was located almost in the center of the decisive phase of the battle between two fortified points (the prison in Yandov and Klementyevsky).

During the Moscow battle near this church, next to the Zamoskvoretsky bridge on Bolshaya Ordynka, the troops of Prince Dmitry Trubetskoy equipped two fortified camps. Several horse hundreds were sent to Trubetskoy from the troops of the Second Militia.

During the first stage of the battle on August 22, 2016, Trubetskoy held an observation position. The prince's troops were in no hurry to help Dmitry Pozharsky, who fought in the west of the Kremlin, saying: "The rich came from Yaroslavl and some can fight off the hetman." But in the afternoon, five hundred, which were attached to Trubetskoy's troops by Prince Pozharsky, and four Cossack chieftains with their detachments voluntarily separated from Trubetskoy and, crossing the river, joined Pozharsky. With the help of the arriving reinforcements (about 1,000 people), the onslaught of the Polish-Lithuanian troops was broken, and their head, Hetman Khodkevich , retreated, suffering heavy losses. According to the New Chronicler, more than a thousand corpses of hetman soldiers were collected. Most of his troops were Cossacks in the service of the king of Poland.

Khodkevich moved to the starting position on Poklonnaya Hill, but on the night of August 23 (September 2), a detachment of 600 Hayduk from the Nevyarovsky detachment broke through Zamoskvorechye to the Kremlin to the Polish-Lithuanian invaders blocked there. This, in fact, only worsened the situation of the besieged, since new troops were added to the troops already sitting in the Kremlin, which also required food and water. At the same time, Khodkevich's troops captured one of the fortified "towns" (St. George prison) near the church of St. George in Yandov.

Before the decisive battle on August 23, Prince Pozharsky changed the position of his troops. The main forces were moved south to the banks of the Moskva River. The main place of the clash the next day was Zamoskvorechye and especially Klementyevsky prison on Bolshaya Ordynka near the church of St. Clement, captured by the Poles and after repelled by the Russian militia.

1658: Building a stone temple

It is important that in the Building Book of 1657 the temple of John the Baptist is referred to as wooden, thereby confirming the assumption that there was never a stone church on this site until the 17th century.

In 1658, the temple of John the Baptist was rebuilt, already exactly in stone. In the XVII century, the temple was a pillar-free quadruple covered with a closed vault (quadrangular in plan). The top of the church took on the shape of a dome with "half-domes" in the center of the facades, an octagonal light drum rose above the dome, forming a semblance of the second tier.

From the decor of the XVII century, the crowning cornice and the design of the southern portal, previously hidden by the porch, have been preserved. The porch itself, with the exception of the lower part in the form of a hollow vaulted chamber, has not survived to this day. The rest of the 17th century decor was restored from the surviving fragments.

2013 photo

1675: Renovation of the church during the construction of the church of Chernigov miracle workers

Another date, 1675, is probably connected with the next restructuring or renewal of the church, which coincided with the construction of the nearby stone church of the Chernigov miracle workers. The stylistic commonality of these temples and techniques in processing details suggest that the same artel of masons worked on them.

Today, the bulk of the Church of the Beheading of the Head of John the Baptist near Bor as a whole retained the features of the 17th century building.

In the internal design on the arches and walls of the quadruple back in the early 2000s, fragments of ornamental painting of the late XVII century, as well as a hidden whitewash painting of the late XIX century, were distinguished.

1722: The first mention of the chapel of St. Nicholas, refectory and the first bell tower

By 1722, the first mention of the aisle of St. Nicholas of the Mirliki Church of John the Baptist dates back to. The chapel was built at the northern (facing the Kremlin) wall of the Church of John the Baptist. On the southern (facing the lane) side, a porch was arranged, and from the west (from the side of B. Ordynka) - a refectory and a bell tower.

1757-1772: New refectory, transfer of the chapel of St. Nicholas, chapel of Cosmas and Damian

New church buildings in densely built-up areas of Moscow during the 18th century were erected more as an exception. The size of the existing temple increased much more often: chapels, a "warm" church, a bell tower, and a refectory were completed to it.

So, in 1757, at the expense of a parishioner of the church of the merchant Fyodor Fedorovich Zamyatin, as well as his relative Kosma Maksimovich Zamyatin, the construction of a new refectory church began.

In the directory of P.G. Palamarchuk, the name of the merchants is Zamyatnin, but in the confession sheets in the parish of the Church of John the Baptist near Bor in 1758, the merchant Fyodor Fedorov, son Zamyatin, lives with his family. Obviously, the generic nickname of the merchant family is associated with the nickname personal. A certain Zamyatnya was the founder of the dynasty or, in any case, its bright representative. And the nickname, which is a derivative of the word "jam," can sound both as "Zamyatniny" and as "Zamyatiny" ^[7]."

The chapel of St. Nicholas was moved to the refectory and a new chapel of St. miracle workers and silverless Kosma and Damian of Asia. Their consecration took place on August 17, 1759. The name of the second aisle is associated with one of the donors - Kosma Zamyatin.

The southern facade of the four-pillar vaulted refectory (along the red line of Chernigov Lane) is connected to the main building of the church, but is perceived as an independent volume. Rapid rhythm of pilasters, ^[8] the basement and cornice, large windows in platbands with "ears" and protruding triangular pediments, false windows of the basement floor corresponding to the upper row of windows - all this gives the refectory facades extreme elegance and plastic saturation.

The base of the dismantled bell tower was included in the volume of the narthex, completed in the 1770s.

In 1772, the dome on the main church took its final form.

Apparently, at this time a lantern appeared (from the Greek phanos - a light, a torch), the tops of the dome in the form of a small tower, through the windows of which the inner bribery space and the middle cross of the building are illuminated.

1781: Baroque in the design of the temple and the new bell tower, disassembly of the aisle

Simultaneously with the refectory, a new, free-standing bell tower began to be erected on the corner of Chernigov Lane and Pyatnitskaya Street (on the east side of the temple, and not on the west as usual).

Only the first tier was built, construction was stopped because the customer died. And resumed only by 1780, when the parish had money.

Later, when the restorers began work on the restoration of the clergy house adjacent to the bell tower, it turned out that the foundation of the latter was very shallow and stood on the sand:

When the basement was dug up, black layers of fire were visible, and clean sand below the ash. Many buildings on Pyatnitskaya have foundations of almost external occurrence, shallow. The bell tower of the Church of John the Baptist near Bor - and it is not small, about 50 meters high - also stands on foundations that lie only half a meter. We would now make a foundation for such a building to a depth of five meters at least. And here half a meter of everything - and it costs, and does not crack - how many centuries have stood,

• recalled the restorer Andrei Ivliev^[9].

The construction of the bell tower was completed only in 1781. At the same time, he significantly changed his appearance and the foursome of the main volume of the temple: having lost the chapel, he received a baroque design in the mid-18th century. The bell tower, built in the traditions of early Architecture of classicism with baroque elements, is interesting for its different tiers, which received decoration in accordance with classical canons: the lower tier is a Doric warrant, the middle - Ionic and the upper - Corinthian. The pomp and solemnity of the bell tower are given by the pediments in the two lower tiers. A small turret with a spire completes. The lower quadruple is massive, emphasized by large paired corner columns and the power of a heavily fortified cornice and parapet. The second tier is solved in more restrained forms. The arched framing of its windows repeats the outline of the arches of the lower tier, and above the columns of the first tier there are pairs of pilasters that serve as a support for the pediments. The arched quadruple of the ringing is placed on a high parapet of the second tier. It is characterized by decor reminiscent of the Baroque of the 18th century: light fastening of corners, a faceted dome with lucarnes and completion in the form of an openwork octahedron with a figured cupola and spire. Experts draw attention to the fact that the not preserved wooden figures of evangelists at the corners of the open tier (ringing tier) also testify to the baroque ^[10]. Vases on the parapet of the lower tier, restored during restoration, owe their existence to the architectural style of the middle of the XVIII. However, their shape, as well as stucco decor, are early classical. This suggests that the decoration of the facades was made at the end of the 18th century. The rich plastic of the three fourths of the bell tower is associated with its role as the organizing vertical at the beginning of Pyatnitskaya Street. The arched opening in the lower tier of the bell tower served as the entrance to the churchyard, the masonry of large bricks in the basement is probably the remains of the Holy Gate of the 17th century church fence. Some sources report that in the old days in Moscow the bell tower of Ivan the Great was the first to start ringing, then the bell of St. Basil the Blessed, the bell tower of the Church of the Beheading of the Head of John the Baptist entered the third.

1787-1798: Rebuilding the fence after a fire and building a church house

The fence of the complex along the lane was rebuilt after the fire of 1787.

In 1798, a one-story stone church house "with a regular facade" appeared on the west side of the church. At first it was built as an almshouse. Later, the house was used as a parish school.

Over several decades of reconstruction of the entire complex, the Baroque style was supplanted by classicism, which affected the architecture of its individual parts.

1880: Renewal of the narthex on the west side of the temple

Around 1880, a narthex preserved to this day was built, located from the west of the church building instead of a bell tower the entire width of the end, highlighted on the side facades by a wider division.

View towards the Kremlin from the bell tower of the Church of the Beheading of the Head of John the Baptist, near Bor, 1868-1880

From the west of the narthex there were previously church gates, and from the eastern corner of the refectory to the bell tower there was a high fence, which included the wall of the church porch. A later repetition of this fence was restored during the restoration of the entire complex in 1984. The restored fence is designed in the proportions of the original, determined by the rhythm of the facades of the refectory, and serves as a unifying element of the entire complex.

In the XIX century, the second floor was built on and the facades of the church house, built in 1798, were changed.

Temples of Chernigov Lane in 1882. From the album: Naydenov N. A. Moscow. Cathedrals, monasteries and churches.

1895: Building a tenement house

In 1895, the construction of the apartment building of the Church of the Beheading of the Head of John the Baptist near Bor was completed according to the project of architect Vladimir Vladimirovich Bakarev. The building adjoins the bell tower (now Pyatnitskaya, 4/2, p. 1).

The building is also known as the clergy house, which housed deacons, readers, sexton, psalmists and other ministers of the church.

1896-1904: Renewal of the temple, murals and iconostasis

In November 1897, the renovated Nikolsky chapel was consecrated, the icons for which were painted by K.M. Bykovsky. A marble iconostasis was installed in the aisle.

In 1896-1904 with the participation of the famous Russian architect F.O. Shekhtel, the author, including the building of the Yaroslavl railway station in Moscow, the church was renovated, during which the paintings and iconostasis were updated.

Drawing from the magazine "Architect," 1899

The decoration of the temple was completed by June 1904. The main four-tier iconostasis was made of white marble, and its Royal Gate and side doors were made of cast bronze. In the basement was the Orthodox sacristy^[11].

Iconostasis of the John's Church near Bor in 1907

A number of church possessions were erected in the late XIX - early XX centuries by the architect M.F. Bugrovsky.

View of the bell tower from Pyatnitskaya street during the 1908 flood

1929: Closing the Temple

On December 31, 1917 (January 13, 1918), the draft SNK Decree on Freedom of Conscience, Church and Religious Societies, also known as the Decree on the Separation of Church from State and School from Church, was published. On January 20 (February 2), 1918, the Decree was adopted and three days later it was re-published as an official document.

According to this document, the church was separated from the state, which was expressed in the complete abolition of all privileges on a religious principle, the rejection of religious rites as official ceremonies, the abolition of the religious oath, the complete secularization of acts of civil status, the equation of all religious societies with "private societies and unions" and the refusal of all their support from the state. Citizens were given the right to profess any religion or not to profess any, freely perform religious rites, without encroaching on public order, the rights of other citizens and the Soviet Republic. According to religious beliefs, no one could be exempted from civil duties, only one duty was allowed to be replaced by another. The school was separated from the church. In educational institutions of any type where general education subjects were taught, the teaching of religious beliefs was prohibited. It was allowed to study and teach religions only "privately."

The above articles of the decree were a radical, but generally general democratic program of secularization of public life. Most of them would not hesitate to be signed by the policies of the then secular states of the West. But the last two articles of the Decree stood in stark contrast to the traditionally liberal notions of freedom of conscience. According to these articles, religious societies were deprived of the rights of a legal entity and the right to own property. Their property was declared a "national treasure." Liturgical buildings and objects were given to religious societies for "free use" by decision of local or central authorities.

Depriving religious societies of the rights of a legal entity was an act of open discrimination against them, because other "private societies and unions" had such rights. The deprivation of religious societies of property rights even to temples and liturgical utensils made these societies humiliating from civil authorities, created the ground for direct interference of the authorities in church affairs (for example, in the event of a dispute between communities), as well as for subsequent mass expropriations of church buildings and religious objects. In essence, declaring the separation of church from state, the Bolsheviks simultaneously created a base for direct state intervention in the church life^[12].

Even before the official adoption of the decree, the People's Commissariat of Education issued a decree on the nationalization of all educational institutions belonging to the Church, regardless of their nature. All their movable and immovable property, all their funds, securities and interest on them were nationalized and transferred to the People's Commissariat of Education. This decree began to be actively implemented. At the same time, the closure of "house" churches at various institutions and monasteries began.

In 1929, the state's policy on religion changed. Since that time, the Soviet state has finally stopped "flirting" with any faiths. The "religious NEP," characterized by partial liberalization, was curtailed, and the tightening of anti-religious struggle began. Moreover, the attitude of the state to religion became tougher and tougher every year.

In the struggle against religion, propaganda began to gradually fade into the background, giving way to an open struggle with religious organizations and repression against believers.

The main methods of combating religious organizations were the confiscation of temple buildings, houses of worship, mosques, synagogues; deprivation of religious communities and unions of state registration, the closure of educational institutions and publications, as well as an actual ban on any activity outside the church walls^[13]).

Until 1929, the closure of any church required the consent of the Commission on Religious Affairs under the Presidium of the All-Russian Central Executive Committee of the RSFSR. This significantly prevented the mass liquidation of prayer buildings.

In 1929-early 1930, a number of regulations were adopted that seriously limited the rights of religious organizations and clergy and gave local authorities the right to close churches.

The Church of the Beheading of the Head of John the Baptist near Bor was closed at the end of 1929^[14].

Chernigov Lane in 1929. By William Osgood Field

View of the bell tower in 1929

On January 26, 1930, the Commission on Cults under the Presidium of the All-Russian Central Executive Committee of the RSFSR changed the procedure for making decisions on the closure of churches. From now on, the final decision to liquidate the prayer building was made by the regional and regional executive committees (for autonomous republics that do not have a division into districts, the previous order was preserved), and believers received only the right to appeal their decisions to the Commission on Cults. From this moment begins the mass closure and destruction of religious buildings.

View from the bell tower to Pyatnitskaya street in 1931. Photo: William O. Field

On May 16, 1931 , the Commission on Cults under the Presidium of the All-Russian Central Executive Committee decided "to submit a thorough report to the Commission by the NKF and Rudmetaltorg to instruct Comrade Smidovich to enter the legislative bodies with a petition to allow the removal of bells from prayer buildings, in which the bell ringing was stopped." Bell bronze was supposed to be used to make a small coin, without making this fact widely publicized - the official slogan was "Melt the bells to the wires!" ^[15]

Chernigov Lane in the 1930s

1969: Church beheaded, inside Food Products Authority

View of the bell tower in 1967-68. Photo: V.Sokirko and L.Tkachenko

View of the bell tower in 1967-68

In 1969, M.L. Epiphany, one of the largest specialists in the history of Moscow churches, described the state of the Church of St. John the Baptist as follows:

"The church is

currently decapitated, the plaster has fallen off in places, the bell tower is painted, there is no gilding. Inside is placed "Food Management. Raytorgotdel of the Soviet district. "

In those years, a system for the distribution of products through the "Order Tables" arose and existed for a long time. It looked like something like that. Your facility was attached to the order table of some grocery store. This attachment and allocation of orders was regulated by the trade department of the district council of workers' deputies of the Raitorgotdel. On a voluntary basis, an order commissioner stood out, who contacted the store. The authorized person notifies the team that ten orders have been allocated to us today: one chicken, half a kilo of raw smoked sausages, two packs of butter, two cans of canned food. The cost is so and so. Those wishing to purchase an order paid money. At the same time, the public, represented mainly by the trade union, ensured that the order of receipt of orders was fairly observed.

The authorized person was usually allocated a breech machine. He drove to the store, brought orders, and the lucky ones went home, carrying a bag of chicken, half a kilogram of raw smoked sausage, two packs of oil and two cans of canned food^[16].

Attachment to the store and allocation of orders was carried out taking into account the number and prestige of the institution. Entering a new job, you were interested not only in salary, but also in what orders are here and how often they are. More prominent personalities gained access to the Kremlin distribution.

The Soviet district was first formed on April 14, 1936. The territory of the district included the very center of Moscow (adjacent to the Kremlin). It was later abolished and arose again in 1969 in the territories that are currently part of the Southern Administrative District of Moscow.

1970s: Restoration of temples before the Olympics

View of the temple in 1971

Photo by A.N. Krutov, 1972

The south facade of the temple in 1972

View of the refectory, captured in the x/f "Cortic," 1971-1973

In the second half of the 1970s, when the capital of the USSR was preparing to receive foreign guests in connection with the upcoming 1980 Olympic Games, large-scale restoration work was carried out in many ruined architectural monuments. Both churches were restored along with a free-standing bell tower in Chernigov Lane. The bell tower was restored by the architect ^[10]

A dome and a cross reappeared on the St. John the Baptist Church, and fragments of paintings of the 17th and 19th centuries were found in the interior of the temple. During restoration work in the 1970-80s. platbands of the 17th century were restored on the facades of the temple, as well as a promising portal on the southern facade.

On the preserved foundation, a fence with a lattice between the temple and the bell tower was also restored. The walls of the temple were plastered and whitewashed, the refectory and bell tower were painted. Restoration work continued until 1984.

1980s: In the Church of John the Baptist, the hall "Art Glass"

The last owner of the temples was the USSR Ministry of Building Materials Industry. In the 1980s, in the Church of St. John the Baptist there was a demonstration and exhibition hall "Art Glass" of the State Glass Research Institute.

View of the temple in 1981. Author: I. Nagaytsev

View of the Southern facade in April 1981. Author: Chebotar Alexander Mirchevich

View of the bell tower from Pyatnitskaya street in 1982. Author: I. Nagaytsev

In the early 1980s, on the second floor of the bell tower, you can see the glazed room where the art workshop^[17] is located].

View of the temple in the 1980s

View of the bell tower in 1986-88

View of the refectory in the 1980s

1991: The Third Way Club is open in one of the apartments of the apartment building

Main article: Third way (club in Moscow)

In the clergy house of the Church of the Beheading of the Head of John the Baptist near Bor at ul. Pyatnitskaya, d.4, in Soviet times there were communal apartments. In 1991, in one of them, the first cult club "Third Way" was opened in Moscow, the interiors of which were made in the style of "emphasized true urban vintage." Foreigners were taken here on excursions as one of the attractions of the capital: shabby walls, many strange people, tables flooded with beer. The club played many famous Russian groups, including "Sounds of Mu,""Polite Refusal," "Hummingbirds" and others. Shows of fashion designers, including Andrei Bartenev, were held. Read more here.

1992

Rector Sergius Toroptsev is fighting to return the church church

In 1991 , in the Epiphany Cathedral , His Holiness Patriarch Alexy II ordained Protodeacon Sergius Toroptsev to the priestly rank, and a few days later he was appointed rector of the newly opened church in honor of Michael and Theodore of Chernigov miracle workers.

For five years, the abbot fought to return to the parish of the neighboring Church of the Beheading of the Head of John the Baptist near Bor, which was occupied by a demonstration hall of decorative glass. For 1992-1994, through the efforts of Father Sergius, the parish returned the buildings of the almshouse, bell tower and church house^[18].

The chairman of the church community and bodybuilders "Orbits" staged a pogrom in the club "Third Way"

On November 13 and 14, 1992, representatives of the community of the Church of the Holy Great Martyrs Mikhail and Fedor Chernigov, who were killed in the Horde, staged a pogrom with the beating of the Third Way association in the avant-garde workshops, demanding to "vacate the church premises," the Kommersant newspaper^[19].

For more details see Third Way (club in Moscow).

1994: Rector Sergius Karamnov begins the restoration of the church

In 1994, experienced and respected Archpriest Sergiy Karamnov was appointed rector of the courtyard of the Chernigov martyrs, who restored the Church of the Beheading of the Head of John the Baptist^[18].

1997: Resuming Worship Services

In 1997, the Church of the Beheading of the Head of John the Baptist near Bor was transferred to the Patriarchal Compound of Churches near Bor

Worship services resumed in the church.

2006: Daniil Voronin appointed rector of the church

Sergiy Karamnov remained rector of the churches of Chernigov Lane until his death in 2006. After his resignation in the same year, Father Daniel (Voronin) was appointed rector of both churches. Under him, parish life here was even more revived.

2008: Transmission of a particle of the relics of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker

On June 8, 2008, with the blessing of His Holiness Patriarch Alexy II of Moscow and All Russia, a particle of the relics of St. Nicholas of Myra was donated to the Church of the Beheading of the Head of St. John the Baptist near Bor. A special ark was made by the forces of the courtyard, in which the relics are constantly stored.

2010

Metropolitan Hilarion appointed rector of the church

On February 1, 2010, 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 Mikhail and Theodore of Chernigov and the Beheading of the head of John the Baptist near Bor.

Placement of Cyril and Methodius Postgraduate and Doctoral Studies

In June 2010, Holy Patriarch Cyril transferred both churches of Chernigov Lane to accommodate the All-Church graduate school and doctoral studies named after Saints Equal-to-the-Apostles Cyril and Methodius.

The first bishop's liturgy since the resumption of services

On September 11, 2010, Metropolitan Hilarion celebrated the bishop's liturgy - the first since the opening of the church in Chernigov Lane in the early 1990s.

2012: Start of a new phase of restoration

In 2012, a new stage of restoration of the temple began. There is little left 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. About 30 icon painters worked on the painting, which was based on the Byzantine style. 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.

2013 photo

Church house in Chernigov Lane, 2013

2013: Illegal seizure by the church of the premises of the Third Way club in the building of the apartment building

In August 2013, reconstruction began in the building where the Third Way creative center was located. The ceiling of the exhibition hall was broken, water and heating were turned off, although the legality of the use of the premises by the founders of the club was confirmed by six decisions of the arbitration courts.

The cultural organization received a letter from LLC RSK Vozrozhdenie containing an illegal demand to vacate the occupied premises at the address: st. Pyatnitskaya, d. 4/2, p. 1. within five days, as well as the threat of loss and damage to the property of the Creative Center.

For more details see Third Way (club in Moscow).

2015: Completion of restoration and consecration of temple by patriarch

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

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

In October 2015, the painting was completed in the temple. On November 1, 2015, Patriarch Kirill consecrated the temple.

2016: For the first time, the "All-Night Vigil" by S.V. Rachmaninov was performed in the church

Main article: "All-night vigil" by Sergei Rachmaninov

On March 26, 2016, the chairman of the Department for External Church Relations of the Moscow Patriarchate, rector of the All-Church Graduate School and Doctoral Studies named after Saints Cyril and Methodius, Metropolitan Hilarion of Volokolamsk, held the All-Night Vigil in the Church of the Beheading of the Head of John the Baptist near Bor of the Patriarchal Chernigov Compound in Moscow.

The academic large choir "Masters of Choral Singing" under the direction of artistic director L.Z. Kontorovich performed the work of S.V. Rachmaninov "All-Night Vigil" during the service. The Moscow Synodal Choir also sang at the All-Night Service under the direction of Honored Artist of Russia A.A. Puzakov.

The temple was attended by: Doyen of the Latin American diplomatic corps in Moscow, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Republic of Chile to the Russian Federation Juan Eduardo Egiguren, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Republic of Cuba to the Russian Federation Emilio Losada Garcia with his wife, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Mexican United States to the Russian Federation Ruben Beltran, General Director of the All-Russian State Library of Foreign Literature named after M.I. Rudomino V.V. Duda with his wife. Read more here.

2017

Awarding ex-head of Russian Railways V. Yakunin with the patriarchal sign of the temple builder

On January 20, 2017, in gratitude for many years of fruitful work for the benefit of the Russian Orthodox Church, Vladimir Yakunin was awarded the patriarchal sign of the temple builder in the Moscow Church of the Beheading of the Head of John the Baptist near Bor. Former head of Russian Railways Yakunin heads the Fund of St. Andrew the First-Called.

As the head of the Synodal Department for External Church Relations, Metropolitan Hilarion, noted, this award is gratitude to Vladimir Ivanovich for his work in the revival of ancient and the construction of new churches: after all, at all times this business was considered one of the most honorable in Russia.

The temple in which the award ceremony took place was not chosen by chance. It was also restored with the active assistance of Vladimir Ivanovich Yakunin.

Presentation of the first diploma in theology in Russia, recognized by the state

On September 3, 2017, the chairman of the Department for External Church Relations of the Moscow Patriarchate, rector of the All-Church Graduate School and Doctoral Studies named after Saints Cyril and Methodius ​mitropolit Volokolamsk Hilarion performed the Divine Liturgy at the Chernigov Patriarchal Compound in the Church of the Beheading of the Head of John the Baptist near Borom​.​

Archpastor sosluzhili:​

• representative of the Orthodox Church of the Czech Lands and Slovakia under the Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia Archimandrite Seraphim (Shemyatovsky);
• Deputy Chairman of the DECR, Head of the Department of External Church Relations and Social Sciences of the OCAD Archimandrite Filaret (Bulekov); ​
• Head of the Department of Biblical Studies of the OCAD, Rector of the Minsk Theological Academy Archimandrite Sergiy (Akimov);
• Deputy Chairman of the Synodal Missionary Department, Hegumen Serapion (Mitko);
• Vice-Rector of the OCAD for Academic Affairs Hieromonk John (Kopeikin);
• Dean of the Theological Faculty of PSTSU Archpriest Pavel Khondzinsky;
• Secretary of the Academic Council of the OCAD Priest Dimitri Safonov;
• Inspector of the OCAD Priest Mikhail Nemnonov,
• clerics of the temple.

After a pure litany, Metropolitan Hilarion made a prayer for peace in Ukraine.

Then the hierarch prayed for the rest of the newly reposed Honored Artist of Russia Dmitry Kogan.

At the end of the liturgy, Metropolitan Hilarion read a prayer for the beginning of the school year and sprinkled holy water on the students. Then Vladyka addressed those present with an archpastoral word.

Then the presentation of the first diploma of a candidate of theology recognized by the state in the history of the Russian Federation took place.

On June 1, 2017, in the Joint Dissertation Council D 999.073.04, created by order of the Ministry of Education and Science of the Russian Federation on the basis of the General Church Graduate School and Doctoral Studies named after Saints Cyril and Methodius, Orthodox St. Tikhon's University of the Humanities, Moscow State University and the Russian Academy of National Economy and Public Administration under the President of the Russian Federation, the first defense of the dissertation took place in the specialty 26.00.01 ― "Theology." Following the defense of the work on the topic "Resolution of the problems of Russian theology of the 18th century in the synthesis of St. Filaret, Metropolitan of Moscow," the dissertation council decided to award Archpriest Pavel Khondzinsky the degree of candidate of theology.

Presenting the diploma, Metropolitan Hilarion of Volokolamsk stressed:

"We went a very long way before this was possible, because for many years secular scientists talked about the fact that theology is not a science, because in general someone who believes in God cannot be considered a scientist. So some biologists say now, who tried to disrupt the first defense of their Ph.D. thesis in theology. But the Lord did not heed their screams, He heard our prayers. And the state represented by the Ministry of Education and Science showed calm, endurance and wisdom. Today I am glad to present this first diploma in the history of our state to Archpriest Pavel Khondzinsky, whom he was awarded for his dissertation dedicated to St. Philaret of Moscow "^[20]

Thanking for the presentation of the diploma, Father Paul said:

"I really want to hope that this event draws a line under the stormy history of my defense and begins a new one - the history of the full and full-blooded development of theological science in the common space of the humanities."

The rector of the OCAD also presented certificates to undergraduates and graduate students of the first year of study.

Visit by Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby

On November 22, 2017, as part of his first visit to Russia, the temple was visited by the Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby.

At the entrance to the Church of the Beheading of the Head of John the Baptist near Bora, the guest was greeted by the rector of the OCAD, chairman of the Department for External Church Relations of the Moscow Patriarchate, Metropolitan Hilarion of Volokolamsk. He told the guest about the history of the Chernihiv Patriarchal Compound and about the recently completed restoration work, drew the archbishop's attention to the paintings in the academic church.

The archbishop prayed at the particle of the relics of St. John the Baptist and at the myrrh-streaming temple of the Kazan Icon of the Mother of God.

Metropolitan Hilarion talked about the purpose of Welby's visit to Russia:

"One of the directions in which the Department of External Church Relations works is the coordination of relations between the Russian Orthodox Church and the Church of England. And in the General Church Graduate School, we are actively working in the direction of academic exchange. Archbishop Justin Welby decided to visit the OCAD to meet with faculty and students and give them a short lecture. The Archbishop had talks with His Holiness Patriarch Cyril yesterday. A joint declaration was signed. This document calls on the international community to support persecuted Christians in the Middle East. The news has attracted worldwide attention. "

2018

First liturgy according to the old rite

In January 2018, the church first celebrated the liturgy with the Old Russian rank. The service, accompanied by representatives of the Old Believer tradition, was headed by the chairman of the Commission on the Affairs of Old Believer Parishes and on interaction with the Old Believers, Metropolitan Hilarion of Volokolamsk.

After the liturgy, Bishop Hilarion noted that for the first time at such a service "clerics who serve in the old rite gathered together in such numbers."

- The church is united, because, despite the differences in the views of people, in their worldview, in their social situation, it unites all those who voluntarily wanted to follow Christ. It unites all parishes and all dioceses around the world. This unity cannot be shaken by anything. And if there is any split in the Church, then this is not the Church splitting in two or into several parts, but individual groups of people for one reason or another move away from the Church. The church still retains its unity, - said the Metropolitan in his word.

In conclusion, Bishop Hilarion wished everyone, regardless of tradition, to be aware of themselves "members of the One, Holy, Cathedral and Apostolic Church, about which our Lord Jesus Christ said that" the gates of hell will not overcome it "(Matt. 16, 18)».

Agness Mariam al-Salib and other guests from Syria visit the temple

On March 3, 2018, the Church of the Beheading of the Head of John the Baptist near Bor was visited by Syrian participants in the round table "The Future of Christianity in the Middle East: Reality and Forecasts." Among the guests were the Catholic nun Mother Agness Mariam al-Salib, known for her human rights activities, Sister Carmel from the monastery of St. Jacob in the Syrian city of Kara and public figure and defender Maaluli Abdo Haddad. Under the arches of the temple of John the Baptist under Bor Abdo, Haddad recited a prayer in Aramaic.

Concert of the ensemble "Chronos"

On March 6, 2018, at the end of the first day of the conference dedicated to the regent and researcher of church singing Stepan Smolensky, a concert of the male vocal ensemble "Chronos" was held in the Church of the Beheading of the Head of John the Baptist near Bor of the Patriarchal Chernigov Compound.

Liturgy with the participation of ministers of the Orthodox Church in America

From June 22 to June 29, 2018 in Moscow, with the blessing of His Holiness Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia, the Summer Institute was held for representatives of the Orthodox Church in America. The work was attended by clergy of the Orthodox Church in America - rectors and clergy of churches, professors of seminaries. The delegation was led by Bishop Daniel of Santa Rosa, vicar of the Diocese of San Francisco and the West.

The program of the Institute included acquaintance with the cultural traditions of the Russian Orthodox Church, the activities of synodal divisions and theological schools, and parish life.

The students of the Summer Institute, among other things, served Metropolitan Hilarion of Volokolamsk at the Divine Liturgy in the Church of the Beheading of the Head of John the Baptist near Bor of the Chernigov Patriarchal Compound. At the end of the service, the delegation from North America was warmly welcomed by the rector of the All-Church Postgraduate and Doctoral Studies (OCAD). A tour of the OCAD and the Chernihiv compound was held for the guests^[21].

2019: Kazan icon of the Most Holy Theotokos in the church myrrh-toss for the third time

The Kazan icon of the Blessed Virgin Mary began to myrh in the Church of the Beheading of the Head of John the Baptist near Bor on October 3, 2019, the rector of the All-Church Postgraduate and Doctoral Studies (OCAD) Metropolitan Hilarion of Volokolamsk at the assembly day of the institution.

Before the image in October, it was decided to serve the akathists daily.

"In the church where we are now, there is the Kazan icon of the Blessed Virgin Mary, it is myrrh-streaming. The first case of myrrh-turning was recorded in 2016, when regular services appeared on our Chernihiv compound after restoration. This myrrh-turning then continued for a month. The next case of myrrh-turning occurred in May 2017, when the relics of the miracle worker Nicholas were brought to Moscow, "said the Metropolitan.

According to him, the third incident occurred in November 2018 on the holiday of the icon of the Mother of God "Joy of All Mourners," which is located in a neighboring church on Bolshaya Ordynka. In this church, Metropolitan Hilarion is the rector.

"And this year the icon myrrh-turned on the feast of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary, and just the other day the myrh-turning of the icon continued and intensified. In this regard, during October we will perform an akathist daily in front of the icon, thanks to the Blessed Virgin Mary for the mercy shown to us, "concluded[22].

Drops flow down the cheeks of the face, like tears. However, Archpriest Mikhail Nemnonov reassured visitors: an amazing phenomenon does not bode well.

"Tears? No, she doesn't cry that you are. Rather, it blesses! - quotes him as Daily Storm. - It seems to us that this is a sign of approaching some very good events![23]"

Journalists who visited the temple to personally see what was happening even touched the drops on the icon: really wet, they say. The substance, which is called "miro," is neither water nor oil, says an eyewitness.

Nemnonov said that the Kazan Icon of the Blessed Virgin Mary was painted in the 17th century. The Temple of the Beheading of the Head of John the Baptist near Bor received it about 20 years ago.

The archpriest noted that this is not the first miracle in the walls of their temple. Earlier, the icon of the Mother of God "The Sign" and the icon of John the Baptist were myrrh-turned. At the same time, he stressed that the icon of John the Baptist was paper.

"So something extraordinary is constantly happening in this temple," the representative of the temple stated.

2021: Video recording of the Easter Concert of the Synodal Choir

At the beginning of 2021, the Moscow Synodal Choir made a video recording of the Easter Concert in the Church of the Beheading of the Head of John the Baptist near Bor as part of the Russian Seasons program, under the direction of artistic director and chief conductor Alexei Puzakov. The choir performed works: "Council of Prevechny" and "We Sing to You" with soloist Evgenia Kuznetsova, "Christ Anesti," "Every Creature Day," "Resurrection God," "This Day."

2022

Instead of a bookstore in the bell tower, the Zvon coffee shop is opened

In February 2022, instead of a bookstore in the bell tower of the temple, the Zvon coffee shop was opened. It is stated that the creation of the project was engaged in a church parish.

'We've got space

on the ground floor. We thought it would be visible from the street, people would come in. They looked at the experience of "Petrovskaya 'coffee shops on the territory of the Vysoko-Petrovskogo Monastery, ANTIPA cafe at the Church of the Holy Martyr Antipa of Pergamon and thought about doing the same," Strelka Mag was told in the coffee shop.

In August 2022, the ZVON coffee shop won the Moscow Urban Forum 2022 Award in the City Gastronomy nomination. The project was chosen as the winner following an open public vote on the portal of the mayor of Moscow.

At the beginning of the coffee shop, the average number of guests was about 100 people on weekdays and 150 on weekends. By August 2022, those numbers had risen to 350 weekday guests and 600 over the weekend.

A man relieved the need for a temple

According to the source of the REN TV channel, on the night of April 2, 2022, in the Church of the Beheading of the Head of John the Baptist near Bor, a resident of the capital relieved himself of the need for the steps in front of the icon with the icon^[24].

Metropolitan Anthony the new rector of the church

On June 7, 2022, at a meeting of the Holy Synod of the Russian Orthodox Church, Metropolitan Hilarion was appointed Metropolitan of Budapest and Hungary with the dismissal of the chairman of the DECR and the rector of the All-Church Postgraduate and Doctoral Studies named after Saints Equal to the Apostles Cyril and Methodius. It was noted in the media that in the journal of the Holy Synod (No. 61) he did not express his traditional "gratitude for the work incurred" in such cases. On June 10 of the same year, in the Department of External Church Relations, he transferred affairs to his successor, Metropolitan Anthony (Sevryuk).

On June 15, 2022, by decree of Patriarch Kirill, Metropolitan Hilarion was relieved of his posts as rector of the Church of the Icon of the Mother of God "Joy of All Mourners" in the Great Horde of Moscow and the Patriarchal Compound of Churches near Bor.

2024: Bishop Kirill of Sergius Posad and Dmitrovsky celebrated the liturgy in the church

On July 7, 2024, on the day of the celebration of the Nativity of St. John the Baptist, the graduation act was held at the All-Church Graduate School and Doctoral School named after Saints Equal to the Apostles Cyril and Methodius. The solemn part of the event, according to custom, was preceded by the liturgy in the Church of the Beheading of the Head of John the Baptist near Bor, which, with the blessing of Patriarch Kirill, was headed by Bishop Kirill of Sergius Posad and Dmitrovsky.

Church services

Service schedule:

• On Saturdays, matins and liturgy in 8.00, all-night vigil in 17.00.
• On Sundays, one liturgy per 9.00.
• On other days of especially revered holidays, one liturgy is celebrated at 8.00 with an all-night vigil the day before at 17.00, or matins with a liturgy at 8.00.

Visiting the bell tower

On Easter week, everyone is allowed to climb the bell tower and ring the bells.

May 2011. Photo: Nefer Journal^[25]

Patronal Feast Day

Truncations of the head of John the Baptist - September 11 [according to n.s.]. The Day of the Beheading of the Head of John the Baptist was revered by the disciples of John the Baptist. In Russia, on the day of his memory, all Orthodox soldiers were commemorated, "for the faith, the Fatherland and the people, their belly laid and by the power of the cross of those who defeated death." Ivanov's day was called "Ivan the Lenten," because strict fasting was observed on him. The people even had a proverb:

"Do not observe Ivan-post - the tail will be touched in hell^[26].

Shrines

Particle of the relics of St. Nicholas of Myra

Ark with the relics of many saints of the Ecumenical Church.

To the right of the Royal Gates in the iconostasis of the temple of John the Baptist is an icon of the patron saint of the temple, St. John the Baptist, in front of which an unquenchable lamp burns. The icon is made in the manner of old Byzantine writing by Greek monks.

Notes