Church of Saints Athanasius and Cyril on Sivtsev Vrazhek. A beautiful church not far from the Kropotkinskaya metro station, which pleases the eye with its brightness and color. It was painted red quite recently - probably as part of the improvement of Moscow. And a couple of years ago it was yellow. Which one do you like best?
The Church of Saints Athanasius and Kirill on Sivtsev Vrazhek was painted
We have already written about the fact that there is no symbolic meaning in Orthodoxy - unlike, for example, or, sometimes, from. The color of the temple is purely a matter of taste. He, as you understand, can even change. For example, not far from the church on Sivtsev Vrazhek there is such a temple of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary. Now it's blue:
And in Soviet times it was yellow:
It must be said that the fact that the Church of Saints Athanasius and Cyril on Sivtsev Vrazhek was painted red is, rather, a return to origins. At least, this conclusion can be drawn if you look at the photographs of the early 90s, when the temple began to be restored after Soviet devastation:
Temple on Sivtsev Vrazhek: history
We can say that the Church of Saints Athanasius and Cyril has a history quite typical for Moscow (and not only!) churches.
At first there was a wooden church in its place, and only at the beginning of the 18th century a stone church was built in its place. The stone church in Sivtsev Vrazhek Lane was completed and remodeled more than once, and it acquired its final form in 1899. Here it is:
In the 1930s, the temple was closed, and it was housed alternately as warehouses, an electromechanical plant, and a dormitory. Later it was planned to organize a concert hall with an organ.
In 1992, the first Liturgy in many decades was celebrated in the Temple Church on Sivtsev Vrazhek.
Temple on Sivtsev Vrazhek: where is it located and the schedule of services
Despite the fact that this church is called “Temple on Sivtsev Vrazhek”, in fact it is not located on this lane itself, but a little further away - on both sides (front and back) there are two perpendicular to Sivtsev Vrazhek lane: Filipovsky and Bolshoy Afanasyevsky .
Here is a view of the church from Filipovsky Lane:
And this is from Bolshoy Afanasyevsky:
Temple address: Filipovsky lane to 3/16A building 1. It is a five to ten minute walk from the Kropotkinskaya metro station on the “red” line.
The Church of Athanasius and Cyril, Patriarchs of Alexandria, stands between Bolshoy Afanasyevsky and Filippovsky lanes, occupying the entire width of the block. Now the church is separated from Sivtsev Vrazhka by one house, built on church land in 1914 according to the design of M. D. Kholmogorov.
Sivtsev Vrazhek Lane ran along the bed of the ancient Sivka River. The river flowed into the stormy Chertory stream, which flowed along Prechistensky (Gogolevsky) Boulevard. A wooden church was built on the hill above Sivka. The time of its foundation remains unknown. In the income and expenditure books of the Patriarchal Order under 1631, the Church of Athanasius and Cyril is listed as newly arrived, that is, newly built. The parishioners of the church in the 17th century were Muscovites serving the royal court; there were about 30 courtyards in the parish.
The stone Church of Athanasius and Cyril with the St. Nicholas chapel was built and decorated by 1710. The parishioners in the 18th century were mostly nobles, including representatives of families famous in the history of Russia.
In 1812, during a fire, the parish of the Church of Athanasius and Cyril burned down, and the church itself was damaged. Divine services resumed there in 1815.
In 1836, it was decided to build a new one instead of the old temple, which was dilapidated and damaged by fire. The work took a long time and ended only in 1856. It is possible that parts of the walls of the old church were used during construction. The construction was financed by the merchant K. S. Bubnov. At his insistence, the main altar was consecrated in the name of the Resurrection of the Word, that is, in memory of the Renewal of the Church of the Resurrection in Jerusalem. The chapels in the church are consecrated in the name of Saints Athanasius and Cyril and St. Nicholas. The space of the temple is distinguished by its harmonious proportions. In it, thanks to the work of the architect, a person feels peaceful, calm and focused.
Services in the Church of Athanasius and Cyril ceased in 1932, and the building of the Filippovsky Court was occupied by new owners. There were various institutions in the temple, including a factory workshop. The interior decoration and iconostases were destroyed. The church was returned to believers in 1993. At the same time, its temple image returned to the church - the icon of Athanasius and Cyril, preserved in the neighboring Church of the Apostle Philip in Filippovsky Lane.
Saints Athanasius and Kirill on Sivtsev Vrazhek are mentioned in documentary sources in 1634 as a “new arrival”. However, one of the gravestones in the churchyard has the date 1565, which clearly indicates a much earlier time of the founding of the temple. It is assumed that it stood in the courtyard of the Kirillo-Belozersky Monastery (itself located in the Vologda region).
Initially, like most churches of that time, it was wooden, but already in 1722 there is evidence of a stone church on this site. The remains of old walls indicate that it had five domes.
The year 1812 became significant in the history of the church on Sivtsev Vrazhek. When Napoleon began his march through the Russian lands, a particularly revered shrine was taken from Smolensk to Moscow - the icon of Hodegetria of Smolensk. Athanasius and Kirill found himself on the path of the icon’s march to the Assumption Cathedral of the Kremlin, and for some time it was located here. Only then was the Smolensk Icon of the Mother of God transferred to the Kremlin in a procession of the Cross. This did not save the temple from destruction and desecration by Napoleonic soldiers, but it may have contributed to its speedy restoration. Already on January 2, according to the old style, the chapel of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker was re-consecrated, where services began to be held on major holidays. In 1815 – 1817 Thanks to the generous donation of the daughter of Colonel Praskovya Yushkova, the central part with the main altar in honor of the Savior Not Made by Hands was also restored, setting up a chapel of Athanasius and Cyril, the Patriarchs of Alexandria, in the refectory between the arches. 
In 1836, the reconstruction of the Savior Church began, apparently due to dilapidation. The refectory was completely rebuilt in the Empire style, a new bell tower was erected, ending with a high spire, and above the quadrangle there was a large light drum, which did not harmonize well with the refectory and the apses of the aisles. Construction proceeded slowly, despite the fact that donations did not dry out. Even the famous poet Fyodor Tyutchev was one of the benefactors. The consecration of the temple took place only in 1856, and at the request of one of the main donors, the main altar was reconsecrated in honor of the Resurrection of the Word. Now the temple from Spassky has turned into the Resurrection, but parishioners, out of habit, called it the temple of Athanasius and Cyril after one of the side chapels.
By the 1870s, the temple had fallen into disrepair again and required expansion. After collecting donations as a result of the necessary construction work, by the end of the 19th century. has acquired a modern look. The altar apses of all three chapels were aligned in one line.
After the revolution of 1917, services were still held in the Resurrection Church until the early 1930s, but then Church of Saints Athanasius and Cyril on Sivtsev Vrazhek taken away from the believers. It was even supposed to be demolished, but God had mercy. The church building housed either warehouses or various enterprises. In 1970, an electromechanical plant was located here, which, in preparation for the 1980 Olympics, was moved to another location, with the intention of redeveloping the temple into a concert hall for organ music. But these plans were not allowed to come true, and on April 7, 1992, 60 years after its closure, the building was returned to the believers. Already on November 5, 1992, the chapel was again consecrated in honor of Athanasius and Cyril, the Patriarchs of Alexandria, and services began, while carrying out restoration, returning and collecting the shrines of the temple. On September 11, 1993, residents of the area became witnesses, and many also took part, in the procession of the Cross, which returned the main temple icon - Saints Athanasius and Cyril (January 31, New Style) to its original place. In those years, this temple was known to Muscovites and guests of the capital for its rich bookstore, where one could purchase the rarest, and sometimes simply unique, publications.
And only 10 years later - on January 14, 2003, on Candlemas - the main altar of the temple was consecrated, as before, in honor of the Savior, the Image Not Made by Hands. The Nikolsky chapel was consecrated even later - on December 17, 2009.
Photo: Church of Athanasius and Cyril, Patriarchs of Alexandria, on Sivtsev Vrazhek
Photo and description
The Church of Saints Athanasius and Cyril on Sivtsev Vrazhek is also known as the Church of the Resurrection of the Word, and the second name is official, and the first is more common among the people. The people are accustomed to calling the temple after one of the chapels consecrated in honor of Athanasius and Cyril. But the main name is still considered in honor of the Resurrection of the Word - after the name of the main altar, formerly Spassky and reconsecrated in 1856 at the request of one of the benefactors who participated in the reconstruction and renovation of the temple in the first half of the 19th century.
In Moscow, the temple is located in Filippovsky Lane. The first church was wooden and existed already at the beginning of the 16th century. At the beginning of the next century, it was rebuilt in stone, and its main altar (Spassky) was consecrated in the name of the Savior Not Made by Hands. The chapel of Saints Athanasius and Cyril appeared in the church in the middle of the 18th century, and the entire church began to be popularly called by the names of the saints - Athanasius-Kirillovskaya. Saints Athanasius and Cyril were bishops of Alexandria during their lifetimes: Athanasius lived in Egypt in the first half of the 4th century, Cyril at the end of the 4th - first half of the 5th centuries.
During the war with the French, the Smolensk Icon of the Mother of God was brought to the church from Smolensk, but its presence in the church did not save it from being plundered by French soldiers who entered Moscow in September 1812. The icon was subsequently transferred to the Assumption Cathedral of the Kremlin, and the temple was restored a few years later thanks to the generous donations of Praskovya Yushkova. The temple acquired its current appearance at the end of the 19th century after another reconstruction.
In Soviet times, the temple was a warehouse, a dormitory, and an electromechanical plant, transferred from here before the 1980 Olympics. Plans were even considered to convert the building with excellent acoustics into a concert hall, but in the end, in the early 90s, the building returned to the fold of the church.
1881. Church of St. Athanasius and Cyril, on Sivtsev Vrazhek. From Naydenov's album
The Church of Saints Athanasius and Cyril (Resurrection of the Word) on Sivtsev Vrazhek is located in the Arbat district.
Belongs to the Central Deanery
Address: Filippovsky lane, 3.
The main altar is the Image of the Savior Not Made by Hands; southern - St. Athanasius and Cyril of Alexandria; northern - St. Nicholas of Myra.
From the history:
- Many researchers believe that the church presumably existed from the beginning of the 16th century, since it received ruba. Having suffered greatly during the Time of Troubles, it did not recover for a long time, which is why in 1631, according to the books of the Patriarchal Order, the church was listed as a “new arrival.” In 1657 and 1689 the church was still wooden. The church became a stone church at the beginning of the 18th century; the main altar was consecrated in honor of the Savior, the Image Not Made by Hands; the other chapel is in honor of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker. In 1749, at the request of Lieutenant Pleshcheev, a chapel of Saints Athanasius and Cyril was built in the refectory part of the church, and in documents the temple began to be called “Athanasius-Cyril Church.”
- In 1812, the Smolensk Icon of the Mother of God, taken from Smolensk, was initially placed in the Church of Saints Athanasius and Cyril and from here was transferred to the Assumption Cathedral of the Kremlin.
- The temple, destroyed in 1812, was renovated in 1815-1817 at the expense of the daughter of Colonel Praskovya Petrovna Yushkova.
- In 1836, a thorough reconstruction of the church in the Empire style began: a new bell tower, a refectory and a new light drum were built. The consecration of the renovated temple took place on September 19, 1856, and at the request of the benefactor, honorary citizen Bubnov, the Spassky Throne was renamed the Resurrection Throne. In 1899, in order to expand the temple, the altars of the side chapels were rebuilt, and the building acquired its current appearance.
- Under Soviet rule, the temple was closed in 1932, and its building housed warehouses, various small enterprises, an electromechanical plant, and dormitories. In the 1970s, partial restoration of the building began, since it was planned to open a concert hall with an organ.
- In 1991, a decision was made to return the temple to believers, which was carried out on April 7, 1992. It was decided to re-consecrate the main altar in the name of the Image Not Made by Hands, but first, on November 5, 1992, the chapel of Saints Athanasius and Cyril was consecrated. On September 11, 1993, the main temple icon of Saints Athanasius and Cyril was returned from the Church of the Resurrection of the Word on Arbat. The main altar was consecrated on January 14, 2003, Nikolsky on December 17, 2009.
- March 4, 2017 - Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Rus' performed the rite of great consecration of the temple
Abbots:
- from 1991 -
