At the place where it stands today Church of the Resurrection, there was once a Semenovskoe cemetery. It grew out of an ordinary rural churchyard that belonged to the Vvedenskaya Church in Semenovskoye.
This resting place was never considered prestigious, even though many great people were buried here. It was mainly intended for the burial of military personnel, since there was a military hospital nearby.
From the history of the Resurrection Church on Izmailovskoye Highway
After the revolution, it was decided to destroy the Semenovskoye cemetery and create a public garden in its place.
The liquidation of the cemetery lasted for more than 30 years: the tombstones were used for state needs, the fences and chapels were melted down. As a result, the burial site was divided into 2 parts: residential buildings were erected on the first, and the second became a public garden.
Long before the destruction of the cemetery, in 1855, the Church of the Resurrection of Christ was built here. The funds were provided by the merchant Mushnikov. The basis was taken from the samples and sketches of the architect K.A. Tones. The construction turned out to be rare for that time.
The Church of the Resurrection had one chapter, but the tent-roofed bell tower adjacent to the western side was perceived more as a second chapter of the church than an independent building.
From the memories of witnesses it is known that the temple was beautiful: the floor was paved with marble mosaics, and the excellent iconostasis contained ancient icons, of which there were many.
The temple after the revolution and today
In 1917, the Church of the Resurrection at the former Semenovskoye cemetery was closed.
The bell tower and dome were dismantled, and another floor was built in the building. Several rooms for utility needs were added to the southern façade and apses. Only after all the alterations was the mechanical repair shop located here.
The rector of the temple (at that time he was P.G. Ansimov) was arrested and later shot. Today he is among the holy Russian new martyrs.
In 1996, the Resurrection Church near the Semenovskaya metro station was transferred to the Russian Orthodox Church. Then, before Easter, a cross was installed on the roof of the holy building. Soon Easter cakes were already blessed here.
Services were held on the 2nd floor, where the assembly hall was located during Soviet times. Other rooms were lined with machines, and there was a layer of asphalt on the floor with factory dirt on it. The repair shop occupied the walls of the temple for a long time.
Only in 2000 did everything move from the “dead point” and full-fledged restoration work began.
To date, parishioners have managed to return the temple to its former appearance. It was also possible to defend the lands that once belonged to the Church of the Resurrection.
The doors of the shrine are open to everyone. There are benches for older people, and in the church shop you can find many Orthodox Christians printed publications, Sunday School is always open for children and adults, and there is also a Youth Center.
Moscow Church in honor of the Resurrection of Christ at Semenovskoye Cemetery, patriarchal metochion of the Russian Orthodox ChurchThe church operates: a Sunday school for children, a Gospel club, a sobriety circle, Catechetical conversations are held, and the Orthodox Center for Crisis Psychology operates, where qualified psychological assistance is provided to children and adults experiencing severe grief due to the loss of loved ones, a crisis in family relationships, loss the meaning of life, etc.. In addition, at the temple there is a Youth Center in the name of the Holy Great Martyr Catherine, within the framework of which many events are held: joint pilgrimage trips and celebrations, meetings with psychologists, and meetings with the rector, Archimandrite Augustine (Pidanov), which have already become traditional. The Parish Counseling Service carries out its work.
Architecture
This is a rather rare type of temple structure. The single-domed temple had an original system of three cylindrical vaults resting with their heels on girth arches. The bases of the pilaster columns exactly repeated the design of the Cathedral of Christ the Savior. The altars of the chapels are on the same line with the main altar; there are three altars. The central one is in the name of the Resurrection of Christ, the southern chapel is in the name of St. good book Vladimir and All Saints, and the northern chapel - in the name of the icon of the Mother of God, Joy of All Who Sorrow. The low hipped bell tower was not moved outside the temple as an independent architectural structure; it was located in the west and resembled a second, asymmetrical chapter rather than a bell tower. In the space-planning solution of the temple, emphasis was placed on the role of the bell tower as the dominant feature of the surrounding space and on its internal monumentality and scale.
Shrines
- icon of Blessed Augustine, Bishop of Hippo with a particle of holy relics (painted from a mosaic image of the 14th century, located in the cathedral of the city of Cefalu on the island of Sicily (Italy);
- icon of the blessed Matrona of Moscow with a particle of relics;
- icon with a particle of relics
In the Sokolinaya Gora area, on the territory of a green and cozy park, near the Semenovskaya metro station in Moscow, rises Resurrection of Christ at the former Semenovskoe cemetery.
It was erected in 1855. However, the first wooden building at the Semyonovsky cemetery was built in 1643, it was called the Church of the Entry, but in 1728 the wooden building burned down. A century later, in the mid-19th century, it was decided to re-erect it at the cemetery.
Funds for the construction of a new stone temple highlighted by the merchant Mikhail Nikolaevich Mushnikov. And the architect of the building was Konstantin Andreevich Ton. The appearance of the Church of the Resurrection of Christ reflects the Russian-Byzantine style. It is single-domed, which has an original system consisting of three cylindrical vaults. They rest their heels on the girth arches. And the bases of the pilaster columns repeat exactly the design of the one now restored in Moscow.
The low hipped bell tower is not placed outside the temple, as can often be seen in other churches. It is located immediately behind the quadrangle and is more reminiscent of the second chapter than a bell tower. Nevertheless, the appearance of the building looks harmonious. The architect emphasized the role of the bell tower - it dominates the surrounding space, giving it scale and some internal monumentality. 
The inside is no less beautiful than the outside. The altars of its side chapels are located on the same line as the main altar. There are three thrones in total. The southern aisle was erected in the name of the Holy Blessed Prince Vladimir and All Saints. The opposite chapel, the northern one, is in the name of the icon of the Mother of God, Joy of All Who Sorrow. And the main or central chapel is in the name of the Resurrection of Christ.
She was certainly very beautiful. There are descriptions of eyewitnesses who talk about its rich interior decoration. For example, the temple had a mosaic floor made of marble. Moreover, the marble was of the rarest Olonets breed. There were also ancient icons here, and the iconostasis could be called a work of art.
Before Soviet times, there was a free library at the church, a parochial school, a Temperance Society, and various interviews on the topic of Faith. In addition, the church organized a fundraiser for the benefit of the blind. And on holidays, the priest talked about religion and had moral conversations.
But in 1917 the life of the temple changed. First they closed it, then they began to destroy it. In the thirties, the bell tower and dome of the temple were completely dismantled. In 1937, the rector of the temple, Pavel Georgievich Anisimov, was arrested and later shot. Now he is canonized. After this event, the temple premises were confiscated, outbuildings were created in them, and soon a mechanical repair plant was located here.
Restoration began in 1996, when it was transferred to the Russian Orthodox Church. First, a cross was installed on the roof, then services immediately began to be held, and at the same time, funds were being raised for its restoration. Until 1998, on the ground floor of the temple there were still various machines, there was a kitchen, a cafeteria and the administration of the plant.
In 2000, significant work began on its revival. Paintings appeared on the walls, the floor was cleaned, and the bells began to ring in the bell tower. To date, the temple has been restored almost completely, for which the main merit belongs to the parishioners.
December 4th, 2013
Moscow, Izmailovskoe highway, 2. Semenovskaya metro station
Year of construction: 1855. 1901 - reconstruction of the refectory and bell tower.
Architect: K.A. Ton, A.P. Mikhailov and others.
Built in 1855 mainly at the expense of the merchant M.N. Mushnikov, as well as donations from parishioners at the Semenovskoye cemetery (founded in 1711 in connection with the cholera epidemic). The decoration details are based on the sketches of the architect K.A. Ton. The main altar is the Resurrection of Christ, the chapels are the icon of the Mother of God “Joy of All Who Sorrow” (north) and the holy Equal-to-the-Apostles Prince Vladimir (south). In 1901, the refectory and bell tower were reconstructed (architect A.P. Mikhailov), and a chapel of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker was built in the choir. 
Closed in the 1930s. Decapitated, architectural decoration knocked down from the street. The tented bell tower with an octagonal ringing tier has been dismantled. Extensions have been made. The temple building housed workshops. In 1956, the cemetery was demolished, and in its place - a public garden. 
Services resumed in 1998.
Shrines: icons - Blessed Augustine, Bishop of Hippo with a particle of holy relics (painted from a mosaic image of the 14th century, located in the cathedral of the city of Cefalu on the island of Sicily, Italy), Blessed Matrona of Moscow with a particle of relics.
The Patriarchal Compound of the Church of the Resurrection of Christ on Semenovskaya was founded in the 19th century. The temple itself was built in 1855 at the expense of the merchant M.N. Mushnikov in the Russian-Byzantine style. The details of its decoration were made according to the designs of the architect K.A. Tones. The single-domed temple had an original system of three cylindrical vaults resting with their heels on girth arches. The bases of the pilaster columns exactly repeated the design of the Cathedral of Christ the Savior. In addition, the temple had a unique mosaic floor made of Olonets marble. On July 17, 1855, the temple was consecrated by the outstanding first hierarch of the Russian Orthodox Church, Saint Philaret of Moscow (Drozdov), Metropolitan of Moscow, now canonized. 
After the 1917 revolution, the temple was closed and suffered significant damage. In the 1930s it was greatly rebuilt. The dome and bell tower were completely dismantled, the architectural decoration on the street side was cut down. Since the temple is double-height, this allowed its new owners to build a second floor there. Utility extensions were made to the apses, bell tower and southern façade. After this "reconstruction" in former temple Factory workshops and a mechanical repair plant were located here, which existed here until 1997. The Semyonovskoye cemetery, which existed on the border of the Semyonovskaya Sloboda, was razed to the ground and turned into a public garden.
Chapel near the church 
In 1996, the temple was transferred to the Russian Orthodox Church. Around 2000, restoration work began. Only 2 frescoes survived, but they could not be restored. New paintings of the temple were completed in 2005-2006.
Church fence gate 
With the blessing of His Holiness, His Holiness Patriarch of Moscow and All Rus' Alexy II, a representation of the Tashkent and Central Asian Diocese was opened at our church.
Worship services were resumed in 1998.
Currently, the church operates a Sunday school, an art studio, lectures on Church art are given, catechetical conversations are held, the Orthodox Crisis Center operates, as well as the Youth Center.
The frame of the Resurrection of Christ is the Patriarchal Metochion and is located in the Moscow district of Sokolinaya Gora (near the Semenovskaya metro station). The temple building is a monument historical architecture.
The temple was built in 1855 at the Semenovskoye cemetery by the merchant M.N. Mushnikov in the Russian-Byzantine style and consecrated on July 17, 1855 by the outstanding first hierarch of the Russian Orthodox Church, St. Philaret, Metropolitan of Moscow (Drozdov). After the revolution of 1917, the temple was closed and suffered significant destruction, and a few years later a mechanical repair plant was located here. In 1966, the Semenovskoye cemetery was finally destroyed. Revival and restoration began in 1996, when the desecrated, rebuilt and dilapidated temple was transferred to the Russian Orthodox Church.
THE MAIN ALTERN OF THE TEMPLE is consecrated in honor of the Resurrection of Christ, and its side chapels are in honor of the icon of the Mother of God “Joy of All Who Sorrow” (northern), Holy Equal-to-the-Apostles Prince Vladimir (south), St. Nicholas (in the choir).
Metochion of the Patriarch of Moscow and All Rus'
VEDENSKAYA CHURCH
The Church of the Resurrection of Christ on the former Semenovskoye cemetery is considered a monument of historical architecture. It is the Metochion of Patriarch Alexy of Moscow and All Rus', who transferred the temple to the disposal of Metropolitan Vladimir of Tashkent and Central Asia. The temple is bright, there are enough benches for the elderly and infirm. The church shop offers a large selection of Orthodox books, magazines, and souvenirs. There is a Sunday school at the church for children and adults, and lessons in church art are taught. The church holds public conversations for those wishing to receive the Sacraments of Communion, Baptism, and Wedding; The library is open on Saturdays.
In the village, on the site where the Semenovskoye cemetery was later located, there once stood a wooden Church of the Introduction. There is a mention that it was built in 1643 by Tsarina Evdokia Lukyanovna, the wife of the first of the Romanov family, Tsar Mikhail Fedorovich. This church burned down in 1728, and in 1736 the residents of Sloboda built a stone building in another place, closer to the Yauza, on the shore of a pond called Pracheshny. Bell tower new church was built at the beginning of the 19th century, the refectory was rebuilt in 1871-1875. Ancient utensils and lamps were kept in the church. Some of them contained inscriptions, for example: “From gentlemen officers”, etc.
Historian V.F. Kozlov talks about the last years of the Church of the Introduction: “In 1929, workers of the electric plant filed a petition for the demolition of the temple “in order to expand the territory of the park”; The Central Restoration Workshops (TSRGM) did not object, and on May 20 of the same year the Moscow Workers’ Council supported it.” The complaint of believers somewhat delayed the sad outcome, but at the end of July the supreme authorities gave the green light to demolish the church, which began in October after the removal of church property. In the Vvedensky Church, classified by the Central State Historical Museum as “having no historical and architectural significance,” there were wonderful ancient icons. In its altar, iconostasis and on the walls there were about four dozen images painted no later than the 17th century, and some of them dated back even to the 15th century. (!). According to experts, such ancient icons could well have been from Novgorod in origin.
On the site of the Vvedenskaya Church (behind the electric lamp factory club - the most noticeable building on the current Zhuravlev Square) - there is now a school building.
VILLAGE "SEMENOVSKOE"
The village itself was located on the territory of the modern Sokolinaya Gora district. There is an assumption that among its buildings was the temple of Simeon the God-Receiver, which gave the name to the village. During the time of Peter I, the Semenovskaya Soldiers' Settlement appeared here. The village gave its name to the Semyonovsky regiment, also known as the “Amusing Regiments”. In Semenovskoye there was also a wooden palace of Peter the Great, very modest, and, unfortunately, not preserved. Peter I loved to go on festivities to the Semenovskaya Grove and took his entire family with him.
Another landmark of the village was the family house with the estate of Prince Alexander Danilovich Menshikov, located not far from the Church of the Presentation. In Semenovskoye there was a rural churchyard, assigned to the Vvedenskaya Church, where the prince’s parents were buried, and later his two daughters were buried in Semenovskoye. At the end of the 18th and beginning of the 19th centuries, military estates replaced the courts of merchants and townspeople, and the first brick factories, weaving factories and slaughterhouses began to appear.
SEMENOVSKOE CEMETERY
Once upon a time, the Semenovskoye cemetery was the only “plague-free” one in the ring of cemeteries behind the Kamer-Kollezhsky Val. Despite the fact that there were several graves of quite famous and high-ranking people here, it was never considered a prestigious resting place. Since its founding, the cemetery has become a traditional burial place for military personnel. First of all, this is explained by the fact that the largest and oldest Lefortovo military hospital in Russia was and is still located nearby. When wounded participants in the wars waged by Russia in the 18th and early 20th centuries died in the hospital, they were usually buried at the Semenovskoye cemetery. Especially many participants of the First World War were buried here. A large area was even fenced off especially for them on the southern edge of the cemetery. This is how he described it in 1916 in the book “Essays on the History of Moscow Cemeteries” by A.T. Saladin: “There is something especially sad in this cemetery, where all the graves, like soldiers in formation, are stretched out in orderly rows, where all the crosses are made in the same shape, and even the inscriptions on them are all of the same type. Only in the center, in the officer’s part of the cemetery, is some variety of monuments noticeable, but even there everything is simple and poor.”
However, there is a stone with the whole will of the philosopher. It is located on the main alley from the church, behind the well, on the edge of the left side. Here is the literal content of the inscription: “Knowledge reduces the suffering of people. The spirit without knowledge and the body without food and clean air die. When eating healthy, exercise in clean air. When resting, i.e. at night, have a bedroom with an open window. Stop being treated. Throw yourself into the arms of nature and you will be healthy.” (Apollon Grigorievich Belopolsky).
In 1838, one of the most talented poets of Pushkin’s era, Alexander Polezhaev, died in the Lefortovo hospital and was buried in the Semenovskoye cemetery.
Many high military officials were also buried in the cemetery: Lieutenant General N.K. Zeimern (1800-1875), participant in the Caucasian War; Lieutenant General K.V. Sixtel (1826-1899), chief of artillery of the Moscow Military District; Infantry General V.K. Gervais (1833-1900), participant in the Crimean and Russian-Turkish war of 1877-1878.
Among them, in addition to a large number of military ranks, all classes of Moscow residents are represented: honorary hereditary citizens, architects, clergy.
The first rector of the temple, Archpriest Alexander Sergievsky, was buried in 1877. His son Nikolai Sergievsky (1827-1892) also rested here. He was the protopresbyter of the Assumption Cathedral in the Kremlin, the rector of the university church of St. Tatiana and professor of theology, logic and psychology at Moscow University.
Next to Fr. Alexander Sergievsky, the rector of the temple was Fr. Konstantin Ostroumov (1827-1899). This priest became famous as the founder of the first temperance society in Moscow.
THE FATE OF SEMENOVSKY CEMETERY IN SOVIET TIMES
__________________________________________________________
The fate of the cemetery during Soviet times was sad. In 1935, the Presidium of the Moscow City Council decided to liquidate it and develop the vacated territory into a public garden. The liquidation dragged on for more than 30 years, during which no new burials were made there. During this time, many tombstones were removed either for reuse in other cemeteries, or as valuable stone for the needs of the national economy. The fences and metal chapels were melted down.
And in 1966, the cemetery was finally destroyed. Semenovsky Passage ran right along it, dividing it into two unequal parts, of which only the northern, smaller, remained undeveloped - it is now where the square with the Resurrection Church and several more tombstones miraculously survived. And mostly on the territory of the cemetery there are now multi-storey residential buildings.
Many wonderful people were buried at the Semenovskoye cemetery - the pride of Russian history and culture. Among the family burials are a large family of Ketchers, who came from Sweden and took root in Russia, family burials of the Gayarins, Demidovs, Surins... A considerable number of people buried at the Semenovskoye cemetery went down in the history of our Fatherland. Their names and their deeds are recorded in encyclopedias, reference books, and dictionaries; brief biographical information about them is given below. Maybe these names, which have escaped oblivion, will make us think, awaken the dormant feeling of the Motherland, native history, respect for the memory of our ancestors and better live the rest of our days, since this memory is an imprint of the highest morality and nobility.
Let us bow to the ashes of those who worked for the glory of our Fatherland. They are “our history, our past and future. It is not only possible, but also necessary to be proud of the glory of our ancestors. Not to respect it is shameful cowardice” (A.S. Pushkin). As long as we keep their memory alive, we will be worthy of them.
__________________________________________________________
CHURCH OF THE RESURRECTION
__________________________________________________________
The temple was built at the Semenovskoye cemetery in 1855 in the Russian-Byzantine style at the expense of the merchant Mikhail Nikolaevich Mushnikov, according to the models of the architect Konstantin Andreevich Ton. This is a rather rare type of temple structure. The single-domed temple had an original system of three cylindrical vaults resting with their heels on girth arches. The bases of the pilaster columns exactly repeated the design of the Cathedral of Christ the Savior. The altars of the chapels are on the same line with the main altar; there are three altars. The central one is in the name of the Resurrection of Christ, the South chapel is in the name of St. good book Vladimir and All Saints, and the Northern chapel - in the name of the icon of the Mother of God, Joy of All Who Sorrow. The low hipped bell tower was not moved outside the temple as an independent architectural structure; it was located in the west and resembled a second, asymmetrical chapter rather than a bell tower. In the space-planning solution of the Temple, emphasis was placed on the role of the bell tower as the dominant feature of the surrounding space and on its internal monumentality and scale.
According to contemporaries, the church was very beautiful, it had a mosaic floor made of Olonets marble, and there were ancient icons placed in an excellent iconostasis. It was “a church with sufficient utensils.”
The temple was consecrated on July 17, 1855 by Saint Philaret of Moscow (Drozdov), First Hierarch of the Russian Orthodox Church, Metropolitan of Moscow, now canonized.
In 1901, the refectory and bell tower were reconstructed by the architect A.P. Mikhailov.
At the temple there was a parochial school, a free library-reading room, a Temperance Society, liturgical interviews, collections for the benefit of the blind, and religious and moral conversations were held on holidays.
__________________________________________________________
THE FATE OF THE TEMPLE IN SOVIET TIMES
__________________________________________________________
The fate of the temple during the Soviet period is comparable to the fate of the new martyr: after the revolution of 1917, it was closed and suffered significant destruction. In the 1930s, the dome and bell tower were completely dismantled. Since the temple is double-height, this allowed its new owners to build a second floor there. Utility extensions were made to the apses, bell tower and southern façade. After this “reconstruction”, a mechanical repair plant was located in the former temple.
The last rector of the temple was Pavel Georgievich Ansimov (1891-1937). He was arrested on November 2, 1937, convicted by the NKVD troika for “counter-revolutionary anti-Soviet agitation” and shot at the Butovo training ground. Now he has been canonized as the Holy New Martyrs of Russia by the resolution of the Holy Synod on July 16, 2005 for church-wide veneration. Commemorated in the Russian Orthodox Church on November 8, according to the old style, in the Cathedral of Russian New Martyrs and Confessors and in the Cathedral of Butovo New Martyrs.
__________________________________________________________
REVIVAL AND RESTORATION OF THE TEMPLE
__________________________________________________________
In 1996, the Church of the Resurrection of Christ was transferred to the Russian Orthodox Church (Decree of the Moscow Government of 08/06/1996 N 647 “On the transfer to the parish of the Church of the Resurrection of Christ at the former Semenovskoye cemetery of the building on Izmailovskoye sh., no. 2, bldg. 1”). That same year, before Easter, the Cross was installed on the roof of the Temple. On Holy Saturday the blessing of Easter cakes and Easter cakes took place. Throughout the year, on Sundays and holidays, prayer services and readings of the akathist to the Risen Christ were performed. Services were held on the 2nd floor of the Temple, part of which was rebuilt in Soviet times as an assembly hall, the remaining premises were adapted for a workshop, kitchen, cafeteria, and offices of the plant administration. The first floor was a workshop, all lined with various machines, with a floor covered with a thick layer of asphalt and factory dirt.
Despite the fact that the Temple building was returned to the believers, until 1998 it continued to house the equipment of the repair shop.
Significant changes in the restoration of the Temple began with the appointment of a new rector - Archimandrite Augustine (Pidanov). On April 19, 1998, on the feast of Holy Easter, the first Divine Liturgy was served, which became the starting point for regular services in the newly recreated Temple.
Since 2000, full-scale restoration work began. By that time, only 2 frescoes had survived, but they could not be restored. New paintings of the temple were completed in 2005-2006.
Thanks to the efforts of parishioners and benefactors who care about the restoration of Russian shrines, it has now been possible to restore the former beauty of the temple. With great difficulty, a significant part of the land that once belonged to the Church was returned to him.
__________________________________________________________
SPECIAL SACRES OF THE TEMPLE
__________________________________________________________
Icon of Blessed Augustine, Bishop of Hippo with a particle of holy relics (painted from a mosaic image of the 14th century, located in the cathedral of the city of Cefalu on the island of Sicily);
- icon of the blessed Matrona of Moscow with a particle of relics;
- an icon with a particle of the relics of the Holy Blessed Prince Peter and the Holy Blessed Princess Fevronia of Murom Wonderworkers.
The main altar of the temple is consecrated in honor of the Resurrection of Christ, and the side chapels are in honor of the icon of the Mother of God “Joy of All Who Sorrow” (northern), Holy Equal-to-the-Apostles Prince Vladimir (south), St. Nicholas (in the choir).
With the blessing of the rector, Archimandrite Augustine (Pidanov), the ancient pious tradition that came to us from apostolic times was renewed in the church - the singing of the Divine Liturgy by all the people (a common choir of parishioners).
The temple is bright, there are enough benches for the elderly and infirm. The church shop has a large selection of Orthodox books, magazines, and souvenirs. At the temple there is a Sunday school for children, teenagers and adults, catechetical conversations are held, the Orthodox Crisis Center operates, as well as the Youth Center.
based on website materials
. Who will receive the Reader's Choice Award is determined by you: leave comments at the end of the article. Send us your stories too1. From apostolic times...
...Encompassed by the greenery of the adjacent quiet park, and from afar - looking at the crowded square near the Moscow Semenovskaya metro station - stands the Church of the Resurrection of Christ on the former Semenovsky cemetery. Erected in the mid-19th century, a little less than a hundred years later it shared the tragic fate of many other churches: in the 30s of the twentieth century, the building lost its appearance and purpose, and was converted into factory workshops, and later the cemetery located around the temple was razed to the ground and converted into a park. The time of hard times has passed, and now, by the grace of God and through prayers and labors, the temple is again functioning and pleasing to the eye and soul.
The Church of the Resurrection of Christ is the Patriarchal metochion, transferred by His Holiness Patriarch Alexy of Moscow and All Rus' for the Central Asian diocese to the disposal of Metropolitan Vladimir of Tashkent and Central Asia. When visiting Moscow, Bishop Vladimir always takes part in divine services, and then the church becomes especially joyful and solemn. Much is connected with Vladyka in our church and in our parish life. In his biography there is a story about how his mother, even before the birth of her son, had a dream, “as if his son had the most beautiful bride.” Now the Bishop says: “Yes, I have the most beautiful bride in the world - the Church.”
Each parishioner of the temple is a small part of a large family - the Russian Orthodox Church. He participates not only in church prayer communication, but also in the very life of the parish. With the blessing of the rector - Archimandrite Augustine / Pidanov /, the ancient pious tradition that came to us from apostolic times has been renewed in our church - the singing of the Divine Liturgy by all the people - a common choir of parishioners. And then our communication, common singing by all the people, invisible, but clearly, through the centuries, unites us with those who saw our Lord Jesus Christ with their own eyes, unites us with the entire fullness of the church. And when you hold the texts of the service in front of you and follow the hand of the regent, the progress of the service itself, you feel like you are a participant in the service of the Lord. Thanks to such services, you begin to better understand the content and meaning of the Liturgy, the words of the chants, and the prayers of the clergy.
On Sundays and holidays, two Liturgies are served in the church: an early one from 7:30 a.m. and a late one from 10:00 a.m. Sometimes, by the grace of God, there is time and energy to attend both services. On such days, joyfully and prayerfully participating in the choir with the people during the early Liturgy, then praying with special reverence while listening to the singing of our main choir in the choir. Of course, our simple folk singing cannot be compared with the beauty and complexity of ancient chants, often performed by our right choir, but we also strive with all our souls to ensure that our modest singing is pleasing to the Lord and other parishioners. And thank God, the Lord gives us the opportunity, strength and skill, and the holy faces look at us from all sides, and we feel their help, even if our voice “sits down” or we see some notes for the first time. There have been times in the history of our Church when priests often had to serve the liturgy in completely different conditions: without a church, a large clergy, or a choir. Then the laity could support the priest with their presence, prayers, and singing. And we consider it our duty to be prepared for any time and conditions. In this regard, we are also helped by such services with the singing of the Divine Liturgy by all the people.
During the general singing, any person in the church can take the text of the service with notes from the regent and try to join our good tradition. And then you understand that good vocal abilities are not so important here, but the Spirit with which we stand before God is important. Sometimes it is enough that you pray very quietly or just mentally and sing, but with love and trembling, and then every word of the chants resonates with kindness and warmth in the soul. People sing together, and this is prayerful support for both the clergy and every person standing in the church. But most importantly, where there is more love, prayer is more audible to God.
Yulia Osinina
2. God's bread.
...A beautiful summer day. A parishioner enters the church to pray and thank the Lord for the fact that He never leaves us without His help, always gives us strength, instills hope and strengthens faith... Having made the sign of the cross, he approaches the candle shop and submits several notes with names of relatives and friends for whom he prays. A little later, this person will take several prosphoras: perhaps he will eat one immediately after the service in the temple, washed down with a few sips of holy water; others he will take home to eat with prayer for his loved ones on those days when he cannot go to church in the morning.
What is a proskomedia for which notes are submitted? This is part of the liturgy, during which the Gifts are prepared on the altar, which are components for the Eucharist - the sacrament of the Body and Blood of Christ - and a preliminary commemoration of the Church is performed before the sacrifice. At proskomedia, bread and red wine are used for the sacrament. The order of this sacrament was established by the Lord Jesus Christ Himself. This bread has a special name - prosphora. The name comes from the Greek word for “offering.” In ancient times, believers brought homemade bread to the Temple, and part of this bread was selected for the Eucharist, and part for use at meals after the Liturgy and for the maintenance of the clergy. Only wheat bread is used for Communion, because it was used by the Jews during the earthly life of Jesus Christ, and it was this kind of bread that He Himself used when establishing this sacrament. The bread for the Eucharist must be pure both in composition and in the method of preparation. Christians also brought other gifts: wine, incense, oil. This custom has been preserved to this day, but the tradition of using homemade bread for the Eucharist was interrupted, since it was increasingly difficult to find one suitable for the sacrament, and meals of brotherly love were no longer organized, and the ways of maintaining the clergy also changed.
How are prosphora made in the Church of the Resurrection of Christ at the former Semenovskoye cemetery? Arriving at the prosphora room of the church, before starting such an important task, the prosphora server prays, reading the prayers “To the Heavenly King”, “Our Father”, troparions to St. Spyridon and Nicodemus, the prosphora makers of Pechersk - patrons of the art of baking prosphora.
After prayer, taking, for example, six kilograms of flour, it is carefully sifted so that no dirt can get into the holy bread. The sifted flour is left in a special plastic trough for a while. Then a liter of holy water is poured into a measuring cup, a little salt and hundred-gram packs of yeast are added, in proportion to the volume of water and flour: for example, at the rate of 15 kg of flour, one pack is added in winter, and half a pack in summer. This is due to the fact that in hot weather the dough rises faster than in cold weather. The contents of the glass are thoroughly mixed, after which two liters of warm water are added to six kilograms of flour so that the prosphora is golden brown, tasty and soft. Then the remaining liter of holy water with salt and yeast is added to the resulting mixture, and the resulting mass is thoroughly mixed, while reading the Jesus Prayer, until the dough becomes elastic, like plasticine. Manual kneading can replace an electric dough mixer, making work easier and saving time. But the most important thing when making prosphora is constant prayer.
The resulting dough is laid out in a plastic trough and covered with oilcloth, the inside of which is lined with linen or cotton fabric. This allows you to keep the dough from chapping and drying out in the container, because otherwise the dough will become unsuitable in quality for making prosphoras.
After about 20 minutes, the dough rises and the second stage of work begins. The dough is cut off piece by piece and slowly rolled out to the required thickness: for service prosphoras, the thickness of the dough should be slightly greater than for small ones. When carefully rolled out, the dough becomes smooth, dense, without air gaps and has a pleasant light yellow hue. Then the finished piece of dough is laid out on the table, covered with the same oilcloth mentioned above, and left for ten minutes - otherwise, when creating forms, the dough will stick to the table and take on an ugly, slightly elongated shape. Then, using special molds, small circles are cut from the dough, which are used in this form to make ordinary prosphoras. But since service prosphora have a larger diameter, the bases for them are rolled out manually from small ones. 
The finished round bases are laid out on a tray greased with wax, which is placed in a proofing cabinet, where the dough rises faster. In the meantime, the upper parts for the prosphoras are prepared - the same diameter as the base, but using a seal form with the image of a four-pointed cross with the abbreviation of the name of Jesus Christ (Is He) and the words ni ka. For small prosphoras, other seals are sometimes used: for example, with the image of the Mother of God, the Most Holy Trinity, but on top of such images a small cross is always visible. Similar seals can be purchased in Moscow, for example, at the Danilov Monastery. The finished top parts for the prosphora are laid out on a wooden tray, which is covered with oilcloth and also placed in a proofing cabinet.
Now let's move on to the final stage of this work. As soon as the dough has risen, the trays are removed from the proofing cabinet and they begin to connect the upper and lower parts of the prosphoras: the lower part is moistened with water, and the upper part is placed on the lower one. After this, each prosphora is pierced with a thin, clean knitting needle so that air does not form inside the prosphora: small prosphoras are pierced once, and service ones - 5-8 times. If this is not done, the prosphora may lose its even shape, and its upper part will become detached from the base. Prosphora blanks are placed on a tray in an electric oven. Small prosphoras are baked at an oven temperature of 200-220 C for about 20-30 minutes, and service ones - about 60 minutes, or an hour and a half at a temperature of 140 C. The final production time depends on the quality of the dough, how quickly and well it rose and from other features. The prosphora is ready if it is completely baked, that is, there is no raw dough left inside. When the prosphoras have taken on a light yellow color or have become slightly crusty, they are taken out of the oven, poured into a wooden box and covered with several dry towels and oilcloth... When the finished prosphoras have cooled, they are carefully laid out on a tray and taken to the church for the Divine Liturgy... And at work The baker's place is kept in order and clean. After cleaning, prayers are read at the completion of any good deed.
Thanks to God's decree, the traditions of the Russian Orthodox Church, the efforts of the church workers, the prayers of the clergy and parishioners, you will receive the Holy Mysteries of Christ or taste the prosphora in our church! The Church, represented by each and everyone together, in its prayers will remember before the Lord those whom you care about. We are waiting for you in our church for prayerful communication in any spiritual need, in sorrow and in joy!
Stanislav Kuzin
3. First school for a little heart.
There is a Sunday school in our church, even two schools: one for adults, the other for children. My mother-in-law enjoyed going to the adult classes. According to her, they helped her a lot. A person who was brought up far from an Orthodox environment often cannot fully become a church member - but not because something repels him in Orthodoxy itself, but because he simply does not understand church services: he does not know where to stand in church, Which saint should I light a candle for?... In addition, these classes are also interesting for those who have long felt themselves part of the Church, but want to better understand the Divine service, as well as for those who are interested in the history of our Church, the structure of the temple, and icon painting.
I would like to dwell in more detail on classes for children, and especially on lessons for the younger group, since for two years now I have been attending them every Friday with my child.
I was very pleasantly surprised when I found out that Sunday school accepted children from the age of four (and in practice, even younger children attended), because I tried to find classes at the temple for my son, but everywhere I was told: children are accepted to the school from five or six years old, but four-year-old kids, especially those who have been in church since birth, have been asking very difficult questions about faith in God, about life, etc. since they were three years old. I remember how my Vanya, at the age of four, was tormented by the fear of death. Literally every evening he told me that he did not want to die. The Sunday school teacher, Nika, managed to talk about death like this, or rather, about the transition to eternal life, – that they never returned to this fear. Thanks to Sunday school, Vanya learned to sing (although I previously thought he was deaf) and draw. But the main thing, probably, is that the kids attending Sunday school have their own little “community”. How nice it is to see that a child has found good Orthodox friends who kindly instruct each other even during divine services (they already know where, to which saint and why they should light a candle); how pleasant it is to observe their common prayer before and after teaching, before and after meals; It’s great that they drink compote and cookies together during a break between classes. It seems to me that for children who do not yet go to regular school, it is very important that this particular Sunday school will become the first school in their lives.
I will never forget how teacher Irina Nikolaevna told the kids about the Gifts of the Magi. My restless child listened for 40 minutes, almost without blinking, afraid to miss even one word, and then at home he told me again and again what he had heard in class. For the holidays of Easter and Christmas, our children are preparing performances and spiritual songs. And it’s very wonderful that the organizers unite younger children with older ones: after all, kids learn from the experience of older children, and teenagers gain communication skills with kids. Anna, director and organizer of holiday performances, finds a role for even the smallest and most taciturn Sunday school students. We also go to the boarding school on holidays to congratulate children who do not have parents. And how important this is for our more or less prosperous children! After all, we, parents, most of all want our children not to grow up to be heartless egoists, indifferent to the misfortune of others. I really hope that this first school, where my son goes, will remain forever in his memory, and, most importantly, in his heart.
Natalia Volkova
4. Blessing for starting a family.
...I had already begun to come to terms with loneliness... Although, of course, it is very sad to imagine: living my whole life without love, without children, without a family... But it turned out that in those who liked me, I myself did not see a future husband. My mother said: there is no point in waiting for a prince - there are no princes; or the prince is nearby, but I don’t know how to appreciate what I have. And of course, I didn’t need a prince, but love: to take care of him and feel his support next to me; so that the family is Orthodox; I wanted a lot of kids... Despite everything, I believed in love, but I understood that the Lord does not give marriage to all people... I was over 25 years old, and many said that it was time to definitely get married. It seems to some people that every year it becomes more difficult to start a family, so the older you get, the more important it is, they sometimes say, to get married almost at the first available opportunity. For many of my acquaintances, my refusal from what was, as they say, a very profitable marriage on all sides, looked like a particularly ridiculous act from the outside, but for the sake of such a marriage I would have to sacrifice some Orthodox values. But one priest told me then: “You will not leave the Lord, you will not betray your faith, and the Guardian Angel will collect all your tears.” And I maintained faith and patience in my soul.
One day the thought suddenly occurred to me that my husband would be the one who entered my room first. The idea was stupid, I was aware of it. Firstly, what to make a wish for when everything is God’s will. Secondly, suddenly just guests will come to the holiday - you never know what kind of man: maybe my uncle, for example, will come into my room then... But I didn’t think about it and so I made a wish... And at the same time I did not stop praying with hope for such a further arrangement of my life that will be pleasing to the Lord, for the benefit of my soul and for the joy of those around me.
…One day I came with a friend to a music club, where they gathered for Orthodox creative evenings - until recently there was such a unique place in the center of Moscow. And there I accidentally saw an altar boy from our church. After the concert, he told us that he knew a young artist who was currently holding an exhibition of his paintings. Then my friend was with me, who also likes to draw and does it well - and I thought that it would be good for her to meet that same artist: she has a common interest (painting), and she is unmarried, and the artist is unmarried, and the age is suitable... But My friend and I were never able to go to the exhibition. And about a week after that, in our church, my friend and I met our altar boy again. That day in the temple there was the same artist whom we did not yet know. Unexpectedly, we were introduced to him: “Meet the artist P...”. I then looked at this young man and thought that he was not the right height for my friend (she is a very tall girl), and he did not look like an artist. I always imagined that artists were long-haired, unshaven, slightly sloppy people, smeared with paint, but he looked too neat. The acquaintance ended there; we barely talked. As he told me later (when we had already become friends!), at this meeting he almost didn’t notice me, didn’t see me at all and didn’t even remember my face.
A little later, I once suggested to our altar server, knowing that he was a creative person, to go to a lecture on art history, which was held at the Krutitsky Patriarchal Compound for Orthodox youth. He said that, unfortunately, he couldn’t do it this time, but he gave me the phone number of that same artist, because he should be interested in this from a professional point of view. I sent the artist an SMS message, then we called each other, but he had difficulty recognizing me and also could not go to that lecture. And then, to be honest, it even became easier for me, because I was embarrassed by the prospect of bringing a person practically unknown to me into our youth friendly circle.
But one day another day I saw him again in our temple. After the service we accidentally started talking. It’s strange that we had never seen each other before, although, as it turned out, we were both regular parishioners of this particular church. At that time he had with him a folder with photographs of his paintings. Of course, I was interested in taking a look - and he allowed it. And he himself went to the priest (he and I had a common spiritual shepherd). While he was in confession with the priest, I remained on the bench looking at that folder with photographs of paintings. Among about five dozen beautiful works - seascapes, temple views and others - my gaze lingered very much on one landscape. As my creative interlocutor later said, that picture is not at all the most interesting from the point of view of a painter. But I felt something very familiar about her and I imagined Kolomna, an old Russian city where my grandfather was from. And then I asked, was this landscape painted in Kolomna or its environs? And when I asked this question, the young man looked at me strangely and with surprise and answered that yes, this is indeed a landscape near Kolomna.
From that moment, one might say, our friendship began. In the story I will call the young artist, say, P. ... Much later, when P. and I had already decided to get married, he told me that our common spiritual father pointed out me to him in church and advised him to take a closer look at me as a possible future wife. Then P. was very surprised, because he saw me only for the second time in his life and did not form any opinion about me...
And then we got to talking, and it turned out that we live practically on the same street (although that church is far from our houses, there are other churches closer) and work on the same street (this is even more surprising, because work from home is an hour and a half away drive! And Moscow is a huge city with a billion possible places to work!). And we began to communicate more often, call each other, then began to go to work and back home together, and take walks together. It so happened that every day we spent two to five hours walking and talking on the phone. We got to know each other very well and became strong friends. Every day we discovered in each other more and more common views on life and interests, sometimes impossible coincidences. It’s more fun to go to work and back together, to walk around beautiful places your area (especially in the Izmailovo estate). I simply rejoiced at those pleasant moments of communication. But somehow I didn’t think about anything romantic, and even more so I was afraid to even admit the thought that maybe this person was my destiny...
…Once a large exhibition was held in Moscow, in which, by the will of God, the organizations where P. and I worked participated together! And in those days he ended up at my house - he helped me bring something from this exhibition. And when he left, I remembered that I once made a wish: whoever enters my room first is my betrothed. ...And in fact, except for my mother and friends, no one visited me during that period. What should we do now? – I thought with surprise: should I believe in this? I would have forgotten about such a stupid thing that I thought of if the person was indifferent to me - but it was the other way around. Of course, I would continue to rejoice in our strong friendship, but I was already overwhelmed by a deeper feeling. And then I realized that if P. had offered to marry him, I would have agreed. Maybe three months of communication (even if every day) is not enough for such decisions, but it already seemed enough to me...
From time to time I felt that the Lord was creating such conditions and circumstances for us that we could not help but intersect with each other - and day by day we became more and more attached to each other. ...And a few months later I realized that all these “mysteries” and amazing coincidences were not in vain, because after Easter P. unexpectedly proposed to me. 
This is how the Lord blessed us to create a family - through our correspondence acquaintance with the help of an altar boy, through our meeting in the church and general services there, through the amazing assumption of the spiritual father in a conversation with P. that I was his future wife (on the second day of our acquaintance! ), through the territorial proximity of our homes and places of work, through common interests and numerous coincidences - and, in the end, through the blessing of our parents, who somehow immediately became friends during a “matchmaking” acquaintance, and through the final and joyful blessing of our common(! ) spiritual shepherd...
I am immensely grateful to God that He brought me to this particular temple: to the place where He brought my husband; to where the altar boy who introduced us helps; to where the priest serves, who became our common spiritual father even before marriage and blessed our friendship and our marriage; where we now go as a united family and where we feel like we are in our own home - the house of our Father.
Thank God for everything!
servant of God I.
5. A little information about the Church of the Resurrection of Christ at the former Semenovskoye cemetery in Moscow.
The Sokolinaya Gora area, where the Church of the Resurrection of Christ is located, has ancient history. “Here was the courtyard of Alexei Mikhailovich, the father of Peter I, where the royal hunting of falcons and gyrfalcons was taught. The area unites two more historical territories: this is Blagusha, Blagushenskaya Grove, in which even animals used to be found, and Semenovskoye - the territory on which one of the first regiments of the Russian army was created - Semenovsky. At the end of the 18th – beginning of the 19th centuries, the military’s possessions displaced the courts of merchants and townspeople, and the first manufactories appeared,” said the head of the Sokolinaya Gora district administration, Alexander Petrovich AKSENOV. “The village of Semenovskoye has been mentioned in documents since the mid-17th century.
In 1711, on the border of the Semenovskaya settlement, near the road to Suzdal, the Semenovskoye cholera cemetery arose. The temple in the cemetery behind the Semenovskaya outpost was built at the expense of the merchant M.N. Mushnikov in 1855 in the Russian-Byzantine style, the details of its decoration were made according to the designs of the architect K.A. Tones. On July 17, 1855, the temple was consecrated by Saint Philaret of Moscow (Drozdov). In 1901, the refectory and bell tower were reconstructed (architect A.P. Mikhailov). The single-domed temple had an original system of three cylindrical vaults resting with their heels on girth arches. The bases of the pilaster columns exactly repeat the design of the Cathedral of Christ the Savior. The hipped bell tower had an octagonal bell tier with four arched openings ending in keeled arches. The temple had a unique mosaic floor made of Olonets marble. In the 1930s, the temple was closed, the bell tower and dome were dismantled, and the architectural decoration on the street side was cut down. Utility extensions were made to the apses, bell tower and southern façade. In 1956, the cemetery was demolished and turned into a public garden,” says the Orthodox Information Center. Now workers and parishioners of the temple have collected the remains of tombstones and created a list of lost burials, but not a trace remains of the cemetery outwardly.
At the end of the 20th century, the plant removed the premises of the Church of the Resurrection of Christ at the former Semenovskoye cemetery from its production territory, and in 1996 the temple was transferred to the Russian Orthodox Church. Beginning with the celebration of Easter in 1998, worship services resumed in the temple, and around 2000, restoration work began. Only two frescoes survived, but they could not be restored. New paintings of the temple were completed in 2005-2006.
The Church of the Resurrection of Christ on the former Semenovskoye cemetery is considered a monument of historical architecture. It is the Metochion of Patriarch Alexy of Moscow and All Rus', who transferred the temple to the disposal of Metropolitan Vladimir of Tashkent and Central Asia. The temple is bright, there are enough benches for the elderly and infirm. The church shop offers a large selection of Orthodox books, magazines, and souvenirs. There is a Sunday school at the church for children and adults, and lessons in church art are taught. The church holds public conversations for those wishing to receive the Sacraments of Communion, Baptism, and Wedding; The library is open on Saturdays.
