There is the Church of the Holy Great Martyr George. It was placed on the hillside, at the very end of Varvarka. Its name is based on its location “on Pskov Hill.” At different times the temple was called differently: “what is near the Varvarsky Sacrum” or “what is on Varvarskaya Street” - in the old days, next to the church, as many as four lanes led to Varvarka. In 1674 it was mentioned as the one “on five streets”, and in 1677 it was defined as “on the five streets of Tregubov”.

The name of the Church of St. George the Victorious in Moscow

“On the Varvarsky Sacrum near the prisons,” sometimes simply “at the prisons” or “at the Old Prisons,” the temple was called due to the rather extensive (29 x 23 fathoms) Sovereign prison yard, which was located on the eastern side of the street between Crooked Lane and the wall of Kitay-Gorod. The name - “what is at the Pskov Mountain” appeared in connection with the abolition of the freedom of Pskov at the beginning of the 16th century (1510) and the resettlement of Pskov “ the best people” to Moscow, to Zaryadye. WITH early XVIII century, the temple began to be called “in the name of the Intercession Holy Mother of God with the chapel of the Great Martyr George." And even the part of Varvarka in front of the church was called Pokrovskaya Street, and the Varvarsky Gate of Kitay-Gorod was called Pokrovsky.

The Church of St. George on Pskov Hill is a characteristic old Moscow temple.

Characteristic features of the Church of St. George the Victorious

Moscow churches very often stand on the foundations of older stone or wooden churches. Their core is often an ancient quadrangle, gradually overgrown with extensions from different times: chapels, a refectory and a bell tower. The chapels were needed to hold not one, but several services a day at different altars. Numerous chapels, in addition, increased the status of the church. If a particularly revered shrine was placed in a chapel, then the church itself began to be called by this chapel. The most famous case is connected with that on the ditch, which is called only later, in the XVIII- 19th centuries, multi-tiered bell towers were attached to many churches. It often happened that they looked alien in relation to the entire temple complex.

High basements (plinths) were used for household needs, not only church, but also secular. Townspeople and merchants gladly hired temple basements to preserve goods and other goods from fires, disasters, and even from thieves.

Let's take a closer look characteristic features and features of the Church of the Intercession Mother of God on Varvarka, as it is called in the book “Forty Forties” by P. Palamarchuk.

As usual, the temple stands on an ancient stone foundation. The previous temple is mentioned in the spiritual charter of Grand Duke Vasily Vasilyevich II the Dark. The property on which the temple stood belonged to his mother-in-law, Maria Feodorovna Goltyaeva. The mother of the Grand Duke's wife was a direct descendant and heiress of Andrei Kobyla, from whom the Romanov boyars descended. Apparently, it is no coincidence that next to the Church of St. George the Victorious there are the chambers of the Romanov boyars. From old church The stone foundation - the basement - has been preserved.

It is curious that the ancient foundation of the refectory is constructed in the same way as the foundation of the Kremlin wall from the side of the Alexander Garden. Previously, the Neglinka River flowed there. Arches on pillars were thrown over the unevenness on its banks and a wall was already erected on them. Due to the fact that Georgy on Pskovskaya Gorka is located on the steep bank of the Moscow River, its basement, very high from the south, from the north, from Varvarka Street, turned out to be below ground level.

Church of St. George the Victorious. Brief History

Here is a brief chronology of the construction of the temple:
The current brick parish church was built in 1657 after a fire in 1639 on the foundations of an ancient temple. It was rebuilt several times.
IN Patriotic War In 1812 the temple was badly damaged. Restoration work was completed by 1816.
In 1819, a new bell tower was built at the expense of a Moscow merchant and parishioner of the temple P.F. Solovyov. The bell tower has pseudo-Gothic features with pointed arches of the first tier. The upper tier of the bell tower has purer Empire features.

At the same time, in 1819, the main temple was painted and a new wooden three-tiered iconostasis was installed.
By 1827, the construction of the refectory and the reconstruction of the St. George's chapel were completed. The final stage construction work was the last reconstruction in 1838 of the northern St. George's chapel and the construction of a new, southern one, in the name of St. Peter Metropolitan of Moscow at the expense of the widow M.N. Solovyova. At the same time, the main temple was connected to the bell tower and the northern aisle by a stone glass gallery.
In 1856, the walls and dome were painted by the artist Rogozhkin.

The temple was closed in 1920. During Soviet times, the church stood abandoned for a long time. A tree as thick as an arm even grew on the roof of the temple. In 1965, the temple was patched up a little, but the bell tower stood without crosses and a bush as tall as a man grew on it. The temple premises were used as a warehouse. In 1979, the temple was transferred to VOOPIiK - the All-Russian Society for the Protection of Historical and Cultural Monuments for exhibitions. In 1980, the exhibition “Russian Samovar” was held here. The church was returned to believers in 1991, and services resumed in 2005.

In 2015, the temple was restored and the appearance changed.

Church of St. George the Victorious. Shrines

When regular services resumed in the church, the icon-martyr of the Mother of God of Kazan was transferred here. There were traces of numerous holes on it. This image became a symbol of the suffering that befell the Russian Orthodox Church in the twentieth century. This icon was shown at an exhibition in the Cathedral of the Savior, in Washington, in Vienna. The image is marked by numerous cases of the Mother of God’s gracious help through prayers before this holy image.

“Here’s to you, grandma, and St. George’s Day”

It is no coincidence that the temple was dedicated to St. George the Victorious. In Rus', this saint was considered the patron saint not only of warriors, but of livestock. Georgiy – Greek name and it means farmer. It is paradoxical that Saint Yegoriy is also considered the protector of... wolves. They prayed to the saint for the safety of domestic animals, but if a wolf dragged a sheep into the forest, then this was regarded as a gift to Saint George.
Another name for Georgiy is Yuri. It's very similar to the name Slavic god Sun - Yarilo. The cult of worship of St. George originates in the veneration of the heavenly body, which comes in the spring and leaves in the fall. In Rus', two Egoriyas are celebrated - the spring one, on May 6th, and the autumn one, on December 9th. There is a popular proverb about this: “One Yegor is hungry, the other Yegor is cold.” That is, with the spring Yegor field work started and ended late autumn, to the autumn St. George.

In ancient times, on autumn Yegor, peasants were allowed to move from one master to another. Tsar Fyodor Ioannovich, by his decree, consolidated serfdom, abolishing “St. George’s Day”, i.e. the opportunity for a serf to change landowner. And although the saying “here’s St. George’s Day for you, grandma,” is now almost never used in speech, it means the collapse of hopes and expectations—they wanted to move on to another landowner, but it didn’t work out, “here’s St. George’s Day for you, grandma.”

The Church of St. George on Pskov Hill is open daily from 8.00 to 20.00.
In the afternoon, in sunny weather, the domes of the church glow brightly with reflected sunlight.

A stone's throw from the Church of St. George, on Ipatievsky Lane, is located one of the most beautiful churches in Moscow with a very interesting story, This . Built in the style of Russian patterns
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Sources
S.K. Romanyuk “Moscow. Kitai-Gorod”, Moscow, ANO IC “Moscow Studies”, OJSC “Moscow Textbooks”, 2007
“Forty Forties”, compiled by P. Palamarchuk, Moscow, JSC “Book and Business”, JSC “Krom”, 1994
“Church of St. George the Victorious on Pskov Hill” - brochure of the Russian Orthodox Church.
Website “Walks around Moscow” http://liveinmsk.ru/places/a-71.html

The Moscow Church in honor of the Great Martyr George the Victorious in Gruziny is located in an ancient area called Presnya. The name comes from the small river Presnya. In ancient times, during the reign of princes, guests from Novgorod, Smolensk, German and Swedish craftsmen and merchants who came to Moscow were temporarily settled in this area until they settled in Moscow. Therefore, it is no coincidence that it was in the area on Presnya that arose at the beginning

Orthodox Georgia was going through difficult times during this period, being subjected to fierce attacks from Turkey and Persia, and King Vakhtang VI accepted the invitation of Emperor Peter I, moving with his sons Bakar and George and a retinue of more than three thousand people from Georgia to Moscow.

In 1729, Tsar Vakhtang VI was granted a sovereign court in New Voskresensky behind Zemlyanoy Gorod on the Presnya River, and soon Georgian settlements appeared on both banks of it, and on Gruzinskaya Square, where the square with the monument to Shota Rustaveli is now located, the palace of the Georgian king. His son, Tsarevich Georgy Vakhtangovich, a major general in the Russian army, built a wooden parish church in honor of the Great Martyr. George. (CIAM. F. 203. Op. 79. D. 4. L. 13-13 vol.) This is how the first Georgian parish appeared in Moscow. In 1750, the church was consecrated by the Georgian bishop Joseph Samebeli (I. T. Kobulashvili). Divine services in the church were conducted in Georgian. In 1760, Tsarevich George built a great martyr at the church. George chapel in the name of the Nativity of Christ. (CIAM. F. 203. Op. 79. D. 7. L. 4.)

Prince Mikhail Dmitrievich Tsitsianov (1765 - March 28, 1841, Moscow) - senator of the Russian Empire

In 1779, the wooden church burned down (CIAM. F. 203. Op. 79. D. 25. L. 8.), however, its valuable sacristy was saved. In 1792, at the expense of parishioners, the merchant S.P. Vasilyev and the Georgian princes Eristovs and Tsitsianovs (Tsitsishvili), a stone temple with a bell tower was erected in the form of classicism. In 1799, the Tsitsianov princes built mahogany chapels. (CIAM. F. 203. Op. 744. D. 1688. L. 26-28v.). They also donated the most valuable relics to the church - the altar cross, the Gospel, liturgical books, and vessels. Mikhail Dmitrievich Tsitsianov, younger brother of a famous political figure early XIX century Pavel Dmitrievich Tsitsianov - was a church ktitor for 25 years. In 1819, on land donated to the church, he built a stone almshouse for elderly nuns (the building has survived). (RGIA. F. 797. Op. 2. D. 8177.).

In 1841, a new iconostasis was installed in the church, and in 1870, the height of the bell tower was increased. In 1897, a new building in the pseudo-Byzantine style (architect Sretensky) was added to the church, which could no longer accommodate all the parishioners (due to the growing population in this area of ​​Moscow). (RGIA. F. 797. Op. 65. D. 341.)

Facade of the Church of the Great Martyr St. George the Great Martyr, 1830

Church Sun. Vmch. George in Gruziny was rich, it housed Orthodox Georgian relics, as well as a rich library, which contained old printed books in Old Church Slavonic and Georgian. Until the end of the 1920s, services were held in the church. In 1930, the church was closed, both buildings were rebuilt (the bell tower and the dome were dismantled, interfloor ceilings) and transferred to the use of the Electromechanical College named after. Krasina. Ancient books from the church library, icons, like many shrines of Moscow churches, were probably partially exported abroad, and partially transferred to Moscow museums. In 1993, at the request of an initiative group of believers, the ancient part of the Church of St. Vmch. George, who received the status Patriarchal Metochion; new part and is still busy with the technical school. At the request of believers, a priest from Georgia was appointed as its rector to perform divine services in the traditions of the Georgian Orthodox Church. At the request of the Georgian community and the blessing of Patriarch Catholicos Ilia, the young icon painter Lasha Kintsurashvili was invited to paint the St. George Church. The icon painter worked in the St. George Church with interruptions for about five years. He was inspired by the desire to bring Georgian paintings as a gift to Moscow, so that people, coming to the St. George Church, could say that they had seen the most beautiful shrines of Orthodox Iveria and joined its spirit.

“Faith is,” says the Apostle Paul, “the substance of things hoped for and the evidence of things not seen” (Heb. 11:1).

By this faith not only are kingdoms conquered and the mouths of lions stopped, but by this faith the Invisible is exposed and destroyed shrines are brought back to life.

The first mention of the temple dates back to 1460, when another, small and wooden one stood on the site of our temple. Preserved in history different names the place where the temple was built - “in Luzhniki”, “in Luzhniki”, “in Luchniki”.

There are several versions of the origin of these names. According to the most common version, there were meadows for pasturing cattle, whose patron was the Great Martyr George, and near which there was a Cow area, where merchants traded cattle. According to other versions, the names came from bow merchants or makers of bows and arrows.

In 1657, in the “Building Book” (a book about the construction of new and restoration of fortifications of old cities in the 16th-17th centuries), stone St. George's Church.

In the 17th century, on the site of a wooden church, at the expense of the merchant Gavrila Nikitich Romanov, a two-story stone temple and a bell tower, connected to the temple by a gallery - a walkway, were erected. In 1693, the main, lower, temple was consecrated by Patriarch of Moscow and All Rus' Adrian in the name of the Holy Great Martyr George the Victorious, and the upper one in honor of the Annunciation of the Blessed Virgin Mary. The bell tower located at the same time from the temple was connected to it by a gallery - a walkway.

Over its centuries-old history, the Church of St. George suffered many troubles and hardships. However, the Lord was merciful, and during the French invasion and fire in Moscow in 1812, it burned, but survived and was little plundered. In the subsequent years 1825-29, the temple was repaired and re-painted, and the iconostasis was gilded.

In 1862 the temple was acquired modern look. The gallery between it and the bell tower was demolished. Two symmetrical aisles appeared: the southern one - the Venerable Theodore Sikeot, erected at the expense of the merchant Mazurina Alexandra Vasilievna, and the northern one - the Venerable Nile Stolobensky, built at the expense of the merchant A.K. Sadomov.

At the beginning of the 20th century, there were 11 bells in the bell tower, two of which were cast in the 17th century. On one of them, weighing 56 pounds, there was an inscription that it was donated by the merchant Pyotr Nikitin.
The temple contained many icons and utensils of the 17th-18th centuries: silver altar crosses and liturgical vessels, the revered icons of the Mother of God Golubitskaya and Iveron, icons of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker, Great Martyr. St. George the Victorious and others. The Upper Annunciation Church was decorated with a silver-plated copper chandelier from the 17th century.

In 1932, the temple was closed and was under the jurisdiction of the NKVD. The bell tower tent, the end of the temple, the domes above the chapels, and the fence and gate were lost.
The façade of the porch was rebuilt beyond recognition with west side, facing the Polytechnic Museum, the bell tower ringing openings were laid, several new openings were made, and the western, main entrance was laid.

Many details of the exterior decoration were lost or damaged.
Built inside the temple interfloor ceilings, many temporary partitions, freight elevator, bath, toilets. The iconostases were lost, the wall paintings were completely destroyed.

At first, the temple housed a dormitory for the NKVD, and then a shoe workshop for the KGB. Machines were installed, the operation of which caused extensive cracks to form in the walls.

During the construction of an electrical substation 2 meters from the walls of the temple, its foundation lost stability and began to shrink, which increased the cracks in the walls and their destruction.

For half a century, the temple building had not been repaired and by the mid-1980s it had fallen into serious disrepair. The church building was defaced to such an extent that people passing by did not recognize it as Orthodox church. So it stood abandoned until it was transferred to the Russian Orthodox Church in 1993.

Also in 1993, an Orthodox community was formed and repair and restoration work began.

From The temple's machines, ceilings and their metal structures, and partitions were removed. The area around has been cleared of reinforcement concreted into the ground, and the foundation and walls have been strengthened.

To celebrate the 850th anniversary of the capital, the Moscow government allocated funds for the restoration of the western facade and bell tower. All other restoration work is carried out mainly by the parish and volunteers, using charitable donations.

In 1996, regular services were resumed in the right aisle of St. Theodore Sikeot.
In the fall of 1997, a chime sounded for the first time from the bell tower of the temple, on which a set of bells of Kamensk-Ural casting was installed.

In 2000, a gilded cross was erected on the temple, which had previously been beheaded - exact copy historical cross.

In 2001, restoration work was completed on the upper church in honor of the Annunciation of the Blessed Virgin Mary, and a majestic and magnificent iconostasis was erected. Regular services began to be held here.

And in 2005, work was completed on the restoration of the main altar of the temple and the construction of the St. George iconostasis. And most of the services are now performed here.

Currently, work is underway to restore the southern chapel of St. Nil Stolobensky and Theodore Sikeot - strengthening the foundation, plastering the walls, erecting an iconostasis, painting icons, etc.

From November 1884 to March 1893, the famous Moscow elder, the righteous saint Alexei Mechev, served in our church as a deacon.

At the anniversary Council of Bishops of the Russian Orthodox Church, held in August 2000, among the host of new martyrs and confessors of Russia, the last rector of our church, Archpriest Vladimir Proferansov, was canonized as a hieromartyr. Father Vladimir was the secretary of St. Tikhon, Patriarch of Moscow and All Rus', and for refusing to cooperate with the NKVD he was convicted, exiled to Semipalatinsk Kazakhstan, then sentenced by the OGPU troika and executed on December 15, 1937 at the Butovo training ground near Moscow, along with tens of thousands of others martyrs.

The memory of Hieromartyr Vladimir Lubyansky (Proferansov) is celebrated in our church on December 15. For the first time such a solemn service was held in December 2000, by which time his icon was painted. On the day of the 70th anniversary of the martyrdom of Sschmch. Vladimir Lubyansky, the northern aisle of the temple dedicated to his name was restored, an iconostasis was installed and an altar was equipped. On December 15, 2007, the first festive service took place.