Church of John the Baptist on Presnya: history, description, schedule of services. Church of the Nativity of John the Baptist on freshwater Temple of John the Baptist the Baptist

Date of writing: 11.10.2023

Reading time: 25 minutes

Saint, predecessor of Jesus Christ. He adhered to asceticism, lived in the desert and preached sacred ablutions, which later became known as the rite of baptism. Icons of John the Baptist have a special distinction - in his left hand the saint holds a flourishing cross.

Beheading

As a result of the machinations of the Jewish queen Herodias and her daughter Salome, John the Baptist was executed in prison and his head was cut off. Since then, in Rus' there has been a holiday of the Beheading of John the Baptist, which falls on August 29. In memory of the great fasting John, strict fasting is observed on this day.

The popularity of the parishes of John the Baptist especially increased during the reign of Ivan the Terrible, and from the mid-16th century, churches dedicated to the Holy Baptist of God began to be built throughout Rus'.

Location

The most famous churches and cathedrals of John the Baptist are located in large Russian cities. Below is a list of active temples:

Church of the Nativity of John the Baptist in Moscow, on Presnya.
Temple in Kolomenskoye.
Church in Kaluga.
Church of the Holy Baptist in Brateevo.
Church of the Baptist in Kerch.
Church of the Baptist in Nizhny Novgorod.
Church of John the Baptist in Kirov.

In addition to the listed temples, there are many more churches in Russia dedicated to the Holy Baptist.

Church in Moscow

The Church of John the Baptist on Presnya was built between 1714 and 1734. In 1804 there was a fire, the fire destroyed the wooden bell tower. The damage to the church was noticeable, and the Orthodox Diocese of Moscow decided to rebuild the bell tower from stone. It was planned to erect a three-tiered structure 25 meters high with a dome and a cross. At the same time, the project provided for the entrance to the church through a double Palladian arch located between rusticated pylons. The architectural value of the building increased sharply; at that time there was not a single bell tower of this type in Moscow, except for the huge four-tier belfry of the Kudrinskaya Church of the Intercession of the Virgin.

Patron's guarantee

The architects paid great attention to the arrangement of the temple's refectory. A famous Moscow architect, Fedor Mikhailovich Shestakov, joined the project. The refectory and accompanying extensions were to be built by the autumn of 1828. In order to meet the deadlines, a noble parishioner of the church, state councilor, Nikolai Vasilievich Ushakov, vouched for the construction.

During the years of Soviet power, the Church of John the Baptist on Presnya did not receive any funds from the state and existed solely on donations from parishioners. It was a difficult period both for the church and for the clergy who remained faithful to the architectural masterpiece.

Recovery

When the post-Soviet period began, the Church of St. John the Baptist on Presnya was renovated; in the 90s, Father Superior Nikolai initiated restoration work. The roof was completely replaced, all slopes were covered with sheet copper. The cross on the bell tower was gilded and the belfry was rebuilt. At the entrance to the church, icons were installed in special niches. The bells began to sound again, and the new large bell, brought from afar, rang especially beautifully.

By a special decree of the Moscow Government, a plot of land of 13 acres was returned to the church. Thus, the Church of John the Baptist on Presnya was completely revived. Grateful parishioners gather to cultivate the land to obtain an environmentally friendly harvest.

Church in Kolomenskoye

The Church of St. John the Baptist, which is essentially located in the village of Dyakovo, was built in the second half of the 16th century. It is located near the main attraction of Kolomenskoye - the Church of the Ascension, built in 1534. In terms of its architecture, the Church of the Holy Baptist belongs to the pillar-shaped sacred buildings. Historians suggest that the foundation of the church was dated to (in 1547). Although some experts are inclined to believe that the construction of the temple is connected with the birth of Tsarevich Ivan, who was born in 1554.

In any case, the Church of John the Baptist in Kolomenskoye was built, and for some time prayers for the health of Tsarevich Ivan were actually served there. Later, the church received parishioners from all over the area, Muscovites and residents of nearby villages.

Unity of styles

The temple is a central octagon 35 meters high with four tower-like chapels adjacent to it (each 17 meters high). All five buildings are connected by a covered gallery. On the western facade there is a two-tier gallery, supporting a belfry, which in its architecture echoes the bell tower of the Spiritual Church in Sergiev Posad. The external contours of the peripheral pillars reflect the style of Pskov church architecture.

Update

The Church of John the Baptist in Kolomenskoye was radically updated in 1964, the reconstruction was carried out with the aim of restoring its original appearance. First of all, fragments of iconographic scenes on the vault of the dome of the main pillar were cleared and modified. During the restoration work, unique details of the painting were discovered, the meaning of which scientists could not explain. Research is still ongoing, but there are no concrete results yet.

Vyatka Church

There is a magnificent city that occupies one of the first places in the list of attractions. The church was built in 1711-1723, and this was done in circumvention of the decree of Peter I, which strictly prohibited any stone buildings on the territory of Russia, with the exception of St. Petersburg.

The architecture of the temple follows the canons of sacred architecture, which the builders strictly followed. The lower part was an octagon; this shape was more suitable for wooden churches, and was practically not used in stone buildings. And indeed, at first the church was built from wooden logs, and a frame was installed on an earthen rampart near the city gate. This happened in 1711. At the same time the parish was organized. The Church of St. John the Baptist was consecrated, and it became the most popular place for believers.

Three years later, priest Luke, together with Gregory, with the support of the parishioners, decided to build a stone church. Construction took a long time; the refectory and bell tower were ready only at the end of the 20s of the 18th century. On a square base rested the pillar of an octagonal tower with a belfry and a small dome on a blind drum. The shape of the upper part of the temple was borrowed from the Veliky Ustyug church.

Then the refectory was redrawn several times, which seemed dark and not spacious enough. The reconstruction made it possible to significantly raise the central nave, which made it possible to equip overhead lighting.

During the years of Soviet power, the temple lost its octagons and the upper tiers of the bell chapel, as it was converted into a party archive. Then (starting in 1961) the church housed a planetarium, where the entire city of Kirov flocked to look at the stars. The Church of John the Baptist was returned to believers only in the early 90s of the last century. All premises had to be repaired and rebuilt to restore the church to its original appearance.

Church of John the Baptist, Nizhny Novgorod

The most ancient Orthodox church of the Arzamas Diocese. Its history goes back to the 16th century.

The church parish has been known since the 15th century as the wooden cage church of John the Baptist at the Nizhe Posad auction.

In 1676, the merchant Dranishnikov Gabriel Stepanovich received the favor of Metropolitan Philaret to build a stone church with his own money. With construction, he wanted to confirm his commitment to the Orthodox faith, since his wife and son cheated on her, became Old Believers and retired to the Kerzhen monasteries. Having received a building permit, the merchant invested capital in the project and, despite illness and poor health, set to work.

In August 1679, Dranishnikov Gabriel died, but the temple was completed through the efforts of his brother Lavrenty. The church was erected on a high brick foundation, the premises inside of which were later used for rent to the merchant brethren. This is how the commercial spirit of the merchant-builder showed itself this time too. The merchant was looking for profit in the creation of the Church of John the Baptist.

However, the church was still built. In 1855, the Alexander Nevsky Chapel was added to the temple. Fifteen years later, the bell tower was completely rebuilt. And finally, in 1899, the altar was moved.

Soviet power did not bring anything good to the Church of John the Baptist. In 1937, the rector was shot by order of Beria, and the DOSAAF organization was located in the church.

She received her property back after the collapse of the USSR, in the 90s of the last century. In 1994, services began, and 10 years later, renovation work began in the Church of John the Baptist. Multimillion-dollar funds were received thanks to patrons, in particular, the Balakhninsky Pulp and Paper Mill made a good contribution. The repairs were carried out quite quickly; in the spring of 2005, three new crosses for the domes were already consecrated, and in August the dome and cross were installed on the bell tower. It is characteristic that during the repair work, services in the temple did not stop.

Church of St. John in Kaluga

The Kaluga Church of John the Baptist was originally wooden, made of dry pine. It stood until 1735, when a fire broke out in the city. The church burned to the ground along with its outbuildings. The sexton managed to carry out the icon, but he himself died in the fire. The ashes were leveled and a stone temple was erected on the site of the burnt church.

Another shock occurred in 1956. Kaluga city authorities demolished the altar chapel, which overlooked Moskovskaya Street and allegedly interfered with car traffic. Parishioners then compared the actions of the city executive committee to “the beheading of the head,” by analogy with the fact that John the Baptist himself was once also beheaded.

In 1995, the temple was finally transferred to the Orthodox Diocese of Kaluga. It took three years to restore the masterpiece of church architecture, which is the Temple of John the Baptist. Kaluga soon celebrated the beginning of services. Today, a Sunday school is open at the church.

Church of John the Baptist in Kerch

The oldest church building in Russia - the cross-domed Church of the Baptist John - is located on the Crimean peninsula. The time of construction is determined by the VIII-IX centuries AD. During the restoration of the church, “voices” were found in the masonry - amphoras that made trumpet sounds when the wind blew. The temple is built of white stone interspersed with rows of red brick. This type of masonry was typical of the Byzantine architectural style.

From 1974 to 1978 the church was restored. It was necessary to strengthen the central dome, which had suffered from time and seismic vibrations. A rigid metal frame was installed inside, and the artists did the same painting on the ancient plaster. After restoration work was completed, a separate exhibition of the Kerch History Museum was opened in the temple.

More than six hundred years ago, when the Black and Azov Seas were under the control of the Genoese, and the Kerch Strait bore the name of St. John, the Temple of John the Baptist became the main place of pilgrimage for Orthodox believers. Kerch is considered one of the most religious cities in Crimea. Therefore, today the Moscow Patriarchate invests significant funds in the maintenance of the functioning church.

Brateevo, address of the temple location

In the Moscow municipal district of Brateevo, in the southeast of the capital, there is the Temple of the Beheading of John the Baptist. The parish has been known since the 16th century, and the stone church in Brateevo, St. John the Baptist, was built in 1892. There were two altars in the church, the main one, the Baptist of God, and the side one, the Archangel Michael.

Then, for more than half a century, the temple existed on donations from parishioners. During World War II, the church was completely destroyed. Then the long post-war period did not allow us to begin construction of a new church, and only in 1996 the church in Brateevo, St. John the Baptist, was restored. Currently, services are being held there in full.

Parishioners enjoy visiting the Church of John the Baptist. Address in Brateevo: 115563, Moscow, Kashirskoe highway, 61A.

House 2).

Church of the Nativity of John the Baptist
Orthodox church
Temple bell tower
55°45′31″ n. w. 37°34′19″ E. d. HGIOL
A country	Russia Russia
City	Moscow
Confession	Orthodoxy
Diocese	Moscow
Author of the project	Fedor Shestakov
Date of foundation	1685
Construction	- years
Side chapels	Sophia of the Wisdom of God, Martyr John the Warrior
Status	Cultural heritage site № 7710635000 № 7710635000
State	valid
Website	ioannpr.ru
Media files on Wikimedia Commons

Story

17th century

Most likely, the year 1685 can be considered the beginning and end of the construction of the first wooden Church of the Nativity of St. John the Baptist. This assumption is not contradicted by the fact that the temple icon “The Nativity of St. John the Baptist” is dated in its inscription to 1686. At that time, the year began on September 1, so the icon could be completed and placed in the iconostasis for the consecration of the temple in the fall of 1685.

The church is not described in the census book. What it looked like is unknown, but its location on church land is imaginable. The exit from the church, naturally facing west, opened onto the street leading to Vagankov - not to the modern cemetery, but to the place where the St. Nicholas Church is located. To the right of the temple, across the alley, was the extensive courtyard of the rector, priest Bartholomew (Kuzmin). To the left as you exit the church were the narrowly cut courtyards of the Baptist clergy, mentioned in the inventories. Thus, the location of the land plots was recorded, subsequently shown on maps and preserved to this day. It developed at the end of the 17th century when church land was allocated for a temple, cemetery and clergy courtyards. The church itself faced the alley directly and was located approximately on the site of the modern bell tower and vestibule. When they later began to build a stone temple instead, it was laid, retreating to the east, in its present location, and after the consecration, the wooden temple was dismantled. The new church ended up in the depths of church land, which, apparently, was always recognized as an inconvenience.

XVIII century

After the construction of the wooden temple, the settlement on Presnya continued to be built and grow. According to the Census Book of 1696, there were already 330 households, some of which belonged to St. Nicholas parish. The first information about the Baptist parish was given in 1693. At that time there were 196 households in it, by 1702 their number had grown to 240. The parish grew, and since more than half of the people in it were very wealthy, thirty years after the construction of the wooden church there was talk of building a stone one.

In the petition of 1714 it was written: “In past years, we built a wooden parish church in the name of the Nativity of John the Baptist, which is beyond the Presnya River, which has become very dilapidated over the years.” Instead, they asked for a decree to build a stone church. Obviously, construction began, but was soon interrupted, as a decree was issued banning stone construction throughout the empire for the sake of the speedy construction of St. Petersburg. In 1728, the ban was lifted, and construction of the temple resumed.

On December 7, 1731, priest Peter (Mikhailov) and the parish people asked the Synodal Treasury order to consecrate the newly built chapel in the name of John the Warrior. Presumably on Christmas Day in 1734, Archpriest (Dean) Nikifor (Ivanov) consecrated the stone church.

First half of the 19th century

In 1804, the wooden bell tower of the temple burned down. Its appearance with an asymmetrically located left aisle and outdated architecture was then clearly behind the times, and the clergy and parishioners decided on a serious project: to build a new stone three-tier bell tower more than 25 meters high with a cross, moving it from the depths of the site to the red line of the street, and then this is to connect both buildings into a single whole.

The bell tower in the classicist style was built from 1806 to 1810 under the leadership of the church warden, merchant Fyodor Rezanov. Its lower tier, rectangular, with rusticated corners, represented not only the foundation for the upper tiers, but also a solemnly arranged entrance to the temple using the Palladian motif of a double arch inscribed in rusticated pylons. Currently, this motif has been preserved only in the front, western part of the bell tower. The bell tower was later built up on the south and north, which deprived it of greater expressiveness. At that time, there was not a single bell tower like this in the entire Presnensky district. The only exception was the huge four-tier bell tower of the Church of the Intercession of the Virgin Mary in Kudrin.

The creator of the project for the refectory of the temple was the architect Fyodor Mikhailovich Shestakov, well known in Moscow at that time. Exact information about when the construction of the refectory was completed has not been preserved, however, according to the estimate, construction work should have been carried out during the summer of 1828. Among the guarantors for the construction of the refectory in 1828, State Councilor Nikolai Vasilyevich Ushakov was the first to sign from the parishioners.

In January 1843, the southern chapel of Sophia of the Wisdom of God was consecrated, built at the expense of the doctor of medicine Matvey Yakovlevich Mudrov.

Second half of the 19th - early 20th centuries

In May 1889, Father Feodor Remov and elder Mityushin applied to the city government for permission to demolish all existing buildings on church land and rebuild a two-story stone house and a one-story stone barn. The talk was about erecting a new stone clergy house to replace the wooden houses that belonged to the deacon, sexton and sexton. Soon after the completion of the construction of the clergy house in the summer of 1892, construction of another residential building began on an empty church site, and on October 10, 1893, the consecration and opening of a parochial school on the top floor and an almshouse on the bottom took place.

By the end of the 19th century, the need arose to increase the refectory part of the church. This was due to the increase in the number of people living in the parish and the increase in church property - the old premises for storing it were no longer enough. Soon after the consecration of the almshouse and school, the priests and the church warden began new construction and in January 1894 turned to Metropolitan Sergius of Moscow and Kolomna for a blessing, which read: “Parishioner of the Church of the Nativity of St. John the Baptist, for Presnya, Rogozhskaya Sloboda, coachman Alexander Pavlov Napalkov expressed a desire, at his own expense, to make a stone extension to the said church, on the northern and southern sides of the porch and bell tower, to increase the dining area and create special rooms for the sacristy and pantry. The headman of the church, Moscow merchant Georgy Stefanov Mityushin, declared his readiness to donate funds for plastering and final finishing of the entire extension. Finding such an expansion of the church very desirable, and the construction of a sacristy and storeroom necessary, we ask permission to make the said extension...”

On March 20, a positive resolution from the Metropolitan followed, and on May 22, 1894, a refectory was laid out at the side chapels of the temple according to the design of the architect Pavel Kudrin. Perhaps the following summer, when the masonry was in place, the extension was plastered and painted to match the color of the entire temple.

This completed the construction of the stone church, which began in 1714. In reality and on the 1913 plan, it is clearly visible that the temple is set obliquely in relation to Maly Predtechensky Lane, onto which it faces. The temple looks towards Novovagankov, which was its main landmark at the end of the 17th - beginning of the 18th century. Then the parallel Presnensky streets prevailed in the topography of the area, the system of urban planning coordinates shifted to the north, and the temple did not fit into it. The additions to the side volumes in 1894 tried to smooth out this imbalance by lengthening the western façade of the temple and giving it a planar-monumental character. Up close, the irregularity of the location of the temple is almost invisible, but from a distance, from Bolshoi Predtechensky Lane, it is clear that the temple is located at an angle to it.

In March 1922, the authorities began to confiscate church values from the Renovationist schism, and throughout the 20-30s, when shrines were closed and destroyed everywhere, the clergy were expelled and persecuted, and did not interrupt services. They never stopped during all the years of Soviet power.

In 1930, the church was deprived of bells. While throwing down the bells, the anti-religion fighters damaged the steps of the porch. At this time, the burials of the old cemetery were desecrated.

In the post-war years, with the revival of church life, the opportunity arose to begin repairing the temple. A significant cycle of work in the temple occurred in the 1960s. The painting was restored, the gilding of the Royal Doors was restored, and the chandeliers were updated. The brass gratings on the main and side soles were replaced with a marble balustrade. The side walls of the passage and the pillars of the refectory are lined with white marble. Poorly preserved colored painted glass is inserted into the lower parts of the refectory windows. The side parts of the western wall of the refectory were laid, which until then had opened through a wooden balustrade into the temple. A baptism was set up in the northwestern lower room, which was rare at that time. In 1960-1961 installed central heating. The oak vestibule from the vestibule into the refectory was dismantled. The boiler room was located in the western basement, where the heater was located; a warehouse was installed in the eastern basement. At the same time, a separate house was built for the kitchen, dining room and toilet. The side doors from the refectory to the church yard were cut through and a permanent stone fence was built around the yard. The temple itself was covered with iron. This is how the temple and courtyard appear to us today.

In the post-war years, the temple turned from what was once a suburb into one of the most revered and visited in ecclesiastical Moscow.

Modern period

With the end of the Soviet period, real opportunities opened up for the parish's diversified activities. In the 1990s, under the leadership of rector Fr. Nicholas (Sitnikov) significant repair work was carried out: the roof of the temple was covered with sheet copper with the replacement and rebuilding of the rafters and sub-lattice. The cross from the bell tower is gilded. The ringing of bells has resumed. The bells from the northern vestibule, where the belfry was located, were carried upstairs; a large new bell was added to the set of small ones. At the entrance to the temple, icons of St. John the Baptist and St. Nicholas were installed in the side niches, and the icons on the tin above the windows of the refectory from the south and north and on the southern entrance gate were restored. The yard is paved with paving stones. Inside the temple, all walls and vaults were washed. To the old images were added icons of recently glorified saints.

Mikhailov B.B. Temple on Presnya. History of the parish and Church of the Nativity of St. John the Baptist on Presnya. M., 1997, 200 p.

The Church of the Nativity of John the Baptist on Presnya is an Orthodox church of the Central Deanery of the Moscow City Diocese. The temple is located in the Presnensky district, Central Administrative District of Moscow (Maly Predtechensky Lane, 2).

In the petition of 1714 it was written: “In past years, we built a wooden parish church in the name of the Nativity of John the Baptist, which is beyond the Presnya River, which has become very dilapidated over the years.” Instead, they asked for a decree to build a stone church. Obviously, construction began, but was soon interrupted, as a decree was issued banning stone construction throughout the empire in order to speed up the construction of St. Petersburg. In 1728, the ban was lifted, and construction of the temple resumed.

The creator of the project for the refectory of the temple was the architect Fyodor Mikhailovich Shestakov, well-known in Moscow at that time. Exact information about when the construction of the refectory was completed has not been preserved, however, according to the estimate, construction work should have been carried out during the summer of 1828. Among the guarantors for the construction of the refectory in 1828, State Councilor Nikolai Vasilyevich Ushakov was the first to sign from the parishioners.

In January 1843, the southern chapel of Sophia of the Wisdom of God was consecrated, built at the expense of the doctor of medicine Matvey Yakovlevich Mudrov.

In May 1889, Father Theodore (Remov) and elder E. S. Matyushin applied to the city government for permission to demolish all existing buildings on church land and rebuild a two-story stone house and a one-story stone barn. The talk was about erecting a new stone clergy house instead of the wooden houses of the deacon, sexton and sexton. Soon after the completion of the construction of the clergy house, in the summer of 1892, construction of another residential building began on an empty church site, and on October 10, 1893, the consecration and opening of a parochial school on the upper floor and an almshouse on the lower floor took place.

On March 20, a positive resolution from the metropolitan followed, and on May 22, 1894, a refectory was laid out at the chapels of the temple according to the design of the architect P. A. Kudrin. Perhaps next summer, when the masonry was in place, the extension was plastered and painted to match the color of the entire temple.

This completed the construction of the stone church, which began in 1714. Both in reality and on the 1913 plan, it is clearly visible that the temple is placed obliquely in relation to Maly Predtechensky Lane, onto which it faces. The temple looks towards Novovagankov, which was its main landmark at the end of the 17th - beginning of the 18th century. Then the parallel Presnensky streets prevailed in the topography of the area, the system of urban planning coordinates shifted to the north, and the temple did not fit into it. The additions to the side volumes in 1894 tried to smooth out this imbalance by lengthening the western façade of the temple and giving it a planar-monumental character. Up close, the irregularity of the temple’s location is almost invisible, but from a distance, from Bolshoi Predtechensky Lane, it is clear that the temple is located at an angle to it.

From 1886 to 1898, under the rector Fr. Theodore (Remov) and elder Yegor Stepanovich Mityushin carried out a whole construction program in the temple: the temple was completed, its interior was completely renovated, a new school, an almshouse and a clergy house were built. To all this we must add the repair and restoration work of the early 20th century.

In March 1922, the authorities began to confiscate church valuables from the Kremlin and Moscow monasteries. On March 31, there was also a seizure from the Church of the Baptist. Several “top secret” reports from the chairman of the Provincial Commission F. Medved, deputy security officer Unshlikht, have been preserved, from which it follows that on March 31 and April 1, 12 churches in the Krasnopresnensky district were subject to confiscation of valuables. In total, 8 poods, 30 pounds, 30 spools of silver, 4 spools of gold, 24 diamonds, 1 ruby and small pearls were seized from the temple. In 1922, Fr. remained the rector of the temple. Alexy Flerin (served in the parish until 1937). The temple, largely, apparently thanks to its rector, escaped the networks of the renovationist schism, and throughout the 20-30s, when shrines were closed and destroyed everywhere, the clergy were expelled and persecuted, it did not interrupt services. They never stopped during all the years of Soviet power.

In 1930, the church was deprived of bells. While throwing down the bells, the anti-religion fighters damaged the steps of the porch. At this time, the burials of the old cemetery were desecrated.

In the post-war years, with the revival of church life, the opportunity arose to begin repairing the temple. A significant cycle of work in the temple occurred in the 1960s. The paintings and gilding of the Royal Doors were restored, and the chandeliers were updated. The brass gratings on the main and side soles were replaced with a marble balustrade. The side walls of the passage and the pillars of the refectory are lined with white marble. Poorly preserved colored painted glass is inserted into the lower parts of the refectory windows. The side parts of the western wall of the refectory were laid, which until then had opened through a wooden balustrade into the temple. A baptism was set up in the northwestern lower room, which was rare at that time. In 1960-1961 installed central heating. The oak vestibule from the vestibule into the refectory was dismantled. The boiler room was located in the western basement, where the heater was located; a warehouse was installed in the eastern basement. At the same time, a separate house was built for the kitchen, dining room and toilet. The side doors from the refectory to the church yard were cut through and a permanent stone fence was built around the yard. The temple itself was covered with iron. This is how the temple and courtyard appear to us today.

In the post-war years, the temple turned from what was once a suburb into one of the most revered and visited in ecclesiastical Moscow.

By decree of the Moscow government, part of the former church land of 13 acres was returned to the parish, which the parish has yet to develop.

In recent years, a marble font in the shape of a cross has been built in the baptismal building for the baptism of adults with full immersion.

A Sunday school has been operating at the church for more than 15 years. Since 1995, the parish has spiritually cared for patients at City Clinical Hospital No. 19.

Website: http://www.ioannp.ru/

Pilgrimage trips to the Church of the Nativity of John the Baptist on Presnya in Moscow

Where can I pray to John the Baptist? John the Baptist Convent, Cathedral of the Beheading of John the Baptist, Church of the Nativity of John the Baptist on Presnya.

In the north of Moscow, behind the Moscow Ring Road, there is the Church of the Vladimir Icon of the Mother of God in Vinogradovo.

The history of the church is interesting in itself: built in 1777, it was never closed, during the Great Patriotic War the head of St. Sergius of Radonezh was kept here. But today another shrine is especially important for us - particles of the relics of John the Baptist.

You can get to the temple from the Petrovsko-Razumovskaya metro station by minibus or bus, or on foot from the Dolgoprudnaya station along Dolgoprudnaya Alley and then through Dmitrovskoe Highway.

In the center of Moscow, on Bolshaya Ordynka, there is the Church of St. Nicholas in Pyzhi. It contains a reliquary cross with particles of the relics of 72 saints, including the relics of John the Baptist.

Also in the temple there are other unique shrines: a milk tooth of one of the royal children-passion-bearers and a myrrh-streaming icon of the holy passion-bearer Tsar Nicholas II.

The most convenient way to get to the temple is on foot from the Novokuznetskaya and Tretyakovskaya metro stations.

John the Baptist Convent

In the St. John the Baptist Monastery (not far from the Kitai-gorod metro station) there are several shrines associated with the name of the prophet John the Baptist. In the monastery's cathedral there is also an ancient icon of the saint with a particle of his relics, and a copy of it is in the chapel of John the Baptist.

Next to the list is a shrine revered for centuries: a metal hoop - the measure of the head of the Forerunner. Its origin is unknown.

Image of the Prophet and Forerunner John with a hoop

To this day, numerous healings occur near the hoop.

You can get to the monastery on foot from the Kitay-Gorod metro station - Maly Ivanovsky Lane, building 2.

In the Church of the Nativity of John the Baptist, near the left choir of the temple there is a revered shrine in a separate icon case - an icon of John the Baptist with the head in his right hand - this canon is called the “Angel of the Desert”. The image dates from the first half of the 17th century.

This is one of the most active Moscow parishes. The temple never closed.

Access from Krasnopresnenskaya metro station on foot - Maly Predtechensky lane, building 2.

Have you read the article Where can I pray to Saint John the Baptist in Moscow?

The Church of Clement the Pope or, in other words, the Nativity of John the Baptist on Varvarka is located at the end of the street (house 15), on a small hill. To properly appreciate the architecture of this building, one must imagine its surroundings as they existed before the 1930s. To the southeast of the temple, at a distance of 50 meters, stood the tower of the Varvarsky Gate of Kitay-Gorod, topped with a tent. The fortress walls were adjacent to the tower from the north and south. That is, when looking from Varvarinskaya Square, we could only see the graceful completion of the temple. After the wall was demolished, it was completely open, from top to bottom.

In old Moscow, the church was more often called not by the main altar, in the name of the Nativity of John the Baptist, but by the aisle of Clement of the Pope. The tradition of naming churches by their aisle existed among Muscovites for a very long time.

A church on this site was first mentioned in the first quarter of the 17th century. The existing temple building was built on the site of the former church in 1741 with money from the industrialist F.S. Podsevalshchikov. The most complex and spectacular parts of the temple were its completion. They even served as a model for the construction of the top of the Church of the Entry into the Temple, which is in the Pyatnitsky Monastery, on Podil, in Sergiev Posad. On the walls of the cubic volume of the Clement Church there were platbands of complex shapes, and above them there were horizontal octagonal windows with their own design. Along Varvarka, the church site was limited by a classical fence.

The temple is a two-height central quadrangle, adjoined on the east by a pentagonal apse, and on the west by
refectory. The plastic white stone and brick decoration of the temple, created in two construction stages, reflected the evolution of the forms of Moscow baroque temple architecture of the era of Anna Ioannovna. The special value of the temple lies in the fact that at the moment it is the most significant surviving creation of the Annensky Baroque in Moscow religious architecture. In addition, the coronation of Empress Elizabeth Petrovna took place in the Clement Church.

In 1822, the northern, Klimentovsky chapel was rebuilt in classical forms.

In the 1920s, the temple was closed. The building was used both for a kindergarten and for offices (as offices were called in the 20th century). In the end, the church was turned into a residential building, and then the economic services of the CPSU Central Committee were located in it. The temple and bell tower lost their finishes, interior decoration, and platbands on the facade. The building, which hardly resembled a church, was handed over to believers in 1991, but services in it did not begin for a long time. In the neighboring blocks there has long been no housing or parishioners, so the church was included in the Patriarchal Compound of churches in Zaryadye.

Full-scale restoration work began in 2013. Restorers strengthened the foundations, repaired the white stone plinth and brickwork, strengthened the lintels, restored the lost tiers of the bell tower and the octagon of the temple, domes and crosses. The roofs, window and door fillings were also recreated. Particularly difficult was the restoration of the white stone plastic decoration while preserving the remains of the original decor. During the execution of facade work, external monumental painting was discovered and strengthened. In 2014, the restoration of the temple was completed.