Pskov Church. Get to know your native land

Among the attractions of Pskov is its church architecture. The people of Pskov had their own architectural style, so you can find many churches in the city, including very ancient and unique ones.

Like most ancient Russian cities, Pskov has always been pious and prayerful, considering Orthodox faith an integral part of your life. It is not surprising that the city of Pskov has many beautiful churches, many of which are very ancient. We will tell you about some of them.

Church of St. Basil "on the Hill"

This is its real name, it was built in the 14th century on a hill, which was later, after the church, called Vasilievskaya Hill, and only after that the popular name “Vasili Church “On the Hill” appeared.

The first temple was wooden and decorated with paintings, and was located near the no longer existing wall of the Middle City. And in 1375, a stone temple was already built in its place, which was repeatedly remodeled and improved. Closer to the beginning of the 16th century, it was here that the revered miraculous Mother of God of Tikhvin was painted with an akathist in 24 marks - small rectangles on the icon, which depict the life of the Mother of God. Previously, it occupied one of the upper tiers of the iconostasis, but today it is kept in the Pskov Museum-Reserve.

At the temple difficult fate, they tried to close it more than once. First, a fire in 1562 destroyed part of the city, and the church was saved only by a miracle. And yet, starting from the 16th and 17th centuries, times of decline began for it. And by the 19th century, it had become so dilapidated and ruined that they were going to scrap the church: the northern limit collapsed, and the ancient iconostasis and carved choir were almost completely lost. But again, God's providence saved the temple; it was assigned to the Kryletsky Monastery, and it remained so until 1921, when the church was closed. For many years there was an archive and storage of documents; during the Great Patriotic War, the temple suffered quite a bit. But, as he says folk wisdom, God loves the Trinity, and in 2000, services began to be held in the Church of Vasily “on the Hill” again. The temple was restored and now it delights the eyes of the townspeople with its snow-white silhouette, as if shining from a hill.

Temple of St. Alexander Nevsky

The full name of the temple sounds like the Military Temple of the Holy Blessed Grand Duke Alexander Nevsky. It was built in 1907-1908 for the 96th Omsk Regiment. The project was standard, developed by F.M. Verzhbitsky especially for the military - in Russia more than 60 similar churches were built throughout the country.

But, despite the standard design, this church is unique for the architectural traditions of Pskov. Rectangular in plan, elongated along the axis - from the dome to the hipped bell tower. This is the so-called pseudo-Russian style, also known as “late eclecticism,” which is also manifested in the exterior decoration: helmet-shaped kokoshniks, shoulder blades, zakomaras at the end of windows and facades. The temple looks exceptionally elegant, the green slopes and gold-blue finials of the dome and bell tower harmoniously combine with the red brick walls, creating a joyful and festive mood.

Like many churches in the country, the Alexander Nevsky Church did not have the most easy life after the 1917 revolution. The temple was closed and there, replacing each other, there were alternately the “Revolutionary Red Army Theater”, then the House of Officers, and, in the end, a utility warehouse. And only in 1990 the temple was returned to the Orthodox Church. Moreover, it still fulfills the mission for which it was created - it provides support and consolation to the military in “hot spots”. In addition, the temple is engaged in publishing and charitable activities: a collection of poems has been published in honor of the fallen soldiers of the 6th company of Pskov paratroopers, an electronic catalog of all portraits of fallen military paratroopers has been created, their names are immortalized on the walls of the temple, and material support is also provided to soldiers and their families. The activities of the temple servants did not go unnoticed, and the temple, as well as its archpriest Oleg Teor, were awarded in 2000 with certificates of gratitude from the Minister of Defense of the Russian Federation for their participation in the revival of spiritual and moral principles military service to the Fatherland.

Church of Alexy, man of God

The Church of Alexy, the man of God, was built in 1688 on the site of the ancient temple of the Alekseevsky convent. Previously, this church was located outside the city, in a field, surrounded by one-story wooden houses of Alekseevskaya Sloboda, from which the second, popular name appeared - the Church of Alexy in the Field. ABOUT old church It is mentioned more than once in chronicles describing the siege of Pskov by the troops of the Polish king Stefan Batory in 1581. Fierce fighting took place here then.

During its existence, the church constantly changed its affiliation: in 1712, together with the monastery, it was assigned to the Pechersky Monastery, in 1678 - to the Sergius Church, in 1808 they wanted to demolish it, but in 1818 the temple was assigned to the Old Ascension Monastery, and only in In 1854, the church of Alexy from the Field finally acquired independence.

As often happened after the revolution, the temple was closed and turned into a granary, but during the Great Patriotic War it was reopened and received multiple damages during the war. In 1989, restoration began and since 1994 the temple has again held services and received parishioners under the auspices of the Pskov diocese.

Built of stones and slabs, whitewashed, single-domed, with a chapel of the Nativity of the Virgin Mary and a two-tier bell tower. The entrance portal is decorated with a modern fresco by the icon painter Father Andrei. In addition, next to the church there is an ancient cemetery.

Church of the Epiphany from Zapskovye

One of the most beautiful and spectacular churches in Pskov. It has an elegant, seemingly simple silhouette, but at the same time the architectural composition is quite complex and asymmetrical. Once the famous architect Ae Corbusier came to Pskov in order to collaborate with Soviet architects. He studied the architecture of ancient Pskov with interest and admiration, but what struck him most was the Church of the Epiphany from Zapskovia. So much so that the architect himself admitted that it was this temple that inspired him when designing and building a chapel in his hometown of Ronchamp.

The first mention of the temple dates back to 1397, but the old building burned down in a fire in 1458. The modern temple was built on the same site in 1495. It is located on a hill, on the bank of the Broda (previously this river was so shallow that it could be forded). It is curious that earlier on the opposite bank of the river there were two more Epiphany churches, which formed a “holy triangle”, including the place of the traditional baptismal blessing of water.

By the end of the 19th century, the church became somewhat impoverished, although it remained the main parish church in Zapskovye. It was closed in 1936 and suffered quite a lot during the Great Patriotic War. The restoration of the Church of the Epiphany began only in the 21st century, and in 2009 it was opened to parishioners.

Church of Constantine and Helena

The full name of this temple, built in 1681, is the Church of the Holy Equal-to-the-Apostles King Constantine and his mother Helen. According to legend, the modern church was built on the site where the chapel of St. Anastasia used to be. Near the road to the temple you can see the remains of semicircular tiled walls - these are believed to be the ruins of the old chapel. Legend says that St. Anastasia appeared in a dream to one Sloboda resident and strictly ordered him to keep the remains of his chapel, otherwise the settlement would burn down.

The church was built in a typical 16th century Pskov style architectural style, four-pillar and three-apse. In the 18th-19th centuries, the chapel of St. Basil the Martyr was added to the church on the south side, and in the 19th century a two-tier stone bell tower was built. The church is decorated with blades on a quadrangle, a runner, the drums of the domes are decorated with ceramic kokoshniks covered with green glaze.

It is active, and in addition to the usual temple life, they also heal the demon-possessed and possessed.

Church of the Archangel Michael

The full name of the church is . According to the inscription on the slab in the temple, the church was founded in 1339. Previously, in this place there was a Gorodets - a small fortification, hence the addition to the name of the church - “from Gorodets”. The current stone church building was erected in 1439, and in 1649 it was further rebuilt. So, initially there were two thrones, but the left one was abolished due to dilapidation. Now they sell wax candles there. And in 1990, the Church of the Archangel Michael became the regimental temple of the Yenisei Regiment.

The church is built of slabs, its main nave in plan is correct cross. The facades are decorated with arched divisions, making the appearance of the church lighter and more elegant. The head of the church used to be covered with glazed tiles, but these have recently been replaced with iron. But on the drum you can still see a double belt of glazed patterned tiles from the late 17th century.

Church of Peter and Paul

(this is the full name of the temple) was built in 1373 on the site of an ancient cemetery - that is, a “buoy”. A legend is associated with this church about how in 1615, during the attack on the city by Swedish troops, during a prayer service a voice was heard from the icon of the Mother of God that promised protection. And indeed, the Pskov troops won. And during the Northern War, Peter I stayed not far from the church. He often went to this temple, read the Apostle and even sang in the choir. And only then he made sure that the church dedicated to him heavenly patrons, acquired a new iconostasis, and the status of a cathedral church was returned to it.

The Church of Peter and Paul was built in the classic Pskov style: a single-domed temple, with three apses, decorated with a characteristic Pskov decoration - a runner. The head drum is decorated with a patterned ceramic belt.

Church of St. Nicholas of Usokha

It was first built in 1371, and in 1536 a stone building was erected, as the old one burned down in a fire. The area where the temple is located was previously called “Usukha”, since it was on the edge of a large swamp. Now the swamp is no longer there, but the name remains. The legend about Ivan the Terrible is associated with the Church of St. Nicholas the Great. They say that when he rode past the temple, the ringing of bells frightened his horse and the angry king ordered the ears of the bell to be cut off. And they say that during the execution of this strange order, blood flowed from the ears of the bell.

The church was built in distinctly Pskov architectural traditions. At the same time, there is also an original detail - a chapel, nicknamed by the locals “the chapel of the unquenchable candle.” This name was given to it because previously a lamp was constantly burning there in front of the icon of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker. This is a small building with an elegant tiny dome, the walls are cut through by large arches - together with the architecture of the temple itself, the chapel forms a bizarre ensemble.

Material from the ABC of pilgrims

Church of St. Nicholas of Usokha

Church of St. Nicholas "with Usokha"

Built in 1383, rebuilt in 1536. One of the most beautiful temples. Address: st. Sovetskaya, 19.

Church of the Intercession and Nativity of the Virgin Mary

The church is part of the former Intercession Monastery, in which Elder Dorofey lived, to whom the Mother of God appeared during the Polish invasion. She appeared from the side of the Spaso-Mirozhsky Monastery with Saints Anthony of the Kiev-Pechersk and Cornelius of the Pskov-Pechersk, entered the Intercession Church, and from there into the Intercession Tower... Address: st. Sverdlova, 1 (in the corner of the wall, near the Pokrovskaya Tower).

Church of the Epiphany "from Zapskovye"

Built in 1496. One of the most beautiful churches in Pskov. Address: st. Herzen, 7.

Church of Varlaam Khutynsky

The first, wooden temple was built in 1466, during the pestilence. Stone was built in 1495 in the Novgorod architectural tradition. The forces of the Swedish king Gustavus Adolphus attacked here on October 9, 1615. The Swedes tried to destroy the cathedral with cannons, but were unable to do so. Address: st. L. Pozemsky.

Church of Peter and Paul from Buya

The first mention of the Peter and Paul Church dates back to 1373. In 1540, the current temple was erected on the site of the previous one. During the Northern War, Peter I, visiting Pskov during the preparation of military operations against the Swedish troops, went to mass in the Peter and Paul Church, where the Apostle read and sang in the choir. Address: Pskov, st. Karla Marksa, no. 2.

Church of St. Basil on Gorka

The first mention of the Church of Vasily on Gorka dates back to 1337. In 1413, a stone temple was erected on the site of the wooden church. The end of the 15th century and the 16th century are the heyday, when chapels and a gallery were added to the temple. At the beginning of the 16th century, the revered temple icon of the Tikhvin Mother of God was painted. Address: Pskov, Oktyabrsky Prospekt, 5.

Church of St. George from Vzvoz

The first mention of the Church of St. George from Vzvoz dates back to 1494. In 1701, on the orders of Peter I, an earthen battery was sprinkled onto the ancient wall of the Okolny Town, which has survived to this day. It has been disassembled, altered, and restored many times. Address: Pskov, Georgievskaya (Uritskogo) st., no. 1.

VMC Church Anastasia Pattern Maker

The first mention of the Church of the Holy Great Martyr Anastasia the Patternmaker dates back to 1487. In 1639 to central temple a chapel was built in the name of the Holy Great Martyr Paraskeva Pyatnitsa. Address: Pskov, Oktyabrsky pr., 9.

Church of Michael the Archangel from Gorodets

The first mention of the Church of Michael the Archangel from Gorodets dates back to 1339. Constructed from limestone slab. At the beginning of the twentieth century it was the regimental church of the Yenisei Infantry Regiment. Address: Pskov, Sovetskaya st., 18.

Church of St. Nicholas the Revealed from Torg

The founding date of the temple is considered to be 1419, although nothing is known about the fate of the building. Stone Church in modern form erected in 1676. Address: Pskov, st. Nekrasova, 35.

Church of Mid-Pentecost

The first mention of the Church of Mid-Pentecost dates back to 1468. Currently, the church is a courtyard of the Spaso-Eleazarovsky Monastery. Address: Pskov, Detskaya (Spasskaya) st., 3.

Church of St. Sergius from Zaluzhye

Church of St. Sergius from Zaluzhye - active Orthodox church the end of the 16th century, a historical and cultural monument of federal significance, located in the Okolny town of Pskov. Address: Pskov, Oktyabrsky pr., 15 / st. Sverdlova, 42-A.

Church of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary from Polonische

Church of the Assumption Holy Mother of God from Polonische, built in 1810-1811 by the maternal grandmother of the Decembrist M.A. Nazimova. On the bell tower there are bells of Ivan the Terrible and Mikhail Feodorovich, with inscriptions. Address: Pskov, st. Georgievskaya, 3-A.

Church of Joachim and Anna in Polonische

The Church of Joachim and Anna from Polonische of the former Yakimansky Monastery is a characteristic link in the totality of Pskov religious buildings XVI-XVII centuries. Address: Pskov, st. Kalinina, 26.

Old Voznesenskaya Church

The Old Voznesenskaya Church was built in the 15th century on the site of an earlier wooden church. It was located in the center of the Old Ascension Monastery. Address: Pskov, Sovetskaya st., 64-A.

VMC Church Barbarians on Plekhanovsky (Petrovsky) Posad

The only wooden church in Pskov. In the “History of the Principality of Pskov”, Metropolitan Eugene, it is said that this church was built in 1618. Address: Pskov, Plekhanovsky Posad, 14.

Church of Demetrius the Myrrh-Streaming Field

The temple was built in 1534. The Pskov chronicle says: “...in the summer of 7042 the Church of the Holy Martyr Dmitry was built in monasteries...”. The church is mentioned in various sources of the second half of the 16th and early 17th centuries. It is called “...from the field, on the Stolbitskaya road above Pskov...”, “...to the field, from behind the Petrovsky Gate...”. Address: Pskov, st. Plekhanovsky Posad, 74. Dmitrievskoe cemetery.

Church of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker in Lyubyatovo

The church in the name of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker (formerly a monastery) stands in the churchyard. It is unknown when and by whom the monastery was founded here. From the inscriptions on ancient icons From the St. Nicholas Church it follows that the monastery was abolished until 1645, then restored again, and in 1764 it was abolished again and the church was converted into a parish. Address: Pskov, st. Lyubyatovskaya, 2.

Church of Alexy, man of God, from the field

The first mentions of the Church of Alexy from the field date back to XVI century, it was the monastery church of the Alekseevsky nunnery. At that time, this area still belonged to Pskov; a one-story wooden Alekseevskaya Sloboda was located here, which is why the church was nicknamed “Alexy in the Field.” Address: Pskov, st. Sovetskaya, 100 (Alekseevskaya Sloboda).

Church of Faith, Hope, Love and their mother Sophia

The Church of Faith, Hope, Love and their mother Sophia was solemnly founded on September 30, 2008. The construction is timed to coincide with the 500th anniversary of the annexation of Pskov to the Russian state. Initially it was conceived as a public construction site. Consecrated on September 30, 2012. Metropolitan Eusebius. Address: Pskov, suburban microdistrict Kresty, intersection of Leningradskoe highway and Zeleny lane.

Church of Kozma and Damian from Gremyachaya Mountain

The first mention dates back to 1383. The church was built in the Kozmodemyansky (Gremyatsky) monastery. The unmercenary saints Kosma and Damian are the patrons of blacksmiths who set up their forges in Pskov at the foot of Gremyachaya Mountain. Address: Pskov, st. Gremyachaya, 7.

Church of Cosmas and Damian from Primostie

The church was built in 1462-1463. Constructed from limestone slab. The temple has important urban planning significance. Address: Pskov, st. L. Pozemsky, 7 (formerly Zvanitsa, Narvskaya).

Obrazskaya Church with Zhabya Lavica

The first mention of the Obrazskaya Church with the Zhabya Lavica - the Image of Our Lord Jesus Christ Not Made by Hands - dates back to 1487. It is not established when the first wooden church was replaced by the existing one. Zhabya lavica is the name of a small swamp near which the church was built. Address: Pskov, Pervomaiskaya st., 27.

Church of the Resurrection of Christ from Stadishche

The first mention of the Church of the Resurrection of Christ from the Stadium dates back to 1458. The current temple was built in 1585-1587. Address: Pskov, st. Nabat, 4-A.

Church of Elijah the Prophet Mokrogo from Luga

The first mention of the Church of Elijah the Prophet Mokroy from Lug dates back to 1465, it was located on the territory of the Elias Monastery. The current stone church was built in 1677. Address: Pskov, st. Volkova, 9.

Church of St. John the Evangelist on Misharina Mountain

The chronicle dates the construction of the church to 1547: “...that same summer the stone church of St. Ivan the Theologian was erected on Milyavitsy.” In former times there was a Kotelnikov or Kostelnikov monastery here, which was abolished in 1764. Nowadays it is the parish cemetery church of Misharina Sloboda. Address: Pskov, Alleynaya st., 1.

Church of Peter and Paul on Breza

This small church, wonderfully integrated into the landscape, is all that remains of the Sirotkin Monastery, and it stands on the site of the battle of Prince Dovmont-Timothy with the German knights in 1299. Address: Pskov, Beregovaya st., 2 (near the Alexander Nevsky Bridge).

Church of Constantine and Helena in Tsareva Sloboda

The Church of Constantine and Helena was built in the 16th century. According to legend, Prince Dovmont (1266–1299), beloved by all Pskov, brought the iconostasis to it on his shoulders from the Nikitsky Church, which stood at the Rybnitsa Gate. Address: Pskov, Krasnogorskaya st., 26.

Cathedral of the Nativity of John the Baptist

Until 1925, the main church of the St. John the Baptist Convent was the Cathedral of the Nativity of St. John the Baptist. The first mention of the St. John the Baptist Monastery in the Pskov Chronicle for 1243 is associated with Reverend Princess Pskov Euphrosyne, in the schema Eupraxia. Address: Pskov, st. Maxim Gorky, 1.

St. Nicholas Church from the Stone Fence

Church of St. Nicholas from the Stone Fence - a temple in Pskov, belongs to the Old Believers-bespopovtsy, is a historical and cultural monument of federal significance. The church was built in the 16th century. Address: Pskov, st. Rosa Luxemburg, no. 17.

Church of the Myrrh-Bearing Women

The wooden Church of the Myrrh-Bearing Women was built in 1537. Even then it received the name “from the poor”, since it was precisely a cemetery church. In 1546, construction began on the site of the church destroyed by fire, a stone temple with a belfry. Priest Pavel Adelgeim served in it. Address: Pskov, Mironositskoe cemetery, Kommunalnaya (Mironositskaya) st., 11.

Church of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary in Butyrki

The Church of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary in Butyrki was built in the 1770s, as can be seen from the church synodik, by Sebezh and Don Cossacks, at their own expense. It is made of slabs, has a regular square plan, but differs from the ancient Pskov churches in some details indicating its later origin. Address: Pskov, Krasnoarmeyskaya embankment, 47.

Church of the Blgv. book Alexander Nevsky

The Church of the Holy Blessed Grand Duke Alexander Nevsky was built in 1907-1908 for the 96th Omsk Regiment according to a standard design for a military temple drawn up by engineer. Verzhbitsky F.M. in 1901. Address: Pskov, st. Mirnaya, 1.

Church of the Resurrection of Christ in Orletsy

The Church of the Resurrection of Christ in Orletsy was built in 1994-1997. It is unique primarily in that it is the second church built in Pskov in the 20th century (the first - the Church of the Holy Blessed Prince Alexander Nevsky - was erected in 1907). Address: Pskov, st. Rodnikovskaya, 21, Orletskoe cemetery.

The Pskov region is famous for its unique churches, the likes of which are not found anywhere else. The earliest architectural church monuments preserved in Pskov date back to the 12th century. This is from the former Ivanovo Monastery.

By the XIV-XV centuries. Ancient Pskov developed its own architectural school, which was greatly influenced by the characteristic features of folk architectural creativity. This is how Yu. Spegalsky characterizes the original features of Pskov architecture, which were determined by the middle of the 14th century: “The new architectural forms of churches were extremely economical and subordinated to the practical requirements of life. Their whitewashed stone surfaces formed complex and dynamic combinations that gave a rich play of light and shadow. The contrast of white surfaces with colored spots of fresco images, the picturesque alternation and fragmentation of light and shadow spots, and the general appearance, far from any asceticism and severity, expressed the love of life and optimism of ordinary Russian people, unshaken by several centuries of the influence of Christianity.”

The second half of the 15th - 16th centuries can be called the era of maturity in the art of Ancient Pskov. “The variety of stone buildings being built, the volume of construction, its technical level, and the sophistication of the architectural skills of Pskov architects have reached their peak. The main type of Pskov church of that time was a four-pillar, three-apse church with rounded side apses and an eight-slope roof. Small temples were built without pillars, with a dome on intersecting arches and with one apse. An obligatory accessory of any, even the smallest church, were the porches in front of the western (main) entrance, and often in front of the side ones... Belfries at that time were built as high as possible, installing them either on a special building that served as a pedestal for them, or on the quadrangle itself. Sometimes a sub-church was built under the temple with the entrance to it through a special small extension” (Yu. Spegalsky).

For monuments of Pskov church architecture characterized by the plasticity of simple geometric volumes, picturesque ensembles of churches with numerous chapels, vestibules, galleries, etc.

This page presents very brief information about Pskov churches. The following publications were used as sources:

− Okulich-Kazarin N.F. A companion to ancient Pskov. Pskov, 1913.

− Pskov through the centuries: monuments of Pskov today / comp. I.K. Labutina. St. Petersburg, 1994.

− Pskov Diocese: reference book. St. Petersburg, 2009.

− Spegalsky Yu.P. Treasures of ancient architecture // Sights of the Pskov region. L.: Lenizdat, 1977.

MONASTERIES

Mirozhsky Monastery

The temple in the name of the Transfiguration of the Lord was built by Byzantine craftsmen. During its time, the cathedral underwent alterations, “of which the most significant were the addition of “tents” over the southwestern and northwestern corners, made in the 12th century, external plastering, repeated changes in coverings, the addition of a vestibule, a bell tower, and raising the floors. A significant cultural layer grew around the building, visually making it lower than it was originally... In the 17th century - XVIII centuries The windows of the cathedral were redone. The original windows were preserved only in the drum. But still, the pristine appearance of the cathedral can be judged with sufficient certainty...” (Yu. Spegalsky). The walls and vaults of the temple were painted with frescoes, which were eventually hidden under plaster and discovered only in 1858. In 1969 -1983. They were completely restored.

The elegant architectural simplicity of the cathedral contained a denial and hidden condemnation of the aesthetic views of old pagan Rus'.

A two-story building with a bell tower is adjacent to Stefanovskaya Church. The facades are decorated with simple cornices. The bell tower (1879) with a domed roof has an eclectic character. There are icon-painting workshops, a refectory and utility rooms here. The fraternal building forms the front façade of the Mirozhsky Monastery.

Snetogorsky convent Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary

Snyatnaya Gora, 1

The monument is a small, single-apse, single-domed, two-tiered quadrangle with an extensive three-tiered refectory. The two lower tiers of the refectory basements consist of vaulted chambers connected to the bishop's house by a system of passages. In 1805, the refectory church was converted into a house church, and its upper tier - a chamber with a pillar - was rebuilt. This is the oldest of the Pskov monastery refectory churches.

It was built according to the design of the provincial architect K. Zhdanov as a country residence of the Pskov archbishops, and represents a monastery structure with elements of classicism. It was placed in the ancient monastery cellars associated with the St. Nicholas Refectory Church. Main facade highlighted by a pediment with a semicircular window, a flat projection and modest decorations on the windows of the upper floor. The basement and first floor of the house are chambers with pillars and complex vaults (possibly preserved from the 16th century). As I. Labutina notes, the monument has no analogues among similar complexes.

300 meters from the monastery, on a hill near the road, there is a small octagonal stone chapel. Its planked roof was crowned with a drum with a bulbous dome. In 1913, the “Selected Saints” icon was taken from here, which is now kept in the State Tretyakov Gallery. In 1962, the chapel was restored according to the design of V.P. Smirnova.

By the middle of the 19th century, the monastery fell into disrepair. Currently, the ensemble of the Panteleimon Monastery (presumably mid-19th century) and the school of psalm-readers have been preserved, which are protected as monuments of local significance.

CHURCHES

Oktyabrsky Ave., 9

For a long time, the temple was mentioned in local history literature as the Church of Anastasia the Roman (See “Pskov through the centuries”, etc.). A large church with a complex composition was built on the site of a one-day wooden church built in 1488. It was rebuilt. The bell tower in the classicist style was added in 1827. A special feature of the temple is the vaulted basement under the entire complex of premises. “Its symmetrical composition with two side chapels was reminiscent of the composition of the Church of the Epiphany from Zapskovye. The original coverings of the church and chapels were eight-sloped; there are no innovations in its processing that could distinguish this building from the monuments of the first half of the century. But the two-story gallery and the porch along which one had to go up to the vestibule were features that were new for that time. The ancient porch and belfry have not reached us: they were destroyed during alterations in 1819. The upper floor of the gallery was completely rebuilt in the 17th century, which suggests that this floor was at first open, with an arcade on pillars instead of external walls. The top of the drum is now completely smooth: during perestroika in 1819, its decorations were knocked down and repaired. The temple, both outside and inside, was distinguished by the perfection of forms and proportions. In its original form it was one of the most beautiful buildings of ancient Pskov" ( Yu. Spegalsky. Stone architecture of Pskov).

St. Profsoyuznaya, 1

The Church of Hodegetria at the Pechersky Metochion was built in place of the 16th century temple that stood here before it. In 1866 it underwent alteration, after which its appearance changed greatly, and it began to be considered uninteresting. During the Great Patriotic War it burned and lost all its coverings. After the war, thick layers of plaster applied in 1866 began to fall off the walls, and then the original forms of the temple protruding from under them showed that “this is the most remarkable monument of the Pskov church that has survived to our time.” architecture XVII century" (Yu.P. Spegalsky). Intended to decorate not only the courtyard itself, but also the entire western facade of the city, it was arranged with fabulous decorativeness. The enormous size of its middle dome was emphasized by the relatively small side domes, and even more so by the nine domes of the bell tower. The whole church was full of tiled decorations, and its walls, painted with bright yellow ocher, glowed and glowed against the background of bluish-gray wooden buildings and white stone buildings with blue shadows falling on them. Its domes were covered with shiny green ceramic scales. The belfry here was replaced by a bell tower with a high octagonal tent. However, despite the unusual general appearance of this building, in detail it has retained connections with old Pskov traditions. The framing of the windows and niches of the vestibule, both in terms of execution technique and profile, repeats doorway platbands typical of Pskov in the 15th-16th centuries. The treatment of the apse with the usual Pskov ornament of hollows is completely in the spirit of the 16th century. Roller decorations on the drum, a curb belt, and flies are details used by Pskov masons in the 16th century. The craftsmen who built the temple of Hodegetria did not avoid using old techniques. But they subordinated them to innovative artistic ideas.

Now the church is at the disposal of an oncology clinic.

St. Plekhanovsky Posad, 14

The only monument of wooden architecture of the 17th century is the Church of Varvara in Petrovsky Posad, which was built in the Varvarinsky nunnery by “elder Agafya and her sister.” It did not reach us in its original form. Built in 1618, it was significantly modified in the 18th century. 19th centuries, has lost its original top, porch and belfry. The details have been preserved: a drag window, a round window of the altar, ceilings on wooden notches without nails. The only traces left of the porch are nests in the western wall of the vestibule, into which parts of the original porch were cut. However, the frames of the windows of this building still have some of the carvings that decorated them.

Fragmentary restoration took place in 1973.

The temple belongs to the Orthodox Church.

St. Leona Pozemsky, 53

Built in 1495 on the site of an earlier temple, it is a witness to the military events of 1615, when it was the center of the city’s defense against the troops of the Swedish king Gustav Adolf. During one of the assaults, the main attack of the Swedes was aimed at the Varlaam Tower, the Pskovites blew it up along with the enemies entrenched there. The Swedes were also struck by “bore arrows” from heavy gunfire from the church dome. In the sacristy of the Varlaam Church there was kept “The Tale of the Coming of the Swean King Gustav Adolf to the City of Pskov,” written immediately after the historical events.

On the western side of the church there is a porch and a porch. A belfry was built on the porch, and a parapet on the porch. The porch and belfry are contemporary with the temple, but the porch is later. The belfry consists of two spans and is covered with a hipped roof with a cross at the top. On the south side, a chapel was built in the 18th century in the name of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker. On east side there are two semicircular apses: one, decorated along the cornice with belts of triangles and squares, belongs to the main temple, and the other, without decorations, belongs to the chapel. The church is considered a rare 15th-century monument for Pskov, associated with the Novgorod architectural tradition.

After the 1917 revolution, the church was closed. Worship services resumed during the Great Patriotic War. Currently it is a functioning parish church in Pskov.

Oktyabrsky Ave., 5

The Church of St. Basil was first built on this site in the 14th century. The chronicle mentions the decoration of this church with paintings in 1377. Under 1413, the chronicles contain records of the construction new church Vasily on Gorka, the one that has come down to us. This is the only surviving monument of the first half of the 15th century in Pskov. However, Yu. Spegalsky notes that “if one could consider this dating [ 1413] correct, then this building could serve as evidence of the amazing leap that took place in the development of Pskov architecture in the first years of the 15th century, and the architect who created it would have to be considered a genius who anticipated the techniques that became characteristic of Pskov only more than a century later.” Most likely, the temple underwent significant changes and reconstruction in the 16th-18th centuries, and according to Spegalsky, it is a typical structure of the 40s and 50s of the 16th century. “Its roof covering, which is decorative in nature, its original openwork gallery (traces of its adjoining the aisle have been preserved), the chapel-tomb adjacent to the aisle on the north side (traces of it have also been preserved), the high sub-church, the excellent construction technique, the perfection of proportions and sophistication decorative details - everything is characteristic of this heyday of Pskov’s church architecture.” Thanks to the sub-church, the floor of the church was raised high above ground level, and therefore the porch adjacent to the vestibule had to serve as the entrance to the temple. The church was undoubtedly built with a belfry, placed, as usual, above the western wall of the vestibule (later the belfry was moved to the adjacent fortress tower). Rising high above the shady wooden streets, the temple seemed, in contrast to them, especially bright and exquisitely slender.

Currently the temple is operational. In 2012, its restoration was completed, which restored the mosquito covers. in 2010, and .

st. Sverdlova, 1

The history of the double church of the Intercession and the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary goes back to 1399, when a church was built in honor of the Intercession of the Virgin Mary. It was the cathedral church of the Intercession monastery, located in the southwestern corner of the Okolny town, near the Intercession Tower, which was named after the monastery.

In 1581, during the siege of Pskov by the Polish-Lithuanian troops of Stefan Batory, Elder Dorotheus, a monk of the Intercession Monastery, had a vision of the Most Holy Theotokos at the site of the future assault. And indeed, on September 8, 1581, the enemy managed to almost completely destroy the Intercession Tower and make a breach in the fortress wall. It seemed that the enemy would inevitably break into the city. But the Pskovites, inspired procession of the cross with the icon of the “Tenderness of the Mother of God” and the relics of the holy Pskov prince Vsevolod-Gabriel, with heroic efforts they repulsed the invaders.

After the siege of Pskov was lifted in 1582, grateful Pskov residents, together with voivode Ivan Petrovich Shuisky, the head of the city’s defense, rebuilt the Intercession Church, adding another one to it - in the name of the Nativity of the Virgin Mary (celebrated September 8 - September 21, according to the present day - on the day of the recapture assault). Two churches were combined into one, and a classic Pskov belfry was placed between them.

It was rebuilt in the 19th century. During the Second World War it suffered greatly. In 1961-1964 it was restored according to the design of V.P. Smirnova.

St. Children's, 2

The church was erected in the courtyard of the Spaso-Eleazarovsky Monastery. Single-domed, single-apse with a vestibule, a wide porch-gallery on pillars and a hipped bell tower above them, erected in 1867. The interior is pillarless and vaulted. The church was significantly rebuilt in the 19th-20th centuries.

Currently - active temple courtyard of the Spaso-Eleazarovsky Monastery.

st. Sovetskaya, 64

A monument of church architecture from the Empire era “rare in its perfection of proportions and purity” architectural forms characteristic of classicism." The rectangular quadrangle is completed with a hemispherical dome topped with a decorative lantern with a spire. The northern and southern facades are decorated with two monumental porticoes. The decor of the facades consists of cornice rods; brackets and molded rosettes. The monastery church was built instead of the dismantled southern aisle of the neighboring Church of the Ascension. Restored in 1972 according to the design of V.A. Lebedeva (Pskov through the centuries: monuments of Pskov today. St. Petersburg: Fert, 1994. P.226)

Currently, the church houses a planetarium.

st. Pervomaiskaya, 27

The model church “at Zhabya Lavitsa” was built on the site of a one-day wooden one, erected in 1487 on the occasion of the “great pestilence”. It is unknown when it was replaced with stone. This is a small one-domed temple, with a two-span belfry above the porch and an original composition of the chapel - with a rectangular altar and a two-tier quadrangle, topped with a drum with a dome. In 1852, the quadrangle of the temple began to be dismantled, but two years later it was built again. The vestibule, porch and belfry remained intact. All of them, like the southern aisle of the temple, date back to the end of the 17th century. Pillars with flutes are characteristic of this time. The wrought-iron latticework of the 17th century still hangs in the gate. Fragmentary restoration of the temple was carried out in 1960 according to the project of B. Skobeltsyn.

Currently, the temple is operational, but requires renovation.

Kremlin

Holy Trinity cathedral, the main shrine and symbol of the Pskov land, has a complicated history. According to legend, the place for the cathedral Grand Duchess Olga, who visited the Pskov land in 957. According to the chronicle, she saw a vision in the form of three rays pointing to this place, so they decided to dedicate the temple Life-Giving Trinity. Built in the second half of the 10th century, the cathedral was made of wood and burned down during one of the fires. In 1137-1138 By order of Vsevolod-Gabriel, a new stone cathedral was built on this site. In 1242, before the start of the Battle of the Ice, Prince Alexander Yaroslavich Nevsky prayed in this cathedral, together with the Pskovites, for victory over the dog knights. However, this cathedral also suffered a new misfortune - in 1363 the vaults collapsed. Therefore, in 1365 the temple was rebuilt again. This time the temple was built by Pskov architects, led by master Kirill, from local limestone. The building included two chapels and three chapters, the walls were painted with frescoes, and wooden architecture techniques were widely used. In 1609, during a severe fire in the Kremlin, powder magazines exploded, which led to the walls of the Kremlin collapsing and the cathedral was badly damaged. The temple was restored and stood until 1682.

The construction of the current cathedral, the fourth in a row, was completed in 1699. Its appearance combines features of ancient Pskov architecture and the all-Russian architectural tradition of the 17th century.

The Trinity Cathedral (1682-1699) has reached us in relatively good preservation, but still did not avoid alterations. At the end of the 18th century, the galleries of the lower floor were filled with solid stone and buttresses were attached to them from the outside. In the 19th century, the cathedral's porch was remodeled. The steep staircase with high steps, characteristic of the 17th century, was replaced by a flat one, the porch was lengthened, the side openings of the old lower platform were filled in, and the new platform was moved close to the fortress wall. “In 1894-1895, the cathedral, from the outside from top to bottom, and only partially inside, was plastered with cement and decorated with molded window frames and ornaments cast from cement. The carefully aligned lines and planes of the new plaster, pretending to be geometrically correct, gave the external forms of the cathedral an unpleasant dryness. The new ornamentation, made according to the drawings of the architect F. P. Nesturkh in a false “Byzantine” spirit, changed the nature of the external treatment and introduced even greater discord into the decor, which was already not entirely consistent” (Yu. Spegalsky).

The bell tower of the Trinity Cathedral, apparently also built at the end of the 17th century, was also distinguished by its large scale and simplicity of composition. Its main part was originally a kind of fortress tower, with vaulted ceilings at the bottom, a wooden platform in the upper tier and embrasures for “fiery combat”. Above the tower rose a bell tower, the top of which was covered with a pyramidal plank roof. The route to the bells comes from the very bottom of the tower in the thickness of its wall.

The existing upper tier of the bell tower with four openings and the covering above it with a spire belong to early XIX century. The interior of the cathedral features a unique carved seven-tiered iconostasis from the late 17th century.

Currently the temple is operational.

St. Georgievskaya, 3-a

The tombstone chapel stands southwest of the Church of the Myrrh-Bearing Women. The small cubic volume is completed with a pyramidal roof, topped with a drum with a bulbous head. The corners are decorated with pillars. In the interior, in the niches of the eastern wall, there is a fresco “Deesis”. The chapel was restored in 1955 according to the design of B. Skobeltsyn.

In the Middle Ages, Pskov developed its own, original and unlike anything else architectural school. It is easy to distinguish a Pskov temple: “The Moscow temple is a cake, the Pskov temple is a chest.” After the revolutions, Russian white emigrants “recreated Rus'” in the places of their exile just according to the “Pskov school” - the architecture was reminiscent of their homeland, while poor refugee communities were able to find funds for the construction of such outwardly modest and small churches. Therefore, “Pskov” churches are often found abroad.

Church of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary at the Parisian cemetery of Sainte-Geneviève des Bois

The temple was built by architect Albert Benoit in 1938-1939 and consecrated a month and a half after the start of World War II. By appearance, proportions, internal structure- this is a classic Pskov temple: small, cubic in shape, with one dome rising above the eight-slope roof, a dome drum and apses decorated with a runner and curb, repeating the internal division of the temple with modest and noble decoration on the walls and a separate two-bay belfry. Thus, unexpectedly, a temple located far from the Russian borders, under the shadow of which rests the color of Russia Abroad, acquired Pskov features.

Writers Georgy Ivanov, Ivan Bunin, Zinaida Gippius, Vladimir Maksimov, Dmitry Merezhkovsky, Nikolay Otsup, Boris Poplavsky, Alexey Remizov, Ivan Shmelev lie here. Here are the family of Igor Stravinsky, the widow of the reformer Pyotr Stolypin Olga Borisovna, the widow of Admiral Kolchak Sofya Fedorovna and their son Rostislav. This is where they rest religious philosophers and writers Sergiy Bulgakov, Vasily Zenkovsky, Anton Kartashev, Nikolai Lossky, Pyotr Struve, musicians, artists: Nikolai Kedrov, Konstantin Korovin, Ivan Mozzhukhin, Zinaida Serebryakova, Konstantin Somov, Andrei Tarkovsky, Matilda Kshesinskaya, Serge Lifar, Rudolf Nureyev, industrialists and benefactors the Ryabushinskys, princes from the House of Romanov, as well as famous generals Nikolai Golovin, Alexander Kutepov, Alexei von Lampe, Zinovy Peshkov (Sverdlov), Ivan Popovich-Lipovac and Sergei Ulagai.

Trinity Cathedral

I often hear from guests with whom I walk around the city: “Well, how old everything is here.” Yes, temples six or seven centuries old are at almost every turn here. But main cathedral Pskova is one of the youngest: it was built “only” in 1699. However, the current temple is already the fourth on this site; at the base of its structure rest the remains of previous stone cathedrals built in the 14th and XII centuries. And the original Church of the Holy Trinity, erected on this place, according to legend, was built by the order of the Holy Equal-to-the-Apostles Princess Olga, who, as you know, came from the “Vybut village near Pskov.”

Trinity Cathedral has always been the center of city life. The Pskov council of the times of independence gathered near its walls, here the princes called by the free city “sat on the table”, the Terrible Tsar came here to judge and execute troublemakers (and it is here that the Pskov holy fool Nikolka Salos, who humbled him with a bold reproach, lies). From here the veche bell was removed and taken into exile and the Pskovian, the author of the chronicle, wrote about how he felt: “we don’t know until the eyes flowed out with tears and the heart did not tear away from the root.” Here lie the relics of the holy princes - patrons of the city: Vsevolod-Gabriel and Dovmont-Timothy.

The temple is visible from almost everywhere in the city: it rises as if on a pedestal on a high rock at the confluence of two rivers. The temple is surrounded on all sides by a powerful fortress wall, which in comparison seems like a small fence. Five chapters (greetings from Big Brother - Moscow) are covered with gold and copper: beautiful, especially when at night the cathedral, illuminated from below, merges with the gold of the dome heavenly bodies. But before, as a rule, the domes were covered with lead (after World War II - with captured German duralumin from an airfield abandoned by the enemy) - and it seemed to be even better: the light silver domes melted into the high northern sky of the Pskov region.

Church of the Epiphany from Zapskovye

One of the Konchansk churches is the Church of the Epiphany from Zapskovye, the “capital” of the Epiphany end. A slender white-stone church and a massive belfry stand on the banks of the Pskov River, creating a single ensemble. The temple was first mentioned in 1397, and in its current form was most likely built at the end of the 15th century. This is a classic Pskov church in all the purity and integrity of style and school: cubic in shape, single-domed, with modest decoration, it makes a huge impression precisely thanks to the nobility of its proportions. In essence, this is a kind of “medieval cubism”, not only a building, but a large sculpture. The aesthetic effect is achieved through an impeccable combination of simple shapes and volumes: cubes, cylinders, parallelepipeds.

At the end of the 1920s, the great architect of the 20th century, the “father of constructivism” Le Corbusier, saw this temple while returning from Moscow (where he was building the Tsentrosoyuz building on Myasnitskaya). Years later, he created one of his main masterpieces - the chapel of Notre-Dame-Du-Haut in Ronchamp, about which he said that its forms were inspired by the Pskov temple he had once seen.

Church of the Intercession and Nativity of the Virgin Mary from Prolom

All churches in Pskov have names - not just after a saint or church holiday, to which they are dedicated, but historical names associated with the surrounding area of the medieval city or what happened in it rich history event. These names sound like music, a little reminiscent of the world-famous names of famous Italian temples. Only there are Santa Maria Del Fiore and San Paolo Del Laterano - and here we have the Assumption with Toad Lavice, Nikola So Usohi or Kozma and Damian S Primostya.

The Pokrovsky From Prolom Church was built in the place where a hot battle raged during the decisive assault on Pskov by the army of the glorious Polish king Stefan Batory in September 1581. Then a gap (Breach) was made in the fortress wall, into which the best royal knights and mercenaries rushed. But instead of a stone wall, a living one grew up - from the defenders of the city. The battle raged all day; not only men, but women and children took up arms. At the decisive moment, the invaders wavered and fled: above the battle in the air, both they and the Pskovites saw the Mother of God overshadowing the Russian fortress with her Veil. Both Polish and Russian sources unanimously describe this miracle. At the site of the terrible battle, at the foot of the mighty fortress tower, a church was erected, under the shadow of which fallen soldiers rest in a mass grave.

This small, modest, chamber temple is unique not only in history and name: it is unlike any other, either in Pskov or anywhere else. It seems to consist of two twin churches, “fused” with sides and vestibules and connected by a gallery and a belfry. Inside, everything is proportionate to a person, while there is not a hint of “human, too human”: the power of stone walls and pillars, the volume of vaults, sunlight penetrating through narrow loophole windows in the domes - all this clearly and confidently indicates that here – House of God and tomb of heroes.

Mirozhsky Monastery

The Mirozhsky Monastery on the opposite bank of the Velikaya River is perhaps one of the oldest in Pskov and the Russian Church. According to some sources, it was founded in the first half of the 11th century, during the time of Yaroslav the Wise. The oldest surviving monastic building is the Church of the Transfiguration of the Lord, built in the first half of the 12th century. This is the model and ideal of all subsequent development of Pskov architecture, a church erected and painted by Greek masters invited by the holy Metropolitan Niphon. The temple is famous primarily for its unique frescoes - the only preserved complex of paintings from the pre-Mongol period, a monument of Byzantine painting, which has almost no equal in the world (except that there is something similar in Sicily). For mysterious reasons, the frescoes were forgotten several hundred years after they were painted, already in Moscow times, and they were rediscovered at the end of the 19th century. Since then they have been restored many times. The glorious tradition of monastery icon painting continues today: the monastery operates icon painting school and a workshop created and for some time headed by the famous master, Archimandrite Zinon (Theodore).

Church of the Nativity of John the Baptist of the former Ivanovo Monastery

If the modern five-domed “late” Trinity Cathedral of 1699 is a “gift from Moscow,” then this church, built at the beginning of the 12th century, is “greetings from Novgorod.” At that time, Pskov was part of the Novgorod lands, and the temple is a monument to that era, an excellent example of the Novgorod school: three-aisled, squat, roofed along zakomaras, with three helmet-shaped domes.

Once upon a time there was a convent here, where the widows of the Pskov princes retired to monasticism. From the 13th century, the era of Alexander Nevsky, the story of the holy princess Euphrosyne Rogvolodovna, in monasticism Eupraxia, has come down to us, who became a widow-nun while her husband was alive - Prince Yaroslav Vladimirovich, an apostate who went to the German knights, who there adopted a new name and faith. Many years later, she was lured to a Livonian castle and killed there by the son of her traitorous ex-husband by his new wife. The gloomy Gothic history is complemented by tragic memories of the 20th century: according to the stories of old-timers, in the 20-30s the NKVD garage was set up in the temple, in which, as they say, executions of innocent people were carried out.

But the bright side is stronger: in the church, dozens of relics of the holy venerable abbess of the monastery rest hidden, and the walls and iconostasis were painted by Father Andrei (Davydov), one of the most unusual and talented icon painters of the modern Russian Church.

Chapel of the Resurrection of Christ (Royal)

The temple was built at the beginning of this century, is located on the station square of Pskov, next to the place where the imperial train stood in March 1917, where the last Russian Sovereign “in the name of saving Russia, maintaining the army and general peace” decided to abdicate the Throne of the State All-Russian, where he wrote down in his diary the prophetic words “treason, cowardice, and deceit are all around.”

The chapel that immortalized this event was built according to the design of the architect Sergei Kondratiev in 2003 and was consecrated on the 85th anniversary of the murder royal family. The author deliberately abandoned any attempts to stylize the ancient Pskov church in favor of using motifs that bring the appearance of the chapel closer to the architecture of the station, on the platform of which the tragic events of the abdication took place and the baroque forms of Tsarskoe Selo, where the Sovereign Emperor so strived in March 1917. The dome is covered with copper, the dome and The cross is made of a special alloy, made at one of the defense factories in the Urals, where the Imperial Family died.

On the foundation board of the apse there is an inscription:

"Lord, accept our repentance
And establish yourself on the path of resurrection
Native Russia and its people
In spiritual strength and truth"

Yuri Strekalovsky