The completion of Trinity Church is sometimes credited to Dr. Fyodor Gaaz. He wanted prisoners in the local transit prison to be able to visit the temple. The stone church was placed next to its predecessor, in the place of whose altar there is a white stone monument topped with a cross.
On the eve of the famous council in Fili, Kutuzov prayed here, and the fire of 1812 bypassed the temple.
The Trinity Church, located far from the center, survived and did not close during Soviet times. Her vintage interior remained untouched, and during the ban period bell ringing in Moscow, in the Church of the Life-Giving Trinity on Sparrow Hills, the bells continued to ring.
In 1937, due to the closure of the Church of the Life-Giving Trinity in Troitsky-Golenishchevo, the antimensions from the chapels of St. Jonah and the Martyr Agapius were moved to the temple on the Sparrow Hills. Also installed in the church was a reliquary with particles of the relics of Saints Mitrofan of Voronezh, Alexy Mechev and Blessed Matrona of Moscow.
Church Life-Giving Trinity on Vorobyovy Gory (Moscow, Kosygina St., 30) is a cultural heritage monument federal significance around the city of Moscow. It stands in a very picturesque place, from which a magnificent panorama of Moscow opens.The current building of the temple was built at the beginning of the nineteenth century, but the church existed here much earlier.
The village of Vorobyovo has been known since the mid-15th century, when the wife of Vasily I, Princess Sofya Vitovtovna, bought the settlement from “Priest Sparrow.” It seems that it was from the name of this priest that the name of the mountains arose. True, there is another legend, according to which solid cherry orchards, and there were so many berries that there were quite a few sparrows here.
Vorobyovo was called a “village” from the very beginning, which means that there was a temple in it. Apparently, even then the Trinity Church occupied its place of honor in the village.
Once upon a time, not far from the church, the father of Ivan the Terrible, Grand Duke Vasily III built a wooden palace, which he often visited and even hid in during the invasion of Khan Mengli-Girey.
When Ivan the Terrible was 17 years old, he also fled to the Vorobyovy Gory to the royal palace during the terrible summer fire in Moscow in 1547. The burning city was deserted, and the rebel people rushed here, to the royal palace, but were met with cannons. This event marked the beginning of the reign of the first Russian Tsar.
This palace was loved by Boris Godunov, Peter I, who ordered a birch grove to be planted in his garden, and Catherine the Great, but by the end of her reign in the 1790s, the palace was dismantled due to its disrepair. But the temple remained.
In 1812, M.I. Kutuzov himself prayed in the temple before going to the military council in Fili. According to legend, this area has been associated with the Kutuzov family since ancient times. They owned the village of Golenishchevo, adjacent to Vorobyov.
Napoleon also came here to study the panorama of Moscow, which lies at the foot of the mountains. But even during the war, the temple on Sparrow Hills was almost not damaged.
The church miraculously survived during Soviet times, although the Bolsheviks paid great attention to the Sparrow Hills (somewhere here was the dacha of Lunacharsky himself, and then Khrushchev).
Then the Sparrow Hills were renamed - they became Lenin Hills. Ilyich Avenue, which is under construction, the main thoroughfare of the city, as planned, will also pass through the Lenin Mountains. Surprisingly, the temple was not touched even then. Moreover, the shrine was never closed during the years of Soviet power.
When the construction of the Moscow State University building began, it seemed that nothing would help keep the temple intact. However, this time the historical monument survived, which seems incredible. The temple could have become a home for the university, but this did not happen. And it is unlikely that he would have been able to accommodate all the numerous parishioners within his walls.
Vladimir Putin visited the church several times: in 2000 he visited the temple during Christmas, in 2004 he attended a litany for those killed during the terrorist attack in Beslan, in 2011 at a memorial service for those killed in the terrorist attack in Domodedovo, and in September 2014 he lit a candle “for those who suffered while defending people in Novorossiya.”
In the temple there is an icon of the holy martyr, who once served as a priest in this temple, and who was shot in the year 37 - Hieromartyr Andrei (Voskresensky).
Moscow rockers call this temple “John Lennon Church.” According to legend, when John Lennon was killed, all the leading Russian rock musicians gathered in the church on Vorobyovy Gory and remembered him. Here we could also talk about the bikers who gather in the evenings around the Observation Deck and have chosen this temple as “theirs,” but for some reason I recently fell in love with this audience very much.
The temple on this site has been mentioned since 1644, but the true time of its foundation is unknown and most likely dates back to an earlier period. The village of Vorobyovo itself has been known since 1453. The existing temple was built in 1811-1813. in the style of classicism, the interior decoration is modern to the building. The main altar was consecrated in the name of the Life-Giving Trinity, the southern chapel - St. Nicholas, the northern - St. Sergius Radonezh, side throne - in the name of St. Jonah, Metropolitan of Moscow. The temple never closed. There is a charity service at the temple.
Trinity Church on Sparrow Hills (Kosygina Street, house number 30).
On the high steep bank of the Moscow River, in front of the almost 300-meter high-rise building of Moscow University and literally a few steps from the famous observation deck on the Sparrow Hills, stands the Church of the Life-Giving Trinity. In 1937, the nearby Trinity Church in Trinity-Golenishchevo was closed, two antimensions were moved from it to the temple on the Sparrow Hills and an additional altar was built in the main altar in the name of the chapels of St. Jonah, Metropolitan of Moscow, and the Martyr Agapius that were in the closed church.
The wooden church has been known on Sparrow Hills since ancient times. In 1451, Grand Duchess Sofya Vitovtovna bought a small village on the high bank of the Moscow River. In 1700, documentary sources called the church of Sergius in the Garden standing in the village (apparently named after the chapel), and in 1720 they mentioned the chapel of St. Alexy, the man of God. It is also known that in 1785 this ancient church was rebuilt, and at the end of the 18th century the royal summer palace was dismantled. In 1811-1813 near the place where the wooden church stood, they built and consecrated a stone Trinity Church with the right side chapel of St. Nicholas and the left side of St. Sergius of Radonezh. It was small, typical of villages near Moscow. The bell tower, refectory and main temple were traditionally located along the east-west axis. A powerful dome-rotunda, standing on the cubic main volume, completed the drum with a small dome. The southern entrance had a far-reaching portico with Tuscan columns. The two-tier bell tower, on the lower tier of which the main entrance to the temple was built, beautifully complemented the entire composition. At the same time in 1811, a small white stone obelisk topped with a cross was installed on the site of the throne of the old temple. This obelisk has survived to this day - six meters to the right of the entrance to the temple. The letters on it have long been erased, but the image of a trumpeting archangel is clearly visible. The old fence with an arched entrance has also been preserved. However, some sources claim that from 1811 to our time only the bell tower has survived intact. It is noteworthy that on the eve of the military council in Fili in 1812, M.I. prayed in the newly built Trinity Church. Kutuzov.
In 1817, the Cathedral of Christ the Savior was founded on the Sparrow Hills - a monument to the victory in Patriotic War 1812. It was supposed to descend in terraces from the top of the Sparrow Hills to the Moscow River. However, during earthworks it was discovered that the soil was crumbling and sliding; Therefore, in 1827, construction here was stopped and later moved to Prechistenka. So the Trinity Church remained in these places as the only monument and witness to the heroic events of 1812. In the 19th century, the renovation of the Trinity Church took place twice: in 1858-1861. and in 1898. In the 20th century, in 1964 and 1971, it was produced external renovation buildings, and in 1971-1972. - interior renovation. Was cleaning wall painting, partly a new one was made. In 2006 church building also renovated outside and inside. The outer walls of the temple and the bell tower are currently decorated with frescoes. On the bell tower at the top there is an image Mother of God“The Sign”, and on the lower tier - “St. Sergius of Radonezh blesses the blessed. book Dimitri Donskoy", "Metropolitan. Moscow Alexy heals Queen Taidulla" and "Prayer of St. Seraphim of Sarov on the stone in front of the image of the Virgin Mary “Tenderness.” On the right wall of the refectory is depicted St. Nicholas, on the left - St. Sergius of Radonezh (in accordance with the location of the chapels). On the portico of the southern entrance there is a fresco “St. Trinity with Abraham and Sarah under the Oak of Mamre."
Next, counterclockwise: the image of John the Baptist, on external wall The highest place is Golgotha, and, finally, the image of the Savior. Special attention The wall painting inside the temple deserves. Above the entrance to main part from the refectory the Old Testament Trinity is depicted, on the dome - God the Father and God the Holy Spirit with the upcoming angels, and above the altar - the Ascension of the Lord. On the walls in medallions are images of the prophets Elijah and Moses, Saints Nicholas and Alexy, Metropolitan of Moscow, Saint Seraphim Sarovsky and Sergius of Radonezh, as well as the image of the Mother of God “The Sign”. Above the southern door below the medallions is the Presentation of the Lord and the “Feeding of the Five Thousand with Five Loaves”, above the northern door is the Entry into the Temple Holy Mother of God. In the iconostasis of the main altar, the icon of the Mother of God attracts attention " Life-Giving Spring", as a memory of the former name of the temple. In front of the sole on the left - Pechersk icon The Mother of God, on the right is the image of the Savior Not Made by Hands. Behind these icons there are two faces (choirs) for antiphonal singing. To the left of the pulpit is a small icon of the New Martyrs of Russia, to the right is an icon of the same size as the Royal Martyrs. On the northern wall there is the icon of the Mother of God “Quiet my sorrows” and the especially revered image of the Mother of God “Blessed Heaven”; on the southern wall there is the icon of the Mother of God “Sovereign”.
In the Nikolsky chapel, in spirit and origin, as if more austere, Byzantine, in the iconostasis there is the Iveron Icon of the Mother of God, in front of the salt on the right is the Kazan Icon of the Mother of God. Here are also the images of Saints John the Warrior, Guria, Samon and Aviv, and the icon of the Mother of God “Unexpected Joy”. In the Sergius chapel there are icons of the holy martyr Patriarch Hermogenes, Saints Blasius, Florus and Laurus, the Venerable Anna Kashinskaya and the image of the Mother of God “Joy of All Who Sorrow.”
Mikhail Vostryshev "Orthodox Moscow. All churches and chapels."
http://rutlib.com/book/21735/p/17
In 1451, the village of Vorobyovo was bought by Grand Duchess Sofya Vitovtovna. Around that time, a temple was built here, consecrated in honor of the Life-Giving Trinity. The first mention of a wooden church is contained in written sources dating back to the 17th century, during the reign of the first tsar of the Romanov family, approximately 1628-1632. “Church of the Holy Life-Giving Trinity, in the village of Vorobyovo, tribute 18 altyn 4 money, and on the 28th day of September, as of the current year 7136, priest Titus paid that money, in 7140 - for the Trinity Church, tribute was added to the previous tribute at the new salary 2 altyn 5 money" - this is what is said in the receipt books of the Patriarchal Treasury Order. Of course, in those days, as in more ancient times, the church was wooden and was listed as a “residential Moscow church outside the wooden city.”
In 1720, the dilapidated wooden church was demolished and a new one was built in its place: “On the 6th day of April, the decree on the construction of the church was sealed, according to the petition of the great sovereign of the palace village of Vorobyov, the Church of the Life-Giving Trinity, priest Ivan Vasilyev, with the parishioners, ordered by him in that village of Vorobyov "Instead of the old church, on the same church site, build a wooden church again in the name of the Life-Giving Trinity, and in the chapel of St. Alexis, the man of God, two hryvnia taxes were taken." In 1786, this new temple also fell into a completely dilapidated state, so much so that services were prohibited here. But only in the mid-1790s, by order of Empress Catherine II, the Trinity Church was dismantled. Thus began a new period in the history of this church.
Architect Alexander Lavrentievich Vitberg, a Russian artist of Swedish origin, became the author of the project for a new stone church in the style of late classicism. Of course, Vitberg is better known as the author of the project for the Cathedral of Christ the Savior, the first approved by Emperor Alexander I. The project was not implemented, and the temple that now stands in Moscow was created by another architect - Konstantin Andreevich Ton. And Vitberg’s creation adorns the Sparrow Hills.
The brick temple with a white stone plinth was built with funds from parishioners and donors. The dimensions of the temple are small, the architecture is quite modest, even ordinary for the beginning of the 19th century. This is a typical parish church for the Moscow region. On the quadrangle there is a rotunda, completed with a blind drum with a small dome. From the south and north the temple is decorated with porticoes of the Tuscan order with four columns. There are two chapels in the refectory - in the name of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker and St. Sergius of Radonezh. The main altar was consecrated in the name of the Holy Trinity. The bell tower is the only two-tier building that has survived to this day unchanged. The temple itself was rebuilt several times during renovations in 1858-1861, then in 1898 and 1900.
One cannot help but recall that the name of the “holy doctor” Fyodor Petrovich Gaaz, who was the chief physician of Moscow prison hospitals, is closely connected with the Trinity Church on the Sparrow Hills. Dr. Haaz contributed greatly to the completion of the construction of the Vorobyovy Church, wanting the prisoners held in the transit prison on Vorobyovy Gory to be assigned to this church and be able to attend services. And Fyodor Petrovich achieved this, just as he achieved the construction of a hospital for prisoners with 120 beds on the same Sparrow Hills in 1832.
The church did not close during Soviet times; renovations were even carried out here and temple icons were restored. Today, in addition to the three main altars, in the St. Nicholas chapel there is also an additional altar of St. Jonah, Metropolitan of Moscow. It appeared after 1937, when the antimensions of the chapels of Metropolitan Jonah and the Martyr Agapius were transferred to the Vorobyovo church from the Golenishchev church.
From the magazine "Orthodox Temples. Travel to Holy Places." Issue No. 289, 2018
How pleasant the names Moscow Semikholmie and Luzhnikovskaya Bend, which later became the Moscow River, sound to the ear. Sparrow Hills (or Mount Svarozhya, or Vorozheyskaya) is one of the 7 hills on which Moscow is located.
The emergence of the temple on Sparrow Hills
Here, on the steep cliff of the Teploostankino Hill, on the Moscow hill farthest from the Kremlin, is the Church of the Life-Giving Trinity on the Sparrow Hills.
The ancient village of Vorobyovo, which gave the name to the hill, changed owners due to princely intrigues, as did the local church, the first mention of which dates back to the middle of the 15th century. Then, already in the second half of the 17th century, a single Trinity Church was built on the site of three dismantled churches that existed separately by that time.
The building that exists now began to be built in 1811, retaining its former name, and the old church, due to its dilapidation, was dismantled by order of Catherine.
History of the temple
There is no doubt that the Church of the Life-Giving Trinity on Sparrow Hills has its own history. It was in this temple that M.I. Kutuzov offered a prayer to everyone known. By a happy accident, during the capture of Moscow by Napoleon, the church was not damaged, and its complete construction was completed in 1813. Architect A. Vitberg, the author of the project, designed a building designed in the style of late classicism - Empire style. Single-domed, with a quadrangular base and side chapels, it was decorated with columns along the façade. The Church of the Life-Giving Trinity on Sparrow Hills has a two-tier bell tower.
Renewed in 1858 and in 1898, after October Revolution it, one might say, was constantly under the threat of demolition - something was expanding, something was being laid, something was being built, and the territory of the temple was always needed. But it can be stated that the fate of this religious building is happy - it survived the Moscow fire of 1812, was not demolished during Soviet times, and escaped the ban on bell ringing introduced in the capital. Obviously, in all these cases, its distance from the center played an important role.
Temple structure
The Church of the Life-Giving Trinity on the Sparrow Hills has two chapels dedicated to St. Sergius of Radonezh and St. Nicholas the Wonderworker. The shrines of this church include two revered icons of the Mother of God - “Passionate” and “ blessed sky", as well as several temple icons.
There are several Trinity churches and temples in Moscow, which are usually laid on the days church holidays. This means that any temple of the Holy Life-Giving Trinity began to be built on this great holiday - Trinity, or Pentecost, one of the twelve church holidays. One of the most beautiful and solemn services is performed on this day. This holiday is associated with greenery, with the victory of spring over winter. Maybe that’s why the roofs of many Trinity churches are painted green. It's very beautiful! Some interpretations see it as a mixture of blue and yellow. In this regard, it symbolizes the rebirth of the soul through generosity and good deeds. It is also the color of St. John the Evangelist. His mantle is often green in color.
The originality of the Ostankino temple
The Moscow Church of the Life-Giving Trinity in Ostankino also has colors and is also extremely beautiful. Built at the end of the 17th century, it is the pinnacle of creativity of Moscow pattern-making masters. From the name it is clear that this style abounded decorative elements. It had everything - compositions of particular complexity, the silhouette of the building was, as a rule, unusually picturesque, the style was distinguished by intricate shapes and a large amount of decor. Opinions on the origin of the pattern vary; it is even reproached for mannerism borrowed from the West. A typical example of this trend in Russian architecture, the church in Ostankino, has existed for about 300 years - from the moment when, with the blessing of the Patriarch of Moscow, it was decided to build a stone Trinity Church instead of the old wooden church. The village of Ostashkovo (now Ostankino) was the main representation in the Moscow region of very large landowners - the princes of Cherkassy. The main residence is a worthy home church! The Tver Road leading to the Trinity-Sergius Lavra passed by the temple, and all the nobility, including crowned persons, stayed with the owners and visited the new temple. It had three chapels, the central one was dedicated, like the previous church, to the Life-Giving Trinity.
Unique iconostasis
The iconostasis of the temple, consecrated simultaneously with the central chapel in 1692, is unique. Its design was unusual for Orthodox religious buildings, intricate and elegant, and very reminiscent of an organ. The arrangement of the icons, their frames, the different spaces between them that did not repeat each other in any way, everything was unprecedented and caused surprise and admiration. Over time, Nikolai Sheremetyev became the owner of Ostankino, who decided to change the appearance of the church and the iconostasis, adding new icons. The next changes are made by his son. There were several more renovations, in particular, before the arrival of the Alexander II couple. But in 1875, during the next restoration, it was decided to return the churches original appearance and decoration, and then turn it into a monument of Russian architecture.
During the years of Soviet power, the temple was not demolished, but was thoroughly looted. From 1991 to 1996, three aisles of the church were consecrated in turn. Gradually the temple is being restored to its original purpose. Divine services began in the 90s of the previous century. The main shrines kept here are the Temple icon of the Old Testament Trinity and
Temple in Khoroshevo
No less interesting is the fate that befell the Church of the Life-Giving Trinity in Khoroshevo, erected at the behest of Boris Godunov on his estate as a home church in 1598. The author is supposed to be Fyodor Kon. In the 19th century, the bell tower and refectory were completed. The beautifully decorated kokoshniks under the dome decorate it and make it different from other churches. In the 17th century it was somewhat modified - the windows were widened and the porch was turned into a gallery. During the Soviet era, it was used either as a collective farm club or as a children's clinic, and even painted over the main decoration - kokoshniks - with plain paint. But already in the 60s of the 20th century, the temple was restored, returning its original appearance, although some things could not be restored (portals). Since the 90s, services have resumed and the temple has been returned to believers. The main shrine The temple is a particularly revered Georgian, Round image of the Wonderworker, Icon of the Mother of God of Kazan.
Service times
The schedule of the Church of the Life-Giving Trinity includes a detailed and clear schedule of services, which consist of prayers and sacred rites. That is, the exact time for all church rites and services must be indicated, because people come not only from all over the area, but also from other regions to bring out especially revered icons, for example, the Georgian Mother of God icon.
October 25, 2008
At the beginning of this week, some unimportant business took me to Vorobyovy Gory (in the Soviet period, “Lenin Mountains”), not far from the University building.
And remembering the Temple that was located there, I could not (as without this) take a few pictures. In addition, I always had the warmest feelings for this church. There is some incredibly kind, warm and bright energy there. And although outwardly, this is far from the most beautiful Temple of the city of Moscow, nevertheless, it was with this small series of photographs that I decided to start the long-planned series “Temples of Moscow”, which is, as it were, a continuation of the broader series “Temples of Russia”
Two more words about the “Trinity Church on Sparrow Hills”: As I mentioned above, this is not the first time I have visited this Temple. Last time, was there 4 years ago (or maybe a little more), and there in full swing repairs and restoration were underway (for some reason, don’t talk about this repair, not a single source). Moreover, it is gratifying that these changes did not “modernize” the church, as is often the case. She became even better, retaining her warmth.
Following a long-established custom, I do not photograph inside existing churches (of any religion or denomination), but sometimes there is an irresistible desire to take with me a piece of the miracle that the eye sees. Near each icon, you can stand for hours, admire, feel the warmth, forgetting about the bustle and darkness behind the walls of the Temple.
Of course, the iconostasis of the “new saints” (Patriarch, Mayor Luzhkov, Prime Minister Putin, etc.) at the entrance/exit of the Temple is a little depressing... but let’s chalk it up to time of troubles“zero” years. Time will weed out the unnecessary husk. And the Temple (I really hope) will retain the warmth that was given by the bright people who visited it, created it, and served there. Those who left a piece of their goodness, warmth and light, absorbed into the walls of the Trinity Church.
P.S. The icon of the holy martyr, who once served as a priest in this church and was shot in 1937, seemed very attractive - Hieromartyr Andrei (Resurrection)
His icon is located in the depths of the temple, next to the altar. Also on the façade fresco of the Temple (you can look at the photo in this topic - photo 6). There's something special in those eyes. I tried to understand what they wanted to say. I couldn't read it. Left. I still think about it.
You can view the entire photo album (without abbreviations) at:
Church of the Life-Giving Trinity on Vorobyovy Gory - Orthodox church, located in the Western Administrative District (ZAO) of Moscow in the Ramenki municipal district.
Belongs to the St. Michael's Deanery of the Moscow Diocese of the Russian Orthodox Church. The main altar is consecrated in honor of the Life-Giving Trinity, the chapels are in honor of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker and St. Sergius of Radonezh. In 1937, in connection with the closure of the Church of the Life-Giving Trinity in Troitsky-Golenischev, the antinymins were moved and an attached chapel of Agapius and Jonah, Metropolitan of Moscow, was built in the main altar (and now in the refectory).
The Trinity Church on the Sparrow Hills is associated with the history of the ancient palace village of Vorobyovo, known from chronicles since the 50s of the 15th century, when it was bought by Princess Sofya Vitovtovna, the wife of Moscow Grand Duke Vasily I. Many sources claim that she bought it from the priest Sparrow , hence the name of the village. But, for example, in the book “History of Moscow Districts”, it is said that the name of the village of Vorobyovo and the neighboring village of Semenovskoye comes from the names of the sons of the owners of these places - boyar Andrei Kobyla, who had a son, Kirill Voroba, and Fyodor Kobyla, who had a son, Semyon .
The mention of Vorobyov as a villager suggests that even then there was an Orthodox church here. Perhaps the Trinity Church was the summer residence of Moscow sovereigns. Trinity Church was mentioned in 1644 as a very ancient church in the village of Vorobyovo. Previously, there were 2-3 more palace churches there, which were later dismantled, and in their place a single Trinity Church with altars was built.
By the end of the 1790s, the temple had become very dilapidated and was dismantled by order of Catherine the Great. The current building of the temple began to be built in 1811 in the style of classicism, quadrangular in plan, with portals decorated with columns, single dome, with a two-tier bell tower. In 1812, M.I. Kutuzov prayed here before the council in Fili. The building survived the Napoleonic invasion. Construction was completed in 1813. The temple was renovated twice: in 1858-61 and in 1898.
During Soviet times, the temple was under threat of closure several times. For the first time in the late 20s, when the issue of building the Palace of the Soviets was discussed, at one time it was supposed to be located on the Sparrow Hills (renamed Lenin Hills in 1924). According to the General Plan for the Socialist Reconstruction of Moscow in 1935, the Lenin Hills were to become the final part of the city’s main thoroughfare - Ilyich Avenue. However, the plans were not destined to come true. And even the decree banning the ringing of bells throughout Moscow did not affect the Trinity Church, since at that time it was located outside the city limits. The temple was not closed at the end of the 40s in connection with the construction of a new building of Moscow State University.
In 1964 and 1971, the church underwent external renovations, and in 1971-72, internal renovations.
One of the surviving and currently operating Trinity churches is hidden on Sparrow Hills - it is well known to visitors to the observation deck in front of the Main Building of Moscow State University and to passengers crossing the Moscow River on the metro bridge. This church turns white against the background of the dense crowns of the Sparrow Hills, like on a patterned carpet, especially in autumn, and in clear weather its small domes sparkle with gold - and it seems so tiny next to the giant university. More recently, there were proposals to give this temple to Moscow University as a house church - this is how they tried to protect the Moscow State University student theater within the walls of its own house church on Mokhovaya. And no one wondered how so many parishioners could fit into the walls of a small old church at the same celebration of Tatiana’s Day.
The Trinity Church has been connected throughout its life with the history of the ancient palace village of Vorobyovo. Its current building was built in early XIX century, but the foundation of this church dates back to very early times in Moscow history. The village of Vorobyovo has been reliably known since 1451 or 1453, when Princess Sofya Vitovtovna, the wife of Moscow Grand Duke Vasily I, bought it from “Priest Sparrow” - it is believed that the name of the village and then the entire area “Sparrow Hills” came from the name of the priest. . Moscow legends interpret this name differently: as if dense cherry orchards grew here and therefore there were many sparrows pecking at the berries. Or simply the outlying mountains of Moscow - not mountains at all, but just hills, so small that they are “mountains” not for people, but for sparrows.
Since Vorobyovo was called a “village” from the very beginning of its appearance in the history of Moscow, this means that in those days there was already an Orthodox church here. It is possible that it was the Trinity Church that stood then in the village of Vorobyovo, which became the summer palace residence of the Moscow sovereign. Ivan the Terrible's father, Grand Duke Vasily III, loved it most beautiful place. Back in 1521, during the invasion of Mengli-Girey, he hid here, near the wooden palace he built, in a haystack, and remained unharmed. From Vorobyov, the Grand Duke often went hunting near Volokolamsk, and while hunting in the late autumn of 1533 he became dangerously ill. The cruelly suffering prince was brought to the Vorobyovsky Palace, where he lay for two days, waiting for a bridge to be built to cross him - the ice had not yet firmly bound the river. But when the horses harnessed to the sovereign’s cart stepped onto the erected bridge, it collapsed, and the rider was miraculously not injured. He did not have long to live - the sick prince was transported on a ferry from Dorogomilov and taken to the Kremlin, where he died the next day, December 3, 1533. His son, heir John, was not even 4 years old at that time.
And when Ivan Vasilyevich turned 17 years old, he retired to his father’s shelter during a terrible summer fire in Moscow in 1547. Thus, in the Vorobyovsky Palace, Ivan the Terrible experienced the first terrible days of his reign - only six months passed after his coronation to the Russian throne. The burning city was deserted, and the rebel people rushed here, to the royal palace, but were met with cannons. This event marked the beginning of the reign of the first Russian Tsar.
The Vorobyovsky Royal Palace lived a long life. Boris Godunov, Peter I, who ordered a birch grove to be planted in his garden, and Catherine the Great loved him, but by the end of her reign in the 1790s, the palace was dismantled due to its disrepair. And twenty years later, on the Sparrow Hills, the “crown of Moscow”, according to the figurative expression of Emperor Alexander I, the construction of the Cathedral of Christ the Savior began according to the design of A. Vitberg - their first “great construction”.
Trinity Church, which became one of the local palace churches, witnessed all these events. It was mentioned in 1644 as a very ancient church that had stood in Vorobyovo for a long time. The fact is that along with it there were 2 - 3 more palace churches. One day they were all dismantled and in their place one Trinity Church was built with altars. But the current church building, built only in 1811, has seen a lot in its lifetime. Already in 1812, M.I. Kutuzov himself prayed in it before going to the military council in Fili. According to legend, this area has been associated with the Kutuzov family since ancient times. The village of Golenishchevo, neighboring Vorobyov, with another, also Trinity Church, in the area of modern Mosfilmovskaya Street, and from the 15th century became part of their old boyar surname - as if the Moscow Metropolitan Jonah healed the boyar Vasily Kutuzov there, and this miracle was depicted in one of the brands local icon of the saint in the Trinity-Golenishchevsky Church. That is why the descendants of the healed boyar began to be called Kutuzov-Golenishchev.
And the Trinity Church in Vorobyovo survived even after Napoleon himself came here to look at the panorama of Moscow, which lay at the foot of the Vorobyovy Mountains. The completion of the construction of the Trinity Church is sometimes attributed to the famous “holy doctor” F. Haas, who took such care of the prisoners of the local transit prison, built from former barracks for construction workers of the Witberg Cathedral of Christ the Savior. He wanted the prisoners to be somehow assigned to this church, to have the opportunity to attend services and be cared for by its priests.
The Trinity Church, remote from the center, miraculously survived during Soviet times - although the Bolsheviks paid attention to the Sparrow Hills (somewhere here was the dacha of Lunacharsky himself, and then Khrushchev) and attached great importance to the urban planning plans of the new, socialist Moscow. It was none other than L.B. who proposed renaming the Sparrow Hills to Lenin Hills. Krasin in February 1924, after Lenin's death. He also gave the idea to erect a giant monument to the leader and build a palace in his name. These plans of Krasin later formed the basis for the idea of the Palace of Soviets, for which, by the way, Vorobyovy Gory was also proposed at one time.
And according to the notorious General Plan for the Socialist Reconstruction of Moscow in 1935, the Lenin Hills were the final, final part of the supposed main main thoroughfare of the new city - Ilyich Avenue, passing through the center of Moscow and the Palace of Soviets. According to the authors of the project, the Lenin Mountains became the main vacation spot for Muscovites. “Imagine a mass holiday in socialist Moscow, when tens of thousands of vacationing proletarians will walk along Ilyich Alley, rejoice on the fields of mass events, and relax on the water. The aerial cableway carries more and more Muscovites over the Moscow River to the green Lenin Mountains, from where a magical panorama of the new Moscow opens, no longer without the shiny copper dome b. Church of the Savior, but with a towering silhouette of metal, concrete and glass - the majestic building of the Palace of the Soviets,” wrote one enthusiastic apologist Master plan 1935.
However, the Trinity Church not only survived socialist destruction, but was not even closed during Soviet times, so its ancient interior has been preserved. Moreover, after the well-known Bolshevik ban on bell ringing throughout Moscow, it was in the Vorobyov Trinity Church that bells continued to ring - since it was then located outside the administrative city limits. And Orthodox Muscovites secretly went “to the Lenin Mountains” to listen to the blessed ringing on this miraculously remaining reserved island of old Moscow. Once again, the Trinity Church survived the construction of a high-rise building at Moscow State University in the late 1940s - early 1950s - and such construction usually did not spare anyone or anything.
Hieromartyr Andrei was born on October 2, 1884. His father, Archpriest Vladimir Andreevich Voskresensky, was the rector of the temple Smolensk icon Mother of God, located on Smolenskaya Square in Moscow. He was a member of a charitable society established Grand Duchess Elizaveta Fedorovna. In July 1923, the authorities arrested him for participating in a meeting of the clergy of the deanery, the purpose of which was to discuss issues related to the defense of the arrested Patriarch Tikhon. Subsequently, the case was dropped due to the amnesty announced in August 1923. In 1931, Archpriest Vladimir was arrested again; He was then already eighty years old, and on the way to exile he died.
In 1898, Andrei Vladimirovich graduated from the Zaikonospassky Theological School, and in 1904 from the Moscow Theological Seminary. In the same year, he entered the Moscow Theological Academy, from which he graduated in 1908 with a candidate of theology degree, and in 1909 he was appointed to the position of assistant inspector at the Novgorod Theological Seminary. He married Vera Sergeevna Bulatova.
In 1912, he was ordained a priest at the Moscow Church of the Dormition of the Mother of God, in Cossack, and was a teacher of the law at the 4th petty-bourgeois Mariinsky Women's City School and at the private women's gymnasium of A. S. Strelkova. In 1915, Father Andrei was awarded a nabedrennik, in 1917 - a skufia, in 1920 - a kamilavka, and in 1923 - a pectoral cross. Soon he was elevated to the rank of archpriest and appointed rector. At this time, with the support of the headman of the temple, he was preparing a publication on the history of this temple and the life of the Cossacks in Moscow, based on the study of the church archive. All materials were subsequently lost when the church was closed in 1930.
Father Andrei was assigned to serve in the Church of St. Gregory of Neocaesarea on Bolshaya Polyanka, and then in the Church of the Life-Giving Trinity on the Sparrow Hills. His last place of ministry was the Church of St. Michael the Archangel in the village of Karpov, Voskresensky district, Moscow region. Here, as in Moscow, the parishioners fell in love with the good shepherd, who tried to help them in word and deed. At the first request, he went to fulfill the rituals, in any weather - both during the pouring rain and in the bitter frost. He always found time to dig up a garden or cut hay for a lonely old man. He was a man who tried to live in peace with everyone, and was loved equally by his parishioners and his family. When he came from the village of Karpove to Moscow, where his family lived, all the local children ran to meet him, and for everyone he found a friendly word and a small gift.
Archpriest Andrei was arrested by the authorities on October 7, 1937 on charges of “agitation against the leaders of the Soviet government and collective farms” and imprisoned in the city of Kolomna. False witnesses were called and gave evidence required by the investigator. Then these testimonies were read to Father Andrei, and one after another he refuted all the false testimonies. In the end, the investigator asked during the last interrogation:
During the investigation, you were convicted by testimony of counter-revolutionary activities. Why are you denying this?
I can only confirm that I did not conduct any counter-revolutionary activities and I deny all testimony.
On October 17, 1937, the NKVD Troika sentenced Father Andrei to death. Archpriest Andrei Voskresensky was shot on October 31, 1937 and buried in an unknown grave.
Canonized as the Holy New Martyrs and Confessors of Russia at the Jubilee Council of Bishops of the Russian Orthodox Church in August 2000 for church-wide veneration.
© Hegumen Damascene. “Martyrs, confessors and ascetics of piety of the Russian Orthodox Church of the 20th century.”
Tver, Bulat Publishing House, vol. 1 1992, vol. 2 1996, vol. 3 1999, vol. 4 2000, vol. 5 2001.
