The huge Epiphany Cathedral has not lost its significance in modern Moscow. There is no longer a monastery as such, new buildings have appeared nearby, but it still rises among the surroundings, claiming to be of central importance in Kitai-Gorod. Its powerful dome is perfectly visible from Zamoskvorechye and is able to compete even with the Pokrovsky Cathedral on Red Square.
The Epiphany Monastery is rightfully considered one of the oldest in Moscow: it was founded by the first Moscow prince Daniil Alexandrovich in 1296 - only the Danilov Monastery is older than him. At first, all the buildings of the monastery were wooden, but in 1342, the first stone Cathedral of the Epiphany was built on the donations of the boyar Protasius. In the future, all reconstructions were carried out on the basis of this building: in 1571 after the invasion of the Crimean Khan Devlet Giray, then in 1624 at the end of the Time of Troubles. Finally, in 1693-1695, the existing building was erected on the foundations of the old cathedral. Subsequently, it was updated several times, but the structure has not changed.
Built in the style of the Naryshkin baroque, the Cathedral of the Epiphany is oriented vertically: an octagon is placed on the square, which, in turn, is crowned with an elongated drum with an octagonal head. The facades are lavishly decorated with white-stone carvings; large window trims with figured columns and ridges look especially magnificent. The sides of the octagon are also crowned with crests, and the corners of the quadrilateral are decorated with stylized vases. The upper half of the quadrangle is cut through from the north and south by double windows, the basement windows are smaller and decorated more modestly, but also with elements of the Naryshkin baroque. The refectory and the quadrangle are interconnected by a wide gallery, on which additional aisles later appeared. A bell tower topped with a spire was built above the western entrance. In the interior, attention is drawn to large sculptural compositions "The Coronation of the Mother of God", "Nativity" and "Baptism".
In the lower church, consecrated in the name of the Kazan Icon of the Mother of God, there used to be a vast necropolis: here were the tombs of the most noble families of Russia - the Golitsyns, Sheremetevs, Dolgorukovs, Saltykovs and many others. The cathedral was badly damaged during the fire of 1812: from the explosion that occurred in the Kremlin, iron ties burst in the building, glass and frames flew out, the cross on the bell tower was bent in half. Over the next few years, the building was put in order.
The Epiphany Monastery was also one of the centers of education in Russia in the 17th century. In 1685, learned monks from Greece, the brothers Sophrony and Ioanniky Likhud, settled in it. Here they founded their own school, where they taught Greek, grammar, piitika, rhetoric, logic and other sciences. Two years later, in 1687, the school moved to the neighboring Zaikonospassky Monastery and was transformed into the Slavic-Greek-Latin Academy - it was the first institution of higher education in Russia.
In addition to the cathedral, there were two more gate churches in the monastery: the first, in the name of the Nativity of John the Baptist, was dismantled in 1905 (despite the protests of the Moscow Archaeological Society) for the construction of an apartment building on Nikolskaya Street; and the second, the Image of the Savior Not Made by Hands, was lost in the early 1920s after the closure of the monastery.
Divine services in the cathedral ceased after the revolution, its decoration was badly damaged, and it itself was consistently used as a hostel, production facilities and a rehearsal room. Some tombstones from the lower church and basement were transferred to the Donskoy Monastery, which then belonged to the Museum of Architecture.
During the Great Patriotic War the cathedral was almost lost: in the immediate vicinity of it, at the corner of Nikolskaya and Bogoyavlensky lane, a German bomber fell. The buildings that stood on this site were completely destroyed, and the cathedral itself lost its head with a drum - they were demolished by the plane during the fall. After the war, the territory was cleared and built up with a massive building in the Stalinist Empire style.
Since 1991, a gradual process of revival of the Epiphany Cathedral began. Monastic life has not been restored, so the cathedral acts as a parish church. In 2007, a monument to the Likhud brothers was erected in front of the altar of the cathedral in Bogoyavlensky Lane.
Bogoyavlensky behind the Market, or Betoshny next. Male, 2nd class, non-communal monastery. Located between the streets of Nikolskaya and Ilyinka, it was formed, according to the Novgorod chronicle, at the end of the 13th century, shortly before the death of Prince Daniil Alexandrovich of Moscow, son of Alexander Nevsky. During the years of foundation and construction of the Epiphany Monastery, its western part adjoined Red Square with stalls and rows. The northern side bordered on a busy road to Rostov the Great, Suzdal and Vladimir (Nikolskaya Street). All buildings were built of wood, the first stone building - the Church of the Epiphany was built in 1342 under the supervision of the boyar and the thousandth Protasius.
In 1624 in the monastery on the site of the Church of the Epiphany, which had stood for almost 300 years, a new stone cathedral was built with the Church of Our Lady of Kazan. Later, in the lower tier (in the basement), a church was built in the name of the icon of the Apparition of the Kazan Mother of God, consecrated on December 29, 1693, and twenty years earlier, when the boyar Ksenia Repnina was the widow of Prince and Governor Boris Alexandrovich Repnin-Obolensky, one of the leaders of the boyar Duma , a participant in the struggle against the Polish invaders - gave the monastery land adjacent to it from Nikolskaya Street and Bogoyavlensky Lane, the monastery built the main Holy Gate here with access to the busy Nikolskaya Street and the gate church of the Nativity of St. John the Baptist.
At the end of the XVII century. in the monastery, stone fraternal cells were built along the line of the Vetoshny row and at right angles to them inside the courtyard - the rector's building (1693-1697). Then the cathedral was rebuilt. The temple acquired an elegant appearance of a Moscow baroque building. The outer walls of its apse and refectory, decorated with the same decorative finish, created the impression of rich decoration, and the double windows of the quadrangle, the cornices and platbands of the windows on the octagon, made up of several tiers of small profiled details, and the light figured spire gave a special festivity to the entire structure.
In the summer of 1782, the Cathedral of the Epiphany was again renovated from top to bottom, both outside and inside, and by the end of the century, in the buildings facing Torg and Nikolskaya, the first floors were taken over by haberdashery shops. 18 years after Napoleon's departure from Moscow, in the bell tower above the Holy Gates, the Church of the Savior of the Icon Not Made by Hands was erected at the expense of the Guard Captain Evdokia Vlasova instead of the Church of Boris and Gleb desecrated by the French. Almost 40 years after that, a chapel was built in the upper tier of the cathedral in the name of the icon of the Tikhvin Mother of God.
In 1870, a three-story fraternal building was thoroughly rebuilt on the western side and a two-story rectory on the north side, standing at right angles to each other. On the south side, instead of dilapidated outbuildings, three-story commercial buildings were erected and galleries connecting the buildings with the cathedral were dismantled. Epiphany warm trading rows have survived to this day. The improvement of the monastery was completed by the creation of the Church of the Great Martyr Panteleimon (1873) in the aisle of the upper tier of the cathedral.
At the beginning of the 20th century, commercial activity also took over the monastery. The corner buildings and the gate church with the Holy Gates (1905) were demolished, and five years later a four-story building of a trading house with an Art Nouveau facade on Nikolskaya Street was put in their place.
The Church of the Savior Not Made by Hands, which existed earlier, was located in the Epiphany Monastery above the gate under the bell tower. The bell tower was built in 1739-42. The church was first consecrated in honor of Boris and Gleb, and after renovation in 1830 it received its present name. There are 4 bells of the 17th century on the bell tower, one of them is large, dated 1616.
The previously existing chapel of the Epiphany Monastery on Nikolskaya Street was built in connection with the arrival in 1866 from Athos of part of the relics of the Great Martyr Panteleimon and the Icon of the Mother of God the Quick Hearer. It was consecrated on February 11, 1873. When the Panteleimon Monastery built its own chapel at the Vladimir Gates, the Athos shrines were transferred there.
"Index of churches and chapels of Kitay-gorod". Moscow, "Russian Printing", B. Sadovaya, d. No. 14, 1916
The Epiphany Monastery in Moscow is in second place after the Danilovsky Monastery in antiquity. These Moscow monasteries had one founder - Prince Daniel Alexandrovich. Prince Daniel was the youngest son of Alexander Nevsky and became the first Moscow prince, under whom the city became an independent specific principality, separated from Vladimir.
The exact date of foundation of the Epiphany Monastery is unknown. It is generally accepted that it was founded in 1296, when Daniil took the title of Prince of Moscow, but with the same degree of probability the monastery could have been built in the period before 1304. The place chosen for the construction of the monastery was the best suited for this. It was located not far from the Kremlin, on the main road to Suzdal and Vladimir, besides, the Neglinka flowed here, and this was very convenient for the arrangement of the Jordan on the patronal feast. The fact that the area was a hill also played an important role - at that time they preferred to build temples and monasteries on the hills.
The Epiphany Monastery grew up in the suburb, which was not yet enclosed by the wall of Kitay-Gorod. Craftsmen and merchants lived in this place, the main Moscow market was located. Initially, the monastery was called that - "Monastery behind the Market". Details about the first years of the life of this monastery in Moscow have not been preserved. It is only known that even then he enjoyed the respect and attention of high-ranking and even royal persons, he was used for grand ducal pilgrimage. The monastery had extensive estates, which allowed it to expand. In addition, the grand dukes and the nobility of Moscow made significant donations to the monastery, thanks to which it could prosper.
At first, the monastery and the Church of the Epiphany with the Annunciation chapel were wooden, so it is not surprising that it burned down soon. After that, in 1340, the son of Prince Daniel, Ivan Kalita, founded the white-stone Epiphany Cathedral in the monastery, which became the sixth stone church built by him. In addition, it was the very first stone building outside the Kremlin, built at a time when the Kremlin walls themselves were still oak.
The abbots and monks of the Epiphany Monastery have always been distinguished by outstanding qualities, they were true ascetics of the faith. Here lived the elder brother of St. Sergius of Radonezh Stefan, who at first was a monk, and then became abbot of the Epiphany Monastery. Here, the boyar son Eleutherius Byakont, who enjoyed the trust of Ivan Kalita himself, was tonsured, and arrived in Moscow during the reign of Daniel.
The deeds of the monks saved the monastery from disaster more than once. Frequent fires surprisingly bypassed the monastery. When Khan Tokhtamysh raged in Moscow, in an attempt to avenge the lost Battle of Kulikovo, he personally ordered the Epiphany Monastery to be set on fire, but the monastery survived anyway. Of course, the situation was not always happy for the monastery. In 1451, it burned down along with the Moscow settlement - this happened during the invasion of Tsarevich Mazovsha from the Golden Horde. After that, the monastery was rebuilt by the Grand Duke Vasily II, and his son, Ivan III, ordered that "annual food" be supplied to the Epiphany Monastery for the remembrance of parents and for the prayer of the holy elders for the sovereign's toast. Ivan III presented the Epiphany Monastery with rich estates, in which it was forbidden to beg, buffoon, stand up and demand a cart, even for sovereign people. At the same time, a refectory was built on the territory of the monastery from brick, which was distinguished by its special strength, which was produced at the Kalitnikovsky factory according to the recipe of Aristotle Fioravanti especially for the Kremlin Assumption Cathedral.
In 1547, a huge fire caused great damage to the monastery. This happened six months after the entry into the kingdom of Ivan the Terrible. During the reign of this Russian tsar, the Epiphany Monastery became the place of imprisonment of the disgraced Metropolitan Philip (Kolychev), who publicly condemned the tsar for his anti-people oprichnina. Oprichniki seized the saint in the Kremlin Assumption Cathedral, on the feast of the Archangel Michael. When the Metropolitan was taken to the Epiphany Monastery, people ran after the sleigh to receive the last blessing from the lips of their spiritual mentor. There is a legend about the miracles that accompanied the stay of the Metropolitan in the Epiphany Monastery. Once the guards who entered him found that the fetters miraculously fell from the captive. The second time, when Ivan the Terrible ordered to let a hungry bear into the dungeon with the priest and leave it for the night, in the morning they found that the bear was sleeping quietly in the corner, and the arrested man was safe and sound.
Ivan the Terrible revered the Epiphany Monastery. By his order, significant dues and food were supplied to the monastery, and when in 1571, during the invasion of the Crimean Khan Devlet Giray, the monastery burned out in a fire, the monastery was rebuilt by order of the king. During the Time of Troubles, the Epiphany Monastery was at the center of the battles for Kitay-Gorod, which took place in March 1611 and in the autumn of 1612.
The Poles completely destroyed the monastery and the Romanovs had to revive it. In 1624, a new cathedral was built in the Epiphany Monastery, and the monastery flourished at the end of the 17th century. Then, under Patriarch Andrian, with his blessing, a magnificent cathedral was built here in the Moscow Baroque style, which can still be seen today. Who was the author of this cathedral is unknown, by the similarity with the Trinity Church in Lykovo, some experts suggest that the architect could be Yakov Bukhvostov. This Cathedral of the Epiphany is two-tiered. In the first tier there is a church in honor of the Kazan Icon of the Mother of God, which served as a symbol of the miraculous salvation of Moscow in 1612.
In the 17th century, the fate of the monastery was extremely successful. In 1672, noblewoman Xenia Repnina presented the monastery with a vast courtyard on Nikolskaya Street, which doubled the territory of the monastery, and in addition, the monastery received access to Nikolskaya. It was here that the first holy gates of the Epiphany Monastery with the gate church of the Nativity of John the Baptist were built. It was in the Epiphany Monastery in 1685 that the Slavic-Greek-Latin Academy was temporarily equipped, to which students were transferred from the school located in the Andreevsky Monastery.
At the beginning of the 18th century, when Peter I was on the Russian throne, craftsmen from Switzerland decorated the Church of the Epiphany with beautiful alabaster sculptures. And recently, documents were found in the archives indicating that great-grandfather A.S. Pushkin and the godson of Peter the Great, the then young Abram Gannibal. But it was in the era of Peter the Great, after the death of Patriarch Adrian, that the first secularization was carried out: now the monastic income went to the Monastic order, and the monks were paid a meager salary, which was barely enough to live on. When the archimandrite turned to the king with a request to increase the amount of this salary, he was refused. But despite the difficulties, there were also joyful events in the life of the Epiphany Monastery. So, after a fire in 1731, Archimandrite Gerasim managed to restore the monastery and build another gate church with a bell tower in the name of Boris and Gleb over the second gate, which was consecrated in 1742. On this bell tower there were 9 bells, each of which was cast in memory of the soul. By the end of the 18th century, the Epiphany Monastery in Moscow became the seat of vicar bishops of the Moscow Metropolitan.
The reign of Catherine II brought absolute secularization to the Epiphany Monastery. Basically, the monastery existed due to the fact that members of many noble Russian families found their last rest here, making donations to commemorate the souls of their loved ones. Almost from the moment of its inception, the Epiphany Monastery was the main boyar tomb after the Kremlin one. In total, there were more than 150 graves with unique tombstones in the tomb church, which were destroyed in Soviet years. The Sheremetevs, Dolgorukies, Repnins, Yusupovs, Saltykovs, Menshikovs, Golitsyns rested here, an associate of Tsar Peter the Great, Prince Grigory Dmitrievich Yusupov, was buried.
Before the Napoleonic troops entered Moscow, the archimandrite of the Epiphany Monastery managed to take out the sacristy of the monastery, and the treasurer with the monks hid the rest of the treasures in the church wall. Neither threats nor torture helped the French soldiers find out where the monastery's valuables had gone. The Epiphany Monastery was saved from ruin and destruction by the fact that one of Napoleon's marshals stopped here. After Napoleon's army left Moscow, the Epiphany Monastery was in a fairly good condition.
In the second half of the 19th century, from the Russian Panteleimon Monastery on Mount Athos, the icon of the Mother of God "Quick to Hear" was brought to the city, as well as parts of the relics of the healer Panteleimon, a cross with a particle of the Life-Giving Tree, a particle of the stone of the Holy Sepulcher. In order to venerate these shrines, people from all over Russia flocked to the Epiphany Monastery. In 1873, a chapel of St. Panteleimon was built in the monastery, and the Athos chapel was built on Nikolskaya Street. The chapel was small and could not accommodate all visitors, so in 1880 the brother of the rector of the Athos Panteleimon Monastery donated a site on Nikolskaya Street to the monastery for the construction of a new chapel.
At the beginning of the 20th century, a number of works were carried out in the Epiphany Monastery to repair and improve churches and premises, which, on the one hand, brought comfort and beauty, but on the other hand, destroyed rare architectural values. When steam heating was carried out inside the temple, ancient burial places and the remains of ancient structures were destroyed, but this was only the beginning. In 1905, despite the stormy protests of the Moscow Archaeological Society, the gate church of the Nativity of John the Baptist was demolished, and in its place it was decided to build an apartment building. In 1919, the Epiphany Monastery was closed, and the cathedral and the Church of the Savior were made parish - they continued their activities for some time. In 1922, all the silver was removed from the monastery. And seven years later, the Cathedral of the Epiphany was closed. In his tribute, at different times, there was either a flour warehouse, or a Metrostroy warehouse, and even a metalworking workshop. The most valuable items were transferred to various museums, and the rest was damaged and desecrated. Various disordered outbuildings disfigured the appearance of the temple, the building began to collapse. In 1941, a downed German bomber fell near the cathedral and the upper part of the temple was demolished by a shock wave. After the end of the Second World War, the administrative building of the NKVD was built on the territory of the monastery, and of all the valuable buildings, only the Epiphany Cathedral was more or less preserved.
In 1980, gradually began to restore the surviving Epiphany Church, it was transferred to the choir. A.V. Sveshnikov, rehearsal and concert halls were arranged here. In 1991, the temple was returned to believers. A new era has begun in the life of the ancient temple. Restoration work even touched upon what was damaged during the Napoleonic invasion. In the upper temple, a multi-tiered iconostasis, stucco molding, sculptures of the Petrine period, and royal doors in the form of a cross were restored. The restored upper church was consecrated in 1998 by Patriarch Alexy II. In 1998, the Moscow Regency Singing Seminary began to work at the Epiphany Monastery, and the Church of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker "Red Ringing" and the Church of Cosmas and Damian in Old Panihi that survived in Kitai-Gorod were assigned to the Epiphany Cathedral. By 2014, it is planned to complete the restoration work, which is carried out at the expense of funds from the state budget. In its course, the fence will be restored and the surrounding area landscaped.
https://www.ruist.ru/index.php/moskva/79-moskva/97
Year of foundation: 2004
Rector: Dean of the Churches of the Khimki District Archpriest Artemy Grankin
The Church of the Epiphany of the Lord in the city of Khimki, Moscow Region, was erected on the initiative of believing residents of the city and with the support of the City Administration. Archbishop Gregory of Mozhaisk, vicar of the Moscow Diocese, in the presence of the head of the city V. V. Strelchenko, consecrated the foundation stone on May 15, 2004.
The architecture of the Church of the Epiphany of the Lord of the Byzantine style. The capacity of the church is designed for 1000 people. The temple is two-storey and four-altar. The lower church is dedicated to the Nativity of the Prophet Forerunner and Baptist of the Lord John (June 24/July 7). This is a baptismal church, in which a font is planned for the complete immersion of the person being baptized in water.
The upper church and the central altar were consecrated in honor of the Theophany of the Lord, (January 6/19 celebration), the right aisle of the temple is dedicated to the icon of the Mother of God "Quick Hearing" (October 9/November 22 celebration), and the left aisle - to St. Nicholas (May 9/22 celebration and December 6/19).
The temple is five-domed in a single volume with a bell tower. Plan in the form of a cross with an orientation to the east. Since the temple has two floors, the Architectural Fund, the chief architect V.N. Mikhailov and the decision of the Khimki City Administration, provided for the front stairs (in addition to the main entrance) to the side entrances and wheelchair lifts. The bell tower has four inner tiers and a belfry with four arched openings. On the territory of the temple there is a church-administrative building, as well as a church shop.
The building of the church is two-story, four-altar, with five domes in a single volume with a bell tower. The lower church is dedicated to the Nativity of John the Baptist, the upper church and the central altar are dedicated to the Epiphany of the Lord, the right aisle is consecrated in honor of the icon of the Mother of God "Quick Apostle", and the left - in the name of St. Nicholas.
The bell tower has five inner tiers and a belfry with four arched openings. The bells for the temple were cast at the ZIL factory by the craftsmen of the Society of Old Russian musical culture". The selection of the sound of bells, their number, tone and weight was carried out by the main bell ringer of the Moscow Kremlin and the Cathedral of Christ the Savior I.V. Konovalov.
There are twelve bells in total, the largest bell weighs two tons. An image is cast on the bells Holy Mother of God, called the "Quick Apostle", as well as the faces of St. Alexis, Metropolitan of Moscow, St. Nicholas, St. Equal-to-the-Apostles Prince Vladimir, St. Righteous John of Kronstadt and Blessed Matrona of Moscow.
The temple contains many shrines. Among them is an ark with a consecrated copy of the nail from the Crucifixion of Christ and a piece of the nail itself, an exact photocopy of the Turin Shroud of Christ the Savior, particles of the relics of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker and the Blessed Matrona of Moscow. In the left part of the central arch there is a canopy with an icon of the Monk Martyr Ephraim the New, Nea Makri wonderworker (Greece). There, in the ark, are kept the skuf and slippers of St. Ephraim, a particle of the tree on which the monk was tormented, and the earth from the place of his torment. In the temple, the image of the Mother of God “Joy of All Who Sorrow” and the icons of the holy Apostle Simon the Zealot and the martyr Basilisk are also especially revered. Beneath them, in special arks, there are stones from the place of the martyrdom of these saints.
Since 2009, divine services have been held daily in the Church of the Epiphany, a Sunday school has been opened, a social service and a youth movement have been operating.
Near the Church of the Epiphany there is a chapel in honor of the icon of the Mother of God "Joy of All Who Sorrow". It is dedicated to the memory of those who died during the liquidation of the accident at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant, in local wars and man-made disasters. Every year on April 26, on the day of the Chernobyl tragedy, a memorial service for the dead is performed in the chapel.
Also attached to the church of the Holy Apostles Peter and Paul is the house church of St. Luke, Archbishop of Simferopol. It was equipped in 2005 in the surgical building of the Khimki Central Clinical Hospital instead of the prayer room that had existed since 2004. The clergy provide care for the sick and medical staff who are being treated. Currently, work is underway to build a separate temple, which will be able to come not only to those in the hospital, but also to everyone.
Temple opening hours: Monday to Saturday from 7:30 a.m. until the end of the evening service; Sunday: from 06:00 to the end of the evening service.
Directions: from the Leningradsky railway station in Moscow to the Khimki station, then by bus / fixed-route taxi No. 3 to the stop “New Khimki Stadium”; from the metro station "Rechnoy Vokzal" in Moscow by bus / shuttle bus No. 443 to the stop "Stadium "New Khimki"; from the Planernaya metro station in Moscow by bus / fixed-route taxi No. 383, also by trolleybus No. 202 to the stop "New Khimki Stadium"
Temple details:
Beneficiary: Local religious organization Orthodox parish Church of the Epiphany Khimki, Moscow Diocese of the Russian Orthodox Church
TIN 5047069695 KPP 504701001 account 40703810509010000660
Central Branch of JSB ROSSIYA, Gas Pipeline Settlement, Moscow Region
to / account 30101810400000000132
BIC 044599132
Address: Bogoyavlensky per., 2
The Epiphany Monastery is considered the second oldest after Danilovsky, although a number of researchers consider the Epiphany to be the first monastery in Moscow.
Bogoyavlensky was located in the very center of Moscow. But if you do not know where exactly, then you will probably never find this dream. However, we will give you a hint: here you are leaving the Ploshchad Revolyutsii metro station directly to Bogoyavlensky Lane. And across the road, opposite and slightly to the left, you see the most wonderful - pink and white - temple in the style of the so-called "Naryshkin or Moscow baroque." This is the Epiphany Cathedral - the main, and, in fact, the only surviving temple of the monastery. But what a handsome man he is!
By the way, one more evidence that you came out right: in front of the cathedral there is a monument to two Greek monks - the Likhud brothers. It seemed - why would suddenly? Yes, because it was they, and it was here, in the Epiphany Monastery, that they founded the school, which later became the famous Slavic-Greek-Latin Academy. And later it was transformed into the Moscow Theological Academy.
Much can be said about the monastery and about the people whose names are associated with it. This is St. Alexy of Moscow, and Metropolitan Philip, and hegumen Stefan, brother Sergius of Radonezh ...
But here's what I want to say. Some secret is obviously connected with the monastery, something special that has not come down to us. There was something that made the sovereigns of Moscow themselves treat the monastery in a special way, with extraordinary respect.
After all the upheavals, fires, looting of Moscow, the Epiphany Monastery was restored almost in the first place, and it was precisely at the behest of the ruling sovereigns. Why?
Abbots of the Epiphany played key roles in numerous coronation ceremonies of Moscow princes and tsars. Why?
Not only kings, but also many noble persons donated money and estates to the monastery, so much so that in this sense, Epiphany clearly stood out among other, no less glorious monasteries. And again - why?
From the very first years of its existence - and the monastery was built more than seven hundred years ago - it was the Epiphany and the main boyar tomb. Here the Sheremetevs, Dolgorukies, Repnins, Yusupovs, Saltykovs, Menshikovs, Golitsyns rested ... And again questions ...
Such a mysterious monastery once existed where only the handsome Bogoyavlensky Cathedral has survived today ...
Why not bow to this mysterious and holy place?
Contacts: Epiphany Monastery
Address: Bogoyavlensky per., 2
How to get to:
From the metro station "Revolution Square":
There are two exits from the station. You need an exit marked with the following sign: "EXIT TO THE CITY: TO RED SQUARE, NIKOLSKAYA STREET, ILYINKA STREET, CHAMBER MUSICAL THEATER, SHOPS: GUM, DETSKY MIR, GOSTINY DVOR". Rise on the escalator, exit the subway - and right in front of you is a tall, beautiful temple.
From the metro station "Kitai-gorod":
Two different lines converge at this station. Regardless of which line you came from, you need to turn to the exit with the stairs (as opposed to the opposite exit with the escalator) under the sign: "EXIT TO THE CITY: TO THE NEW SQUARE, STREETS: ILYINKA, MAROSEYKA, POLYTECHNICAL MUSEUM, GOSTINOMY DVOR" . Go up the stairs, turn left and go to the escalator. Having risen on the escalator and leaving the station, you find yourself in a long passage - you need to turn left and go to the end, then go up the right exit to the street. Ilyinka Street begins right near the metro exit. You need to follow it to Bogoyavlensky Lane. It will be second on the right side. Landmarks: Birzhevaya Square, Gostiny Dvor (large blue corner building), the building of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of the Russian Federation. Turning right into Bogoyavlensky Lane, you will immediately see the temple.
From the metro station "LUBYANKA":
Arriving at the station, go to the exit marked with a sign: “EXIT TO THE CITY: ON THE SQUARE: LUBYANSKAYA, NOVA, TO THE THEATER PASSAGE, TO THE STREETS: PUSHECHNAYA, RODSTVENKA, NIKOLSKA, B. AND M. CHERKASSKY LANES, CHAMBER MUSICAL THEATER, MUSEUM OF HISTORY MOSCOW, POLYTECHNICAL MUSEUM, AVIACAS, PHARMACY No. 1, DEPARTMENT STORE "CHILDREN'S WORLD". After going up the escalator, turn left and go to the exit to the street. When you go outside, you will see Lubyanka Square in front of you. Turn left again onto Nikolskaya street, which starts right next to the metro, and go along it to Bogoyavlensky lane (the second turn to the left). Soon you will see the Church of the Epiphany.
Driving directions:
Cathedral of the Epiphany of the Epiphany Monastery at Nikolskaya. The street has always been one of the most popular among Moscow residents.
Back in the 12th century, roads to the Moscow Kremlin from Rostov, Suzdal and Vladimir passed nearby.
It is not surprising that merchants chose the place, and several monasteries and temple buildings appeared along the street, one of which is the Cathedral of the Epiphany at the Epiphany Monastery on Nikolskaya, commonly called the place "behind the Bargain".
A Brief History of the Cathedral of the Epiphany in Moscow
The initial history of the shrine is enigmatic.
It is known that the monastery was first built of wood, and when the building burned down, in 1340 a building (the first outside the Kremlin) made of stone appeared.
During the Time of Troubles, the Cathedral of the Epiphany with the monastery on Nikolskaya was badly damaged: it ended up in the very center of hostilities. Therefore, the Romanovs had to restore the building from scratch.
The significance of the new monastery was enormous.
Its abbots and archimandrites have always taken an active part in the life of the state and rulers. A higher school, the first in Russia, was also opened here.
Under the Romanovs, the monastery was not only revived, but was also supplemented with new buildings made in the style of the Moscow Baroque.
Under Tsar Peter, the Cathedral of the Epiphany continued to flourish, but the first secularization also took place. And during the reign of Catherine II, the temple lived only due to the fact that representatives of the noble families of Russia rested here.
During the war of 1812, the shrine survived, although during the explosion in the Kremlin, the monastery was also badly damaged.
In general, fate was favorable to the Cathedral of the Epiphany on Nikolskaya.
Only in 1919, in truth, difficult times began for the temple: it was looted and closed (some of the relics were given to museums, something was destroyed and defiled).
In 1941, the walls of the Cathedral of the Epiphany suffered again: a German bomber fell not far from the building and the upper part of the building was destroyed by the blast wave.
Restoration began only in the 80s. Even what had been destroyed by the French was gradually restored.
Today, the Cathedral of the Epiphany on Nikolskaya is open for worship; it has a Sunday school, a brotherhood, and a music lyceum. By 2014, it is planned to complete the restoration work.
