Modern functioning Old Believer monasteries. History of the Irgiz Old Believer Monasteries

it strange place with a confusing history is located five minutes from the most remote station of the Moscow metro. At the same time, it is little known, in any case, the husband, who lived in these parts a lot, knew about him at the level of "yes, there seems to be something there."
I have no enthusiasm for a full-fledged historical background, and the level of knowledge in religious matters is low. So please forgive me if I am a little confused.
This place is one of the centers of the Moscow Old Believers. First came the cemetery, which arose here in 1771 during the plague. Under the pretext of plague quarantine, almshouses were created. All this was organized and financed by the Old Believer merchant Kovylin. At the turn of the century, male and female Old Believer monasteries appeared (with a cemetery between them), houses, shops, factories were located around: the community numbered about 10 thousand people.
In the middle of the 19th century, a new round of persecution of the Old Believers began. They were left only the former nunnery. It was closed under Soviet rule, but then was restored (although part of the territory of the former monastery is occupied by the Preobrazhensky market); the entrance there for outsiders is closed (you can get there with a tour).
And on the territory of the former men's monastery, the Nikolsky Edinoverie Monastery was created (the fellow believers retained the old ritual, but recognized the jurisdiction of the Russian Orthodox Church). It lasted until 1923. AT last years his churches belong to an Orthodox parish, but he shares the main church with the Moscow Pomor Old Believer community.
This is such a confusing story. Having understood it as a first approximation, you can finally see (shooting mid-April).
The most beautiful and harmonious thing we saw was the chapel of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker at the Transfiguration Cemetery. Built in 1805, Bazhenov was supposed to be the architect (and no wonder - both in style it looks like the hand of an outstanding master), but the authorship belongs to Fyodor Sokolov. This is the style of "Russian Gothic", it was believed that the design of the Tsaritsyno Palace served as a model. The chapel was restored in 2002, is now in good condition and belongs to the Old Believers.

As I said, there is almost no access to the current Old Believer monastery, you can only admire the fence with turrets (early 19th century).

And the second half of the territory is available for visiting.
Church of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker was built in 1784-1790. The architect is also Fyodor Sokolov, although Bazhenov's hand was also assumed here.

The second church - the gate church of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross - was built in 1801, also by F. Sokolov. Under Soviet rule, all five chapters of it were broken. In the post-Soviet period, they were restored, now there are icon-painting and restoration workshops.

And finally, a very beautiful bell tower. Built in 1876-79. received the unofficial name "Preobrazhenskaya Candle". It was restored during the Soviet era, but there are no bells on it.

This is such a strange place. It seemed gloomy, but beautiful and unexpected. So much luxurious "Russian Gothic" in one place, I don't know if there is anywhere else in Moscow

And this is how it all looked in 1882 (photo from Wikipedia)

From Friday to Saturday, we rode around the Yaroslavl lands - Pereslavl-Zalessky, Rostov, Borisoglebsky, Uleima, Uglich, then through the S-Pasade home to Moscow. Since the main goal of our trip is the Old Believer monastery in Uleima, I will start with it.
There is no point in throwing out photos from my soap box, especially since life in the monastery is extremely poor and it would be better not to take pictures, but at least to help in some way ... under the cut I will post old photos from http://www.temples.ru.
The tour was led by the abbess of the monastery, Mother Olimpiada. (Forcibly begged to be photographed).
This is the porch of the Vvedenskaya Church, now the nuns pray there, earlier in the Trinity Gateway, but there was a fire there, repairs are slowly underway.

The monastery is located in the village of Uleima, on the river of the same name, 12 km. south of Uglich, and we were driving from Rostov, about 80 km.
According to legend, the monastery was founded in the 15th century by the Rostov monk Varlaam, who brought here the icon of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker from the Italian city of Bari. In 1469, a wooden chapel of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker, cells for monks and a fence were built here at the expense of the Uglich prince Andrei Vasilyevich. In 1563, Prince Yury Vasilyevich of Uglich built a wooden church of the Entry into the Temple here. Holy Mother of God. In 1589, the first stone St. Nicholas Cathedral was erected in the monastery.

AT Time of Troubles, in 1612, the monastery was destroyed by the Poles, from whom two thousand peasants and monks defended themselves within the walls of the monastery. The last defenders took refuge from the enemies within the walls of St. Nicholas Cathedral, which collapsed as a result of a dig and buried hundreds of people under its walls. The construction of the new Nikolsky Cathedral on the basement of the former began in the 1620s.

Watercolor by V.I.Serebryannikov, 1840s
Nikolsky Cathedral, Gateway Trinity Church and Vvedenskaya Church.

In Soviet times, the monastery was abolished and abandoned, only in the late 60s did restoration begin.
Photo of 1973. Nikolsky Cathedral.

In 1992, the Nikolo-Uleiminsky Monastery was revived as a male monastery of the Russian Orthodox Old Believer Church (Belokrinitskoye consent). But due to the small number of inhabitants, it was turned into a female one. By and large, this is the only Old Believer monastery in Russia, the rest live in sketes.
Once again, friends, I will turn to you with a request, if there is an opportunity to help with even a penny, then believe me, the nuns pray for your immortal soul, and even the children of the Russian Orthodox Church, it would be a shame not to help the only monastery in Russia.
Account number of the treasurer of the monastery of nun Ilaria (Kiryanova Irina Ivanovna): Sberbank 4276 7700 1709 4019.

The farm is huge, but there are not so many helpers ...
2002

now, this year, they poured concrete on the road ... mother of the Olympics has a dream ... to change electric poles, keep on parole and on wires

The entrance is now through the north gate.

We were met by our old acquaintances Pavel and Elena Karpov and their youngest daughter Anyuta, because they are our parishioners from Belorusskaya, but in the summer they live in Uglich.

The only man is grandfather Michael.

I looked into the basement ... the potatoes were not born this year. Like it's true for everyone.

History of the Irgiz Old Believer monasteries.
I.V. Polozova.
"Old Believers: history, culture, modernity" issue 13 Moscow 2009

Irgiz is the largest Old Believer center of the end of the 18th century and the first half of the 19th century. It is known that intensive settlement of this region began in the 18th century as a result of the issuance of government decrees in 1716, 1718 and 1727. on the colonization of the Volga lands. It was at this time that the first Old Believer settlements appeared on the banks of the river. Big Irgiz. Of great importance for the development of these lands by the Old Believers was the manifesto of Catherine II of December 4, 1762. It promised freedom of worship and some other benefits to the Old Believers who migrated from Russia from the policy of cruel persecution of "dissidents": that even if according to the laws punishment should have been inflicted, but, nevertheless, we forgive all of them until this crime, hoping that they, having felt these our motherly generosity towards them, will try to settle in Russia, live calmly and in prosperity in favor of his own and the entire society. As a result of these promising prospects in the second half of the XVIII century. there is an active resettlement of the Old Believers to the territory of the Volga region. A significant part of the arrived Old Believers is developing the land along the river. Big Irgiz, as a result of which Old Believer settlements are formed here, including the settlements of Balakovo, Mschetnaya (now the city of Pugachev), Kamenka, Krivoluchye, Preobrazhenka and others.
Most of the settlers arrived at the Irgiz from Vetka, where in 1764, on the orders of Catherine II, a campaign called “the second forcing of Vetka” began (3). It was the people from Poland who founded the Old Believer monasteries on the Irgiz. Already in
In 1762, the first Old Believers from Vetka settled here and founded their monasteries. Yes, in
1763 Abraham's Skete was formed (since 1786 - Nizhne-Voskresensky Monastery), in 1764 - Pahomiev (since 1788 - Sredne-Nikolsky Monastery) and Isaaciev (since 1783 - Vsrkhne-Uspensky, in 1804 . transformed into the Transfiguration Monastery), in 1765 - Magaritin Skete (since 1782 - Upper Intercession Convent), in 1783 - Anfisin Skete, (later the Middle Assumption Convent).
The Irgiz region was the most suitable for the closed and isolated life of the followers of the old faith: dense impenetrable forests, the winding course of the Irgiz, unbeaten paths, as well as a large distance from large settlements, allowed the Old Believers to move away as much as possible from worldly fuss and supervision from the government and the dominant church.
Lower Resurrection Monastery (1763-1829). Abraham Skete was founded by a native of the village. Sadovka Volsky district Saratov province. Monk Avraamy, who settled in the 100-Rite settlement on Vetka, after the manifesto of 1762, returned to his homeland together with his comrades, where he organized a community and built a chapel. In 1786, on the site of the chapel, the Church of the Ascension of Christ was built and the skete was transformed into a monastery. In 1795, the Old Believers built another winter church in the name of the Nativity of the Virgin with the limit of the Apostle John the Theologian. On July 27, 1829, by the decree of the Synod, the monastery was converted to a common faith and received the status of a cenobitic monastery of the third class.
Sredne-Nikolsky Monastery (1764-1837). Pahomiev Skete was located a little higher along the Irgiz, opposite the settlement of Mechetnaya. It was also substantiated by a native of Vetka, Hieromonk Pachomius. In 1790, the St. Nicholas Church was built here, and the skete was transformed into a monastery. In 1798 the Intercession Church was built. In 1837 the monastery was transformed into a male co-religion one.
Upper Assumption, or Spaso-Preobrazhensky, monastery (1764-1841). Isaac's Skete was founded by a settler from Vetka, the monk Isaac. In 1764, the Intercession Chapel was erected here, to which an altar was later attached. In 1783 the second Assumption Church was consecrated. In 1798, a fire broke out in the monastery, as a result of which all the monastery buildings burned down. However, immediately after the fire, the Old Believers erected a new Transfiguration Cathedral, and in June 1804 the newly built wooden church was consecrated in the name of the Transfiguration of the Lord. In 1841 the monastery was converted to common faith and received the status of a cenobitic monastery of the third class.
Upper Intercession Convent (1765-1836). The founder of the skete was nun Margarita (Matrona Matveevna Ilyina, daughter of a Simbirsk merchant), who lived on the territory of Vetka for a long time. She organized one of the largest Old Believer monasteries. Women's monasteries on the Irgiz did not have churches, and in 1782 the forces of the Old Believers built one spacious wooden chapel here. In 1836 the monastery, which refused to accept the common faith, was closed by imperial decree.
Middle Assumption Monastery (1783-1837). Its founder, nun Anfisa, along with her sisters, also moved from Poland. The nuns founded a skete, and in 1796 a chapel was built here in the name of the Dormition of the Most Holy Theotokos. In 1815 the monastery burned down completely. After the fire, the nuns moved to a new place, not far from the Sredne-Nikolsky Monastery, and rebuilt the chapel. In 1837, after the refusal of the monastic nuns to accept the common faith, the monastery was closed.
During the period of the birth and development of the Irgiz monasteries, the population of the sketes increased with tremendous intensity. So, according to the census of 1762-1765. 17 people lived in Abraham's Skete, 29 in Pahomiev, 37 in St. Isaac's. By 1797, according to official information, 165 people already lived in the monasteries, according to the seventh revision of 1827 - 209 men and 154 women. In reality, there were much more people living in sketes, so not all the inhabitants of the monasteries had documents that should have been submitted to official scribes: there were always much more “blind”, that is, without passports, on the Irgiz than “facial”.
The statistics provided by the government were clearly underestimated, according to other sources, in 1827, 128 nuns and 147 novices lived in the Middle Assumption Monastery, and a total of 302 people; in the Upper Pokrovsky Monastery there are 20 schemes, 300 nuns and 200 white houses, a total of 502 people. According to N. Popov, only in the Lower Resurrection Monastery the number of all residents with visiting Old Believers living there reached 300 people, in the Upper Intercession Monastery from 50 to 400, in Sredne-Nikolsky from 500 to 700 monks and novices, in Sredne-Uspensky - up to 600 nuns and novices. In 1828, there were 87 cells in the Spaso-Preobrazhensky Monastery, 100 households and 200 cells in Verkhne-Pokrovsky, 145 cells in Sredne-Uspensky, and 61 cells in Sredne-Nikolsky. In addition, each monastery had separate buildings for a library, a common meal, abbots, etc. The number of monastics also increased, which varied from 100 to 700 in individual monasteries, and in total reached 3,000 people.
At the same time, it should be taken into account that the number of Old Believers in the surrounding villages also increased exponentially. Almost the entire population of the district applied to the Irgiz monasteries for the correction of their needs. As it appears in the notes of a contemporary, up to 25,000 Old Believers lived in the county alone with Beglopopov's consent. This information seems all the more true because the official church until the 1830s did not pay the necessary attention to the region. Often New Believer churches were located at a distance of 70 km from each other. Therefore, in many villages near the Irghiz, believers lived in marriage without a wedding, died without repentance, and were buried without a funeral service. As a result, since the settlement of these places by the Old Believers, most of the Orthodox have adopted the old faith. About the transition to the Old Believers of the inhabitants of the surrounding villages, we find numerous evidence in archival documents. At the end of the XVIII century. “Inhabitants of various provinces who began to move to this uninhabited region did not have any churches or priests to correct Christian requirements, therefore, if necessary, they had to apply with requirements to the Irgiz monasteries.” Almost all the villages of the Nikolaevsky district, where the Irgiz monasteries were located, were “seduced to a split”: Big Krasny Yar, Davydovka, Kamenka, Natalino, Porubezhka and many others. Let us cite only some of the available facts of the residence of monks and nuns from the Irgiz in the cities and villages of the province: p. Davydovka, Puzanovka, the village of Bolshoi Kutum, the city of Volsk, etc. Thus, the Old Believers were the closest, and often the only religious confession in the study area and, therefore, had a significant ideological influence on the local population.
In 1780, the abbot of the Upper Assumption (later the Transfiguration of the Savior) Monastery Sergei Yurshev received official permission to conduct divine services here according to the old rites. Since that time, the active public activity of the monasteries began to feed the Old Believer flock, not only the fugitives of the Saratov province, but also many other territories inhabited by Old Believers.
October 1782 and May 1783. the First was held in the Assumption Monastery, and in December 1783. Second Council. At these "general meetings" one of the most important questions for the Old Believers was decided: the legality of accepting fugitive priests from the dominant
churches through chrismation, leaving them in their former rank. As a result of the active and competent actions of the Irgiz monks, by the conciliar resolutions of 1783 and 1792, Irgiz seeks a monopoly on the reception and "correction" of fugitive priests. Since that period, the beglopopovsky Old Believer communities of Russia have accepted only priests who have received “correction” on the Irgiz for the fulfillment of church requirements. So Irgiz won the sole right to appoint priests for the Old Believers throughout the country, thereby significantly strengthening his authority in the eyes of adherents of the old faith.
In the early 1790s, reformed priests, ustavshchiki, who could perform daily services, baptize, confess, and even communion, began to be sent out from the Irgiz monasteries. Simultaneously in monasteries up to 40 priests lived, of which some were in the permanent service of monasteries, others performed the rites, visiting the Old Believers of neighboring counties and provinces, and still others were regularly trained and learned the traditions of the Old Believer worship.
According to Archimandrite Platon, one of the same faith, there were about 50 fugitive priests in the Nizhne-Voskresensky Monastery under the rector Prokhor, "of which all, on the right, were sent to different places in Russia to the schismatics."
Priests from all regions of the Volga region lived and "corrected" on the Irgiz, the main group of which were priests who arrived from the Saratov, Simbirsk and Kazan provinces. In addition, a significant number of fugitive clergy came from other regions of Russia: Astrakhan, Vyatka, Kaluga, Kostroma, Penza, Syzran, Tambov, Chistopol, Yaroslavl, etc.
Historians give numerous examples of petitions of the Old Believers of the Saratov province for permission to receive “corrected” priests from the Irgiz. So, in Volsk, the Old Believers invited from Irgiz "two priests and a deacon, who in 1817. openly served and even made solemn religious processions with bells ringing”; in 1828 parishioners from. Sukhoi Otrog, Kormezhki, the settlement of Krivoluika and the village of Bolshoy Kushum petitioned Prince Volkonsky for permission to correct the needs of the priests of the Irgiz monasteries; in 1851, the priest of the dominant church in the city of Volsk reports: “There are rumors that the needs of the fugitives are corrected by the Volsky tradesman, who came out of the former schismatics of the Irgiz monasteries, calls himself Fr. Isakiy". In addition, the teachings of the Irgiz Old Believers also reached remote villages of the province: Saltykovo, Atkarsky district, Alekseevka, Boltunovka, Khvalynsky district, etc.
Old Believers from different regions sent numerous requests to Irgiz with a request to send them corrected priests. In 1803, such a petition was received from the inhabitants of the city of Gorodets, Nizhny Novgorod province, in 1811 from the Old Believers of the Yaroslavl province, in 1812 and 1816. - Vladimir province, in 1818 - Yekaterinburg, Orenburg, Tobolsk and Tomsk provinces. The Irgiz missionaries often traveled from the Irgiz to the Don and back. In the Perm province, "runaway priests from the Irgiz were sent in droves, and the Irgiz tonsurers started sketes and chapels."
Quite quickly, the role of the Irgiz monasteries becomes very significant in the world of the Old Believers, which gave rise to researchers of the history of the Saratov region to compare these monasteries with famous Orthodox centers such as Kyiv and Athos. “The news of the formal permission for Irgiz to worship according to the old rite quickly spread throughout Russia. From the Urals, the Don, the Volga, from remote Siberia, from the proud Neva - strings of pilgrims stretched here from everywhere. Some went to worship shrines, believing the legend that the places for the construction of the Irgiz monasteries were indicated to the founders by God himself and that the imperishable relics of the ascetics rest on the Irgiz, as well as on Kerzhents; others came here to receive spare gifts.” Heroes of the novel by P.I. Melnikova speak of the Irgiz monasteries as the capital of Orthodoxy: “Just as after the fall of piety in old Rome, Tsargrad became the second Rome, so after the fall of piety in the holy Mount Athos, the second Athos appeared on Irgiz ... Truly, the kingdom of monks was ... They lived carelessly and abundantly in everything..."
The monasteries maintained close contacts with the entire Old Believer world of Russia. So, at the consecration of the newly built wooden church in the name of the Transfiguration of the Lord in the Transfiguration Monastery on June 9, 1804, guests from different provinces of the country arrived: “hieromonks 2 and 2 hierodeacons, 10 priests, 6 deacons and Old Believers of various ranks, namely: troops of foremen with headquarters and chief officer ranks 27; 500 ordinary Cossacks, 10 foremen of the Don, 35 privates; Siberian merchants: Catherine - 27, Perm - 30, Irkutsk - 20, Kazan - 35, Samara - 45, Saratov -260, Volsky - 120, Khvalynsky - 80, Astrakhan - 30, from various provinces of agricultural peasants and other male ranks up to 4000, and only 5537 people. If we trust the figures indicated in the document, then a significant number of monastic guests testifies not only to the extensive contacts of the Old Believers, but also to the impressive authority of the monasteries. Influential and powerful patrons of the Old Believer monasteries made a lot of efforts to ensure that the glory of the Irgiz monasteries not only did not fade, but, on the contrary, multiplied.
The heyday of the Irgiz Old Believer monasteries, their significantly increased influence on the inhabitants of the province and all of Russia, could not but excite the official authorities. In this regard, repeated attempts were made to limit the growth of their authority. On August 2, 1828, an imperial decree followed on the subordination of these monasteries to the provincial authorities and their preparation for the transition to the common faith. After the transfer of the Irgiz monasteries to the jurisdiction of the provincial authorities, the admission of new inhabitants to them was forbidden, and for those who lived there until the revision of 1827, the free movement of monks across the territory of Russia.
The reorganization of the monasteries led to the fact that most of the Old Believers, not wanting to accept the common faith, were forced to leave their cloisters. The bulk of the Irgiz inhabitants were sent to their places of residence, and the rest of the Old Believers were forcibly deported to remote regions of the country. So, after the transition in 1829 of the Nizhne-Voskresensky monastery to the common faith, out of almost 60 inhabitants who opposed its adoption, some were given to the soldiers, others were exiled to Siberia. Some of the monks of the reorganized monasteries went in search of better places to live, where they could follow their customs and rituals without the close supervision of the authorities. “Most of the population of the Irgiz monasteries, after their conversion, immediately dispersed not only in the Middle Volga region, but in the provinces of all of Russia, mainly in Moscow, Tambov, Tver, Vyatka, Vladimir, Nizhny Novgorod, Smolensk, Orenburg, etc. So great was the moral attraction of the Irgiz communities that heterogeneous and almost unmistakable strong forces of split from all parts of Russia flowed to them.
The wandering Irgiz monks expressed great feelings for themselves on the part of the population, "they were considered martyrs for the faith, had intercourse with them and revered them." Thus, the government not only did not contribute to the fight against the Old Believers, but, on the contrary, unconsciously helped them spread the old faith and “sow the weeds of schism” throughout the country.

In the third part, we will talk about the Old Believer churches of other accords. In the first and second parts, I talked about the temples of the Belokrinitsky consent, the largest among the Old Believers. Their spiritual center on Rogozhskaya was founded in 1771 in connection with the plague. In the same year, and for the same reason, the Preobrazhenskaya community of the Fedoseyevites arose. A special role was played by one of the courtyard people of the princes Golitsyn, the merchant Ilya Alekseevich Kovylin, who organized the almshouse and sponsored large-scale construction. And since Kovylin was a Fedoseevite (one of the largest denominations of priestlessness), the Preobrazhensky community became the center of this denomination, and indeed of priestlessness in general, in Russia. In 1784-1811, according to the project of the architect F. K. Sokolov (at the expense and under the direction of the merchant Kovylin), a large complex of buildings (which included the male and female monasteries) was built in imitation of the Vygoretskaya desert.


Fedoseevsky Monastery, later St. Nicholas Edinoverie

In the cemetery and around it, Ilya Alekseevich Kovylin gradually built houses, shops, factories and chapels. At the beginning of the 19th century, there were about 10,000 parishioners here. And in the surrounding shelters, there were up to 1,500 people. Thus, the community became the largest charitable institution in Moscow.
“In order to limit the activities of schismatics,” at the direction of Emperor Nicholas I, on April 3, 1854, the Assumption Church was transferred to fellow believers (that is, Old Believers who recognize the power of the Moscow Patriarchate). In 1866, the men's yard was moved to the women's, where the Old Believer community was preserved, and the Nikolsky Edinoverie Monastery was opened on the territory of the former men's yard. At the Preobrazhensky cemetery there was a rich library of writings about the schism, collected by the merchant A. I. Khludov; ancient icons were kept (including 1300 icons collected by E. E. Egorov), works of ancient Russian art. In 1920, all the Fedoseevsky chapels, except for the Exaltation of the Cross, were closed, those who were being looked after were evicted. In the early 1920s St. Nicholas Convent closed. Khludov's library and part of Yegorov's collection were transferred to the State Historical Museum, ancient icons - also to the Historical Museum, from where then some of them ended up in the Tretyakov Gallery and a small amount in the Kolomenskoye Museum. In the 1920s a labor school was opened in the building of the former monastery school and in the cells of the monastery, and later various institutions were located, for example, the hostel of the Radio plant.
The entrance to the monastery is through the Exaltation of the Cross Gate Church, rebuilt in 1854 (the cupolas were built on) from an Old Believer prayer house (that is, a prayer house) built in 1801.

Old Believer (Fedoseevskaya) Church of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross

Opposite the Exaltation of the Cross Gate is the oldest church of the Transfiguration community: St. Nicholas Church of the Assumption. The temple was built in 1784, and originally bore the dedication of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary. It was reconsecrated into the St. Nicholas Church in 1854, at the same time it was rebuilt, including an apse that was unnecessary for the bespriests. V.I. Bazhenov was supposedly considered the architect of the cathedral before, but according to the latest, most reliable searches, the project was F.K. Sokolova. Now in the building of the church there are two temples of different confessions, separated by a blank wall: the Nikolskaya Church of the New Believers in the western part, and in the eastern Assumption Pomeranian. Actually, an unprecedented case!

Old Believer (Pomorskaya) Church of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin and St. Nicholas Church

Eastern, Old Believer part of the temple

The bell tower, built already under fellow believers, in the 1870s - although it is designed in the same style with the original buildings, differs slightly from them:
Initially, not a single temple of the Transfiguration community was called a "church" - there were either prayer rooms or chapels. The Assumption Chapel became a church, apparently, only under fellow believers, having received an apse, and then this name spread throughout the community.
After the Great Patriotic War, Preobrazhenskoye became the de facto center of all Russian priestlessness, there were spiritual centers of three concords - Stary Pomor (Fedoseevsky), Marriage Pomor (DPTs) and Filippov.
The Transfiguration Cemetery next to the monastery for a long time was exclusively Old Believer. There are many merchant graves in the cemetery. During the Great patriotic war active civilian burials began. There are more than 10 thousand soldiers and commanders of the Red Army on the military site of the grave.

Old Believer (Fedoseevskaya) Chapel of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker "On the Nine Crosses" at the Transfiguration Cemetery

Old Believer (Fedoseevskaya) Chapel of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross at the Transfiguration Cemetery

Another one tomb Fedoseevskaya chapel at the Transfiguration cemetery

Fifty meters north of the Nikolsky Monastery, is located Preobrazhensky Old Believer (Fedoseevsky) almshouse. In the usual sense, this is a monastery. Now it is called the pilgrimage center of the Old Believers-Pomortsy named after Archpriest Avvakum. The architectural ensemble of this part has been preserved almost unchanged since the time of construction, and the female part itself was more extensive and orderly. Now all of it belongs to the Fedoseevites - the second in time of occurrence (1706) and the largest current of priestlessness, which broke away from the Pomeranians because they collaborated with the "power of the Antichrist" - for example, they prayed for the tsar. Fedoseevtsy (or Old Pomortsy) is a more radical wing, they retained only 2 Orthodox rites (Baptism and Repentance), rejected marriage, and their principled position is the rejection of any existing power.

Exaltation Cathedral

Prayer of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary

Prayer of the Transfiguration of the Lord

Prayer Intercession of the Most Holy Theotokos

Prayer of the All-Merciful Savior

Prayer of the Prophet Elijah

In addition to the Preobrazhensky cemetery, there are several other Old Believer sites in Moscow that I did not talk about in the first two parts. O Church of the Intercession of the Most Holy Theotokos in Zamoskvorechye already discussed in the second part. It was consecrated on September 26, 1910 as Belokrinitsky. Closed in the 20s. And in 1990, the temple was transferred to another sense of the Old Believers - the Old Orthodox Church (DOC).

The first Old Believer church of the Pomeranian community, built immediately after the release of the tsar's manifesto on religious tolerance in 1905. The idea of ​​building the temple belonged to longtime and close employees of V.E. Morozov and his sons: I.K. sons”, as well as I. I. Anufriev, a member of the board of the partnership. Built in 1907-1908. in the ancient Pskov style with the introduction of features of Pomeranian architecture, which was expressed not only in the absence of an altar, but also in the severity and modesty of architectural forms and interior. On the pediment of the belfry were placed the figures of two angels supporting the icon of the Savior (not preserved). In 1930 the temple was closed. It housed a children's theater, a library, a factory ... Since the 1960s. the church was occupied by the shop of the clothing factory "Cosmos". An active restoration is currently underway.

Photo taken in 1991 (by aj1972)

In the former transformer house Fedoseevskaya Prayer Room on Semyonovskaya

And now a little about the buildings in which there were Old Believer churches or prayer houses.
Whoever drove along Baumanskaya Street could not help but pay attention to what was left of the bell tower of the former Old Believer Church of Catherine the Great Martyr. It was located in the house of the merchant of the 2nd guild I.I. Karasev since 1872, on the second floor. In 1915, according to the project of N.N. Blagoveshchensky, the same detached bell tower was built. The church belonged to the Nikolsko-Rogozhskaya Old Believer community (the so-called "Beglopopovskaya"). It is believed that the upper part of the bell tower is a miniature copy of the bell tower at the Rogozhsky cemetery. In 1979, the house of Karasev, where the church of St. Catherine was located, was demolished, but the bell tower was preserved.

Not far from the Kursk railway station, in Podsosensky lane, house 21, building 3 Old Believer (Pomeranian) prayer house in Morozov's house

In Zamoskvorechye, on Bakhrushin Street, in a building that has now been refurbished and a cinema has been set up in it, in former home Lubkova was Domovaya Old Believer (DPC) Kazan Church

Above, I mentioned co-religionists. Edinoverie cannot literally be called old faith. Although they recognize the ancient liturgical rites (two-fingered service, service according to old printed books, etc.) and everyday life, BUT they also recognize the hierarchical jurisdiction of the Moscow Patriarchate.
Nevertheless, I will tell you about their Moscow churches.
I spoke about the Nikolsky Edinoverie Monastery above. I will tell you about three more temples.
On Taganskaya street, scrap 20a is located Edinoverie Church of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker, on Studenets. It was built as a "New Believer" building in the center of Semyonovskaya Sloboda in 1672-1673. (according to other sources 1699-1702) on the site of the temple of the XVI century. Rebuilt in 1712 (architect O. Startsev). The temple was closed in the 1920s. It has been destroyed and remodeled. Here was a factory dormitory. In 1965, they were going to destroy the church, but this was avoided thanks to numerous public protests. In 1966-1969 restoration was carried out. The church was returned to believers in 1992. It was re-consecrated in 1996 as the center of the Moscow community of the same faith.

In Lefortovo, on Samokatnaya, two large churches stand side by side. Trinity and Vvedenskaya churches. They were built, and until the 1930s of the last century they were of the same faith. In the 1990s, they were transferred to the "New Believer" community for restoration. Edinoverie Church of the Life-Giving Trinity near the Saltykov Bridge was built in 1817-1819. like a summer temple. A little later, in 1829, a winter (warm) temple of the Entry into the Church of the Most Holy Theotokos was erected next to it. The church belonged to the Trinity-Vvedenskaya (Newly Blessed) Old Believer community. In 1931, the church was closed. The building of the temple was successively occupied for housing, a warehouse, premises of a scientific institute, and a production workshop. Divine services were resumed in 1992.
, was located not far from the Rogozhskaya Zastava, on Vladimirskoe Highway (now the Enthusiasts Highway, the territory of the Hammer and Sickle plant). It was founded at the Newly Blessed Edinoverie cemetery in 1862 in memory of the liberation of peasants from serfdom. It was finally arranged in 1866. In 1922 the monastery was closed. The territory was included in the Hammer and Sickle factory (the former Guzhon factory), the temples were broken in 1934. The only surviving building was founded in 1873 Nicholas Church(Shosse Entuziastov, 7).

Currently mutilated and devoid of signs of the temple. It is located at the intersection of the Third Transport Ring and the Highway of Enthusiasts. Nikolskaya Church was privatized in the early 1990s and is used as an office building.