Description of the Church of Boris and Gleb in the village. Kideksha
Saints Boris and Gleb were the very first Russian saints and the most revered in Rus' - a great many churches were built for them in Moscow and other Russian cities. Both brothers were sons of St. Equal-to-the-Apostles Grand Duke Vladimir, who baptized Rus' into Christianity in 988. After the death of their father, the throne in Kyiv was seized by Prince Svyatopolk, who was later nicknamed “The Accursed” by the people for his great and countless atrocities. Prince Boris was not in the capital city at that time - he was just returning home after the battle with the Pechenegs, to which his father had sent him. And Svyatopolk secretly sent his people to him so that they would kill the legitimate heir to the throne. Saint Prince Boris, having already learned from his associates about tragic events in Kyiv, did not want to participate in the struggle for power and sow discord and confusion in the Fatherland. Expecting imminent death, he prayed fervently in his camp tent in front of the icon of the Savior. Svyatopolk's people burst in and killed him with swords. The martyr was buried at the Vasilyevskaya Church in Vyshgorod.
Svyatopolk, planning to kill his second brother, Prince Gleb, also sent messengers to him with the false news that his father was allegedly dying and was calling his son to say goodbye. Having learned about this, Gleb hurried to his parent, but when on the way he was transported in a boat to the other side of the river, Svyatopolk’s people attacked him and killed him. His body was thrown in a vacant lot, and all the years miraculous signs were performed there - passers-by either saw a burning candle or heard unearthly singing. Thus, over time, the incorrupt body of St. Gleb and was then buried next to his brother in Vyshgorod. Since then, miraculous signs were performed over the graves of the martyrs, and people began to worship them with the fear of God.
One day, when Holy place Foreigners came to Rus' with an embassy, and one of them stepped on the grave - a pillar of fire rose and scorched the feet of the wicked.
And then one blind man came to the Church of St. George the Victorious to pray for insight. And he had a wonderful vision - St. George appeared to him at night and ordered him to pray to Saints Boris and Gleb, saying: “For they have been given Grace from God in the Russian country to forgive and heal all kinds of pain and illness.”
Since then, the veneration of Saints Boris and Gleb in Rus' has grown stronger. In difficult times for Russia, miraculous visions of these patron saints of the Fatherland occurred more than once, and more than once they provided assistance to soldiers. In 1240, on the eve of the Battle of the Neva, the governor of Prince Alexander Yaroslavich at dawn suddenly saw a canoe floating along the river, in which stood Saints Boris and Gleb. The amazed governor heard one say: “Brother Gleb, let’s go quickly and help our relative, Prince Alexander, against the furious enemies.”
And in 1380, on the night before the Battle of Kulikovo, a guard standing on night watch saw bright young men - they held candles and naked swords in their hands. “Who ordered you to destroy our fatherland, given to us by the Lord?” - they said to the Mongol-Tatar military leaders in front of the guard and brought down their swords on them. On that day, the army of Dmitry Donskoy defeated Mamai.
In Moscow, many churches were built for the revered saints Boris and Gleb and many church chapels were consecrated in the name of the saints. One of these churches stood on Povarskaya Street.
In the old days this area from White City to Zemlyanoy Val was a continuation of the area of Bolshaya Nikitskaya and Kisloshka, where the royal settlements and palace farms were located. Here lived the royal cooks and workers serving the sovereign's table - bread makers, tablecloth makers, etc. The memory of them was preserved in local toponymy, in the name of Povarskaya Street and the Khlebny, Skatertny, Nozhovoy, Stolovoy alleys.
According to legend, the Boris and Gleb Church was built here by Boris Godunov, consecrated on the Day of the Tsar's Angel. It is reliably known that at the beginning of the 17th century it already existed and was seriously damaged during the Time of Troubles and the Polish-Lithuanian intervention. Until the very end of that “rebellious” century, the church was wooden. Only in 1691 was it built in stone, and the building, which survived until the time of the October Revolution, was erected with donations from a parishioner only in 1802, on the site of the former church. There was an image of the Savior Not Made by Hands written by Simon Ushakov from 1685.
It was this modest Moscow church that was associated with many prominent figures Russian history and culture, its former parishioners. In 1830, Pushkin’s friend, state councilor S.D. Kiselev, who lived in the parish on Povarskaya, and Elizaveta Ushakova, younger sister whom, Catherine, was courted by the poet himself. Pushkin was a witness, or, as they said then, a “guarantor” of the groom at this wedding. However, family relations did not develop between them - Pushkin’s matchmaking with Ekaterina Ushakova never took place. By the poet's own admission, he Lately I went to see Ushakova every day, only to drive past the windows of the house of Natalya Goncharova, who lived nearby on Bolshaya Nikitskaya, twice a day.
In the same first half of the 19th century, the Boris and Gleb Church on Povarskaya had another famous parishioner - K.P. Pobedonostsev, one of the most mysterious and controversial personalities in Russian history. The grandson of a priest, he was born in Moscow in 1827 and spent his early years in these Arbat regions. “My pious parents taught me to go to church from childhood,” the Chief Prosecutor of the Synod later recalled in one of his letters to Emperor Alexander III. He attended services in the Boris and Gleb Church and often read “The Apostle” there.
Assessments of Pobedonostsev's personality and his role in Russian history were and remain opposite to the extreme - few others have caused such controversy among both contemporaries and descendants. And if Andrei Bely in the brilliant novel “Petersburg” portrayed Pobedonostsev in the terrible character of Senator Ableukhov, then the nun Maria left the kindest and warmest memories of him, in which she called him her childhood friend. And in our time, some historians even consider Pobedonostsev a “white revolutionary,” thus assessing his attempts to save the situation in Russia and its statehood on the eve of the twentieth century.
As is known, political activity Pobedonostseva had a very wide range - from affirming the truth and legality of the monarchical system and warnings against the introduction of the Constitution and parliament in Russia to the fight against the teachings of Leo Tolstoy. He survived only the first Russian revolution, retired in October 1905 and died two years later, on March 23, 1907, in St. Petersburg.
And shortly before the October Revolution, in 1914, Marina Tsvetaeva settled in the curved Borisoglebsky Lane. Having left her beloved childhood home in Trekhprudny, the poetess spent a long time looking for a new home in Moscow that would resemble her Moscow homeland. Such a house turned out to be a small two-story mansion at Borisoglebsky, 6.
Two trees: in the heat of sunsetIn the rain - still in the snow -
Always, always: one thing to another,
This is the law: one thing to another,
The law is one: one thing leads to another.
The first Russian saints who deserved people's love and veneration, became the passion-bearing princes Boris and Gleb. Temples were built in their honor, one of them is an outstanding architectural monument - the Church of Boris and Gleb in Zyuzin.
Passion-bearers Boris and Gleb
The siblings Boris and Gleb were the sons of Prince Vladimir. The example of the father, who from an unbridled pagan turned into a meek servant of Christ, was reflected in the character of the brothers. They grew up God-fearing and obedient. Having matured, Boris and Gleb were sent by Prince Vladimir to reign in Rostov and Murom.
Read about Saint Prince Vladimir:
Being at an advanced age, the prince received news that the Pechenegs were approaching Rus'. Vladimir instructed his son Boris to repel the enemy. While Saint Boris was on a campaign, his father departed to the Lord. The throne in Kyiv was taken by the elder brother Svyatopolk, who took over and planned to destroy his brothers. The murder took place in 1015.
Blessed Princes Boris and Gleb
Boris and Gleb became the first Russian saints. They were canonized as martyrs-passion-bearers, making them intercessors of the Russian land and heavenly helpers of the Russian princes.
History and architecture of the temple
Construction of the church began in 1688 and was completed in 1704. Thus, the temple is more than 300 years old. The manor church was built with his savings by Peter I's associate, Prince Boris Ivanovich Prozorovsky, and before him the estate belonged to the famous noblewoman Morozova.
After the well-known events of the Old Believer schism, these lands were confiscated and donated by Tsar Peter I for the works of B.I. Prozorovsky. And on these lands, in Zyuzin, the prince decided to build a stone temple.
The famous architect Yakov Bukhvostov was brought in for construction. Since the construction of the Church of Boris and Gleb, an architectural style known as Naryshkin or Moscow Baroque has appeared in Moscow. The temple is the prototype of a number of other Moscow churches.
It has one design feature - the altar apse is turned to the north. Why is this so? The answer is simple - Boris Ivanovich Prozorovsky wished that the altar apse would look towards the center of Moscow, to the north.
Church of Boris and Gleb in Zyuzino
The temple is two-story: the upper temple in honor of Boris and Gleb is a summer temple; the lower temple is a winter one, in honor of Grand Duke Vladimir.
In 1938, the temple was closed and shared the fate of many churches, both in the city of Moscow and throughout the country. Before the closure of the temple there were two wonderful abbots - Alexander Kharyuzov, who served until 1937. When he was arrested and shot, his brother, Father Leonid, took his place. They laughed at him for not having long to serve. But he accomplished his feat of serving God. Soon he was arrested and shot. And from 1938 to 1989 the temple was closed.
In 1940-1941, the building had neither security nor locks. All wooden parts were broken, starting from the ancient carved iconostasis and ending with window and door frames, and the bell tower was destroyed. The Royal Doors, several icons and carved columns have been miraculously preserved. Now they are in the Kolomenskoye Museum.
The temple was not used for its intended purpose. It was also a vegetable warehouse, and during the war years the bell tower was used as an observation tower. Then it became a branch of the plant precious metals with a galvanic bath located in the altar of the lower temple, and, of course, received enormous damage.
After a long period of oblivion, on May 15, 1989, the first service took place in memory of the holy martyrs and passion-bearers Boris and Gleb. But they weren’t allowed into the temple yet, so a prayer service was held opposite the temple, on the street.
Iconostasis of the lower temple
But the first liturgy took place on July 28, 1989, on the day of Grand Duke Vladimir, in the lower church.
All that is now in the temple is a newly restored interior. The iconostasis is completely new, but made according to old sketches, practically one to one.
The painting on the walls is completely new. Moreover, the temple was not painted until the beginning of the 19th century. The cause turned out to be an engineering problem. When the roof of the bell tower was opened, leaks began because Yakov Bukhvostov, no matter how famous an architect he was, did not take into account one thing - the Russian winter and weather conditions.
When painting the temple, the question arose - the temple is in the Naryshkin Baroque style, which means that the painting should be in the appropriate style. But when they began to invite artists with their sketches, it became clear that the painting of the mid-19th century was not very perceived by contemporaries and did not lie on the heart. And only sketches in the Byzantine style were suitable for painting. This is exactly the style that existed in the times of Boris and Gleb.
Temple shrines
The rectors of Moscow churches presented shrines as gifts to the temple. Thus, the donated icon of the great martyr and healer Panteleimon is so miraculous that it cleansed itself and was renewed.
The Calvary Cross was presented - magnificent and unique.
Many parishioners donated their icons. Other icons were painted anew, but had already become prayerful:
- St. Nicholas the Wonderworker with a reliquary;
- icon Holy Mother of God"Tikhvinskaya";
Some icons were ordered and painted at the request of parishioners, taking into account their wishes. One of the parishioners brought the “Sign” icon, which was in the church from 1938 until its closure. She saved her, miraculously preserved her.
The Church of Boris and Gleb in Degunino, like churches in many other places in Russia, is dedicated to the children of Grand Duke Vladimir. They are famous primarily for the fact that they became the first Russian saints. Boris and Gleb were canonized by both the Russian and Constantinople churches.
The first Russian saints
Why are they martyrs and passion-bearers? Because they were treacherously killed by their own brother Svyatopolk, nicknamed by the people because of this “The Accursed”. The brothers accepted death voluntarily, knowing about it in advance. Boris and Gleb did not raise their hands against their older brother. An integral part of Christian faith- non-resistance to evil through violence - was a novelty for pagan Rus', who had just converted to Orthodoxy. The fratricide Svyatopolk fled to Poland from the troops of Yaroslav the Wise, but, like Cain, he could not find a place for himself anywhere. According to legend, even his grave emanated a stench. And after canonization, Boris and Gleb became the patrons and guardians of Rus'. They began to be honored immediately after death.
"Prayer" church
The Temple of Boris and Gleb in Degunino is first mentioned as being destroyed by Polish-Livonian troops. This happened in 1585. The village itself was mentioned for the first time in 1336 in a charter from Ivan Kalita. It is impossible to admit the idea that there was no church in the village, especially since in 1394 locality goes to the church for 400 years. The village near Moscow, known as Deguninskoe when it was founded, ceased to exist in 1960. It became part of Moscow, which is constantly expanding its borders. The Temple of Boris and Gleb in Degunino is known for being destroyed repeatedly by fire. But every time, on the site of a destroyed temple, a religious structure made of wood is re-erected. This happened, perhaps, due to a lack of funds for the construction of a stone building. For example, in 1633 the church was built with the money of a local priest.
Always reborn from the ashes like a phoenix
According to documents (1676), the newly erected temple is listed as the Church of the Saints and Blessed Boris and Gleb with the chapel of the Evangelist and Apostle. Under Peter I, in the first years of his reign, namely in 1700, by decree of the then Patriarch Andrian, the village and the Church of Boris and Gleb in Degunin were transferred to the Alekseevsky Monastery, founded in 1360 by Metropolitan Alexy. The legendary Star Maiden Convent has not survived to this day; the Cathedral of Christ the Savior now stands in its place. During the invasion of Napoleonic troops, when everything was burning, Boris and Gleb in Degunino survived. Probably because in those days the village was considered a remote Moscow region. It should be noted that the stone church in this village opened its doors to parishioners only in 1866.
Wooden again
And in 1762, the very old dilapidated church was rebuilt. However, the new temple is being built again from wood. Two years later, Degunino, which stands on, was removed from church ownership and transferred to civil jurisdiction, that is, secularized. From 1843 to 1851, construction took place in Russia railway, connecting Moscow with St. Petersburg. The line passed through lands belonging to the village, for which the community was paid quite large sum compensation for alienated lands. This prompted the Degunin people to think about a new stone temple. An appeal from parishioners and the rector of the church, priest Simeon Florovich Strakhov, to Metropolitan Philaret, Vladyka of Moscow, was sent in 1863. In the neighboring village of Verkhnie Likhobory there was a stone factory, and its owner, merchant of the 1st guild Prorekhov V.A., provided required quantity bricks in the amount of 360,000 pieces for future construction. That was the most huge contribution to this good cause.
Handsome man made of stone
Stone Church of St. Boris and Gleb in Degunin grew up next to the old wooden church, dismantled in 1884. It was made in pseudo-Russian or Russian-Byzantine style. The three-altar massive temple turned out beautiful. It was built in the shape of a parallelepiped with a single internal space. There is a refectory and a bell tower with two large bells. The temple is decorated with a high semicircular apse, adjacent to the main semicircular, lower part of the building. As a rule, this is an altar ledge. At the time of the opening, the walls and vaults of the church were very beautifully painted, and the iconostasis was rich. 1887 was the year of renovation of the three iconostases of the temple in Degunino.
Martyr Temple
The further fate of the church is traditional. The era of atheism began, but the temple of the noble princes Boris and Gleb in Degunin operated until 1930, when services stopped due to the lack of priests. The church was officially closed in 1941, and before that time the Deguninsky parish seemed to exist. And it should be noted that in the 20-30s church life continued in the village. Thus, the community asked for permission to carry out religious processions in the homes of believers. And in 1925, the Charter of the Borisoglebsk Orthodox Community was registered. After the official closure, the church was adapted for the needs of an outpatient clinic. The artel of disabled people “Motherland” moved into the walls of the former temple in the 60s of the last century. To rebuild the building into the production workshop necessary for the artel, the upper tiers of the bell tower were demolished, the building was covered with extensions and surrounded by a reinforced concrete fence. The factory was located here until 1985. Further - worse. The church housed the garage of the interdisciplinary scientific and technological complex “Eye Microsurgery”.
New life of the Boris and Gleb Church
The temple began to come to life after new registration community and the transfer of the church building to it in 1990. First divine liturgy committed in the church in 1991 on July 14. And the gradual restoration of the Borisoglebsky religious building began. From 1994 to 2005, the walls were painted twice, the bell tower tents and temple buildings were restored, the roof and appearance, the iconostasis has been restored. This temple can also be called a passion-bearer, like those saints in whose honor it was originally erected, the Good Boris and Gleb. This one is located at: st. Deguninskaya, 18a.
The most early mention The village of Degunino in written documents dates back to 1336. This year, Ivan Kalita, in his Spiritual Charter, granted Degunino to Princess Ulyaniya with her small children. In 1353 Grand Duke Simeon the Proud, son of Kalita, bequeathed Degunino to his wife Princess Maria. Finally, in 1389, Dmitry Donskoy refused it to his son, Prince Andrei.
After this, there are no mentions of Degunin for two centuries. However, in the Scribe Book of 1584 it is given detailed description village, from which it follows that shortly before this time it was the center of a flourishing estate, on the territory of which 24 “wastelands that were villages” and 3 “wastelands that were villages” are listed. But the oprichnina, the raid of the Crimean Khan Devlet-Girey and the plague epidemic led to the desolation of thousands of villages near Moscow. According to the Scribe Book, Degunino at that time was the patrimony of the Kremlin Church of the Nativity and there were “... the church of Boris and Gleb, ancient buildings, ..., at the church, the courtyard of the priests, the courtyard of the church sexton, and three cells, and the courtyard of the archpriest and the brethren ".
During the Time of Troubles, Degunino was devastated, the church was destroyed, and the village again became a village. Subsequently, Degunino begins to gradually revive. In 1623-1624. it is described as “a village that was the village of Degunino, and in it there was a temple in the name of Boris and Gleb.” In 1633 the church was restored. However, from the decree of 1635 of Patriarch Joasaph, to whom he “did not order tribute from the church,” we can conclude that the village was economically weak.
After forty grace years, tribute was again imposed on the church at the previous salary. But the temple, again inscribed in the Parish books, began to be called this time a little differently: “In the name of the Holy Apostle and Evangelist John the Theologian with the chapel of Boris and Gleb.”
In 1678, there were 17 households in the village, and in them 63 residents, in 1700 - 26 peasant households and 85 souls, in 1704 - 30 households and 90 souls. In 1700, by order of the sovereign, the village of Degunino was removed from the estate of the Nativity Cathedral and granted to the poor Moscow Alekseevsky nunnery in Chertolye.
In 1764, by decree of Catherine II, the secularization (alienation) of monastic and church lands was carried out in favor of the state. To manage them, the Board of Economy (Management) was created. Now the peasants of Degunino and the villages adjacent to it have become “economic” and transferred to quitrent. This led to the rapid development of villages. Already in 1770, there were 42 households and 279 residents in Degunin, and 20 households and 137 residents in Verkhniye Likhobory.
An important event in the life of the village was the laying of the Nikolaevskaya Railway line through its lands, connecting the two Russian capitals of St. Petersburg and Moscow. In 1843, Degunin peasants could freely hire out for road construction, rent out their land, and since 1861 they had the right to sell it.
Part of Degunin’s lands was leased to Bogorodsk merchant V.A. Prorekhov, who built a brick factory on rented land.
The parish, which included the village of Degunino, the village of Beskudnikovo and the village of Verkhniye Likhobory, grew. In 1861 it had 695 inhabitants. The wooden church became cramped, and the clergyman addressed a petition to Metropolitan Philaret in 1863, in which he announced the desire of the parishioners to build a new stone church “near the real wooden one.” Prorekhov agreed to pay the rent in a lump sum, 12 years in advance, with finished products, that is, he supplied 360 thousand bricks required by the project for the construction of the temple.
A stone church in the village of Degunino, made in the pseudo-Russian style, was built next to a wooden one in 1866. The church was picturesquely painted on the walls and vaults, had a rich iconostasis, icons and vestments. There were two large bells on the bell tower.
The encyclopedia “Moscow” (Moscow, 1997) gives the following description of the Degunin church: “The building, built in the spirit of eclecticism using Russian style forms, belongs to the type of basilica churches that became widespread in the second half of the 19th century. To the main volume (side altars - St. Nicholas the Wonderworker and the icon of the Mother of God “Joy of All Who Sorrow”), strongly elongated along the longitudinal axis, a small rounded apse adjoins to the east, and a 2-tier bell tower to the west. The division of the facades of the main volume is enlarged triple semi-columns with energetically loosened entablatures, on which wide , imitating archivolt zakomari, gives the building a representative, monumental appearance. High arched windows provide good illumination of the interior, which is a spacious four-pillar, 3-nave space. A slender bell tower with a rectangular lower tier carrying an octagon of bells, topped with a wooden tent, once dominated the surrounding landscape Currently, due to the multi-story modern buildings approaching the church, it is visible only from a short distance. The interior has well-preserved wall paintings late XIX- beginning of the 20th century."
In 1874, the wooden church still stood next to the stone one. At that time, the wooden one remained Borisoglebsky, and the stone one was consecrated in the name of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker. Two churches stood in Degunino for ten years. It is known that only by 1884 the wooden one was dismantled.
In 1940, the Boris and Gleb Church was closed, its bell tower was dismantled. The church building housed the Rodina knitting factory, which produced tracksuits.
In 1991, the Boris and Gleb Church was returned to the church.
The previously existing Church of Boris and Gleb in the village of Degunin.
The village of Degunino in 1585 “the patrimony of the Church of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary, which is on the Palace, at the queen’s on the Senya, behind Archpriest Simeon and his brothers, and in the village the Church of Boris and Gleb is wooden, near the church there is a courtyard of priests, a courtyard of sextons, and 3 cells, yes courtyard of the archpriests with his brothers.”
At the beginning of the XVII century. The Boris and Gleb Church was destroyed, and Degunino was a village in which, according to scribe books of 1623-24. there were: “the courtyard of the archpriests with business people, the archpriests, 3 peasant yards, 2 bobyl households...”.
In Degunin, a new wooden church in the name of Boris and Gleb with a chapel of St. was built on an old church site, around 1633. John the Theologian, which was recorded in the parish book of the Patriarchal treasury order under the Zagorodskaya tithe: “arrived again, according to the letter and salary of Ivan Neledinsky and the clerk Vladimir Tolstoy, in 1633, the Church of the Passion-Bearers of Christ Boris and Gleb, and in the chapel of Ivan the Theologian in the estate of Rozhdestvensky the archpriest that the sovereign in Seny, in the village of Degunin, paid tribute according to the clerk’s salary from the priest, from the parish yards, from the church land from 6 chets, hay from 6 kopecks, 18 altyn 5 money, ten-fold and a hryvnia arrival.
For 1635, in the same books it is written: “in the estate of the Nativity priest Jacob and his brothers; March on the 18th day of St. Joasaph, Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia, for the year 1635 and henceforth, did not order tribute and ten-tenths and arrivals.” As a result of this order, the Boris and Gleb Church was not recorded in the parish salary books until 1676.
According to the census books of 1646 it says: “behind the Nativity archpriest Adrian and his brothers the village of Degunino, and in the village there is a wooden church of Boris and Gleb, and in it lives business man, yes, there are 6 peasant households, with 14 people in them... in total, there are 21 peasant households in the village, with 55 people in them.”
According to the decree of the patriarch and the note on the report extract of clerk Perfiliy Semennikov, in 1676 it was ordered: “from the church of Boris and Gleb in the village of Degunin, this money should be taken at the same salary and henceforth write in the parish books the church of St. Apostle and Evangelist John the Theologian, and in the chapel of St. Boris and Gleb in the estate of the Rozhdestvensky archpriest with his brothers, a tribute of 18 altyn 5 money, a hryvnia check-in, and on August 24 days that money was paid to the same church by priest Peter in 1676.”
According to the census books of 1678, the village of Degunino belonged to the same cathedral, Archpriest Fyodor and his brothers; there were 17 peasant households in the village, with 63 people in them. The Church of John the Theologian with the chapel of Boris and Gleb, which was written in the parish books of the state order under the Zagorodskaya tithe, has been included in the Seletsk tithe since 1678.
In 1700, the Nativity archpriest and his brothers, by state decree, were ordered to give out bread and cloth in money, and the village of Degunino was given into the ownership of the Alekseevsky nunnery and in the same year it was approved for the monastery by a refusal book, which mentions: “denied in Alekseevsky a nunnery in Moscow, in Chertolye, Abbess Marfa and her sisters in the Moscow district, the patrimony of the Church of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary, that belonged to the sovereign in Senya, which was owned by Archpriest Zakhary and his brothers and the clerks, that that patrimony was taken from them and assigned to the great the sovereign for the granted rugu the village of Degunino, and in the village the church of the noble princes Boris and Gleb is wooden, and according to the fairy tale of that church the priest, that church and in it a building, images and books, and vestments, and bells of the sovereign and the parish people; Yes, in the same village in the yard of priest Potap Yakovlev, he has a son, sexton Mishka, the yard of the headman, 26 peasant households, 85 people in them.”
According to income salary books from 1680 to 1740. listed in the village of Degunin “the Church of John the Evangelist in the estate of the archpriest of the Nativity Cathedral, which is in Verkhu”, church tribute since 1712 was paid 32 altyns with money.
Kholmogorov V.I., Kholmogorov G.I. " Historical materials about churches and villages of the 16th - 18th centuries." Issue 4, Seletskaya tithe of the Moscow district. Edition Imperial Society Russian History and Antiquities at Moscow University. Moscow, in the University Printing House (M. Katkov), on Strastnoy Boulevard, 1885.
Suzdal region is considered one of the most interesting tourist routes in our country. Not only from all corners of vast Russia, but also foreigners, in particular Europeans, come to see its many sights. And this is not surprising. After all, the Suzdal region can rightfully be called a museum operating under open air. Today it is part of the “Golden Ring” of Russia.
Holy places
There are an incredible number of chapels on the territory of Suzdal. The Vladimir diocese, of which they are part, traces its history back to the thirteenth century. Today there are twenty-eight monasteries and six churches functioning here. The largest of them are the Church of Boris and Gleb (Kideksha), Dmitrievsky and Assumption Cathedrals in Vladimir. On September 7, 2014, the Vladimir diocese celebrated its eight hundredth anniversary. The celebrations, headed by Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Rus', were attended not only by believers from all corners of our country, but also by numerous tourists. Interest in the sights of the Suzdal region increases every year. Tourists come here to see this “postcard” Russian corner. It must be said that the churches of Suzdal are located not only in the city, but also scattered throughout the picturesque meadows and fields of the region. One of them is the Church of Boris and Gleb (Kideksha).
Description
It was built four kilometers from Suzdal. The village of Kideksha, where this rare architectural monument stands, is ancient, pre-Slavic. It stands at the mouth of the small Kamenka River, among vast fields. The Temple of Boris and Gleb is one of the first churches belonging to the Vladimir-Suzdal white stone architecture. At the place where Kideksha is located, Kamenka merges with the Nerl - the most important life artery of the Suzdal region. That is why here in the twelfth century the prince decided to build a fortified town. He wanted to take control of the river exit from Suzdal. The temple of Boris and Gleb was erected by his team of artisans around 1152. It was to become the main cathedral at the prince's residence. The courtyard was built on a high river bank in the form of a fortress. The fence structures were more than one kilometer long. It was a fairly large residence, comparable in size to Moscow, founded by Yuri Dolgoruky. Unfortunately, many of its structures have not reached us.
Tradition
The place for construction and the name of the Boris and Gleb Church were not chosen by chance. According to legend, it was here that the meeting of the brothers Gleb and Boris, who were later recognized as the first saints in Rus', took place. They came here at the call of their father, Prince Vladimir. The Book of Degrees says that there was a settlement on the river on the Nerl in Kideksha near the city of Suzdal. And it was here that Boris and Gleb agreed to meet, who had come from different directions to Kyiv to visit their parent, Prince Red Sun. Later they were killed by their third brother Svyatopolk. This legend became the reason to consecrate the main princely cathedral in honor of these two first Russian saints.
Story
In Kideksha, the remains of the defensive ramparts of the princely residence are still preserved. According to some reports, the church itself was founded by Yuri Dolgoruky in honor of his two younger sons- Boris and Gleb, who received the names of patron saints glorified in Rus'. There is a tomb of one of them here. It is in the Boris and Gleb Church that Dolgoruky’s son, Prince of Belgorod and Turov Boris Yuryevich, who died in 1159, is located with his wife Maria and daughter Euphrosyne.
During the Mongol invasion, Kideksha suffered greatly. But already in 1239, the Church of Boris and Gleb was repaired and consecrated. According to some data, it was at this time that an altar carved barrier and a white stone seat were built here.
Architecture
The Church of Boris and Gleb (Kideksha) does not shine with such refined craftsmanship, which is inherent, for example, in the Assumption or Demetrius Cathedrals, dating from approximately the same time. However, its simplicity gives the building a special attractiveness of a kind of heroic figure. The Church of Boris and Gleb (Kideksha), the architecture of which is very “severe”, has an almost cubic shape. It has three apses protruding like mighty semi-cylinders. The Church of Boris and Gleb (Kideksha) is practically devoid of carved decoration. Only the belt of its curb and small crenate cornices at one time adorned the incredibly simple white façade.
In the second half of the thirteenth century, the desolation of this temple began. Its arches and head collapsed. And only in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries the Church of Boris and Gleb (Kideksha) was repaired. Her own old white stone was used in the work. However, the hipped roof and small dome did not quite reflect the appearance of this ancient temple, which he had originally.
Appearance
The Church of Boris and Gleb is made of one dome, four pillars, three apses. It is made of beautifully hewn and almost dry-laid squares of very high quality stone white. The walls are divided by external blades into three unequal spindles, the middle of which is wider and higher than the side ones. There is an arch above the western portal. The dimensions of the church, its general proportions and the majority design features, including the profile of the blades, are incredibly close to the Transfiguration Cathedral, built almost at the same time in Pereslavl-Zalessky.
Peculiarities
In the architecture of the Boris and Gleb Church there are clear parallels with Western European art, in particular Romanesque. For example, the characteristic dividing the side spindles into two tiers attracts attention. Also interesting is the perspective portal, which has a very simple profile in the form of three ledges and is slightly moved forward. The drum was equipped with a crenate belt, as evidenced by its remains found under the roof of the temple. On several stones in the masonry you can see signs identical to those of the princely masters.
Interior decoration
Built in 1152, the Church of Boris and Gleb (Kideksha) remained unpainted for four decades. In 1947, archaeologists discovered fragments of frescoes, which, according to researchers, belong to the eighties of the twelfth century. The painting, in all likelihood, was done during the time of Vsevolod III on his orders, as evidenced by the numerous depicted trees of paradise and birds, characteristic of the white stone decoration of his era and a departure from the canonical system. The church also preserves frescoes from a special niche in the thickness of the northern wall, directly under the choir.
Temple complex
To the south of the cathedral, at the end of the seventeenth century, the Holy Gate was erected, which opened the descent to the river. In 1780, next to the relatively older cold church, the “warm” Stefanievskaya Church was built, reminiscent of a residential building with its gable roof. The complex is completed by a tented bell tower. Thus, the architectural ensemble of Kidekshi combines buildings that are separated in time by five centuries, but despite this, they are incredibly organically connected with each other.
If you look at this complex from the side of the Nerl River, you immediately feel the subtle understanding of the harmony of nature and architecture that was inherent in the ancient architects.
The Temple of Boris and Gleb was examined thoroughly by archaeologists. The last excavations were carried out in 2011. The floor of the church was partially restored. Many previously unknown elements of the interior decoration were discovered: the base of the iconostasis, the lower part of the throne, the omphalium. In ancient Russian architecture, this was the name for the pink stone located on the floor. Scientists believe that the most unique mosaic specimen is the omphalion that the Church of Boris and Gleb (Kideksha) had.
The craftsmen who carried out the construction work on the construction of the temple were previously sent by Yuri Dolgoruky for training in Italy. In Rome they had to study the European architectural traditions of that time. The fact is that at that time in Rus' they had not yet worked with natural stone. That is why the church turned out to be Romanesque, in the spirit of Europe of the twelfth century. Its external decoration, although modest, was still magnificent. Inside, everything was much richer. In addition, archaeologists discovered a pink stone - omphalium - in the floor in the central part of the church. This was a special place where the bishop stood, performing a particularly solemn service. Today, the Kideksha Church of Boris and Gleb, listed as a UNESCO monument, is part of the Vladimir-Suzdal Museum Reserve.
