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Church of the Jerusalem Icon of the Mother of God in Vospushka

Фото 1
The wooden church, built in 1762, did not last long and burned down on May 15, 1771. However, a new benefactor soon emerged, Lieutenant of the Life Guards Andrey Dmitrievich Saburov. At his request and with the blessing of Bishop Hieronymus of Vladimir and Murom, the Vladimir Spiritual Consistory issued a decree for the construction of a new stone church on the site of the burned one. The church was dedicated to the Jerusalem Icon of the Mother of God with a chapel of Saint Nicholas. The consecration of the church took place on January 15, 1775.

The architecture of the church is characterized by complexity and elegance. The main building is an octagon with an elongated octagonal dome and lucarnes, set on a square base. The bell tower, built later, is lower than the main volume. The church's decor is diverse: pilasters, half-columns, window frames, an ornate frieze, and rusticated finishing. In 1842, a southern chapel was added in honor of Saint John the Much-Suffering. Parishioners especially venerated the icon of the Jerusalem Mother of God and the carved sculpture of the Crucifixion of Jesus Christ. A.D. Saburov, the patron and benefactor of the church, was buried near the western doors of the refectory.

In 1937, the church was closed. On June 6 of the same year, Priest Vladimir Rasudovsky was arrested and sentenced to 10 years in a labor camp. The church building was repurposed as a repair workshop for tractors, an electric motor was installed in the altar area, and the gates were destroyed for easier access for machinery. The bells were removed in front of a large crowd, with the smaller ones being thrown down first, while the larger ones were smashed and sent for melting. Church utensils were looted, liturgical books and icons were burned, the iconostasis was destroyed, and the cemetery next to the church was obliterated, replaced by a kindergarten and residential buildings. Only after 2000 did discussions about returning the building to the diocese begin.

In May 2003, a parish was officially registered in Vospushka, and in 2004, the church building was transferred to it. At that time, the church was in a state of emergency: window openings were missing, the roof and floors were gone, the wall masonry was destroyed, and the decor and interior furnishings were in a deplorable state. Piles of garbage lay where the floor should have been, and traces of fire were visible in the altar area. There was a breach in the wall for tractor access. The church has now been fully restored and is a significant landmark of the ancient village of Vospushka.

Geo point

Церковь Иерусалимской иконы Божией Матери в Воспушке

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