This church, now non-existent, was located near the city prison on Peter and Paul Square. Its history is linked to the emergence of the streltsy settlements in Astrakhan. In the 1630s, during the reign of Tsar Mikhail Fyodorovich, stone walls of the White City were erected, and, according to traveler Adam Olearius, several streltsy regiments were relocated here, which is why the White City began to be called Streltsky. The streltsy settlements were named after their colonels: Zmiev, Shepilov, and Syanov, and developed gradually. The first was the Syanov settlement, which existed already in the 1640s. It was located between the Grain Yard and the Mochagov Gates of the White City. At the same time, the first parish church named in honor of the Epiphany appeared in the Earthen City. The mention of it dates back to 1648, confirmed by an inscription on the Gospel gifted by Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich. This church existed until 1671, but later, likely due to fire or decay, it was replaced in 1697 by a wooden St. Peter and Paul Church. The connection between these churches is confirmed by the ancient Gospel, which was originally in the Epiphany Church and later found its way to the St. Peter and Paul Church. The name of the church in the Syanov settlement in honor of the Holy Apostles Peter and Paul is linked to its construction at the beginning of the reign of Tsar Peter Alexeyevich, named after the Apostle Peter.
Initially, the St. Peter and Paul Church was located in the Syanov settlement near the Mochagov Gates. By 1723, the first wooden church had significantly deteriorated, and church elder Mikhail Ivanovich Serbin began the construction of a new wooden church at his own expense. By 1730, the construction was completed, and the church was consecrated by Archimandrite Ilarion of the Spassky Monastery. By the mid-18th century, a small settlement of 150 households formed near the Admiralty, where the servants of the 'Astrakhan office over the port' settled with their families. In 1749, representatives of this office approached Bishop Ilarion with a request to relocate the old wooden St. Peter and Paul Church to the new settlement, as it was slated for demolition. The bishop blessed this, and the church was moved west, where it continued to stand. The church was adorned with a new wooden bell tower, and an additional church in honor of the Holy Apostle Andrew the First-Called, the patron of Russian sailors, was added. Due to the dilapidation of the relocated church, it soon required renovation. On October 30, 1763, Bishop Mephodiy of Astrakhan issued a certificate to Captain Ilya Tokmachev, blessing the collection of funds for the renovation of the church and covering its roof with boards.
After the 1917 revolution, the church remained under the jurisdiction of the Orthodox Church for a long time, despite attempts by renovators to seize it. They succeeded only in 1930 after the arrest of Bishop Philip Stavitsky. In 1934, the Soviet authorities finally closed the church and soon destroyed it. A.I. Kuznetsov describes the destruction of the St. Peter and Paul Church as follows: 'It stood closed for a whole year. One day, the director of the Proletarian Fish Factory approached me, as a consultant for the State Fish Trust, asking for a visa on the contract for the sale of the church for demolition. I refused, but the church was dismantled anyway, although the bricks and rubble remained unremoved for several years.'
Comments
No comments yet. Be the first.
To leave a comment, sign in with Google.