In the Land Registry book of the city of Orlov with the district of 1629, the Kosiganovsky hamlet and the Nefedyev wasteland on the Tyushka River are mentioned, where the families of brothers Yevseiki and Ivashki Batukhtin lived. This place was long settled and prosperous, inhabited by several generations of landowners. The antiquity of the hamlet's origin is evidenced by the brothers' land ownership: diverse lands, pastures for livestock, mills on the Istobenka River, and fishing in the Krivoye and Zatvornoye lakes. By the mid-17th century, new outposts, hamlets, and villages appeared in the area, and the population increased. In 1645, the scribe recorded a new burial site, Spaso-Talitsky, which grew near the wooden chapel of St. Savior at Taloye Klyuch, where there were 7 church yards and 13 peasant households. Fifty years later, the 1678 census book reports the construction of a wooden church, and the stone Savior Church was built 100 years later, in 1781, with a parish consisting of 54 settlements.
The brick Church of the Savior Not Made by Hands, which has survived to this day, was built from 1773 to 1781. The main volume, a two-light square, resembles the churches of the Velikoretsky type, topped with a late dome with a cupola. A spacious refectory was added to the main volume, expanded in 1830 and raised in the early 20th century. To the west, an octagonal bell tower is integrated into the refectory above the spire. The entrance is framed by a later-added porch. In the 18th century, stone construction was mainly for cult purposes, with churches built from voluntary donations from parishioners or individuals. At general meetings, parishioners addressed issues related to construction work, often participating alongside hired masons. The contractor took into account the wishes of the clients, who pointed to specific architectural examples and engaged in the construction process.
The Savior Church defined the original and colorful language of "Vyatka Baroque," a local architectural style that interpreted the forms of capital architecture of the mid-18th century, old traditional motifs, and elements of St. Petersburg architecture, supplemented by new techniques developed in the lands of Veliky Ustyug. The buildings were adorned with intricate brick carvings in the spirit of Russian ornamentation, showcasing the uniqueness of Vyatka craftsmen. In the Savior Church, one can see the splendor through cartouches decorating the window frames, as well as the facade adorned with semi-columns and carved architectural details, painted in blue and turquoise on the snow-white walls. The architectural ornament, infused with the color and artistic techniques of Vyatka folk crafts, is organically included in the system of decorative motifs of architectural plasticity. Three-quarter columns, rich cartouches, lavishly decorated windows of the church and refectory, juicy consoles, "brows," "shirinok," and other elements give the facades decorativeness and originality.
The Savior Church is one of the few churches in the Vyatka Diocese where services were held during the years of persecution against the Church. The clergy and residents of the village managed to preserve the ancient splendor of the church. In official documents and on road signs, the village is listed as Spas-Talitsa, but among the people, it is simply called Spas. It is remarkable how the Name of God has remained on the maps of the Kirov region, despite attempts by atheists to erase it from the face of the earth. By the 1970s, only a few functioning churches remained in the area in the name of the Holy Trinity: in the villages of Istobenka, Bystritsa, Volkovo, Kstinin, as well as the church in the name of the Savior Not Made by Hands in Spas-Talitsa.
The preservation of the ancient church required great effort. The authorities did not grant permission for repairs, and construction bases did not sell building materials. If the building deteriorated, it could become a reason for closing the church. However, a brave chairman, Viktor Nikolaevich Dresvyannikov, found in a neighboring collective farm, arranged for building materials for the church through his collective farm. During the years of atheism, the Spas-Talitsa Church was saved by the courageous act of Anna Vylegzhanina. When the authorities sealed the church doors, she went to Moscow and managed to get an appointment with N. S. Khrushchev. What conversation she had with the General Secretary remains unknown, but soon after her return, the authorities opened the Savior Church and returned the patterned grilles to the windows. According to eyewitnesses, nothing else was touched. The village of Spas-Talitsa and the Savior Church are connected with Yakov Egorov, a participant in the war with Napoleon, a colonel who, according to the inscription on his tombstone, came from peasants, achieved a high military rank, served in the Preobrazhensky Regiment, passed away on February 14, 1829, and was buried behind the altar of the Savior Church. It seems Lermontov wrote about him: "Our colonel was born a grabber, a servant to the Tsar, a father to the soldiers." For the warrior Yakov, pieces of the holy prosphora are now taken out after each liturgy.
The modern history of the Savior Church is no less interesting than the architecture of the building. Recently, a miracle occurred in the church, which spread throughout the Vyatka diocese. The church's rector, Priest Nikolai Smirnov, decided to clean the kiots of the holy icons. When he removed the glass from the icon of the Mother of God "Quick to Hear," painted in the last century by a nun from one Vyatka monastery, he noticed that a precise copy of the image was reflected on the glass, made of the tiniest droplets. How many years ago the image was imprinted is unknown, as the kiots had not been removed for many years. The priest placed this image in the altar and sent a report to the Vyatka Metropolitan Hrisanph. Soon, an episcopal commission arrived in the village, headed by the archpriest Mikhail Ilnitsky, which confirmed the reality of the miracle. The "Talitskoye" miracle was talked about throughout the Kirov region and beyond. People began to come to the church to see the not-made-by-hands image. Some reverently touched the glass, while others simply curiously examined the creation of the Invisible Artist. Materialistic versions emerged about how the image was imprinted on the glass. It was suggested that the fresh paints of the icon somehow "absorbed" into the structure of the glass, creating an exact "photocopy." Meanwhile, the rector performed molebens before the miraculous image every Saturday. For the "old" image of the Quick to Hear, painted with paints, he decided to order a new kiot. And suddenly, he discovered that on the glass temporarily covering the painted image, a new not-made-by-hands image similar to the first had appeared. Apparently, it was revealed to confirm the miracle.
Comments
No comments yet. Be the first.
To leave a comment, sign in with Google.