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Church of Saints Constantine and Helena in Berlin-Tegel

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The Church of Saints Constantine and Helena, located in the Berlin district of Tegel, is an Orthodox church situated on the grounds of the Russian cemetery in Berlin-Tegel and belongs to the Berlin Diocese of the Russian Orthodox Church.

In 1892, the Holy Vladimir Brotherhood and the rector of the embassy church in Berlin, Archpriest Alexey Maltsev, acquired two plots of land: one for the establishment of an Orthodox cemetery in the then-village of Tegel, and the other for the construction of a Brotherhood House intended for charitable and educational activities. In 1893, on these plots, with the participation of the Holy Prince Vladimir Brotherhood, the Orthodox church in honor of the Equal-to-the-Apostles Constantine and Helena was laid.

The construction of the church was carried out according to a project sent from Russia, under the guidance of local architect Bomm. Alexander Grigorievich Eliseev, known for his philanthropy, donated a gilded iconostasis made of carved oak to the church. Icons from the Synod and Mount Athos were also received by the church. The altar and the sacrificial table were made of white Carrara marble with gilded crosses. A year later, the church was solemnly consecrated, which was a joyful event for the Greek, Serbian, and Romanian communities that did not have their own churches and held services in the Russian embassy church. The church, built for cemetery needs, accommodates about 30-40 people. Above the main entrance to the cemetery, a bell tower with five bells, also donated by A. G. Eliseev, was erected.

By the order of Alexander III, 4 tons of soil from 20 Russian provinces were brought to Tegel and scattered throughout the cemetery. Saplings of linden, oak, and maple were also delivered from Russia so that the deceased could find peace in their native soil under the shade of Russian trees. Over time, the cemetery became a memorial to the Russian emigration in Germany.

After the war, the church was left without doors, frames, and glass. The fence of the plot, over 300 meters long, was severely damaged.

With the end of the war, it was necessary to reorganize parish life and church management. The parish council of the Tegel parish appealed to the French and Russian occupying authorities with a request to transfer the property of the former Vladimir Brotherhood of the Russian Orthodox Church in Germany, recognizing the canonical authority of the Patriarch of Moscow. The request was granted, and by a ruling of the Wedding district court on March 27, 1946, the property was transferred to the ownership of the Russian Orthodox Church in Germany with the corresponding note in the cadastral books.

Geo point

Церковь святых равноапостольных Константина и Елены в Берлин-Тегеле

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