The Tikhvin Church is a former Orthodox temple located in Suzdal on the right bank of the Kamenka River, on a hill in the middle of Schmidt Street, which runs along Ilyin Meadow. The church is consecrated in honor of the Tikhvin Icon of the Mother of God. The original of this icon is kept in the Tikhvin Monastery in the Leningrad region, while a copy is present in Suzdal. According to tradition, the miraculous image was created by the evangelist Luke, who is revered as one of Christ's apostles.
The church was built in the late 17th and early 18th centuries and has survived to this day in a semi-ruined state with numerous losses. It was constructed on the site of the Andreevsky Monastery, known since the 13th century, which was likely destroyed during the Polish-Lithuanian invasion. In the early 17th century, there was only the Andreev Meadow here, next to which remained a semi-ruined settlement where townspeople lived, while part of the population perished during the invasion. The stone Tikhvin Church with the altar of Andrew the First-Called was erected in the Leather Settlement on the site of two old wooden churches, Andrew the First-Called and Peter and Paul.
The Tikhvin Church is the only monument that reminds us of the ensemble of the ancient Andreevsky Monastery. To this day, the apse, the altar part with the altar of Andrew the First-Called, and the porch with the bell tower, the lower tier of which served as the entrance to the temple, have not survived. The tented bell tower was destroyed in the 1930s.
The preserved part of the building is of significant interest as an example of Suzdal architecture from the late 17th century. The high massive cube is decorated at the corners with paired half-columns. The upper part of the walls is finished with a lush cornice with semicircular arches made of hewn brick. The side facades are adorned with three-part frames with a niche for an icon in the middle and two windows, which is not characteristic of the Suzdal region. The four-pitched roof is topped with a drum with kokoshnik arches, and on the narrow neck is a decorative head.
Currently, the church is not in operation.
Despite the influence of time and historical events, the church outlived the monastery, and today it can even be seen from the Suzdal Kremlin, from the steps of the Trading Rows and defensive fortifications.
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