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Trinity Church in Kyshtym

Фото 1
The history of the Holy Trinity Church was initially linked to the dramatic relations between the Old Believers and the authorities. As B.M. Meshcheryakov notes in his "Historical Essay on Kyshtym," the Holy Trinity parish was officially recognized as a Uniate church, meaning it included believers who had previously strayed from Orthodoxy but later decided to return to the Orthodox Church under the rights of Uniatism. Such a church protected former Old Believers from persecution, which resumed under Nicholas I, although not all Old Believers joined it.

The stone church with three altars was built between 1847 and 1849 at the initiative of the Zotov factory owners, who were themselves Old Believers but understood the political significance of the new church. The architect's name is unknown; it is likely that the Zotovs used a standard design, as at that time recommendations for church construction with attached blueprints were sent out across the dioceses.

The Uniate status of the Holy Trinity Church did not attract many parishioners. In 1911, Bishop Mitrofan of Yekaterinburg and Irbit, upon visiting the church, wrote that the parishioners did not show particular love for attending the church, and serving in such parishes was a feat for the clergy. Disagreements prevailed in the parish due to various customs.

During the Soviet era, the church, like many other religious buildings, was closed in the early 1930s, and the building was handed over to a mechanical plant. In 1934, a Kirov club was organized here, where meetings were held and films were shown. Later, a factory museum was established in the club. Nothing from the church's utensils has survived, except for an iron plate with the date of the church's construction, which is now kept in the Kyshtym Machine Plant Museum. There is a legend that in 1935, when the bells were being removed, one of them rolled into the water and still lies at the bottom of the factory pond. Subsequently, the dome drums were dismantled, and the church changed its appearance.

During the Great Patriotic War, the "temple-club" became a place from which the residents of Kyshtym departed for the front. Farewells were held here with a soldier's harmonica, after which volunteers went to the train station. After the war, the club continued to be a center of cultural life, hosting dances and creative circles. The famous actress Inga Oboldina recalls that the entrance to the club was through the former altar. Now, as people restore the church, they seem to be asking for forgiveness for this.

Geo point

Церковь Троицы Живоначальной в Кыштыме

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