Address: Russia, Yaroslavl region, Pereslavl-Zalessky, st. Sovetskaya, 12
Build date: 1740 year
Coordinates: 56 ° 44'08.1 "N 38 ° 51'09.7" E
Content:
The temple dedicated to Alexander Nevsky, who was born in Pereslavl-Zalessky, appeared in the city more than 160 years ago on the territory of the Sretensky-Vladimir Novodevichy Convent. This monastery has long been gone, the beautiful five-domed church has also gone through difficult times, but today it continues to delight residents and guests of the city with the beauty of its forms and lines.
Temple at the monastery
At the end of the 50s of the 17th century, in the central part of ancient Pereslavl, next to Red Square, where the princely chambers were once located, the Sretensky-Vladimir women's monastery was founded.
It became the third female abode in the city after the monasteries of Fyodor Stratilat and Nikolsky. At first, the new monastery was rebuilt from wood, and more than 90 years have passed since its foundation, when the first stone buildings appeared on the monastery territory.
In the 40s of the 18th century, two large churches began to be built here simultaneously. One of them was consecrated in honor of the Blessed Prince Alexander Nevsky, and the other - in honor of the Icon of the Mother of God of the Presentation (Vladimir Cathedral). Judging by the architectural design, the construction work was not carried out by local craftsmen. Both five-domed temples were erected between 1740 and 1749 in the same style, and they stand next to each other.
The Great Vladimirsky Cathedral is distinguished by the baroque splendor of the details, and the Alexander Nevsky Church is lower and simpler in form. This more modest appearance was supposed to emphasize her secondary, dependent position.
The large one-time construction of two stone churches at that time required a lot of money. And they were found at a local resident, a wealthy merchant F.F. Ugrimova.
Some time later, the monastery raised funds for the construction of a stone wall around its entire territory and for the construction of a high three-tiered bell tower. It was placed right between the Vladimir Cathedral and the Church of Alexander Nevsky. However, prosperous times were coming to an end, and in 1764 the monastery, together with the abolished diocese, was closed. And the temple of Alexander Nevsky became an ordinary parish church in Pereslavl.
History of the Church of Alexander Nevsky in the XX century
By the beginning of the last century, the church of Alexander Nevsky flourished. It contained a lot of precious silver liturgical utensils and old, perfectly preserved icons.
In 1918, the Pereslavl diocese was re-established. And in the adjacent to the church Vladimir cathedral placed the episcopal see. But the struggle of the new government with religion was gaining momentum, churches were closed everywhere, and the priests, for the most part, ended up in exile, or even were shot at all. A small religious community of Pereslavl tried to maintain at least some order in both churches. But in 1925 there was a robbery, and during it the main church values were stolen. And after 4 years, the church, like the neighboring large cathedral, was closed.
In the early 1930s, the authorities demolished the bell tower and almost the entire monastery wall. At this time, the altar part of the temple dedicated to Alexander Nevsky was converted into a bakery store, and bread was baked for him in the neighboring Vladimir Cathedral.
The church was badly neglected, and the area around was littered. All liturgical utensils from the church disappeared, and the building and the interior were hung up. The 19th century murals were almost completely crumbling. And there was a constant threat of demolition of the building itself. But the trouble did not happen. In the mid-30s of the last century, a special commission was assembled in Pereslavl, which decided to consider both adjacent churches as architectural monuments of Russian architecture in a single complex of the historical center of the city.
Church services were resumed here in 1998. Today only a fragment of a stone wall and a hut house remind of the old nunnery. And the base of the church bell tower disappeared forever when the Yaroslavskoe highway was reconstructed.
The architecture of the Alexander Nevsky church
The temple of Alexander Nevsky is brick. It has a lot in common with the neighboring Vladimir Cathedral. The five-domed, according to church canons, symbolizes Christ and the four evangelists. And the green color of the domes are churches consecrated in honor of the saints.
Outwardly, this church seems more squat than it really is. This visual effect was conceived to emphasize the “subordination” of its “main” status to the Vladimir Cathedral. And this impression is achieved due to the fact that the large onion domes of the church are supported by narrow and high drums.
The main volume of the temple has a high-raised vault. And the facades of the building are strict, and practically have no decor. The scaly bulbs have very beautiful tall and carved crosses.
Initially, it was planned to make the church building light, and for this, two-tier windows were made on the main quadrangle. In the apse part of the temple, high and wide windows are also cut through, which have a semicircular end. However, later, for some reason, part of the window openings in the lower tier were laid.
A squat refectory adjoins the main quadrangle. Its large rectangular windows at the top are also decorated with small semicircles.
The current state of the Alexander Nevsky church and the visiting regime
Now the church has been restored and is a functioning Orthodox church. You can get here every day, except Tuesday, from 10.00 to 18.00. A special temple shrine is the ark and a part of the relics of the Blessed Prince Alexander Nevsky. Temple holidays, which are celebrated here, are dedicated to the Grand Duke, and take place on September 12 and December 6.
On a small square in front of the building of the church and the Vladimir Cathedral there is a parking lot for tourist buses, near which you can have a snack in a pancake house or a cafe. In addition, local residents set up stalls here with Pereslavl souvenirs and handicrafts of folk craftsmen.
In addition to the church, there is a museum dedicated to him in the homeland of Grand Duke Alexander Yaroslavich Nevsky. He talks about the milestones of the prince's biography and the time of his stay on the Pereslavl land. The exposition includes a model of the ancient city of the 12th century, as well as icons and medals depicting the Grand Duke. The museum is located at the address: Museum per., 9. It is about 1.5 km south-west of the Alexander Nevsky Church.
How to get there
Alexander Nevsky Church is located in Pereslavl-Zalessky at the address: st. Soviet, 12. This is the historical center of the city, located within the ancient earth embankments. You can get here on the M8 federal highway by car from Moscow or Yaroslavl.
If you come to Pereslavl-Zalessky by regular bus, you need to take into account that the city bus station is located away from the city center. And to the temple you will need to drive up by taxi, city bus number 1 or walk a distance of 3 km.
