Temple in honor of the icon of the Mother of God “Joy of All Who Sorrow” (Church of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker) (village Star)

Today I had a virtual conversation with one of my LiveJournal friends about the Church of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker in Stary Vagankovo. I have a special relationship with this church, “hidden” in an alley behind the Pashkov House and other buildings of the Russian State Library complex. (You can find out about Old Vagankovo ​​here:)
I present a post about the Church of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker, posted in the “My Moscow” community back in 2012 - it contains very good photographs, thanks to the author. But I want to add a few words from myself...
Firstly, an old photograph of the church (1880s, view from the side of Pashkov’s house), it is no longer visible in the text:

Sometimes this photograph is captioned “Temple of Sergius of Radonezh,” but only one church chapel was consecrated in honor of St. Sergius.

When in 1861 the Rumyantsev Museum and the Rumyantsev Public Library were transferred to Moscow, to the Pashkov House from St. Petersburg, the church became home to these institutions. As now, however, the main parishioners of the church are employees of the Russian State Library.
In Soviet times, the church was used as a warehouse for the Library named after. Lenin. The author of the post claims that restoration began in the church in 1980. Alas, the picture shows not the restoration of the temple, but simply the repair of the roof of the warehouse so that rain does not leak onto material assets. I don’t know how it was in 1980 (then all efforts were thrown into the Olympics), but at the end of the 1980s the Church of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker was still being used with all its might as a warehouse, without any restoration (my employees and I had occasion to receive stationery there for our department, and I it is well known what it looked like at that time)... The metal gate next to the church wall is not related to the temple and leads to the courtyard of the library complex.
When the church was returned to the believers, having separated a tiny piece of land from the courtyard of Leninka (indeed, only a narrow path along the walls of the temple - the entire church yard), it was badly neglected. But she was quickly restored to divine form and services began there, carefully continuing her recovery.
And one more thing - not only is the bust of Nicholas II installed near the wall of the temple, but also the icons of the royal passion-bearer are in it, and one of them is made with embroidery, using the ancient technique of Russian monastic sewing.

Original taken from yakaev to the Church of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker, in Stary Vagankovo

We continue to get acquainted with the churches of the very center of Moscow. Very close to the Kremlin, next to Pashkov’s house, is the Church of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker in Old Vagankovo, which belongs to the Central Deanery of the Moscow City Diocese of the Russian Orthodox Church. The first mention of the construction of a stone temple on this site dates back to the beginning of the 16th century.

The date of foundation of the temple is currently unknown for sure, but presumably in 1531, Prince Vasily III built a stone church of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker in Vagankovo ​​with the chapel of St. Sergius of Radonezh. For this, the prince invited the Italian master Aleviz Fryazin to Moscow. At first this temple was called the Church of St. Nicholas at the Sovereign's Court, then St. Nicholas at the new Sovereign's Court, and at a later time the Church of St. Nicholas on Stary Vagankovo. Before this, on the site of the stone temple there stood a wooden church, which was part of the courtyard of the Nikolo-Pesnoshsky monastery.

In the first half of the 17th century, the church was dismantled, only the basement was left, and a new building was erected on it. From 1747 to 1759 the temple was rebuilt again, and in 1782 a bell tower was added to it.

During the Moscow fire of 1812, the church was badly damaged, it was closed and the empty building deteriorated greatly.

In 1842, the bell tower was dismantled, leaving only the vestibule in the lower tier. In the middle of the 19th century, the church became a “house” church attached to the gymnasium, located in Pashkov’s house.

The first photograph of the temple that was found dates back to 1884. Here it appears in the form it had before its partial reconstruction at the turn of the century. And it is also here that it can be seen in full, unlike today, when everything around is built up and all approaches to it are blocked.

In 1895-1903, the church was rebuilt again, the vestibule was enlarged, the aisles were expanded and a belfry was erected in the Russian style. The interior of the temple in 1911:

In 1924 the temple was closed. In 1926, the icons were taken out of the temple, the crosses were knocked down, the bells were thrown off and broken. The temple was given to the Lenin Library for storage. In 1980, restoration began in the temple, which continued until 1990. The photo from 1989 shows its still unfinished restoration:

In 1992, the temple was returned to the Russian Orthodox Church and from that time services resumed. In 1993, the Church of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker was also re-illuminated.

View of the temple from neighboring Maly Znamensky Lane. The temple is practically invisible.

The temple courtyard is now ridiculously small. It’s not clear how any household and service outbuildings can fit here.

A bust of Nicholas II was also discovered in the temple courtyard:

The Church of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker is located in Stary Vagankovo ​​at the address: Starovagankovsky Lane, 14. Nearest metro station: "Borovitskaya".
Official website of the temple.

In Moscow, not far from the Kremlin, on Starovagankovsky Lane there is Church of St. Nicholas in Stary Vagankovo, founded in 1531.

The sign looks like this.

Gate to the Temple grounds.

Entrance to the Temple.

The territory of the Temple is small, there is a very tiny courtyard with a monument to Nicholas II

and a wooden cross.

It borders with Pashkov's house.

The temple has a bell tower (there is also the Main Altar) and a chapel.

It was interesting to scour the Internet and find information about this Temple. The photograph of 1884 shows the name of the aisle - Church of St. Sergius of Radonezh.

By the way, here is the same view, only now.

In other sources it is called Church of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker in Stary Vagankovo.

On the site oldmos.ru I came across a heated discussion about the fact that this church was never called the Church of St. Sergius. And that all this is a historical mistake. (UPD - the discussion page on the site has already been deleted...)

Although...see the sign.

In the center of Moscow, not far from the Kremlin, on Starovagankovsky Lane, there is a small temple with modest decor, the temple of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker with a chapel in honor of St. Sergius of Radonezh.
The temple is remarkable for its five-century history and the shrines stored in it.

Many times during its long life, the temple was subject to robbery and destruction, and each time, through the diligence of pious people, it was restored not only to its former, but even to better splendor.

The original foundation of the temple is lost in the depths of the first centuries of the history of Moscow and is included in the history of the own court of the Grand Dukes and Tsars of Moscow. The elevated, beautiful position of Vagankov near the Kremlin attracted the attention of the Grand Dukes and soon became their country estate.

Historically, this place turned out to be associated with the name of the blessed prince Dimitry Donskoy, under whom the rise of Moscow began. Prince Dimitri is known for his victory in the Battle of Kulikovo, for which he was blessed by St. Sergius of Radonezh. Before the battle, as a sign of encouragement, an icon of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker appeared to the blessed Prince Demetrius Donskoy.

In the 15th century, Sofya Vitovtovna, the wife of Vasily I, the son of Prince Dimitry Donskoy, appreciating the location of Vagankov, bought herself a plot and built a country palace. Subsequently, the grandson of Prince Dimitry Donskoy donated a small plot of this land to the monastery of St. Nicholas, which was located on the site of the current temple. The royal stay served as the basis for decorating Vagankov. The Sovereign's Court was built in Vagankovo, in the place of which a new Sovereign's Court was subsequently erected. In 1531, Prince Vasily III built a stone church of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker in Vagankovo ​​with a chapel of St. Sergius of Radonezh. Why did he invite the Italian master Aleviz Fryazin to Moscow? At first this temple was called the Church of St. Nicholas at the Sovereign's Court, then St. Nicholas at the new Sovereign's Court, and at a later time the Church of St. Nicholas at Stary Vagankovo.

At the end of the 17th century, the Church of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker on Stary Vagankovo ​​had three altars and had two chapels. On the right side in the name of St. Sergius, on the left - in the name of the Forty Sebastian Martyrs, Christian soldiers who suffered for the Christian faith in 320.

In the 18th century, the St. Nicholas Church on Old Vagankovo, having stood for more than two centuries, fell into disrepair. In 1745, parishioners asked permission to dismantle the dilapidated church building and rebuild it in the name of the same saints: St. Nicholas the Wonderworker and St. Sergius of Radonezh. Permission followed, and in 1755 the chapel of St. Sergius was built and consecrated, and in 1759 the main temple was completed. The temple building was built of stone, standing on a white stone basement of the 16th century, with a wooden roof, scaly on the dome. The white stone basement has been preserved, and the temple stands on it at present. In 1782, a stone bell tower was built near the western doors of the main temple.

In 1792, the diocesan authorities allowed the church - the chapel of the Forty Martyrs of Sebaste - to be dismantled due to its disrepair. In its place they placed a stone with the sign of the Cross, and from the stone of the chapel a fence was erected around the St. Nicholas Church, which still surrounds the temple. Currently, a wooden Cross stands in place of the chapel. In 1812, during the invasion of Napoleonic troops, the temple shared the fate of Moscow: it was plundered by the enemy. From that time on, it lost its independence and became a house church.

The main temple was restored and consecrated in 1814, but the chapel remained unrestored until 1842. In 1842, its bell tower was dismantled and the chapel of St. Sergius was restored.

In the 18th century, Menshikov’s house appeared on the site of Sofia Vitovtovna’s palace. This house was bought by P. Pashkov and invited the architect V. Bazhenov, who rebuilt it. In 1842 it was occupied by the Noble Institute, in 1849 by a men's gymnasium, and since 1862 by the Rumyantsev Museum. Now the building belongs to the Russian State Library. Since 1842, the Nikolo-Vagankovsky Church became a house church at the Noble Institute and Gymnasium, and then the Rumyantsev Museum.

From the historical memories of the recent past, it is interesting to note one related to the name of the great writer N.V. Gogol. The students of the Moscow Noble Institute in the forties of the 19th century retained the memory that the great writer loved to visit their church. He listened to Easter Matins with them, standing at the left choir, next to the Russian historian and writer M.P. Pogodin.

A new period in the history of the Rumyantsev Museum temple began in 1896, when priest Leonid Mikhailovich Chichagov, blessed to take holy orders by the righteous Father John of Kronstadt himself, was appointed rector of the temple. Thanks to the zeal and pastoral care of the priest, the forgotten and abandoned temple becomes one of the most attractive Moscow churches. To this day, the church has preserved wall images of the four evangelists, made by Father Leonid Chichagov during his abbotship. The church contains copies of the icons he painted “The Savior in the White Tunic” and “St. Seraphim of Sarov praying on a stone." Father Leonid found the time and energy not only to successfully carry out his abbot's obedience, but also to prepare the canonization of the great ascetic of the Russian land, St. Seraphim of Sarov. A miraculous manifestation of God’s Providence was his compilation of the “Chronicle of the Seraphim-Diveyevo Monastery.” It was of decisive importance for the entire future life of the future archpastor. In 1898, Father Leonid left the temple to the attention and care of his spiritual children. He takes monasticism with the name Seraphim and is included in the brethren of the Holy Trinity Sergius Lavra. The long, God-pleasing life of Metropolitan Seraphim (Chichagov), filled with labors, sorrows and hardships, culminated in martyrdom for Christ. On December 11, 1937, in the 82nd year of his pious life, he was shot at the so-called “Butovo training ground.” The canonization of the Hieromartyr Metropolitan Seraphim took place on February 23, 1997.

At the beginning of the 1902 century, the old vestibule in the Church of St. Nicholas was expanded and an open belfry of the Pskov type was erected above it, which has survived to this day. Since 1905, at the proposal of the director of the Rumyantsev Museum I. Tsvetaev, a Board of Trustees was formed from the regular pilgrims of the temple, whose task was to find funds to cover church expenses.

In 1924 the temple was closed. In 1926, the icons were taken out of the temple, the crosses were knocked down, the bells were thrown off and broken. The temple was given to the Lenin Library for storage.

In 1992, the temple was returned to the Russian Orthodox Church. Through the efforts of a small group of people continuing the spiritual work of the holy martyr Metropolitan Seraphim, under the leadership of priest Viktor Shishkin, the Church of St. Nicholas was restored and consecrated in 1993.

Currently, there are many shrines in the Church of St. Nicholas.