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Church of the Nativity of Christ (Kolomna)

Posadsky Lane, Kolomna.

The Church of the Nativity, as one of many other Posad churches, was founded at the turn of the 17th and 18th centuries. Major Durnovo, Kolomna governor, reported in 1786: "The Church of the Nativity of Christ was built in 1725 with support from Kolomna merchants Ivan Ivanovich Ushakov and Vasili Fyodorovich Vetoshnikov. It has two heated side chapels dedicated to the Annunciation and St. John the Warrior, a refectory, and a bell tower. The Church is surrounded by a stone fence built in 1768 by efforts of Auditor General Pyotr Kirillovich Khlebnikov." It was a common Posad early Baroque church, the "octagon on square" with a tented-roof bell tower.

On the 1778 map of Kolomna, drafted by a famous architect Matvey Kazakov, the Nativity Church was stone with the refectory and the bell tower. Only pilaster strips of the octagon, in the corners of the square, and on the rounded triple apse have survived until our days.

In 1809, Afanasy Shevlyagin, a Kolomna merchant of the top gild, contributed money to arrange a side chapel dedicated to the Our Lady of Kazan in the Church. Two years later, he put up 1,000 roubles for the side chapel maintenance. The Nativity Church was like a home church for this oldest Kolomna merchant family. Its members were buried in the Church's fence.

The first known rector, Priest Ioann Iliyin (mentioned in 1764), was a Kolomna warden; in other words, he was a church keeper who observed superstitions, false miracles, and heresy.

In 1870, a large heated refectory in the form of a spacious hall was built between the Church and the bell tower. The now-existing Church of the Nativity is a combination of classical and earlier baroque elements: the "octagon on square"-type church. The Church was completed with an onion dome that has been restored. A wonderful pseudo-Gothic bell tower with a high dome, a spire, columns, and pinnacle pyramids adjoined the Church on its west side.

The Church has three altars. An altar of the Nativity is situated in the main summer church; two other altars, dedicated to the Our Lady of Kazan (southern) and the Annunciation (northern), are in the heated refectory.

At Christmas of 1908, after being significantly repaired by efforts of Maria Shevlyagina, the merchant's widow, the Church was consecrated again. With support from this honourable citizen of the town all church icons were adorned with precious silver rizas; the altar was covered with a chased vestment, silver with gold, made by Khlebnikov. Riza of the honourable Our Lady of Tikhvin glittered with diamonds and other precious stones. The walls were repainted in warm colours with gilded ornaments. Painting partially survived in the upper tiers of the high altar. In total, over 100,000 roubles were spent on finishing of the Church. It was one of the richest churches in the town.

Maria Shevlyagina was buried in the Church's cemetery, east of the altar, in a vault with her husband Nikolay Shevlyagin.

In the late 1920s, the Church was shut down. Nothing is known about its last rector, aged Father Alexander. All sacred objects were lost.

In the 1930s, the bell tower was demolished down to the first tier; the Church's dome was dismantled. The Shevlyagin's family vault was destroyed; all graves were ravaged. First, there was a gym in the Church, then a sewing workshop. Since 1953, the building was occupied by production-and-training workshops of Kolomna Artillery School.

In 1997, reconstruction began. The refectory's altars were restored; new icon stands were made. The dome was reconstructed on the rotunda. Memorial plaques of black marble hang on the western wall. They have names of soldiers, who graduated from Mikhailovsk Military and Artillery University (Kolomna Artillery School is its branch), and who gave their lives for the country since 1831.

Since 29 May 1997, the Church has been assigned to Kolomna Church of the Theophany by order of Metropolitan Juvenaly of Krutitsk and Kolomna. Kolomna Church of the Theophany and Kolomna Artillery School have a cooperation agreement on mutual use of the Nativity Church.

Services are regularly held in one the Annunciation altar (on Saturdays and Sundays as well as patronal days). On Saturdays, burial service for all graduates of the School, who were killed, is held. Priests of the Annunciation Church (Archpriest Andrey Khmylov, Priestmonks Bartholomew (Kondakov) and Dimitry (Ryabtsev)) hold services and regular meetings and discussions with military men and students of the military school. On festive occasions, including graduates, taking oaths, new school year ceremonies, Rocket Troops and Artillery's Day, a festive or thanksgiving service is held in the Church. A priest congratulates the military men.

On 29 August 1999, the Kolomna branch of Mikhailovsk Military and Artillery University was visited by the Most Holy Patriarch Alexius II of Moscow and All Russia. This event is remembered with a memorial plaque hanging in the forechurch. The Most Holy Patriarch donated the Nativity Icon to the Church, so that his visit is remembered with prayers.

Image Gallery (1)

Church of the Nativity of Christ



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