There were several churches dedicated to the All-Merciful Savior in Moscow. One of the shrines - the temple in - is now operational and perfectly preserved. Once upon a time the church was the home of the Sheremetev family.

The Feast of the Savior came to Rus' from Constantinople. He was always treated with special reverence. According to the chronicles, it was on the day of the Savior - August 1 - that the Baptism of Rus' took place.

Photo 1. Church of the All-Merciful Savior in the Kuskovo estate

There is a legend according to which boyar Boris Sheremetev, having visited Rome, received from the Pope a cross with particles of the Holy Tree. According to the will, the relic was passed to his son, under whom a temple was erected in Kuskovo.

True, the history of the shrine began even earlier. It is known that a wooden church stood on this site back in the 17th century. The town of Kuskovo was mentioned even earlier - in the 16th century. It was then that Vasily Sheremetev exchanged this village for one of his patrimonial plots. The name “Kuskovo” apparently appeared a little later - in the 18th century the estate was called “Kuskovo”.

Under Peter Sheremetev, a beautiful estate arose on this site, although previously there was a small wooden house and the same nondescript church. It is not known whether the church was Spasskaya at that time, or whether it was consecrated in honor of this holiday later.

In 1737, the place of the wooden church was replaced by a stone one. After this, the shrine was never rebuilt; it has survived to this day in its original form. Today in Moscow, the Church of the All-Merciful Savior in Kuskovo is a rare monument of the Baroque style of the “Anne era”.

The inside of the shrine was as beautiful as the outside. The icon frames are covered with pearls and precious stones, a three-meter chandelier had 2 tiers, it was decorated with figurines of seraphim.

The role of the house church was great. Not a single holiday was complete without church. During the Savior in Kuskovo, festivities took place on a special scale. Everyone could come here to enjoy the excellent theatrical performance and wonderful music. For ordinary people On this day, tables were set up with rich treats. During all celebrations, services were certainly held in the temple, and bells were ringing.

In 1812, Kuskovo suffered from the French invasion. The estate was quickly renovated, although without its former luxury.

It was all about the new owner. During the Decembrist tragedy in 1825, he was on Senate Square. This event so shocked the consciousness of young Sheremetev that later he became very withdrawn into himself and went into religion. Holidays and fun in Kuskovo stopped, and at the end of the 19th century the heir sold part of the estate for summer cottages, leaves only a small wooden house for himself.

In 1919, a museum was placed on the estate, and the church building was converted into utility rooms. In 1991 the temple was restored and consecrated again.

One fine spring day, it was decided to take a walk around the Kuskovo estate. It was a weekday and there was a glimmer of hope that there would be very few visitors to the estate, and they would not interfere with enjoying its charm. There were no people on the territory at all - it was a day off =) Who knew that the estate was closed on Mondays and Tuesdays.

If you find yourself in the same situation, then do not rush to leave. You can admire the buildings of the museum-estate from the Torch Columns. Nobody blocks the territory there and you can walk any day of the week.

Let's walk along the shore of the Big Palace Pond, which crowns the hydraulic system of ponds and canals in Kuskovo. On the shore of the pond there is the main architectural ensemble - the ensemble of the Honorable Court.

From left to right:

— The Grand Palace is the main object of the estate, it was built in 1769-1775. In the 18th century the Palace was called " Big house"and was intended for a ceremonial reception of guests in the summer;

— Temple of the All-Merciful Savior in Kuskovo — parish church, also known as the Church of the Origin of the Honest Trees of the Life-Giving Cross of the Lord. The Temple was built from 1737 to 1739. As can be seen in the photo, the facade of the Temple from the side of the pond is under reconstruction;

— Bell tower – was built in 1792;

— Kitchen outbuilding – built in 1775;

— The carriage house and drying shed were built in the second half of the 19th century;

— Pavilion “Grotto” — was built in 1756-1761.

Composition of three objects =) The building on the right in the frame is the menagerie - something like a zoo for birds (modern reconstruction). The original menageries were built according to the design of F. Argunov. Rare birds were kept here: American geese, pheasants, pelicans. All waterfowl lived in five identical heated houses.

From a distance, the magnificent Grotto pavilion looks great. But if you come closer, it becomes clear that the condition of the structure is quite deplorable. I hope that the beautiful building will be saved and repaired in time.

I think no one would refuse such a kitchen =)

07. Large church and bell tower.

08. A large stone greenhouse is visible in the middle of the frame.

09. Facade of the Grand Palace.

10. Here are the Torch Columns.

Views from the Kuskovsky Forest Park.

The Kuskovo estate, like the Baumansky town, is an excellent place for walks at any time of the year.

This concluded the walk around Kuskovo that day. But the walk can be supplemented. If you drive along Yunosti Street towards the center, you will come to the Veshnyakovsky overpass. To the left of it will be the very beautiful Church of the Assumption Holy Mother of God in Veshnyaki.

Due to time restrictions, it was not possible to fully examine the church and the area around it. So in this post there will be very few shots of the church. But the place is very interesting, so you will definitely need to come back here and take a walk.

Kuskovo, 2013 - 2016

Historical reference

The Church of the Origin of the Honest Trees of the Life-Giving Cross of the Lord (All-Merciful Savior) in Kuskovo was built in 1737 - 1739. The brick plastered church building was built in the Anninsky Baroque style, which is quite rare for Moscow. Completely unusual for the 1730s. laconic, classical monumentality of the somewhat ponderous main volume.

Project execution

Between 2014 and 2016, the Kitezh creative workshops carried out a range of works to restore the temple. In 2013, a project for the general restoration of the temple was completed. The project provided for work to restore the roof, facades, basement, strengthen the foundation, perform a blind area, and reconstruct the completion of the temple. In the interior, the project involved the installation of internal doors, replacement of parquet floors with the installation of soles, restoration of paintings with partial exposure of 18th-century paintings, as well as reconstruction of the iconostasis.

The project included strengthening the northwestern corner of the foundation, as well as constructing a stone blind area around the entire temple. The white stone plinth and pilaster bases on the facades, as well as the porch, were subject to restoration with partial replacement of damaged blocks.

The project also planned to recreate the lost internal wooden doors with blind panel bottom and glazed top. The pattern of the glazed part repeats the pattern of the window frames with a square division of the sashes and an upper curvilinear transom, separated by two sills. The wall paintings are subject to clearing and restoration.

Historical and archival information about the time of construction or the form of the iconostasis of the Church of the All-Merciful Savior in Kuskovo has not been preserved, and there was also no visual material. An inventory of the iconostasis has been preserved with a description of the icons in it in tiers. Recreation of the iconostasis without considering the general trends in architecture of the mid-18th century. and attracting analogues was not possible.

The restoration project proposed a four-tiered iconostasis with a frame of vertical posts with cross beams, covered with plywood. Since no traces of paintings were found on the lower part of the eastern wall of the temple, the project proposed that the lower two rows of the iconostasis be inscribed along the entire length of the temple from the northern wall to the southern one. In plan, the iconostasis follows the cruciform shape of the temple; due to the beveled corners, the sharp transition of forms is softened, the central part is recessed towards the altar. The carved royal gates with six icon cases are crowned with a carved canopy.

The project proposed making a sculpture of an angel by hammering it out of copper based on ancient engravings and historical sources. A model of an angel figure has been made.

From 2014 to 2016, the following work was completed: restoration of the basement and steps of the porch, wrought-iron fences of the porch, restoration of the roof, as well as the cornice under the white stone roof. Drainage work was carried out, the foundation was partially strengthened, and a blind area was made. The sculpture “Angel with a Cross” was recreated at the completion of the temple (in the near future it will be transferred to the parish of the Church of the Origin of the Honest Trees of the Life-Giving Cross of the Lord (All-Merciful Savior) in Kuskovo).

Church of the All-Merciful Savior in Kuskovo

Temple of the All-Merciful Savior (Origin of the Honest Trees of the Life-Giving Cross of the Lord) in Kuskovo

Russia, Moscow, Yunosti street, building 2, building. 5

Directions: metro station "Vykhino"

Year of construction: Between 1737 and 1739.

Architectural style: Anninsky Baroque

Church. Valid.

Thrones: Origins honest trees The Cross of the Lord.

Architect: Zubov G. G. 1737-1739, Dikushin G. E. 1793

Mironov A. F. (bell tower) 1793

The House Church of the Kuskovo estate is the oldest architectural monument of the estate. This is one of the rare examples of the cult architecture of Anninsky Baroque. During its 270-year history, the Temple has not been rebuilt and has reached us almost unchanged. Its interior has preserved the harmonious architectural space and light-air environment of the baronial monument. Reviving the traditions of the ancient estate, services are still held in the church today, and a white-winged Angel hovers over the dome, overshadowing with a cross, as if confirming the motto of the Sheremetev family - “God preserves everything.”

The summer stone single-altar Church of the All-Merciful Savior in the Sheremetev estate was built in 1737 - 1739. on the site of a dilapidated wooden church. The wooden parish church of the All-Merciful Savior in the possession of the Sheremetevs has been known since 1624.

Count Pyotr Borisovich Sheremetev, having entered into inheritance rights after the death of his father, began transforming the Kuskovo estate. Reconstruction of the estate began with the construction of a new stone church in 1737. The construction of the summer stone single-altar Church of the All-Merciful Savior in the Baroque style of the era of Anna Ioannovna was completed in 1739. The only altar of the church was consecrated in honor of the Origin of the Honest Trees of the Life-Giving Cross of the Lord. According to legend, the Pope gave the count's father, Boris Petrovich Sheremetev, a golden cross with a particle of the Tree of the Life-Giving Cross during his trip to Western Europe. The old count bequeathed the shrine to his son, Pyotr Borisovich. Built in the Baroque style, the temple is the oldest building in the Kuskovo estate. The nearby bell tower with a spire is made in the forms of classicism (1793, architects A.F. Mironov, G.E. Dikushin). Since 1919, a museum has been organized in the estate, in the 1930s. the building of the temple was transferred to his jurisdiction. On August 14, 1998, the rite of minor consecration of the temple was performed by Bishop Alexy (Frolov) of Orekhovo-Zuevsky.

Divine services are held irregularly, on major holidays.

In November 2010, the church received the status of an architectural monument of the 18th century, protected by the state.

In the Temple, there is an icon of St. John the Long-Suffering (people who are overcome by various carnal passions pray before her, it is especially important for relatives who are engaged in prostitution, they pray before her for drunkards and drug addicts).

Wiki: ru:Church of the All-Merciful Savior in Kuskovo

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There are 3 editions in total, the last one was made 5 years ago by alek-ka4alin2012 from Smolensk

In old Moscow there were several churches in the name of the All-Merciful Savior. One of them, a beautiful, now reopened church, is located in the Kuskovo estate. It was the home temple of the Sheremetev family, who owned this “Versailles near Moscow.”

The Feast of the Origin (Destruction) of the Honest Trees of the Life-Giving Cross of the Lord was established in Constantinople. It was in August that the Byzantine capital experienced outbreaks of various dangerous diseases and epidemics. To prevent them, on the first day of August (according to the old style), the Venerable Tree of the Cross was brought out for veneration in the Church of Hagia Sophia. For two weeks from August 1 (14) until the Feast of the Dormition, people went to venerate and venerate the Life-Giving Cross, and throughout the city litias were served with a prayer for healing and protection from disease, which is why the holiday is also called the All-Merciful Savior. This is the first Spas, since in August it is followed by two more Spas celebrations - the Transfiguration of the Savior (Apple Savior) and the Savior Not Made by Hands.

In Rus', this holiday has been celebrated with special reverence since ancient times. Indeed, according to chronicle legend, it was on this day, August 1 (14), 988, that the Baptism of Rus took place in Kyiv. By this time, the first honey had already ripened; at the holiday it was consecrated in the church and the eating of this first harvest was blessed, which is why the holiday is also called “Savior of Honey.” And since the blessing of water is performed at the service on this day, the holiday is also called “Wet Savior” or “Savior on the Water.”

According to legend, when boyar Boris Petrovich Sheremetev, the first to be granted the title of count and field marshal by Tsar Peter in Russia, visited Rome with the Grand Embassy, ​​the Pope gave him a gold cross with a particle of the Tree of the Life-Giving Cross. The shrine passed according to the will of his son, Count Pyotr Borisovich Sheremetev, under whom the estate church of the All-Merciful Savior in Kuskovo, which has survived to this day, was built.

However, the very first wooden church appeared here, in the Sheremetev family estate back in the 17th century. The Sheremetev family was one of the most noble in Russia. They were distant relatives of the Romanovs, since together with them they were direct descendants of Andrei Kobyla (Kambila), and his son, the famous boyar Fyodor Koshka, who served Dmitry Donskoy. The branch of the descendants of Fyodor Koshka, the Bezzubtsevs, began to be called the Sheremetevs, since the founder of their family, Andrei Konstantinovich, received the nickname Sheremet. What it meant is still unknown, but the saying has long gone down in history: “Rich as Sheremetev.” Indeed, in terms of their family fortune they were equal only to the Yusupovs. The great-granddaughter of Andrei Sheremet, Elena Ivanovna, became the wife of Ivan the Terrible’s eldest son, Tsarevich Ivan: it was because of her that the tsar killed his son. When the sovereign entered the chambers, the pregnant daughter-in-law was dressed in a simple house dress, which was then considered incomplete attire, and he was furious. The son dared to defend his wife.

The Sheremetev family was famous for its valiant sovereign and military service: they supported Mikhail Romanov, then Peter I, participated in the Livonian and Northern Wars, for which they received many land holdings, which became the basis of their fabulous wealth. Among them was the Moscow region estate of Kuskovo, which remained in their ownership for almost 400 years - until 1917. It was first mentioned as the possession of the Sheremetevs in the first half of the 16th century, when the boyar Vasily Sheremetev exchanged this village near Moscow for one of his estates for the sake of “willing fun.” Dense forests with wild animals, swampy areas with birds promised great freedom. Scientists disagree on the origin of the name of the Sheremetev village. It is possible that already in those days it was called Kuskovo, but according to legend, this name was born later, in the first half of the 18th century, under Count P.B. Sheremetev, who called his possession a “piece”. It was under him that this luxurious estate appeared here, but before there was a simple wooden house with a garden and a wooden house church. It is not known whether it was Spasskaya at that time, or whether it was reconsecrated later, in honor of the donated shrine. The first Russian count and field marshal Boris Petrovich Sheremetev began to develop Kuskovo, planning to transform it from an ordinary hunting ground into a country summer residence - in the spirit of Peter the Great's court fashion. According to his plan, the new mansions should have been no worse than Menshikov’s. However, it had to be built from wood, since stone construction in Moscow was prohibited by royal decree at that time.

However, the death of the count in 1719 interrupted these plans, and according to his will, all the courtyard people were released with an annual allowance. The estate passed to the young Pyotr Borisovich, who then managed to carry out his father’s plan on an unprecedented scale. It was under him that Kuskovo became the “Moscow Versailles” - he firmly set out to build an estate more beautiful than that of other nobles and outshine them with luxury and wealth. General work began in the 1740s under the “supervision” of the master Yu. Kologrivov, and then the serf Fyodor Argunov, and ended in the second half of the 18th century, when they were already led by the famous Moscow architect Karl Blank.

However, Peter Sheremetev decently began his grandiose construction project with the construction of a new house church: the motto of their family was the saying “God protects everything!” In 1737-1739 on the site of the old wooden church a beautiful stone temple grew. It was never rebuilt and has reached us in its original form, becoming the oldest monument of the Kuskov estate. It is believed that this is the rarest monument of the “Anenn Baroque” in modern Moscow, that is, the Baroque architectural style of the era of Anna Ioannovna.

The interior decoration of the temple corresponded to its external splendor: a beautiful carved iconostasis, frames of images with precious stones and pearls, gilded royal doors and a luxurious two-tier three-meter chandelier with two tiers of 18 candles, decorated with figures of seraphim. A historical relic here was the air, embroidered with gold and pearls, according to legend, by the hands of Empress Elizabeth Petrovna herself. She was once a guest of hospitable Kuskov.

The house church played a very important role in the life of the estate; not a single celebration could take place without it. Her patronal feast day was even celebrated with public festivities: on this day, anyone who was decently dressed could come here to enjoy music or a theatrical performance, and for the common people, tables with generous festive treats were set up in the open air. It is also interesting that Count Nikolai Petrovich Sheremetev, who remained in the memory of Russia for his marriage to the serf actress Praskovya Zhemugova, had the custom of celebrating his birthday with honey, although he was born two months before the patronal feast of the house church - apparently this was a tribute to tradition father's estate. Under him, in 1792, serf architects A.I. Mironov and E. Dikushin built a beautiful wooden bell tower with a gilded spire.

Church services, bell ringing, and religious processions not only necessarily accompanied the estate's holidays, but were also its holidays themselves. On the Day of the All-Merciful Savior, the Liturgy was followed by the blessing of water: when the priest immersed the cross in the water, a cannon salute thundered, and a special yacht in the middle of the pond instantly unfurled festive multi-colored flags.

Soon after the church in 1769 - 1775 The main palace was built, with its front façade facing a luxurious mirror pond in which swans and ducks swam. The palace was intended exclusively for “splendor” - not so much for housing as for ceremonial receptions of guests, with fireworks, with fashionable social celebrations, with many “joys and amenities.” (For himself, the count built a “house of solitude” in the grove, where he did not allow anyone except his servants and closest friends.) The architect of the palace was, in all likelihood, Karl Blank himself, although the name of the French architect Charles de Vally is sometimes given. Another feature is the baroque-rocaille style of construction, which is rare for Moscow, traditional at that time for the capital St. Petersburg.

The luxurious wooden palace was painted in the symbolic pale pink color of “morning dawn”. Sphinxes greeted guests at the front doors. Everything here was supposed to amaze with its magnificence and continually surprise with unprecedented innovations: the guests were presented with amazing paintings by Rembrandt Raphael, Van Dyck, Veronese, rock crystal chandeliers, a fashionable enfilade, a collection of weapons and even the saddle of King Charles XII, which went to Count B.P. . Sheremetev in the Battle of Poltava together with the royal horse. And on festive table food was served in dishes made of pure gold.

And in the parks of the estate, guests were offered to continue the amazing entertainment. This park was one of the largest in Russia in the 18th century. The attractions were the Italian House, built for the exhibition of Italian paintings, the Dutch House with tiles in memory of the era of Peter the Great, the grotto, built for relaxation in the summer heat, the Hermitage, intended for secluded relaxation and receiving the chosen ones without servants: a special machine lifted guests there on a sofa, and behind them followed a table set with 16 cutlery. Winter Garden and the greenhouse was amazing with laurel, lemon, orange, and orange trees. Huge glass doors were arranged especially for ladies so that they could freely pass here in their fluffy dresses that did not fit into ordinary doors.

The most august persons also visited Kuskovo. In 1754, Elizaveta Petrovna came here (the Sheremetevs built a French park especially for the arrival of their guest). A grand celebration was held in her honor with exotic dishes, night illumination and an exhibition of Chinese porcelain. And in preparation for the reception of Catherine II, Count Pyotr Borisovich arranged a ceremonial bedchamber in the palace, but no one ever used it, although the empress visited Kuskovo in August 1774, after Russia’s victory over Turkey. A festive dinner was served for her and her retinue in the cool grotto. According to legend, the empress, while resting, personally sketched a drawing of an openwork lattice, which was then made in Kuskovo according to this sketch. Another visit of the empress took place in 1787 at Moscow celebrations in honor of the 25th anniversary of her coronation - a year before the death of Count Peter Sheremetev.

It was he who began to equip the first serf theater in Kuskovo with opera and ballet troupes and a school for talented children. Its non-preserved building in the park was hastily built by Charles de Vally in the Italian style for the count’s name day and Peter’s Day, trying to please him. The daughter of a Kuskovo blacksmith, Praskovya Kovaleva, who then had the stage name Gorbunova (her father was a hunchback), appeared on its stage for the first time. “Croesus the Lesser,” as the heir, Count Nikolai Petrovich Sheremetev, was nicknamed, liked to take part in these home performances. Having abandoned his guests, he often sat down “among his slaves” to play the cello. In 1798, the count gave freedom to his brilliant serf actress, and three years later he married her.

Praskovya’s death in 1803 undermined N.P.’s health. Sheremetev. Soon he himself died of a cold. His only heir, Dmitry, was only 9 years old when the Patriotic War. The army of Marshal Ney was stationed in Kuskovo and plundered everything they could: they even tore off the expensive velvet upholstery of the walls. The marshal himself took the best paintings and tapestries to Paris.

After the defeat of Napoleonic army, Kuskovo was renovated, but without the previous luxury. It was a matter of both the means and the tastes of the new owner D.N. Sheremetev. Called up for service, he was among the very troops that fired at the rebels on Senate Square in December 1825. The tragedy of the Decembrists so shocked his young soul that he withdrew into himself, secluded himself and became deeply involved in religion, spending his days in prayer and fasting. The crowded noisy holidays in Kuskovo stopped, the theater was dismantled, and after the abolition of serfdom, even the Sheremetevs became unable to maintain a regular park with gardeners. IN late XIX century, the new heir sold most of Kuskov's land for summer cottages, but did not touch the family nest (although it brought losses), but built a wooden house for himself next to the empty palace.

In 1919, a local history museum was opened in Kuskovo, where stuffed animals that lived in the local forests were exhibited. Recovery historical monument It was a great job for the restorers. The museum opened here in the 1930s, and in the halls of the palace a unique Morozov collection of porcelain from their former mansion in Podsosensky Lane was exhibited. A real feat was the rescue of the Kuskovo palace in 1941, when the building, covered with camouflage, could not be heated - the difference in external and internal temperatures would have destroyed its old wood. And, nevertheless, already in 1943, restoration work resumed to recreate the historical appearance of the Kuskov estate, as we see it now.

And in October 1991, the house Spasskaya Church was restored and re-consecrated. Nowadays eight bells, cast according to ancient models, ring in the bell tower.