The first mention of this church became an echo of the history of Zamoskvorechye and the dark years of the Tatar-Mongol yoke. The chronicle of Zamoskvorechye began in the 14th century, when the main road to the Horde ran here and the headquarters of the Mongol Khan was located. The tribute collected on Russian soil was brought here, they swore allegiance to the khan and listened to his commands. Since the time of Ivan Kalita, a prince-diplomat who conducted extensive trade with the Horde, peaceful Tatars also settled here, who soon formed a large Tatar settlement - near the road to the Horde and, very importantly, away from the rest of Moscow. Then the translators - interpreters - settled here. At first, these were Tatars who spoke Russian, and the word itself is of Tatar origin. Interpreters were only interpreters: they were necessary during ambassadorial missions, receptions or when concluding peace treaties and drawing up trade letters. Soon Russian interpreters joined them, and at first they lived in the Tatar settlement, in the Old Tolmachi tract.

And then, approximately in the 15th or 16th centuries, an independent Tolmatskaya Settlement stood out in Zamoskvorechye, leaving a name for the local alleys, where royal interpreters from all languages ​​lived, who served in the Ambassadorial Prikaz, which stood on Cathedral Square in the Kremlin, and were considered government employees. The settlement of interpreters survived even after the Ambassadorial Prikaz was abolished in the era of Peter the Great. The translators went on to serve in the collegium, but remained to live in the same place in Zamoskvorechye. And in pre-Petrine Moscow, Tolmatskaya Sloboda was officially considered foreign, since it was inhabited mainly by “newcomers” who went into the service of the Moscow sovereign. For its Russian settlers and for those foreigners who accepted the Orthodox faith, a parish church was built in the name of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker in Tolmachi: its main altar was consecrated in the name of the saint, whom the Tatars called “Russian God”.

First they erected a wooden church. The first mention of it dates back to 1625: in the Parish Book of the Patriarchal Order it is referred to as “the church of the great Wonderworker St. Nicholas, and in the chapel of Ivan the Baptist, which is beyond the Moscow River in Tolmachi.” (It was meant that there was a side chapel in the name of the holy prophet John the Baptist.) However, there is a version that the church stood here for a long time, for it is known that in 1657, by sovereign decree, land was taken from it for a new cemetery, since the previous one it became cramped. This means that over the years of the existence of this church with a very small parish, a whole cemetery had developed within it, and of such a size that it needed to be expanded.

Already at that time, representatives of the nobility also lived in the parish of St. Nicholas Church. This is evidenced by the fact that in March 1687 Patriarch Joachim himself arrived here and listened to mass here. During the spring thaw, when even ordinary people tried to avoid Zamoskvorechye, the Patriarch came to attend the funeral service of a certain Larion Panin. Who this man was is unknown, but there is an assumption that, since the Patriarch himself came to bid him farewell, he was a noble ancestor of the famous Counts Panins.

At the end of the 17th century, a truly fateful event took place in the history of St. Nicholas Church. Residents of the vast Kadashevskaya settlement, who had as their parish church first the Cosmodamian Church and then the Resurrection Church in Kadashi, were partially attributed to her parish. The rich merchant guests of the Dobrynins, father and son, also lived in the parish of that Resurrection Church. Since ancient times, “guests” were the name given to the top merchant class - they were engaged in the largest wholesale and foreign trade, and when the merchant hundreds, the predecessors of the guilds, were created, the living hundred became the highest, so the status of “guest” introduced the merchant into the ranks of eminent citizens. Hundreds of merchants of the drawing room were involved in the sovereign's service, elected to the heads of the jury, to the kissers, to the customs, and had the honorable right to come to the palace with gifts and congratulate the sovereign on Easter, name days, and the birth of an heir. Such guests were the richest merchants Longin and Kondraty Dobrynin, and they were distinguished by their “zeal and love for the splendor of God’s churches,” as Elder Alexy, the first historian of the St. Nicholas Church, who was its deacon for 28 years, spoke of them - more about him later.

In 1687, the Dobrynins built at their own expense the stone Resurrection Church in Kadashi, which received the nickname “the big Moscow candle.” And when some of the Kadashevites were assigned to the St. Nicholas Church in Tolmachi, the same Dobrynins, already in 1697, built the stone St. Nicholas Church in place of the wooden one. Only at the request of the temple builder, Longin Kondratyevich, the main altar of the newly built church was consecrated in the name of the Descent of the Holy Spirit, and in the name of St. Nicholas, the chapel was consecrated, probably in order to piously observe the hierarchy of holidays. And the stone temple now has an interesting architectural detail: its zakomars are decorated with exactly the same decorative shells with pearls as those of the Archangel Cathedral in the Kremlin, built by the Italian Aleviz Fryazin. Apparently, the residents of Zamoskvorechye really liked this legacy of the Fryazh master.

The 18th century was significant and difficult for St. Nicholas Church. On a January night in 1765, he was completely robbed. Then the parishioners - and among them were officials from the Armory Chamber and the Military Department - supplied the temple with everything necessary for worship for the first time. The search identified a certain Ivan Ilyin, the owner of a den of thieves, whose guests robbed the church, but it was not possible to return anything stolen, and the temple had to be rebuilt.

But throughout its history, the temple in Tolmachi was guarded by an invisible force. Just 4 years after this incident, the widow of a wealthy manufacturer, Ekaterina Lazarevna Demidova, by the way, a parishioner of the Church of the Resurrection in Kadashi, wished to build a chapel in the St. Nicholas Church in the name of the icon of the Mother of God “Quench My Sorrows.” However, at that time there was a ban on consecrating thrones in the name of icons of the Mother of God, and those who wanted to erect a temple in honor of the Queen of Heaven should have dedicated it to the main feasts of the Mother of God. Demidova chose the Feast of the Intercession, but in the iconostasis of the newly built Intercession chapel, in the most honorable place - in the local rank to the left of the royal doors - the icon “Quench My Sorrows” has since been installed, in commemoration of the temple builder’s initial desire to arrange such a chapel. Already in 1770, the Intercession chapel was consecrated, and this was considered a good omen: the next year, a plague epidemic broke out in Moscow, and in the construction of the Intercession chapel they saw “All-good Providence... to prepare encouragement, strengthening and consolation for the brethren under the shadow of the honorable omophorion of the Queen of Heaven.” . At the same time, the temple itself remained poor again: the plague wiped out its parish and destroyed the wealth of the surviving parishioners. When the construction of the grandiose Orphanage on Moskvoretskaya Embankment began in 1774, the Council of Guardians asked the Consistory to place circles to collect donations for it in those Moscow churches where “great alms” could be collected. St. Nicholas Church was not included in this list. By the way, under Catherine II, who tightened measures against criminals, the rector of the St. Nicholas Church, Father John, was appointed “exhorter” of convicts, so this also did not contribute to the well-being of the temple.

But even with a new disaster - the invasion of Napoleon - a real miracle was shown to the temple. It did not burn at all, while the raging flames destroyed all the houses of the Tolmachevskaya Sloboda surrounding it, and local residents sought to take refuge in the church from the smoke and fire. The property of the temple, securely hidden under the floor, also completely survived, but while defending it, priest John Andreev fell a martyr: the invaders unsuccessfully tortured him where the church treasures were hidden, and soon after the victory he died from his injuries. According to another version, he was killed on the porch and buried in the temple fence.

For more than five months after Napoleon's invasion, there were no services in the St. Nicholas Church. It stood empty, because it had completely lost its parish: not a single house survived. In 1813, the Nikolsky and Pokrovsky chapels were consecrated, but the number of parishioners was only nine courtyards, so the temple was assigned to the Church of St. Gregory of Neocaesarea on Polyanka. And then the upset Tolmachevo residents submitted a petition to the Reverend Augustine, with the assurance that the houses in the parish were being rebuilt and inhabited and that the residents were ready to pay any amount for the maintenance of the clergy, if only their parish church would receive “its primitive essence.” The case was set in motion, and it turned out that the Church of St. Gregory of Neocaesarea had even fewer parishioners, and the St. Nicholas Church was perfectly preserved after the war. On February 5, 1814, a decree was issued to restore the independence of some churches, including Tolmachevskaya. So the parishioners, in small numbers, defended their temple.

And then a new miracle appeared. In February 1817, after a morning service, the priest and parishioners discovered a bundle near the iconostasis in the Pokrovsky chapel. When it was unrolled, they found in it a wooden ark containing particles of the holy relics of many great saints of God; there were even particles of the Robe of the Lord and the Robe of the Mother of God. The discovery was immediately reported to Eminence Augustine, and he ordered the ark to be sent to the Chudov Monastery before the owner was announced. The mysterious owner never showed up - it became clear that he donated this ark to the temple, wishing to remain anonymous. And then the Tolmachevoites asked to return the shrine to them - “to the glory of the name of the Lord and to the strongest excitement of us in faith and piety.” The request was fulfilled, and the ark became the main shrine of the pre-revolutionary St. Nicholas Church. And the terrible Moscow cholera of 1830 and 1848, one might say, bypassed Tolmachi: during both epidemics, only 12 people died in the parish, while the rector Nikolai Rozanov went to the temporary hospital on Ordynka to care for patients.

The first half of the 19th century was the last milestone in the creation of St. Nicholas Church. In 1833, the old hipped bell tower, connected to the church by a passage, tilted, and the walls of the temple showed severe cracks. Maybe this was some kind of consequence of the shock of 1812, or maybe it was just time, because this bell tower was a century and a half old. Then the parishioners decided to rebuild the entire temple at their own expense, especially since it could no longer accommodate everyone. Saint Philaret, Metropolitan of Moscow, gave permission for this, indicating, as far as possible, to preserve the main temple “in the ancient dispensation.”

The eminent architect F.M. Shestakov, who was erecting the Great Ascension Church in the same years, was invited for this work. He built a new empire-style bell tower and a refectory with side chapels. Saint Philaret himself came to the consecration of the St. Nicholas chapel and delivered a wondrous sermon “On the abiding of the Grace of God in the Church until the end of the century.” There were no wall paintings in the temple at that time; it was lined with white artificial marble, which, in combination with the gold of the iconostases, created amazing beauty, but soon the shortcomings of artificial marble were revealed: stains from dampness appeared on it, and they decided to cover the vaults with paintings.

The overall reconstruction of the temple took more than 20 years. Only in October 1858 did Saint Philaret consecrate the main church. In its dome was depicted the New Testament Trinity with the upcoming seven Angels in white robes, and on the western wall there was a scene of the expulsion of merchants from the temple, which was forever remembered by those who saw it. “The unquestioning submission of those expelled, the bewilderment and indignation of the Pharisees, the formidable appearance of the Savior, combined with grief over the neglect and disdain of the holiness of the House of the Lord - all this is very successfully depicted in the picture, inspiring everyone who enters the temple to stand in reverence,” wrote the future Elder Alexy, and then still deacon of the temple Fyodor Solovyov.

And the new “Shestakovskaya” bell tower became one of the high-rise Orthodox silhouettes of the old Zamoskvorechye region, along with the “candle” of the Resurrection in Kadashi and the gigantic temple of the Hieromartyr Clement of the Pope. Of course, all this would not have happened without the prayerful zeal of his priests and without the help of his parishioners.

Tolmachi and Tolmachevites

In the middle of the 19th century, only merchant houses remained in the Nikola parish in Tolmachi. But all the rich local merchants not only looked after their temple, but were also firmly remembered for their charity: the faith of the Tolmachevites always extended to life in general, to the people around them, without being confined exclusively to temple building. The permanent head of the church, Alexey Medyntsev, who participated in the reconstruction of the temple, remained in the memory of Muscovites for the fact that he willingly lent large sums and always forgave insolvent debtors. A parishioner, honorary citizen Boris Vasilyevich Strakhov was distinguished by helping the poor, setting up canteens for the poor and sending alms to prisoners every Monday, and when there was a famine in Russia in the 1830s, he sent bread to the poor throughout the empire at a cheap price, to the poor for free, encouraging besides other merchants. And in the 1870s, the merchant Andrei Ferapontov became the headman: according to legend, his grandfather was the first Russian bookseller who opened the book trade in the mid-18th century. The grandson was engaged in distributing only spiritual literature.

But the main ones in Tolmachi were, of course, the Tretyakovs. Alexandra Danilovna Tretyakova, along with her sons Pavel and Sergei, donated money for the reconstruction of the St. Nicholas Church in the mid-19th century. Somehow their family was particularly connected with both St. Nicholas the Wonderworker and Zamoskvorechye. The benefactors’ grandfather and his family lived in the parish of the Church of St. Nicholas in Golutvin, and the Tretyakovs settled in Tolmachi in 1851, when the reconstruction of the church was in full swing, and immediately made a donation. They moved here because they wanted to have a large, roomy house: they were preparing for the wedding of their older sister. So Pavel Mikhailovich Tretyakov became a parishioner of the St. Nicholas Church in Tolmachi and remained so until his death in 1898. He was married to Vera Nikolaevna Mamontova, a relative of the famous Savva Mamontov, owner of Abramtsev. His wife's father, Nikolai Fedorovich, ordered a huge painting depicting all the members of his large family, and bequeathed it to be kept in the house of his richest descendant. Once a year, on St. Nicholas’ winter day, all household members were supposed to gather in that house, forgetting anger and displeasure, and make donations to help the poor “in the name of living and dead relatives.” How strong Christian traditions were in this house!

And Pavel Mikhailovich himself adhered to these traditions. The art gallery created by him alone could perpetuate his name as the greatest philanthropist, but Tretyakov also took care of the poor, donated to the university museum of ancient art - the forerunner of the Museum of Fine Arts on Volkhonka, to the needs of the families of soldiers who died in the Crimean and Russian-Turkish wars, to renovate the St. Nicholas Church, he maintained the Arnold-Tretyakov School for the Deaf and Mutes on Donskaya Street. And back in 1860, he bequeathed his capital not only for the maintenance and development of the gallery, but also for a dowry for marriage to “poor brides, but to respectable people.” By the way, P. M. Tretyakov, being a very patriarchal merchant, believed that his daughters could only marry people of their circle, but the daughters knew how to persuade their father. Vera, whom P. I. Tchaikovsky himself advised to enter the conservatory, married the pianist Alexander Ziloti, cousin of S. V. Rachmaninov, Lyubov - the artist Lev Bakst, and Alexander - Sergei Sergeevich Botkin, the brother of the last life physician Yevgeny Botkin, shot along with the royal family in July 1918.

In the house St. Nicholas Church, Pavel Mikhailovich had his own permanent place, now marked with a dark memorial plaque. It is known that he was a deeply, sincerely religious person, a very zealous parishioner, and not only regularly attended church services, but also demanded the same from his employees. Elder Alexy, who, as a deacon of this church, was friends with Tretyakov, said the warmest words about him: “In my mind there arises the image of a man who served as an example of a sober, focused life... combining the possession of external wealth with spiritual poverty. This was evident in his humble prayer.” And Tretyakov’s daughter recalled how unusually he observed the fast - he ordered one dish and ate only that during the entire fast, although he had a peptic ulcer. And Pavel Mikhailovich died shortly before St. Nicholas Day, December 4 (16), 1898. Moscow said goodbye to him in the St. Nicholas Church, and the funeral service was performed by his rector, Archpriest Dmitry Kositsyn. And the proximity to the Tretyakov Gallery will influence the fate of St. Nicholas Church more than once.

In St. Nicholas parish there was another extremely interesting house, the history of which is also closely connected with the temple. This is an estate in Bolshoi Tolmachevsky Lane, 3, where the State Pedagogical Library named after K.D. Ushinsky is now located, and before the revolution there was the 6th Moscow men's gymnasium, where Ivan Shmelev, a native of Kadashevskaya Sloboda, studied. In the second half of the 18th century, the estate belonged to A.D. Demidov: its lattice, included in all guidebooks, was cast at Demidov’s Nizhny Tagil factories. From the Demidovs the house passed to E.I. Zagryazhskaya, the aunt of Natalya Nikolaevna Goncharova, and in the middle of the 19th century to Countess Sollogub. The countess’s most famous brother, the Slavophile Yuri Fedorovich Samarin, lived there at the time and opened a literary and philosophical salon in the house. His frequent guests, along with Kireevsky, Aksakov, Khomyakov, Kavelin and the young Vladimir Solovyov, were the priests of the St. Nicholas Church. They came here to serve home all-night vigils, then stayed for a conversation. The young deacon Fyodor Alekseevich Solovyov visited here along with the priests. He was later destined to participate in the most outstanding event of pre-revolutionary Russia - the election of Patriarch Tikhon - and more than once touched upon the fate of his beloved Church of St. Nicholas in Tolmachi.

He was born in 1846 in the family of an archpriest, rector of the Church of St. Simeon the Stylite in Zayauzye. From early childhood, the boy had a heartfelt inclination towards religion and decided to devote himself to serving the Lord. One day, in the bell tower, the heavy tongue of the bell hit him on the head, and he became blind in one eye, but this did not prevent him from going through the great journey of life. Having graduated from the Moscow seminary, before being ordained, he married his childhood friend, the daughter of a priest, Anna, and five days later, on February 19, 1867, he was ordained a deacon at the Chudov Monastery. Saint Philaret himself appointed him a place of service - his favorite church of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker in Tolmachi. The deacon shared his joys and sorrows with this church for 28 years. In 1872, his beloved wife died. Everyone tried to console the young widower, and the rector, Archpriest Vasily Nechaev (the future Bishop of Kostroma Vissarion), attracted him to the publication of his magazine “Soulful Reading”. And together with Father Alexy (Mechev), also a deacon at that time, Father Fyodor participated in public readings, but never left St. Nicholas Church with his heart and continued its charitable traditions - helping the poor. One day, in the cold, he took off his cassock and gave it to a beggar on the street.

Only in 1895 did he leave Tolmachi and become presbyter of the Assumption Cathedral in the Kremlin - the Metropolitan himself invited him for his powerful voice. There his special veneration of the Vladimir Icon of the Mother of God arose. In the morning, entering the cathedral, he hurried to her with prayer, after the liturgy he served a prayer service in front of her, and in the evening he lingered with her, asking for help and intercession. The elder later recalled: “You used to enter the cathedral at three o’clock in the morning for the service of Matins, and awe overwhelms you... In the mysterious twilight of the church, the whole history of Russia rises before you... You can see the covering of the Mother of God from the Vladimir Icon in the time of disasters ... And then I wanted to pray for Rus' and all its faithful children, I wanted to devote myself entirely to God and not return to the vain world.” If only he had known then that it was in his native Church of St. Nicholas in Tolmachi that the Vladimir Icon would choose its refuge at the very end of the terrible twentieth century!

And then, in 1898, his cherished dream came true: he became a monk under the name Alexy in the Zosimova Hermitage, at the Arsaki station behind the Trinity Lavra of St. Sergius. Crowds of pilgrims flocked to the elder for consolation, so that in the end everyone who came was given special tickets, allowing 55 people to pass per day. At the same time, he became the confessor of Grand Duchess Elizabeth Feodorovna, and among his visitors were Pavel Florensky and Sergei Bulgakov. Everyone received help from him. They remember that Elder Alexy was very lenient, understood the penitent and forgave, and people were also drawn to this kindness.

But there were so many pilgrims that in the summer of 1916 the elder, who strived for solitude and silence, went into seclusion. He had to leave it within a year. In the summer of 1917, at the personal request of Metropolitan Tikhon, he participated in the pre-conciliar monastic congress in the Trinity-Sergius Lavra and was elected a participant in the All-Russian Local Council, at which the historic decision was made to restore the patriarchate in Russia.

And in the same November, Elder Alexy was entrusted with drawing lots with the name of the new Patriarch in the Cathedral of Christ the Savior. For the sake of such an event, the Vladimir Icon was transferred to the temple from the Assumption Cathedral, so that the fate of Russian Orthodoxy would traditionally be decided before it. Metropolitan Vladimir of Kiev wrote the names of the candidates on three parchments: Archbishop Anthony of Kharkov, Archbishop Arseny of Novgorod and Staraya Russa, and Metropolitan Tikhon of Moscow. These notes were placed in the ark and placed on a lectern. After the end of the liturgy and the solemn prayer service, Elder Alexy knelt down in front of the Vladimir Icon, crossed himself three times and, constantly praying, with a trembling hand he took out a note from the ark. Metropolitan Vladimir read: “Tikhon, Metropolitan of Moscow.” And Protodeacon Konstantin Rozov from the pulpit proclaimed many years to the elected Patriarch.

The names of Elder Alexy and Patriarch Tikhon will be heard more than once in the history of St. Nicholas Church in Tolmachi. Elder Alexy will become the spiritual father of its last rector, Archpriest Ilia Chetverukhin, and Saint Tikhon will celebrate the liturgy here during the most formidable years of Russian history.

“Our temple is closed”

The last pre-revolutionary rector of St. Nicholas Church was Archpriest Mikhail Fiveysky, Master of Theology. He was reproached for devoting all his time to science and reducing church services to a minimum, consigning Tolmachev’s traditions to oblivion. Let us mention that it was Father Michael who translated Farrar’s famous book “The Life of Christ” and his book about the Apostle Paul from English. Under Father Mikhail in 1910, the last renovations of the building were carried out, and the temple acquired the final form in which it met the revolution.

The revolution was inexorable to the old Zamoskvorechye, as well as to all of Russia, although in its first years the St. Nicholas Church was still in operation. The fates of the temple, the holy elder Alexy and the last rector were closely intertwined. Events developed sequentially. After the death of Father Mikhail in July 1919, priest Ilya Chetverukhin, a friend of Father Pavel Florensky and the spiritual child of Elder Alexy, was appointed to the temple, who a little earlier, in February of the same 1919, was tonsured into the schema. Undoubtedly, through his intercession the temple was not only preserved, but was later awarded a great fate.

And then, in the church, left without firewood and bread, church life glowed. In 1922, nine pounds worth of valuables were seized from it. The son of priest Ilya Chetverukhin recalled: “The icons of the bottom row, after the removal of massive vestments in 1922, amazed us with the power of their colors. The eyes of Christ looked attentively, the Mother of God Hodegetria - sympathetically, and St. Nicholas - menacingly.” The abbot decided to serve every day. The parish of the temple changed, because the mansions of rich merchants were occupied by the poor. True, his temporary parishioner was Metropolitan Arseny of Novgorod, one of the previous candidates for patriarch, who settled under house arrest in the apartment of the former director of the 6th gymnasium, which was in the house of Countess Sollogub. According to recollections, Vladyka sometimes visited St. Nicholas Church, but never served in it. Gradually, a community of “Tolmachevites” emerged. St. Nicholas Church was called the “Tolmachev Academy” because its parishioners, through the efforts of the pastor, knew the service well, sang thoughtfully, and seriously studied the works of the holy fathers. After the evening service, the pilgrims knelt before the image of the Mother of God and quietly prayed: “We take refuge under Your mercy, Virgin Mary! Do not despise our prayers in sorrow, but deliver us from troubles, O One Pure and Blessed One!” According to legend, this prayer was brought to Moscow by refugees during the First World War, but during the terrible revolutionary years it became dear to the Tolmachevo people. And opposite the temple there is a club named after. Karl Marx. On church holidays, a completely different procession moved from it towards the procession of the cross, abuse fell on the pilgrims, and stones were thrown at the priest. The deacon then was Father Pavel Poniatovsky. His son Nikolai, a student at the Military Medical Academy, signed a petition not to close the Trinity-Sergius Lavra, and he was expelled from the academy. With great difficulty, he managed to obtain a medical education, and later he became the house physician of Patriarch Alexy I.

The official existence of the temple was difficult. According to the decree on universal labor service, church service was not considered a labor activity, and the priest was ordered to get a job. Here the proximity to the Tretyakov Gallery was very useful - Father Ilya, who knew how to draw well, got a job as a research assistant there. However, in 1924 he was given a choice: either leave the temple or leave the gallery. After Ilya’s father was chosen, he was registered as a “disenfranchised”, the inferior apartment was once again compacted, a multiple tax was imposed on utilities, and the eldest son was not allowed to finish school.

But in the same year, 1924, on the patronal feast day on Spiritual Day, the holy Patriarch Tikhon came to the church to serve the liturgy. Having examined the church after the service, the high priest “found everything beautiful” and stayed for a festive meal in the rector’s room. They got a beautiful chair for the Patriarch, but he asked for a simple chair. The abbot's youngest son, while playing, took his staff away from him. “Well, be his master!” - the saint joked.

This is how the first years of Soviet power passed. And in 1928, Elder Alexy died. A few years earlier, the Zosimov Hermitage was closed, turning it into an agricultural artel, all the inhabitants were expelled, and Father Alexy ended up in Sergiev Posad. According to legend, in the mid-1920s, at a time when the elder suffered greatly due to the opening and removal of holy relics by the authorities, he prayed and asked why the Lord allowed such terrible acts against the shrine, he was rewarded with a miraculous vision. One night, when Elder Alexy was praying, the Monk Sergius appeared to him. He quietly stood up to pray with him, and then ordered him to pray and fast for three days, promising to reveal to him what he asked. At the appointed time, the saint again appeared to the elder and said: “When living people are subjected to such a test, it is necessary that the remains of dead people also be subjected to this. I myself gave my body so that my city would be intact forever.” This legend about the appearance of St. Sergius to Elder Alexy greatly encouraged believers during the war, when the Germans were rushing towards Moscow.

There is evidence of the existence of Elder Alexei’s will - to remember the powers that be and not to depart from Metropolitan Sergius. And he taught Father Ilya Chetverukhin that unity is above all, that only deviation from dogmas is intolerable, and the rest is up to human conscience. The elder died peacefully on September 19 (October 2), 1928, and Father Elijah was present at his funeral service among the clergy.

And on Easter the following year, 1929, the St. Nicholas Church in Tolmachi was closed. This was done at the request of the Tretyakov Gallery (Tretyakov Gallery) team to include the temple building in its composition to expand the exhibition. The priest and parishioners were reassured that the temple would fall into the hands of “cultured people.” The parish did not give up immediately. An application was submitted to the Moscow Soviet, then an appeal followed to the Presidium of the All-Russian Central Executive Committee, but everywhere it was refused.

We can say that the temple was lucky, but only partly - it was transferred to the Tretyakov Gallery for storage. And it survived, although it was rebuilt beyond recognition: the chapters were dismantled, the top of the bell tower was broken, the bells were broken into pieces, the interior space was divided into floors, the iconostasis was destroyed, and many icons were transferred to the gallery. But still not demolished...

The poet Raisa Kudasheva wrote truly prophetic verses dedicated to the Tolmachs in those days:

Let them be, patient shepherd,
Everyone is saved by the end of days -
And the field given to you by God,
And God's sower is on her

And the rector was transferred with the parishioners to precisely the church of St. Gregory of Neocaesarea on Polyanka, to which the temple was almost assigned after the invasion of Napoleon. Already in 1930, Father Elijah was arrested and two years later died in the camps.

For a long time the temple stood empty and disfigured. And only in 1983, when the Tretyakov Gallery was being prepared for major restoration, they decided to restore its building in order to open a concert hall in it. By 1990, the domes and bell tower were restored. And then a miracle happened.

The Miracle of the Tolmachi

The temple was opened for worship in 1993, after, by a special agreement between the Patriarchate and the directorate of the State Tretyakov Gallery, it received the rather unexpected status of the house temple of the Tretyakov Gallery and became a parish church for all its employees. The following year, 1994, the relics of Elder Alexy were found incorrupt and placed in the Cathedral of the Smolensk-Zosimova Hermitage...

On September 8, 1996, on the feast of the Vladimir Icon of the Mother of God, His Holiness Patriarch Alexy II consecrated the main altar of the restored temple. The consecration was timed to coincide with this great holiday because the Vladimir icon was kept in the gallery. It was then that she was first brought to the St. Nicholas Church for worship, and this turned out to be a harbinger of the coming celebration.

The complete restoration of the temple, carried out with funds from the Tretyakov Gallery and parishioners, was completed in 1997. Everything possible was recreated in its original form, and the Tretyakov Gallery, in turn, allocated icons from its funds to the temple. The lost painting was also restored. Again on the western wall you can see the scene of the expulsion of merchants from the temple, and the central ceiling is painted on the plot of the Apocalypse: the Savior is depicted on the Throne, surrounded by an eagle, a calf, a lion and an angel, symbols of the evangelical apostles, and He is stood by 24 elders who have laid down their crowns before the Lord – these crown-shaped crowns are located underneath them. On the left side of the temple on the wall is the icon “The Finding of the Relics of St. Sergius,” placed in the 19th century on the relics of the holy wonderworker. It was as if the temple was destined to receive the greatest shrine of Russia under its vaults.

In the early 1990s, at Moscow University and, probably, in other scientific institutions, signatures were collected on a petition not to transfer the Vladimir Icon of the Mother of God and Rublev’s “Trinity” from the museum to the Orthodox Church, since it was technically impossible to ensure their safety in churches. Many signed precisely for this reason. I remember how the late professor A. Ch. Kozarzhevsky, banging on the table in the lecture hall, shouted to the students: “An icon belongs on the wall of a holy church, and not on the cold, soulless wall of a museum!” Unfortunately, they did not listen to his words then, not understanding their meaning.

Everyone remembers how in the fateful October 1993 the Vladimir Icon visited the Yelokhov Cathedral, when they prayed before it for the pacification of Russia. It was after this that permission was given to perform divine services in front of the Vladimir Icon - still a museum exhibit. The veneration of the shrine was partially resumed within the walls of the Tretyakov Gallery, when a separate small room was set aside for it, and a huge bouquet of flowers always stood in front of the icon, stored in a glass stand. But she continued to stay in the museum.

And on the eve of the 2000th anniversary of Christianity, this seemingly insoluble issue was resolved in a truly miraculous way, completely extinguishing the controversy. In September 1999, on the feast of the Presentation of the Vladimir Icon, the shrine was placed in the house St. Nicholas Church of the State Tretyakov Gallery. They say that the initiator of its transfer was Mayor Yuri Luzhkov, who is the head of the gallery’s board of trustees. And the Vladimir Icon took its rightful place in the temple, in a carved wooden icon case with a tent canopy.

We can say that the icon agreed to this transfer, because throughout its history it itself chose its place of residence. As you know, according to legend, it was written by the holy evangelist Luke on the board of the dining table, at which the Savior, the Mother of God and the righteous Joseph had a meal. The Most Holy Theotokos, seeing this image, said: “May the grace of Him who was born of Me and Mine be with this icon.” Transferred from Byzantium to Rus', the icon remained in Kyiv until Prince Andrei Bogolyubsky in 1155 decided to go with it to the Rostov lands. Near the city of Vladimir, the horses on which they were carrying the miraculous icon stood up and could not move. They did not dare to contradict the revealed will of the Mother of God, and from then on the icon was in the Vladimir Assumption Cathedral until Tamerlane came to Rus'. In 1395, hoping for salvation, Muscovites met her at the place where the Sretensky Monastery was later founded. And until the revolution itself, the icon remained in the Assumption Cathedral of the Moscow Kremlin, showing its great miracles and saving Russia more than once. These days, she ended up in the modest, old Moscow Church of St. Nicholas in Tolmachi.

Of course, the matter was not limited to simply transferring the Vladimir Icon to the house St. Nicholas Church: it was necessary to ensure a special museum regime in the temple, which was officially given the status of a temple-museum. That is why you can enter the church only through the doors of the Tretyakov Gallery from Maly Tolmachevsky Lane (next to the bell tower) and, before going up the stairs to the church, you must leave your outerwear in the wardrobe. Equipped as a museum hall with advanced technologies, with an artificially created climate, temperature control and alarm system, at the same time it remains an independent temple, where on holidays and weekends services are held, prayers are offered and even candles are lit. For the Vladimir Icon, a special bulletproof icon case was manufactured at the Russian Ministry of Atomic Energy plant with the required temperature maintained inside. The main thing, according to Patriarch Alexy II, is now possible not only to look at her, but also to pray in front of her. And even leave her a candle, which will be lit during the service. If the experiment is successful, then the icon of the Trinity created by the monk will be transferred to the temple. Andrey Rublev, but for now it contains a list from it.

The next year after the Vladimir Icon chose St. Nicholas Church in Tolmachi as its place of residence, in August 2000, at the Jubilee Council of Bishops in the Cathedral of Christ the Savior, Elder Alexy was canonized. And in March 2002, Father Ilya Chetverukhin was canonized with the rank of martyr. So the St. Nicholas Church had its own heavenly intercessors; their images are placed on the right wall.

Tolmachevsky Church again became the place of service of His Holiness the Patriarch. On November 23, 2000, the High Hierarch performed a thanksgiving prayer here on the occasion of the publication of the first volume of the Orthodox Encyclopedia. And on June 5, 2001, on the feast of the Vladimir Icon of the Mother of God, fragments of the original painting “The Last Supper” by G. Semiradsky from the altar of the Cathedral of Christ the Savior, preserved in the funds of the State Tretyakov Gallery, were transferred to His Holiness the Patriarch. The 150th anniversary of the founding of the Tretyakov Gallery was also celebrated under the arches of the temple, and the celebration took place on the patronal feast of the temple on May 22, 2006. After the end of the liturgy, His Holiness the Patriarch performed a thanksgiving prayer service on the occasion of the anniversary.

Festive services are held here with the participation of the famous chamber choir of the Tretyakov Gallery under the direction of A. Puzakov, and on the day of memory of P. I. Tchaikovsky his “Liturgy” is performed, and on the birthday of S. V. Rachmaninov his “Vespers” is performed. Of course, pilgrims come first of all to venerate the Vladimir Icon. There is an oral tradition that she patronizes translators. If this is so, then the history of the St. Nicholas Church in Tolmachi and this Zamoskvorechye area has blissfully completed its circle.

The Church of St. Nicholas in Tolmachi has the status of a house church at the Tretyakov Gallery. A significant part of its decoration are exhibits from the museum’s collection. These are icons of the main and side iconostases, including “St. Nicholas”, “The Descent of the Holy Spirit on the Apostles”, as well as altar crosses, liturgical utensils (Master “M.O.” Chalice, 1838).

Here, in a specially equipped display case, the greatest Russian shrine and world-famous work of art, the pride of the Gallery’s collection, is stored - the icon “Our Lady of Vladimir” (12th century). Her stay in the Museum-Temple allows her to organically combine the artistic and religious nature of this monument.

The first mention of the wooden “Church of the Great Wonderworker St. Nicholas, and in the limit of Ivan the Baptist, which is beyond the Moscow River in Tolmachi” is contained in the Parish Book of the Patriarchal Order for 1625.

The stone temple was erected in 1697 by a “guest”, a parishioner of the Church of the Resurrection in Kadashi, Longin Dobrynin, and the main altar of the temple was consecrated in honor of the Descent of the Holy Spirit, and Nikolsky was moved to the refectory. However, only from 1697 to 1770 the church was called “Soshestvenskaya” in business papers and books, and then it began to be registered again as “Nikolaevskaya”.

In 1770, the Pokrovsky chapel was built in the refectory at the expense of the widow of the merchant of the 1st guild I.M. Demidov.

In 1834, at the request of the parishioners and “in accordance with the thoughts of Metropolitan Philaret,” the refectory was rebuilt according to the design of the architect F.M. Shestakov and a new bell tower was erected.

In 1856, the quadrangle was updated and the main altar was rebuilt. Funds for the renovation of the temple were donated, among others, by Alexandra Danilovna Tretyakova and her sons. One of them, Pavel Mikhailovich, the founder of the art gallery, was a zealous parishioner of the temple.

“In my mind there arises the image of a man who served as an example of a sober, focused life... who combined the possession of external wealth with spiritual poverty. This was manifested in his humble prayer,” this is how Deacon Fyodor Solovyov, who served in the church for 28 years, and later the elder of the Zosima Hermitage, schema-monk Alexy, recalled P.M. Tretyakov.

The temple was honored with a visit by the First Hierarchs and Hierarchs of the church. In 1924, St. Tikhon, the All-Russian Patriarch, performed a divine service in the church; the lot for patriarchal service was drawn by Elder Alexy Zosimovsky in front of the Vladimir Icon of the Mother of God.

The Council of Bishops in August 2000 canonized Elder Alexy Zosimovsky (1846–1928), martyr Nikolai Rein (1892–1937), a former parishioner of the temple. By the decision of the Holy Synod in 2002, Archpriest Ilia Chetverukhin (1886–1932) was canonized as a hieromartyr. the last rector of the temple before its closure in 1929.

Divine services in the temple were resumed in 1993. On September 8, 1996, the main altar of the temple was consecrated by His Holiness Patriarch Alexy II of Moscow and All Rus'.

In 1997, on the occasion of the 300th anniversary of the temple, its restoration was completed. The slender bell tower was re-erected and the five-domed quadrangle was restored. Three iconostases and wall icon cases were recreated, and wall paintings were completely restored.

On the eve of the Holy Trinity Day, the “Trinity” icon written by St. Andrei Rublev was transferred from the permanent exhibition hall of the Tretyakov Gallery to the Church of St. Nicholas in Tolmachi.

This happens only once a year so that temple parishioners and pilgrims can worship the revered image during festive services.

The temple is open from 09.00 to 20.00.

Schedule of services at the Church of St. Nicholas in Tolmachi:

June 4, Spiritual Day, the patronal feast of the church, the Liturgy begins at 9.00. At 15.00 on the eve of the feast of the Vladimir Icon of the Mother of God - an akathist with the blessing of water. At 17.00 All-night vigil.

The Church of St. Nicholas in Tolmachi is located at the Tretyakov Gallery, and has the status of a temple-museum. It has all the conditions for storing unique icons. The revered Vladimir Icon of the Mother of God is permanently kept in the church.

However, you can bow to the “Trinity”, venerate it, and pray in front of it in the temple only once a year.

According to the chief curator of the Tretyakov Gallery, Tatyana Gorodkova, this event is difficult to overestimate.

“This is always a very exciting event, since the “Trinity” is an ancient, very fragile icon, the state of its preservation is such that it requires constant and very careful, thoughtful monitoring from both the curators of the Tretyakov Gallery and, of course, restorers.

According to the chronicles, the icon of Andrei Rublev was painted for the Trinity-Sergius Lavra, which is the spiritual center of Russian life. Accordingly, the most important icon of the Lavra is very dear to every Russian believer. On the other hand, this image also has immense spiritual depth.

Archpriest Andrey Rumyantsev, cleric of the Church of St. Nicholas in Tolmachi: In the icon of the Holy Trinity we see the completeness of the Christian idea of ​​God, the world and the place of man in this world.”

Speaking about this world and the significance of Rublev’s “Trinity” in it, Tatyana Gorodkova noted that this image has long become significant not only for Russian people.

Tatyana Gorodkova, chief curator of the Tretyakov Gallery:

“I can, as a custodian, say that the “Trinity” of St. Andrei Rublev, of course, has long outgrown the limits of treating it as an icon. Because it is not only the recognized greatest achievement of ancient Russian painting, but is an integral part of both our culture and world culture as a whole.”

Photo by Mikhail Moiseev:

We are starting a small series of issues about the Church-Museum of St. Nicholas in Tolmachi at the State Tretyakov Gallery. The history of this unique church, its interior decoration and the presence of the Vladimir Icon of the Blessed Virgin Mary in it is told by the rector of the church, Archpriest Nikolai Sokolov, and the head of the department of ancient Russian art of the State Tretyakov Gallery, Natalia Nikolaevna Sheredega.

– To my left you see the domes of the Church of St. Nicholas in Tolmachi, and we are now in its bell tower. And our today’s episode of the program “Keepers of Memory” opens a short series of stories about this temple.

Archpriest Nikolai Sokolov, rector of the Church of St. Nicholas in Tolmachi at the State Tretyakov Gallery:

– Dear brothers and sisters, all TV viewers who are watching our program today! We are located in a unique temple, which is located almost in the very center of our capital, Moscow. The name of this church is the Church of St. Nicholas in Tolmachi at the Tretyakov Gallery. It has been in existence for almost three and a half centuries.

It was first mentioned in 1625, but was built somewhat earlier. At first the building was wooden, then stone, then rebuilt. And today the temple stands before us after all the incidents associated with the events of 1917 and later. Now he is in all his glory, as Pavel Mikhailovich Tretyakov saw him.

In 1856, the Tretyakov family acquired an estate next to this church, and it became a parish church. Pavel Tretyakov, his brother, mother and close friends visited this temple constantly. There is a place marked in the church where Pavel Mikhailovich was during the service. The temple was decorated and visited by the first hierarchs of the Russian Orthodox Church.

Saint Philaret of Moscow (Drozdov), who is now canonized, paid a lot of attention to the interior of the temple and its decoration. He served in this temple, consecrated the thrones, and paintings and decorations were made according to his sketches. The Church of St. Nicholas in Tolmachi today will be the same as it was at the end of the 19th and beginning of the 20th centuries. But if we come here, we will see that not everything here is as it was, but there is something completely new.

Since 1992, the temple has received the status of the first operating temple-museum in Russia. This is both a temple of the Orthodox Church and a museum adjacent to the Tretyakov Gallery. As soon as communication was established here, a certain climate was created, an alarm system and fire extinguishing devices were installed, then it became possible to bring all possible icons here.

Some of them were in the temple even before it closed. And some are completely new icons, but they appeared here in the original interior of the temple for which they were painted. These are wall iconostases, as well as the second, third, fourth and fifth tiers of the central iconostasis. And today the church keeps many icons, starting from the 12th - 13th centuries and ending with some modern images of those saints who became famous in the 20th century as servants of this temple.

This is Father Ilya Chetverukhin, who was the last rector before the closure of the Church of St. Nicholas in Tolmachi, this is the elder, Father Alexy Zosimovsky, who was a deacon in this temple for 28 years, and then the Lord judged him, in front of the miraculous icon of the Vladimir Mother of God, to draw lots to serve His Holiness the Patriarch Tikhon. And also the martyr Nikolai Rein, who also served in this church.

I have now mentioned the great shrine of Russia - the Vladimir Icon of the Mother of God. Nothing happens in the world and life by chance. Elder Alexy Zosimovsky, while still a deacon here with the name Fedor, greatly revered this icon. After the death of his wife, he became a monk with the name Alexy, was ordained a hieromonk, and from this church was sent to serve in the Moscow Kremlin, where, as he writes in his memoirs, he prayed many times and almost daily before the miraculous image of Vladimir.

What kind of prayers were these? What did this inspired old man pray for? We can only guess. But decades later, the icon of the Vladimir Mother of God ends up in the Tretyakov Gallery and remains there throughout the troubled seventy years.

And after the completion of the reconstruction of the temple at the highest level, His Holiness the Patriarch and the President of Russia decided that the icon would be located in the existing temple. They didn’t yet know where exactly to place it, and there were various options: the Kremlin, or the Cathedral of Christ the Savior, which was just beginning to be built, or some other Moscow temple.

After consultation and difficult debates, it was decided that the Vladimir Icon of the Mother of God remains in the Tretyakov Gallery. But not just in the hall, but in a functioning temple-museum. And today we are in this temple, where the central image is the miraculous icon of the Mother of God “Vladimir”, which has been kept here since 1999. I repeat, this happened when the renovation was completely completed, the iconostasis and icon case were made, which also went through a difficult path, when everything necessary was prepared to preserve this icon.

There were three or four options for different icon cases. And, thanks to the management of the polymetallic plant, which was then headed by Valery Viktorovich Kryukov, this completely unique icon case was created, which simultaneously stores Vladimirskaya, and complies with the necessary parameters of humidity, temperature, and is independent of the general energy supply. He can be without public electricity for several days. This, of course, is a unique product that allows us today to see the Vladimir Icon of the Mother of God in all its wondrous beauty. Because today we see it from all sides: both from the front and from the back, surrounded by a host of icons that are in the temple. Since 1999, prayers have been continuously performed in front of her.

The temple is active, therefore, in agreement with the gallery management, all the necessary services that are required according to the charter of the Church take place here. And, from noon until evening, the temple operates as a hall of the Tretyakov Gallery. The temple-museum is open every day except Monday, and thousands of people from all over the Orthodox world (from Russia and abroad) come to pray before the wondrous Vladimir image.

Sheredega Natalia Nikolaevna, head of the department of ancient Russian art of the State Tretyakov Gallery:

– This is a temple with which the fate of Zamoskvorechye is connected, and the fate of Pavel Mikhailovich Tretyakov, the founder of the Tretyakov Gallery, and our entire museum, and very many shrines of our fatherland, including those collected here from looted and ruined churches and, finally, those that became accessible not only as museum exhibits, but also as, first of all, objects of the life of an Orthodox Christian.

Our temple is located in Tolmachi. This is Tolmachevskaya Sloboda, next to Kadashevskaya Sloboda. Here, from ancient times, from the end of the 17th century, there was a temple of the descent of the Holy Spirit, which had a chapel of St. Nicholas. The building was rebuilt in the 17th century and then underwent changes. The basic constructive system in which we now find ourselves took shape already in the middle of the 19th century.

I want to remind you that many of the religious objects and works of art that are now in front of us came here from the most ancient temple, on the site of which stands the current Church of St. Nicholas in Tolmachi. First of all, this concerns the iconostasis. It is a composite of icons that were once located in two churches. The five-tiered iconostasis was restored in accordance with tradition.

We see that in the first tier there are icons of St. Nicholas, the Mother of God, the Savior and the descent of the Holy Spirit. They are from the collection of the Tretyakov Gallery, and belonged to the most ancient temple that was on this site. The fact that they were created at the end of the 17th century by the artist Saltanov specifically at the request of the organizers of this temple is evidenced by the inscriptions on the icons.

The top rows of icons were also created by very famous artists, in particular, master Tikhon Filatiev and his team, masters of the late 17th century, who painted these icons for the Church of the Nativity of the Virgin Mary in Polyanka. After her plunder, the images ended up in the Tretyakov Gallery’s collections through the workshops. And these funds in the 30-40s were where we are now. Why?

In 1929, the Church of St. Nicholas in Tolmachi was closed, the domes and bell towers were demolished, and the body of the temple was miraculously preserved only because it housed the Tretyakov Gallery’s collection of ancient Russian art. Therefore, we consider ourselves somewhat responsible for preserving the foundation of the temple and the icons brought here. The iconostasis was restored from them.

I emphasize once again that the temple was closed in 1929, and already in the 80-90s, under Yuri Konstantinovich Korolev (this is the former director of the Tretyakov Gallery, a famous artist), work began on restoring the Church of St. Nicholas as a temple-museum, which is also an active a church with all the fullness of Orthodox life and a museum. Because for everything that is here (excluding private donations), the curators and restorers of the Tretyakov Gallery are responsible for all these icons, that is, we work together.

We are very lucky. We work with a wonderful rector and a wonderful cast of clergy, we have a wonderful choir of singers and assistants to Father Nicholas, who, in friendship and cooperation with us, carry out the common task of preservation.

– In the next issue we will continue the story about the church-museum of St. Nicholas in Tolmachi at the Tretyakov Gallery.

In 1851, P.M. became a parishioner of St. Nicholas Church in Tolmachi. Tretyakov, whose family bought an estate on Lavrushinsky Lane. The Tretyakovs were very religious people. They not only went to church, but also became the main donors. Until his death, Pavel Mikhailovich lived in his house and went to St. Nicholas Church. He made a special gate through which one could enter the church directly from the estate. The Tretyakovs were connected with Nicholas the Wonderworker: Pavel Mikhailovich’s grandfather once lived in the parish of the Church of St. Nicholas in Golutvin. The family had a tradition of getting together on St. Nicholas Day and remembering with kind words all the deceased relatives.

In the 1860s, it was again necessary to repair artificial marble, update paintings, repair facades, and change floors in the main church. The Tretyakov family invariably helped their temple in everything. The elder of the Smolensk Zosimova Hermitage, Venerable Alexy, said wonderful words about Pavel Mikhailovich: “In my mind, when I remember him, there arises the image of a man who served as an example of a sober, focused, abstinent life, full of good energy and labors, and, most importantly, the image of a man who combined possession external wealth - material - with spiritual poverty. This was evident in his humble prayer.”

In the second half of the 19th century, deacon Fyodor Alekseevich Solovyov, the future elder Alexy Zosimovsky, served in the Church of St. Nicholas in Tolmachi. He was distinguished by modesty, responsiveness, respectful attitude towards elders, reverent service and a magnificent velvet voice. The parishioners loved their deacon very much. In 1872, his beloved wife died. This was a terrible blow for Fyodor’s father; sometimes he locked himself in his room and cried inconsolably. The rector of the church, Father Vasily, came to the rescue. He loaded Fyodor Alekseevich with work in the magazine “Soulful Reading,” published at the temple.

The deacon wrote a short history of the church and other literary works. And work really saved him from grief. Father Fedor was always the first to arrive at the church and the last to leave, not forgetting to pray in front of each icon and make sure everything was in order. He used to take off his hat when greeting his acquaintances. But since he knew almost the entire parish personally, he almost always walked with his head uncovered. Church historiographer O.S. Chetverukhina noted: “One old woman, who was then still a ten-year-old girl, later recalled that she especially loved meeting him, because Father Deacon “greeted very well.”

After early mass, Fyodor Alekseevich usually gave out alms, which were especially generous on the day he received his salary. They even gave him money in parts so that he did not give it all away at once. The deacon willingly helped all the poor in the area, often inviting them to his home for dinner. One day, having no money with him, he, without hesitation, gave his cassock to a beggar shivering from the cold. In 1895, Father Fedor was ordained presbyter of the Assumption Cathedral. Three years later he was tonsured a hieromonk with the name Alexy. Now he is known to everyone as Reverend Alexy Zosimovsky - one of the most glorious and revered elders of the twentieth century.

The last renovation of the temple took place in 1910. After the 1917 revolution, people stopped going to church. The young priest Ilya Nikolaevich Chetverukhin, a friend of Father P.A. Florensky and the spiritual child of Elder Alexy, made every effort to preserve the Church of St. Nicholas in Tolmachi. In 1922, more than nine pounds of gold and silver items were confiscated from the temple. Father Ilya was an excellent draftsman and a lover of painting, and, since he needed to earn a living, he got a job as a research assistant at the Tretyakov Gallery. Soon he was asked to choose between the Tretyakov Gallery and the temple. Of course, he chose to serve God.

Hard times have begun. This is how O.S. describes the life of Ilya’s father in those years. Chetverukhin: “Father Ilya performed services in a church sparkling with frost, miraculously there was wine for communion and flour for prosphora, there was not enough for the most urgent needs: the children and even the mother had no shoes, clothes were altered from all sorts of old things. The family went to bed not knowing what they would eat tomorrow, according to the principle “when there is day, there is food.” Despite all the difficulties, the active priest diligently continued his work. The few parishioners loved the sincere sermons of Father Ilya, dedicated to the love of God and all neighbors.

Gradually, a community of deeply religious parishioners who knew the Holy Scriptures formed around him, and the Church of St. Nicholas in Tolmachi began to be called the “Tolmachev Academy.” On Easter 1929 the church was closed. Employees of the Tretyakov Gallery demanded that the temple building be given to them for storage. The priest and parishioners did everything to defend the temple, but their efforts were in vain. For the second time in history, the parish was assigned to the Church of St. Gregory of Neocaesarea in Polyanka. In 1930, Father Ilya was arrested for “counter-revolutionary agitation and preparation for an uprising” and two years later died in a fire in a camp club in the village of Krasnaya Vishera.

In 1931, reconstruction of the church began as a storage facility for the Tretyakov Gallery. The chapters were removed, the upper tiers of the bell tower were dismantled, and the interior space was divided into floors. The temple lost its iconostasis and 19th-century fence. It is difficult to say whether St. Nicholas Church in Tolmachi was lucky that it was transferred to the Tretyakov Gallery. At least the building wasn't completely destroyed. When the reconstruction of the gallery began, it was planned to set up a concert hall in St. Nicholas Church. By 1990, the domes and bell tower were restored. Fortunately, no concerts were held in the temple. In 1993, they made an unexpected decision to make the church a house at the gallery.

Services in the church resumed on September 8, 1996, on the feast of the Vladimir Icon of the Mother of God. Patriarch Alexy II consecrated the main altar of the Descent of the Holy Spirit. It was then that a significant event occurred: for the first time, the icon of the Vladimir Mother of God, the guardian and intercessor of the Russian land, was brought to the Church of St. Nicholas in Tolmachi. The complete restoration of the temple was completed in 1997. The lost painting was restored, including the famous scene of the expulsion of merchants from the temple, which so amazed the parishioners. Two years later, the icon of the Vladimir Mother of God found its permanent place of refuge - the Church of St. Nicholas in Tolmachi.

Today everyone can pray and worship the shrine. It is stored in a bulletproof icon case specially manufactured at the Russian Ministry of Atomic Energy. According to legend, this icon was painted by the Evangelist Luke during the life of the Mother of God on a board from the table at which Jesus Christ ate with Her and Joseph. In fact, this is a Byzantine icon of the first half of the 12th century, brought by Prince Andrei Bogolyubsky from Constantinople. But does the origin of this image and the date of writing matter? The main thing is that she saved our country many times from troubles and misfortunes, that people turned to her for help in the most difficult moments of history, and she always helped.

In 2000, at the council of bishops in the Cathedral of Christ the Savior, Elder Alexy was canonized, and two years later, Father Ilya was canonized with the rank of hieromartyr. They became the heavenly patrons of the Church of St. Nicholas in Tolmachi, and their images were placed on the right wall. Surprisingly, Father Ilya is depicted wearing glasses, although according to the canons saints should not have glasses. Festive services in the temple are held with the participation of the famous chamber choir of the Tretyakov Gallery. The founder and director of the choir is Alexey Puzakov, the famous regent of the Church of the Icon of the Mother of God “Joy of All Who Sorrow.”

St. Nicholas Church cannot be seen from afar: it is blocked by the new Tretyakov buildings built in the 1980s. But now the gates of the Engineering Building are often open, and everyone has the opportunity to walk around the temple from all sides. Despite all the destruction, St. Nicholas Church has been well preserved. The temple is a rare architectural monument that combines elements from different eras. But another sign of its exclusivity is its special status - a temple-museum. A significant part of its decoration, as well as altar crosses and liturgical utensils, are exhibits from the collection of the Tretyakov Gallery. After the service, the church turns into an exhibition hall.