Address: Russia, Yaroslavl region, Pereslavl-Zalessky, st. Rostovskaya, 3
Build date: 1771 year
Coordinates: 56 ° 44'25.8 "N 38 ° 51'24.7" E
Cultural heritage site of the Russian Federation
Content:
The temple of Simeon the Stylite stands on one of the main streets of Pereslavl-Zalessky - Rostovskaya, not far from the Trubezh River. The Simeon Church went through difficult times when it was closed and the premises were used as warehouses.
And, unfortunately, the ancient decoration of this temple has not survived to this day. But today this church is a miracle how good. It flaunts its baroque decor - intricate platbands and pilasters, cheerfully looking at the city changes for almost two and a half centuries.
The history of the construction of the Simeon Church
The stone church of Simeon the Stylite was preceded by a wooden church. Mentions about her can be found on the pages of the patriarchal salary books, in the inventory of 1628. 7 years later, in the scribal book it was noted that behind the temple there were two courtyards of the priest, two courtyards that belonged to the clerk, and 23 township courtyards where the parishioners of the church lived. In 1717, a warm church was added to the wooden church and consecrated in honor of Nicholas the Wonderworker. But, the old wooden temple burned down during the great fire of 1724. This disaster destroyed many churches, shops and courtyards of local residents in Pereslavl. From the Simeon Church, which was completely burnt out, it was then possible to save only the liturgical utensils. Four years later, thanks to the efforts of priest Sergiy Stefanov and parishioner Pyotr Malikov, a new wooden church was erected on the site of the burnt church. And it lasted 43 years.
The construction of a new church made of bricks was carried out with the blessing of Bishop Gennady of Pereslavl with money collected by the parishioners. This church was opened in 1771. At the time of its opening, there were 150 citizens (both women and men) in its parish. A century later, in the 1870s, the Church of the Exaltation of the Cross was assigned to the temple. A priest and a psalmist served in the Simeon Church across the state. At that time, there were 158 men in the parish. It should be noted that at that time women parishioners and children were not counted.
History of the Simeon Church in the XX century
After the coming of Soviet power, the Simeon Church was still active for some time. In 1922, the state made a decision to confiscate all valuables belonging to Orthodox churches in order to help the starving in the Volga region. The government wanted to sell them and use the proceeds to buy food for those in need.
A commission created in the city withdrew twelve objects made of silver in the Simeonov Church - crosses made in the 18th century, a censer, gospel frames, vestments from icons, a tabernacle made in 1788, and church bowls - porters. All these values were to be sent to the county financial department. But on a happy occasion, Mikhail Ivanovich Smirnov, the director of the recently created Pereslavl Museum, prevented this. He had special mandates from the Narpompros and the Glavmuseum, which gave him the right to requisition especially valuable things for the museum exposition. Thanks to the efforts of M.I. Smirnov, half of the values of the Simeonov temple were recognized as having historical and artistic significance, and, thus, they were saved.
In the summer of 1929, the city authorities, at the request of the Pereslavl-Zalessky post office, did not allow the ringing of the bell anymore, citing the fact that it strongly interferes with the work of the local telegraph. A year later, the bells of this, like that of other city temples and monasteries, were removed and sent for melting in Rudmetaltorg. The disasters did not end there. During the dismantling of the bells, the workers broke down fragments of the walls near the window openings on the north and west sides.
Soon the church itself was closed. In the early 30s of the last century, the old iconostases dating back to the 19th century were dismantled, and the premises of the temple were given to the builders' club. At this time of widespread destruction of church buildings, the staff of the Pereslavl museum managed to partially preserve rare wooden sculptures from the temple of Simeon the Stylite in the museum funds.
When neighboring churches were blown up, Simeon's Church was not destroyed, also thanks to a happy coincidence. The Commission for the Protection of Monuments under the All-Union Central Executive Committee, headed by A. Golosov, decided that the church has an external resemblance to the Sukharev Tower in Moscow, which means it is of a certain architectural interest. So the temple began to appear on the list of monuments.
Later it was rented by Pereslavl bargaining. A red corner was made on the top floor, and the first floor was used as storage space. Until the 1980s, a folk theater was located here. And in the 90s of the last century, the building was given to the Orthodox Church and its restoration was started. In 1992, divine services were resumed in the temple. And the bell ringing was again heard far around.
Architecture and interior decoration of the temple
The Church of Simeon the Stylite was built in the style of the so-called provincial baroque at the same time as another famous city church - the Church of the Forty Martyrs. She became a real decoration of the central part of ancient Pereslavl.
Church platbands look especially luxurious. Moreover, their decor is different on different tiers. The most skillfully decorated windows are on the second floor and in the upper, third row. Above them are the molded faces of angels. Window openings differ not only in the intricate style of decor, but also in their size.
In accordance with the Baroque traditions, pilasters, thin cornices, and belts between floors are present in the decoration of the facades of the temple. Almost all the details of the external decor are painted in white and contrast sharply with the red-brick tone of the walls of the temple. Unlike the main building, the bell tower and the adjoining gatehouse are almost devoid of external design.
The basis of the Simeon Church is a high two-story church. In the western part above it there is a small bell tower topped with a tent. If you look from Rostovskaya Street (from the west), you can see it first. The hip part is not very high, and auditory holes are made in it in one row. At the bottom of the building, on its first floor, there is a warm church, and the upper floor is given over to a summer, cold church.
The church is completed by an elongated dome, in which four holes for illumination are made - lucarnes. The dome has five drums supporting the church domes. Under the thin drums, located on the sides, a semblance of independent domes is brought up, merging into a single roof structure of a complex shape. And the domes are crowned with beautiful openwork crosses.
The current state of the Simeon Church and the visiting regime
The Simeon Church today is a functioning Orthodox church. It is considered a cultural heritage site of the 18th century, which is under state protection. You can get here every day from 8.00 to 16.00. And on divine service days - from 7.30 to 20.00.
In the church, revered believers keep icons painted in honor of the Kazan Mother of God and St. Spyridon of Trimyphunts with particles of his relics. The temple celebrates, as holidays, March 30, September 14 and December 25.
The church has two thrones. The upper church was consecrated in honor of Simeon the Stylite, and the lower one - in the name of the Christian saint and ascetic Alexy, the man of God.
How to get to the Simeon Church
The Simeon Church is located in Pereslavl-Zalessky on Rostovskaya Street, 16. If you go through the city from Moscow, along the main street - Rostovskaya, you need to cross the Trubezh River. The church stands on the right along the course, 200 m after the bridge, at the junction of Rostovskaya (formerly Semenovskaya) and Koshelevskaya streets.
