Pokrovsky Academic Church

Contents Word on the renewal of the academic church Intercession academic church by the beginning of the second century of the academy A word on the renovation of the academic church When the Jews returned from Babylonian captivity, on the sad ruins of devastated Jerusalem, on the sacred ruins of the plundered glorious Temple of Solomon, they began to build a new church to the Lord God. This new church could not compare in splendor with the lost creation of the great king. There were then elders who still remembered the beauty of Solomon's Temple. They looked at the new church, remembered the old one and... the elders began to cry loudly. Then Haggai the prophet arose and consoled the unfortunate sons of Israel. With what words, what words did the prophet of God console the tears of the weeping elders? He said: The last glory of this church will be greater than the first (Hag. 2:10). Our renewed church, of course, is more modest than even Zerubbabel’s church, but it was not Solomon’s temple that we had before, and therefore, looking at this church and remembering the previous one, we will not cry, like the elders of the Jews, no, we can have fun, rejoice and thank the Lord God, who crowned our endeavor with a crown of success. We could not have created this vault if it had not been for the blessing of the One who stretched out the entire vault of heaven like a skin and adorned it with harmonious choirs of luminaries. There is no prophet among us who would tell us whether the glory of this great church will be greater than the first, but we ourselves can pray to the Lord God about this and pray about this especially now. And what is the glory of the Christian church? Why are our churches famous? Which churches will we call glorious? Shouldn't we call those churches glorious in which Christians pray especially a lot and especially diligently? The glory of a Christian church - what is it, if not in those grace-filled moods that those who pray there experience? Prayers of the Christian soul, tears of tenderness, delights of spiritual joy, unfeigned humility, deep heartfelt sighs, contrition for one’s sins, good intentions in the matter of saving one’s soul - this is what constitutes the glory of the Christian church! Your former church was not disgraced. The paths that led to our church never wept from the knowledge that there were no one walking along them on the holiday, as the paths of Zion once wept, according to the word of Jeremiah the prophet (see: Lamentations 1.4). In it we experienced delights of spiritual joy, grieved over our sins, asked for mercy from God, found peace of mind, were consoled and touched by church services. May the Lord not deprive us of this priceless consolation in the renovated church! Let there be here, as it were, that mysterious staircase that Jacob the forefather once saw! The angels of God, these ministering spirits sent to serve all who want to inherit salvation (see: Heb. 1:14), may they, along this mysterious ladder, ascend to the throne of the Almighty the sighs, joys and sorrows of earth-born people, and may they descend to earth with a vial of goodness, and not anger and rage! Let unceasing prayers be offered here, may the souls of those praying here be enlightened and touched, and may the last glory of this church be greater than the first! But our church has had and can still have special glory. Our church is an academic church. A higher church school is attached to it, with which it is inextricably linked, together it rises to the pinnacle of glory and together it falls into the abyss of shame. What is the glory of the academic church? This is also the highest glory of the academy itself. Every institution is glorious insofar as it justifies the purpose for which it exists. The purpose of the academy is clear and definite: to produce enlightened servants of the Church. For this purpose alone, the Church creates higher theological schools. There is no other goal and there should not be. This goal is being achieved - glory to the academy! To retreat or evade this goal is a disgrace, an indelible disgrace, disgrace to both the entire academy and its individual members! Isn’t it clear how close the inner life of our church school is with this church? The special glory of the academic church lies in the fact that it helped the academy itself justify its purpose. Over the four decades that our former church existed, think how many different figures and ministers it raised for God and His Holy Church! Entire generations asked for God's help here when they entered the academy; they asked for God's blessing when, at the end of the years of study, they went out to their work and to do their work until the evening of life (see: Ps. 103:23). Here, of course, the Lord appeared more than once, as in the bush to Moses, and called His chosen ones to serve His people, sending them to battle not with the Pharaoh of Egypt, but with the mental Pharaoh and with the rulers of the darkness of this age. How many good and holy intentions to serve God and the Church have ripened here through prayer - only the Knower of the Heart knows. Either in the depths of a meek and silent spirit, or solemnly and in the face of the entire Church, here they made vows to seek in life not their own strengths, but the essence of God. Many here around the sacred throne were married to God’s Church and entered the ranks of the clergy. Here it is, the true glory of the academy and the academic church! In conjunction with the higher church school attached to it, our church served and benefited the entire Russian Church. May the glory of this great church in this regard be greater than the first! The Church is in need and situation. She was surrounded by enemies on all sides. A shameless counterfeit of the truth of Christ has begun. The Church is cursed and angrily reviled. Her recent friends are ready to drive her away and pursue her. In this church need, where should we go to ask for help? Where can we get defenders, selfless warriors and selfless servants? Shouldn't higher church schools satisfy church needs? May this church help our academy to fulfill its task, to satisfy the urgent church needs of our time! With the renewal of the academic church, may the thought and desire to serve the one Lord God and His Holy Church be renewed with new strength in the minds and hearts of all those living near it all the days of earthly life! Let here, in this renovated church, the Lord relentlessly knock on the doors of the hearts of those who are called to church service, who sin, unforgivably sin, if they shirk this service! Let our eyes see under these new arches of our church the high and exalted throne of the Lord of hosts, and from this throne let each of us hear the voice of the Lord saying: whom will I send, and who will go to my people (see: Isa. 6:8)? Oh, [yes] there would not be found among us anyone so weak in spirit, so poor in love, who would doubt this Divine call to give a prophetic answer: Behold, I am, send me (Isa. 6:8)! Truly then the glory of this new academic church would be greater than the first! Now singing thanksgiving to the Lord God, let us pray, brethren, boldly that the last glory of this church may be greater than the first! Source: Hilarion (Troitsky), archimandrite. Word on the renewal of the academic church // Theological Bulletin. 1913. T. 3. No. 12. P. 613–916. Intercession Academic Church at the beginning of the second century of the Academy For more than half of the first century of its existence, the Moscow Theological Academy did not have its own church. The academic family gathered for prayer either in the academic hall, where all-night vigils were celebrated, or in Lavra churches, mainly in the Refectory Church. Attending divine services was therefore associated with some inconveniences, and the academic divine services themselves suffered a lot. Both the place and time of the service changed, and, naturally, the service itself was sometimes “not entirely harmonious” 1 . The academy owes the construction of a separate church to its unforgettable rector, Archpriest A.V. Gorsky. Undoubtedly, this fact is very significant. The name of A.V. Gorsky is the most glorious scientific name of the Moscow Academy during the first century of its historical life. Everyone unites in a feeling of reverent respect for the memory of A.V. Gorsky. And so, this great scientist was aware of the inconvenience of a higher theological school being left without its church. Scholarship in the person of A.V. Gorsky did not extinguish his piety. A contemporary testifies that he was “a great hunter of church services” 2. On one occasion, A.V. Gorsky advised academy students to carefully study Orthodox worship, because it represents “the flower and fruit of the tree of life of the Church of Christ” 3 . When the matter of establishing an academic church began, A.V. Gorsky rejoiced at the fact that “we will be given the consolation of not only lying down in the house of God, but also living under its roof, so that we ourselves and our young men will be more and more imbued with and filled with the spirit of the church” 4 . The church was built in the academic hall, where public trials (around that time cancelled) had previously taken place, and was consecrated on February 12, 1870. The original academic church was very small and the altar was facing south, which is inconsistent with the 91st rule of St. Basil the Great, according to which “we all look to the east during prayers” and “through this we seek the ancient fatherland of paradise, which God planted in Eden in the east.” Meanwhile, rectors with the rank of bishop began to appear at the Moscow Academy. Academic worship became more solemn. Soon the need to expand the academic church began to be felt. The church was more than doubled in 1892, when Archimandrite Anthony (now Archbishop of Kharkov) was the rector, and the altar was already facing east. In its new form, the church was consecrated on September 20, 1892, a few days before the celebration of the 500th anniversary of the blessed death of St. Sergius 5. But even in its new, rebuilt form, the church stood almost exactly as long as the original church of A.V. Gorsky. The church was low and dark and had no architectural merits. Therefore, in the summer of 1913, a new reinforced concrete vault was built over the church, thanks to which the church became twice as tall as it was before. On November 16, 1913, services began in the rebuilt church 6, but the church lacked what constitutes the beauty of an Orthodox church - the iconostasis and wall paintings corresponding to the new height of the church. Indeed, according to the words of the holy fathers of the Seventh Ecumenical Council, church splendor, consisting of picturesque images, “serves us to assure us of the true, and not imaginary, incarnation of God the Word and for similar benefits,” because those who look at sacred images “are striving to remember and love the archetypes.” Giving the academic church the appearance of a real Orthodox church was especially timely in view of the approaching 100th anniversary of the academy, which was supposed to be celebrated solemnly. But the lack of funds and even their complete absence slowed things down. Even at the beginning of the restructuring of the vault, therefore, they began to turn to various private benefactors, and then it was decided to turn to all former students of the academy with a request to make a feasible donation to the academic church on the day of the 100th anniversary of the academy. Another prot. A.V. Gorsky, having built the church, turned to people close to the academy with a request to help decorate the academic church. The gifts of these old pupils of the academy (mainly in the form of icons) still decorate the academic church. At the beginning of 1914, no less than a thousand of the following appeals were sent out: “In the coming 1914, the Moscow Theological Academy will celebrate its 100th anniversary. One of the most pressing academic needs for this anniversary is to bring the academic church into decent shape. The church, rebuilt last year, is in great need of utensils; there is still no iconostasis corresponding to the new height of the church; the sacristy is completely dilapidated. Meanwhile, nowhere in the academy does the memory of its former students live on as much as in the academic church, where everyone who taught and studied at the academy, who led and served, is remembered. This circumstance gives us the courage to appeal to all people close to the academy with a request to remember the academic church on the day of the academic anniversary and by sending a feasible donation to help so that on the day of the anniversary of our native academy the church can be given a look somewhat worthy of a higher church school.” This appeal, of course, did not reach all of the academy’s students, because the mother academy does not know about all of her children, where they live and where they work. However, the influx of donations began immediately. On behalf of the Academy, we express deep gratitude to all donors and bow to the ground on our own behalf, true representatives of the hundred-year-old Academy. Immediately after the end of the training sessions in June 1914, they began painting the vault and walls of the academic church. The painting of the altar was undertaken by the architect of the church, Sergei Semenovich Makarov. The vault and walls of the church were painted by the Petrograd artist N. A. Protopopov, who, before entering the Academy of Arts, graduated with a candidate of theology degree from the Kazan Theological Academy. The church is painted in the new Kiev, mainly Vasnetsov style, and many scenes are taken from the Vladimir Kyiv Cathedral. On the top of the vault are Vasnetsov’s paintings: “God the Word”, “Crucifixion” and “God of Hosts”. Behind, in the choir, is Vasnetsov’s “Last Judgment.” On the sides of the vault is Vasnetsov’s “The Entrance of Paradise”, and in the four corners are the evangelists with their symbols. The dome is painted with Byzantine patterns along with symbolic images of the days of creation, and at the very top is “The Savior with the Gospel.” On the large window above the iconostasis are three Angels. The walls are completely occupied by large images of saints - ancient and Russian. Thanks to the skill and talent of the artist, the church painting is unified and makes a very strong impression. In the altar on the ceiling is written “The Protection of the Most Holy Theotokos”, on the front wall - “The Sacrament of the Eucharist”, and on the sides - “The Nativity of Christ”, “The Entombment” and images of the holy Apostle James, Saints John Chrysostom, Basil the Great, Gregory Dvoeslov and others. The iconostasis in the church now has three tiers. In the upper tier above the royal doors is the icon of the Intercession of the Virgin Mary. This icon is lowered onto the pulpit during some services. Thus, the love of the former students of the academy created a monument to itself. The academy enters the second century with a spacious, splendid and well-maintained church. Thanks to donations, the church utensils of the academic church were also enriched. By October 1, 1914, church elder Sergei Semenovich Makarov donated an excellent, valuable, artistically executed metal vestment to the holy altar. On the sides there are relief artistic images of the Sacrament of the Eucharist, prayer for the chalice, the burial of the Savior and the Intercession of the Most Holy Theotokos. In addition, there are many images of saints. The same elder [had] renewed and re-gilded all the altar accessories. Former students of the academy, through their Moscow commission, donated the altar Gospel in a very valuable silver gilded frame, a cross, a complete silver gilded set of sacred vessels and a valuable silver lamp in the ancient style for the local icon of the Intercession of the Virgin. Professors and employees at the academy donated a large artistic silver lamp (worth about 800 rubles) to the descending icon of the Intercession. This lamp burns unquenchably. Academy Inspector Archim. Hilarion donated an altarpiece icon and an altarpiece cross - both in the ancient style with a basma frame. Academy students living and serving in Petrograd sent a large and valuable icon with the faces of the Heavenly Patrons of the most prominent figures of the Academy over the past century. The icon is placed in the iconostasis opposite one of the choirs. The academic clergy acquired a complete set of liturgical books. In addition, all available church funds were spent on the reconstruction and decoration of the church. Source: Hilarion (Troitsky), archimandrite. Intercession Academic Church at the beginning of the second century of the Academy // Theological Bulletin. 1914. T. 3. No. 10–11. pp. 725–732. Archbishop Sava. Chronicle of my life. Sergiev Posad, 1898. T. 1. P. 409. See the letter of Professor N.I. Subbotin in the collection “At Trinity at the Academy.” M., 1914. P. 702. Professor A.L. Katansky. Memoirs of an old professor. “Christian Reading”, 1914. Part 2. P. 1074. According to a separate publication: Pg., 1914. P. 173. See: Theological Bulletin. 1896. T. 3. P. 58. For the history of the structure of the academic church, see the article by Professor I. N. Korsunsky, “The Church of the Intercession of the Moscow Theological Academy.” Theological Bulletin. 1898, November. See about this: Theological Bulletin. 1913. T. 3. P. 905 pp.