Address: Russia, Yaroslavl region, Yaroslavl, st. Pervomayskaya, 67
Start of construction: 1657 year
Completion of construction: 1682 year
Shrines: a particle of the relics of the Apostle Andrew the First-Called, an icon with a particle of the relics of the Monk Elijah of Murom
Coordinates: 57 ° 37'19.4 "N 39 ° 53'33.2" E
Cultural heritage site of the Russian Federation
Content:
According to the sources that have come down to us, the temple dedicated to the Archangel Michael is the oldest in ancient Yaroslavl. It was built earlier than the Assumption Cathedral. The construction of the stone church took a whole quarter of a century. Therefore, in its appearance, features of two traditions of Yaroslavl architecture have been preserved. Today, this church is a functioning garrison temple, delighting the views of parishioners and tourists with elegant facades and white platbands.
History of the Church of Archangel Michael
According to the surviving legend, the very first temple, on the site where the church is now located, was built back in 1215 by the will of the third Yaroslavl prince Konstantin Vsevolodovich (the Wise). It was erected from a bar and consecrated in honor of the Archangel Michael. This temple has stood for almost 80 years.
View of the church from st. Pervomaiskaya
When it became dilapidated, it was replaced with a new one, also made of wood. And the second wife of the Yaroslavl prince Fyodor Rostislavovich Cherny - Anna donated to the new church a very beautiful icon with the face of the Archangel Michael, richly decorated with gold, silver, pearls and precious stones. By her order, the temple was considered a cathedral. In addition, historians believe that he served as a palace church, since the Yaroslavl appanage princes lived nearby at that time.
Interestingly, Anna was the daughter of the Khan of the Golden Horde and received her name at baptism. The marriage between her and the Yaroslavl prince took place with the permission of the Patriarch of Constantinople. And in this union were born two sons - David and Constantine.
In 1657, the parishioners raised the necessary funds and laid a new stone church. But a year later a devastating fire broke out in the city. The fire consumed almost all the wooden buildings and caused enormous damage to the then few stone buildings. The residents of Yaroslavl recovered for a very long time after such a terrible disaster. There were not enough funds or energy to build a new church, and it lasted for 25 years. The consecration of the temple took place only in 1682 during the reign of Metropolitan Ion Sysoevich.
The church was located on the western outskirts of the Streletskaya Sloboda of the city and served as a place for prayer for military personnel. That is, it was garrison. And this is no coincidence, since Michael the Archangel has long been revered by the military as a heavenly patron and protector.
View of the church from the Kotoroslnaya embankment
Old photographs of the church, taken at the beginning of the 20th century, have survived. They show that the temple facades are whitewashed. At that time, only 82 Yaroslavl residents were its parishioners. The church kept old icons, silver crosses with the relics of saints, as well as an old manuscript, the so-called "Cell Record", where the local priest Semyon Yegorov from 1761 to 1825 kept the chronicle of the church.
With the advent of the new government, the fate of almost all religious buildings in Russia has changed dramatically. In 1918, when the White Guard uprising against Soviet power was taking place in Yaroslavl, the church was badly damaged by artillery shells and shrapnel. In 1924, the temple, like most of the Yaroslavl churches, was closed to believers. Valuables and liturgical utensils were confiscated and simply plundered. Fortunately, the priceless gift kept since the time of Anna, the princess of Yaroslavl - the icon "Mikhail Loratny", which was painted by Byzantine masters, was saved. And today it can be seen in the collection of the State Tretyakov Gallery in Moscow.
In 1925, the church bells were melted down. Then the premises were used as a warehouse for many years. And for this, inter-wall partitions were erected inside the building. During this time, great damage was caused to the frescoes of the temple and the multicolored tiles that adorned its porch. The brick fence surrounding the temple has been preserved, with the exception of the arched gate. For some time the church belonged to the Yaroslavl Museum-Reserve, and it was restored.
View of the Church of St. Michael the Archangel from the bell tower of the Transfiguration Monastery
And only in 1994 the temple was returned to the believers. First, the warm church was restored. Then the facades of the building were plastered and the stained-glass windows on the windows were completely restored. And finally, after extensive renovation work, the temple regained its former beauty and grandeur.
Architecture and interior decoration of the Church of Archangel Michael
The temple was built according to the architectural traditions that existed in the middle of the 17th century. It is a large, four-pillar, three-absided church on a high basement. Most likely, it was used as a warehouse for storing goods, since the temple was located near the Trade Square of Yaroslavl.
Typical of that time are the monumental forms that the lower tier of the temple has, and a very beautiful high porch made on creeping arches. The main volume of the church has two floors, from the north and west it is surrounded by galleries. To the north-west of it there is a high bell tower, the massive base of which is crowned with an unexpectedly small octahedral tent.
Later architectural traditions, which were used by architects already at the end of the 17th century, were transmitted, first of all, in the temple roof. It is already more practical - hipped. And only a row of kokoshniks under it reminds of the previously used zakomars. The Church of Michael the Archangel was the first in the city to use this new - pitched type of roof, which did not allow snow to accumulate on the roof. In addition, high windows are made in the temple, and the five domes and the powerful light drums supporting them are large.
Domes of the Church of Archangel Michael
Art critics and historians explain this somewhat diverse architectural appearance of individual parts of the religious building by a very long period of its construction. After all, the temple was built for a quarter of a century. By that time, architects and builders had new needs and opportunities. And the silhouettes of the temples began to be made more expressive, clearly visible from afar.
In the Church of the Archangel Michael there is no proportionality and harmony of the best monuments of Yaroslavl architecture, but, nevertheless, it is very beautiful. The combination of reddish walls and snow-white pilasters, zakomars and platbands, as well as greenish domes make the temple elegant and solemn.
Throughout its history, the church was rebuilt, but only slightly. For example, in connection with the erection on the north side of the building of a chapel in the form of a turret, dedicated to the Monks Zosima and Savvaty, the porch leading to the gallery was dismantled. It is known that this side-altar had a four-tiered gilded iconostasis and was partially painted in 1848.
The facades of the church and its high western porch are decorated with picturesque green tiles. Today they are one of the oldest in Yaroslavl, and in age they are second only to the glazed ceramics of the Church of the Nativity of Christ.
View of the church from the east
The interior painting of the church was carried out in the summer of 1731 by Yaroslavl isographers, under the guidance of the famous master Fyodor Fyodorov, known throughout Russia. Before the Church of the Archangel Michael, he painted the Vvedensky Cathedral of the Tolgsky Monastery, the Church of the Savior on the City and Nikola Melenka. Art critics also believe that the master had a hand in the creation of frescoes in the Yaroslavl churches of Elijah the Prophet, the Nativity of Christ and the Annunciation, as well as the Vologda churches of Dmitry Prilutsky and the Intercession of the Most Holy Theotokos. In the year when the temple of the Archangel Michael was painted, Fedorov was already a deep old man.Fortunately, the names of all the icon painters who worked on the creation of its beautiful frescoes have been preserved on the southern wall of the church. Almost 500 story hallmarks were created on the walls by their diligence and skill.
The current state of the Church of Archangel Michael
Today the church is a functioning Orthodox church belonging to the Yaroslavl military garrison.
Three thrones have been created here. The main one is dedicated to Archangel Michael and other incorporeal Heavenly Forces. It is a cold temple located on the second floor of the building. The winter part of the church, built in the south wing of the gallery in 1781, was consecrated in honor of the Annunciation of the Mother of God. It is here, in the basement of the building, that church services are now being held. The third throne was made in honor of the monks of the Solovetsky miracle workers - Zosima and Savvaty.
It is noteworthy that every August the church becomes one of the places where the events of the Yaroslavl festival "Transfiguration", dedicated to church and choral music, take place. The best bell ringers demonstrate their skills on a special wooden bell tower, set up on the temple grounds.
How to get to the Church of Archangel Michael
The church is located in Yaroslavl on Pervomayskaya street, 67. Previously, this street was called Kazanskaya.
By car. The federal highway M8 leads from Moscow to Yaroslavl. Within the city limits, it is called Moskovsky Prospekt. You need to cross the Korotosl River along it, and after the automobile bridge, turn right onto the Korotosl embankment, which leads to the Church of the Archangel Michael.
By train. From Moscow to Yaroslavl, express train trains reach in 3 hours 16 minutes. The journey by regular train takes from 4 to 5.5 hours. From Moskovsky Railway Station in Yaroslavl, the distance to the Church of the Archangel Michael is 2.9 km. You can walk to it, as well as drive up by bus or minibus.
