Church of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary in Butyrskaya Sloboda description and photos - Russia - North-West: Pskov (Topic)

Church of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary in Butyrskaya Sloboda description and photos - Russia - North-West: Pskov. Detailed information about the attraction. Description, photos and a map showing the nearest significant objects.

Photo and description

In ancient times, archers lived in the place where the church was erected, which is why the settlement was originally called Streletskaya. During the Time of Troubles, archers from the city of Pskov represented the most dangerous and restless element of the entire Pskov population. Suddenly, in 1611, the famous voivode Lisovsky appeared with his gang, he quickly occupied the settlement, periodically carrying out raids on the nearby Pskov suburbs. In the past, on holidays, fistfights were held in Butyrki. The existing Butyrskaya Sloboda is located on Zavelichye, next to the Mirozhka River.

The Church of the Dormition of the Mother of God was first mentioned in the estimated Pskov book for 1699, but the exact time of its construction is still unknown. The clearing records tell of the existing church, that its construction began in 1773, and it was consecrated in 1777, this is confirmed in the Synodikon kept in the archives of the church. The construction of the church was carried out at the expense of the Don and Sebezh Cossacks.
According to records from another sheet, we can conclude that the temple was built in 1774, while it stood on a stone foundation and had two thrones. In a statement dating back to 1820, it is indicated that the Church of the Dormition of the Mother of God was stone, with a side-altar in the name of the Miracle Worker and St. Nicholas, and was built in the summer of 1774 in the form of a parish and one-complex church. In 1874, a spire was added over the bell tower, later covered with white iron. The increase in the length and width of the side church was carried out in 1877, while the iconostasis was renewed. The renewal of the iconostasis in the main church was carried out in 1880. At the moment there is no iconostasis in the church.

The Church of the Assumption of the Mother of God in Butyrskaya Sloboda is a one-apse, pillarless church, standing in an ancient cemetery. The main composition contains a quadrangle with a pentahedral apse; on the western side there is a small vestibule and a bell tower, and on the southern side there is a Nikolsky side-altar. The overlap of the quadrangle was carried out with the help of a box vault with chute vaults at the western and eastern walls. There are three arched doorways on the east wall that lead to the altar. The apse is represented by a pentahedral one with a pair of window openings, above which there are decking vaults; there is a niche with platbands between the windows. The overlap of the apse is made with a hemispherical vault. On the north and south walls of the quadrangle there are two tiers of windows with arched lintels and profiled platbands. There is a doorway in the wall on the north side that leads to the south aisle. Between the door and window receptions, there is a deep niche with a beautiful archway. In the first and second tiers on the north wall there are two window openings: in the first row, a niche was made, originally laid in the interior. From the outside, a metal single-floor door has been preserved. Above the windows of one of the tiers there are demountable vaults. The wall located on the west side has two window openings and one doorway. There are metal ties in the walls of the quadrangle.

There are four window openings in the light drum, and at the base there is a metal lintel on which the chandelier is suspended. The interior decoration has preserved late painting in a small niche on the southern wall. The overlap of the vestibule was made with the help of a trough and box vault at the northern and southern walls. There are stripping structures above the door and window openings. All openings are decorated with flat platbands. The church with a side-altar, a narthex, a bell tower is built of a slab made of limestone. The church is 25 meters long and 17 meters wide. Around the Church of the Assumption of the Mother of God, a gatehouse and a stone fence with a gate have survived to this day.

In 1938 the church was closed, but in 1943 it was reopened with the support of the Pskov Orthodox Mission. At that time, the priest was Zharkov Petr Ivanovich. After the war, the church was restored; redecoration took place in 1985 as well. In 1993, the temple was transferred to the Pskov diocese, after which regular services began to be held.

We also recommend reading Industrial Museum (Industrimuseet) description and photos - Denmark: Horsens

Topic: Church of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary in Butyrskaya Sloboda description and photos - Russia - North-West: Pskov.