Church of the Great Martyr Barbara description and photos - Russia - North-West: Pskov (Topic)

Church of the Great Martyr Barbara 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

The famous Church of the Great Martyr Barbara is located in Petrovsky Posad, not far from the Petrovsky Gate. At the moment, this is the only logging wooden church in the city of Pskov, which is more than three hundred years old.

In the famous "History of the Pskov principality", written by Metropolitan Eugene, it is indicated that the Church of Barbara was built in 1618 with the participation of the eldress Agafia and her sisters. The consecration of the church took place in 1626 under the abbot Julita. The same kind of information can be found in the 1827 clerical file of the Pskov governor. Not only in the clerical records, but also in any other sources, absolutely no indication was found that the church, erected in 1618, was completely destroyed by a strong fire, after being dismantled for a dilapidated state or in some other way destroyed. Thus, we can conclude that the Church of the Great Martyr Barbara survived literally in some miraculous way. It is worth paying attention to the fact that the wooden church of the 17th century is an incredible rarity - it is for this reason that it must be recognized that the Varvara Church deserves careful attitude and sensitive attention.

Before the church was a monastery, but when it was definitely the monastery was founded - it is still unknown; there is only information that in 1561 the nunnery burned down during a powerful and devastating fire. In 1786, the church was made attributed to the Intercession Church, located on the Torgue.

The Church of St. Barbara the Great Martyr was built according to the type of the most ancient and originally rural churches. The construction method was carried out in the simplest way, because the church was cut down like a cage. For the construction, the material was chosen in the form of timber logs, which later were practically not found in Russia. It was from this material that the cube of the main church was cut down, to which a cubic-type narthex was cut from the west, and a cubic altar on the east side.

On the narthex of the Church of St. Barbara was exposed a small bell tower, inside and outside of which everything was sewn up with boards. Under all the logs, a plinth was built of this kind of wide slabs, which have not been found for many years in the construction of buildings. The Church of the Great Martyr Barbara is so ancient that in 1882 its walls literally bulged out to the outside, for which reason it was necessary to put racks made of wood across them, which were tied through with strong iron bolts. The length of the church with the bell tower is 6 sazhens and two arshins (a little over 12 meters), the width is 3 sazhens (6 meters), and the height up to the cornice is 3 sazhens (6 meters).

After the revolution took place, the church of St. Barbara was closed. In 1973, a large fragmentary restoration was carried out in the church. The Varvara Church is a unique monument of cultural wooden architecture dating back to the early 17th century that has survived to this day. In the autumn of November 21, 2002, the rector of the Church of Alexander Nevsky, Archpriest Father Oleg, received the keys to the Church of the Holy Great Martyr Barbara (appointed as the rector of the Barbara Church).

Numerous bulkheads and repairs only violated the ancient compositional component of the church, the belfry, the porch, the original church top were lost, but the unique characteristic features of the wooden log-house church, which has been miraculously preserved from the modern city of Pskov, are obvious. At the moment, the church is carrying out garbage collection and removal, as well as excavations and lifting of slabs, under which there are old graves. The oldest slab found in the area of the Varvara Church is a slab dating back to 1848.

The Varvara Church is under the close protection of the state as a unique historical monument of republican significance.

We also recommend reading Manor Volyshovo description and photo - Russia - North-West: Pskov region

Topic: Church of the Great Martyr Barbara description and photos - Russia - North-West: Pskov.