Church of Catherine and the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary in Grafskaya Slavyanka description and photos - Russia - St. Petersburg: Pavlovsk (Topic)

Church of Catherine and the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary in Grafskaya Slavyanka description and photos - Russia - St. Petersburg: Pavlovsk. Detailed information about the attraction. Description, photos and a map showing the nearest significant objects.

Photo and description

The Church of the Holy Great Martyr Catherine and the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary is located in Pavlovsk, the village of Dynamo. Previously, this area was called Grafskaya Slavyanka, since this estate began to exist under Count M.K. Skavronsky, who was a relative of Catherine I in the female line. Until 1847, the manor belonged to his family, and later it was bought into the royal property from the granddaughter of Count Skavronsky, Yu.P. Samoilova. Initially, there was no church here, and the Russians evicted here by Count Skavronsky belonged to the Tsarskoye Selo parish.

The foundation stone of the new church took place in 1743 with the blessing of Bishop Nikodim I of St. Petersburg and Shlisselburg. The temple is made of stone, in two floors, at first it was built in the style of Louis XIV, later, in 1822 - 1829, at the initiative of Countess Julia Pavlovna Samoilova, it was redesigned according to the project of S. Adamini. In 1867-1871, the architect A.I. Rezanov restored it in the same style.

The lower church on the first floor is dedicated to the Great Martyr Catherine, and the upper, on the second floor, is dedicated to the Nativity of the Virgin. The iconostases were made according to drawings by A.P. Bryullov and at the expense of Countess Samoilova. The iconostasis of the lower temple was carved from ash, in the upper temple - from pine. In 1855, thanks to the efforts of a merchant from Petersburg, F.S. Strakhov, the iconostases were covered with gold, silver vestments were made on the icons. Two icons were especially remarkable in the church: the Sitting in Glory and the Tikhvin Mother of God. Both icons are in silver vestments and placed in icon cases, covered with pure gold. The icon of the Tikhvin Mother of God is located behind the right kliros, and the icon of the Savior is behind the left. The first was granted by the merchant Strakhov, and the second - by the Petersburg merchant Frolov. Both icons were located in the upper church.

Before the revolution, merchants from St. Petersburg and many landowners actively helped the churches in Grafskaya (Tsarskaya) Slavyanka. The parish had three schools. Before the revolution, the temple was maintained at the expense of landowners, and later the palace government began to provide funds for maintenance.

The Church of Catherine and the Nativity of the Mother of God, located on a hill with the plain of the Slavyanka river stretching in front of it, seems to float above the surrounding area. In the old days, an elegant high bell tower was visible from afar, which, unfortunately, was lost during the war. In 1941, the bell tower was demolished by a special group of the NKVD so that the enemies could not use it as a landmark, a high-altitude point for adjusting the fire.

In 1935, after the death of the abbot, services in the temple were stopped, and in 1938 the temple was closed. and a cinema hall and a club were arranged there.

Since the fall of 1941, divine services were held in the village of Antropshino in a private building. Services in the Catherine Church were resumed in 1943 in the lower church. After the liberation of this territory, the temple did not function for some time. Services in the lower church resumed in 1946, and the upper church began to function in 1954, its ceiling and walls were painted anew by A.V. Treskin.

In 2007, the gilded spire with a cross crowning the bell tower was completely restored. Work is underway to build the main dome.

The Catherine Church today is a place of prayer for the parishioners of Pavlovsk and Kommunar, as well as nearby villages. A large old cemetery located next to the church still keeps the names of people of different ranks and classes.

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Topic: Church of Catherine and the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary in Grafskaya Slavyanka description and photos - Russia - St. Petersburg: Pavlovsk.