The ancient temple of Elijah the Prophet (Ilya Obydenny) in Obydensky Lane in Moscow is especially venerated by Orthodox Christians. This House of God has a special blissful energy and keeps many ancient shrines within its walls.
Temple history
The Temple of the Prophet Elijah in Obydensky Lane belongs to the old Moscow buildings in the style of the Petrovsky Baroque. It was designed and built in 1702 by the architect I. Zarudny. The bell tower and the refectory were erected later, in the period from 1866 to 1868, by the architect A. Kaminsky.
The Temple of the Prophet Elijah is a special place with its own ancient history. The building is one of the oldest buildings in ancient Moscow. The very first temple of Elijah the Prophet in Obydensky Lane was built from natural wood almost in one day, or as they used to say in the old days, "everyday".
It was during a very severe drought, and the people who decided to erect it hoped thereby to receive help from the Almighty.
There is a legend that in ancient times a prince drove past the place where the shrine is now located. Suddenly a storm arose and a very strong thunderstorm began. The prince, seeing the fury of nature, promised that if he remained unharmed, then in this place he would erect a temple, which would be named after the prophet Elijah.
The first construction of the temple dates back to about 1592, and the place itself was called Skorodomny.
The first mention of it dates back to the end of the 16th century. For example, you can read about the temple in the essay of Abraham Palitsyn "The Legend of Abraham Palitsyn", which describes the events of 1584-1618.
Here, in ancient times, forests were floated on water, and Muscovites, using access to wood, hastily erected dwellings for themselves in order to later move them to more convenient areas of the city. The temple of Elijah the Prophet in Obydensky lane gave the name to the small streets leading to it - Iliinskie, and they were already renamed much later.
The church was liked not only by the residents of the local environs; people from all over Moscow came to big services and Orthodox holidays.
In historical records, the temple of Elijah the Prophet in Obydensky Lane is quite common. Services and prayers for many significant events related to the political and social activities of the Russian rulers take place here.
During the period of prolonged rains or droughts on the name day of St. Elijah, a procession of the cross from the Kremlin was held, led by the tsar and the clergy.
Moreover, it was Obydensky lane, the temple of Elijah the Prophet, that became the places where the clergy, together with the people's militia led by princes Minin and Pozharsky, prayed and asked the Almighty for protection and help in the fight against the Polish invaders. On August 24, 1612, shortly after the prayer service, a landmark battle took place, which ended in the victory of the Russian soldiers.
The second birth of the temple
At the beginning of the 18th century, the old wooden church building was demolished. A stone temple was built in its place, which has largely retained its ancient architectural appearance to this day. The money for the construction of the new church was given by Gabriel and Vasily Derevniny. In their memory, marble tablets are installed in the church.
The building was under construction for several years, was updated and supplemented with new side-chapels. It was made in the style of the Petrovsky Baroque, which is characterized by simplicity and beauty of lines.
Churches built in this architectural style look restrained, but soundly. At that time, temples were built like a "ship": a long vestibule, a bell tower and the building itself are located on the same axis. This is also the Temple of the Prophet Elijah in Obydensky Lane.
The initiator of the creation of the first parish school at the temple was V. D. Konshin, he also became its trustee. The first classes had already begun in January 1875, the head of the educational unit was the actual state councilor A. G. Kashkadamov.
In 1882, an independent building for a school and an almshouse was also built at the temple.
Divine services are constantly held in the newly rebuilt church. Even in difficult times for Orthodoxy, when the authorities fought against religion and wanted to close the church, the parishioners did not allow this to be done. For example, about four thousand people came out together and defended the church in 1930.
There is also a legend that the Soviet authorities were going to close the church after the service on June 22, 1941, on the day of "Remembrance of all the saints who shone in the Russian Land", but this did not happen, since the war began.
At the very beginning of the war, the temple was severely destroyed by a nearby bomb. But after a while it was successfully restored and restored.
Temple shrines
During the struggle of the communists with religion, when churches were destroyed throughout the country, and priests were persecuted, the communities of the destroyed Houses of God adjoined the parish of the Ordinary Temple. Among them were not only new parishioners, but also the clergy, who brought with them the saved shrines from the devastated and destroyed churches.
The traditions of all the parishes gathered in the Elias Church have merged together, passing on to the new generations the spirit of the pre-revolutionary parish life of old Orthodox Moscow.
The main chapel of the temple is dedicated to Elijah the Prophet, and the additional ones are dedicated to Saints Peter and Paul, the Martyrs Anna the Prophetess and Simeon the God-Receiver.
In 1706, a cloth with a sewn-in piece of holy relics (antimension) was transferred to the temple of Elijah the Prophet.
The shrine was placed in the chapel of Simeon the God-Receiver and Anna the Prophetess. Moreover, the side-chapel itself was badly damaged in the fire, but was soon restored. In 1819, the second chapel was built and consecrated - in honor of the apostles Peter and Paul.
The main revered shrines of the temple are: the icon of the Mother of God "Unexpected Joy", as well as the icons of the Mother of God "Feodorovskaya", "Kazan" and "Vladimirskaya".
In addition, the Church of Elijah the Prophet in Obydensky Lane preserves and honors the icon "The Fiery Ascent of the Holy Prophet Elijah" and the icon "Savior Not Made by Hands" with brands.
Women wishing to become mothers most often come to bow to the icon of the Mother of God "Theodorovskaya". According to legend, she helps to get pregnant and give birth easily, brings happiness to the family and helps to get rid of the disease.
Before the icon of the Kazan Mother of God, they pray with requests for making the right decision, strengthening the family, and the health of children. She is also considered the protector of warriors on the battlefield.
The ministers are very anxious about the icons of the Monks Sergius of Radonezh and Seraphim of Sarov kept in their monastery with the particles of the relics of the saints embedded in them.
Part of the relics of St. Seraphim was given to the church in 2008 by His Holiness Patriarch Alexy II of Moscow and All Russia.
On August 1, 2009, in the name of the Monk Seraphim, an altar table was consecrated in the Church of Elijah.
A large number of particles of the relics of various saints are in three reliquaries, which are located in the central part of the temple and in the right aisle. A piece of the venerable belt of the Most Holy Theotokos is kept in a separate ark.
The history of the main icon of the temple
Initially, the icon "Unexpected Joy" belonged to the Church of Praise of the Most Holy Theotokos. After its demolition, the icon was sent to the church of St. Blaise. Then she was transferred to the Church of the Resurrection, located in Sokolniki. It was there that all the valuable and miraculous images from the destroyed metropolitan temples were sent. And only then she was brought to the Moscow Temple of the Prophet Elijah.
The icon depicts a man kneeling and praying in front of the sacred image of the Mother of God. According to legend, she is capable of performing miracles.
The icon is prayed for strengthening mental strength and getting rid of negativity, envy and anger.
Temple today
Now the temple of the Prophet Elijah in Obydensky Lane is open to all parishioners, and all the services and rituals traditional for Orthodoxy are held there. Also, parishioners can order a baptism, wedding or funeral service.
The temple is visited by people from all over Moscow, pilgrims often come from other cities of Russia.
A Sunday school for children and adults, an Orthodox lecture hall, as well as a rich parish library are open and are successfully operating at the church.
The Sunday school studies the Law of God, the basics of chanting, Scripture, the Old and New Testaments, and conducts evangelical talks.
The temple is actively working with young people, low-income families and people struggling with addictions.
The doors of the temple are open to all interested parishioners from 8 am to 10 pm every day.
The Temple of the Prophet Elijah is located at 6 Second Obydensky Lane. You can get to your destination by bus or trolleybus. Numbers of buses that go to the temple: 255, 05, 06. Numbers of trolley buses: 1, 33, 31, 15, 44.
The exact route can be viewed on a map of Moscow. First you need to get to the metro station "Kropotkinskaya", "Borovitskaya" or "Park Kultury".
