Church of the Annunciation of the Blessed Virgin Mary in Sokolniki address. Church of the Airborne Forces (Annunciation of the Blessed Virgin Mary) in Sokolniki

Read and see about the only one Cathedral of the Airborne Forces....
At the 8th conference I met the priest of this temple. We talked. The day before yesterday I was at the Airborne Forces temple.
Metochion of the Patriarch of Moscow and All Rus' at the headquarters of the Airborne Forces

Church of the Annunciation of the Blessed Virgin Mary

The patriarchal courtyard at the headquarters of the Russian Airborne Forces in Sokolniki is documented, but in reality, the rector of the temple, Archpriest Mikhail Vasiliev There is a difficult road ahead in the revival of the church...

This video was filmed before the priests Andrey Shelomentsev, Savva Shcherbina and deacon Andrey Komandin parachuted from IL-76 to the location of the main forces of the Airborne Forces.
A military field temple was created especially for all soldiers and officers, which is presented in this video.

History of the Church of the Annunciation in Sokolniki
Orthodox religious organization, metochion of the Patriarch of Moscow and All Rus', Church of the Annunciation of the Blessed Virgin Mary at the barracks of the Sapper Battalion, Moscow. Russian Orthodox Church (Moscow Patriarchate)

TIN 7718264274, checkpoint 771801001,r/s 40703810938120000003 at Sberbank of Russia OJSC, Moscow, c/c 30101810400000000225, BIC 044525225 Purpose of payment: for statutory purposes

The temple under the Administration of the 6th Sapper Brigade of the Moscow Military District was built according to the standard design of military churches in 1906 and is designed for 1200 a man of believers.
Temple address: Moscow st. Matrosskaya Silence, 9 . The temple was consecrated March 24, 1906 Priest Vasily Vasilyevich Slyunin (b. 1866) was appointed rector of the temple. In the Central Archives of Moscow, the metric books of the temple have been preserved, but only the title page is readable, the ink on the rest is blurred.

By the time the church opened, Father Vasily already had extensive experience serving as a regimental priest. As a priest of the 5th Siberian Rifle Regiment, he served in the Far East for several years. Participated in hostilities against the Japanese in 1904-1905. (from the beginning to the end of the war). Father Vasily had 8 children. One of them, Fedor, was shot in 1937. From the first to the last days he took part in the defense of Port Arthur. During the fighting, Father Vasily was seriously wounded by a grenade. His merits were marked by 3 military orders (St. Anne III degree with swords, St. Vladimir IV degree with swords, St. Anne II degree with swords) and a pectoral gold cross from the office of His Imperial Majesty on the St. George Ribbon. (Father Vasily left us a detailed description of his ministry in two articles published at the beginning of the 20th century in the journal “Bulletin of the Military Clergy of Russia”). For his military merits, Father Vasily was transferred from the Far East to the capital, where he became rector of a newly built military temple. Here Father Vasily carried out his ministry until the closure of the church in 1923. During the First World War, a military hospital was located in the barracks opposite the church (Matrosskaya Tishina St., 10). Military personnel who died from wounds were buried around the Annunciation Church.

After the revolution, the temple was desecrated by the Bolsheviks, the bell tower and central dome were destroyed, the military cemetery near the temple was destroyed, and the temple itself was converted into a soldiers' club. Currently, a Lukoil gas station, a customs building, and a park where dogs are walked are built on the bones of Russian soldiers and officers.

In 1965 Military unit 08265 of the Moscow Military District was located in the temple building.

After the collapse of the Soviet Union, the Courier Postal Node, designed to process postal correspondence from foreign groups of Soviet troops, was numerically reduced. The temple building does not have basic household amenities; the building is heated with coal. The cast iron firebox is located in the place of the Holy See in the altar. By decree of the Moscow City Executive Committee, coal heating was prohibited within the city back in 1969 and, perhaps, this is one of the few places where, despite numerous complaints from residents of the Eastern District, black smoke is still coming from the chimney. In 2004 (at the request of the commander of the Airborne Forces, Colonel General A.P. Kolmakov), His Holiness Patriarch of Moscow and All Rus' Alexy II established the Patriarchal Metochion at the headquarters of the Airborne Forces in Sokolniki (Decree No. 3210 of June 2, 2004 ). It included the Church of the Annunciation of the Blessed Virgin Mary, as well as other churches on the territory of the Airborne Forces stationed in Moscow or the near Moscow region. His Holiness the Patriarch blessed to revive this temple with the Cathedral of the Airborne Forces, and after reconstruction to place in it boards with the names of paratroopers who died in “hot spots”. This will not only restore historical justice, but will also actively help the spiritual and moral education of military personnel of the Airborne Forces and Military Transport Aviation, whose headquarters are stationed in the buildings opposite the temple.

In 2004 Archpriest was appointed rector of the temple Mikhail Vasiliev(Decree No. 3263 of June 2, 2004). His experience serving as a regimental chaplain in the Strategic Missile Forces and Airborne Forces includes business trips to combat zones (Kosovo, Bosnia, Chechnya, Abkhazia, etc.). In 2005, with the blessing of His Holiness Patriarch Alexy II, Father Mikhail graduated from the Higher Academic Courses of the Academy of the General Staff of the RF Armed Forces, and was awarded by the President of Russia for service in “hot spots” with military awards: the Order of Courage and the Medal of the Order of Merit for the Fatherland, II degree. Together with him, several more Airborne Forces priests who have extensive practical experience working with military personnel, as well as parachute jumping as part of Airborne Forces units, will serve in the temple.

In 2006 On the 100th anniversary of the opening of the temple in the building of the Annunciation Church, a Divine Liturgy was served (with the permission of the command of the Moscow Military District) on the Throne of the Airborne Forces marching temple for military personnel of the communications center, which is still located in the temple.

In June 2009, after eight years of correspondence, the building of the former temple, which is in disrepair, and is on the balance sheet of the Zamoskvoretskaya KECH of the city of Moscow, was transferred to the Airborne Forces. It is planned to create an Airborne Forces Memorial Center, which will include a museum of the Airborne Forces and an Airborne Forces Cathedral decorated with plaques with the names of paratrooper heroes who died in the performance of military duty. The opening of the Memorial Center is planned in 2010 for the eightieth anniversary of the Russian Airborne Forces.

Although there are no traces of the church’s former splendor inside the church building, crosses have already been installed in place of the destroyed domes and bell tower. The first 15 truckloads of garbage were removed, and temporary premises for the temple were equipped on the 2nd floor. Every week, the priests of the Patriarchal Metochion at the headquarters of the Airborne Forces celebrate the Divine Liturgy. We believe that the Lord will create the Miracle of the revival of the regimental church through the people of Word and Deed.

Project of the Church of the Annunciation of the Blessed Virgin Mary in Sokolniki at the former barracks of the engineer battalion, it was no different from the standard military churches of the early 20th century, approved by Nicholas II.

The building was erected in 1906. Vasily Slyunin was appointed priest.

Vasily Vasilyevich Slyunin by this time already had experience serving in similar churches. He served in the Far East, took part in the war of 1904-1905, and had 3 military orders.

From the Far East, Father Vasily was transferred to Moscow, where he became rector of the newly opened Church of the Annunciation of the Blessed Virgin Mary in Sokolniki, which he did not leave until its closure.

During the war (World War I), a military hospital was located opposite the Church of the Annunciation of the Virgin. Dead military personnel were buried around the temple.

After the October Revolution, the Church of the Annunciation was subject to desecration by the Bolsheviks: the bell tower and dome were destroyed, the cemetery was destroyed, and a soldiers' club was opened in the building.

Today, on the site where people were once buried, there is a gas station and a park where dogs can be walked.

In 1965, a military unit was located in the Church of the Annunciation of the Blessed Virgin Mary in Sokolniki.

After the collapse of the USSR, the building was declared uninhabitable. There were no basic amenities here; it was heated with coal (a cast-iron firebox was located in the place of the throne). Even when this type of heating was officially banned within the city, black smoke came out of the chimney of the military temple.

The formation of the Airborne Forces temple and its history

In 2004, Alexy II established, at the request of the Airborne Forces commander, Colonel-General Kolmakov, the Patriarchal Compound at the headquarters of the airborne troops in Sokolniki. It includes, among other things, the Church of the Annunciation of the Blessed Virgin Mary in Sokolniki.

A decision is made to revive the shrine. Archpriest of the Russian Orthodox Church Mikhail Vasiliev is appointed rector.

This man knows firsthand what war is. He served in “hot spots”, for which he was awarded the appropriate military awards by decree of the President of Russia.

Restoration work in the Church of the Annunciation in Sokolniki continues to this day. And they began with the installation of crosses in place of the bell tower and dome. A temporary room for worship was equipped on the second floor.

Today the building is already suitable for holding holiday and Sunday services. The temple is being built mainly at the expense of parishioners and by military personnel.

Since the temple in Sokolniki became the cathedral-temple of the Airborne Forces, it was decided to create a Memorial Center with a museum of the airborne troops, and hang memorial plaques on the walls with the names of the fallen paratroopers.

The Church of the Annunciation of the Blessed Virgin Mary is located at the address: Moscow, Matrosskaya Tishina, 10 (metro station - Sokolniki).

The church was built according to the standard design of military churches, approved by the Construction Commission in 1901 (architect Fyodor Mikhailovich Verzhbitsky). In total in the Russian Empire by 1917. At least 60 such churches were built.

This temple for the 6th Sapper Brigade in Moscow was founded on September 6, 1903. in the presence of Grand Duke Sergei Alexandrovich and solemnly consecrated on March 24, 1906. Dean of the 1st Grenadier Division, Fr. John Orlov.

The painting inside the temple was done by the ranks of the 6th Field Engineer Park, and the three-tiered oak iconostasis was made by the ranks of the Grenadier Engineer Battalion. They also painted icons.

From March 2, 1906, the priest of the 6th Sapper Brigade was Vasily Vasilyevich Slyunin (04/10/1866 - ...).

In addition to the ranks of the above-mentioned brigade, the parish of the church also included the ranks of the Grenadier, 13th and 17th Engineer Battalions and the 6th Field Engineer Park.

In 1923 the temple was closed and turned over to a club, and in subsequent years it was beheaded, remaining in this form to this day.

(RGIA, f. 806, op. 8, d. 708. Clergy Gazette of the church for 1906. Moskovskiy Gazette, newspaper, 1903, September 8, No. 247, p. 2; Moskovskiy Gazette, newspaper, 1906, March 26, No. 81, p. 4; Bulletin of the military clergy, magazine, 1906, No. 17, pp. 529-533)

Church of the Annunciation of the Blessed Virgin Mary in Sokolniki

In 1900, according to the Highest Command, it was ordered to develop a standard project for the construction of Orthodox churches at military units of the Russian Imperial Army (order dated January 23, 1900). The main requirements for design documentation indicated the need to build spacious stone churches without architectural frills, i.e. at the lowest possible cost. Which was accomplished by December 1, 1901. The first such temple was built on June 5, 1903 in Peterhof, a suburb of the capital of the Russian Empire, for the spiritual nourishment of the personnel of the 148th Caspian Regiment. Subsequently, churches were built for the Orthodox army according to the specified project in Moscow, in the Pskov and Rostov dioceses, as well as in Transcaucasia: in Baku, in Alexandropol (now Gyumri, Armenia) and a church in the Kars fortress (after the capture by the Turks, it was rebuilt, as usual , under the mosque). In particular, about the construction of a stone, separate building of the Church in the name of the Annunciation of the Blessed Virgin Mary for the ranks of the 6th Sapper Brigade stationed in Moscow, it is known that in addition to targeted allocations from the Sovereign Treasury according to the estimates of the military engineering department, they actively and generously donated for the decoration and improvement of the temple senior ranks of the brigade, serving in three sapper battalions (13th, 17th, Grenadier) and the 6th field engineering park, as well as benefactors from among the Moscow merchants. In August 1905, the Acting Commander of the 6th Sapper Brigade, Lieutenant General L. Ignatiev, informing the Protopresbyter of the military and naval clergy A. Zhelobovsky about the completion of the construction of the church for the military units of the said formation, initiated a petition to open a clergy staff at the new church. On March 17, 1906, the commander of the brigade, N. Ivkov, wrote to Protopresbyter A. Zhelobovsky: “On my own behalf and on behalf of all the ranks of the brigade entrusted to me, I ask you to accept our deepest gratitude for the active assistance provided to the rapid establishment of the staff of the brigade church in Moscow , and for the appointment as priest of the said church, Father Vasily Slyunin, venerable throughout the army. In addition, I ask Your Reverence to give the team entrusted to me the special honor of not refusing to bother coming to Moscow on March 24 for the personal consecration of the church, on the eve of its temple holiday. Committing myself to your prayers, I take this opportunity to ask Your Reverence to accept the assurance of my complete respect and devotion.” The next day, priest Vasily Slyunin asks for permission to consecrate the church and issue the Holy Antimension for it. On March 24, 1906, on the eve of the twelfth eternal feast of the Annunciation of the Blessed Virgin Mary, the Church of the 6th Sapper Brigade in Sokolniki was consecrated.

Speaking about the personality of the brigade priest - Father Vasily (Slyunin) - it should be recognized that the commander of the brigade N. Ivkov is completely fair in his attitude on March 17, 1906. spoke of him as “honorable in the entire army.” The collections of the Russian State Historical Archive preserved what was certified on January 25, 1909. The dean of the Moscow Military Fixed Churches, the Moscow General Military Hospital, Archpriest Arseny Kopetsky, Father Vasily’s track record: “Priest Vasily Vasilyevich Slyunin, son of a deacon of the Kursk province, born 1866; graduated from Kursk Theological Seminary on June 24, 1888; ordained to the rank of deacon at the church in the village of Ilyinsky, Timsky district, on November 14, 1888; accepted into the Tauride diocese and ordained as a priest to the church of the village of Greater Tokmak on March 11, 1890; ...appointed protopresbyter of the military and naval clergy to the vacancy of a priest to the church of the 3rd Ural Cossack Regiment on February 2, 1898; arrived at the place and enlisted on March 31; ...awarded skufya on March 28, 1902; appointed to the vacancy of a priest to the church of the East Siberian Rifle Regiment on February 14, 1904; arrived at the duty station on March 30; awarded the Order of St. Anne, III degree with swords on July 7, 1904; Most graciously awarded the Pectoral Cross on the St. George Ribbon from the Cabinet of His Majesty and the Order of St. Vladimir, IV degree with swords, on July 2, 1905; appointed to fill the vacancy as chaplain to the church of the 6th Sapper Brigade on March 2, 1906; arrived and enlisted in the Field Engineer Regiment on March 15, 1906; Most graciously awarded the Order of St. Anne, II degree with swords, on March 17, 1906; Enlisted in the lists of the Grenadier Sapper Battalion on July 3, 1906. Was in the war with Japan at the Jin-Zhou position from March 30 to May 14; at the forefront of the Western Front of Port Arthur from May 14 to December 19, 1904. Concussed in the head by an exploding grenade on November 3, 1904, he has a dressing certificate. Has a medal in memory of the Reign of Emperor Alexander III for his work on the General Census of 1897; in memory of the Russo-Japanese War of 1904-1905...” During the First World War, a military hospital was located in the barracks of the engineer battalion located opposite the temple, and if Orthodox soldiers died from wounds received on the battlefields, priest Vasily Slyunin performed the funeral service for them. In this case, the burial took place on the plan (temple area) of the Annunciation Church. Father Vasily outlined a detailed description of his ministry in two articles published at the beginning of the last century by the magazine “Bulletin of the Military Clergy”.

After the revolution, the brigade church was desecrated by the Bolsheviks: the bell tower and central dome were destroyed, the military cemetery at the Annunciation Church was destroyed. The following note was published in the Izvestia newspaper on March 7, 1923: “In 1923. the Presidium of the Sokolniki District Council transferred to its sponsored regiment the building of the former military church at the Sokolniki barracks for the establishment of a club.” In 1965, a field mail unit was located in the stone building of the church, which was responsible for processing correspondence from groups of Soviet troops abroad. The decaying building of the desecrated church was heated with coal: a cast-iron firebox is located on the site of the Holy See in the altar of the church, and on the site of the military cemetery at the Church of the Annunciation there is currently a gas station of the Lukoil company and a public garden.

By Decree No. 3210 of June 2, 2004, His Holiness Patriarch of Moscow and All Rus' Alexy II, at the request of the Commander of the Airborne Forces, Colonel General A.N. Kolmakov. established the Patriarchal Metochion at the headquarters of the Airborne Forces in Sokolniki, to which the Church of the Annunciation of the Blessed Virgin Mary was assigned. At the same time, His Holiness the Patriarch blessed to revive the named temple as the Cathedral of the Airborne Forces and, after reconstruction, to place on its walls memorial plaques with the names of paratroopers who died in hot spots. Such historical continuity is intended to visibly restore justice and serve the spiritual and moral education of the modern generation of defenders of the Faith and Fatherland. By Decree No. 3263 of the same date, priest Mikhail Vasiliev was appointed rector of the reviving church, whose personality testifies to the historical continuity of the high service of brigade priest Vasily Slyunin: caring for the Orthodox army since 1998, Father Mikhail was repeatedly on a pastoral mission in the combat zone in the Balkans and The Caucasus, as well as in remote areas of military service (Transbaikalia, Far East, Arctic). His dedication and loyalty to the noble, but difficult, and often dangerous calling to serve as a regimental priest was marked by state awards: the Medal of the Order of Merit for the Fatherland, II degree and the Order of Courage. It should be noted that with the blessing of His Holiness Patriarch Alexy II, Father Michael successfully completed an educational course at the Academy of the General Staff. In 2006, on the 100th anniversary of the consecration of the Church of the Annunciation of the Blessed Virgin Mary of the 6th Sapper Brigade in Sokolniki, in the building of the reviving church, priest Mikhail Vasiliev, in agreement with the command of the Moscow Military District, served the Divine Liturgy for the military personnel of the field postal unit on the Throne of the marching church of the Airborne Forces. Currently, under the leadership of Archpriest Mikhail Vasiliev, parishioners of the Patriarchal Metochion continue the archival search for documentary evidence about the history of the Church of the Annunciation of the Blessed Virgin Mary of the 6th Sapper Brigade in Sokolniki to create a military memorial complex in memory of Orthodox soldiers buried during the First World War on the temple territory, for which It is also planned to conduct appropriate archaeological excavations. The restoration of the temple has now begun. Sunday and holiday services have been resumed.

Ilyin's Day. Performance by the Honor Guard Company of the RVVDKU named after. Army General V.F. Margelova.

Our temple is the Central Temple of the Airborne Forces of the Russian Federation. Why? There are several reasons for this. The first reason lies in our Heavenly patron - the Prophet of God Elijah, who is also the patron of the Airborne Forces. And the Prophet Elijah became the patron of the Airborne Forces, apparently, from the moment of the formation of this type of troops, the founding date of which coincides with the day of memory of the Prophet Elijah - August 2. Awareness of this fact did not come to the paratroopers immediately, only in the late nineties of the last - the first decade of the new century. And it seemed to them that it was no coincidence that the day of remembrance of the Prophet and the branch of the army coincided, and that before leaving the earthly firmament, the Prophet of God was ascended to the firmament of heaven on a chariot, while paratroopers spend the main part of their lives in preparation for landing from the womb of the “heavenly chariots” onto the earth’s surface. The second reason why our temple was given the status of the Central Temple of the Airborne Forces was our location. As you know, the temple is located a minute's leisurely walk from Red Square.

Ilyin's Day. Procession of the cross on Ilyinke Street.

Connected with the history of our church is the long-standing Moscow tradition of celebrating Elijah’s Day in a special way - serving the Liturgy in our church and a prayer service and on the Execution Ground of Red Square, where for several centuries there was a procession of the cross on this day. In 2005, this ancient tradition was revived, largely thanks to the help of the Russian Airborne Forces, which celebrated their 75th anniversary that year. Since then, every year the clergy of our and surrounding churches, led by the bishop who traditionally attends our patronal holiday, parishioners and paratroopers go after the solemn Liturgy in the Church of Elijah the Prophet on Ilyinka to the Execution Place of Red Square, where a prayer service is served to the Prophet Elijah of God. Every year, more and more active paratroopers and airborne veterans strive to take part in this revived holiday. You can find out more about how the holiday takes place on our special website section “Ilyin’s Day”.

Ilyin's Day. Prayer service on Lobnoye Mesto, Red Square.

Cooperation with veteran organizations of the Airborne Forces is one of the priorities of our church, since we understand very well that only in the interaction of the Army and the Church can we raise worthy future generations of Russian patriots who are not indifferent to what is happening to our Motherland. The education of such youth is carried out through a number of cadet schools and clubs, which are supervised by veteran organizations, in particular, the Union of Russian Paratroopers.

Ilyin's Day. Ceremonial passage of cadets of the RVVDKU named after. Army General V.F. Margelova.

One of the important and interesting tasks that the temple has set for itself together with the leadership of the Airborne Forces is the revival of the Kuplinsko-Vyshenskaya school, on the basis of which it is planned to create a boarding school with military-patriotic education. More details about this project can be found in our section