To the history of the Resurrection Church in Chernihiv

27 April 2023 року у Чернігівському історичному музеї ім. VV. Tarnovsky, a museum meeting was held, which was dedicated to the 250th anniversary of the Resurrection Church in Chernihiv.

The first of the famous churches of the Resurrection in Chernihiv was made of brick and was located on the territory of the fortress.

Resurrection Church "... stone big, three-thousand" was located on Valu, between St. Michael's Church and the Treasury Chamber, in the Yenkov yard itself, — wrote Opanas Shafonskyi, a well-known researcher of Chernihiv antiquities, in his never-losing relevance work. Shafonsky claimed, that it was built at the expense of Vasyl Dunin-Borkovskyi, general of the railway, in 1682 Dr.. But, documents refute this long-held claim.

In the will of the priest of the Resurrection Church Stefan Grigoryevich dated 1651 Dr.. we read: "I, Stefan Grigorevich, Priest Voskresensky Chernigov ... I recognize with my current testamentary record, I was born in Chernigov still for the power of the Moscow panorama and through all the hours of my life, consecrated to the priesthood, served faithfully to the Lord God and pans Mirchan of Chernigov ".

So it's obvious, that the temple was built before 1651 Dr.. with the general fund as a regimental church. In the same document, Father Stefan Gregorovych lists persons, who were the founders of the temple "... ego ml. Pan Martin Nebabu Colonel and all the orders of his Pan Stefan Pobodail senior centurion of the Chernigov regiment, Pan Ivan Tolmach, appointed colonel of Chernigov, and Mr. Lukyan Zoravka, the founder? (can plural) Church of God of the Resurrection of Christ, Cossacks of Mr. Artem Savenka, Lantvoit Pan Andrey Timkovich, burgomaster and all the gentlemen of the district officers and the entire pospolitstvo of the gentlemen of the laity of Chernigov, I beg ... ".

The first of the priests of this church known according to documents was Stefan Grigoryevich - a descendant (you?) of the Greek Catholic priest Jozef Grigoryevich, appointed by Sigismund III c 16 April 1631 Dr.. rector of the church of St.. Spasa in Chernihiv.

The Hryhorovichs lived in the fortress. Do 1773 Dr.. Petro Hryhorovych sold the yard with stone buildings to the Chernihiv Cathedral for the school board.

Stefan Shuba was a priest in 1668-1689 years., nobleman, chicken chieftain in Ivangorod (1654), centurion of the Chernihiv regiment (1659 р.), centurion Vybelsky (1659-1661), Comrade of the Chernihiv regiment, protopope of Minsk (1689-).

His own daughter, Maria Stepanivna Shuba, was married to Vasyl Kasperovych Dunin-Borkovsky for the second time. Therefore, the Resurrection and Annunciation churches were decorated, possibly repaired by Vasyl Dunin-Borkovsky.

Epitrahil is a monument of his generous donations to the Church of the Resurrection of Christ, which is dated to the end of the 17th - beginning of the 18th century. I-1349. З колекції музею. Epitrachyl of green velvet on a blue linen lining. Composition – "The Ieseyev Tree": two flexible branches, form a vertical wavy ornament, below are half-recumbent figures of King David and Jesse, between branches - 22 busts of kings, apostles, Saints Anna and Joakim. Near the necklace – the image of Our Lady of Lubeck in an oval medallion with rays and two cherubs. Quilting is made of gold and silver threads, sequins on the card and attached, the faces are sewn with silk, hands - embroidered. The centers of the flowers are appliquéd with brown velvet. 143x30 cm. It came from the Resurrection Church in. Chernihiv.

Hryhoriy Ivanovich Yenko (? – 1739 – 1766 – ?). Ivan Yenka, the son of Chernihiv Raika (1718). Yarema Yenka's grandson is the mayor of Chernihiv, then the priest of the Resurrection Church of. Yuryevka (1719-1724). His brothers Peter, Demyan and Stepan Yenki were saints. Mykolaiv Church of Chernigov (1722-1739).

The church attendance was large because at the beginning of the 18th century. two vicar priests served. The church is small 3 thrones: the main one was arranged in honor of the Resurrection of Christ; The right aisle is in honor of the Annunciation of the Most Holy Theotokos, and the left - in honor of the Beheading of John the Baptist.

As a result of the fire 1750 Dr.. the Resurrection Church burned down, which at 1754 year began to deteriorate noticeably. According to Chernigov's description 1766 g. “The stone church of the Resurrection of Christ is dilapidated” - near the temple of the arch. Michael, so “those churches have only one belfry”, standing together with the wooden church of Michael”, which for a long time was like a house church of the rich family Enkov. (by the way, the tombstone of one of the Yenkas is still embedded in the wall of the building of the Chernihiv collegium).

At the end of the 1760s, territories were allocated (then out of town) for the new city-wide cemetery. Do 1771 In 2010, the old Resurrection Church on Vala was dismantled brick by brick, from which - to build a new one at the city cemetery. Because the altar part was moved, then they decided to consecrate the church under the old name. The construction was completed in 1775 Dr.. and she became the central dominant of the complex.

"with the addition of new material, mostly through the efforts and support of the deceased Chernigov Burgomaster Mikhail Enka and the help of his wife Ekaterina, who gave money to the deceased Bunchukov’s comrade Andrei Vasilovich Dunin-Borkovsky, and also from various willing supporters and city residents alms, created". The iconostasis and "all church utensils" were used from the old church.

On the first floor of the brick church belfry 1779 Dr.. at the expense of U. Yenka and her sons and I. A warm temple in honor of St. Gregory the Enlightener of Armenia was arranged in Korobanka.

The city grew even at the beginning of the 19th century. the city cemetery was within the dense urban development. Due to the introduction of new legislation, which provided for the removal of cemeteries outside the city limits in order to prevent the spread of epidemics in 1805 Dr.. This church is converted into a parish church.

The Resurrection Church is single-bath, square plan. The central volume is adjoined on four sides by rectangular parapets, and from the east - an altar with a faceted wooden apse. The facades of the quartet are finished with triangular gables. The church was built in the late Baroque style, but with a very noticeable influence of classicism. In terms of shapes and decoration, the monument resembles the buildings of the Ukrainian architect Ivan Hryhorovych Hryhorovych-Barsky.

The ancient decoration of the interior of the Church of the Holy Resurrection has not been preserved. But fortunately, the catalogs of the collections of the museum of the Chernihiv Scientific Archival Commission and the Diocesan Tree Repository have preserved sufficiently detailed descriptions of the icons and from the Resurrection Church.

Soon, an almshouse was built near the churches of Grigory Armenian and Voskresenskaya (a shelter for infirm and poor townspeople) and the hospital.

Voskresenska Street was laid at the beginning of the 19th century in the northwestern part of Chernihiv. The cemetery on this territory was formed in 1760 year. It existed until the beginning of the 20th century. Its area is approximate 9 hectares. According to the minimum calculations, buried there 15 thousands of city residents.

In the 19th century. served as priests of the Resurrection Church: Gerasim Mykhaylov and his son Ioan Mykhaylov, Ioan Burimov, Fedor Ladukhin, Petro I Advokatov, Gerasim Smolichev, Mykola Kreshchanovskyi.

Do 1925 Dr.. the premises of the Church of the Resurrection were initially transferred to the use of the Ukrainian Autocephalous Church, in 1926 Dr.. - renewal, а у 1937 Dr.. the temple was closed and put into storage. Divine services resumed in 1941 Dr.. during the Nazi occupation.

in the 1930s. the churchyard was destroyed by private construction, and the church was separated from the bell tower by a road.

From the end 1962 The Resurrection Church was the only active church in the city, performed the role of a cathedral, where Bishop Volodymyr of Chernihiv served (Sabadon).

During its history, the Resurrection Church has not undergone significant reconstruction. Of all the temples operating during the Second World War in Chernihiv until the 1970s. ХХ ст. she remained the only one, where services were held. By the way, in those days, a small church was a cathedral in Chernihiv.

At the end of the 20th century. in the Church of the Resurrection, extensive restoration work was carried out before the celebration of the 1000th anniversary of baptism. New interior paintings and iconostasis were made in the pseudo-baroque style. The compositions are made in the realistic manner of the end of the 19th century. artist A. Thick-footed, and the iconostasis has beautiful carved decoration.

The Church of the Resurrection and the bell tower are architectural monuments of national importance in the Chernihiv region.

Senior Research Fellow,

candidate of historical sciences Olga Heyda