Description of the attraction
The Church of St. John the Evangelist on Ishna is a rare monument of wooden architecture. It was erected in 1687 (1689).
The crossing of Ishnya on the way from Rostov to Pereslavl-Zalessky since ancient times belonged to the Avraamiev Monastery, and they collected a fee for crossing it. Near the crossing there was a wooden church of St. John the Theologian, with the construction of which a legend, famous in history, is associated. It is connected with the life of the Monk Abraham of Rostov, who founded the Epiphany Abraham Monastery. This happened back in the days of paganism in these places, when most of the locals worshiped the idol of the god Veles. Abraham, seized by devilish obsessions, could not approach this stone idol in any way. He prayed for a long time and, finally, the elder appeared to him, he advised the Monk Abraham to go to Constantinople (Constantinople) and pray in the church of St. John the Theologian. Avraamy of Rostov was upset because he had a long way to go, which means that he will not be able to fight idolatry in Rostov soon. But he pulled himself together and started off. Crossing the river Ishnya, he met another elder, to whom the monk told about his intentions, the elder handed him his staff and ordered him to go to the idol of Veles in order to overthrow him with a cane, so that it crumbles to dust. This elder was John the Theologian himself. Abraham did everything that the saint told him to. After that, at the place where he met the saint, the Monk Abraham built a temple in honor of John the Theologian.
Presumably, the temple of St. John the Theologian was burned down in the Time of Troubles, and for some time the devastated village lived without a church (in historical documents of the mid-17th century this place is designated as the village of Bogoslovskaya, that is, a settlement that does not have its own temple).
The Theological Church, which has survived to our time, was built only at the end of the 17th century. This is quite an old age for a wooden building, which makes it unique and very valuable.
Today's church of St. John the Evangelist on Ishna is a building with one head and standing on a high basement, on both sides it is surrounded by a gallery. Previously, there was a gallery on the south side, it has not survived, but there are traces of its existence on the wall. From the west and east on the riverside (the western one is the entrance to the temple, the eastern one is the altar) there are large figured roofs - “barrels”, which are covered with a ploughshare.
The temple on Ishna is an example of the use of various kinds of decorations that the architects of those times could have invented for a wooden temple. The temple from the outside seems smooth and austere, but inside it amazes with the richness of the decoration. There are skates on the roof, a herringbone, and carved wooden columns and other decorative elements. Even a wooden door made of thick boards with an interesting lock has been preserved in the temple.
The main value of the temple is the unique royal gates in the iconostasis, made back in 1562. Today, these gates can be seen in the Rostov Museum. The iconostasis itself deserves special attention. Tyablovy, it was completely painted with ornaments, it contained icons of the 16-18 centuries. The bell tower of the temple was built in the 19th century. and is connected by a passage to the gallery. Most likely, the southern part of the gallery was dismantled at the same time, so the high temple began to tilt slightly to one side. The perimeter of the temple is fenced with brick posts.
The temple functioned before the revolutionary events; its picturesque surroundings have always attracted many artists here. So, for example, V. V. Vereshchagin. In 1913 the family of Emperor Nicholas II visited the temple while passing through Rostov.
Nowadays, the Church of St. John the Evangelist on Ishna is not functioning, it has been transferred to the museum and is guarded - it is forbidden to smoke and open fire on the territory next to the temple.
The slender and tall wooden temple is clearly visible from the road, and upon closer examination it makes a colossal impression.
