Description of the attraction
The first church of Flora and Lavra was built in the 16th century and was located on the territory of a settlement in the Polyanka area, in which the coachmen lived. Saints Florus and Laurus were revered in Russia as patrons of livestock, including horses, as well as professions associated with them - cattlemen, shepherds, grooms and coachmen. In the 90s of the 17th century, the settlement was moved to an area called Zatsepa. The entrance to it was blocked by a chain, in front of which carts were inspected in search of goods and cargo brought into the capital bypassing customs.
Having settled in a new place, the coachmen again built a church in honor of their patrons. True, only the side-altar was consecrated with the name of Florus and Laurus, and according to the main altar, the church was called Peter and Paul. It is known that in the first half of the 18th century, the Nikolsky side-chapel also existed near the church, but it burned down in 1738, and instead of it, a temporary, and then a capital stone church was first built. Around the same time, the main altar of the Church of Florus and Lavra was consecrated in honor of the icon of the Mother of God "Joy of All Who Sorrow", and this is the official name of the church to this day.
Throughout the 19th century, the church was being rebuilt, and its current appearance in the Moscow Empire style was being formed. At the end of the 30s of the next century, the temple was closed by the Bolsheviks, but before that, starting from the middle of the previous decade, it became a place for storing relics and church utensils transferred from other destroyed or closed churches. During the first half of the twentieth century, the building of the temple underwent all possible outrages: the accession of the Renovationists, the demolition of chapters, the erection of ugly storey and interior partitions, the destruction of the upper part of the bell tower.
After a series of destruction, the temple was recognized as an architectural heritage and even a project was drawn up for its restoration, but restoration work was not carried out during the Soviet era. They took place later, after the building was handed over to the Russian Orthodox Church in the 90s.
