Description of the attraction
In the village of Dubrovka, in the Leningrad Region, on Sovetskaya Street, there is an Orthodox Church of the Icon of the Mother of God "Seeking the Dead". It belongs to the St. Petersburg Orthodox Diocese of the Vsevolozhsk District. Father Valerian Zhiryakov is the rector of the temple.
The Orthodox community in Dubrovka was registered in 1994. Since next to this settlement there are memorial places where battles took place during the Great Patriotic War, the Orthodox community accepted the dedication of the image of the Mother of God “Seeking the Lost”. At the beginning of 1999, the premises of the then empty bookstore were leased to Orthodox believers.
Four years later, it was decided to build a new church in Dubrovka. At the same time, preparatory work began. For the construction of the church (the project was adapted and developed by the architect V. Mikhalin), the place of the former House of Culture was given, the building of which was built in the 1960s. In the early 90s, there was a serious fire here, and the House of Culture was almost completely burned down, and in 2005 it was completely dismantled.
On the day of veneration of the icon of the Mother of God "Reigning" in 2008, the ceremony of consecration of the beginning of the construction of the church was held, and a solemn laying of a memorial stone was organized. In December, crosses were installed on the domes of the temple under construction. The decoration of the church building began in 2009. In summer, work went on outside the church, in winter - inside. By the spring of 2010, they began to decorate the interior of the new church, to ennoble the surrounding area.
The opening of the temple was planned to coincide with the 65th anniversary of the Great Victory in the 1941-1945 war. This desire was universal, the rector of the Dubrovka church, Father Valerian, the believers prayed tirelessly for the speedy and successful completion of the construction of the church building. Their prayers were answered.
The building of the temple, erected in record time - in just two years, is located on the embankment of the Neva near the "Nevsky Piglet". The project is based on pre-revolutionary drawings and sketches, adapted to current conditions and requirements. The church was built in the neo-Russian style. The inner temple hall is designed for two hundred and twenty people.
The temple was consecrated at the end of July 2010. In the premises of the temporary church, the opening of a Sunday school is now planned. The rite of consecration was conducted by the bishop of Peterhof, vicar of the St. Petersburg diocese Markell, after which the Divine Liturgy and the Procession of the Cross took place. The service was attended by clergymen from different districts, representatives of local authorities, and numerous parishioners.
On the eve of the opening of the new church, a memorial service was performed for the soldiers of the Soviet army who died on this earth, who laid down their heads in bloody battles for the freedom of the Motherland. The names of these heroes were restored from documents and archival data. They are included in the Book of Memory. It is noteworthy that among these names is the name of Vladimir Putin's father, Vladimir Spiridonovich, who fought in the ranks of the famous 330 rifle regiment and was seriously wounded in the fall of 1941.
At the end of the divine service, Bishop Markell addressed the flock with instruction. Then he cordially congratulated everyone on the opening of the temple, paying special attention to the importance of this event for the revival of faith and spirituality among those living on the sacred Dubrovskaya land, the return of the flock to the high ideals of justice, respect and veneration of the heroic deeds of soldiers who died for their native land. As a gift to the new church, Vladyka gave an icon of the Most Holy Theotokos brought from Athos. The rector of the Dubrovsky church, priest Valerian, was elevated to the rank of archpriest.
