Description of the attraction
The village of Gorodnya is located in the Batetsky district of the Novgorod region, on the banks of the Gorodonka river (a tributary of the Chernaya river), 5 km from the administrative district center - the village of Batetsky. Gorodnya is famous for its long and interesting history, but it differs from other settlements by the presence of the most beautiful church standing on a hill - the temple of Dmitry Solunsky.
In 1380, the Grand Duke Dmitry Donskoy won a victory in the battle on the Kulikovo field. People from the village of Gorodnya also took part in the battle. All over Russia after that temples began to appear, erected in honor of the heavenly patron of the Russian army - Dmitry Solunsky.
The "Commemorative Book of the St. Petersburg Diocese", dating back to 1899, contains information about the construction of the first church in the name of the Holy Great Martyr Dmitry of Thessalonica on the Gorodenskaya land. This document tells that the church was built of stone, built in 1826 "by the support of the landowner EI Blazhenkov." There was also a bell tower. The church had 3 thrones: the main one - in honor of St. Dmitry of Thessalon, the second - in the name of the Protection of the Most Holy Theotokos, the third - in honor of Saints Florus and Laurus.
At the beginning of the 20th century, the original church was heavily rebuilt, therefore, in the “Catalog of Historical and Cultural Monuments of the Novgorod Region” it dates from the beginning of the 20th century. The church was built in the pseudo-Russian style.
According to old residents, the church was large and amazingly beautiful. The legend tells that the temple bells in Veliky Novgorod began to ring only when the bell in the village of Gorodnya began to sound.
The Dmitrievsky temple successfully survived the years of the formation of Soviet power and the Second World War. During the war years, the church belonged to the sixth Luga deanery of the Leningrad diocese. Dashing times for the church came in the 1960s, when the Gorodensky temple was destroyed, despite the appeal of local residents not to close it. Bells were removed from the temple, church utensils were damaged. Local residents claim that the people who took part in the desecration and looting of the church suffered terrible punishment for their deeds.
In 1986, a passport was drawn up for the church. It gave a description of it. The condition of the temple at that time was characterized as abandoned, it was rapidly deteriorating. The northwest porch has been completely dismantled, and the southwest porch is missing one of the pillars. From the outer and inner sides of the building, falling out of the masonry made of bricks is observed. The roof is leaking, there is no floor, the stoves are destroyed.
In 1997, the Administration of the Novgorod region decided to accept the Dmitrievskaya church in the village of Gorodnya for protection as an object of cultural heritage. It was assigned to the newly created Batetsk Deanery of the Novgorod Diocese.
At the beginning of the 21st century, the church experienced a rebirth. Since 2003, at the expense of a private philanthropist, the restoration of the temple began. In 2004, one church chapel was consecrated. By 2007, the church was completely renovated.
Today, the white-walled church of Dmitry Thessaloniki, which has thrown its domes into the sky, amazes with its incredible beauty and grandeur. Such splendor cannot but amaze. But for the inhabitants of the village of Gorodnya, and of the entire Batetskaya land, this temple and the history of its miraculous restoration has become a symbol of the revival and spiritual strength of these places. In addition, now there are proposals to place the image of the church on the coat of arms of the Batetsky district.
