Description of the attraction
On the very outskirts of the town of Borovichi, on a small hillock, in the Kolenitsa settlement, at the end of the 18th century, the Assumption Cemetery appeared. It was at the site of this cemetery that the construction of a stone church began in 1798, which was consecrated in 1800 in the name of the Dormition of the Most Holy Theotokos. During 1839-1840, two side-chapels with a throne were built in the church in honor of the Resurrection of Christ and the Exaltation of the Life-giving and Honest Cross of the Lord - both side-altars were decorated from the outside with columns and porticoes. On the west side, a vestibule with a bell tower was attached to the church. During 1901, not far from the temple, a two-tiered bell tower was built of red brick, which had a beautiful dome with an apple and a cross.
During 1911, the Church of the Dormition of the Theotokos was overhauled. In the process of carrying out repair and restoration work, the middle part of the temple was built on with the help of new walls, in which windows of small light were placed. In addition, the dome was redesigned, which was then decorated with a gilded cross. A three-tiered bell tower was built not far from the temple.
As soon as the socialist revolution passed in Russia, they tried to close the church several times, but then they still returned it to the believers. The first time the Church of the Assumption of the Virgin was closed in 1920, after which it was turned into a warehouse. According to the insistence of believers, the temple was reopened, and it functioned until 1941. At this time, the Soviet government tried in various ways to oppress all believers, for example, in the summer of August 10, 1931, an explosion sounded on the three-tiered church bell tower, which caused irreparable damage to the entire architectural ensemble of the Holy Dormition Cathedral. After this incident, the temple was closed again, although in 1944 it again pleased its parishioners.
In the 40s of the last century, services were held in the Church of the Assumption of the Mother of God by Archpriest Alexander Medvedsky, priests Vladimir Letsius and Sergei Georgievsky. Throughout the 1950s, Archpriests Vladimir Molchanov, Anatoly Litinsky, Nikolai Gordeev, Vasily Belevich and numerous priests served in the church.
Divine services in the cathedral were held until 1960 - during this time, the temple was restored, and all planned repairs were completed in 1959. In addition, during this time, the stone belfry was rebuilt, which was blown up in the 1930s.
In 1960, the persecution of churches all over the country began again, only "Khrushchev's", and the cathedral was again closed, and the church belfry was dismantled. In addition, the fence located along the perimeter of the temple was destroyed, as well as the ancient cemetery, on the territory of which many famous and respected people of the city rested, among whom was the founder of the refractory brick factory - Vakhter K. L. The premises belonging to the temple were somewhat rebuilt and given over to the city lecture hall, in which all sorts of entertainment events were held. All property and icons belonging to the church were stolen, and the wall paintings were completely painted over.
In 1990, according to the blessing of the Old Russian and Novgorod Archbishop Leo, the central altar of the temple was consecrated in the name of the Assumption of the Virgin, immediately after the temple was returned to the Russian Church. In May 1994, the right throne was consecrated in the name of St. Nicholas of Mirliki, and in November of the same year, the left throne was consecrated in honor of St. John of Kronstadt. During 1996, the church iron fence was made and installed. In 1997, the interior of the temple was overhauled, during which the domed windows were replaced. In 1998, the decoration of the iconostasis was completed, as well as the external decoration of the facade of the cathedral.
On October 15, 2000, a significant event took place in the life of the Assumption Church, dedicated to the 200th anniversary of the cathedral, which was headed by Archbishop Lev of Old Russian and Novgorod. One of the important events in the life of the Church of the Assumption of the Mother of God in 2010 was the restoration of burial places that were destroyed during the period of persecution of the Church. Today the temple is functioning.
