Description of the attraction
The Church of the Kazan Icon of the Mother of God is located in the village of Posadnikovo, Novorzhevsky district, Pskov region. Stands on the shore of the lake. On the south side there is a road, then - an old pond. There is an old cemetery near the temple and the lake.
The temple was built in 1739 at the expense and efforts of the landowner Artemy Grigorievich Lansky. Has two thrones. The main one is in honor of the Kazan Icon of the Mother of God, the side-chapel is in honor of the Cathedral of John the Baptist. The building includes a bell tower, which was built later.
The history of another church is connected with this temple. At the end of the 18th century, a quarter of a mile from the Kazan Cathedral, the famous architect Yu. M. Felten designed the church and, according to this project, a temple was built in honor of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker. According to legend, Artemy Lanskoy received an order from Catherine II to build a city in his patrimony. Lanskoy first wanted to build a cathedral, but suddenly died. The city (Novorzhev) was founded in another patrimony, in the Orsha churchyard. The new church, consecrated in honor of Nicholas the Wonderworker and built in 1784 also by Count Lansky on the model of the famous Chesme church in St. Petersburg, was consecrated, but soon closed. It gradually began to decay. Then all the church property that was in that temple was transferred to the Kazan temple. Nikolsky Church, was assigned to the Kazan Church. So the bell from the St. Nicholas Church got to the bell tower of the Kazan Church (according to some sources, there were two of them). The bell tower of the temple had a square shape and consisted of two tiers. It included 12 bells. The largest of them weighed more than 105 pounds.
Throughout the 19th century, the Kazan temple was maintained in good condition. The merchant Markovsky from Novorzhev has repeatedly donated considerable sums for repairs and rich decoration. The Kazan temple houses the Lansky family tomb. Near the entrance, on the western wall, there was a copper plaque with the image of the Lansky family coat of arms and funerary inscriptions, which were also inserted into the floors of the temple. The remains of the Lansky crypt have survived to this day, and the remains of ancient graves outside the temple have also survived.
In the 19th century, the inside of the temple was richly decorated. The iconostasis was gilded, had 6 tiers and columns. Repairs were carried out several times. However, no significant restructuring was carried out.
In November 1905, a fire broke out in the Kazan Church. The temple burned down, but was rebuilt. The crosses were fixed, new domes and the roof of the upper tier were installed. The rest of the roof, as well as windows and doors, have been restored. The temple was re-plastered.
There were many shrines in the temple. Among them, first of all, one can name the miraculous icon of the Kazan Mother of God. There was also an expensive old altar cross. It was made of silver with gilding; parts of the relics of saints were inserted into it, among whom were Nikita Bishop, Archbishops of Novgorod Moses and John, Anthony the Roman and Theodore Stratilat. The ancient Gospel was richly decorated.
The type of construction of the temple is "octagon on a quadruple". The walls were built of large-sized bricks and plastered. There is a vestibule on the west side, a porch adjoins it from the outside. The quad has dimensions of 10 by 10 meters and is well lit by sunlight. From the south and north there are five windows. From the west there are six windows, two of them are located in the first tier and overlook the vestibule. The apse has three windows. There is one window in the vestibule. The side-altar has three windows. Platbands on the windows are of various shapes. From the south and north, the doors are decorated with three-quarter columns with bases and capitals. The windows are laid in the drum. It has a decorative belt and cornice. Above the drum is an octahedral bulbous head. The bell tower has a four-sided metal roof.
Today the church is not functioning. Restoration work is planned in the temple.
