Description of the attraction
In the city of Ivanovo, on Koltsova Street, 19A, there is an old church consecrated in honor of Elijah the Prophet. The historical development of the Church of St. Elijah is closely related to the history of the city of Ivanovo itself. At one time, not far from the village of the same name, the formation and subsequent formation of the Ilyinsky settlement began. It is known that at the end of the 17th century, the textile industry began to develop actively, after which, at the beginning of the 18th century, enterprising and active people separated from the Ivanovo peasants, who were able to organize large linen manufactories on the basis of linen weaving. Approximately at the same time, the introduction of the manufacture of heels or patterns on linen fabrics began - this type of production became the most successful in the village. After 1812, which turned into a complete ruin of the Moscow industry, the serf village of Ivanovo became the epicenter of printed production.
The prosperous peasants bought the settlement from the rich Count Sheremetev, while losing the ownership of the village. After that, they decided to acquire land plots from the surrounding landowners. Thus, settlements began to form along the perimeter of the village, after which the city of Ivanovo-Voznesensk was gradually formed, which developed from several centers.
The very first to appear was Vorobyevskaya or Ilyinskaya Sloboda. Beginning in 1816, the wealthy merchant A. A. Lepetov, who was a trader in paper yarn and calico, began to buy up land from the landowner E. I. Barsukova - the owner of the village of Vorobyevo. A few years later, the merchant built a house. Over time, calico factories began to form here, belonging to the merchants D. I. Spiridonov and A. V. Baburin, as well as spacious warehouses for the Kiselev merchants' yarn. It is known that in 1838 the foundation of the Elias Church took place, after which in 1842, when all construction work was completed, it was consecrated. The temple was built at the expense of A. A. Lepetova.
The Church of Elijah the Prophet has become a real monument of classicism, while its southern and northern facades are decorated with four-column porticoes. The main volume of the temple consists of a crowning cylinder and a cube base, which ends with five domes. From the west, a small bell tower adjoins the temple, which has a cylindrical shape in the upper tier.
In 1893, A. I. Garelin - Lepetov's grandson - according to the project of the talented architect from Moscow A. S. Kaminsky, a planned internal reconstruction of the church took place, namely, the winter and summer halves separated by a wall were connected into a single whole room. Until today, new carved iconostases have been installed in the existing side-altars of the Forty Martyrs of Sebastia and the Nativity of the Virgin. On the walls of the temple there is a unique painting made by the famous artist from Palekh - Belousov.
Ilyinskaya Sloboda was founded by people who for a long time were famous for merciful deeds, as well as charity. Garelin Maria Alexandrovna, who was the wife of Alexander Ivanovich Garelin, was engaged in charitable affairs. In production, under the leadership of her husband, a special social sphere was formed, which covered the entire life period of a person, from his birth to his death. During the Russo-Japanese War, Garelin's wife headed the Ivanovo-Voznesenskoe charity society, when almshouses for the elderly, a nursery for children and a spacious dining room were organized for numerous city residents.
In the period between 1842 and 1852, the priest in the temple of Elijah the Prophet was Pokrovsky Alexy Yegorovich. From 1852 to 1904, the rector of the church was the son-in-law of the priest of Pokrovsky Alexy, Archpriest Leporsky Grigory Afanasyevich. After him, until 1918, his son, Nikolai, was appointed abbot.
In 1935, the temple was closed, after which services were resumed only in 1989, when the first Divine Liturgy was held. The temple altar was consecrated in the name of John of Kronstadt.
The church acquired its present splendid appearance in 1993, thanks to the support of benefactors, the active participation of parishioners, and the selfless work of the rector and clergy.
