Description of the attraction
Ilyinka Street, on which the Church of Elijah the Prophet stands, is located in Kitay-Gorod, the historical center of the capital. The street got its name from the Ilyinsky monastery, which stood here until the Time of Troubles. A part of this monastery was the temple of Elijah the Prophet. The temple was built at the beginning of the 16th century, and the monastery even earlier. Presumably, the author of the project of the temple was the Italian architect Aleviz Fryazin (New), invited by the Grand Duke of Moscow and Vladimir Vasily III to build 11 stone churches in Moscow.
At the beginning of the 17th century, during the Time of Troubles, the Ilyinsky Monastery was abolished, and the Ilyinsky Church itself became the "instigator" of the revolt: in 1606, on the orders of Vasily Shuisky, an alarm sounded from its bell tower, which served as a signal for an uprising, which ended with the murder of False Dmitry and the proclamation of Shuisky king …
The church became a parish church. In the second half of the 17th century, the church burned down and was transferred to the Novgorod courtyard. At about the same time or a little later, the upper temple was added, consecrated in honor of the prophet Elijah, and the lower one was rededicated in honor of the Apostle Timothy. Elias Church replaced the temple of Nikita Novgorodsky, which was located in the courtyard and was abolished.
In the 18th century, the splendor of the temple was disturbed by the fire of 1737 and the plague of 1771, during which the Elias Church was left without a priest. Ilyinsky parish even wanted to abolish, but the priest Kozma Ilyin was transferred here from the house church of Princess Kurakina.
In 1812, both the Novgorod courtyard and the temple of Elijah the Prophet were plundered and set on fire. The restoration of the temple lasted five years and was carried out with funds donated by the merchant Ilya Yakimov. The daughter of Count Alexei Orlov, Anna Orlova-Chesmenskaya, also took part in the restoration and decoration of the temple; a memorial plaque installed in the temple in 1835 reminds of her contribution. In the second half of the 19th century, the church was rebuilt and became part of the shopping arcade called Teplyi.
In the 20s of the last century, the temple was closed, part of its utensils and icons were transferred to two churches of the Volokolamsk and Klinsky districts, destroyed during the battles near Moscow. Elias Church lost the top of the bell tower, and itself became the location of various institutions. Divine services in the temple were resumed in 1995. Restoration work was also started, during which the lower temple was excavated. The oldest part of the building sank three meters below street level and was covered with debris. The temple was declared an architectural monument.
