Description of the attraction
On the very outskirts of one of the workers' settlements called Gus, in 1765, during the work of Akim Maltsov's glass factory, a miraculous appearance of the icon of the Great Martyr Barbara took place at a spring located by an unnamed forest river. This saint in the past, namely in 306, was executed for her faith, which refers to the period of the reign of Emperor Maximilian.
On the site of the miracle, a small wooden chapel was built, which marked such a joyful and important event. The icon of St. Barbara was solemnly placed in the chapel, and the small river flowing nearby from that time began to bear the name Varvarka.
Not far from the place of the miraculous appearance of the icon, a huge boulder was found, on which the picture depicted clearly resembled the footprint of a girl. The event was directly associated with the Great Martyr Barbara, and the stone became the object of worship of numerous pilgrims.
Over time, on the site of the wooden chapel, it was decided to build a stone one, which would be distinguished by its graceful and unique architecture. By the end of 1885, all construction work was completed, while an octagonal white-stone well, equipped with a holy spring, was placed on a free-standing portico located on the east side. It should be noted that the name of the architect of the built stone chapel is still unknown.
If you cross the road, then in the area between the five-storey buildings located on Kommunisticheskaya Street, next to the springs, another small chapel was erected, which was consecrated in honor of the Holy Trinity, which was named “Three Keys”. In the spring, the water is surprisingly clean and is used by local residents for domestic purposes. During the 1950s, the Holy Trinity Chapel was completely destroyed, while one of the nearby streets was named Klyuchevaya (the name is still used today).
In the 1930s, the Varvarovskaya chapel was closed, and an industrial catering unit was located in its building. In the room, they began to cook syrups, produce lollipops for children, and bake gingerbread. Then the room was blocked off with the help of powerful channels, and then the second floor was built. It is worth noting that almost every year, on the eve of the holy patronal feast, a fire broke out in the building; in the 1950s, flames of fire destroyed the vaults, which were still wooden.
After the fire, the new roof for the chapel was made flat. The previously operating catering unit was removed, and the building housed a small workshop operating at the funeral home, in which ritual funeral wreaths were woven.
Throughout the 1970s, the chapel was given over to the trust garage for dining rooms. Over time, the holy spring was almost completely filled up with old batteries and some other waste. A number of brick buildings intended for domestic needs were added to the previously constructed building.
As you know, in 1989, the Joachiman temple again became a refuge for believers, so after that the question of the Barbarian chapel was raised. In mid-1991, the chapel was transferred to the authority of the central church. Alexander Mikheev, priest of the Joachiman temple, was appointed responsible for the restoration process and the accompanying construction work. Restoration work was carried out by believers who made the main cross, domes. The raising of the cross to the chapel was carried out using specialized fire-fighting equipment in 1995. The temple iconostasis was discovered in the chapel of the Lavra and Flora of the temple in the village of Kryukovo, which at one time was converted into a warehouse. The first icon that was brought into the chapel was the icon of the Great Martyr Barbara.
Ceiling and wall paintings were painted with tempera paints under the direction of Alexander Savelyev. The largest number of holy icons in the chapel-chapel of the Great Martyr Barbara were ancient and especially valued.
More recently, icons of St. George the Victorious and St. Peter Velikodvorsky were painted on a specially designed order for the chapel, which were executed by the talented local icon painter Dmitry Vinogradov.
