Description of the attraction
The temple in the name of John the Merciful was originally called the temple of the Tolgskaya icon of the Mother of God and was built in 1761. The temple was small and was a parish. His wedding was carried out with the help of one cupola, and next to it there was a "modest" two-tier bell tower, which was built with the money of parish residents from Ivanovskaya Street, now called Dekabristov Street. The temple received its second name from the Blessed Saint John Vlasatov or John the Merciful, whose relics are carefully kept at the temple.
John arrived in Rostov in 1571. It is believed that he was originally from Germany. Sources have been preserved that mention that he wore long hair; he also did not have a permanent place of residence and for almost his entire life lived in church porches and only sometimes could rest with his mentor Peter, the priest of the Church of All Saints. John died in 1580. After his burial near his grave, incredible healings began to take place. At present, a shrine with the relics of St. John the Merciful is kept in the Tolga church, with an icon depicting the life of the saint hanging behind the shrine. Cancer is decorated with graceful baroque stamps, which also depict the life of the saint, made using the technique of chasing, engraving and casting. The icon available at the shrine was painted in the 18th century in the best traditions of its craft. John the Merciful is depicted with a staff and rags, and also holds a scroll in his hands. Directly above the shrine, there is a carved wooden canopy, which is delicately decorated with twisted columns, monograms and volutes.
In the matter of external decoration, it is important to note that it is made especially concisely and simply, because there are no platbands at all on the window openings of the main volume and the refectory room, and there are also no semi-columns and carvings. The most lively element of the decoration is a simple cornice, which separates the window tiers and somewhat embellishes the wall surface. The church has preserved the iconostasis, which is the same age as the church itself, for which the famous artist Kharkov painted icons.
Throughout the 1760s, the interior of the Church of St. John the Merciful was decorated with fresco paintings, which were again rewritten in oil at the end of the 19th century. The original painting has survived only in the form of a small fragment called "The Ascension of John the Merciful" on a large arch dividing the temple into a main part and a refectory room. In the central part of the closed vault was the "Hosts", and on the vault itself - "Descent from the Cross", "Crucifixion", "Placement in the coffin", "Kiss of Judas". The painting was painted in the style of official dry academicism and, to a greater extent, was observed on wall surfaces in several tiers in the form of panels, which were framed with wicker ornaments. As for the themes of the plots, here are images of Jacob and Leonty in rounded medallions, as well as the holy fool John the Merciful and Demetrius. On the vault of the refectory room there are: "The Appearance of the Icon of the Mother of God to John the Merciful", "The Nativity of John the Baptist", "The Death of John the Merciful". On the side of the northern side-altar, namely on the vault, there is the "Meeting", "Theophany", and on the walls there is a painting "Rostov miracle workers".
The temple has a four-tiered gilded iconostasis, which was built in the middle of the 19th century. Its decoration is made with twisted columns and vines, and it is crowned with a small cross. As mentioned, the icons were painted by the artist Kharkov, among which one can note: "Paraskeva Friday", "Tolgskaya Mother of God", "Selected Saints".
The church has preserved ancient wooden icons, which are in separate carved icon cases, for example, "Do not cry for me mother", "Nikola", dating back to the 17th century. Of particular interest is the Psalter icon, written in Latin on parchment paper - it is believed that it belonged to John the Merciful. In 1702, the Psalter was re-bound and placed in the blessed one.
The Tolga church is the only one in Rostov that was not liquidated during the Soviet era, which is why it was able to preserve its interior.
