Description of the attraction
The Assumption Church of the Most Holy Theotokos was built during 1461-1465. Above the western portal there is an inscription, which indicates that the customer of the temple was the mayor Y. I. Krotov. In 1465, the church was ordered by the Pskov mayor Z. Puchkov and Ya. I. Krotova was painted with frescoes. At the end of the 16th century, a chapel was built in honor of the Wonderworker and St. Nicholas. Not only the church, but also the church side-chapel were laid out of a slab, and the narthex was built of bricks.
In 1798, a bell tower made of bricks was attached to the money of the landowner Lyashev from the village of Vygolovo, as well as donations from the church and parishioners. The church bell tower had five bells, the largest of which weighed 62 pounds and had an inscription on which it was mentioned that the bell was built thanks to the diligence of the parishioners from the Meletovo church under the church elder Pavlov Herodion, priests Alexander Opocki and Alexander Boykov. The second bell bore an inscription that it was cast in 1724 for 22 days by the work of the master Theodor Maksimov; the weight of the bell was 41 poods. The third bell was cast under the headman of Olkhovikov Ioann Ioannov, during the work of Theodore Klementyev. No inscriptions were found on the fourth bell. On the fifth bell there was an inscription mentioning the townsman Feodor Kotelnikov.
In the church of the Dormition of the Most Holy Theotokos there were two altarpieces, the main of which was consecrated in honor of the Dormition of the Most Holy Theotokos, and the side-altar - in the name of the Wonderworker and St. Nicholas. There is an old cemetery next to the church. In 1843, another cemetery was arranged, which was named Belokhnovo, located on the territory of the peasant land of the village of Gladukhino.
The parish had six chapels. One was in the village of Zagorje and was consecrated in honor of Laurus and Florus; its construction took place in 1858 at the expense of local residents. The second chapel was built in 1863 by villagers to carry out the bodies of dead people in the village of Maramorka and was consecrated in honor of St. Tikhon of Zadonsk. In a village called Swamps, there is a chapel in the name of the Intercession of the Mother of God, which was erected by the inhabitants during 1882. In the village of Vygolovo there is a chapel consecrated in honor of the Intercession of the Mother of God at the expense of the owner of this village Lyashev, but the exact time of its erection is unknown. In the village of Zenkovo there is a chapel in honor of Alexander Nevsky, built in memory of the death of the Russian Tsar Alexander II at the expense of local residents in 1887. In a village called Selyatino, there is a chapel consecrated in the name of the holy Reverend Nikandr, on the site of a previously burnt building in 1882.
On January 25, 1895, the verdict on the establishment of parish guardianship came into force. At the end of the 19th century, the landowner Lyashev from the village of Vygolovo set up an almshouse for elderly courtyard women. Until 1830, the almshouse was maintained by a landowner, and after his death it began to rely exclusively on voluntary donations, and from 1893 on the funds of the savings and loan Bystretsovsky partnership. Beginning in 1863, the son of a priest named Alexander Opocki opened a private school. Throughout 1867, the new school was admitted to the county zemstvo. It is known that about 65 students studied at the school every year. The parish school was located in a village called Zenkovo. The school building completely belonged to a certain teacher, A. F. Tsvineva, and was built on peasant land. For the school, funds were allocated from the Videlib volost government. In the parishes, 5 zemstvo schools were opened, located in the villages: Dubonovichi, Meletovo, Gora-Kamenska, Maramorska, Selyatino. The exact time of the institution of the schools is unknown. By 1900, there were 6095 parishioners in the parish.
Beginning in 1912, a detailed study of temple frescoes was introduced. In the period from 1958-1968, repair work was carried out in the temple, at the same time, the ceilings and walls were strengthened, as well as the gable roof was restored. At the present time, the temple is inactive and is the object of a museum display.
