Description of the attraction
According to legend, the village of Vybuty is the birthplace of the Equal-to-the-Apostles Saint Grand Duchess Olga. The churchyard itself is located 15 km from the city of Pskov, up the Velikaya River. It is in this place that a particularly important place for the entire city is located - a ford, which the population uses even to this day. In the old days, the Pskovites sent long outposts here in order to close the most important positions of Pskov.
In the vicinity of the village of Vybuty, local residents show the young generations the so-called "Olginsky" places: Olga's gate, Olga's stone, Olga's palace, Olga's Sludy and Olga's church. Located on the very bank of the Great River, the source is called the Holguin Spring, and its waters have long been considered curative.
In addition, in the village, on the right bank of the river, there is a church named after St. Elijah. The church was built in the 15th century from a slab. The church belfry was built as a two-span belfry during the 16-17 centuries. According to some reports, it is assumed that an ancient temple previously stood on this site.
The bell tower of the Ilyinsky Church is built of stone, and there are four bells on it, each of which is signed. During 1875, the cold and small chapel, consecrated in the name of St. Nicholas, was rebuilt with the money of the parishioners into a warm one, doubling its space; the narthex was also enlarged. The Elias Church had two thrones, the main of which was the porch, consecrated in the name of the prophet of God Saint Elijah; the second or side-house was consecrated in the name of the Wonderworker and St. Nicholas. There is an ancient cemetery not far from the church building.
In March 1896, the opening of the parish trusteeship took place. Since 1902, a temperance society, named in honor of the great martyr St. Panteleimon, worked at the temple. In January 1908, a brotherhood was founded in honor of Jesus Christ to provide the necessary assistance to needy parishioners. An almshouse and a hospital did not exist in the parish; only two zemstvo schools operated under it. In Soviet times, the Church of Ilya was closed. During the Great Patriotic War, the temple was badly damaged. In the period from 1955 to 1957, the restoration of the temple was carried out according to the project of the architect V. P. Smirnov.
The first services in the church began only in 1999. At the moment, services are held in the temple on Saturdays and Sundays, as well as on church holidays. The Olginskaya chapel has been destroyed today. According to the blessing of Metropolitan Eusebius of Velikie Luki and Pskov, since May 1999, the rector of the church has been Archpriest Oleg Teor, who serves in the Church of St. Alexander Nevsky in Pskov. During the restoration work, the most active part was taken by the cadets of the militia school, as well as soldiers at the Pskov garrison.
In 1993, on a small plot in front of the Church of Ilya, a memorial sign was erected, which is a granite stone with a small tablet on which it is indicated that the Vybuts are the birthplace of Princess Olga.
One kilometer from the Church of Ilya, closer to the northeastern part of it, there is an ancient foundation of the pre-existing Holguin stone, which was blown up in the 20th century. At the moment, near its remains there is a pyramidal memorial sign made of boulders and topped with a large forged cross. During 1888, the archaeological society of the city of Pskov, not far from the churchyard, on the place where the Olgin stone used to be, built a chapel erected in honor of the 1000th anniversary of Princess Olga, as well as the 900th anniversary of the Baptism of Rus by Prince Vladimir. The icons of St. Vladimir and St. Olga are installed in the chapel.
A little below the village of Velikaya Reka is divided into two channels with the help of a small island. The right river branch is called “Ol'gin's Gate” - it has a rocky bottom and is very shallow; the left arm is called "Olginy sludy", which received this name due to the limestone layers on the river bottom, while the sluda means "underwater rock". If you believe the legend, then it was here that the meeting of Prince Igor and his future wife Olga took place.
