Address: Russia, Kasimov, Stary Posad
Build date: churches in 1848, bell towers in 1866
Coordinates: 54 ° 54'56.8 "N 41 ° 24'39.3" E
Content:
From the Kasimov Church of the Epiphany, the Church of Elijah the Prophet is clearly visible, which the inhabitants of the city call the Ilyinsky Temple. The picturesque “ship” temple stands on a high promontory that drops off in the direction of the Oka. Today the old church is being restored, and attracts the attention of tourists who travel along the routes of the "Golden Ring" of Russia.
The Church of Elijah the Prophet from a bird's eye view
Temple history
The small river Babenka flows into the Oka not far from the Ilyinsky temple. One of the ancient Kasimov legends is associated with the winding river. It is believed that the river used to be full-flowing and navigable. Once, during a spring flood on Babenka, Stepan Razin's boat turned over, and the treasures that the robber was carrying ended up at the bottom of the river.
In the last century, archaeologists worked near the temple. As a result of the excavations carried out, they established that initially the Finno-Ugric population lived on the banks of the Oka, and the Slavs came here in the 9th-10th centuries.
In the middle of the 12th century, near the mouth of the Babenka, Prince Yuri Dolgoruky erected a border fortress, which later became known as Gorodets Meshchersky. Researchers have discovered many ancient burial grounds not far from the modern temple. This means that there used to be a large pre-Christian cemetery on a high river bank.
In the 17th century, on the site where the church now stands, there were two wooden churches. In the scribes of 1627, it is mentioned that they were located opposite each other. Moreover, the Church of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker was in a better condition, and the St. Elias Church stood "without singing."
By the end of the 17th century, the dilapidated church complex was rebuilt into a single church. Ilyinsky Church was made the main one, and St. Nicholas Church turned into its side-chapel. The new wooden church stood until the beginning of the 19th century, but then the inhabitants of the city wanted to rebuild it in stone. The expensive construction was paid for by the Kasimov merchant Dmitry Semenovich Kakushkin and his children. However, the construction of the stone church took several decades.
View of the church from st. October
In 1811, builders laid the foundation and began to build up brick walls. After 9 years, the chapel of the Grieving Mother of God was consecrated. The main throne was consecrated in 1848, and the Catherine and Nikolsky side-altars - only in 1858. In 1860 the iconostasis was reworked by the craftsmen. The last of all, in 1866, a high three-tiered bell tower appeared. Thus, the construction of the church took more than half a century.
There were three thrones in the new temple. The main one is in honor of the prophet Elijah, the throne in the refectory is in the name of the Grieving Mother of God and a separate throne of St. Nicholas. A wooden building was attributed to the stone church, in which a parish school was created in 1989. A separate chapel stood at the church cemetery, where memorial services were held.
The Orthodox church over Babenka served until 1941, when it was closed by the order of the Soviet authorities. The abandoned church was plundered and stood empty for a long time. In 2002, to the delight of local residents, the temple was finally handed over to the local community. The believers immediately began to restore the dilapidated building, so the next year they were able to resume church services here.
The old church today
The “ship” temple stands on a high cliff above the steep left bank of the Oka and looks like an unfolded sail from afar. It was built in the Empire style with features of classicism and looks very harmonious. A powerful rounded rotunda rises on a double-height quadrangle decorated with strict triangular pediments. The rustic style characteristic of classicism is used in the decor of the building.
View of the church from the Oka
Nowadays, the Ilyinsky temple is active, and services are regularly held in it. The restoration work has not yet been completed. Gradually, builders are restoring the church fence and landscaping the temple grounds.
How to get there
Elias Church is located on the southeastern outskirts of Kasimov, in front of the village of Ulanova Gora. This is the area of the city called Old Posad. You can get from Moscow to Kasimov by private car or regular buses. The journey takes about 6 hours. The distance from the Kasimov bus station to the church is 5 km. The most convenient way to get to the ancient temple is by taxi.
