Not far from the southern gates of Optina Hermitage there is a small and neat church. It appeared just a few years ago on a place where there have never been other buildings. The newly built Church of the Transfiguration of the Savior has become one of the seven active temples of the monastery and is now considered a symbol of the reviving monastery.
Temple history
The decision to build the church was made in the 21st century, and the first stone in its foundation was laid in mid-August 2005. Construction and interior decoration took two and a half years. It is noteworthy that the wall paintings were entirely done by the monastery masters and the best icon painters of the Kaluga region.
View of the church from the Vvedensky Cathedral
At the end of 2007, the rector of Optina Hermitage consecrated a new temple, and it became available for believers and tourists. Since that time, the relics of Hieromonk Raphael - Rodion Ivanovich Sheychenko (1891-1957) have been kept in the narthex of the church.
The area around the Church of the Transfiguration is very well-groomed. Neat flowerbeds are laid out on all sides, on which many beautiful flowers bloom in warm weather. The flower beds are fenced with openwork metal gratings, and paved paths are laid around the building for tourists and pilgrims.
View of the north facade of the church
The architecture of the church and its interior decoration
The picturesque Church of the Transfiguration of the Savior stands apart from other monastic buildings, and therefore it is convenient to inspect it from all sides. It is located in the southwestern part of the monastery, next to the Holy Gates, through which visitors enter the main territory of the desert.
The one-storey brick building is covered with plaster and painted in a delicate pink color. Window frames, patterned cornices, flies and other elements of architectural decoration are highlighted in white, and from this the church looks solemn and elegant.
View of the eastern facade of the church
The temple consists of a cubic quadrangle with one apse and a small two-tiered bell tower attached to the north-western side. It is very similar to the provincial churches that were erected in Russian cities and villages in the 18th-19th centuries. The temple itself and the bell tower are crowned with hipped roofs with small gilded domes.
Thanks to the large windows located on both sides of the quadrangle, the interior of the church is very bright. Walls, ceilings and interwindow spaces are completely filled with picturesque paintings.
Patterned paintings can be seen outside - around the entrance portal. Before entering the church, believers are greeted by a mosaic panel with the face of Christ the Savior. The second mosaic with an Orthodox cross is on the opposite side of the building. It adorns the semicircular church apse.
The current state of the temple and the visiting regime
The Church of the Transfiguration of the Savior is a functioning Orthodox church, the doors of which are open to pilgrims and tourists every day from morning to evening. Several times a week, divine services are held here and ordered water-blessing prayers are held here. People come to this church to pray and collect holy water.
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