On Studenaya Gora Street in the city of Vladimir, the temple of the
Archangel Michael rises, which at one time was built according to
the will of Captain Fyodor Grigorievich, which happened in 1893. The
project of the temple was drawn up by the provincial architect
Afanasyev A.P., as well as the engineer Karabutov I.O. The church
was consecrated in the middle of 1893. At that time, the temple was
built in the Byzantine style and had a distinctive external
appearance from the rest. On the Vladimir land before the appearance
of the temple of Michael the Archangel, there was no such
architectural appearance, expressing such clear acoustic properties.
The plot of land intended for the construction of the temple was
bought by the Vladimir Charity Society, and the benefactors
generously donated the necessary building materials, an oak
iconostasis and glass intended for doors and windows.
The
solemn laying of the temple began on October 13, 1891, and on
September 19, 1893, all five bells were raised to the church belfry.
Honorary members of the Construction Committee attended the solemn
event dedicated to the consecration of the temple. At that moment,
when the voices of the bishops' choir sounded, all those praying and
those present were sincerely delighted with the resonance inherent
in the church. During the all-night vigil, the church was richly
consecrated, and the gatehouse and belfry with a fence were brightly
illuminated. In the morning, the consecration of the water was also
held, while the bell ringing of the city's churches informed the
people of the arrival of His Eminence. There was a big procession
around the temple.
The upper part of the temple was crowned
with a mirror cross, which was made at one of the factories in
Yekaterinburg. In the inner part of the keeled zakomaras there were
icons of some saints.
For the temple, a wooden iconostasis
was made, made of black oak, which was made by the hands of an
artist from Moscow, Bette E.K., and all church icons were painted by
a talented icon painter from Palekh, Safonov N.M. At one time,
temple utensils and a chandelier were brought from the capital from
a merchant named Agapov.
As you know, in 1917 the Soviet
government began to rule, which soon began to carry out campaigns to
destroy and close Orthodox churches. The Church of the Archangel
Michael could not avoid this fate, so in 1929 it was closed. The
belfry located on the left side of it, equipped with five bells, was
almost completely dismantled.
Over the next few decades, the
Church of Michael the Archangel was used for various household and
household needs. For example, between 1986 and 1996, it housed an
exposition of one of the museums in the city of Vladimir, which was
called "Hours and Time". After some time, the exposition was closed
and was no longer restored - the museum left the church premises. It
was from that moment that the restoration of the previously lost
church of Michael the Archangel began.
The return of the
temple to the power of the Russian Orthodox Church, represented by
the diocese of Vladimir under the Moscow Patriarch, took place only
in 1996. On April 19, 1997, which fell on Lazarus Saturday during
Great Lent, the Church of Michael the Archangel was re-consecrated
by the Archbishop of Suzdal and Vladimir Evlogy, which was attended
by a large number of people. At the previous location of the church
in 2002, repair and restoration work was carried out, as a result of
which the bell tower was completely restored to its original form.
After some time, she was consecrated.
In 2010, the Church of
Michael the Archangel again acquired its original appearance, and
its wedding was carried out with the help of a large and visible
from afar crystal cross, made especially for this project at a
crystal factory in one of the cities of the Vladimir region -
Gus-Khrustalny.
To date, the church has several local
shrines, which include the icon of the Mother of God "Quick
Hearing", as well as the Mother of God "Bogolyubskaya" and
"Feodorovskaya".