The famous Arkhangelsk courtyard of the Solovetsky Monastery is
historically invariably associated with the process of founding the
city of Arkhangelsk, as well as with the period of its
establishment, which refers to the late 16th - early 17th centuries.
In those days, Arkhangelsk was an old ancient Russian fortress, and
its courtyard was originally located in the area where Detinets was
located.
In 1637, there was a terrible fire, as a result of
which almost all the fortifications were burnt out, and the
courtyard itself moved a little closer to the place where the market
was located, namely, to Yuryev Zvoz. The Arkhangelsk courtyard
played the role of an economic epicenter throughout the city. It is
known that in those days the Solovetsky Monastery made a profit from
salt production, fishing, and it also sent its products to
Arkhangelsk for sale. Then the monastery really needed warehouses,
cell buildings and retail outlets.
In 1667, the courtyard
already included four large wooden buildings, serving as a barn, a
cell and a monastery courtyard. In 1729, the courtyard had seven
spacious separate buildings, which served as a rector's choir,
administrative buildings, a barn, a cellar, a bathhouse and seven
retail outlets.
Today it is difficult to imagine the original
appearance of the courtyard and its location. A fire broke out in it
in 1733, 1745, 1793. But still, if we take into account the
recognized tradition of constructing new buildings in previously
existing places, then we can conclude that the location of the
courtyard was on the site of the "Yuryev Zvoz".
In 1797, for
the needs of the courtyard, a large stone house was purchased from
the wealthy merchant Becker, which was located between the
philistine house and the post office. These buildings were built
according to the developed project, which is stone houses with small
retail outlets in the lower part and living quarters in the upper
part. Over time, the structure of the quarter has developed, where
buildings still stand.
At the beginning of the 19th century,
the Arkhangelsk courtyard received stone buildings, and soon after
that it bought several urban plots. The last stage in the formation
of the entire complex was the beginning of the 19th century, when
the construction of the church was planned. A large number of
representatives of the monastic brethren and pilgrims came to this
place for shopping, which required a spacious room where church
services and divine services could be performed, but there was no
such building. Pilgrims and brethren prayed before the face of the
Monks Savvaty and Zosimos of Solovetsky, which is on the wall in the
icon case.
In the middle of 1818, the Holy Synod decided to build a church
in the courtyard, but the idea was not implemented, because most of
the priests of the city's churches considered this action completely
unnecessary, because the courtyard was located not far from the
Nativity and Archangel churches. In 1920, a small chapel was built
in the name of the Monks Savvaty and Zosima, for which reason the
trading shops on the first floor were rebuilt.
In the middle
of the 19th century, a radical replacement of ancient wooden
structures with stone ones took place. During the years 1851-1853, a
stone building was erected on Bankovsky lane. In 1865, a premise was
built "in the cellars", which was attached from the east to the
stone building of administrative services.
The temple in the
name of the Monks Herman, Savvaty and Zosima at the Solovetsky
Compound in Arkhangelsk was consecrated in the fall of September 17,
1898. The temple was built with three domes and had a small bell
tower above the entrance, which was facing the Dvina embankment. Not
only the walls, but also the ceiling of the church were skillfully
painted with images of events from the holy life of the Solovetsky
saints. The icons and paintings of the church, located in the
iconostasis, were made by the monastery icon painters under the
supervision of the elder, hieromonk Flavian. The church iconostasis
was made of oak, carved and looked especially beautiful.
In
1920, the Solovetsky courtyard was closed and nationalized. In the
fall of 1922, all services ceased completely. The Arkhangelsk
courtyard was restored in 1992, with the blessing of Alexy II.
Today, the rector of the Solovetsky compound in Arkhangelsk is
Hieromonk Postolyako Stefan.