The Kurtyaevo tract belongs to the Primorsky district of the
Arkhangelsk region, 35 kilometers from the city of Severodvinsk. It
is famous for its mineral springs and the Church of St. Alexis.
Kurtyaevo is located on the site of an extinct volcano. A feature of
Kurtyaev (in the XX century it finally became known as "Kurtyaevo
Tract") is the existence of more than 80 sources of low-mineralized
waters on a small territory. In two places, groups of springs form
streams that flow into the Verkhovka River.
The township of Kurtyaevo was first mentioned in the charter of the
Nikolo-Korelsky Monastery, dated 1587-1588. Later, the land of the tract
becomes the property of the Kirillo-Belozersky Monastery. Until the
construction of the church and the chapel in Kurtyaev, there were no
permanent buildings, except for trade and hay huts. There is also no
information on the possible use of local sources prior to 1721.
In historical documents of the early 19th century, there is a mention of
the church of St. Alexis, built in 1721. Another source from 1822 says
that this temple was built from a chapel, to which an altar was added in
1721. This fact is confirmed by the results of architectural and
archaeological measurements: the walls of the first chapel were
preserved at the height of the windows. After the formation of the
temple, in front of its altar, on the site of the appearance of the
image, a new chapel was built. There was an infrequent situation of
simultaneous coexistence of the one-altar church of Alexy and the chapel
in honor of him. This happens very rarely.
Studies show that the
chapel in the name of Alexy in the town of Kurtyaevo enjoyed special
reverence and respect, since, according to legend, it was formed over a
stump, over which a miraculous image of St. Alexy appeared. For this
reason, the floor has never been laid out here.
Historical
documents say that the chapel in the same ensemble with the church was
not built immediately, but as the number of pilgrims to the holy places
increased and the Kurtyaevskaya glade gradually built up, the area of
\u200b\u200bwhich now is 2 hectares, limited to the forest on one side
and the river Verkhovka on the other. In accordance with the
development, the chapel was outside the temple fence (the last version
of this arrangement was preserved until 1917). Currently, the
Aleksievskaya church and the chapel are being restored.
In
addition to 80 springs of low-mineralized waters, in the Kurtyaevo tract
there is a natural source of medicinal table
sulfate-hydrocarbonate-chloride sodium water with a neutral-slightly
alkaline reaction of the environment. The Russian Scientific Center for
Medicine and Balneology has developed a detailed methodology for the
therapeutic use of Kurtyaevskaya mineral water, and its use is
recommended as a table drink.
Mineral water can be used not only for
medicinal purposes (for diseases of the gastrointestinal tract, nervous
system, prevention of iodine deficiency diseases, and so on), but also
as drinking water, since the degree of its mineralization is low
(diseases of the genitourinary, digestive, endocrine systems). ).
The spring with a newly built chapel above the well is located in
the forest, about 1 kilometer from the church. One part of the path to
the source runs through a pine forest, the other part - through the
swamp, where the stream Talets flows.
The documents of the beginning of the 19th century mention "the
church of St. Alexis, the man of God, an antimension for the signing of
Barnabas by the archbishop of 1721 March 2 days."
In the document
of 1722 there is an entry:
“In the Nenokotsky Usolye, seven miles
away, with the blessing of His Grace Barnabas, Archbishop of Kholmogory
and Vazhsky, a church was built and consecrated in the name of Alexy,
the man of God. Built by worldly alms from Christ-lovers. And in that
church there is a temporary service for the feast of Alexy, the man of
God, on holidays and who, by faith, will claim. And the service in that
church is sent by them, Nenokotsky salt, priests. And that church was
built on the monastic land of the Kirillov Monastery, but there are no
definite parishioners. This place is called Kurtyaevo "
In the
“Memorial book of the Nenoki parish” dated 1822, it is specified that
this church was built from a chapel, to which an altar was attached in
1721. This fact of the reconstruction of the chapel into a church is
also confirmed by the data of architectural and archaeological
measurements, according to which the walls of the primary chapel were
preserved approximately at the level of the window openings. After the
appearance of the church, in front of its altar, at the site of the
appearance of the image, a new chapel was erected. As a result, an
unusually rare situation arose of the simultaneous coexistence of the
single-altar church of Alexy, the man of God, and a chapel in his name,
which happens infrequently.
In 1842, in the "Statement of Church
Buildings", it is mentioned
“a wooden church, one-story, in one
connection with the bell tower, 15 miles away by the Kurtyavka River in
the name of Alexy, the man of God, 1721.”
This church also
belonged to "two one-story, wooden houses, one of which was built in
1829, the other, old, is unknown."
The detailed inventory of the
property of the churches of the Nenoki parish of the Arkhangelsk
district contains information about the chapel that stood opposite the
altar of the church and connected with it into a single complex. Unlike
the church, which after 1721 was only completed, but not rebuilt, the
chapel was nevertheless periodically dismantled and rebuilt, as
evidenced by the materials of the disassembly of the log house before
restoration.
The documents of the 19th century describing the Aleksievskaya Church
in Kurtyaev indicate that
“behind the fence, in front of the
altar, stands a chapel in the name of Alexy, the man of God, in the very
place where, according to the old-timers, his image appeared on a stump”
According to contemporaries, the Aleksievskaya chapel in Kurtyaev
enjoyed special reverence, since, according to legend, it was built over
the same stump, over which the miraculous image of St. Alexia:
“In
the fence opposite the altar there is a chapel, cut in the name of
Alexy, the man of God, in the very place where, according to the
old-timers, he appeared on a stump, about one head, usually covered ...”
For this reason, this chapel has never been floored.
Judging
by the data indicated in historical documents, the chapel in a single
complex with the church was not built immediately, but as the pilgrimage
to the holy place increased, as well as the gradual development of the
Kurtyaev glade, the area of \u200b\u200bwhich currently is 2 hectares,
limited to the Verkhovka River on one side and forest on the other. As
the building progressed, the chapel ended up outside the church. The
last version of its location outside the fence, from the side of the
altar of the church, was preserved until 1917.
Candidate of Philosophical Sciences A. I. Klimov, in the Bulletin of
Church History[4] indicates that he communicated with the first, after a
long break, pilgrims to the church of St. Alexy, who told him the legend
about the origin of the temple and the holy place:
“At noon,
during haymaking, haymakers sat down on Kurtyaev Hill for lunch.
Suddenly, on a birch stump, an image of a man appeared in the radiance.
We recognized him as Alexy, the man of God. A chapel was erected in
memory of the apparition.”
The same A. I. Klimov cites the notes
of Ksenia Petrovna Gemp, made by her at meetings of local historians of
the North. Before the revolution, Ksenia Petrovna, together with her
family, often made summer trips from Arkhangelsk to the village of
Syuzma, visited Old Believer sketes around the village of Kudma, the
settlements of Nenoksa and Kurtyaev. In 1987, Gemp gave Klimov the
following legends:
Tradition says that Alexei, the man of God,
walked from Asia Minor to Samarkand (the path was laid by Afanasy
Nikitin). Then the road went to Astrakhan. Along the Volga River, St.
Alexei swam to Yaroslavl. From Yaroslavl he reached the Northern Dvina
on foot and sailed along it, not reaching Arkhangelsk, to Soroka. And
from Soroka I already walked exactly according to the scheme: B. Kudma -
Ambursky Skete - Solza - Syuzma - Nenoksa - Kurtyaevo. Saint Alexei
walked all this way for 3 years and 3 months.
When Tsar Peter the
Great ordered the execution of his son-Tsarevich Alexei, the soul of him
and his wife wept. Tsar Peter was upset and, to alleviate suffering, he
ordered an icon of Alexei, the man of God, and sent it to the
Alekseevsky church near Nenoksa. On the icon was a good face, and in the
lower part was painted the martyr Tsarevich Alexei. The Nenokshans had
one more legend, composed of the first two. A devout woman from Novgorod
told K. P. Gemp that the soul of Alexei, the man of God, was in
Tsarevich Alexei.
A peasant came to Kurtyaevo on his business. He
saw a birch on which the icon hung. In order to get the icon, a peasant
cut a birch tree with an ax, and blood suddenly came out of the wound.
He nevertheless took the icon home. And when he came to Kurtyaevo the
next day, he again saw the icon on the same birch.
A distinctive feature of the Kurtyaevo tract is the presence on its
territory of about 80 springs of low-mineralized waters, directly
connected with the volcanic body - the Kurtyaevo explosion pipe. In two
places, groups of these springs form streams flowing into the Verkhovka
River. One of these streams has its own name - Talets.
In
Kurtyaevo there is a natural source of medicinal-table
sulfate-hydrocarbonate-chloride sodium water with a neutral-slightly
alkaline reaction of the environment.
The Russian Scientific
Center for Medicine and Balneology developed a detailed “Method for the
therapeutic use of Kurtyaevskaya mineral water” from well No. K-1 and
recommended its use as a table drink. Drinking mineral medical-table
carbonated water "Kurtyaevskaya well K-2" is also produced.
The
content of minerals in water and the impact on the human body:
Bicarbonates - reduce the acidity of gastric juice. Used in the
treatment of urolithiasis
Chlorides - stimulate metabolic processes
in the body, improve the secretion of the stomach, pancreas, small
intestine
Sulfates are used for diseases of the biliary tract,
chronic hepatitis, diabetes mellitus. Favorably affect the restoration
of liver and gallbladder function.
Calcium - forms the basis of bone
tissue, balances the processes occurring in the neuromuscular and
cardiovascular systems, stimulates the secretion of bile, restores the
motor activity of the stomach.
Iodine - has a physiological effect
for the prevention of iodine deficiency diseases.
Magnesium - helps
to reduce spasms of the gallbladder, reduces the level of cholesterol in
the blood and bile, has a beneficial effect on the nervous system.
Potassium and sodium - maintain the necessary pressure in the tissue and
interstitial fluids of the body,
Also, mineral water from the
Kurtyaevo tract allows you to use it not only for medicinal purposes,
but also as drinking water, since it has a low degree of mineralization
- from 2 to 4 g / dm3.
Mineral water from well No. K-1 from
Kurtyaevo is indicated for drinking treatment of diseases:
Reflux
esophagitis.
Chronic gastritis (with normal secretory function of the
stomach, with increased secretory function of the stomach, with reduced
secretory function of the stomach
Peptic ulcer of the stomach and
duodenum.
Bowel disease (irritable bowel syndrome with diarrhea,
irritable bowel syndrome with constipation.
Liver diseases: chronic
viral hepatitis; toxic and drug damage to the liver; fatty degeneration
of the liver.
Diseases of the gallbladder, biliary tract, pancreas:
chronic cholecystitis, cholangitis, cholesterosis of the gallbladder;
cholelithiasis; chronic pancreatitis.
Disorders of the digestive
system after surgical interventions: syndrome of the operated stomach
after surgery for peptic ulcer; postcholecystectomy syndromes.
Diseases of the endocrine system, eating disorders and metabolic
disorders: diabetes mellitus (insulin-dependent and non-insulin
dependent), impaired glucose tolerance; obesity (alimentary); violation
of lipoprotein metabolism; salt metabolism disorder.
Diseases of the
genitourinary system: tubulointerstitial diseases (chronic
pyelonephritis), urolithiasis, other diseases (chronic cystitis,
urethritis, trigonitis)