About fire in church of the Kutuzov village in 1907 and about one family legend.
Parish Old Stories as stated with comments of old man Perfill, the local historian and the county dear
The Eighth Story.
About fire in church of the Kutuzov village in 1907 and about one family legend.
Whilst studying vast library of the Central Historical Archive of the City of Moscow, in one of catalogues I have found a case file as of 1907 which seemed to me to be rather strange: “About building the preaching house in the Kutuzovo village”[1]. Orthodox Christians usually call their house of preaching the church or the shrine, and preaching house is something more typical for Protestants, Baptists, or, save me the Lord, the Seventh-Day Adventists. And that’s in our locality, at all times Orthodox, Kutuzovo!?
Having the case file “on hands” I found that it there is nothing in it about any sect members, but it is dedicated to the fire that took place on 15 December 1907 in the Christmas Church of the Kutuzovo village and about construction of preaching house at place of the church burned down.
1. Request of the priest, Alexiy Lebedev and the church warden, Tiazholov.
TO HIS EXELENCE, HIS GRACE, THE BISHOP DMITROVSKIY, THE VICAR OF MOSCOW AND THE COMPANION
№ 4542
REQUEST
Of the Christmas Church of the Kutuzovo village,
the Priest, Alexiy Lebedev,
and the Church Warden, Tiazholov
Resolution to the case file No. 4542
To order to the Archpriest to investigate this request and provide his comments.
Wooden church on fire. Modern photo
2. The Report of the Archpriest
Preceding the report of the Archpriest of the 4-th district in the case file there is a reference about burned down in the Kutuzovo village Christmas Church. It is of interest to us:
REFERENCE
Built in 1785 due to care of landlord Sergey Ivanovich Kazarinov with parish people. Plan and facade for the one were prepared by the county architect, Borisov, in 1902 and were kept in sacristy. The building was made of wood on foundation made of stone with the wooden bell tower, roof made of iron, fence made of stone with grid-iron. There was two altars. The cold cell in the name of Christmas, and the warm aisle in the name of the Holy Martyr Paraskeva. There was enough holy vessels. There was ninety yards prescribed to that church, and males - 294, females - 291.
FROM THE ARCHPRIEST OF THE 4-TH DISTRICT OF THE BRONNITSKIY COUNTY, SHUBIN VILLAGE, PRIEST, MIKHAIL SOLOVIOV
REPORT
All documents, income and loss books, confessional books, metric books, books with documents certifying that the bride and bridegroom are not related and prayer books burned down. Taken out by priest, Lebedev were the sacred Antimensions, sacred Vessels, sacred Gospels, sacred Vestments, Holy Shroud and icons from lower row of iconostasis.
The fire began from overheated oven, that, likely was faulty. The fire was noted by one female peasant who was on her way from psalmist home and saw the church roof already on fire, it was about 5 p.m. and she started to knock the priest’s window who immediately came to church and by ringing the alarm bell gathered the people, who in turn began to save all things possible.
Measures taken to distinguish fire were found to be useless as pipes did not work properly, there was no water and heave flame did not let people to come closer. Police carried investigated the case promptly.
For the sake of just it should be noted that before fire in Moscow in 1812 the Moscow Commander in Chief, the count, F.V. Rastopchin himself ordered to take out fire fighting pipes from the city prior to our capital being invaded by Napoleon’s troops. – F.d.)
Seeing such warmest diligence in such a case of both the landlord, and parishioners, it would be not good not to sympathize them, and in my turn I would believe it required to immediately issue an order on part of Diocesan Administration allowing for building the preaching house in the Kutuzovo village and thus to give spiritual relief to the Orthodox Christians in the upcoming Lenten Season and not to cool down the benevolent contributor. The Priest, Lebedev has a plan of the house to present.
The Archpriest, the Shubin Village Priest,
Mikhail Soloviov.
19th Day of January of the Year of 1908
On 17 December 1907 Kutuzovo Priest, Alexiy Lebedev and Warden, Tuazholov asked Diocesan Administration about building in village of the preaching house instead of church burnt down on 15 December 1907. On 16 March 1908, the Archpriest, the Priest, Mikhail Soloviov sanctified the preaching “house-church”:
REPORT
Mikhail Soloviov.
16th Day of March of the Year 1908
Instead of burnt down on 15 December 1907 and with permission of diocesan administration under No. 2876 on 4th of March of the Year 1908 there was built temporary church for the expense of donors. The building is of wood, on stone foundation with wooden bell tower and iron roof. There is one altar in the name of the Christmas, and enough holy vessels” [2].
The said temporary church, the “preaching house” and the “preaching house-church” was likely built robust and well. It stood in the Kutuzovo Village until its closure in mid 30-ies of XX century. And it could have stood longer if not for the known historical circumstances.
One cannot withhold admiration, as we say nowadays, from the rate of construction of new Kutuzovo church. It took only three months from the day of fire that completely destroyed old building until sanctification of new church! It likely, that church was built and decorated by all together. The Easter Feast Day parishioners celebrated in their new church. The Day of Easter in 1908 came to 13 April.
After less than two years, elated by success of joint congregation construction, the priest Alexiy Lebedev, the psalmist, Ilya Tsvetkov and the church warden, Tiazholov applied to the Archbishop Trifon with request to permit to build in the Kutuzovo Village the church of stone in the name of Christmas [2].
From the Christmas Church of the Kutuzovo
Attached hereto is the project of church and layout of locality in two copies and cost estimate for erection of church.
the Priest Alexiy Lebedev,
the Psalmist Ilya Tsvetkov,
and the Church Warden, Tiazholov
Endorsement of the Archpriest on request:
It is true, the church burnt down on 15 December 1907. The church has said amount of 3000 Rubles. – The Archpriest of 4th district of Bronnichinny County of the Shubin Village, the priest, Mikhail Soloviov (signed)
2nd Day of January of the Year 1910
Reasons for new church having been not built are not known till now. It was four years to go before World War, and seven years before great revolution distress. Probably, not rich parish simply overestimated its financial capabilities. As of 13 August 1912 the average annual income of church of Kutuzovo Village for preceding 10 years amounted to 62 Rubles only. [4]. By its income the church was one of the poorest in church district and eparchy. However, we can understand our ancestors. Insufficient funds cannot be reason not to make an attempt to make true a dream about new church. May be, if they had more time...
5. Brief information about persons mentioned in this story and one family legend.
His Grace Trifon (Turkestanov) and the Priest Alexiy Nikolaevich Lebedev – for more details please refer to previous seventh “Parish Old Stories”.
The Archpriest of 4-th Church district of Bronnitsky county, the Priest, Mikhail Soloviov.
Investigating the fact of fire in church in Kutuzovo the archpriest, the Priest, Mikhail Soloviov was ordained to the Uspensky church in Shubino village in 1876. In the village he founded the church-parish school. For his work in field of peoples education he was awarded with merits. In 1893 he was appointed the archpriest of 4-th church district of Bronnitsky county. He served in Uspensky church of Shubin village for about 35 years. In 1910, the archpriest Mikhail Soloviov was appointed to the Moscow church of “40 Martyrs of Sebaste”, where he had a rank of prior till his death in 1931. Father of Domodedovo Holy Martyr, Sergiy Soloviov executed by shooting at Butovo firing range in 1938 [6].
The Psalmist, Ilya Alexandrovich Tsvetkov.
The son of psalmist. Graduated from Alexander-Marfino abode. On 18 June 1909 appointed psalmist of the church of Kutuzovo Village from Cosmo-Damian Church of Andreevskoe village of Kolomenskoe county. On 18 December 1909 cognizant of sticharion [7]. On 8 October 1912 transferred from Kutuzovo to position of psalmist in Probrazhenskaya church of Krenev village [8].
The Architect, Nikolay Pavlovich Pavlov.
In 1906 he graduated from the School of Painting, Sculpture and Architecture, one of leading arts educational institutions of pre-revolution Russia. By note dated 24 September 1910 he informed the Construction Department of Moscow County Administration that he assumes responsibility for robustness and correctness of building and commences construction of church in the Kutuzovo village of Bronnitsky county of Moscow area [2].
The Church Warden, Tiazholov (Modern rules of Russian grammar require to write this surname as Tiazhelov, but we will follow the documents of that times and leave the wording to its owner, the warder Tiazholov himself).
The thing is that in my childhood I heard from my many relatives in Kutuzovo one old story. It’s subject is as follows. My grand-grandfather Pavel Matveevich Produnov, the Kutuzovo peasant “termless dismissed cannoneer”, how he named himself in some documents, not long before revolution of 1917 received inheritance from deceased brother who owned small wall paper factory.
In 1918 – 1919 Pavel Matveevich decided to build new house for the expense of funds received. For convenience of payment for materials to be used for construction of house and services of carpenters he invented nothing better but to exchange his golden ten rubles coins to “kerenkis” the paper money circulating in Soviet Russia till 1922 so called in the name of the Chairman of Temporary Government, A.F. Kerenskiy. He did it with help of his wealthy co-villager Tiazholov.
So Pavel Matveevich failed to build new house. His wife, my grand-grandmother as I was told pasted “kerenki” over all her chests and wardrobes from inside failing to find better use of them.
To conclude I would like to ask treasure hunters not to be active near “tizaholov’s” house.
If Nikolay with colleagues from Lubyanka failed to find something, I am afraid you will not be lucky enough after hundred years. And it was just a family legend. Although…
8 July 2018
CIAM, f. 203, inv. 478, c. 11.
CIAM, f. 203, inv. 480, c. 632.
CIAM, f. 1215, inv. 4, c. 50
MCV-36-7-1912-of., page 23
CGAM, f. 277, inv. 6, c. 467.
Churches and monasteries of Domodedovo Land. Domodedovo, 2011, pp. 394-395.
CIAM, f. 1371, inv. 1, c. 95, SF, pp. 139-143.
MCV – 43-1912-of; pp. 356-357.
© Old Man Perfill Parish Old Stories 2018
If reprinted reference to the church website is mandatory.