The Church of St. John the Baptist is one of the oldest Orthodox churches in Nizhny Novgorod, mentioned from the 15th century. The stone church was consecrated in 1683, again on November 4, 2005.Приходы Нижнего Новгорода
, nne.ru The nearest Ivanovskaya tower of the

Kremlin The Kremlin ( rus, Московский Кремль, r=Moskovskiy Kreml', p=ˈmɐˈskofskʲɪj krʲemlʲ, t=Moscow Kremlin) is a fortified complex in the center of Moscow founded by the Rurik dynasty, Rurik dynasty. It is the best known of th ...

was named after this temple. The church is located on the National Unity Square,

Rozhdestvenskaya Street Rozhdestvenskaya Street – (russian: link=no, Рождественская улица ''Nativity Street'') an historic street in Nizhny Novgorod. Is a unique open-air museum, there are only stone houses, the history of the oldest of which dates ...

. In the

Time of Troubles The Time of Troubles (russian: Смутное время, ), or Smuta (russian: Смута), was a period of political crisis during the Tsardom of Russia which began in 1598 with the death of Fyodor I (Fyodor Ivanovich, the last of the Rurik dy ...

(in 1612),

Kuzma Minin Kuzma (Kozma) Minin (; full name Kuzma Minich Zakhariev-Sukhoruky, born late 1570s - died 1616) was a Russian merchant from Nizhny Novgorod, Russia, who, together with Prince Dmitry Pozharsky, became a national hero for his role in defending the ...

appealed to the citizens of Nizhny Novgorod to liberate

Moscow Moscow ( , US chiefly ; rus, links=no, Москва, r=Moskva, p=mɐskˈva, a=Москва.ogg) is the capital and largest city of Russia. The city stands on the Moskva River in Central Russia, with a population estimated at 13.0 million ...

from the Polish intervention from the church porch. At that time, the church was still wooden.

History

The wooden church of the Nativity of John the Baptist in Lower Posad is known from the 15th century. At the beginning of the 17th century, the church had a refectory and

parvise A parvis or parvise is the open space in front of and around a cathedral or church, especially when surrounded by either colonnades or porticoes, as at St. Peter's Basilica in Rome. It is thus a church-specific type of forecourt, front yard or a ...

. In 1676, the merchant Gavriil (Gabriel) Stepanovich Dranishnikov, who returned from Astrakhan after many years of service, asked Metropolitan Philaret for the construction of a stone temple from his own treasury.Приходы Нижнего Новгорода
, nne.ru The construction of the temple was to confirm Dranishnikov’s commitment to Orthodoxy, since his wife Anna and son became Old Believers and fled to the Kerzhensky monasteries. On August 24, 1679, Gavriil Dranishnikov died, but the temple was completed by his brother Lavrentiy (Lawrence), as Dranishnikov bequeathed, with a southern chapel in honor of the martyress Anna, in memory of his wife, who had gone into schism. The “ship-type” temple was set up on a high brick sub-chapel, which housed shops, which were pritch over to merchants for rent. In 1814, a spiritual aisle was attached to the north side of the refectory. During the town-planning transformations of 1834-1839, it was indicated to clear the land adjacent to the Kremlin from all kinds of buildings, and remove the altar of the Church of St. John the Baptist and all the shops, which disrupted the ancient drainage system, and the underground springs began to gradually erode the foundation. In 1855 a chapel of Alexander Nevsky and a gatehouse were attached to the church. In 1870, the bell tower was rebuilt. In 1881 - 1885, major restoration work was again required. In 1899, after breaking the iron connection inside the temple, the altar was rebuilt. In 1937 the church was closed, and its last abbot was shot.Реставрацию храма во имя Рождества Иоанна Предтечи планируется завершить к концу августа 2005 года
nne.ru, 12 августа 2005 года In the

Soviet period The history of Soviet Russia and the Soviet Union (USSR) reflects a period of change for both Russia and the world. Though the terms "Soviet Russia" and "Soviet Union" often are synonymous in everyday speech (either acknowledging the dominance ...

, the

DOSAAF DOSAAF (russian: ДОСААФ), full name ''Volunteer Society for Cooperation with the Army, Aviation, and Navy'' (russian: Добровольное общество содействия армии, авиации и флоту), was a parami ...

motorcycle school was located in the church building.

Church restoration

The temple was returned to the Nizhny Novgorod diocese in the 1990s of the 20th century, and services were resumed since 1994.Реставрацию храма во имя Рождества Иоанна Предтечи планируется завершить к концу августа 2005 года
nne.ru, 12 августа 2005 года In June 2004, the decision was made to restore the temple, repair work began.Приходы Нижнего Новгорода
{{webarchive, url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120513140615/http://nne.ru/parish.php?id=381, date=2012-05-13, nne.ru Funds for the restoration were received from the patrons, out of 67 million rubles 60 million were invested by the Balakhna pulp and paper mill. On April 4, 2005, 3 more crosses for installation on the dome were consecrated (2 have already been installed). On August 5, 2005, a dome and a cross were installed on the bell tower. On November 4, 2005, the church was consecrated by

Patriarch of Moscow and All Rus' The Patriarch of Moscow and all Rus' (russian: Патриарх Московский и всея Руси, translit=Patriarkh Moskovskij i vseja Rusi), also known as the Patriarch of Moscow and all Russia, is the official title of the Metropolitan ...

Alexy II Patriarch Alexy II (or Alexius II, russian: link=no, Патриарх Алексий II; secular name Aleksei Mikhailovich Ridiger russian: link=no, Алексе́й Миха́йлович Ри́дигер; 23 February 1929 – 5 December ...

. During the restoration of the church, the Christian worship in it did not stop. During the restoration work, a retaining concrete wall was built, and the zero marks were returned to the level of the 19th century. In 2009, an Orthodox

Rood screen The rood screen (also choir screen, chancel screen, or jubé) is a common feature in late medieval church architecture. It is typically an ornate partition between the chancel and nave, of more or less open tracery constructed of wood, stone, or ...

hall began to operate in the church.При нижегородском храме в честь Рождества Иоанна Предтечи начал действовать православный лекторий
Нижегородская епархия, 9 ноября 2009 года

Gallery

File:Нижний посад (базар) в Нижнем Новгороде..jpg, Lower Bazaar in Nizhny Novgorod. Kremlin. Church of St. John the Baptist. 1872 File:Church of St. John the Baptist in Nizhny Novgorod (1890).jpg, Mid 1930s, photo by Maxim Dmitriev File:NN 07-08-2020 48.jpg, Church of Saint John the Baptist. Monument to Minin and Pozharsky. 2020 File:NN-16-05-2022 31.jpg, Back view

Shrines

* Kazan Icon of the Mother of God, presented by Patriarch of Moscow and All Rus' Alexy II. * Icon of St. John the Baptist with a particle of relics.

References

Links

The official website of the Church of the Nativity of John the Baptist
Churches in Nizhny Novgorod Pages with unreviewed translations Cultural heritage monuments of regional significance in Nizhny Novgorod Oblast Russian Orthodox church buildings in Russia