Church of the Intercession of the Most Holy Mother of God in Khanty-Mansiysk

Church of the Intercession of the Most Holy Mother of God
Church of the Intercession of the Most Holy Mother of God
Location	Khanty-Mansiysk
Country	Russia
Denomination	Russian Orthodox
Website	orthandrew.co.uk
Architecture
Architect(s)	J.A. Chatwin
Style	Early English gothic revival
Years built	1873

The Church of the Intercession of the Most Holy Mother of God in Khanty-Mansiysk is a Russian Orthodox church of Tobolsk and Tyumen Diocese.

The church is situated in Samarovo part of Khanty-Mansiysk city. The main altar is consecrated in honour of the Feast of the Intercession of the Most Holy Theotokos; the southern altar is consecrated in honour of Abalak icon of “Sign” of the Most Holy Theotokos; the northern altar is consecrated in honour of Saint Nikolas the Miracle-worker.

History

We do not have the precise information, when exactly the Church of the Intercession of the Most Holy Mother of God was built in Samarovo. It is known from the Kungur Chronicles, that in 1582 Cossack Yermak, having spent 3 days in strict fasting and prayer, and trusting in God’s help, utterly defeated Khan Kuchum’s army under Tobolsk, although the latter’s army more than 10 times outnumbered Cossacks’ forces. A year later, in 1583, a detachment of Cossacks led by Bogdan Bryazga, went down-stream the Irtysh river and conquered the Ostyak tribe, whose fortress stood on the place, where nowadays the river-station is.

Most likely it was the Cossacks, who built the first wooden church in honour of Saint Nikolas the Miracle-Worker. In 1651 Chrisanf M. Loparev wrote: “…Samarovsky yam was, of course, very small at that time, but there was a wooden church in the name of Saint Nikolas the Miracle-Worker, the Patron of all travellers by water”. However, already in 1728 Loparev informed about Vassiliy Levin, a priest of «Church of the Intercession of Theotokos of Samarovo». It is necessary to mention, that in 1712-1714 schemamonk Saint Filofey Leshchinsky, metropolitan of Tobolsk passed though the village of Samarovo in the summer time during his missionary journeys over the Yugra-land, destroying heathen temples, baptizing Ostyaks and Voguls, building new Orthodox churches and temples. It’s quite possible, that it was Filofey, who built the church of the Intercession of the Most Holy Theotokos in Samarovo. In 1808 the inhabitants of Samarovo village collected money and wrote a petition to Tobolsk, asking to build a new stone church in their village. The building of the church was erected by architect Shangin towards 1815.

During the years of Soviet power the church was plundered. The walls of the church were disassembled, a fish-processing factory was built out of them, and a fisherman’s club was built on the place, where the church had stood. However, hardly half a century passed, when the club was demolished, a new club was built in another place, and a vacant lot was on the place of the old club. In 1994 excavations were organized and the foundation of the church was discovered. On the Feast of Nativity of the Most Holy Theotokos on September the 21st in 1996 priest Sergiy Kravtsov held a public prayer and works on restoration of the church of the Intercession of the Most Holy Theotokos started. In 2001 the church was consecrated and Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia Aleksiy II visited it the same year.