Many trials fell to the lot of the Kaluga church - wars, riots and persecutions from the state. In 1754, there was a severe fire, during which many residential buildings and half of all the churches of Kaluga burned down. In the Baptist Church, only one icon of the Baptist of the Lord survived from the fire. A tall building with a three-tiered bell tower is considered a real decoration of the "Golden Ring" of Russia, so the church is popular with tourists.
Church history
The Baptist Church was first mentioned at the end of the 17th century. Then it was a small wooden building that stood on the outskirts of the city to the side Moscow.
Church of St. John the Baptist from a bird's eye view
By 1735, the building was badly dilapidated, and a new stone church in the "Anninsky Baroque" style was built in its place. Unfortunately, it did not last long. The devastating fire of 1754 did not spare either the church itself or its interior.
In 1763, ten years after the fire, the temple was rebuilt. Wall paintings and two side chapels appeared in it - in honor of Sergius of Radonezh and the martyrs Guria, Samon and Aviv. At the same time, the first three-tiered bell tower in Kaluga was built near the church.
General view of the Church of St. John the Baptist
In this form, the temple served until 1890, when a major renovation was started, which lasted until 1899. The renovated church pleased the residents of Kaluga with brass heating, solid oak parquet and beautiful Metlakh tiles.
The artists completely redesigned the huge seven-tiered iconostasis. They used old boards and wrote new images on them based on drawings by famous Russian artists V.M. Vasnetsov, M.V. Nesterov, V.E. Makovsky and E.S. Sorokin.
The walls of the church were decorated with artificial colored marble. In addition, copies of paintings from Cathedral of Christ the Savior in Moscow and Vladimirsky Cathedral in Kiev.
After the revolution, clouds thickened over the Kaluga temple. Since 1929, it has been closed and opened. Divine services finally ceased in 1934.
After 30 years, the apse, which overlooked Moskovskaya Street, was demolished in the former church building. The Kaluga authorities considered that it was interfering with traffic. The temple was planned to be completely destroyed, but on September 30, 1960 it was recognized as a monument of urban architecture and taken under state protection.
Until 1996, a college of culture worked here, and there is a food warehouse. Then the building was returned to the Orthodox Church. Now the temple is almost completely restored, but the restoration of the wall painting continues (2021).
Architectural features
The building was built in the traditional architecture of the early 18th century. The pillarless temple-tower, unique for Kaluga, rises to a height of 25 m. There are slight excesses in the design of the facades, but they in no way spoil the austere beauty of the Baptist Church.
View of the bell tower of the Church of St. John the Baptist
Four small domes and a rotunda-shaped rounded top, which is covered by a large dome, rise above the corners of the main volume. Inside, all the walls are painted. In the dome space, you can see the image of a blue sky with stars.
The Gothic bell tower has three tiers. Three columns are installed at the corners of the first, second and third tiers, and on the second tier they are connected by a kind of "arrow".
Useful information for tourists
The church is a bishop's courtyard. There are no tours for tourists, and services are held twice a day - at 9:00 and 17:00.
The main shrine of the temple is a particle of the relics of the Baptist of the Lord John. In addition, the church contains particles of the relics of St. Sergius of Radonezh, the Blessed Matrona of Moscow, the relics and the icon of St. Luke (Voino-Yasenetsky) and the miraculous copy of the Tikhvin icon of the Mother of God.
The interior of the Church of St. John the Baptist
How to get there
The temple is located in the historic center of the city, on the street. Moskovskaya, 30. From the railway and bus station of Kaluga you can get here by buses, trolleybuses and fixed-route taxis. You need to go to the stop "House of Life" or "Cinema Central (Kirov street)".
Information sources:
- Wikipedia, Church of the Beheading of John the Baptist
- Temple of the Holy Prophet John the Forerunner
- Tourist Information Center "Kaluga Region", Church of St. John the Baptist
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