The Church of the Holy Life-Giving Trinity in Koposovo is an Orthodox church in the settlement of Koposovo, Sormovsky District, Nizhny Novgorod (Kim Street, 77), in continuous use — with interruptions — since the 14th century. The stone building was consecrated in 1803 and is today the oldest church in Sormovo. It belongs to the Nizhny Novgorod Diocese.[2][3]

History: from founding to the Revolution

According to church tradition, the first place of worship on this site was founded in 1365 by the Venerable Sergius of Radonezh. At the blessing of Metropolitan Aleksiy of Moscow, Sergius was traveling to Nizhny Novgorod to reconcile the brother-princes Boris and Dmitry Konstantinovich and restore the throne to Dmitry. The road from Moscow passed through the village of Likharyovo (present-day Koposovo) in Balakhninsky Uyezd — the only overland route to Nizhny Novgorod.[3] At that time, a plague epidemic was ravaging the Nizhny Novgorod lands. According to tradition, the Venerable Sergius prayed over the springs near the village and blessed them; the sick who drank the water received healing. In memory of the miracle, the inhabitants of Likharyovo first erected a chapel, and then a wooden church dedicated to the Most Holy Trinity.[2][3]

From 1547 to 1764, the Trinity Church and the village itself were under the jurisdiction of the Trinity-Sergius Lavra. In 1612, the militia of Kuzma Minin and Prince Dmitry Pozharsky passed by the church on its march to Moscow. In 1764, an independent parish was established at the church.[3] By the end of the 18th century the old building had fallen into disrepair, and in 1797 construction of a new stone church began with funds from parishioners. In 1803 it was consecrated by Archbishop Veniamin (Krasnopevkov).[3] The new church — a majestic five-domed stone structure with a bell tower integrated into the main building — had three altars: the central one dedicated to the Most Holy Life-Giving Trinity, the right one in honor of the Venerable Sergius of Radonezh, and the left one in honor of the Presentation of the Most Holy Theotokos to the Temple.[2][3] In 1877 the building was partially rebuilt and the bell tower was erected; the reconsecration was performed by Bishop Khrisanf (Retivtsev). The parish numbered around five thousand people, and a parochial school operated at the church.[3]

Closure and Fate During the Soviet Era

After the Revolution of 1917, the Trinity Church continued to operate, but in 1933 it was plundered: the crosses and bells were removed and the church furnishings were looted. In 1937, the last clergy were arrested: priests Vladimir Postnikov and Alexander Fomin, deacons Nikolai Melnikov and Nikolai Tsvetaev, and the chairman of the parish council, locksmith Nikolai Matveyevich Kirillov. On 4 October 1937, four of the clergy were shot; Kirillov was sentenced to 8 years in a corrective labor camp.[3]

On 22 November 1938, the Trinity Church was closed by resolution of the presidium of the Sormovo District Soviet. The building was transferred to the trade union committee of the Krasnoye Sormovo Plant for use as a club. From 1940 onward it was occupied by various organizations, including a zinc-plating plant. In the 1960s, the management of the enterprise demolished the remains of the bell tower. In the final years of the Soviet and early post-Soviet period, the premises were occupied by the private company OOO "Pride," a manufacturer of metal goods.[3]

Revival

In 2008 — exactly 70 years after the closure — the church was returned to the Nizhny Novgorod Diocese.[2] Initially only the right chapel was adapted for services; the first liturgy was held on 8 February 2009.[3] Subsequently, daily services resumed, a Sunday school opened, and restoration work continued.[2] The Trinity–St. Sergius Church was the site of work on the educational project "Sormovskaya Sloboda," aimed at the spiritual and moral upbringing of local residents.[2]

The church's most venerated object is a spring said to have been blessed by Sergius of Radonezh in 1365; a chapel dedicated to the Most Holy Life-Giving Trinity has been erected beside it.[3] The Nizhny Novgorod State Regional Archive holds drawings, a floor plan of the church, clergy registers, and service records of its ministers.[3]

Links

Sources

  1. koposovo.cerkov.ru — Service Schedule — Parish of the Church of the Holy Life-Giving Trinity, Koposovo, Nizhny Novgorod
  2. pravsormovo.ru — 3. Trinity Church in Koposovo: Orthodox Sormovo. Churches in Sormovo, Nizhny Novgorod
  3. nne.ru — Church in the Name of the Most Holy Life-Giving Trinity — Nizhny Novgorod MetropolisNizhny Novgorod Metropolis