Temple history in the village of Strigovo

Kobrin → Creativity of fellow countrymen → Marchuk Nina Grigoryevna

For the first time Strigovo's manor of Kobrin district is mentioned in written sources in 1513. And the orthodox church is for the first time mentioned in Strigovo in 1808. The temple was consecrated in honor of the Saint Reverend Simeon Stylites.
The wooden church was on the high base, near the brisk road on Kobrin, two-dome, from silvery color domes and gilded crosses, with a belfry with several bells. The roof was duo-pitch, from a tin which was often recoloured boiled linseed oil that rusted less. Inside the church was painted with blue paint.

Church for the sake of the Saint prince Vladimir equal to the apostles

The Pritserkovny territory (main line) was fenced with beautiful white brick columns and wooden flights. There were benches under high centenary trees. There were many flowers in the summer.

Today's old residents remember some of the icons decorating the strigovsky temple, many of them belong to a brush of the local artist-bogomaza writing icons at the beginning of the XX century by the name of Khariton Mizyuk.

The biggest and ancient of them – "Simeon Stylites". Are not less interesting: "Prelate Nikolay", "Mother of God with the Baby", "Protection of the Holy Virgin", "Beheading of Saint John the Baptist", "Last Supper". There was ancient 1780 an edition of the Gospel in a metal frame.

Church chandelier history (big suspended chandelier) is very interesting. Still for "Polish hour" several strigovsky went on earnings to the USA. Also returned back not only with money, but also with a big beautiful church chandelier for church. Donated it to the temple. In the church territory near the temple (a so-called main line) not one generation of local strigovsky priests – who under a stone sculpture who under a simple hillock found eternal rest. Many local did not return from fleeing (1915-1918). In memory of missing in a tuft of World War I and Civil wars put small monuments, with names. Put them on the same main line.

The Polish authorities did not interfere with service in an Orthodox church of Strigovo. On the contrary, witnesses of that time speak as ladies of "uchitelka" drove on a prayer of pupils of school. And every Monday the orthodox priest came to school and conducted the Law God's lesson.

Neither Napoleonic soldiers, nor kayzerovets in World War I, nor fascists, nor guerrillas in the Great Patriotic War touched church. Though approximately in 1915-16 kayzerovsky soldiers removed from a belfry of a bell and sent them to Germany.

The trouble happened even not in "Khruschev's thaw", and in near "Brezhnev's". Still eyewitnesses of that tragedy are living. And business was so. In the summer of 1962 in Strigovo, to the Sacred and Simeonovsky temple there arrived five representatives of Kobrin district executive committee led by a certain Buryachkov. Invited the local management headed by the chairman of the Village Council Galina Isaakovna Zasnova. Brought down locks from church and, having adjusted the collective-farm car, began to load icons, utensils, books... Everything was brought to the next Tevelsky church.

In an early autumn of 1962 local authorities disposed to make the school gym in the temple. And in October, 1975 in the temple lodged the soldiers who arrived to help collective farm with cleaning of beet. And there was a fire late fall. Speak, soldiers so heated an oven in the temple that the attic lit up. Also there was it in the afternoon on November 7, 1975. There arrived firefighters. But the temple was not rescued.

And in some decade local collective farm on the place of the burned-down temple (as though the place of another was not!) built the building of office of collective farm, club, mail and the new gym – just over an altar of the old temple.

People both now and then showed discontent that construction was conducted on the place of the temple and old burials. However, remains of a family of the last priest buried there were taken away by relatives from Kobrin. Bones of the buried three Soviet pilots who broke in the fall of 1944 transferred to a mass grave. Tombstones from a main line transferred to a cemetery. Whether but everything transferred?

In two-thousand years the local collective farm in some one hundred meters from the burned-down temple began to build the small temple. When in 2003 consecrated new St. Vladimir's Church, from Tevley took away ten icons, books, a shroud. (But the church chandelier presented to the temple and remained in the Tevelsky temple). And local began to return to the temple of an icon lamp, a bowl, icons and icons, books. However, it is unknown where the Gospel in a metal frame disappeared. It seems sort now that was and at whom. Then nobody made inventories. Took away everything on coercion, gave on conscience...

Nina Marchuk, local historian, Glinyanki of Kobrin district.
"The church word", No. 22, 2013

PS. The photo of Sacred and Simeonovsky church in Strigovo belongs to the 30th years of the last century. The second photo belongs approximately to 1932-1934. On it pupils of Strigovsky school are represented. If destinies of those who are represented in the photo are known to someone, you can tell us. If someone has later photos of Sacred and Simeonovsky church, a request also to tell us. We will post them on the website with the indication of your data. To attention of school students and Strigovo's teachers and vicinities! Here a remarkable subject of research work for scientific and practical conference: "History of one photo". Work assumes: to identify the personality in the photo (it is still possible by means of grandmothers and grandfathers) and to track their further destinies. Such research executed by present generation of school students would be a wonderful gift to the 500 anniversary of the native village (the author of PS – Ya. Logvinovich).

Materials







Our partners