History of Sacred Church of the Intercession of the village Orepichi

Kobrin → Creativity of fellow countrymen → Marchuk Nina Grigoryevna

History of Sacred Church of the Intercession of the village Orepichi of Zhabinkovsky district

The first mention of the settlement Orepichi that in 35 versts from the city of Brest, contains in prively the king Zhigimont I, and is dated 1509. To the second half of the 16th century the village is the center of a voytovstvo and, most likely, by this time in the village the temple, most likely wooden, most likely with a gontovy covering and the same separate belltower appears.

One is clear that the temple was under construction during the uniatsky period. There is a written source for 1846 that the Christian temple in the village Orepichi was under construction in 1761 diligence of the prior of the temple and parishioners. Alexander Keskevich was a prior of the temple then.

There is still a small written mention which reached us. Grandson of the dead. Alexandra Hippolyte in "The book of Sheets for 1844-54" describes orepichsky church as of 1844. Notes decay of the temple. But in 1846 the temple and a belltower were repaired. In 1851 to the temple of the village Orepichi the priest Apolinary Tyshinsky who served in it to extreme old age was appointed the deacon. By the beginning of the 60th years of the 19th century and Zhitin send the wooden churches of the neighboring villages Indychi existing in the volost to full worthlessness and 3115 believers were attributed to the orepichsky temple.

The church did not accomodate any more parishioners therefore (there is a document) it was offered to build the new stone temple. But the provincial church committee rejected the application, but on the next repair the treasury gave money. By tradition of last years all orepichsky land owners acted as patrons of Sacred Church of the Intercession. Time kept their names. These are landowners: Nosarzhevsky, Telyatvitsky, Nettler, Doroshko, Vereshchaka, Terpelovsky and others...

Here an extract from the register of births of the temple for 1887 – "total number believing 2283 people, was born 98 people, the number of marriages – 22 died 73,".

From "The Grodno orthodox and church calendar for 1899" (From the Internet)

Characteristic of the temple of the village Orepichi: "Church wooden, with a wooden belltower and a wooden fencing, in 35 versts from Brest. Parishioners 2353 persons in 9 settlements, including men – 1193, women – 1160. Three parish schools, with 56 pupils".

Events of World War I interrupted peaceful life of the settlement. By order of the authorities mass evacuation of church values, including and registers of births was conducted, to the central Russia where they "were stored" in monasteries and churches of Russia. It seems that practically nothing returned home. Where the property of orepichsky church is still not established.

During occupation of our territory by the German troops (1915-1918), Orthodox churches did not work. In a front strip only the only 70-year-old aged man Vasily Kotovich from Chabasovka (about it there is information on the website http://ikobrin.ru) nurtured flock in 66 arrivals from Brest to Pinsk.

Several words about this surprising person. In the beginning the German authorities treated the lake to Vasily with mistrust, but did not interfere. And subsequently the tribute of the respect for "ortdokser-pastor" was expressed the prisylky special portrait painter who wrote a portrait with the lake of Vasily. The portrait was taken out to Berlin, and its track is lost. Upon termination of war refugees, including and clergy, began to return home.

It seems that from 1916 to 1928 the island Iaky Piskanovsky who for the unknown reasons did not go to fleeing with the family (about it there is information on the website http://ikobrin.ru) was a prior of the temple of the village Orepichi

The priest Iaky – the father of the lake of Nikolay Piskanovsky – the first hieromartyr of the earth of Kobrinskaya. And since 1928 the orepichsky church was headed by the priest Mikhail Kalinin who suddenly died on May 30, 1933 (it is buried on a churchyard behind a temple altar).

This pastor left to descendants the document inviting to thought about age of St. Church of the Intercession of the village Orepichi.

Literally:
... "Consecration of the space for construction of the temple is made on August 6, 1721 in day of celebration of memory of Saint blessed princes Boris and Gleb. The priest Ippolit Keskevich was appointed the first priest of the temple. In 1724 the temple was consecrated. The church is wooden, it is constructed in the form of the ship, odnoprestolny. The first capital repairs of the temple are made in 1862, and the second – in 1912. In 1912 the belltower is attached to the temple"...

Thus, leaning on notes of the priest of Kalinin, as date of construction of the temple it is necessary to consider 1721. How the temple of the village Orepichi looks today, approaching the 300 anniversary?

The temple, belltower and fence – wooden. The bema of the temple enters the main volume. The role of a decor is carried out by a wooden covering. The second tier of a belltower is sheathed in "fir-tree". The iconostasis is two-level, wooden, carved. The center are Imperial Gate in which center an icon "Last Supper". Floors in the temple wooden. The church inside is also outside painted.

St. Church of the Intercession of the village Orepichi – one of 12 temples of Zhabinkovsky deanery. The prior of the temple since August 21, 2012 of the lake Vasily, in the world Vasily Ishchenko.

January, 2014

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