Kobrin temples

Kobrin → Outstanding persons → Alexey Mikhaylovich Martynov

In centuries-old history of Kobrin the religion with its material attributes – temples of different religions from time immemorial was an effective factor of spiritual life of many generations of kobrinets. The purpose of the real notes – the first attempt, having aggregated, to systematize the fractional information on this subject disseminated through a set of different sources.

Let's begin with the most ancient wooden church, Spasskaya who, apparently, existed in the downtown already to the first annalistic reminiscence of it. In 1497 the last Kobrin prince Ivan Semenovich at church founded the man's Spassky monastery. It is known, hundred at the beginning of the 16th century in this monastery were available stone residential and office buildings. Ivan Gogol who became subsequently the pinsky uniatsky bishop was his last orthodox archimandrite shlyakhtich. Soon after introduction of the church union in 159? year the monastery is transferred to monastic order bazilian and becomes a stronghold of the union and the place of meetings of uniatsky hierarches. After closing of the monastery in 1838 in its buildings the spiritual school which was closed owing to the fire was placed. The escaped ruins of the main case were capitally restored in the mid-twenties, and the Polish povetovy court located in it. Presently in the ancient building the regional department of militia is placed.

From time immemorial in the city there was also Prechistensky church which was in the beginning of present Matrosov Street. Being in close proximity to the ancient castle, this church was considered castle, or cathedral. The fact that the king Jan Sobessky established four annual fairs in favor of church demonstrates to its value at least: one on Kreshchenye, the second – on the St. George's day, the third, tselonedelny, to Troytsa and also week, for a temple holiday on September 8. All these days to the archpriest (prior) the right to collect duties from all gorodsikh taverns and goods brought on a fair was granted. Moreover, to Troytsa he was allowed to cook duty-free pitny honey for an entertainment of church bratchik. This church was killed in fire of one of the uncountable fires which were constantly devastating the wooden city. At least, on the plan of 1856 it still appears.

On widespread custom, on the place of the former church altar the small pyramidal monument demolished at construction of a bakery was established. At earthwork the set of bones of the soldiers of the Russian army who laid down the life in fights for Kobrin in August, 1915 was revealed. It is thought, the place of these military burials should be immortalized a memorable sign.

There is no emergence of the Peter and Paul church given about time. For the first time about existence of this temple "in Kobryni on fence" it is mentioned in the document of 1465 when the Kobrin princess Ulyana Semenovna presented to it in the city of the earth with people. It must be kept in mind that originally the church was in the downtown, near a market square. Now in that place the square of Morozov where in 1962 RDK is built. In the disappeared church chronicle it was told about frequentation of church by the generalissimo A.V. Suvorov who liked to sing on a choir and to ring bells. Let's remember that in February-March, 1800 the modest wooden lodge located near church was a residence of the commander who "did not lose fights".

In the sixties the 19th centuries the decayed church capitally was under repair, and it was found out that it visited fighting fire (apparently, fight of 1812): walls under a shalevka were ispolosovana bullets. As a result of repair appearance of the temple significantly changed. Before restoration its shape was more strict, "ascetic". There was no present belltower instead of which on a roof towered two modest a kupolka. Apparently, on the custom extended then the belltower stood separately.

In 1900 in Russia century of death of Suvorov was widely noted. In Kobrin the committee for perpetuating of memory of the commander was organized. It was supposed to build on the place of the ancient Peter and Paul church connected with Suvorov the majestic memorial temple Petropavlovsky-Suvorovsky.

Donations on this purpose arrived from military units, and also were flown down from all country and from abroad. Military department released one thousand poods of copper on bells, and the Brest fortress presented for an iconostasis of an image of a brush of the artist Vasnetsov. In this regard the old church in 1912 was moved on the closed cemetery at the end of Pinskaya Street. Under new construction the foundation was already laid and the brick was taken. However World War I which burst in 1914 interfered with implementation of the project.

Following a chronological order, we will pass to St. Nicholas Church. According to some data, year of its construction it is considered 1750 whereas the initial place – is unknown. At the end of the 18th century the church was postponed for part of the city over the river. Its original form significantly differed from present. So, on a sketch of the sixtieth years of the nineteenth century, there was no huge central dome built at the subsequent reorganization. Earlier from West side two rectangular turrets topped with small domes towered on each side. The facade of this kind was widespread and still remained in church St. Paraskev in Divin (18 Art. too). In a southwest corner of a modest church churchyard separately there was a board bell tower demolished in post-war years. After a construction of the next cathedral in 1868 St. Nicholas Church lost the former status parish, having become so-called "assigned", i.e. cathedral branch.

Now we will address the only thing at us to the brick temple, a cathedral of Alexander Nevsky. In the 19th century it was the main orthodox shrine built in the mid-sixties (it is ended in 1868). Our cathedral – one of the numerous churches built on the western suburbs of the Russian Empire on the funds raised in the form of contribution from participants of the Polish revolt of 1863 - 1864. Location of a cathedral – the territory of the ancient top castle which remains were razed according to Suvorov's order. The building is erected on the place of a mass grave of several honeycombs Russian soldiers who died in 1812. Earlier the entrance to the temple had two memorial boards which text said: 1. "This St. temple is built in memory of release of peasants from a serfdom on February 19, 1861" and 2. "In the shadow of this St. temple bones of the Russian soldiers heroes who fell in Kobrin fight on July 15, 1812 are based". In 1963 the cathedral was closed and after reconstruction (overlapping for the second floor is made) was used by local branch of the Brest regional archive.

As a result of negligent reorganization when four angular small domes were demolished, and at the same time lonely sticking out central dome remained, the general architecture harmony strongly suffered.

About an old churchlet Of St. George on a cemetery there are no reliable data. Judging by appearance, it treats if not the eighteenth century, then, at least, by the beginning of the nineteenth when was from where it is postponed for the present place on a cemetery zalozheniye.

Data on the first Catholic church in Kobrin go back to the middle of the 16th century. During that time lands of the former Kobrin principality the Polish queen Bona whose efforts flow to our places of foreigners, mainly Polish shlyakhta receiving rich manors began owned. One of the first parish churches was at 700-letiya Square, opposite to KBO. Apparently, it burned down during fight of 1812 which was followed by the huge fire which destroyed the city almost completely. In pre-war years this place was designated by a big wooden cross. The modern building of a church is built in the middle of the 19th century. At that time the Catholic clergy possessed in the city the huge land plot – several tens arable and meadow grounds, stretching from Pinskaya Street to Bolotskaya Road. Besides, in different places of the county the church owned manors with villages and the serfs presented or who passed according to the will from the Polish landowners. Naturally, the brick for the monumental building and the same fencing was produced by hands of serfs, they put up walls. The house for a pricht was at the same time built, a small chapel, and the adjacent site is set with trees.

And as the importance it is necessary to pass to the third religion, Judaic, centuries occurring in Kobrin. Jews appeared here in the 15th century. According to documentary data, in 1514 the king Sigismund Stary confirmed to a local Jewish community of the privilege, earlier given by his brother Jagiellon. Approximately besides time the first authentic data on existence in the city of "Jewish school", i.e. the Jewish house of worship belong. "Bozhnitsa" stood on Pinskaya Street where the majority of the Jewish families lived, the quantity them at that time reached three tens. Further, in process of growth of the Jewish population which in premilitary years made more than a half of citizens the number of houses of worship increased (by analogy – parish churches).

In the thirties them was already seven, scattered on all city, except for suburban "petty-bourgeois" streets. On appearance all of them differed from usual one-storeyed houses in a little bit bigger height to semi-oval windows. Only in the middle of the 19th century at the end of Pinskaya Street the capital synagogue, equivalent to a Christian cathedral, uniting on holidays in the walls of all praying was built. Owing to full destruction of the Jewish population by Hitlerite executioners in 1942, in post-war time the abandoned building of a synagogue was adapted for beer factory, and as it was moved, its appearance was significantly changed.

For completeness of a statement it should be noted that besides three traditional religions from time immemorial occurring in the city side by side one more in the twenties appeared – a community of Evangelical Christians. She located on Zheleznodorozhnaya Street where for church services the uninhabited brick structure serving earlier as whether repair shop, whether a warehouse was adapted.

Narrating about cult buildings of Kobrin, it would be inexcusable to pass by such subject as city cemeteries which by tradition are from time immemorial unseparably connected with religions.

One of the most ancient city cemeteries, the data on which remained in memory of posterity, it is necessary to call that which once from the East directly adjoined castle strengthenings. At construction of the house of a kindergarten No. 8 the huge number of human bones was revealed, they were taken out on several supplies. At further cleaning of the adjacent territory of the remains of huge oak piles for their extraction from the earth it was necessary to resort to the help of oxen …

Then under the next cemetery the hill at the suburb of Pinskaya Street of that time was chosen. It is remarkable that on custom of that time the place of the last rest razmezhevyvatsya at once between Orthodox Christians and Catholics. As it was not much Catholic citizens, on a city cemetery the landowners living in rural areas, in the majority Catholics were usually buried. On this cemetery of burial were made till 60-70th years of the nineteenth century when new gradually began to accustom – behind Nikolskaya Street (at that time the railroad was not yet). On it division between parishioners of the competing religions was also observed though not so strict.

Especially it is necessary to tell about the Jewish cemeteries (in local popular speech they were called "kvoresa"), which steadily stood apart from others. In pre-war time there was an abolished Jewish cemetery on Pinskaya Street long ago. Enclosed with a brick fencing, it was closed in the 19th century. In the years of Hitlerite occupation stone gravestones were cleaned and on the freed platform wooden stables for horses of the battalion of horse gendarmerie intended for fight against guerrillas are built. Subsequently on this place the athletic field СШ№ 2 was arranged. The new cemetery was taken out to the country on the extensive land plot at the end of Tevelskaya Street.

And in conclusion it is necessary to remember that once by the existing strict rules of suicides was forbidden to be buried on usual cemeteries. Under their graves the place on city lands on the way to the Name-day was allocated. In the same place buried numerous prisoners of war of Turks, time of the Russian-Turkish war of 1877 - 1878. They worked at laying of the railroad and in large quantities died of some epidemic.



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