MOSCOW TEMPLE OF FAITH, HOPE, LOVE AND SOPHIA AT MIUSSKY CEMETERY

Moscow Church in the name of the holy martyrs Vera, Nadezhda, Lyubov and their mother Sophia at the Miussky cemetery
(Trinity Deanery of the Moscow Diocese), metochion of the Metropolitan District in the Republic of Kazakhstan.

• Thrones: mcc. Faith, Hope, Love and Sophia, St. Mitrofan of Voronezh (south), icon of the Mother of God “The Sign” (north)
• Address: Russia, 127018, Moscow, Sushchevsky Val, 21. Miusskoe cemetery.
• Directions: metro station "Savelovskaya", bus. 669, rest. "Minaevsky Market", troll. 18, 45, bus. 12, rest. "Furniture factory"
• Official site:
• On the map: Yandex.Map, Google map

The first small wooden church in the name of the holy martyrs Vera, Nadezhda, Lyubov and Sophia was consecrated at the Miussky cemetery on January 20, 1773.
In 1823, at the expense of the merchant I.P. Kozhevnikov, instead of a wooden one, a stone one was built in the Empire style (architect A.F. Elkinsky).

In 1834-1835, the aisles of the Sign and St. were built on the sides. Mitrofan of Voronezh - at the expense of the guard ensign Alexandra Abramovna Neronova. The rite of consecration of the temple was performed by Saint Philaret (Drozdov), Metropolitan of Moscow and Kolomna.

Later, on the side of the western façade above the chapels, symmetrically to the main axis of the temple, two single-tier bell towers were erected. However, in 1912, the temple was rebuilt again - the refectory was expanded, and a four-tier bell tower was erected.

In the early 1920s, St. Tikhon (Bellavin), the All-Russian Patriarch, served in the church several times.

In 1922, church valuables were confiscated from surviving churches and monasteries. The destruction of the temple at the Miusskoe cemetery took place on

On April 5, 1922, during the campaign to confiscate church valuables, “4 pounds 4 pounds 25 spools of gold and silver items” were confiscated from the temple.

On January 1, 1933, in the Church of St. Renovationists served Vera, Nadezhda, Lyubov and their mother Sophia at the Miusskoe cemetery.

In 1934, the temple was closed, the cross was knocked off, and the bell tower was broken down to the first tier. Behind the apses, on the sides of the dome and above the refectory, ugly extensions were made. The building of the temple houses the equipment workshop “Meduchposobie” of the Ministry of Health of the RSFSR.

The temple was returned to the Russian Orthodox Church in 1990, and services were resumed here on September 28. The architectural and artistic appearance of the temple from the early twentieth century was recreated. The roof was replaced, which is now completely covered with copper, icons in icon cases took their place in the temple, and the walls were painted.

On March 14, 2012, by order of Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Rus', a representative office of the Metropolitan District of the Russian Orthodox Church in the Republic of Kazakhstan was opened at the church

History and description

In the history of the Church of the Holy Martyrs Faith, Hope and Love, the story of the plague is only a small episode. Subsequently, this cemetery became the resting place of the residents of Maryina Roshcha, Butyrka, i.e., the surrounding areas adjacent directly to this territory.

Church of the martyrs Faith, Nadezhda, Lyubov and their mother Sophia at the Miusskoe cemetery

Subsequently, the fate of the temple developed as follows:

• in 1773, a wooden church appeared on the territory of the cemetery;
• At the expense of the merchant I.P. Kozhevnikov, a stone church building was built in 1823, the architect of the new building was A.F. Elkinsky;
• in 1835, the widow of the guard ensign Alexandra Abramovna Neronov donated a significant amount, so that they were able to add chapels to the temple in honor of St. Mitrofan of Voronezh (glorified in 1832) and the icon of the Mother of God “The Sign”;
• one-tier bell towers appeared on both sides of the temple

In 1912, the last major reconstructions took place in the temple of the pre-revolutionary era. Then they expanded the meal and erected a bell tower in four tiers, in this form the Church of Faith, Hope, Love and Sophia has survived to this day.

Interesting fact! Saint Philaret (Drozdov) of Moscow, after adding chapels in 1835, consecrated the temple himself. After 1917, Hieromartyr Patriarch Tikhon served in the church here more than once.

Until its closure in 1934, the temple belonged to renovationists and was visited by Muscovites very rarely. After closing, the church was transferred to the Ministry of Health, which used it as a utility room, and two buildings were added that completely did not fit into the appearance of the temple.

John Chrysostom. Word on the Epiphany of the Lord

I want, beloved, to celebrate and triumph, for the holy day of enlightenment is the seal of the holiday and the day of triumph. He captures the Bethlehem den, where the Old Denmi, like a baby at his mother’s breast, lay in a manger; He also opens the Jordanian springs, where the same Old One is now baptized with sinners, giving the world the remission of sins with His most pure body. In the first case, he who came from the womb of the Most Pure Virgin appeared to infants as a baby, to the mother as a son, to the wise men as a king, to shepherds as a good shepherd, who, according to the word of Divine Scripture, lays down His soul for the sheep (John 10:11) . In the second case, it is at His baptism that He comes to the Jordanian waters in order to wash away the sins of tax collectors and sinners. Speaking about the extraordinary miraculousness of such an event, the wise Paul exclaims: “The grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation to all men” (Titus 2:11). For now the world is enlightened in all its parts: first of all, the sky rejoices, conveying to people the voice of God descending from the heavenly heights, the air is sanctified by the flight of the Holy Spirit, the nature of water is sanctified, as if learning to wash the souls along with bodies, and all earthly creation rejoices . The devil alone weeps when he sees the holy font prepared to drown his power. What else does the Gospel say? “Jesus comes from Galilee to the Jordan to John to be baptized by him. John restrained Him and said: I need to be baptized by You, and are You coming to me?” (Matt. 3:13, 14). Who saw the Master standing before the slave? Who saw the king bowing his head before his warrior? Who has seen a shepherd to whom a sheep would show the way? Who has seen the head of a race who would receive a reward from someone practicing on the run? [1] “I need to be baptized by You,” that is, teach me, Master, You Yourself the baptism that You want to teach the world. I need You to baptize me, since I am under the burden of ancestral sin and carry the serpentine venom within me. I need to wash away the filth of an ancient crime, and for what sins did You come to be baptized? The prophet also testified about You, saying: “For He committed no sin, and no lie was in His mouth” (Is. 53:9). How, by giving deliverance yourself, do you seek cleansing? Those who are baptized, according to custom, confess their sins; What do you have to confess when You are completely sinless? Why do You demand from me what I have not been taught? I do not dare to do anything that exceeds my strength; I don’t know how to wash the light; I don’t know how to illuminate the sun of truth. The night does not illuminate the day, gold cannot be purer than tin, clay cannot correct the potter, the sea does not borrow streams from the source, the river does not need a drop of water, purity is not sanctified by filth, and the condemned does not set the judge free. “I need to be baptized by You.” A dead man cannot raise a living man, a sick man cannot heal a doctor, and I know the weakness of my nature! “A disciple is not above the teacher, and a servant is not above his master” (Matthew 10:24). The cherubim do not approach me with fear, the seraphim do not bow to me and do not proclaim the Trisagion[2]. I do not have heaven as a throne, I was not foreshadowed by a star to the Magi, Moses, Your saint, was barely worthy to see “behind you” (Ex. 33:23), how can I dare to touch Your most holy head? Why do You command me to do something that exceeds my strength? I do not have a hand with which I could baptize God: “I need to be baptized by You.” I was born of an old woman, for nature could not contradict Your command. Being in the womb of my mother and not being able to speak myself, I then took advantage of her lips, and now with my own lips, I will glorify You, the Incontainable One, Whom the virgin ark contained [3]. I am not blind, like the Jews, for I know that You are the Master, Who only temporarily took on the form of a slave in order to heal man; I know that You appeared to save us; I know that You are a stone cut out of the mountain without hands, a stone in which he who believes will not be deceived. I will not be deceived by the visible signs of Your humility, and I understand in spirit the greatness of Your Divinity. I am mortal, but you are immortal; I am from a barren woman, and You are from a virgin. I was born before You, but not above You. I could only go out to preach before You, but I do not dare to baptize You: I know that You are the ax that lies by the tree (Matthew 3:10), the ax that cuts down the barren trees of the Judean garden. I saw a sickle ready to cut off passions and proclaimed that soon sources of healing would open everywhere, for what place would remain inaccessible to Your Jews? You will cleanse the lepers with one word, the flow of blood will stop through one touch of the hem of Your garments, from Your one command the paralytic will again become strong. You nourish the daughter of the Canaanite woman with grains of Your miracles, You open the eyes of the blind with clay. How then do You ask me to lay hands on You? “I need to be baptized by You, and are You coming to me?” (Matthew 3:14) “You look upon the earth, and it trembles” (Ps. 103:32), walking on the waters as on earth, You, about whom I exclaimed many times during the sermon: “He who is mightier than me is coming after me.” whose sandals I am not worthy to stoop down and untie” (Mark 1:7). I rely only on Your ineffable goodness and hope on Your immeasurable love for mankind, according to which You allow even a harlot to wipe Your most pure feet and touch Your most holy head. What does the Lord say to him? “Leave now, for in this way it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness” (Matthew 3:15). Serve the Word like the voice of man, work like a slave, the Lord like a warrior, the king like clay, the potter. Do not be afraid, but boldly baptize Me, because I will save the world; I give myself to death in order to revive the mortified human nature. You, despite My command, are still slow to stretch out your hand, but the Jews will soon not be ashamed to stretch out their unclean hands against Me in order to betray Me to death. “Leave it now, for it must be so.” Out of My love for mankind, I, before all ages, decided to save the human race. For the sake of people I became a man. What could be more surprising than the fact that I, as a simple person, come to be baptized? I do this because I do not despise the creation of my hands, I am not ashamed of earthly nature. I remained the same as I had been from time immemorial, and took on a new nature, and yet My being remained unchanged: “I will leave you now.” For the enemy of the human race, having been cast out of heaven and expelled from the earth, nests in the watery nature, and I came from there to drive him out, as the prophet proclaimed about Me: “You crushed the heads of the serpents in the water” (Ps. 73:13) Leave now ! For this enemy wants to tempt Me as a man, and I endure this in order to prove his powerlessness, for I will say to him: “Do not tempt the Lord your God” (Matthew 4:7; Deut. 6:16). Oh new miracle! O ineffable grace! Christ accomplishes the feat, and I receive honor; He fights with the devil, and I turn out to be the winner; He crushes the snake's head in the water, and I, as it were, am crowned as a real fighter[4]: He is baptized, and the filth is removed from me; The Holy Spirit descends on Him, and remission of sins is given to me; the Father testifies of Him as His beloved Son, and I become the son of God for His sake; The heavens were opened to him, and I entered into them; before Him the kingdom of heaven appears before Him who is baptized, and I receive it as an inheritance; The voice of the Father turns to Him, and together with Him I am called; The Father favors Him and does not reject me either. For my part, I glorify the Father, who gave His voice from heaven, the Son, who was baptized on earth, and the Spirit who descended like a dove, the one God in the Trinity, Whom I will always worship. Amen.

Saint John Chrysostom (pravoslavie.ru)

Activities of the parish

Over the two decades of its recent history, the church has formed a community consisting of parishioners from the surrounding microdistricts. Quite active educational and missionary activities are carried out, expressed in the following:

• Every day at the temple classes are held on the basics of the Christian faith, which can be attended by everyone, and especially by those who are preparing for the Sacrament of Baptism or the recipient of the Baptism of an infant;
• there is a Sunday school at the church for children aged 4 to 15 years, the school is located in a separate building and has its own library;
• For people over 15 years old, there is a youth club at the church, where group meetings are held to study the Holy Scriptures.

Divine service in the Church of the Holy Martyrs Faith, Nadezhda, Lyubov and Sophia

The parishioners are also actively involved in social activities; periodically fairs and sales of products made by students who study in Sunday school clubs are held. The collected funds go to charitable causes. Things are collected for the poor, parishioners and clergy visit hospitals and orphanages located in the area.

The temple has an official website where you can find out the schedule of services

The temple has its own official website, where you can see the schedule of services, read about the history of the temple, and look at photographs.

Schedule of church services on the official website

The site is very easy to manage, anyone can go to it and find out all the information they are interested in.

If you need to ask something, you can also call: (495) 656-29-10, or write to the temple’s email:

The temple itself is located at the address: Moscow, Sushchevsky Val, 21. Anyone who wants can visit this wonderful place.

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Shrines

The temple was revived after many years of neglect and destruction, the former shrines were lost, but new ones appeared that attract pious pilgrims and fill the church with Divine grace.

1. The Icon of the Mother of God “Quick to Hear” was given in 1991 by the sister of Archimandrite Boris (Morozov). In 1997, she began to stream myrrh, so that the myrrh flowed down and accumulated in small vessels. Now the myrrh-streaming has stopped, but the icon is considered miraculous.
2. The Feodorovskaya Icon of the Mother of God, the exact list of which was transferred to the temple by Metropolitan Alexander of Astana and Kazakhstan. According to legend, the Fedorovskaya icon was brought from Byzantium in the 12th century. She always accompanied St. blgv. book Alexander Nevsky, the first Tsar of the Romanov dynasty, Mikhail, was blessed to reign with this icon.
3. Here in the temple there is an ark with the right hand of the great confessor of the 20th century, Sebastian of Karaganda, famous for his steadfastness in faith and the gift of senility, because he was one of the last disciples of the Optina elders.
4. Also in the church are particles of the holy relics of the venerable martyrs Theognostus and Seraphim of Alma-Ata.

All the latest shrines were brought by the rector of the metochion, Metropolitan Alexander, and were a great spiritual decoration of the temple.

Patronal holidays

The main altar is dedicated to St. martyr Faith, Nadezhda, Lyubov and their mother Sofia, the day of remembrance is celebrated on September 30.

Mosaic icon of the holy martyrs above the entrance to the temple

Memory of St. Mitrofan of Voronezh, in whose honor one of the chapels was consecrated, is honored by the Church on August 7, when he reposed, and on November 23, when he was canonized.

Another chapel in honor of the icon of the Mother of God “The Sign,” which is commemorated by the Church on November 27.