Saint Alexy Mechev: I don’t want to sit at the freezing point

"Blessed Alyoshenka"

In the lives of the saints, you can read that many future great ascetics from early childhood behaved unusually, not like everyone else, because the reality of Heaven and God was self-evident, simple and clear to them. We know examples in the 20th century. Thus, the future Archbishop of Shanghai and San Francisco John (Maksimovich) was considered eccentric and blessed, who since childhood could not pass by a church without stopping and crossing himself slowly, with a bow, without paying attention to anyone and without being embarrassed. Once, when the future archbishop was studying at a cadet school, he left the marching formation of cadets right during the parade to cross himself on the crosses of the church, and then ran back to the formation, after receiving a serious reprimand...

So the future father Alexy Mechev was called “blessed Alyoshenka.” His grandfather was an archpriest in Kolomna district, his father, Alexy Ivanovich Mechev, was the choir director at the Cathedral of the Chudov Monastery in the Moscow Kremlin, and Alyosha received from them a living experience of the Gospel.

Miracles Monastery, 1859. Source https://retromap.ru

“God gave me a simple childish faith,” he later admitted to his spiritual children. As a child, “blessed Alyoshenka” could, in the midst of fun and games, suddenly become very serious and go somewhere, retire.

From an early age he had a very gentle character, he was not prone to quarrels, on the contrary, he tried to reconcile or cheer everyone up. He was like this all his life and taught this: to live in such a way that it would be easy and joyful to be around you.

The elder was not just a kind person who helped someone from time to time. With all his attention and dedication, he entered into the position of each person - and could not do otherwise! “The Lord did not refuse anyone, he called everyone to Himself, to salvation - and I cannot refuse! He was dying and did not forget anyone, he remembered everyone, he saved the robber, he remembered his Mother. And I cannot refuse,” said Father Alexy.

No matter how sinful or lazy a person may be, no matter how he falls, no matter what he does, even the elder’s reproaches to him are delicate, his tone is affectionate and cordial:

“Dear darling Petyushka! - he writes in one letter. “It is with great sorrow that I learned that in a period of despair you allowed yourself to indulge, drink wine and nicotine... and become intoxicated.” For the first time, I forgive the spoiled man and leave him without any punishment, but with the obligation not to do this in the future. Dear Petenka, be calm, your sorrow will turn into joy. The Merciful Lord is with you, and all brothers and sisters are praying for you. Be healthy".

You'd think he was writing to his own son! But this is how Father Alexy treated everyone, whether he knew the person all his life or for one minute. “The world does not need our proceedings, opinions and judgment,” the saint wrote. “He perishes from lack of love.”

Service schedule, operating hours

The Temple of Alexy Mechev in Veshnyaki is open daily:

Temple of Alexy in Veshnyaki, contacts and information.

Accurate information about the times of services on holidays, custom prayers and memorial services can be obtained on the official website in the “Schedule of Services” section, on the website page VKontakte, Facebook.

“You are so small... be a better priest!”

Alyosha’s parents taught him to love, to feel sorry for people, to share with them, to embrace everyone’s situation: until the end of his life he recalled how his mother took into her two-room apartment on Troitsky Lane her widowed sister with three children, despite the fact that her own there were three of them - Alyosha’s brother Tikhon and sister Varya. Six children, three adults - and there was enough space and bread for everyone!

With a heart that pitied people, from his youth he strove for a profession that involved serving for the benefit of others. Therefore, Alexy wanted to become a doctor. But his mother, Alexandra Dmitrievna, used to say: “You’re so small, why should you be a doctor, be better off as a priest!” And she was not mistaken, accurately guessing her son’s calling.

Father Alexy Mechev performs a prayer service

After graduating from the Moscow Theological Seminary, he took this path - in 1880 he got a job as a psalm-reader (The lowest rank of clergy; the psalm-reader was required to read texts from the Holy Scriptures and prayers during services; he was not consecrated to the priesthood. - Author's note) Znamenskoy churches on Znamenka street.

And here his gentleness and gentleness were seriously tested. The hot-tempered, unrestrained rector of the church, Father George, attacked the 21-year-old minister with or without reason, demanded that for some reason he perform the duties of a watchman, found fault, and sometimes even beat him. The younger brother Tikhon often found Alexy in tears. It would seem that you need to ask for a transfer to another temple! But Alexy endured and did not ask for anything. And he did not become bitter, did not lose love for people.

Years later, coming to the funeral of his cruel boss, he cried, but out of gratitude: involuntarily, Father Superior taught him such a school, so he helped him in the fight against his own shortcomings, the main one of which Father Alexy considered “yashka” - pride...

Interior decoration

The Temple of Alexy Mechev in Veshnyaki is quite modest inside, ascetic by the standards of the Christian church. After passing through a small porch, a person finds himself in the only church boundary. There are no frescoes on the walls, just simple whitewash. To the left of the lectern there is an eve table. A carved four-row iconostasis rises above the narrow salt. The room is illuminated by narrow elongated window openings.

In the evening, ministers light the round central chandelier and several small side lamps. Through the open Royal Doors you can see a gilded altar with an ornate seven-branched candlestick and a large icon of the Lord Pantocrator. The windows in the chancel are made in the tradition of stained glass technology. The pattern of colored glass, made in the style of the Orthodox tradition, carries deep symbolism.

The image of Christ, shining from the sun's rays falling on it, reminds parishioners that the Lord is the “East of Easts” (unfading). According to Christian tradition, glass also carries a symbol of purity and innocence. Along the perimeter of the middle part of the temple, a second tier is built on the choir choir, where singers are located during services.

My beauty...

Often it is more convenient to imagine holy people as such epic heroes, alien to ordinary human feelings, emotional manifestations - in general, nothing “earthly”. But this is not true at all. Lives rarely give details of their emotional, sensory life, but in the case of Elder Alexy, they are conveyed by preserved correspondence with his wife and children.

“My dear beauty... precious little wife Nyushenka... my life, take your medicine and drink more milk”; “Forget about everything in the world, think only that you get better quickly, take comfort in the thought that your husband is constantly thinking about you... Although he is 25 miles away from you, my precious, he knows and feels well, clearly “What do you think and do”; “My golden sun”...

Father Alexy Mechev with his family. Father's wife Alexia Anna Petrovna is to his left

This is how the future saint addresses his wife, Anna Petrovna Molchanova, who also came from the clergy. Amazingly beautiful relationship!

They had five children: in the fourth year of marriage - daughter Alexandra (1888), then daughter Anna (1890), son Alexy (1891), who died in infancy, son Sergei (1892, future martyr), daughter Olga (1896). And years after the wedding, Father Alexy wrote to his wife touchingly and directly:

“You, beauty, forgot your bracelet and rings on my table, so rest assured, I put them away and will bring them with me on Sunday. I kiss you countless times. Yours, Lenechka.”

Anna Petrovna was not distinguished by any extraordinary beauty, but she was distinguished by a kind, lively character - even in photographs at any age this can be seen - and a strong, simple faith. Father Alexy - a priest, a future glorified saint and ascetic - wrote to her with humility: “I fully believe that you are a deep believer, pray for me, my angel, so that I too will be one.”

Mother Anna shared with her husband his selfless service when, on March 19, 1893, Father Alexy was ordained by Bishop Nestor, the administrator of the Moscow Novospassky Monastery, as a priest to the Church of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker in Klenniki. The ordination took place in the Zaikonospassky Monastery, which to this day stands two steps from the Kremlin. The parish turned out to be very small, quite poor, and Father Alexy became its only priest...

God, who knows every person to his very depths, wished to give the saint just such a woman as a companion, and she played an important role in his life.

He also remembered his wife as a friend, gently guiding him, suggesting what he himself did not notice. “I was very happy,” he wrote to his son years later, “when your late mother, having noticed something, expressed her impressions to me, and I immediately, taking it to heart, changed in accordance with her comments... I don’t want to sit on freezing point. Each of us does not notice ourselves and can only improve with the participation of loved ones and dear people...”

The only thing that darkened their lives was that Mother Anna suffered from severe heart failure, and over the years this made itself felt more and more. Having gotten married as an 18-year-old girl, by the age of 36 she was already suffering greatly from dropsy: her body was swelling, weakness set in, and it became difficult to breathe. It was so difficult that at some point my mother asked her husband to stop begging her...

On August 29, 1902, Anna Petrovna died. In the church calendar, according to the old style, this is the day of remembrance of the Beheading of the Prophet John the Baptist - a day of repentance, mourning, on which strict fasting is required...

Architect, exterior decoration, architectural ensemble

The design development of the temple in the name of St. Alexis was carried out by the engineering organization “Mosproekt-3” under the leadership of the famous Soviet and Russian architect I. G. Biryukov. Architect Biryukov's creative portfolio includes many significant projects. He designed the Central Moscow Archive, the sanatorium of the Ministry of Defense in Marfino, shopping and residential complexes.

He is responsible for the restoration of the Marfo-Mariinsky monastery and the creation of the Cathedral of the Holy Princess Euphrosyne in the area of ​​Nakhimovsky Prospekt. The design of the temple ensemble named after St. Alexius became one of the last works of the order-bearing master. The temple in Veshnyaki attracts the eye with its architectural and artistic expressiveness. The compact, but at the same time majestic church of Alexei Mechev fits well into the surrounding microdistrict.

The temple is made according to the strict canons and traditions of Russian architecture. Despite the small internal area, 1250 m², the church can simultaneously accommodate up to 300 parishioners. The shape of the building is a classic quadrangle - a tetrahedral volume used in Russian stone and wooden architecture. The quadrangular building of the church symbolizes the fullness of the world, concentrated in Christianity.

The facades are painted sand color with white edging along the edge of the semicircular zakomara. A black Byzantine dome rests on the light drum. Its helmet-shaped outlines mean the eternal spiritual confrontation between good and dark forces. The single dome is perceived by believers as a symbol of Divine unity. The height of the building from the foundation to the cross is 31.5 m.

A staircase of 7 steps leads to the porch at the oak western doors. The image of the Savior, surrounded by vines, was chosen as the gate icon. The clergy house is a two-story building with a bell tower attached to it. There is a refectory, Sunday school classes and a conference room here. There is a small icon shop.

Meeting with Righteous John of Kronstadt

Father Alexy took the loss of his wife very hard: he locked himself in his room and prayed for a long time, crying before God. Later, in letters, he admits how, having “attached” his soul to his beloved wife, he suffered from loneliness, from his widowhood...

Righteous John of Kronstadt. Photography, early 20th century.

The death of his endlessly beloved wife became a watershed in his life. But at the same time: were there many widower priests at that time? And only a few achieved holiness. So Father Alexy crossed the line beyond which - love is no longer human, but Divine, complete oblivion of oneself for the sake of others, the ability to see the whole person through, without in any way attributing this gift to himself.

All this is the secret of a person’s internal transformation. We know only the external milestones.

One day, on the threshold of the house of the inconsolable priest, the famous Kronstadt shepherd, Father John (Sergiev), a miracle worker, whom the Church would later glorify as a saint, appeared. His friends told him about the difficult experiences of Father Alexy.

“Have you come to share my grief with me?” Father Alexy asked the Kronstadt priest who entered. And I heard in response: “I did not come to share your grief, but your joy.

The Lord visits you. Leave your cell and go out to people; only from now on will you begin to live. You rejoice at your sorrows and think: there is no greater grief in the world than yours... But you be with the people, enter into someone else’s grief, take it upon yourself, and then you will see that your misfortune is insignificant in comparison with the general grief, and it will become easier for you.” .

After this, the priests performed a service together in one of the Moscow churches.

And from that time on, Father Alexy’s special path began, the path of eldership. Special - because from that moment he, who previously cared about everyone, forgot himself in order to live for others.

1. Introduction

At the beginning of the twentieth century in Moscow, at the St. Nicholas Church on Maroseyka, a remarkable phenomenon arose - a community-parish, which in the time of fierce temptations of that revolutionary time was, as it were, a single organism supporting its members in difficult circumstances. But in order to talk about it, it is necessary first to describe the spiritual path of its founder, the wonderful Moscow elder Alexei Mechev.

2.The beginning of the journey

The holy righteous Alexy Mechev was born in Moscow on March 17, 1859 in the pious family of the regent of the Chudovsky Cathedral Choir, Alexei Ivanovich Mechev[1].

The birth of Father Alexy occurred under significant circumstances. His mother, Alexandra Dmitrievna, felt unwell at the onset of childbirth. The birth was difficult, very long, and the lives of mother and child were in danger.

In great grief, Alexey Ivanovich went to pray at the Alekseevsky Monastery, where Metropolitan Philaret served on the occasion of the patronal feast day. Walking into the altar, he quietly stood aside, but the grief of his beloved regent did not hide from the bishop’s gaze. “You’re so sad today, what’s wrong with you?” he asked. - “Your Eminence, my wife dies in childbirth.” The saint prayerfully made the sign of the cross. “Let’s pray together... God is merciful, everything will be fine,” he said; then he handed him a prosphora with the words: “A boy will be born, name him Alexei, in honor of Saint Alexis, the man of God, whom we celebrate today.”

Alexey Ivanovich was encouraged, defended the liturgy and, inspired by hope, went home. At the door he was greeted with joy: a boy was born.

In a two-room apartment on Troitsky Lane, in the family of the regent of the Chudovsky choir, a living faith in God reigned, warm hospitality and hospitality were shown; here they lived the joys and sorrows of everyone whom God brought to be in their home. It was always crowded, relatives and friends constantly stopped by, who knew that they would be helped and consoled. This served as a good school of mercy for the future good shepherd.

This was expressed in something that Father Alexy recalled with reverence all his life - in the selfless act of his mother, who took in her sister and three children after the death of her husband, despite the fact that she herself was too close to her three children - sons Alexei and Tikhon and daughter Varvara. We had to build a bed for the children.

Among his siblings and siblings, Lenya, as Alexei was called in the family, stood out for his kind-heartedness and quiet, peace-loving character. He did not like quarrels, he wanted everyone to feel good; loved to cheer, console, joke. All this came out to him in a pious manner. When visiting, in the midst of games in the children's rooms, Lenya suddenly became serious, quickly walked away and hid, withdrawing into himself from the noisy fun. Those around him nicknamed him “blessed Alyoshenka”[2].

Alexy Mechev studied at the Zaikonospassky School, then at the Moscow Theological Seminary, after graduating from which he dreamed of going to university and becoming a doctor.

But the mother, feeling with her kind heart a completely different purpose for her son, resisted this: “Be better a priest.”

It was hard for Alexy to leave his dream, but he did not go against the will of his beloved mother. Subsequently, Alexy Mechev realized that he had found his true calling, and was very grateful to his mother.

After graduating from the seminary, Alexy Mechev served as a psalmist at the Znamenskaya Church of the Prechistensky Forty, where he was often treated very rudely, but Alexy endured everything without complaint, did not complain and did not ask to be transferred to another church. Subsequently, he thanked the Lord for allowing him to go through such a school.

In 1884, Alexy Mechev married the daughter of a psalm-reader, Anna Petrovna Molchanova, out of great love. On November 18 of the same year, he was ordained a deacon and began to serve in the Church of the Great Martyr George in Lubyansky Proezd, outwardly showing the greatest simplicity, and inwardly experiencing fiery zeal for the Lord.

His marriage was very happy. But Anna Petrovna suffered from a serious heart disease, and her health became the subject of constant concern for her father Alexy.

Children were born into the family: daughters Alexandra (1888) and Anna (1890), sons Alexey (1891), who died in the first year of his life, and Sergei (1892), and the youngest daughter Olga (1896).

On March 19, 1893, Deacon Alexy Mechev was ordained by Bishop Nestor, head of the Moscow Novospassky Monastery, as a priest of the St. Nicholas Church in Klenniki. The consecration took place at the Zaikonospassky Monastery. The small church of St. Nicholas in Klenniki was located on Maroseyka Street and its parish was very small, because... There were large and well-visited temples nearby.

Despite the fact that Father Alexy prepared himself for shepherding in the village, having received a parish in the capital, he completely surrendered himself to the will of God and began to work, putting prayer and spiritual vigilance at the basis of his work.

The life of the clergy of small parishes of that time was financially difficult, and living conditions were also poor. Moreover, Mother Anna Petrovna was seriously ill; she developed dropsy with large swelling and painful shortness of breath. She suffered so much that she began to ask her husband to stop begging her and died on August 29, 1902, on the day of the beheading of the head of the Forerunner and Baptist of the Lord, John.

Father Alexy was very sad and inconsolable. The light went dark for him. He locked himself in his room and poured out his soul before the Lord. But one day Father Alexy had a meeting with the now glorified holy righteous John of Kronstadt, which turned his life upside down.

3. Eldership

One day, friends invited Father Alexei to the family where Father John of Kronstadt came. Father Alexei looked to Father John for advice and consolation. To Father Alexy’s question: “Have you come to share my grief with me?” Father John replied: “I have not come to share your grief, but joy: the Lord is visiting you.” Subsequently, Father Alexy will say about himself: “The Lord visits our hearts with sorrows in order to reveal to us the hearts of other people”[3].

Father John told him: “You complain about your sorrows and think that there is no sorrow in the world greater than yours. And you be with the people, enter into someone else’s grief, take it upon yourself, and then you will see that your misfortune is small, insignificant in comparison with the general one, and it will become easier for you.”

From that moment a new life began for Father Alexei. He was lucky enough to serve as a pastor of Kronstadt, and he Fr. After this, Father Alexey began to celebrate the liturgy every day. Thus began his many years of work to organize the liturgical life of the Marosei parish: the priest tried to organize and rally his parishioners and everyone who turned to him around the life of the temple[4].

He entered the path of old age. He was prepared to accept the grace of old age by many years of ascetic life, when Father devoted himself entirely to prayer and serving people. So he, in the words of one of Father Alexy’s spiritual children, priest Nikolai Rudnev, “became a faithful and unchangeable guardian of the sorrowful human heart”[5].

For eight years, Father Alexei served the liturgy every day in an empty church. How painful it must have been for him to hear the careless, harsh words: “No matter how you pass by your temple, everyone calls you. I went into the church - it was empty. Nothing will work out for you, you’re just calling in vain.” Yes, but the “forecast” did not come true - people came, and the temple was filled, and people flocked to Maroseyka from all over Moscow[6].

Those who came to the temple on Maroseyka for the first time could see the following picture. A short, wrinkled priest with a scraggly beard and an old deacon were performing the service. The priest was wearing a faded kamilavka: he served somehow hastily, and, it seemed, carelessly, constantly left the altar, confessed in the choir, sometimes talked, laughed, looked for someone with his eyes, carried out and served prosphora himself. All this, and especially confession during the Liturgy, had an unpleasant effect on some. And the fact that the woman read the Apostle, and the fact that there were too many communicants, and the untimely blessing of water after the Liturgy. But the priest did all this out of love for people, so that no one would leave unconsoled[7].

Father Alexy greeted everyone who came to the Maroseya church, looking for help, mired in sins, forgetting about God, with cordial friendliness, love and compassion. The joy and peace of Christ were infused into their souls, hope appeared in the mercy of God, in the possibility of renewal of the soul. The love shown by Father gave everyone the feeling that he was loved, pitied, and consoled most of all. Father was filled with love. He did not know the cruel word “punish”, but knew the merciful word “forgive”. He did not impose on his children the burden of heavy obedience, did not demand special feats from anyone, at the same time emphasizing the need for at least the smallest external feat, indicating that one must weigh one’s strengths and capabilities and do whatever it takes, what I decided on.

“The path to salvation lies in love for God and neighbors,” the priest used to say. And he himself was full of merciful love.

Father loved the lives of saints. He himself re-read them a lot, and in each he was able to find the edification necessary for the person who came to him. His evening sermons consisted mostly of explanations of the lives of the saints.

Regarding prayer, Father, following the words of the Apostle: Pray without ceasing (1 Thess. 5:7), he taught to pray at any time and in every place: “Whether you walk down the street, do something with your hands, or sit in a carriage, say a prayer.” . Father especially recommended the Jesus Prayer: “Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner.”

Father, just as he himself did not like idleness and idleness, pointed out to others that idleness is the main cause of bad thoughts and desires.

Father Alexy had the grace-filled gift of clairvoyance, but out of his deep humility he tried not to show the fullness of this gift. Father gave instructions on what to do in a particular case only once. If the visitor objected, he would withdraw from the subsequent conversation without explaining what his unreasonable behavior would lead to. To those who came with a repentant feeling and full of trust, he provided prayerful assistance, interceding for them before the Lord and bringing deliverance from difficulties and troubles[8].

Father was very fond of saying that “everyone has their own path to salvation and in their own measure,” and everyone goes to Christ in their own measure, each along their own path. Therefore, Christianity considers the chaste monastic life, marital cohabitation, the state of a shepherd, the state of a layman, the state of a warrior, and the state of a judge to be equally saving. Therefore, there are many ways to Christ. Each human title, state, position, each individual property is already a special path. And the task of the elder, the spiritual father, is to reveal his calling in a person and show him the path in which he should go to Heaven. And since every elder has his own personal, well-trodden path to Heaven, his own personal understanding of things, wandering among the elders cannot give anything lasting to the inquisitive Christian soul. He said that there should only be one confessor and that one should only turn to him[9].

He directly did not let many who asked to join the elders in monasteries or monasteries. All this would happen not because, of course, they are not old or not spiritually experienced enough, but because their path diverges from the path that Father destined for their spiritual children[10].

In the lower residential floor of the temple, Father opened a parochial school, set up a shelter for orphans and the poor, and for 13 years taught the Law of God at the E.V. girls’ gymnasium. Winkler; contributed to the revival of ancient Russian icon painting, blessing his spiritual daughter Maria Nikolaevna Sokolova (later nun Juliana) to paint icons.

Father's sermons were simple, sincere, touching the heart with the depth of faith, truthfulness, and understanding of life.

Father Alexy's prayer never stopped. She filled his temple, creating an atmosphere of prayer, the confidence that, despite all the bustle of life, one can be far from everything earthly, have unceasing prayer, a pure heart and stand before God here on earth. When Father prayed, according to the reviews of those who saw him, “he was burning with prayer, he listened to every word of the prayer greedily, as if afraid to miss a moment of spiritual delight.” The elder recommended personal prayer, his own conversation and turning to the Lord as a reliable and saving means for strengthening oneself in faith in God’s providence.

Father Alexy greatly revered the shrine of the temple - the Feodorovskaya Icon of the Mother of God, and served prayers in front of it. One day, on the eve of the events of 1917, during a prayer service, he saw tears rolling down from the eyes of the Queen of Heaven. Everyone present saw this.

After 1917, when those who left the Church, having experienced numerous troubles, rushed to churches in the hope of God’s help, zealous young priests began to serve on Maroseyka, including the son of Father Alexei, priest Sergius Mechev, who was ordained a priest in 1919, now glorified among the saints as a hieromartyr, as well as Father Sergius Durylin, who left his memories and others about Father.

Great was the humility of Father Alexy. He was never offended by rudeness, avoided showing signs of deference and respect to himself, and avoided pompous services.

The true spiritual friends of Father Alexy were the Optina elders, Hieroschemamonk Anatoly (Potapov - also now canonized as a venerable one), and Abbot Theodosius. They were amazed at the feat of the Moscow elder, who lived in the city as if in a desert[11]. Pilgrims from Moscow who came to Optina Pustyn in those years often heard from the elders, Father Anatoly (Potapov) and Father Nektary: “Why do you come to us when you have Father Alexey?” He had the same spirit with them - kindness - all-covering, merciful, although demanding[12].

A like-minded person of Father Alexy was Archimandrite Arseny (Zhadanovsky), the future bishop. Father’s spiritual child was also a researcher at the psychological institute, Boris Vasilyevich Kholchev (future archimandrite).

Saint Patriarch Tikhon always took into account the recall of Father in cases of consecration, then he invited him to take on the work of uniting the Moscow clergy.

4. Community-parish

The rumor about the wonderful priest spread everywhere. And people reached out to him from all sides. Sometimes people came who were critical. There are hundreds of such examples. A person will come to be curious, sometimes even criticize, laugh, and, after a month or two, he is already standing at the pulpit and moving to Communion. Who is the culprit of such miraculous transformations? Father! To be with people, to live their lives, to rejoice in their joys, to be saddened by their sorrows - this is the purpose and way of life of a Christian, and especially a shepherd. One had only to look at Father Alexei’s memorial book, covered with hundreds of names of both the living and the dead, a book with which he never parted, to understand his own words, which he said, pointing to his heart: “I carry you all here!” . It was he who created on Maroseyka the spirit of love, prayer and detachment from the vain world, which united people in the terrible years of devastation and revolution. And, following the example of their spiritual father, people were transformed. As a result, Maroseyka had its own community[13].

Father Alexey used divine services as a unifying basis. He “understood that it was necessary to give believers a real, genuine divine service, not an imitation, not a surrogate, but an eternal divine service, consisting in the Orthodox liturgical experience. And on this foundation, the priest begins to introduce his spiritual children to eternity. It is not the practice of a parish church or monastery that is taken, but the divine service is performed according to those books according to which it should be performed, and is performed day after day in the morning and evening... A true communion with eternity through divine service begins”[14].

In 1920, Father held conversations on Mondays with his spiritual children, mainly young people, in which he revealed issues of marriage and raising children that were of concern to many at that time. These conversations were presented in simple, generally understandable language, in a warm atmosphere of family comfort, and the presentation of these issues was taught not in the form of abstract teachings, but in the form of stories from real life, Father’s personal experience, as well as through reading the diaries of his spiritual children, commented by himself , which greatly interested the listeners and left edifying memories of the conversations in their souls for a long time [15]. All this united the community and made it like one family.

Father Alexei set himself the task of establishing a “monastery in the world,” meaning not the monastery walls, but a “flock-family,” under a single spiritual leadership and bound within itself by bonds of love. In it, each person lives as an ordinary layman and member of society, but in his soul he works for God and strives to fulfill the vows of Baptism, to keep the commandments of God, to holiness, and deification. Some might not marry, others might live a family life, but both needed spiritual guidance to build a life on Christian principles[16].

In addition, under Father Alexei, in his parish “there were small spiritual families or groups, the participants of which were especially closely united with each other, met more often, sometimes every week, read something spiritual or prayed together”[17].

“Go to church more often, take communion more often!” - Father Alexey said to his spiritual children, knowing that for them the church should and will be that spiritual foundation that is rarely encountered by people wandering in the desert of this world. “And if on the streets, in the service, at home there is anger, abuse, irritation, malice - then here you will feel truly at home - brothers, sisters and children of the Heavenly Father,” Father told us. And indeed, as soon as a person came to church on Maroseyka, the whole world with its malice and injustice remained behind its walls - and whoever this person was, he felt that everyone standing here was not strangers to him, that all of them and he with them are the children of one Christian family, united and united. And in fervent prayer, he forgot his drab, dreary life and family discord and troubles in the service - and left the temple peaceful and joyful.

Therefore, the parish of St. Nicholas Church became not just a community, but a real Christian family, in which love and mutual assistance reigned, which was a striking contrast with the surrounding ominous reality of ever-increasing godlessness, rampant sin and persecution of the Church.

During the difficult times of famine 1920-1921. Many employees of Soviet institutions told the priest that they were careless in serving the new government, were late, sat idle, because “anyway, atheists shouldn’t work,” and he, by virtue of obedience, forced them to be imbued with a sense of duty and work honestly.” not for fear, but for conscience,” pointing to the example of ancient Christians who regularly paid taxes to godless Roman rulers.

Father’s bright soul had no sin against the civil authorities: everywhere and everywhere he was “the rule of faith and the image of meekness,” winning the hearts of even the atheists[18].

Twice Father Alexei was called for an interview at the OGPU (at the end of 1922 and March 17/30, 1923). They were forbidden to receive people. The second time he was released immediately because... They saw that he was seriously ill[19].

5. The death of the righteous

In the last days of May, Father Alexy left for Vereya, where he had rested the previous years. He had a presentiment that he was leaving forever. Before leaving, I served the last liturgy in my church, said goodbye to my spiritual children, and when I left, I said goodbye to the church. Cried a lot.

Father Alexy died on Friday, June 9/22, 1923. Coffin with the body of Fr. Alexy was taken to the Church of St. Nicholas in Klenniki on horseback on June 14/27. Until the very morning of the next day, the church communities of Moscow said goodbye to the deceased and sang requiems. In the evening, two funeral vigils were served (in the church and in the courtyard). The funeral liturgy was performed by Archbishop Theodore (Pozdeevsky), rector of the Danilov Monastery (Father asked for this, and Vladyka Theodore was released from prison on June 7/20 and was able to fulfill his wish). Saint Patriarch Tikhon, who was released from prison that day, arrived at the Lazarevskoe cemetery to see Father Alexy off on his final journey. His Holiness served a litany for the deceased, lowered the coffin into the grave and was the first to throw a handful of earth into it. The grief over the loss of an irreplaceable shepherd was simultaneously “dissolved” by joy on the occasion of the unexpected release of the Patriarch[20].

Many responded to the death of the beloved shepherd. Here is an excerpt from the funeral eulogy of Bishop Arseny (Zhadanovsky): “So, God-forgetting Christian world! Come here and see how you need to arrange your life. Come to your senses! Leave worldly vanity and know that you need to live on earth only for Heaven.”

Or, here is the funeral oration of priest Pavel Florensky: “Father Father Alexey belongs to those Russian righteous men, a number of which begins with the Monk Seraphim of Sarov, goes through Optina Pustyn and reaches the present day. This is the type of elders, gifted with the quiet light of humble pity and love for all who suffer. It is precisely such righteous people who are needed by people who are tired, exhausted by the bitterness of life, afraid of any careless touch to their wounds... He came up to us, already weak in body, but strong in love and pity, went with us at that moment when we all especially needed consolation, he went and... very soon, to great sadness, he reached the grave. However, he hid in it only in body, but in spirit soared to the Mountainous Jerusalem, so that there he would again meet us on the difficult paths of the afterlife ordeals and also lovingly, compassionately and affectionately go with us to the throne of the Lord, paying with our prayers for our sins. Father, Father Alexey, eternal memory to you, dear!”[21]

In love, edifying and warming, Father Alexy walked his life's path from a child's cradle to a modest grave at the Lazarevskoye cemetery. The life of a priest is a continuous feat of love.

Ten years later, due to the closure of the Lazarevskoye cemetery, the remains of the holy righteous Alexy and his wife were transferred on September 15/28, 1933 to the Vvedenskie Gory cemetery, to a plot that belonged to the relatives of his spiritual daughter Elena Vladimirovna Apushkina. The body of Father Alexy was incorrupt at that time.

Over his grave stood a marble monument with a small cross above it. In its lower part were carved the words of the Apostle Paul, so close to the heart of Father Alexy: “Bear each other’s burdens and thus fulfill the law of Christ.”

6. After death

Many of his spiritual children, who formed the “core” of Maroseyka, united under obedience to the priest. This core was so imbued with the spirit of Father that even after his death, the community-parish on Maroseyka lived as before, in serving God in spirit and truth, as it lived with him alive and active. This spirit of the priest, the spirit of his elder teaching is something unique and self-sufficient[22].

But still, a shepherd was needed, a successor to Father Alexei. And his son, priest Sergius Mechev, became such a successor. After the death of Father Alexei, Priest Sergius Mechev (1892-1942) was worried and could not decide whether he, who had only recently become a priest, could take responsibility before God for the very large and diverse spiritual family of his father. After all, Father Alexei himself was recognized by his spiritual children only at the top of his path, which Father Alexei ascended gradually, through the experience of a lifetime full of sorrows and feats of prayer. And Father Sergius is young, inexperienced, although gifted, sincerely wishing the best for everyone and well-read in the holy fathers. What to do? And how to refuse? To whom should the community be left – the life’s work of Father Alexei?

And Father Sergius took into his pastoral care the “penitential-liturgical family,” as he called the parish, and cared for it until his martyrdom.

Father Sergius also had difficult periods when the burden of “father’s inheritance” seemed unbearable. He gave all his strength, spiritual and physical, to his flock, but was often met with misunderstanding and murmuring. He even wanted to leave the parish. But the Optina elder Nektarios, through his spiritual daughter, confirmed him in the necessity of his ministry[23].

It was difficult for many, and it was also difficult for Father Sergius: after the death of Father Alexei, the parishioners involuntarily compared them and demanded from the young Father Sergius the wisdom and experience of old age. He himself struggled with passions and taught others the same. Thus, overcoming passions, they grew closer and closer and became true friends.

Regarding divine services, Father Sergius said many times that the service should be full, and the question of how much to attend the service is individual[24].

Father Sergius carefully prepared for each sermon in order to give people something new for the mind and heart, for spiritual life.

In troubled times, when renovationism captured many parishes in Moscow, and Patriarch Tikhon was arrested, Maroseyka was one of the few who remained faithful to the patriarch. Father Sergius, like Father Alexei, knew that it was necessary not to renew the Church, but to go to it and learn from it, to use its Sacraments to renew the image of God in oneself.

The Marosean community grew and the number of groups, or spiritual families, grew. At the head of each was someone more knowledgeable, experienced or older in age, who was to some extent an assistant to the spiritual father in choosing reading and could provide first spiritual assistance to his sisters, console, encourage, advise, and in difficult times guide to the spiritual father. This was a great help for Father Sergius[25].

In 1929, Father Sergius was arrested and exiled, and in 1932 the church on Maroseyka was closed. But the friendly and united community continued to exist under the leadership of its shepherd. Small spiritual families headed by their elders also provided great spiritual support for community members.

At the first opportunity, Father Sergius wrote to his spiritual children. “You are my way in Christ, how can I go without you?” – he wrote to them in 1930.

In 1942, after four months of interrogation and torture, he was shot. Until his death, he continued to communicate with his parish, nourishing and strengthening his spiritual children[26].

The community-parish that Father Alexei Mechev created on Maroseyka absorbed the spirit of love, prayer and renunciation from the bustle world, which remained alive in it even after his death, and will live as long as the successors and spiritual deputies of the Great Shepherd shepherd the Maroseyka flock .

7.Conclusion

Father Alexy Mechev was canonized as a saint of the Russian Orthodox Church by the Act of the Jubilee Council of Bishops on August 14, 2000; his canonization took place at the Divine Liturgy in the Cathedral of Christ the Savior on August 20, 2000.

In 2001, on the feast of All Saints who shone forth in the Russian land, the relics of the righteous saint Alexy of Moscow were found. When the lid of the coffin became visible, a wonderful fragrance was felt in the air. The smell was reminiscent of holy ointment.

The holy relics of the righteous man were placed in the Novospassky Monastery. On September 29, 2001, the transfer of the holy relics took place. Regarding this event, His Holiness Patriarch Alexy II addressed the people of God with two messages (the case in itself is unique). A great many priests and laity took part in the procession that carried the holy relics of the righteous throughout Moscow. Hieromartyr Sergius Mechev was also glorified as a saint. In November 2001, His Holiness Patriarch Alexy signed a Decree establishing special days in memory of Saints Alexy and Sergius Mechev[27].

The life of these saints of God is not only an example of personal piety for every Orthodox person, but also an example of the fact that on the basis of an ordinary small parish it is possible to create a real Christian family, comparable in love, faith and piety to the first Christians - a parish community. And that no storms of revolution, famine, or devastation can destroy this building created on the Rock - Christ (Matthew 7:24).

And now people go to Maroseyka to the Church of St. Nicholas to pray at the relics of the holy righteous Alexei Mechev. And just as when he was on earth, he never left anyone inconsolable, so now, being at the Throne of God, he continues to ask for God’s help to everyone who asks him.

Help in troubles and console in sorrows, / good shepherd, Father Alexie, / because you have shone through the world with the feat of eldership, / you have confessed the faith and love of Christ in the darkness of iniquity, / your heart aches for all those who come to you. // And now pray to God for us, / who honors you with love. (Troparion, tone 1).

[1] Holy Righteous Alexy (Mechev). https://www.st-nikolas.orthodoxy.ru/newmartyres/alexy_mechev.html

[2] The holy righteous Alexy Mechev is a prayer book and seer. https://www.pravmir.ru/svyatoj-pravednyj-aleksij-mechev-molitvennik-i-prozorlivec/

[3] Holy Righteous Alexy (Mechev). https://www.st-nikolas.orthodoxy.ru/newmartyres/alexy_mechev.html

[4] Moscow elder - righteous archpriest Alexy Mechev. In the book: “Give us some of your oil...”: Advice from experienced confessors. Saratov, 2009 – pp.22-23

[5] Holy Righteous Alexy (Mechev). https://www.st-nikolas.orthodoxy.ru/newmartyres/alexy_mechev.html

[6] Father Alexey Mechev: “Optina on Maroseyka.” https://www.pravmir.ru/otec-aleksej-mechev-optina-na-marosejke/

[7] Deacon Vladimir Sysoev. Spirit of Maroseyka. https://co6op.narod.ru/txt/books/mechev/htm2/spirit.html

[8] Holy Righteous Alexy (Mechev). https://www.st-nikolas.orthodoxy.ru/newmartyres/alexy_mechev.html

[9] Peter Yurgenson. Notes about Father. https://co6op.narod.ru/txt/books/mechev/htm2/notes.html

[10] Deacon Vladimir Sysoev. Spirit of Maroseyka. https://co6op.narod.ru/txt/books/mechev/htm2/spirit.html

[11] Holy Righteous Alexy (Mechev). https://www.st-nikolas.orthodoxy.ru/newmartyres/alexy_mechev.html

[12] Father Alexey Mechev: “Optina on Maroseyka.” https://www.pravmir.ru/otec-aleksej-mechev-optina-na-marosejke/

[13] Deacon Vladimir Sysoev. Spirit of Maroseyka. https://co6op.narod.ru/txt/books/mechev/htm2/spirit.html

[14] “Give us some of your oil...”: Advice from experienced confessors. Saratov, 2009 – P.26

[15] Deacon Vladimir Sysoev. Spirit of Maroseyka. https://co6op.narod.ru/txt/books/mechev/htm2/spirit.html

[16] Moscow elder - righteous archpriest Alexy Mechev. In the book: “Give us some of your oil...”: Advice from experienced confessors. Saratov, 2009 – P.27

[17] Moscow elder - righteous archpriest Alexy Mechev. In the book: “Give us some of your oil...”: Advice from experienced confessors. Saratov, 2009 – P.28

[18] Deacon Vladimir Sysoev. Spirit of Maroseyka. https://co6op.narod.ru/txt/books/mechev/htm2/spirit.html

[19] Holy Righteous Alexy (Mechev). https://www.st-nikolas.orthodoxy.ru/newmartyres/alexy_mechev.html

[20] Holy Righteous Alexy (Mechev). https://www.st-nikolas.orthodoxy.ru/newmartyres/alexy_mechev.html

[21] P. Florensky. Death of father Alexei Mechev. https://co6op.narod.ru/txt/books/mechev/htm4/florensky.html

[22] Deacon Vladimir Sysoev. Spirit of Maroseyka. https://co6op.narod.ru/txt/books/mechev/htm2/spirit.html

[23] From the pastoral experience of the holy martyr Sergius Mechev. in the book: “Give us some of your oil...”: Advice from experienced confessors. Saratov, 2009 – pp.39-42

[24] “From the pastoral experience of the holy martyr Sergius Mechev. in the book: Give us some of your oil...”: Advice from experienced confessors. Saratov, 2009 – P.49

[25] From the pastoral experience of the holy martyr Sergius Mechev. in the book: “Give us some of your oil...”: Advice from experienced confessors. Saratov, 2009 – pp.53-54

[26] From the pastoral experience of the holy martyr Sergius Mechev. in the book: “Give us some of your oil...”: Advice from experienced confessors. Saratov, 2009 – P.40

[27] Holy Righteous Alexy (Mechev). https://www.st-nikolas.orthodoxy.ru/newmartyres/alexy_mechev.html

“The priest must belong to the people”

It cannot be said that Father Alexy had not been with the people before this. He helped those in need at every opportunity, set up a shelter for orphans and children of poor parents, and it was he, one of the few Moscow priests, who served the liturgy every day. Eight years, almost completely alone!

Church of St. Nicholas in Klenniki, 1920-1930. Source https://retromap.ru

People flocked to Klenniki. Because you could always come to the abbot for confession or at least for a conversation. The doors of his temple were always open. In Moscow, he gradually gained fame as a priest to whom one could turn for consolation and advice in the most difficult grief.

Father Alexy said: “A priest must belong to the people” - and admitted in letters to his relatives that he received people until late at night, going to bed at 2 o’clock, so that he could be back on his feet early in the morning.

“To love everyone,” he wrote, “is easy to say... To love everyone is a matter of life and experience, and considerable experience.”

Shrines and relics of the temple

Like any other temple, the Veshnyakov Church has its own, especially revered relics:

• Mosaic icon of the Descent from the Cross.
• Image of Saint David of Gareji.
• A particle of the relics of St. Amphilochius of Pochaev.
• A half-length image of Saint Alexis with hagiographic stamps (stamps, or frames around the perimeter of the icon, reproducing episodes from his life).

In 2021, His Holiness the Patriarch presented the icon of the Holy Apostles Peter and Paul as a gift to the temple.

Cultivate your will!

Being himself very collected and disciplined, Father Alexy attached great importance to discipline and willpower, always begging his spiritual children: establish order in your life, cultivate your will!

Maria Nikolaevna Sokolova in 1918

According to the memoirs of his spiritual daughter, the famous icon painter Maria Nikolaevna Sokolova (later nun Juliania), Father Alexy “always led those he led to spiritual feats,” saying that “external feats are necessary. Although it is the smallest, it develops willpower.”

When they asked him how to solve their problems and improve their lives, he answered: do not give up prayer! “Pray earnestly and earnestly,” he says in one letter.

And he admits that he himself once suffered from lack of will, and that it is very important to overcome it:

“Dear K.P., what great mercy God has for us, and we, sinners and careless ones, do not want to give Him even a small hour of thanksgiving and exchange the time of prayer, which is most important, for everyday troubles and worries, forgetting God and our duty !

Sunday School

There is a Sunday school at the temple. Not only middle-aged students come here, but also children with whom they study according to a separate program. For preschoolers, an introduction to the Law of God is taught in a playful way. In addition to studying, they enjoy drawing and sculpting.

Middle-aged children are introduced to biblical stories in lessons; the structure of the temple and the meaning of Orthodox holidays are explained to them. Teachers tell stories from the Old Testament.

Children enjoy attending hobby groups:

• drawing;
• artistic modeling;
• choral singing.

In addition to lessons together with school teachers, students prepare thematic theatrical performances and concerts for parishioners. A Youth Association has been created for teenagers and students. Participants in the movement help teachers work with children, try their hand as volunteers, and take part in tournaments of the Moscow Orthodox Intellectual Club “What? Where? When?".

The Sunday school director and teachers take an active part in preparing performances, concerts dedicated to Orthodox holidays, and church events.

Every Sunday in the church there are readings and conversations in the Gospel circle. Anyone can come up, listen, and chat with the priest. The work of the circle starts at 15:30.

“Fool, I only said that for others”

They were also drawn to him because Father Alexy received from God an obvious, but carefully hidden gift of insight: he often told stories about other people who found themselves in similar circumstances, but sooner or later it became clear to those who came who he was talking about...

So, a woman came to the priest with a difficult question: her husband went missing during the First World War, 9 years have passed since then, and a good man is wooing her. Should she get married? Should I wait for my husband? Father Alexy told her the story in his own way: “There are such cases. A woman came to me and said: “Father, bless me to marry again, my husband has been in captivity for many years, he is probably no longer alive.” I didn’t give my blessing, but she didn’t listen and still got married. 8-9 days after the wedding, her husband returns from captivity. And now she has two husbands, she must decide whose wife she is!” The woman got scared and decided to postpone the issue of remarriage. And a few days later her husband suddenly returned!

One day, a woman whose only son had disappeared came to Father Alexy from Tula. Arriving at the Church of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker, she stood in line at the cross. Seeing her, Father Alexy handed her a cross over the heads of those who walked ahead and said: “Pray as if you were alive!” Afterwards, having met her, the elder affectionately addressed the unfortunate woman: “Happy mother! Happy mother! What are you crying about? I’m telling you: he’s alive!” - and then he told the story that allegedly happened: “The other day, too, I visited my mother: she’s always worried about her son, but he calmly serves in Sofia at a tobacco factory.” A few months later, this woman received a letter from her son in which he said that he worked at a tobacco factory in Sofia.

Another time, two girls, previously unknown to him, came to the elder to ask for a blessing to become nuns. He willingly blessed one of them, and ordered the other to return home. The girl was very upset. People around her began to question her, and it turned out that she lived with her elderly mother, who was ill and did not want to hear about her daughter leaving for a monastery.

There were also funny, but always instructive incidents for their participants. One head of an orphanage, Olga Serafimovna, having come to the liturgy together with her subordinate, was worried about herself: what if the priest would now say something about me that would lower me in the eyes of my subordinate?.. And therefore I wanted to let her go ahead in queues to the cross. Seeing Olga Serafimovna, Father Alexy raised the cross high and, blessing her, said loudly: “Olga! Wise! And when she approached, he leaned close to her ear and added: “Fool, I only said that for others,” and looked at her with his usual good-natured smile. So people around him learned not to think too much about themselves, just as he never thought about himself, saying: “What about me? I'm wretched..."

Parish and choir of the temple

The Church of Alexy Mechev in Veshnyaki leads traditional parish life. People go to services, order services, make donations, help with cleaning and landscaping the surrounding area, and obey in the refectory.

Lectures and meetings with Moscow clergy are organized for adults, where listeners can ask questions. Many parishioners make the pilgrimage. Groups gather to visit churches in Moscow and the nearest Moscow region. Some parishioners go to services in churches in St. Petersburg and Pskov. A group of lovers of choral singing has been created within the walls of the temple.

After the revolution

Clouds were gathering over Russia, and 1917 was approaching. People were drawn to God, but for many Russians, church life turned into a burdensome tradition, incapable, as it seemed to them, of producing anything living, and the changes that the revolution promised and which later turned into a bloody nightmare of hatred and hatred seemed alive, fair, fresh and alluring. fratricide. Father Alexy himself wrote about the splitting of society and indifference to each other: “After all, in fact, not only each class, but even each family lived separately, they did not seek the common good, but only the personal...”

In 1919, at the height of the Civil War, when the future was alarming and completely unpredictable, the son of Father Alexy Mechev, Sergei, accepted the priesthood. He showed himself to be an unusually strong, courageous and strong-willed man, and, like his father, flaming with faith...

Social work, everyday life

The parishioners and the rector carry out feasible social activities. Educational and missionary services are actively developing. Parishioners provide spiritual assistance, care for the sick, located next door to the Clinical City Hospital No. 15 named after. O. Filatova. Priests do not refuse confession, communion, or unction to hospital patients.

Fathers visit not only simple hospital wards, but also those who are in the palliative department. A parishioner of the temple, artist M. Myshkovskaya, creates mosaic icons for Russian churches free of charge. She has already completed more than 30 similar works. Several of her icons are located within the walls of the temple. Young parishioners perform concerts and performances in nursing homes.

“We must love God with all our being!”

All of Moscow came to say goodbye to Father Alexy: one after another, different parishes headed by their pastors arrived at the church on Maroseyka. The funeral service - according to the will of Father Alexy - was performed by Archbishop Theodore (Pozdeevsky), abbot of the Danilov Monastery, miraculously released from prison shortly before this event. People began to come to the Lazarevskoye cemetery, where the good shepherd was buried. After 10 years, the cemetery was closed, the remains of Father Alexy and his wife were transferred to the Vvedenskie Gory (German) cemetery. The relics of Elder Alexy turned out to be incorrupt...

Church of St. Nicholas in Klenniki, the relics of the righteous Alexy of Moscow. Sources https://www.klenniki.ru

He and his son, Hieromartyr Sergius Mechev, who was executed in 1942, were glorified as saints in 2000. Today the relics of the elder rest in the temple where he served for 30 years - the Church of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker in Klenniki in Moscow.

Such a simple, difficult and extraordinary beauty of life is an amazing evidence that holiness is always a choice, always a determination: after all, Father Alexy could fulfill the requirements, serve on holidays and on Sundays, lead the ordinary, measured life of a priest, which many led hereditary clergy of that time. He could have been just a kind father, forgotten by his descendants over time, but... People still go to his relics today. And in the parish where this man served, to this day - through years of persecution! — the extraordinary atmosphere of a real Christian community is alive.

Saints are among us. And so it will be until this world passes away. From the depths of centuries and very close - from the long-suffering 20th century - their voice will echo Christ: “Love! With all the strength of your soul, love!”

Memorial Days: June 22, September 2, September 29, February 11

Address of the Church of St. Nicholas in Klenniki: Moscow, st. Maroseyka, house 5

How to get there: Kitay-gorod metro station, exit to Maroseyka street, go out of the glass doors to the right, follow the passage all the way and exit to the left.

On May 14, 2021, the Holy Synod of the Russian Church approved the text of the service to the righteous Alexy Mechev, presbyter of Moscow.

History of construction

Alekseevsky Church is one of the first buildings erected as part of the “Program-200” construction project. The concept is based on a plan for the establishment of 200 new Orthodox parishes in all metropolitan districts. The main goal of the program is to provide residents of the city’s residential areas with churches located within walking distance. To date, more than 60 facilities have already been put into operation.

The construction is carried out at the expense of extra-budgetary funds collected from monetary donations from large enterprises, philanthropists and ordinary residents. The foundation stone of the temple took place in February 2012. Most of the construction work was completed by the end of 2015. And already at the beginning of 2016, a small consecration took place. After this significant event, regular services began to be held in the church.

Until July 2021, when the temple was consecrated by the great rite, Patriarch Kirill of Moscow, the decoration of the shrine continued. On a plot of land with an area of ​​0.4 hectares, flower beds were laid out, trees and shrubs were planted.

Interesting facts about the temple in the surrounding area

The temple complex is often given the role of a functioning cultural site. A variety of events are held here, which are attended not only by local residents, but also by Muscovites from other parts of the city. So, not only parishioners of the temple, but also residents of nearby houses come to Easter and Christmas Sunday school concerts. Maslenitsa and Christmas are celebrated together with the residents.

Children of different ages, members of the Youth Church Association, parishioners, and residents of the area take part in the festive festivities. Directly adjacent to the temple territory is the space of the city park "Rainbow", where, in addition to alleys and benches, there is a large sports ground and a children's play area.

Across the road are the Perinatal Center, two secondary schools and the building of the Children's Football Academy. If you walk from the church along Zhemchugovaya Alley, you can get to the Kuskovo museum-estate.

Attractions nearby:

• Rainbow Park. On its territory there is a cascade of ponds, the Big and Small Count Ponds, and the Bridge of Lovers.
• A memorial stone laid in honor of the 60th anniversary of the Victory of the Great Patriotic War.
• Memorial stone "To the liquidators of the consequences of the Chernobyl disaster."
• Playgrounds.
• Football field.

Where is it located, what is in the surrounding area, how to get there

The temple is located in the Eastern Administrative District of Moscow at the address: st. Veshnyakovskaya, building No. 16. From the stop complex near the Vykhino metro station, buses No. 232 and No. 247, as well as trolleybuses No. 30 and No. 64, depart towards the temple. Transport reaches the stop "15 city hospital" in about 6 minutes.

Travelers are interested in the Temple of Alexei Mechev in Veshnyaki primarily as an example of modern architecture and religious national culture. Getting to know it is included in the excursion program of most pilgrimage tours in the capital.