One of the oldest churches of the Ryazan Kremlin was recently returned to the Russian Orthodox Church and the first prayer service was held. While the Moscow Kremlin is the most famous, there are in fact several Kremlins (fortified complexes) in ancient Russians cities and towns.

On October 11, the Ryazan Diocese announced the return of the Church of the Descent of the Holy Apostles, of a unique architectural style, and invited the faithful to help clean and restore the holy site the next day. So many volunteers turned up, including from various youth organizations, that there wasn’t enough equipment for them all to use. In addition to cleaning, prayers were heard within the church for the first time in a century, as Fr. Pavel Konkov, head of the Diocesan Department of Religious Education and Catechesis, served a moleben.

The Holy Spirit Church is one of the oldest in the Ryazan Kremlin. The image of this unique double-tent church is familiar to all Ryazan residents and memorable to city visitors. However, few people have had the chance to visit its interior in recent decades. The history of the church dates back to the 15th century, as even then, at the founding site of the Pereyaslavl fortress, at the confluence of the Lybed and Trubezh rivers, there was a Monastery of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit Church was severely damaged by fires in the 17th century and later restored, with the authentic central structure and a foundation plaque in the wall preserved.

In the 20th century, the church was closed. It is known that the iconostasis was demolished and icons were used to make boxes and sent to Moscow, after which their fate is unknown. The church altar was initially converted into a stage, then the building was used as a cinema, and until recently, it housed the museum’s library. The refectory part, whose interior appearance was severely distorted, can now serve as a reminder of the tragedy that befell this and other holy sites in the 20th century. There are plans to create an exhibition dedicated to the fate of the Ryazan Diocese during the years of anti-religious persecution. (Quelle: www.orthochristian.com, 16. Oktober 2024)