information about the temple:
Full name: Church of the Savior Not Made by Hands in Usovo (old)
Common name: Spasskaya Church
Address: Moscow region, Odintsovo district, village. Usovo
Address for 1917: Moscow province, Zvenigorodsky district, village. Usovo-Spasskoye
Coordinates: 55.737719°N 37.207244°E
Diocese: Russian Orthodox Church MP
First mention no later than the 16th century.
Spasskaya Church is located at Moscow region, Odintsovo district, village. Usovo in Usovo. This temple belongs to the diocese of the Russian Orthodox Church MP. The Church of the Savior was first officially mentioned in the archive no later than the 16th century. from the Nativity of Christ.
Our website provides background information about this temple. God bless you!
Check the schedule of services directly with the church. The schedule hangs on the doors of the temple.
If you think that our information about the temple is incorrect or incomplete, or you have better photographs, current contact information, service schedules, links to the temple’s Internet pages, send them to us by email: . We will be happy to update the pages.
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Church of the Savior Not Made by Hands in Usovo (old)
A small stone church, built at the expense of M. M. Matyushkin, was completely rebuilt in the classicist style in 1822-1824 at the expense of A. P. Khrushchev. At the same time, a bell tower was built, and the Kazan chapel was built in the choir. Closed in 1932, mid. XX century It was completely rebuilt, the wedding frames were broken, it was used for housing. In 2004 it was restored with elements of reconstruction. Located on the territory of the residence of the President of the Russian Federation Novo-Ogaryovo.On May 30, 2009, Patriarch Kirill and the GDP laid the first stone of a new church in Usovo, a village along the Rublevo-Uspenskoye Highway. A little more than a year later, on July 5, 2010, it was already consecrated. After the consecration, the Divine Liturgy was served personally by the patriarch, which was attended by GDP, as well as Sechin and the head of Rosneft Bogdanchikov.
Personal impressions and puzzling questions from the most promoted new-built church in recent years...
Usovo is a village in the Odintsovo district of the Moscow region, located on the Rublevo-Uspenskoye highway, or, as the common people call it, “Rublyovka”. Bandits of the 90s, thieves, bribe takers, artists, politicians, businessmen and a few people live here.
On the western side of the wall around the “temple complex” there is a nice belfry.
They say that they tried to give the current temple features of the ancient style. By the way, the temple in Usovo has existed since the 17th century. Several times it fell into disrepair and was restored. It has survived to this day and is located on the territory of the Novo-Ogaryovo residence, where access to mere mortals is closed.
Until this notice board at the entrance, everything gave the impression of just a typical remake. The surprises began with her. I wouldn’t be surprised if this is so far the only church in Russia that has a “Cyrillic” address on the Internet.
Cameras, alarms, automatic gates... thank God, at least the fence is not 5 meters high.
Externally, the temple looks quite simple. Maybe this is another explanation for the fact that it was built so quickly.
For the children of parishioners.
Cultural center at the temple. Theatrical performances, concerts and lectures take place here.
A single ensemble: on the left is the cultural center, on the right is the clergy house, in the center in the distance is a modest house... probably, one of the parishioners. =)
Let's finally take a look inside! More serious surprises awaited me there.
The temple was being cleaned. A certain woman of about 45 was carefully scrubbing the floors with a mop... in trousers! I did not see the iconostasis in the classical sense. Even the cross over the Royal Doors is more of a Catholic model.
There was a chandelier in one of the side aisles.
But this futuristic design is a chandelier in the main aisle. It resembles something between, again, a Catholic cross and an anti-tank hedgehog with a bunch of pseudo-lamps. Enchanting.
Around the perimeter of the temple there are stasidia - half-sitting chairs supported by armrests. They are usually placed in monasteries, especially in Greece: they are used by monks during hours-long services. This is the first time in my life that I have seen something like this in a parish church, and they are located in a position for full sitting.
The interior design of the temple is generally unpretentious. Here, for example, is a vase a la Ikea.
Initially, the temple was designed for 250 people, and now local residents do not need to go to distant churches in Moscow and the Moscow region to pray. Just as they wanted to build communism in one single country, they also, apparently, want to bring it to salvation in one single “Rublyovka”.
The general impression of the temple is ambiguous. First of all, I was confused by the interior: if there was no iconostasis, I would have decided that I was in a church. Stasidiums in the parish church, cleaners in trousers, futuristic elements in the form of a chandelier... if you consider that this is a temple with a special, “Rublev” status, and was built “from start to finish” during the time of Patriarch Kirill (and under his sensitive patronage) , I think that quick changes cannot be ruled out in church life in general.
In the village of Usovo, Odintsovo district, Moscow region, in 2009 - 2010, according to the design of the architect V.N. Izhikov, the Church of the Savior of the Image Not Made by Hands was built. Since a church of the same name already existed in the village since 1765, the new temple received the additional name New. The design and construction of the new church and the complex assigned to it was carried out under the direct supervision of V.V. Putin, who at that time held the position of Chairman of the Government of the Russian Federation. Currently, the complex is practically built and includes the New Spassky Church itself, the Holy Gates with a belfry, the clergy house, and the Vodosvyatsky chapel. Also, an Orthodox educational complex was built and operates on the territory of the complex. 
In the public garden near the main square, between the church itself and the Holy Gate with the belfry, there is a monument to the Reverend Martyr Grand Duchess Elizabeth Feodorovna. Together with her husband, Grand Duke Sergei Alexandrovich, Elizaveta Fedorovna took possession of the village, which at that time was called Usovo-Ilyinskoye, in 1880. With the generous donations of the royal couple, the temple was actively developed and improved, and the parochial school operated and was supported. 
On weekends and holidays, the Holy Gate, located in the western part of the temple fence, is thrown open to parishioners. On normal days, entrance to the complex is through a gate in the northern part of the fence. Like the entire complex of the New Temple, the Holy Gate was built in 2009 - 2010 according to the design of the architect V. N. Izhikov. Above the gate there is a belfry, stylized as a three-domed temple, the central vault of which is decorated with a dome. 
The Vodosvyatsky stone chapel received the source and religious attributes placed in it, intended for the sacrament of the consecration of water. A characteristic feature of the chapel are four facades, stylized as royal arched gates, with windows inserted throughout the entire volume, while three of them have fully glazed doors. The vault of the chapel is crowned with a stone drum with a golden dome and a cross. 
The building of the clergy house houses not only residential and utility premises, but also a pilgrimage service. The building also houses Sunday school classes and various clubs, which offer classes in drawing, singing, bead weaving, and a pottery club. All classes are conducted in several groups organized by age. 
Today, the complex of the New Church of the Savior Not Made by Hands in the village of Usovo is not only a temple, a chapel, a magnificent belfry and a clergy house. On its territory there is also the Usovo-Spasskoye Orthodox Educational Center, built in 2010 and playing a huge role in the spiritual revival and development of Russian society. Today the center has spacious and well-equipped classrooms, a conference hall with 120 seats, a library with a reading room, two gyms and an exhibition hall. A special place in the complex is given to a memorial room dedicated to Grand Duchess Elizabeth Feodorovna.
The center of the temple complex of the Savior Not Made by Hands in the village of Usovo is a four-altar church with a baptismal sanctuary, which externally resembles churches of the 11th century
The Moscow region is inextricably linked with the Imperial House of Romanov. After the establishment of a new dynasty in 1613, the young Tsar Mikhail Fedorovich generously distributed lands emptied during the Time of Troubles and the Polish-Lithuanian campaigns to his associates. Among them were the princes of Sitsky. Stolnik Fyodor Alekseevich, who signed the document electing Mikhail Romanov as Tsar, received the village of Usovo as a gift. In 1627, Prince Sitsky owned “the patrimony of the village of Usovo, and in the village the Church of the All-Merciful Savior of the Image Not Made by Hands.
And in the church there are images and candles and books, on the bell tower, every church building, in the church yard there is priest Prokofey Timofeev.” In 1664, the right of ownership of the village was confirmed to Ivan Glebovich Morozov, but the real mistress of the village was his widow, a famous Old Believer, noblewoman Feodosia Prokofievna Morozova. In 1672, the village of Usovo was granted to one of the close people of Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich, Afanasy Ivanovich Matyushkin. His son Mikhail Afanasyevich Matyushkin (1695-1755), the future general-in-chief, conqueror of Baku and Kiev governor-general, second cousin of Peter I, spent a lot of effort on arranging the church and village. In 1705, he built a new wooden church to replace the one that burned down in 1702. The stone temple in Usovo was built in 1765 on an elevated open area near the Moscow River by Mikhail Mikhailovich Matyushkin. Significant damage to estates and villages near Moscow was caused during the Patriotic War of 1812. Usovo was burned and the Spasskaya Church was looted. Since 1817, the village was owned by Colonel, State Councilor Dmitry Pavlovich Runich (1780-1860), and he is responsible for bringing the temple into a splendid and well-maintained appearance.
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The next owner of the village, guard ensign of the Preobrazhensky Regiment Alexander Petrovich Khrushchev, greatly rebuilt the church. “The remodeling of the Spaso-Usovsky Church belonged to the architect A. G. Grigoriev. He gave an Empire look to an older building from the mid-18th century by adding columned porticoes, altering the window casings, and decorating the neck of the faceted dome with Ionic columns. To this array the architect added a refectory with typical three-part windows. Inside the church, in this newer part of it, a chapel was built above the entrance doors to the temple, which retained an exceptionally stylish Empire iconostasis: dark blue with white details and gold decorations. The best part of the church, which the master was very successful with, is the bell tower connected to it - a tall cylinder surrounded at the bottom by columns with semi-circular windows cut into it. The bell tier was placed in a kind of gazebo - a rotunda of four arches between twin Ionic columns. Above is a dome and a typical Empire spire. The combination of orange and dazzling white coloring creates a bright and joyful architectural spot on the emerald grass of the meadow going down to the Moscow River, onto which green shadows are cast by the birch trees picturesquely spread along the slope,” wrote A. N. Grech.
In 1861, Usovo peasants, rejoicing at the abolition of serfdom, abandoned their farms and went to work. Usovo was deserted, the majestic temple, deprived of outside help, fell into disrepair, and the church clergy fell into poverty.
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In 1867, Usovo was acquired for Empress Maria Alexandrovna. Having visited the village for the first time, she was struck by the deplorable state of the temple and ordered 200 rubles to be given. for urgent needs. At the empress's own expense in 1869-1872. The church was overhauled, the area was surrounded with a stone fence, the interior was improved, and heating was installed. On September 2, 1873, Konstantin Georgievich Makhaev (1843-1932) was appointed to the post of priest of the Spasskaya Church. The young priest put a lot of effort into organizing his parish. In December 1873, Fr. Konstantin is appointed teacher of the law at the parochial school established by Empress Maria Alexandrovna. Archpriest Konstantin enjoyed great respect from parishioners until his death in 1932, having served as rector. After the death of the Empress, the Usovo-Ilyinskoye estate in 1880 was transferred, according to her will, to Grand Duke Sergius Alexandrovich. His wife, Grand Duchess Elizaveta Feodorovna, paid a lot of attention to the Usovsky temple. Father Konstantin wrote that “since 1869, the Usovo church has seen kings and queens, royalty and high-ranking persons, metropolitans and vicars not only briefly visiting the church, but also listening to services. In 1883, the church was again visited by royalty, and again beautified by their royal generosity. At present, the fate of the temple is completely assured, because in her Royal landowner she sees an ever-present, unceasing, most careful Trustee, a generous Benefactor.”
The temple holiday of the Savior of the Image Not Made by Hands was celebrated exclusively solemnly. It was a real folk festival, in which all residents of the village, both wealthy and poor peasants, and many children participated. Children's competitions were organized, and the winners were awarded prizes: toys, straws, pipes, sweets, gingerbread cookies, and nuts. They played the lottery, receiving winnings from Grand Duchess Elizabeth Feodorovna for each ticket: scarves, chintz for dresses and shirts, samovars, porcelain teapots and cups and saucers. They launched paper balloons.
After the revolution, a holiday home was organized in the Usovo estate. Spassky Church was closed in 1932, after the death of Fr. Konstantin Makhaev. By 1940, the bells were removed, the upper dome and bell tower were demolished, and when mass construction of state dachas began, the church building was rebuilt into residential premises. In 2004, the temple was restored with elements of reconstruction. Nowadays it is the house church of the Novo-Ogaryovo residence.
In 1995, among residents of the village. In Usovo, an initiative group was formed that began to take care of the return of the temple. In 1996, the Usovsky parish was registered. Through the prayers of parishioners in 2004, the historical Church of the Savior of the Image Not Made by Hands in the village. Usovo was restored to its previous architectural forms and services were resumed. Due to its location within the boundaries of the Novo-Ogarevo residence, the full life of the parish was not possible. After diligent appeals from the church community, a decision was made to build a new church.
In 2009-2010 under the care of the Chairman of the Government of the Russian Federation V.V. Putin, a new Spassky Church was built in the village of Usovo. On May 30, 2009, the groundbreaking of a new church building took place, and on July 5, 2010, the first Divine Liturgy took place. The consecration ceremonies of the foundation stone and the new church were performed by His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Rus'.
The modern temple complex was built according to the design of the architect V.N. Izhikov and consists of a church, a Holy Chapel, a clergy house and the Usovo-Spasskoye Orthodox Educational Center. The center of the complex is the four-altar church in the name of the Savior, the Image Not Made by Hands, its height is more than forty meters. The temple can accommodate more than 250 people. Its appearance - harmonious proportions, stature and power of the white stone silhouette - embodies the traditions of ancient Russian temple architecture.
The throne of the upper church is consecrated in honor of the Savior Not Made by Hands, the lower thrones: central - in honor of the Sovereign Icon of the Mother of God, side ones: southern, in honor of the Hieromartyr Sergius Mahaev, son of the last rector and associate of Grand Duchess Elisaveta Feodorovna, northern, in honor of the Reverend Martyr Grand Duchess Elizabeth Feodorovna, mistress of the historical estate “Ilinskoye-Usovo. The author of the concept of the interior decoration of the temple and altar icons is the outstanding modern icon painter Archimandrite Zinon (Theodore). Rethinking the heritage of early Byzantine church art from the 6th to 9th centuries, he created a unique interior of the temple.
The temple complex also included a belfry and the Usovo-Spasskoye Educational Center with a Sunday school.
Details 10/25/2013
“Happiness does not lie in living in a palace and being rich; you can lose all of this. True happiness is something that neither people nor events can steal. You will find it in the life of the soul and giving of yourself...”
Grand Duchess Elisaveta Feodorovna
A little history
According to legend, the name of the village of Usovo comes from the name of the noble nobleman Lavrentiy Usa, to whom Grand Duke Vasily the Dark gave lands on the banks of the Moscow River. According to documents from 1627, a wooden Church of the Savior of the Image Not Made by Hands with chapels was listed in Usovo, on the site of which a new stone church was built in the 1760s.
During the French invasion in 1812, significant damage was caused to estates and villages near Moscow. A message from the clerk of Prince F.N. has been preserved. Golitsyn, who wrote: “In Glukhov, all the hay was taken by the enemy for fodder. Half of the villages of Dmitrovskoye burned down, as well as Timoshkino, Gribanovo, Sareevo and Usovo. In the village of Arkhangelskoye, fields were devastated, people died, and the Zakharkovskaya crossing across the Moscow River was destroyed.” The Spassky Church in Usovo was looted and desecrated, almost all the utensils were stolen, the bell was broken. Only three icons decorated with silver vestments and stones have survived in the temple - the Image of the Savior Not Made by Hands and two icons of the Mother of God: Tikhvin and Bogolyubskaya.
After the Patriotic War of 1812, the Church of the Kazan Mother of God in Laikovo was assigned to the Spassky Church. It was a small 2-tier baroque church with a rotunda, built by Princess M.A. Golitsyna in the middle of the 18th century. In 1812, the church was badly damaged: the building burned and the bell tower was destroyed. Historians believe that the French started the fire to melt the bells and use the copper to cast cannons, but did not have time. 24 pounds of melted copper was stored in the church in Usovo, and in 1822 the bell of the Spasskaya Church, broken by the French, was cast from it. Only in 1880 were services resumed in the Kazan Church.
In 1865-1867, Emperor Alexander II bought and donated the Ilyinskoye and Usovo estates near Moscow to his wife Maria Alexandrovna. By 1872, by imperial command, the Spasskaya Church was splendidly decorated and surrounded by a stone fence, and a public school building was erected nearby, which later became a parish school. In 1882, the Usovo estate became the property of Grand Duke Sergius Alexandrovich. His wife, Grand Duchess Elisaveta Feodorovna, paid a lot of attention to the Usovsky temple.
For 50 years, the rector of the Spasskaya Church was priest Konstantin Makhaev. In 1912, he was elevated to the rank of archpriest and awarded a golden miter and the Order of St. Anna III degree, which was awarded for 20 years of diligent service as a teacher of law in public schools.
After the revolution, a holiday home was organized on the Usovo estate. Spassky Church was closed in 1932, after the death of Fr. Konstantin Makhaev. In 1940, the bells and the upper dome were demolished and the premises were rebuilt as a dacha. In 2004, the temple was restored with some reconstruction. Nowadays it is located on the territory of the residence of the President of the Russian Federation “Novo-Ogaryovo”. In 2009-2010, under the care of the Chairman of the Government of the Russian Federation V.V. Putin, a new Spassky Church was built in the village of Usovo.
Sunday school
Today, at the Spassky Church, the Usovo-Spasskoye Orthodox Educational Center successfully operates, where Sunday school classes are organized. The main objectives of the school are the assimilation of Orthodox dogma and the formation of an Orthodox worldview, nurturing love for God, neighbors, and the Motherland, acquiring skills in spiritual life and building a church way of life for the family.
With the blessing of the rector, Archimandrite Nestor, the spiritual care of the Sunday school is provided by Father Mikhail Goryunov. Classes at the school are structured according to age, so that children can receive the essentials for spiritual growth. The main subject is the Law of God, which is taught to all school-age students. Children actively participate in the life of the parish, in festive services, religious processions, some boys serve at the altar.
In musical and educational classes for the little ones, they learn songs dedicated to Orthodox holidays, children learn to communicate, move, draw, sculpt from plasticine, and do joint art work. The ceramic workshop (potter's wheel, modeling, firing, enamels) is very popular. Clay in the hands of children turns into wonderful crafts for the Nativity of Christ and Easter Sunday. There are also courses in beadwork and needlework (crocheting and knitting, glass painting, embroidery, appliqué), their goal is to develop fine motor skills, develop aesthetic tastes and basic skills in working with various types of materials. Gold embroidery is not just a craft, but a special kind of church art. At the theater club classes, children prepare performances for the Nativity of Christ and Easter Sunday. A child can try himself in different areas: learn to play the guitar and chess, sing in a choir, dance.
