Lenino. The Church of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker.
Church
Belarus, Gomel region, Dobrushsky district, Lenino agro-town
Description
The Church of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker was built back in 1848. This monumental temple was built in a transitional style from Baroque to classicism.
The church has a difficult fate: for many years it was used for other purposes, later the building was partially destroyed, for a long time the ruins were in an abandoned state.
At the moment, restoration work is being carried out here by the priest and parishioners.
Categories
Ruins
Architectural monument
Historical
On restoration
Comments
Reviews to the Place
1Ольга Ерёменко
10.01.2025
The Church of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker.
The history of Lenino dates back to the early 18th century. At this time, local residents created a prayer house, which was soon replaced by the wooden church of St. Nicholas. However, this temple did not last long: in 1797, a large-scale fire occurred in the village, which claimed the shrine.
In 1848, a stone church was erected on the site of the destroyed church, thanks to the financing of Count Peter Zavadovsky, who was close to Catherine II. After the first partition of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, the village became part of the Russian Empire.
The most important rector of the church was Peter Sadovsky, who served there for 60 years, and under whom the bell tower was added in 1873. After his death in 1917, his grave at the temple was treated with disrespect and the remains were moved to a local cemetery.
In 1931, during the time of atheism, the church was closed and its archive destroyed. A village club was created instead of the temple. In the post—war period, grain was stored on the ground floor, and the collective farm archive was on the second floor.
The fate of the temple changed on May 22, 1961, when lightning struck it, and the fire could not be extinguished in time. The church smoldered for about two weeks until the flames could be stopped after the dome was demolished. After that, the locals dismantled the temple for materials, but its strength did not allow it to be completely destroyed.
In the late 1980s, the chairman of the collective farm developed a project for the restoration of the church, which was almost approved, but the collapse of the USSR destroyed hopes for its implementation.
Father Vasily is currently engaged in the restoration together with the parishioners. The eastern part of the temple is almost complete, and the names of the people who donated money for the restoration are engraved on the bricks.
Among the many abandoned churches in the country, this case inspires hope: the restoration of the church can happen, although not immediately.