Kozelsk, Kaluga Province, Russia, October 24, 2024
Photo: monasterium.ru
On October 23, 2024, Optina Pustyn celebrated a significant milestone with the consecration of a restored church dedicated to St. Leo of Catania and St. John of Rila. The service took place at the monastery’s St. John the Baptist Skete on the feast day of St. Ambrose of Optina.
His Eminence Metropolitan Nikandr of Naro-Fominsk, vicar of the Patriarch of Moscow, and His Grace Bishop Joseph of Mozhaisk, the abbot of Optina Monastery, led the great consecration service alongside monastery clergy, reports the Russian Church’s Department for Monasteries and Monasticism.
The church’s history dates back to 1901-1902, when it was originally constructed thanks to the initiative of Yekaterinburg merchant M. I. Ivanov, a devotee of Elder Ambrose. The project received a special blessing from St. John of Kronstadt himself, with the church being dedicated to St. Leo of Catania (the patron saint of Optina’s first elder, St. Leo) and St. John of Rila (the patron saint of St. John of Kronstadt).
Photo: monasterium.ru
The original building featured a unique two-story design, with the church on the lower level and a library above it, crowned by a bell tower. An adjoining two-story structure housed monastic cells, storage areas, and the skete’s vestry. The lower level contained a chapel dedicated to the Synaxis of the Archangel Michael, which was consecrated on November 10, 1902.
Following the Russian Revolution, the church faced decades of secular use, including serving as part of an agricultural college. However, after its return to the Russian Orthodox Church, an extensive restoration project began. In 2012, the lower church of the Archangel Michael was adorned with frescoes.
This consecration marks the culmination of years of restoration work, returning the historic church to its original spiritual purpose and architectural splendor, while preserving its significance as a testament to Russian Orthodox heritage and craftsmanship.
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