On the feast of the Exaltation of the Holy and Life-Giving Cross of the Lord, the bells were consecrated in the restored Holy Cross Church in the village of Leninsky. The divine service was performed by the dean of the Northern District, Archpriest Vyacheslav Kovalevsky.
Archpriest Vyacheslav Kovalevsky recalled the history of the establishment of the holiday and congratulated all those gathered on a significant day in the history of the parish: "Today is an amazing patronal holiday for us. And not just a holiday, but an event: when you travel from afar, you see how a temple is being erected, which is not only the Holy Cross in name, but also represents the greatness of the power and glory of God, proving that the Lord is not mocked.
Today's event has gone down in history: years will pass, and people will remember this day as one of the most important in the life of the parish, because before our eyes the church has found a voice."
Holy Cross Church in the village of Leninsky has a rich history. The stone temple was built by the landowners Mansurovs: construction began in 1781, and was completed in 1808 under the sons of Sergei Mansurov. The temple was a rare architectural composition – a rotunda with two symmetrical bell towers. It had three chapels: in honor of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross, the Kazan Icon of the Blessed Virgin Mary and St. Alexy, Metropolitan of Moscow.
During the Soviet era, the temple was significantly damaged: in 1929 it was used as a granary, and in the early 1960s the building almost completely collapsed. The revival of the shrine began in 2014, when a parishioner, Nadezhda Ignatova, took over the work of restoring the temple.
The fundraising effort for the bells had been underway for only a few months. Nadezhda Ignatova said: "At the end of 2023, we decided to raise money for a small belfry of six bells. We have already reached a certain height level, and it's time to order the bells. With the blessing of Metropolitan Alexy of Tula and Ephraim, the collection was launched through the Archangel Michael Moscow Charitable Foundation, with which they had collaborated before.
In January, one of the well-wishers wanted to help the temple. I told them that we are currently collecting six bells for a small belfry, and that the largest bell, Blagovest, weighing 820 kg, costs 2 million – we cannot collect such donations. The benefactor donated the necessary amount to the temple. Together with his trusted representative, we went to the Moscow Bell Factory, where we signed a contract and ordered a bell.
The Blagovest, weighing 820 kg, has an inscription: "This bell was cast for the glory of God in the summer of 2024 A.D. for the Church of the Exaltation of the Cross in Tula with the blessing of Metropolitan Alexy of Tula and Ephraim, with the charity of the God-loving parishioners and benefactors of this temple, the Lord knows their names."
Considering that the Holy Cross Church has three altars, the bell depicts icons: the Exaltation of the Holy Cross, the Most Holy Theotokos of Kazan, St. Alexy, Metropolitan of Moscow, as well as the image of the Savior Not Made with Hands.
The 450 kg bell reads: "God save our country, Your people, and bless Your wealth." The icons depict the Archangel Michael, the Holy Great Martyr George the Victorious, the Holy Prince Alexander Nevsky and the Blessed Virgin Mary "Recovery of the Dead." The bell was cast in memory of the temple builders.
All subsequent large bells weighing 250, 140 and 56 kg have the names of the donors who made them.
The 250 kg bell has an inscription: "Not to us, Lord, not to us, but give glory to Your name." The 140 kg bell reads: "Hear, O Lord, the voice of a penitent heart. Save and preserve." The 56 kg bell has an inscription: "This bell was cast in the summer of 2024 A.D. for the Church of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross in Tula."
Sofia Zotova, photo by the author, Tula Diocese