The city of Alexandrovsk-Sakhalinsky has completed the creation of two new murals dedicated to St. Innocent, Metropolitan of Moscow and co-founder of SAMBO wrestling Vasily Sergeyevich Oschepkov.
Archbishop Nikanor of Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk and Kuril Islands blessed the creation of the murals.
A mural with the image of Vasily Oschepkov appeared on the building of a sports and recreation complex.
The portrait of St. Innocent was created on an apartment building at Osoaviakhimovskaya Street, 2. Its appearance was timed to coincide with the 170th anniversary of the village of Douai, which was founded on July 16, 1856 on the southwestern coast of Sakhalin.
In 1861, the ship "Gaydamak", on board of which Vladyka Innokenty was, stopped at the village of Douai to refuel with coal on the way from Nikolaevsk to Alaska. Suddenly, a violent storm began. According to historical evidence, the crew and the captain were preparing for the worst, and St. Innocent was praying in the cabin for the storm to stop.
The captain of the Gaydamak, Peshchurov, decided to raise the sails and throw the ship ashore. The ship ran aground, and the entire crew was able to escape by disembarking at Douai.
Saint Innocent spent several weeks on Sakhalin, and then continued his journey on another ship. The Gaydamak itself was later repaired, and it served Russia for about a quarter of a century.
The chapel of St. Innocent is now located on the shore where the ship once got into trouble.
In 1977, the Russian Orthodox Church canonized Metropolitan Innocent. Orthodox Sakhalinites consider him the heavenly patron saint of Sakhalin and the Kuril Islands.
Vasily Oshchepkov's life story is closely connected with Sakhalin. In 1907, an orphan who had survived the difficult post—war years on the island was sent to study in Japan - at the Orthodox theological seminary at the Russian mission in Tokyo.
In addition to the basic disciplines, judo was taught at the seminary, which had been created by the famous master Jigaro Kano twenty years earlier. The teacher liked the quick-witted and dexterous student so much that he brought him to the entrance exams at the Kodokan, the main school of judo. Equal-to-the-Apostles Nicholas, Archbishop of Japan, blessed the boy on this path, presciently anticipating how useful this experience would be in the student's life.…
With the blessing of Archbishop Nikanor of Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk and Kuril Islands, Abbot Ambrose (Kovalev), rector of the local Church of the Intercession, consecrated the murals.