The restoration of the Church of the Prophet of God Elijah in the Novgorod courtyard has been completed in Moscow. After the return of the church to the Russian Orthodox Church in the 1990s, it was repeatedly renovated, but a comprehensive restoration was carried out for the first time.
"The Iliinsky Temple, built in 1519-1521, recently celebrated its 500th anniversary. Of course, the building's appearance has changed many times over the centuries: in Soviet times, various institutions were located here, and for a while it was even used as housing," said Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin.
The work to preserve the monument took six years. Restorers of various specialties worked: bricklayers, carpenters, specialists in facade work and decoration. The craftsmen replaced the brick, preserving the historical masonry system of the XVI century, and reinforced the structures by injection: a special solution was injected into the walls under pressure. The roofers used jewelry, mostly by hand, to create an airtight coating of the temple roof made of copper, and the gilding masters put the gilding on the crosses and domes in order.
Since the end of the 19th century, the lower temple has been filled in. It was discovered in the 2000s, and it became a scientific sensation. Now the building has been restored to its historical appearance and opened to the public. Now the lower temple, consecrated in the XVIII century in honor of the Apostle Timothy, will become, as before, an integral part of the architectural ensemble of the church.
According to archival documents, the restorers also restored the historical appearance of the bell tower, recreating its dome, the spire of the dome and the cross. The bells were made by Ural craftsmen, and their sound was fine-tuned by Moscow bell ringers.
In addition, the specialists carried out large-scale work in the interiors, opened and decorated the doorways based on archival materials. During the restoration, the lost gallery was recreated, thanks to which the traditional composition of the church was restored, as well as the entrance to the lower temple was made.
During the work, it was decided to leave several restoration windows and soundings in the walls and vaults with the original masonry of the XVI century, which will emphasize the antiquity of the structure.
Special attention was paid to the reconstruction of iconostases. In particular, the restorers restored the elaborate basma of the iconostasis in the lower temple and the decorative wood carvings of the iconostasis in the upper one.