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A stained glass depiction of Matthew 19:14 where Jesus implores his audience to “Suffer unto me the little children” so that he may bless them. Photo by K. Mitch Hodge-

Top 10 Amazing Facts about Orthodox Â鶹APPh of St. Nicholas Church

The Russian Orthodox Church has canonical jurisdiction over the Saint Nikolaos Orthodox Community of Helsinki (Moscow Patriarchate).

His Eminence The community’s ruling bishop is Patriarch Kirill.

St.Nikolaos Orthodox community adheres firmly to the conviction of Orthodox faith, canonic laws and regulations and ritual practices of Holy Orthodox Church in all of its Christian activities: faith teaching, Divine services and religious rites, forms of spiritual and church management, and internal daily life.

All Christian feasts are celebrated according to the Julian calendar in the community’s two temples (the main – St.Nikolaos and the Blessed Xenia of St. Petersburg).

Russian emigration established the community (then the parish) in 1927.

1. Where is Orthodox Â鶹APPh of St. Nicholas Church located?

The church is located two blocks outside the Garden Ring on the corner of Komsomolsky Prospect and Leo Tolstoy Street. The churchyard, which features a row of small old houses, takes up an entire block between Leo Tolstoy and Timur Frunze streets.

2. Brief history about Orthodox Â鶹APPh of St. Nicholas Church

The first mention of a presumably wooden church on this site dates from 1625. The main five-domed church was built between 1679 and 1682, and the bell tower and refectory were finished around 1694. According to current church sources, the bell tower in Khamovniki is one of the highest tent-style bell towers in the Moscow region. The builders added a side annex dedicated to Saint Dmitry of Rostov in 1757.

3. What the church represents to the community

A stained-glass window in The Cathedral Church of St. Nicholas in Newcastle upon Tyne depicting the crucifixion of Jesus (centre) with a depiction of The Last Supper immediately below. Photo by K. Mitch Hodge-

The church represents late Muscovite Baroque, which predated the short-lived Naryshkin Baroque of the 1690s. It is one of many bonfire temples (Russian: оненне Ñ€aм) – (Russian: огненные Ñ…Ñ€aмы) church buildings with no three internal load-bearing columns, crowned with layers of small circular kokoshnik-style gables.

Every gable represents a heavenly fire (biblical thrones – angels or seraphs); a densely packed group of gables represents the Throne of God. Small decorative columns “supporting” the lower level gables indicate a Western influence in an otherwise vernacular structure.

4. The tragic fire that damaged the church

The fire of 1812 severely damaged the church, which reopened only in 1849. Shortly before that, in 1848, the church received its main relic, a copy of the Defender of the Sinners icon of the Theotokos from the Odrin convent, which was donated by Dmitry Doncheskul; the icon was permanently installed in the former Saint Dmitry annex.

It also has icons of Saint Alexis and Hodegetria of Smolensk from the 17th century. The church donated its Archangel Michael icon to the reopened Archangel Michael church in Devichye Pole in 2002.

5. How long has the church been open for?

The church has been open since 1849. It was never closed during the Soviet period, despite the loss of its main bell (restored in 1992). It was externally repaired twice, in 1949 and 1972. From 1915 to 1960, Father Pavel Lepekhin held one of the longest continuous tenures in 20th century Orthodoxy.

Metropolitan Pitirim Nechaev (1926-2003), who was offered the tenure in Khamovniki in 1972, declined the offer because the congregation, according to Pitirim, invariably packed the church well beyond its capacity, making service physically complicated even for young priests.

6. Who lived in the church?

A stained glass depiction of Matthew 19:14 where Jesus implores his audience to “Suffer unto me the little children” so that he may bless them. Photo by K. Mitch Hodge-

Leo Tolstoy lived in the church parish, two blocks north on the street that bears his name today. A group of gables is an architectural metaphor for God’s Throne. Small decorative columns “supporting” the lower level gables indicate a Western influence in an otherwise vernacular structure.

7. An icon was donated to the church after the fire

The fire of 1812 seriously impacted the church, which reopened only in 1849. Shortly before that, in 1848, the church received its main relic, a copy of the Defender of the Sinners icon of the Theotokos from the Odrin convent, which was donated by Dmitry Doncheskul; the icon was permanently installed in the former Saint Dmitry annex.

It also has icons of Saint Alexis and Hodegetria of Smolensk from the 17th century. The church made a donation of the Archangel Michael icon to the reopened Archangel Michael church in Devichye Pole in 2002.

8. St.Nikolaos Orthodox parish is the largest community

At the moment, St.Nikolaos Orthodox parish is the biggest Moscow Patriarchy community in Finland (according to the number of registered parishioners).

In legal terms, the parish is enlisted as a religious community under the Freedom of Religion Act (uskonnonvapauslaki) 453/2003. The community is steered by the rules and moral regulations of the Finnish Republic and the European Union in its financial, economic, and organizational activities.

The community is experiencing rapid growth. Its membership has more than doubled in the last decade, from 1121 members in December 2002 to 2400 members today (October 2012).

At the moment, three priests regularly perform Divine services in the two temples mentioned above. Liturgies are held in Church Slavonic, and sermons are delivered in Russian.

Religious rites are occasionally performed in Church-Slavonic and Finnish.

9. The community’s way of giving back to the church

A stained-glass window in The Cathedral Church of St. Nicholas in Newcastle upon Tyne depicting the crucifixion of Jesus (centre) with a depiction of The Last Supper immediately below. Photo by K. Mitch Hodge-

Most of the community’s work is done on a volunteer basis by its participants. Singing in the church choir, adhering at the candle-desk, librarian work, making food and beverages for Christian feasts, diaconal and circle work, remodelling of the home-page on the Internet and its transcription into multiple dialects, regimen and important renovations of the shrines, tailoring work, cleaning of the church and maintenance work on the territory of the churchyard, and so on are mostly done on a voluntary basis by parishioners.

10. St.Nikolaos Orthodox’s schedule of sermons and events

Spiritual liturgies are always held on Saturdays (beginning at 18:00 p.m.) and Sundays at St.Nikolaos Temple (start at 9:40 a.m.)

Services are also held on the eve of the festival day (beginning at 18:00 p.m.) and on the feast day in the morning. The public devotional schedule is readily accessible in the church and is also posted on the notice board near the front door. It is easily accessible from the Internet’s home page (in Russian and Finnish).

Confessions are made during evening worship prior to the start of the liturgy. If you haven’t confessed in a long time or are making your first confession, it’s a good idea to make an appointment with the priest ahead of time.