Temple-Chapel of the Prophet of God Elijah in Otradnoe
The temple-chapel in honor of the Prophet of God Elijah, attributed to the Church of the Intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary in Medvedkovo, is located in close vicinity of the Otradnoye metro station (22B, Dekabristov str.). The temple-chapel began its existence in 1997, when a small wooden tent-type chapel was laid. Like many chapels, it was built at the intersection of roads so that a person could drop by on his way, light a candle and pray. In 2005 with the blessing of His Holiness Patriarch Alexy of Moscow and All Russia, the chapel was transformed into a temple-chapel (small temple) with the possibility of celebrating the Divine Liturgy. For this purpose, a throne was installed and the altar was separated by an iconostasis. Elijah was a biblical prophet in the kingdom of Israel, who lived in the IX century BC. Sometimes, according to his place of birth in the city of Thisbe, the prophet Elijah is called Elijah the Tishbite. He was a formidable denouncer of idolatry and impiety. The activity of Elijah the Prophet dates back to the reign of Ahab, when the proud and power-hungry wife of the weak-willed king, the Phoenician Jezebel, decided to establish the cult of Baal and Astarte. The true zealots of piety were expelled from the country, and a staff of priests of Baal was established at the court. When the king’s wickedness reached an extreme degree, the prophet— barefoot, in a coarse camel’s hair cloak, with a leather belt around his loins and a staff in his hands—appeared in Samaria, went to the royal palace and announced to Ahab that a three-year famine was befalling the country for his wickedness. But Ahab did not repent, and a struggle began between the king and the prophet. During the sacrifice on Mount Carmel, arranged to test and compare the power of Yahweh and Baal, the priests of the latter suffered a complete defeat and were personally executed by the prophet. After visiting Mount Horeb, Elijah returned to the kingdom of Israel again, rebuked Ahab for the dishonorable seizure of the vineyard from Naboth, by the will of the Lord chose a disciple and successor in the person of Elisha, finally humbled Ahab and rebuked his successor Ahaziah for his conversion to the Akkaron idol Beelzebub on the occasion of illness. Elijah was taken to heaven alive: according to the Bible, only Enoch, who lived before the Flood, was taken alive to heaven before him. However, in Orthodox theology there is an opinion that Enoch and Elijah were not taken up to heaven, but to some secret place, where they are waiting for the day of the apocalypse. Elijah the prophet enjoys special respect, he is the patron saint of the airborne troops of Russia.
Address: Moscow, Dekabristov str., 22B
