Church of St. Nicholas of Myra and the Chapel of the Great Martyr and Healer Panteleimon in Otradnoye
The Church of St. Nicholas of Myra and the chapel of the Holy Great Martyr and Healer Panteleimon, the Patriarchal compound is located in the Otradnoye district at 6, Khachaturyana Street. It was built from 1997 to 1999. In October 2000, a Patriarchal Compound was established on the basis of the temple and chapel by Decree of His Holiness the Patriarch, and the organization of worship was entrusted to Archbishop John of Belgorod and Starooskolsky, Chairman of the Missionary Department of the Moscow Patriarchate, and the clergy of the Missionary Department. Nicholas of Myra, or Nicholas the Wonderworker, is one of the most revered saints in Christianity. His name is sacred to both Orthodox and Catholics. According to the saint’s Life, he lived in Lycia on the territory of modern Turkey at the turn of 2-3 centuries. As a child, he diligently studied the Holy Scriptures and led an ascetic lifestyle. He spent all his time in church during the day and studied the Bible at night. His uncle, the bishop of Patara, made his nephew a reader, and then ordained a priest, allowed the young man to preach during divine services. The bishop, going on a pilgrimage to the Holy Land, left the flock to young Nicholas. The young man performed all his duties with honor. His parents were dying at that time. Nicholas renounced his rich inheritance and distributed everything to those in need. One of his benefits was to save a previously wealthy family from poverty and shame. The head of the family had three daughters. In extreme poverty, he decided to give them up for fornication. But Nikolai, upon learning about this, threw three purses of gold through the window of their house at night. According to legend, they got into socks. Related to this is the Catholic tradition of leaving beautiful stockings on Christmas night. After the death of his uncle, Nicholas became a bishop. He faithfully fulfilled his duty, helped those in need, preached, and protected believers. The time of his service was difficult: persecution and harassment of Christians began. The Emperor Diocletian was a pagan and an ardent opponent of the church. Nicholas, like many believers, was imprisoned, where he supported people with word and deed. Fortunately, he was not affected by the fate of many Christians – he was not executed. Since then, prisoners have been sending prayers to St. Nicholas, praying for forgiveness of sins and a speedy release from prison. With the accession of Constantine to the throne, the persecution of the church ceased. Nicholas continued to carry out his duty and returned to the faithful. Nicholas performed many miracles, resurrected drowned people, and saved captives and convicts. He once helped an entire city in the World. During the famine, he appeared in a dream to a merchant, gave him gold coins, asked him to sail to the city to bring food. In the morning, the merchant saw that the money was real, believed in a miracle and followed the advice. The city was saved. Saint Nicholas died of natural causes in 345, having lived a long life. His relics began to flow myrrh and heal diseases.
Address: Moscow, Khachaturian str., 6, building 2
