Church of Saint Luke at City Clinical Hospital № 64
In history, there are individuals whose lives become a bridge between seemingly incompatible spheres: science and faith. One such great figure is Saint Luke of Crimea, in the world Valentin Feliksovich Voyno-Yasenetsky, who combined service as a bishop of the Russian Orthodox Church with the work of a brilliant surgeon, leaving a legacy significant both for medicine and theology. Valentin Voyno-Yasenetsky dedicated his life to medicine, particularly purulent surgery, becoming a savior for thousands of patients. His fundamental work, “Essays on Purulent Surgery,” which summarized thirty years of experience, became a handbook for generations of surgeons. Among his innovative methods were the development of a topographic-anatomical approach to operations and significant contributions to the advancement of regional anesthesia. He researched and improved methods for treating purulent peritonitis and osteomyelitis, becoming a pioneer in these extremely complex fields. For his work during the Great Patriotic War, he was awarded the “For Valiant Labor” medal. Despite his brilliant medical career, Valentin Feliksovich chose the path of serving God. He took monastic vows with the name Luke and became a bishop, while continuing his medical practice. As a profound spiritual writer, in his work “Spirit, Soul, and Body,” he explored the nature of humanity, considering the heart as the organ of knowing God. He passed away on June 11, 1961, and was glorified as a locally venerated saint in 1995. The Church celebrates his memory on May 29 (June 11). The legacy of Saint Luke, who saw healing as service to Christ, continues, particularly in Moscow, where, as part of the “200 Churches” program, a stone single-domed church in the Russian style was built and consecrated in his honor. Construction began with the installation of a veneration cross on March 31, 2016. Active work commenced in 2021, and by September 2022, the domes and crosses were consecrated and installed on the church. On August 24, 2023, Bishop Panteleimon of Vereya, a vicar of His Holiness the Patriarch, performed the minor consecration rite of the church. The Church of Saint Luke is located at the RUDN University Clinic named after V.V. Vinogradov, symbolically continuing his mission of providing spiritual support to those in need of physical healing. A baptismal church in honor of Righteous Elizabeth is arranged on the lower level of the building. Today, despite ongoing interior finishing, parish life is already vibrant: regular services are held, and spiritual, educational, social, and youth work is actively conducted. By decree of His Holiness Patriarch Kirill, the church has the status of an attached church to the Church of the Life-Giving Trinity in Starye Cheryomushki. Thus, the new church has become not only an architectural landmark but also a living monument to a saint who, through his entire life, proved that faith and science, serving love for humanity, are inseparable.
Address: Moscow, Vavilova St., 63
