"Praying for Fallen in Battle": The Presidential Library's film tells about the Temple in Staro-Panovo

23 April 2021

April 23, 2021, at 12:00, the Presidential Library's portal in the Live broadcasts section and on the institution's YouTube channel will broadcast the premiere of the film "Praying for Fallen in Battle" created by the library's film group. It tells about the memorial church of Saint Martyrs Adrian and Natalia. It is devoted to those who were killed and missed in action defending Leningrad from the German invaders.

In August 1942, the Nazis planned a new assault on Leningrad. The enemy assigned armies from the south to strengthen positions. But our troops prepared mighty resistance. From July 20 to August 2, 1942, the command of the Leningrad Front developed and carried out the Staropanovskaya operation near Uritsk.

The liberation of the village of Staro-Panovo became possible only in January 1944. On January 15-18, 1944, our troops made nine unsuccessful attacks in this direction. Only the tenth effort, which cost colossal losses, allowed breaking through the enemy's defensive line and launching the offensive. By this time, there were only ruins. Among the damaged buildings was the church of the XIX century. It was devoted to the patrons of the Christian marriage - the Saint Martyrs Adrian and Natalia.

The issue of the temple's reconstruction and the church life revival was raised by a local resident Antonina Osipova. When she was a 15-year-old girl, the Nazis took her to Germany. After returning to the native places, she got an idea to restore the temple, which parishioner she was in childhood. This dream became true. Although the revived church is not an architectural copy of the destroyed temple, it was named after the previous church of Saint Martyrs Adrian and Natalia.

One of the significant parish's activities is the preservation of the living memory of the defenders of the city. The parishioners collect information about the killed and missing soldiers of the Leningrad front: photographs, documents, letters, memoirs of relatives. Irina Minina, the curator of the Museum of Military Glory "DOT", which works at the temple, tells about these unique discoveries in the film.

The film also touches on the moral aspects. So, the cathedral dean, Archpriest Mikhail Strelnikov, expresses his opinion on the cost of losses and reasons for terrible wars.

- When we remember severe battles and a huge number of victims, we should not just consider the cost of the victory, but also the reasons for the war. There is such a concept in Christianity - the will of God. It is a situation when God allows evil to perform to eliminate it. And it can be prevented by people with God's assistance. God's allowance means that He does not directly interfere in the course of the war, but, at the same time, His providence contributes to the victory of life, justice, not madness. The victory is won by those who are really supported by the Lord.

...The Church of the Saint Martyrs Adrian and Natalia has two levels. The ground floor houses a military Church of All Saints. The fallen soldiers fulfilled the commandment of God: There is no greater love than to devote lives for friends, people and its future.

The first floor is occupied by the Church of the Saint Martyrs Adrian and Natalia, the patrons of the marriage. This idea is conveyed in the film: the church in honour of the patrons of the marriage is located above the military temple. It means that the life in a marriage that brings children into the world is much more important than death.

There is a Military Glory park around the temple. The trees were planted by local residents and the cathedral's dean. 75 pines mark the anniversary of the Great Victory. The pine tree has been a symbol of long life and moral purity since ancient times.