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Church of St. Demetrius of Thessaloniki in village of Ak-Suu.
Orthodox churches in Issyk-Kul region.
Religious tours of Orthodox churches in Kyrgyzstan.
“If you want to enter into eternal life, keep the commandments. He said to him, “Which ones?” Then Jesus said, “You shall not kill; You shall not commit adultery; You shall not steal; You shall not bear false witness; Honor your father and mother; and, “Love your neighbor as yourself.” The young man said to him, “All these have I kept from my youth up; what do I lack yet?” Jesus said to him, “If you want to be perfect, go and sell what you have and give to the poor; and you will have treasure in heaven; and come and follow me.”
(Matthew 19:17 - 21).
Church of the Great Martyr Demetrius of Thessaloniki is located at an altitude of 1814 meters above sea level, located on Lenin Street 79a, on corner with Pushkin Street, 350 meters southwest of community center in village of Ak-Suu (former Teploklyuchenka village) in Aksuysky District, Issyk-Kul Region.
The Orthodox community in the village of Teploklyuchenka was founded in the middle of the XIXth century. At that time, the first permanent parishioners were immigrants from Russia - Russians and Ukrainians. The first services were held in a cold church (approximately from 1864), and later a felt church was built, which was wooden walls insulated with felt.
With the creation of the independent Turkestan diocese in 1871, the mobile felt church was moved from Teploklyuchenka to the new district center, where it was used for services until 1876. That same year, it was buried in the courtyard of the new stone church in the name of the Holy Trinity, erected in Karakol, but destroyed by an earthquake in 1889.
Initially, according to a plan from 1884 found in the state archive, the new church in Teploklyuchenka was supposed to be built near the river, along the central street. However, during the preparation process, the construction site was changed, and the church was erected on a small hill.
In 2006, during renovation work, a copper plaque measuring 10 x 15 cm was discovered in the foundation of the church on the eastern side of the altar. The inscription on it stated that the church in the name of the holy great martyr Demetrius of Thessaloniki was founded on March 26, 1898 (old style) under the ruling bishop of Turkestan Arkady.
This made it possible to establish the exact date of the foundation of the currently functioning church. The church was completed in 1912, which is confirmed by a wooden beam found in the spring of 2009 during the restoration of the bell tower. It had an inscription engraved on it, made with a red-hot iron: "Ioann Shchetinin, September 17, 1912."
In the 1940s, the church was taken away from the Orthodox community and rebuilt for the needs of the village. The bell tower, the central dome and all the small domes were demolished, and the temple itself lost all external elements that reminded us of its original purpose.
According to the recollections of villagers, during the persecution of the church, parishioners tried to save ancient icons, liturgical utensils and books, hiding them from destruction and desecration. However, it was not safe to keep them at home, so many buried the relics either on the territory of the temple or in their own yards.
Most of these valuables have never been found to this day. Later, the community of believers received permission to hold services in the village. For this purpose, a house on Pushkin Street was allocated, where the temple was located until 1991. The bell tower was installed nearby, right on the street.
During the Soviet period, the temple building was used for various purposes: it housed a village club, a pioneer house, a cinema, a library, and then a museum. In the building where Orthodox believers once prayed, confessed and took communion, dances, pioneer initiation ceremonies and film screenings were now held.
After the collapse of the USSR in 1991, the church was returned to believers. The church service was revived, and the icons, church utensils and books were moved from the church on Pushkin Street. The building of the former temporary church itself was later sold.
On February 16, 2009, a large-scale reconstruction began. Inside the building, the adobe partitions erected during the Soviet years were removed. During the restoration, an old Russian stove, installed during the construction of the church, was preserved.
It was slightly restored, but it still functioned and served as the main source of heating for several years. After the restoration work, the interior of the church returned to its original appearance. The total area of the building is about 400 square meters, the central hall is more than 200.
The ceiling in the main part is supported by four massive cross-shaped columns. When the temple was closed, two of them were partially destroyed, but during the restoration they were restored, recreating the lost elements. The interior walls are covered with shingles and plaster, and the ceilings are decorated with stucco moldings made from local limestone.
Several layers of dark red paint have been preserved under the layers of lime, but no wall paintings have been found. The outside of the building is covered with 2 cm thick wooden boards. On three sides - the southern, northern and western - there were originally carved porches.
The northern porch was destroyed in the post-war years, the western one has survived to this day, and the southern one was restored in 2008. The temple is built from local wood, hand-cut and installed on a high brick foundation. In 2009, based on a surviving photograph from 1913, the bell tower and central dome were restored.
Among the surviving church documents, the most valuable are the memorial books of parishioners, preserved from pre-revolutionary times to the present day. Most of them are signed by the owners, and some have dates when they were filled out or given to the church. In those days, parishioners did not use one-time notes "On health" and "On the repose of the soul", but submitted memorials for certain periods - for Lent, 40 days or one service. The oldest surviving copy dates back to 1915. Today, these notes are an important part of the history of the church.
Address of the Church of Great Martyr Demetrius of Thessaloniki:
722347, Kyrgyz Republic, Issyk-Kul region, Teploklyuchenka village, st. Lenina, 79a
Tel (Whatsapp): +(996) 555-23-13-19
e-mail: hram_teploklyuchenka@mail.r
Geographical coordinates of Church of the Great Martyr Demetrius of Thessaloniki: N42°29'56 E78°31'23
