The Skete of St. Seraphim

Subject / Religion. Church/Monasteries and convents
The Skete of St. Seraphim of the St Alexander Nevsky Lavra, it was placed in the Luga Uyezd, at 13 kilometre from the station of Preobrazhenskaya (now it is the settlement of Tolmachevo). In 1901 the Lavra bought the Zacherenye country estate (a square of 560 hectare). The two stories house, which was palced on the bank of the River Oredezh, was restored and re-equipped. The wooden house of the estate manager, two brethren houses, the worker house, pigstry, hen house, five freezers, apiary, milk house and other constructions were built. In summer of 1906 the laying of the 800 seats church of St Seraphim of Sarov took place (acoording to the design of the Lavra architect L.P. Shishko; contractors К.P. Danilov, К.М. Krusanov, D.V. Osipov and others). The flat cupola, drum with bulb was placed above it, was constructed above the building of the neo-baroque style. The church was joined the three tiers bell tower, which was decorated by porticoes with granite columns, by means of the refectory. Bricks were made at the factory which was formed at the skete by own personnel; six bells were cast at the factory of A.S. Lavrov in Gatchina. The three tiers oak iconostasis, with the icon of St Cornelius of Komelsk and the icon of St Antony of Pechersk, was constructed in 1907-1908 (the artist F.K. Platonov, the carver D.V. Dudakov). The church was consecrated on 2 November 1908; the groung side -chapel of St Antony of Pechersk was consecrated on 2 August 1909. Utensils were provided by the partnership "P.I. Olovyanishnikov and Sons". The Skete was named as "Seraphimo-Antoniyevsky" and the estate was named as "Seraphimovo"; number of brethren was 11-13 persons. During WWI the brethren house was adapted for a hospital for wounded men, the shelter for injury soldiers was built in 1915. After 1917 the Skete was adapted for the tubercolosis sanatorium. The church was closed in 1923. There are no survived buildings now. Bertash, Aleksandr Vitalyevich
Danilov, K.P.
Dudakov, Dmitry Vasilyevich
Krusanov, K.M.
Lavrov, A.C.
Osipov, D.V.
Platonov, Fyodor Konstantinovich
Shishko, Lev Petrovich
Leningrad Oblast, the/Gatchina District/Gatchina Town
Topographical landmarks/Oredezh River, the
Leningrad Oblast, the/Luga District/Tolmachevo Urban Village
Антонов В. В. Серафимо-Антониевский скит Александро-Невской лавры // Санкт-Петербургские епархиальные ведомости. Вып. 23. 2000. С. 71 – 75, С.71-75
Рункевич С. Г. Александро-Невская лавра. СПб., 2001. Т. 1., С.402-404
Мурашова Н.В., Мыслина Л.П. Дворянские усадьбы Санкт-Петербургской губернии. Лужский район. СПб., 2001., С.241-245
Zacherenye, a country estate