Church of St. Irene in Volgovyat was the only temple in pre-revolutionary Russia, which was consecrated in honor of the Great Martyr Irene. Today the temple is experiencing a rebirth.

Once upon a time in Russia there Irinovskaya monasteries, and both were founded by Prince Yaroslav in the 9th century. in honor of the wife Ingegerd (St. Anna), one of them located in Kiev and was devastated during the Mongol invasion, the other - in Novgorod.

Since the beginning of the 18th century. until 1874 the village was Volgovyat Golubtsova possession of a noble family. It was inherited by Fyodor Golubtsov, who was a knight of many orders, a statesman, and in 1807-1810 gg. Minister of Finance. In 1809, Fyodor got permission to build on his estate a stone church in honor of St. Irene. The church was built in 1812. The church was built on a hill in front of the manor house. In June 1817 the church was consecrated as the houses. Near the church built a small chapel.

Surrounding estate villages inhabited Russian and Finnish. Between different peoples are constantly happening everyday and cultural interaction. Mixed marriages have led to mutual penetration of the Orthodox and Lutheran cultures.

In 1904, during the inspection of churches Peterhof and Tsarskoye Selo Bishop Sergius he drew attention to the situation of the Finns, who were unable to hear the word of God because of the lack of understanding of the Russian language. To remedy the situation, the bishop proposed to create a special temple for Orthodox Finns, which will conduct the service in Finnish. To do this, it was suggested that Irininskuyu church, while almost empty.

In 1909 Volgovyat was formed Russian-Finnish parish. Divine services are conducted in Finnish and Russian. The structure of the parish went on. Volgovyat and neighboring villages Muratova and Gorki, Ozhogino and Kotin, Mednikova and Finatovo. Irininsky temple was the only Russian Orthodox church Finnish. In this regard, special attention was paid to him because he was instrumental in bringing the Finnish population in the Orthodox Church.

Irininskoy Rector of the church was the priest Nikolai Zotikov, respected Orthodox and "heterodox" population of the Estonian and Finnish origin. The temple in the village Volgovyat became a bridge between two cultures: on life here came the Finns, Lutherans, and the rector of the Orthodox Church has always been a welcome guest at the church and folk festivals Finns in the neighboring villages.

When in 1912 the owners of the estate were VI Smirnov, peasants, IA Hamyalyaynen and IA Checchi, Russian-Finnish Temple nearly closed. Fatal role played by the fact that the ground under the church was the property of the owners of the estate. And the new owners of the estate would close the church. But the church has helped a happy coincidence. Through Volgovyat to maneuver back Nicholas II. Noticing the church and knew that it wants to abolish, he expressed his regret. As a result of land with the church name holders donated to the Diocesan Office.

Irininsky temple existed until 1936. In 1939 it was closed. During the war, he had to act. But the temple was used by the Germans as a warehouse, so the service took place in the village Ozhogino in parochial school. After the war, the church was used as a club. At the beginning of 1990. country club was closed, the building was ransacked. Church gradually destroyed.

In the mid-1990s. Temple gave the St. Petersburg diocese. Since 2000, the enthusiasts, devotees began the revival of the parish. The initiative group headed by Yuri Petrov, historian and ethnographer, a resident of nearby Torosova. The group also included the architect Sophie Kanaeva with her husband, an engineer Peter Kalinin, vacationers and locals. Parish Volgovyat registered in 2002, were among the founders of the Finns, even before the war were baptized in this church. May 26, 2002 near the walls of the dilapidated church, the first Russian-Finnish prayer service after its closure.

To revive the parish began to restore the chapel. The initiative group was collecting donations for the neighboring villages. The works were carried out in part as a bricklayer from the village Klopitsy free. The first icon for the chapel gave the Americans leading nearby farm. They also took part in the construction work. May 18, 2004, the day of the Holy Great Martyr Irene, the consecration of the chapel.

In addition to the restoration of the chapel are working in the temple. According to experts, Irininskaya church is of interest and is the representative architecture surviving manor house churches of the 19th century. in the North-West of Russia. When cleaning the temple was discovered Shifting boards. The first liturgy in the church still recovering held May 18, 2008