On the History of the Refectory Chamber with the Church of St. Sergius During the Soviet Period

Abstract

The article is about the history of the building of the Refectory Chamber with the Church of St. Sergius in the Holy Trinity-St. Sergius Lavra during the Soviet period. The study covers about two decades – from the nationalization of the monastery in 1918 to its complete transfer to the Moscow Patriarchate in 1946. During that time, the Refectory Chamber building was occupied by a variety of organizations: a library, a military department, museum departments, the Sergievsky consumer society «Smychka», the workshop of the Raypromkombinat, a fur artel, a bomb shelter, the headquarters of the local air defence etc. This article is the first attempt to fully illuminate the existence of these organizations in a unique monument. The story is based on documentary materials.