On March 27, 1843, Prince Boris Yusupov issued an order to build a parish Church of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary in the village of Rakitnoye. The chief master was Ivan Voyuyev from the town of Sudzha, Kursk Governorate.
The one-story church was built of brick. It was 20 sazhens (49.6 meters) in length, 12 sazhens (29.76 meters) in width, and 16 sazhens (39.68 meters) in height. The outer walls were left smooth and painted green. The arched roof over the vaults of the church was made of sheet iron and also painted green.
There were only three domes, or “makovitsas”, on the top of church. The largest one was placed on the church, the smaller one in the middle of the church centered on the bell tower, and the third on the bell tower. All the domes were made of sheet iron and covered with gold.
The interior of the church was cruciform. The altar was separated from the temple by an iconostasis with three aisles: a royal gate and two side gates. There were two side-chapels. The western side-chapel was set in the form of a chamber and was separated from the temple by a blind wall with a span. Vaults were arranged in the form of a circular arc, without support by poles. The altar was left without divisions.
On the south side was a wooden cabinet for the storage of sacred and clerical vestments, and on the north side of the church stood an altar. The altar in the church was wooden, an arshin and a half, or slightly more than a meter, in length, width, and height. The four-tiered iconostasis was made of linden wood decorated with carvings.
The interior walls of the church were painted in 1879. They depicted picturesque paintings of the Twelve Great Feasts and various holy men: apostles, prophets, saints. In addition, the paintings “Suffering of the Savior”, “Descent from the Cross” and “Burial” were created.
The church was painted outside as well: “Pleasing the Mother of God” was painted from the east, “Holy Image of the Savior” from the west, “Blessing of the Children”, “Ascension of Elijah the Prophet to Heaven” and “Unburnt Bush” from the north, and from the south — a painting depicting God the Father, the Sign of the Virgin Mary and the Mother of God of Achtyr. There were no old and ancient icons in the church.
This information about the Church of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary of the Kursk diocese dates back to 1887. It was recorded from the words of priest Maxim Pravednikov and included in the “Metric for obtaining faithful information about the ancient Orthodox churches, buildings and art objects”.
No information about what became of the Church of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary after the Bolshevik revolution and under the Soviet regime has been preserved. The only thing that is known is that the church was blown up in 1935 or 1936. Explosives were planted several times, but it was not until the third that the church was finally destroyed. Everything was destroyed: the church itself and the bell tower, the iconostasis, icons and paintings. In 1965, a building of the district communist party committee was built on a partially preserved foundation.
The one-story church was built of brick. It was 20 sazhens (49.6 meters) in length, 12 sazhens (29.76 meters) in width, and 16 sazhens (39.68 meters) in height. The outer walls were left smooth and painted green. The arched roof over the vaults of the church was made of sheet iron and also painted green.
There were only three domes, or “makovitsas”, on the top of church. The largest one was placed on the church, the smaller one in the middle of the church centered on the bell tower, and the third on the bell tower. All the domes were made of sheet iron and covered with gold.
The interior of the church was cruciform. The altar was separated from the temple by an iconostasis with three aisles: a royal gate and two side gates. There were two side-chapels. The western side-chapel was set in the form of a chamber and was separated from the temple by a blind wall with a span. Vaults were arranged in the form of a circular arc, without support by poles. The altar was left without divisions.
On the south side was a wooden cabinet for the storage of sacred and clerical vestments, and on the north side of the church stood an altar. The altar in the church was wooden, an arshin and a half, or slightly more than a meter, in length, width, and height. The four-tiered iconostasis was made of linden wood decorated with carvings.
The interior walls of the church were painted in 1879. They depicted picturesque paintings of the Twelve Great Feasts and various holy men: apostles, prophets, saints. In addition, the paintings “Suffering of the Savior”, “Descent from the Cross” and “Burial” were created.
The church was painted outside as well: “Pleasing the Mother of God” was painted from the east, “Holy Image of the Savior” from the west, “Blessing of the Children”, “Ascension of Elijah the Prophet to Heaven” and “Unburnt Bush” from the north, and from the south — a painting depicting God the Father, the Sign of the Virgin Mary and the Mother of God of Achtyr. There were no old and ancient icons in the church.
This information about the Church of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary of the Kursk diocese dates back to 1887. It was recorded from the words of priest Maxim Pravednikov and included in the “Metric for obtaining faithful information about the ancient Orthodox churches, buildings and art objects”.
No information about what became of the Church of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary after the Bolshevik revolution and under the Soviet regime has been preserved. The only thing that is known is that the church was blown up in 1935 or 1936. Explosives were planted several times, but it was not until the third that the church was finally destroyed. Everything was destroyed: the church itself and the bell tower, the iconostasis, icons and paintings. In 1965, a building of the district communist party committee was built on a partially preserved foundation.
