Stephen of Perm opened to the population of the lands that we now call the Republic of Komi the light of Orthodoxy. He arrived in Ust-Vym in 1380. He cut himself down with a cell, and next to him — a small church of the Annunciation On the site of a pagan temple he built a larger church. It was consecrated in honor of Archstratig Michael. Learning about the extraordinary righteous monk, other monks began to join him. Ordinary people came for blessings. They tried their best to help. A few years later, the first in the Komi lands of the monastery of Michael the Archangel was formed.
After the death of St. Stephen, another temple was added to the monastery, in his honor.
The wooden building has been burned and rebuilt many times. In 1761 it was dismantled and built a small, but very attractive temple. It was active after the monastery was closed in 1764. So Ust-Vym lost its importance as a religious center. He moved to Vologda. The settlement flourished through trade.
The Komi Gerasimov Fair was known throughout the land.
In 1750, the settlers received permission to build a stone temple dedicated to St. Stephen of Perm. It was not until 1755 that the foundation was laid. In 1759, the temple was finished in rough, and in 1761 — completed, whitewashed and decorated.
In 1767, 2 porches were added to the temple (from the south and north sides). In 1863, the ensemble was supplemented by a gallery.
Stephen’s church gives the impression of incompleteness. That’s the right impression. Previously, the refectory and gallery adjoined the western wall. They were destroyed, but not yet restored. Therefore, the temple is unusual for Russian church architecture, the view.
The history of this event is sad. In 1926, the temple was closed, the buildings were used for household needs. In the 30s, a fire station was organized here. For the convenience of the entrance, the gallery, refectory, porch and tiered completion of the temple were dismantled.
In 1989, at the numerous requests of believers, the church was returned to the ROC. The parishioners made cosmetic repairs on their own, installed an iconostasis. In 1996, on May 8, Patriarch Alexy II held a solemn service dedicated to the 600th anniversary of the death of St. Stephen.
In 2002, a restoration plan was drawn up, which is still incomplete. However, the porches were restored, the roof and windows were repaired.
The Church of St. Stephen is the first stone building in those parts, but more importantly, it is a monument to the Christianization of the peoples who inhabited the Zyrian (Komi) region.
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