A Gift to the Church-Historical Museum of the Kazakhstani Metropolis: Wall Clock Once Belonging to Confessor Metropolitan Nikolai (Mogilevsky)

October 2, 2024. As part of the celebrations for the 25th anniversary of the founding of the Astana and Almaty Diocese, a benefactor has donated a unique item to the Church-Historical Museum of the Orthodox Church of Kazakhstan—a wall clock that once belonged to the holy confessor Metropolitan Nikolai (Mogilevsky) of Almaty.

 

The clock will take its place in the house-museum of the confessor Nikolai, currently being established in Almaty under the blessing of Metropolitan Alexander of Astana and Kazakhstan. The memorial house is set to open in 2025, marking both the 70th anniversary of Metropolitan Nikolai's repose and the 25th anniversary of the discovery of his holy relics.

 

The wall clock, originally located in Metropolitan Nikolai's residence, was crafted in Germany at the end of the 19th or early 20th century by the renowned clockmaker Schlenker & Kienzle. The clock’s wooden case is adorned with carved elements, and its mechanism produces a melodic chime at half-hour and hourly intervals. The brass dial features both Roman and Arabic numerals. On the back panel of the clock’s case, there is a stamp bearing the mark of the Schlenker & Kienzle workshop.

 

The history of the Kienzle clock company began in 1822 when clockmaker Johannes Schlenker, along with his sons Christian-Johannes and Erhard, began producing the so-called "Black Forest clocks." The company grew successfully, with its products exported to many countries. Branches were opened in Prague and Vienna to sell the company's products. In 1883, the master Jakob Kienzle married into the Schlenker family and played a key role in expanding the business. The company was subsequently renamed "Schlenker & Kienzle." In 1888, the partners built a large clock factory in the Czech Republic, employing around 130 people. By 1889, the company began marking all its mechanisms with a winged logo, "Flügelrad," which was registered as a trademark in 1892.