In the Moscow suburb, located behind the Tverskaya Gate, a wooden church was built in the 16th century. Previously, the place was called Putinki. Now it is the area of Strastnoy Boulevard and Pushkin Square. The temple was given the name of the Assumption of the Most Holy Theotokos. The stone church was completed around 1676. At the same time, a refectory was being built, and in 1690 a chapel dedicated to St. Nicholas was erected. Towards the end of the 18th century, a bell tower was added.
History of the Assumption Church
The first mention of Putinki dates back to the XIV century... According to legend, at that time there were meadows that bore the name of the Great Ones. Two large tracts began there - to Dmitrov and Tver. In the 16th century, one of the country residences of Tsar Vasily III was located in these places. Later it is turned into the Traveling Palace to stop foreign ambassadors.
Presumably the name Putinki is a derivative of the word path. The fact is that it was necessary to get to the palace by putinks, that is, curved alleys and streets.
For the first time in the chronicles, a church built of wood is mentioned in 1621. It was named the Church of the Assumption at the old Ambassadorial courtyard, the second name is the Church on Dmitrovka outside the city. In those days, she was famous for the icon depicting the Assumption of the Virgin, exuding myrrh.
Construction of a stone temple
By the end of the 17th century, the wooden church was either dismantled, or it burned down itself. There is no exact documentary information in this regard. ... Under Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich in 1676 a stone church is being built on the site where a wooden church used to stand. In the 17th century, in the 90s, the first mention of the construction of a chapel in honor of Nicholas the Wonderworker on the northern side of the temple appears.
The new side-chapel was made in the Moscow Baroque style. The dome of the main tower of the temple was made in the shape of an apple. This was a rather rare occurrence; there were only two such domes in Moscow. In the second half of the 18th century, the bell tower was erected.
The Church of the Assumption of the Mother of God gave its name to the lane on which it was located. They named him Ouspensky. Later it was renamed to Proyezhy. Towards the end of the 18th century, the buildings of the temple's possessions were mainly formed.
Buildings were erected on the churchyard, which are located:
- A priest.
- Deacon.
- Sexton.
- Women baking cereals.
Shrines of the Church of the Assumption of the Mother of God
In the temple in Putinki there are shrines revered by the parishioners. There are quite a few icons in the small church.
Among them are icons depicting:
Especially revered icon from Constantinople
Faces especially revered by Christians include icon of the Mother of God from Constantinople... One of her copies (copies) is in the Assumption Church in Putinki. A legend has been preserved about this icon, which says that in ancient times two Greek monks from Constantinople were passing through Staraya Russa. There they served the Divine Liturgy in the cathedral church.
In memory of their stay, the monks left in this church a small icon of the Mother of God, which was engraved on a slate board. This miniature face soon became famous for its miracles. After that, lists were made from it, which to this day are kept in various churches in Russia, including the Church of the Assumption in Putinki.
Repair and destruction of the Assumption Church
In 1898 the temple was donated by an unknown benefactor, a large sum for that time - 6 thousand rubles. With this money, the building was repaired and the icons were restored. The iconostasis was re-covered with gold leaf, and the walls were decorated with paintings.
In 1922, the church was closed, later it was partially destroyed and plundered. 34 spools (145 g) of gold, 6 pounds and 5 pounds (100 kg) of silver and precious objects disappear from it.
The domes of the temple and the tower of the bell tower were destroyed, and the entrance to it was bricked up. They also destroyed the apses - buildings adjacent to the main part of the building. In their place, the door and windows were broken. After the desecration and closure of the church, the building was used as a residential building for many years.
Reduction of territory and return to the bosom of the church
Over time, the building was surrounded by annexes, which radically changed the once three-dimensional composition of the cathedral. The territory of the temple domain was greatly reduced. They seized the north-western part of the territory, on which a three-story house was built in 1927. Currently, it houses the Embassy of the African Republic of Benin.
In the second half of the twentieth century, the dwelling house was resettled. A sewing workshop was located there. In 1990, the temple was transferred to the fold of the Russian Orthodox Church. After that, its restoration began. In 1991, divine services were resumed here.
Schedule of services
Temple in Putinki
The Church of the Assumption of the Virgin in Putinki is located in Moscow, in Uspensky lane, at house number 4. The church is open for visiting every day from 10-00 to 19-00, as well as during services.
Information about the schedule of services in the Assumption Church as follows:
Church of the Nativity of the Virgin in Putinki
This church, located in Putinki, is truly unique. It is the only three-tent temple building on the territory of Moscow, the appearance of which has survived to our time. In 1648, the wooden temple was destroyed by fire, but a new one was erected from stone on the site of the previous structure, following its model. Its uniqueness lies in its lack of facades, that is, from any point of view, it does not have a uniformly pronounced facade due to non-standard architectural solutions that were used during construction. The Church of the Nativity of the Virgin is a historical architectural monument, but at the same time the temple is active and services are performed in it.
Service Schedule:
- On weekdays, morning services begin at 7-30.
- On Saturday, Sunday, as well as on holidays, the Divine Liturgy is held from 9:00.
- The beginning of the All-night Vigil is at 18:00.
Cathedral of the Assumption of the Mother of God in Moscow
Another Temple of the Assumption of the Virgin in the capital located on the territory of the Kremlin, on the square called Cathedral. It belongs to the historical and cultural museum-reserve "Moscow Kremlin". The church was built in 1475-1479. The development of the project was entrusted to the famous Italian architect Aristotle Fioravanti.
This temple was the main cathedral of the Russian Empire until the abolition of the monarchy in 1917. The Church of the Assumption is the oldest building in Moscow, completely preserved. The remains of all the patriarchs of Moscow of the first patriarchal period, with the exception of Ignatius and Nikon, rest in the cathedral.
The first metropolitan temple made of stone
The first temple of stone on this place it was erected at the beginning of the XIV century, during the reign of Prince Ivan I Kalita. In the August days of 1326, in the place where the previous, wooden cathedral stood, a new white-stone Assumption Church was laid. It was consecrated in 1327.
The Assumption Church was the first built of stone in Moscow. Archaeological research shows that it was a one-domed temple, supported by four pillars, with triple apses. It was built in the image of the St. George Cathedral, located in the city of Yuryev-Polsky.
The church was erected in the architectural style typical of the 14th century. The masonry consisted of squares of rough white stone. It was combined with smoothly sanded decorative architectural elements. The facade of the church was crowned with kokoshniks, and the central tower was crowned with a dome.
Moscow Assumption Cathedral in the 15th century
During the reign of Ivan III the Great The Moscow state was gaining strength. The Assumption Cathedral ceased to correspond to the status of the cathedral. The chronicles mention that it was badly dilapidated, and they stopped repairing it. Most likely, a decision has already been made to demolish the old and build a new stone church.
The construction of a new church, the largest in size for those years, was entrusted to the Russian architects Myshkin and Krivtsov. At the end of April 1471, the first stone was laid. However, the construction could not be completed, since an earthquake occurred in Moscow on May 20, 1474, and the cathedral collapsed.
After that, Ivan III invites the Italian architect Aristotle Fioravanti, who completely dismantles what remains of the destroyed temple. At this place, under his leadership, a building is being built on the model of the Assumption Cathedral, located in Vladimir. The Assumption Church is now located on the Kremlin Square. The cathedral was consecrated in August 1479; the ceremony was conducted by Metropolitan Gerontius.
Laconic architecture
The temple has a laconic and monolithic appearance... The unity of the building is emphasized by the uniform division of the facades by means of vertical flat ledges. Smooth walls are crowned with narrow arkature windows. This is the name of the rows of decorative false arches on the facade. The apses (lowered protrusions of the building adjacent to the main structure) are not very high. From the north and south, they are covered with pylons. The pylons are a tower-like structure in the shape of a truncated pyramid.
The cathedral is decorated with five large towers topped with massive domes. Aristotle Fioravanti managed to cope with the most difficult task. He increased the internal volume of the cathedral, which Myshkin and Krivtsov failed to do. For the first time in the temple architecture of Russia, the Italian used cross vaults with a thickness of 1 brick, as well as metal aperture and in-wall connections. In fact, he applied reinforcement.
The main idea of the Italian architect
But the main engineering and architectural idea of the Italian master was that he built additional arches behind the iconostasis... Thanks to this, the eastern halls, united by the passageways of the cathedral, in fact became a monolith. The additional arches took on a significant share of the load from the cathedral's colossal towers.
This technique made it possible to build relatively thin round pillars in the western and central parts of the temple. This gave a sense of the unusual lightness of the large structure and its integrity with the main part of the naos. Naos is the central place in the temple where the parishioners are held during worship.
Moscow church in the 15th - 16th centuries
Period from 1482 to 1515... At this time, the original painting of the cathedral was completed. The famous Moscow icon painter and fresco master Dionysius took part in the painting of the church. Later, the church was decorated anew, but some fragments of the original painting are preserved. They are the most ancient examples of fresco painting in Russia on the territory of the Kremlin, which have survived to this day.
1574 year... The Assumption Cathedral suffered from numerous fires, which happened at that time quite often, but it was constantly restored and updated. After a severe fire that happened in 1574, Ivan I. V. the Terrible issued a decree on covering the top of the cathedral with gilded copper sheets. The relics of Metropolitan Peter, kept in the church, were moved from a silver reliquary to a gold one. In the same year, the wedding ceremony for the kingdom of Ivan the Terrible, the first in the history of the temple, takes place in the cathedral.
Assumption Cathedral in the 17th century
The most significant events for the temple in the 17th century were the following:
- In 1613, the Zemsky Sobor was held here, at which Mikhail Fedorovich, the first of the Romanov dynasty, was elected tsar.
- In 1624, the vaults of the church were worn out and threatened with collapse. To avoid this, they were disassembled and re-folded according to the modified drawing, applying additional reinforcement. And also erected additional supporting arches, which increased the strength of the structure.
- In 1625, the Robe of the Lord, presented to Tsar Mikhail Fedorovich by the Shah of Persia Abbas I, was transferred to the Assumption Cathedral.
Events of the 18th - 20th centuries associated with the Assumption Church
A brief chronicle of the events of this time is as follows:
Currently, the Cathedral of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary works as a museum. It can be visited on any day except Thursday, from 10:00 to 18:00.
While in Moscow, it is worth visiting such architectural gems of the architecture of ancient Russia as the churches dedicated to the Nativity and the Dormition of the Mother of God.
According to some reports, a wooden church on the site of the modern Assumption Church existed in the 16th century. However, the first chronicle evidence of him dates back to 1621.
Initially, the church was called "Assumption, which is in the old Ambassadorial yard" and "on Dmitrovka outside the city." The temple was known for its myrrh-streaming icon of the Assumption of the Most Holy Theotokos, which attracted many people.
What happened to the wooden Church of the Assumption is still not clear. Perhaps it was destroyed by fire. Another version: it was simply dismantled for dilapidation. One way or another, but in 1676 on the site of the old church a new, stone one was built. In 1690, a side-altar was added to the Church of the Assumption, made in the forms of the Moscow Baroque: it is a low octagon on a quadrangle with an apple-shaped head. In former times, the side-chapel was called Nikolsky, in our time it was consecrated in the name.
In the 18th-19th centuries, a fairly measured life flowed in the Assumption Church. In the middle of the 18th century, the church acquired a bell tower. The driveway lane, in which the church was located, was renamed to Uspensky.
The temple managed to safely survive the fire of Moscow in 1812, but by the end of the century before last it clearly needed repair.
In 1898, an unknown benefactor donated a considerable amount for the restoration - six thousand rubles. This was enough to gild the iconostasis, restore the icons and paint the walls anew.
Church of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary in Putinki after the 1917 revolution
After the October Revolution, the fate of the Assumption Church was not the most enviable. In 1922 it was ravaged and closed. The matter did not end there - the new masters of the country broke the altar, destroyed five chapters and the completion of the bell tower, in the place of the apses broke through the door and windows.
"34 spools of gold, 6 pounds 5 pounds of silver and a precious object."
For several decades, the former Assumption Church was used as a residential building. A three-story building was erected on part of the church territory, which today houses the Embassy of the Sudan. After the Great Patriotic War, the residents were resettled, and the former church was given to the All-Union House of Models, which set up a sewing workshop in it. In particular, clothes were made here according to the sketches of one of the most famous domestic fashion designers today, Vyacheslav Zaitsev.
Many buildings on Petrovka, adjacent to Uspensky Lane, were even less fortunate. So, in 1927, the Church of the Nativity of the Virgin in Stoleshniki was demolished. 21 years later, at the direction of the authorities, they destroyed all the historical buildings on the left side of Petrovka between Kuznetsky Most and Stoleshnikov Lane.
Church of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary in Putinki revival
The Church of the Dormition of the Most Holy Theotokos in Putinki was returned to the Russian Orthodox Church in 1992, and services were soon resumed there. The Orthodox brotherhood "Radonezh" began to operate on the territory of the temple. Members of the brotherhood helped significantly with the cleaning of the church, took an active part in the initial restoration work. However, the restoration of the church for the time being went very slowly, and only after the "exclusive" order signed by the then Mayor of Moscow Yuri Luzhkov, the situation changed. The temple began to change before our eyes - for the better, of course, side.
Musicians, of whom there were many members of the church community, rendered considerable help to the church. Thus, the leader of the Aquarium group Boris Grebenshchikov presented her with several icons, including the icon of St. George the Victorious, and the bass guitarist of the Zvuki Mu group Alexander Lipnitsky - icons of the Assumption of the Mother of God, the Holy Trinity, and Nicholas the Wonderworker. In 2005, the chapel in the name of St. Sergius of Radonezh was restored and painted by a group of icon painters.
Today the Assumption Church is actively involved in social and educational activities. A hospital, an Orthodox gymnasium, and a summer camp are under his patronage. There is a youth club at the church, pilgrimage trips are organized, and a magazine is published. Near the Moscow region of Zvenigorod, a courtyard of the Assumption Church is arranged - in the temple of the Holy Royal Passion-Bearers.
In the historical center of the Russian capital, not far from the famous Lenin Komsomol Theater, there is a beautiful Church of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary. It is one of the few Moscow churches that have preserved their original appearance until modern times.
Construction history
The history of the temple in Putinki goes back almost four hundred years. The modern walls have survived several historical eras unchanged.
Church of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary in Putinki
Foundation of the temple
At the beginning of the 17th century, a wooden church dedicated to the Nativity of the Mother of God appeared behind the Tverskaya Gate of the White City of Moscow. In the historical chronicles of this time, it is called a church located "at the Embassy yard in Putinki." Experts give several versions of the appearance of this name:
- The church courtyard is located near the traveling guest palace, where European ambassadors and travelers arrived on their way to the capital of the Russian state.
- Behind the gates there were roads leading to various northern cities of Russia, that is, the church was located at a crossroads.
- The third version reflects the features of the urban design of the historical part of the main Russian city, cut through by many streets and alleys that form a kind of giant spider web.
The wooden church, crowned with three tents, burned down in the great Moscow fire of 1648. A year later, the construction of a stone cathedral began in its place, most of the funds for which were allocated from the state treasury. In 1652, the construction of the church was completed. It was consecrated in honor of the Nativity of the Most Holy Theotokos.
Tsarist time
The Church of the Nativity of the Virgin, located in Putinki, is the last Russian tent-roofed cult building. A year after its consecration, Patriarch Nikon banned the erection of church buildings in the tent style. The chapel of Theodore Tiron and the refectory, which were added at the end of the 17th century, were decorated in the Baroque style. At the same time, a gatehouse was erected, from which the passage led to the bell tower.
The west porch, surmounted by a tent similar in style to the main spiers, was built in 1864. It has not survived in its original form to this day. At the end of the 19th century, the first restoration of the Nativity Church in Putinki was carried out.
Church of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary in Putinki, 1881
Interesting: believers claim that the church building survived in all shocks and fires thanks to the intercession of the Mother of God. The temple was not damaged during the capture of Moscow by the French, although all the surrounding estates were plundered and burned.
After the Bolshevik revolution, the church was not closed immediately. In the late 1920s, the brethren of the closed Vysoko-Petrovsky monastery settled there. The doors of the house of God for the parishioners were closed in 1939. The office premises were placed in the building, and later turned over to the rehearsal room for the management of the Circus on Stage. Animal rehearsals took place here.
In the late 1950s, a second restoration was carried out, which affected only the exterior of the building. In particular, the 19th century west porch was dismantled. It was replaced by a tent-roofed building, similar in style to the buildings of the 17th century. This work was recognized as a model of scientific restoration, which made it possible to preserve the ancient unique building in its original form.
Interesting: the church, considered today an architectural monument of federal significance, was wanted to be destroyed in the Soviet years. According to legend, the bombing was scheduled for June 22, 1941. For obvious reasons, the event was canceled. Thus, the war did not allow the Soviet government to make a fatal mistake.
Modernity
The temple was returned to the Orthodox Church in 1990. He received the status of a patriarchal courtyard. Hegumen Seraphim became the first modern rector of the church. After his tragic death, the parish was headed by Archpriest Theodore Batarchukov, who is the rector of the Church of the Most Holy Theotokos in Putinki to this day.
The interior decoration of the Church of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary in Putinki
By the time the building was returned to the jurisdiction of the Moscow Patriarchate, the interior decoration was almost completely lost. The church was restored with charitable funds, the collection of which was greatly assisted by the famous actor Alexander Gavriilovich Abdulov.
Architecture and interior decoration
To date, the Church of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary has been fully restored. Its interior and exterior decoration corresponds to the original design of the 17th century. The unique architectural monument of the 17th century is made in the style of Russian ornamental design, a distinctive feature of which is the use of many decorative details.
The central part of the temple is a quadrangle stretched from south to north, crowned with three tents that perform a decorative function. The same tents are used to decorate the northern side-altar dedicated to the Burning Bush icon, the patterned bell tower and the western porch. The walls of the church are decorated on the outside with numerous decorative details. The decoration of the later extensions to the building is somewhat different from its main part. It is made in the style of the early Moscow baroque.
The interior design of the church has practically not survived in Soviet times. The only authentic element is the painting of the central column, depicting revered Orthodox saints. The walls of the temple are decorated with new and restored icons and paintings.
Interior of the Church of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary in Putinki
Among the shrines located in the temple, the following images are distinguished:
- the icon of the Mother of God "The Tsaritsa", helps cancer patients;
- the icon of the Mother of God "Burning Bush", which protects against fires.
Temple opening hours
The Church of the Nativity of the Virgin is located in Moscow at the address: Malaya Dmitrovka street, possession 4. Its doors are open every day from eight in the morning to eight in the evening. Services are held on weekends and holidays at 9 am and 5 pm. Orthodox rituals are held in the church, there is a Sunday school, and Orthodox doctors are receiving visits. In addition, the ministers of the temple provide support to disadvantaged children, orphans and prisoners.
Advice: few people visit the church on weekdays, so the sightseeing trip should be planned on weekdays. This will allow you to calmly enjoy the interior decoration of the temple, to feel its spirituality.
How to get there
The Church of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary is located in the historical part of Moscow. You can get to it by ground transport and by metro.
By metro you need to get to the stations of the following metro:
- Tverskaya (green line);
- Pushkinskaya (blue line);
- Chekhovskaya (gray line).
When you reach the Pushkinskiy cinema, you must turn left. In a few minutes a beautiful white building will appear.
The ground transport stop "Pushkinskaya Ploschad" can be reached by buses No. H1 and A. A two-minute walk from it there is a Christmas church.
The Church of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary in Putinki is a beautiful monument of Russian architecture, which is a vivid example of the hipped roof style that dominated Russian architecture until the end of the 17th century. It will be interesting not only for true believing Orthodox people, but also for lovers of Russian history.
Temple in honor of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary in Putinki
The name of the area Putinki, as the researchers suggest, comes from the word "path". It was necessary to drive into the Putevoy Dvor with crooked streets and lanes - putinka.
The first mention of the temple in this place is dated 1621. Like many temples of that time, it was originally made of wood and was called "Assumption in the old Ambassadorial yard" and "on Dmitrovka outside the city." Since the suburban settlement of Putinki was located in Moscow behind the Tver gates of the White City. Now in this place is Pushkinskaya Square and Strastnoy Boulevard. And then from the walls of the White City, built by Fyodor Kon, two wide tracts began to Tver and Dmitrov.
The church erected on this site was already famous in those years for the myrrh-streaming icon of the Assumption of the Virgin.
In 1676, under Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich, a five-domed stone cube-shaped temple with a mountain of keeled kokoshniks, characteristic of Moscow architecture of that time, was built on the site of a wooden church. With a high degree of probability, the external decor of the Temple was made in the best traditions of the "Russian pattern". The refectory was also built at the same time.
The first mention of a side-altar attached to the temple on the north side, already in the tradition of the Moscow Baroque, dates back to 1690. The side-altar was a low octagon on a quadrangle with a faceted dome and a faceted drum on it. The side-altar was consecrated in the name of St. Nicholas. Now - the chapel of St. Sergius of Radonezh. The drum ended with an apple-shaped head of rare beauty.
In the second quarter of the 18th century. a bell tower was erected, a shape slightly unusual for Moscow. On the quad there were two tiers of octagons of the same size, and not with a decrease. The result is the image of a tower-shaped bell tower in the shape of a "candle", which is typical for Yaroslavl architecture. The bell tower ended with a small faceted drum and a small dome.
The lane on which the temple was facing was named Uspensky, instead of the previous one, which was called Proezhye. At the end of the 18th century. the territory of the temple is overgrown with other buildings.
The temple was painted, the floor was lined with stone slabs, some of which have survived to our time. Small windows with a native forged lattice "criss-cross" remained in the walls, the links of which were connected with clamps, and it was fastened to the walls with the help of special "tail-shaped" holders hammered into the window opening.
In 1922 the temple was closed, plundered and partially destroyed. Five heads of the temple and the head of the bell tower were demolished, the apse was destroyed. The building of the temple was used as a residential building. In the second half of the 20th century, the residents were resettled, and the sewing workshop of the All-Russian Model House was located in the building.
In 1995, the temple was returned to the believers. The first rector of the church after his return was Archpriest Gleb Afanasyev (Father Gleb). It took more than twenty years to restore the temple from the "abomination of desolation" to its present splendid appearance. The last murals were completed in 2016. The platbands were restored, the beautiful fence was recreated, the chapters of the temple were covered with glazed ceramic ploughshare, the iconostasis was installed, and much more. The overhead crosses of amazing openwork work in the traditions of the 17th century give a special beauty to the temple. And, despite the fact that the territory of the temple has significantly decreased due to the surrounding buildings, it looks like a temple pearl of Moscow architecture.