Moscow, December 11, 2020
Photo: mos.ru
Thanks to a new project from the Moscow Archives and the State Inspectorate for Real Estate, unique documents on a number of churches and chapels destroyed in Moscow in the 1920s and 30s are now available online.
The project aims to identify and publish documents connected with the historical appearance of the capital city, according to the official website of the Mayor of Moscow.
All materials identified so far—plans, drawings, watercolor drawings of facades—are already available online on the website of the Moscow Archives in the “Unique Documents” section.
“Thanks to our joint educational project, Muscovites will be able to imagine the appearance of the city at the beginning of the 20th century. The documents about the 20 long-lost churches and chapels are of historical value, and the publication of these documents will allow citizens to get acquainted with the pearls of Church architecture, which can no longer be seen,” said Anastasia Rakova, Deputy Mayor of Moscow for Social Development.
Photo: mos.ru
Among the most interesting documents are those presenting the plans of the chapel at the Church of St. Basil of Caesarea with the autograph of the famous architect Fyodor Shekhtel, the water color plans and drawings of the façade of the Church of the Holy Trinity, as well as drawings of the iconostasis in the chapel at the Church of St. Nicholas on Myasnitskaya Street.
The Church of St. Basil. Photo: cgamos.ru
Plans for the Church of St. Tikhon of Amafunt, consisting of two symmetrical and externally separate churches, demonstrate an architectural technique rare for Moscow.
At the beginning of the 20th century, the capital had 10 cathedrals, 26 monasteries, 412 Orthodox churches, and 10 churches of other faiths. There were 166 house churches in hospitals, orphanages, and educational institutions. In the 1920s and 30s, 4 cathedrals, 8 monasteries, 111 churches, and several chapels were demolished.
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