Walking into the past: Strolls through the streets of old Moscow

Moscow is about pace, speed, modernity. Moscow is dynamic, Moscow-never-sleeps... This has become a cliché. And this is what we all love it for (otherwise, one simply wouldn't survive here).

But sometimes you want to stop, exhale...

Set off to a cozy, ancient city... Wander through narrow, winding streets, admire old houses... Step into an empty coffee shop, chat with a friendly barista... Try something completely special, local, that you won't find anywhere else...

Where should one head in such a case? Of course... to Moscow!

Because no matter how hard the city authorities try to change the appearance of the capital, turning it into an ultra-modern metropolis, in its soul Moscow remains the same: lazy, generous, hospitable, and ancient First Throne. It squints through the slanted windows of ancient chambers, flashes golden domes among glass high-rises... The soul of the city is alive, alive! And today we will go in search of it.

Where shall we go?

As we know from the classics, any tourist — from Napoleon Bonaparte to Venichka Erofeev — upon arriving in Moscow, first of all rushes to the Kremlin. Though one might end up at Kursky railway station instead, but that's another question...

Kursky station is certainly not what we need, but honestly, there's nothing special to catch in the Kremlin either: queues for tickets, queues through metal detectors, and all this — just to find yourself among the crowd... This is not the atmosphere we're looking for.

Moreover, there's plenty to see in Moscow besides the Kremlin.

Address: Red Square, building 7

Let's start with what might seem obvious: St. Basil's Cathedral, or, officially speaking, the Cathedral of the Intercession of the Most Holy Theotokos on the Moat. The structure, consisting of nine churches standing on a single foundation, was built by order of Ivan the Terrible in the mid-16th century.

Now the cathedral is considered one of the main symbols of Moscow. Everyone knows it: but how many have been inside?

This is a unique opportunity to admire authentic medieval interiors. High basements, secret staircases, narrow passages, painted vaults, labyrinths of galleries... In this tight, whimsically curved space, brightly painted with fantastic colors, you feel cozy and somehow very joyful.

During its almost five-hundred-year history, the temple has been renovated and changed many times. Each generation decorated the interiors according to their sense of beauty, and modern restorers have tried to preserve the features of all eras. Here you will find the original "brick-like" painting, the floral ornament of the 17th century, and oil paintings of the 18th-19th centuries. Ancient icons, antique mica lanterns, elegant iconostases and touching paintings depicting medieval people in their daily activities — discoveries await you at every turn.

From the temple erected by Ivan the Terrible, you can visit the Tsar's relatives — the Romanov boyars. Walking around the eastern side of the temple, we'll find ourselves on Varvarka, one of Moscow's oldest streets. It was extremely well situated: on the high bank of the Moscow River, near the Kremlin, at the beginning of the road leading to major cities: Vladimir, Rostov, Kolomna. Not surprisingly, it was inhabited by boyars and nobility.

Unfortunately, in 1812, during the great Moscow fire, the original buildings were severely damaged. The side of the street closer to the river has been preserved to a greater extent. So stay on the right side. Here you will see such architectural masterpieces as:

▪︎ Church of St. Barbara the Great Martyr — early 19th century

▪︎ Church of Maxim the Blessed, built in the 17th century

▪︎ Znamensky Monastery, founded in the 17th century

▪︎ Chambers of the Romanov boyars, built in the 15-16th centuries. According to legend, the founder of the Romanov royal dynasty, Mikhail Fedorovich, was born here

▪︎ Old English Court — one of the oldest civic buildings in Moscow

After admiring the view from above, from the street, descend to the ancient buildings via the stairs. From above they seem intimate, cozy: you can only feel their scale when standing below. The nearby Zaryadye Park does not spoil the impression at all: on the contrary, the birch trees growing there add a sense of something truly Russian, profound and authentic.

You can visit the chambers of the Romanov boyars and immerse yourself in the life of ancient Moscow nobility, or visit the Old English Court building and learn more about Russia's trade with England. At the Znamensky Monastery tea house, you can taste real monastery kvass and pastries.

If you continue through Zaryadye Park, staying parallel to Varvarka, you can reach a fragment of the Kitay-gorod Wall. Entry to the wall is free; at the top there is a small weapons exhibition, information stands, and small photo zones.

Address: Kitaygorodsky Passage, building 2, structure 1

Kitay-gorod — medieval fortifications protecting the settlement east of the Kremlin. They were built in 1538 by order of Elena Glinskaya, mother of Ivan the Terrible. The powerful walls faithfully served, protecting Moscow from foreign raids.

In the 18th century, after the capital was moved to St. Petersburg, the Kitay-gorod Wall lost its defensive significance and began to gradually collapse. Little remains of the grand fortification structure to our time. The wall fragment near Zaryadye is not an authentic historical monument, but a reconstruction.

 

The real historical fortification has been preserved only on Theatre Square. If you like wandering around backyards and venturing into places that few people know about — make your way to the back of the Metropol Hotel, touch the ancient masonry of the real, authentic Kitay-gorod Wall. Enjoy the sense of antiquity.

Address: Theatre Square, building 5, structure 1

There is another way to reach the coveted wall: sign up for a tour of the Printing Yard Museum.

Address: Nikolskaya St., building 15, structure 1

The Printing Yard building is located on one of Moscow's most famous streets — Nikolskaya, and involuntarily captures attention with its unusual appearance. The light blue building with lush white stone carvings, pointed towers and spires, and lancet windows resembles a Gothic European castle. The similarity is complemented by images of a lion and unicorn above the main entrance to the building.

These heraldic beasts are the symbols of the Moscow Printing Yard, an institution founded by Ivan the Terrible.

In Medieval Russia, books were copied by hand. If the copyist was not very literate or simply inattentive, he could copy the text incorrectly. And what if the book contains a sacred, biblical, or liturgical text? Distortions of the text could lead to errors in worship, even to heresy. Concerned about this, Ivan the Terrible decided: books should be printed on presses!

This is how book printing began in Russia. The sovereign's Printing Yard was established on Nikolskaya Street only in the 17th century, during the reign of Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich. The original building has not survived: this whimsical "castle" that we see now dates back to the early 19th century. However, behind the high metal gates, in the inner courtyard, hides an older building that has survived from that time: a teremok (small palace) from the 17th century. You can visit it with a guided tour, and then you will see walls decorated with floral patterns and zodiac signs, admire tiles of stoves, learn a lot about the development of printing in Russia, and even try to write something with a real quill! And you can also expect tea drinking on the real, authentic Kitay-gorod Wall.

Not far from the Kitay-gorod district lies Ivanovskaya Hill. This elevation in the eastern part of the White City is considered one of the legendary "seven hills" on which Moscow stands. Local historians claim that this is the most well-preserved historical district of the capital.

This is that very old Moscow, where it is so pleasant to stroll unhurriedly, peering into windows, imagining how people live here, and how they lived before.

Address: Slavyanskaya Square, building 2/5/4

You can start your walk from the Church of All Saints on Kulishki — a small elegant church on Slavyanskaya Square. It was built at the end of the 17th century in what was then the fashionable Moscow Baroque style: tall, soaring upward, generously decorated, clearly influenced by European architecture. This church is often called the "Moscow Leaning Tower of Pisa" due to its tilted bell tower. By the way, this is the only church in Moscow where the service is conducted according to the Byzantine canon, included in the UNESCO World Heritage List.

From the church, you can go up along Solyansky Passage and Zabelin Street, and get lost in colorful, beautiful lanes with names that evoke antiquity: Starosadsky, Trekhsvyatitelsky, Kolpachny. Admire old mansions, churches, and tenement houses. Peek into courtyards, in each of which an unusual cafe or art workshop might be hiding, or visit the secluded and poetic Morozovsky Garden.

Address: Maly Ivanovsky Lane, building 2, structure 4

The "Ivanovskaya Hill" district got its name from the Ioann the Baptist women's monastery located here. The monastery was founded in the 15th century and is considered one of the oldest in Moscow. The Ivanovsky monastery was a mysterious and gloomy place: it housed women who were somehow displeasing to the authorities: schismatics, criminals, wives who had fallen out of favor with the tsars. Saltychiha lived here in confinement — the malicious landowner Darya Saltykova, notorious for her brutal abuse of serfs.

During the fire of 1812, the convent was severely damaged. It was restored only more than 60 years later. The architect — Mikhail Bykovsky — reimagined the appearance of the monastery in a romantic Neo-Renaissance style. When building the main cathedral, he was inspired by the architecture of Florence.

The whimsical Italian fantasy of the Russian architect seems to leave its mark on the entire area. Ivanovskaya Hill is entirely a fantasy, a whimsical mixture of confessions, styles, and eras. Here you can admire lush roses in the ancient, 17th century Church of Vladimir in the Old Gardens. Taste kosher dishes at the restaurant at the synagogue in Bolshoy Spasoglinischevsky Lane. Visit the Baptist church in Maly Trekhsvyatitelsky. Or listen to the organ in the Lutheran Church of Peter and Paul, located in Starosadsky Lane.

Get out of the maze of lanes, climb up to Pokrovka, stroll through the quiet Potapovsky and Arkhangelsky lanes with their ancient mansions. And reach another masterpiece of Baroque architecture — Menshikov Tower.

Address: Arkhangelsky Lane, building 15, structure 9

"Aleksashka" Menshikov, favorite of Peter the Great, an upstart from the lower classes, a darling of fate, bought himself an estate near the Pogankin ponds at the beginning of the 18th century. He immediately ordered the reservoirs to be cleaned, after which the people renamed the ponds "Clean."

And then Menshikov decided to build a church in honor of the Archangel Gabriel in his domain. Not a simple one, but the tallest in Moscow.

And he built it — luxurious, beautiful, decorated with white stone carvings, massive volutes, cartouches, figures of angels, columns, in the style of Petrine Baroque. One of the architects of the church was Domenico Trezzini, creator of the Peter and Paul Fortress in St. Petersburg. The gilded spire of the church is adorned with the figure of an archangel.

The tower turned out to be three meters taller than the Ivan the Great Bell Tower in the Kremlin. People whispered: it's a sin! God will punish the haughty prince. And indeed: before the temple was finished, lightning struck it, right at the figure of the archangel. The upper tier of the tower collapsed. They never restored it afterward. Thus, the height of the temple decreased, and Ivan the Great preserved its primacy.

Alexander Danilovich Menshikov soon moved to St. Petersburg and forgot about his tower. It was restored only 50 years later, and for a long time it served as the center of prayer meetings of the Moscow Masonic lodge.

From Menshikov Tower, it's a stone's throw to the Boulevard Ring. And there you can take the most nostalgic type of city transport — the tram — and head to Zamoskvorechye. Zamoskvorechye was located, as is clear from the name, across the river from the Kremlin. This bank was low, swampy, the place was not considered very prestigious. Small traders often settled here... Who gradually, penny by penny, built up capital... Their sons became larger traders. This is how powerful merchant dynasties were formed. The famous Bakhrushin merchants, founders of the world-famous art gallery — the Tretyakovs, Ural "iron kings" — the Demidovs, they all lived in Zamoskvorechye. The singer of the merchant class, Alexander Nikolaevich Ostrovsky, also lived in this area.

The tram will take us to the "Veshnyakovsky Lane" stop. Here you can get off and walk down the same Veshnyakovsky Lane to Pyatnitskaya Street and turn right towards the Tretyakovskaya metro station.

Address: Pyatnitskaya Street, building 33-35, structure 1

Pyatnitskaya Street is the center of Zamoskvorechye. There are many mansions, revenue houses, and churches here.

In this part of the street, the house of the Korobkov entrepreneurs attracts special attention. The whimsical Art Nouveau building stands out with windows of unusual oval and semi-oval shapes, stucco molding, images of caryatids, but most of all — with its unusual color that changes depending on the weather and lighting. That's why this house is called the "chameleon."

Address: Pyatnitskaya Street, building 26, building 1

Another greeting from Italy in the heart of Russia: the Church of St. Clement, Pope of Rome — the most luxurious and large-scale temple in all of Zamoskvorechye, and one of the most beautiful. It combines European Baroque and Rococo styles. If the church is open, go inside: the interiors of the temple are perfectly preserved! The luxurious interiors and unusual blue color of the dome are reminiscent of the work of Italian architects. Pay attention to the gilded carved iconostasis of the Baroque era. It is considered one of the best in Russia.

The temple, built in the early 18th century, is one of the few in Moscow that survived the fire of 1812. Go inside to soak up the splendor and elegance of Russia during the era of Palace Coups. And let's move on.

Walking along Klimentovsky Lane, you can turn onto Malaya Ordynka Street. The spirit of old Moscow has been preserved on this quiet street. Here, the wooden and stone low-rise buildings of Zamoskvorechye are whimsically mixed.

Here, in a quiet green courtyard, a cozy wooden mansion is hidden — the house where the writer Alexander Nikolaevich Ostrovsky was born. Here is the writer's museum: unfortunately, it is currently closed for restoration, but if you're lucky, you can go into the yard and enjoy the peace and quiet in the midst of the restless city.

Address: Malaya Ordynka, building 9.

Opposite the museum house rises the ancient church of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker "in Pyzhi." This temple, built at the end of the 17th century, is one of the last representatives of the "Russian pattern style." With the beginning of the 18th century, foreign influences penetrated Russian architecture, and it largely lost its distinctive character...

You can go into the courtyard, walk around the temple, admire the exquisite carvings, whimsical white stone patterns — and exit through the opposite gates.

Address: Bolshaya Ordynka, 27A/8s1.

Through the western gates of St. Nicholas Church, we exit onto Bolshaya Ordynka. In the Middle Ages, this street was considered the main one in Zamoskvorechye, but later it ceded this title to Pyatnitskaya. Nobles and wealthy merchants lived here — so there are many beautiful mansions and estates on the street.

Address: Bolshaya Ordynka Street, 34

Walking down the street to the left, south, about 150 meters, we will see a white stone monastery wall on the opposite side of the street. Its powerful vaults, narrow window-loopholes, smooth, dazzlingly white walls almost without decoration, remind of the severe simplicity of the ancient monasteries of the Russian North.

This is the Martha and Mary Convent of the Sisters of Mercy. It was built for women who decided to devote their lives to caring for the sick and infirm, and looking after orphaned girls. The sisterhood was founded by Grand Duchess Elizabeth Feodorovna, sister of the last empress, Alexandra Feodorovna.

Behind the powerful monastery walls hides a real paradise: a beautiful garden, numerous elegant buildings, and the house-museum of Elizabeth Feodorovna. But the real pearl of the convent is the white stone Church of the Intercession of the Most Holy Theotokos. It was built in the traditions of Pskov-Novgorod architecture, and its entire appearance breathes antiquity. It's hard to believe that it was built just over a hundred years ago: in 1910.

A whole pleiad of brilliant creators and artists of the Silver Age worked on the appearance of the church. The project of the church was developed by the famous architect Alexei Viktorovich Shchusev, one of the leaders of the neo-Russian style in pre-revolutionary architecture. The unique carvings on the walls and portal of the church were made by artists Nikifor Tamonkin and Petr Ruzheynikov.

The interior paintings were done by the famous artist Mikhail Nikolaevich Nesterov. They are dedicated to the brightest moments of Sacred history, such as the Annunciation, the appearance of the Angel to the myrrh-bearing women at the tomb of Christ. Each painting is like a separate picture: you can look at them for a long time, admiring every detail. Or you can just sit on a bench in the garden, enjoying the peace and quiet: the powerful monastery wall blocks out the city noise and bustle.

The area between Staraya Basmannaya and Novaya Basmannaya streets is called the Basmanny District. Here is the highest concentration of architectural monuments outside the Garden Ring.

This area lies a little away from the main streets of the city: it lacks the gloss inherent in the central areas, but it has its own peculiar charm. Here you will see Moscow as not everyone gets to see it.

In the Middle Ages, basmans — bakers who supplied bread to the palace — lived here. Over time, the place became elite: companions of Peter the Great, military men, wealthy merchants, and nobility built houses and estates here.

You can plan your walk like this: from Krasnye Vorota metro station, walk along Novaya Basmannaya and then, through Bauman Garden, cross to Staraya Basmannaya. Along it, reach the Yelokhovsky Cathedral and through the streets of the former German Quarter, exit to Baumanskaya metro station. In the 18th century, the German Quarter was inhabited by foreigners from Western Europe. Tsar Peter the Great loved to visit here with a noisy crowd of courtiers; his first love, the beautiful German woman Anna Mons, lived here. Now little remains of the foreigners' quarter: the luxurious Lefortovo Palace, the half-ruined house of Anna Mons, and the Resurrection Cemetery with tombstones in foreign languages.

On the way from Krasnye Vorota to Baumanskaya, you will encounter many architectural monuments:

▪︎ Cathedral of Peter and Paul, built in the early 18th century by order of Peter the Great

▪︎ Bauman Garden — part of the Golitsyn estate that was located here. Pay attention to the grotto — it was built back in the 19th century!

▪︎ Travel palace of Vasily III, father of Ivan the Terrible. Unfortunately, the original building has been only partially preserved.

▪︎ Cathedral of Nikita the Martyr

▪︎ House-museum of Vasily Lvovich Pushkin, uncle of the great poet

▪︎ Luxurious mansion of Count A. I. Musin-Pushkin, educator and patron of the late 18th century

▪︎ The grandiose Epiphany Yelokhovsky Cathedral, built in the mid-19th century in the Empire style. Alexander Sergeyevich Pushkin was baptized in it, and the remains of two Russian patriarchs — Sergius and Alexis II — found their resting place there

Address: Krutitskaya Street, 8

Not far from the center of the capital, in the Taganka district, is one of the most atmospheric architectural ensembles of the capital: Krutitsy Metochion.

During the Golden Horde yoke, this was the residence of the Sarai bishops — that is, those who lived in the capital of the Golden Horde, Sarai-Batu, and spiritually nourished the Russians living there in captivity.

Krutitsy Metochion was founded in the 13th century, but buildings from the 17-18th centuries have survived to our days. These include the Church of the Resurrection of the Word, the Church of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary, the metropolitan's palace, chambers and passages, and a gate teremok with amazing tiles. Cozy wooden houses stand around.

The Metochion houses the Museum of Military History: its staff will tell you about military affairs in ancient Russia and conduct interactive tours of the Metochion.

Time seems to have frozen here: cats warm themselves in the sun on the windowsills of wooden houses, grass vigorously breaks through the cracks in the pavement.

In this place, you can feel quiet and peace. Feel sad about the fading Moscow. Rejoice that we managed to witness fragments of its great, beautiful history... and set off on the return journey. On the way back, you can turn into the Novospassky Monastery, admire the unique paintings of the main church — impressive pictures of the Last Judgment, touching animals with human eyes. In the monastery shops, you can buy very tasty herbal balms. And in the "Pilgrim" shop — get a stylish outfit: elegant dresses, stylish sundresses, colorful quilted jackets embroidered with flowers and fly agaric mushrooms.

It's time to say goodbye to ancient Moscow and return to our usual, modern, hurried life. But we will return. Wait for us, Moscow!