Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
and the Church of the Trinity in Nikitniki are excellent examples, as are most of the
churches in Suzdal. Patriarch Nikon outlawed such frippery shortly after the construction of
the Church of the Nativity of the Virgin in Putinki.
Iconic Moscow Architecture
Ascension Church at Kolomenskoe
Church of the Intercession at Fili
Hotel Metropol
Narkomfin
Imperial Moscow
Embellishments returned at the end of the 17th century with the Western-influenced Mo-
scow baroque. This style is sometimes called Naryshkin baroque, named after the boyar
family that inhabited the western suburbs of Fili in the 17th century. There, in honour of his
brothers' deaths, Lev Naryshkin commissioned the Church of the Intercession, the ornate
beauty that would define the city's style for years to come. It featured exquisite white detail-
ing against red-brick walls. Another example is the Epiphany Cathedral in the monastery of
the same name in Kitay Gorod. Zamoskvorechie is a treasure chest of Moscow baroque
churches.
Tsar Alexander I favoured the grandiose Russian Empire style, commissioning it almost
exclusively. Moscow abounds with Empire-style buildings, since much of the city had to be
rebuilt after the fire of 1812. The flamboyant decorations of earlier times were used on the
huge new buildings erected to proclaim Russia's importance, such as the Triumphal Arch
and the Bolshoi Theatre.
The Russian revival of the end of the 19th century extended to architecture. The Cathed-
ral of Christ the Saviour was inspired by Byzantine Russian architecture. The State History
Museum and the Leningradsky vokzal (Leningrad station) were inspired by medieval Russi-
an styles. The extraordinary Kazansky vokzal (Kazan station) embraces no fewer than seven
earlier styles.
Meanwhile, Russia's take on art nouveau - Style Moderne - added wonderful curvaceous
flourishes to many buildings across Moscow. Splendid examples include Yaroslavsky vokz-
al and the Hotel Metropol.
