Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
163
Head back into the capitalist rush of modern Moscow
by crossing over to Myasnitskaya Ulitsa, to the right
of Lubyanka. Follow the street past a string of book-
shops and cafes until you see Krivokolyonny Pereulok
off to the right. Take this street (which translates as
“Crooked Knee Lane”) past the 18th- and 19th-cen-
tury mansions now housing offices and apartments,
until you reach two churches clustered together:
9 Church of the Archangel Gabriel
& Church of St. Theodore
Stratilites
The twisting gold dome of the Church of
the Archangel Gabriel is the most notice-
able of its nontraditional architectural
features. Commissioned in 1705 by Peter
the Great's advisor, Alexander Menshikov,
the church is a clear example of the period
when European classicism overrode Rus-
sian architecture, with grand buttresses
and cornices not seen on most Orthodox
churches. The 19th-century, quasi-Gothic
Church of St. Theodore Stratilites is next
door.
Continue a few dozen yards to the end of Krivokoly-
onny Pereulok. You'll emerge onto Chistoprudny Bul-
var, a boulevard with a stretch of green space
running down its center. Enter the park and head
right, until you reach:
0 Chistiye Prudy
This area was referred to as “Dirty Ponds”
in the days when it housed a meat market,
whose refuse ran into the murky pools. The
19th-century city government cleaned it
up and rechristened it “Clean Ponds,” or
Chistiye Prudy. Only one pond remains; it's
a mecca for skaters and toddlers on sleds in
winter, and for rental boats in summer.
WINDING DOWN
Pavilion ( & 495/203-5110 ),
perched on the ponds, is packed
most evenings with a haughty, hipper-
than-thou crowd, but it's a lovely spot for
a midday bite. The wooden deck makes it
feel homey. The food is a mélange of Rus-
sian, European, and central Asian cuisines.
7
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