Church-hopping In Moscow

Varvarka Street is described in The Lonely Planet guide as a little street with the greatest concentration of interesting buildings in the area of Kitay Gorod so I was on my way there. I’d always wanted to go on walks in Moscow to discover this amazing city, but I had arrived in January when the temperature never rose above -15 or -20 Celsius. 

Proletarskaya is the closest metro station to my house and is the same place you would get off if you were going to the Novospassky Monastery, a recommended visit, which is just a stone’s throw away from my house as well. I accompanied my friend who was here visiting in the summer and we both experienced the lovely walk to the monastery, in addition to taking part in a church service there; his first experience of a Russian Orthodox church service. 

It was cloudy and drizzling, but warm, after the church service, which had been a wonderful experience and first sight into Russia. The solemnity of the church service and the calmness around enticed us to walk further to explore, so we strolled on to the Swiss Hotel beside the International House of Music for a snack at the Sky Bar, the summit of the highest building in Moscow. It was my second visit there and we were lucky to get a very good seat this time; one from which we could see the Kremlin and surrounding areas very clearly. Unfortunately, we had to leave the night view for another visit, since night practically didn't set in summer. It was a beautiful summer night with no precipitation whatsoever when we left the Sky Bar, which facilitated the last leg of the walk from the Swiss Hotel to Paveletskaya train and metro station -  the metro station was our first museum stop and definitely warrants a visit from anyone spending some time in Moscow.

In that guise, I set off to explore another area in Moscow. My walk today however, was very different. I have lost count of the number of churches I saw, photographed and entered. The question I keep asking is “what was the fate of all these churches from 1917 to 1991?” “And how were they managed to be restored to all their past glory?” Each little church is as grand as, or even grander than, the previous one and there’s no keeping track.  Every time I saw a church, before I even went in, I’d already seen the spires or the cross of another one I was planning to see after I came out of the current one. I didn’t have to look at my map. I just went from one church to another and eventually found Varvarka Street. The buildings are certainly interesting, but not distinct in my opinion, considering that I’d just hopped from one interesting building to another over a distance of about five kilometers.

The first landmark I searched for when I left home was Vorontsovskaya Street. It was just around the corner, however one wrong move put me on Volgogradsky Prospekt, so I immediately back-tracked and set off in the right direction which would take me to Taganskaya Square, where the World War II bunker is located; a big tourist attraction which I’d joined in when I first arrived in Moscow. It was winter and there was a discount. Going down 18 floors to experience an hour in a Soviet Bunker with World War II artifacts was a fun thing to do, but does not rate highly on my list, especially because it is very expensive, about 50 dollars with the half price discount.

As I walked along Vorontsovskaya Street, I realized that there were a lot of fine dining restaurants littered along. I’m not quite sure how good business is because these places are hardly ever full. In any case, it was good to know where to find such a place if the need arose. Taganskaya Square appeared at the end of Vorontsovkaya. I spotted my first church there, partially under repair in an enclosed area with a padlocked gate, so I just took a few pictures of the exterior. No sooner was I done than I saw the golden bulbs of another church and walked in that direction for another perusal. I also saw the bookstore and library for Russians abroad, but couldn’t go in as it was closed. It would have been interesting to discover what went on there as it looked as if exhibitions were held there. It would have to wait for another time.

I walked past an English pub called John Donn, written in Cyrillic letters and onto Radishchev Street named after Alexander Nikolaevich Radishchev, a Soviet hero, writer… you name it, he’d done it all. A nice, little park hosted a tall marble column with a bust of the afore-mentioned hero resting on top - a pleasant discovery I’d say, as it was the plaque which enlightened me about the source of the name for the street. 

As I walked on, I realized that Moscow’s architecture is not confined to the tall, dull, rectangular high-rises that house the apartment buildings most of us live in. The area I was in actually offered a different perspective of stately homes which were now probably apartments or office buildings. The décor was very pleasing to the eye as they resembled buildings you could find in some of the nice, affluent areas of Paris or Rome. Having no knowledge of architecture except what I consider pleasant, it is difficult for me to describe; suffice to say that, for once we are spared the ever-ubiquitous Greek neoclassical style that most Russian official buildings sport – the columns, the capitels, the pillars, all reminiscent of the Parthenon and such structures.

I spoke too soon, as one of Stalin’s Seven Sisters, which is now the Radisson Hotel I presumed, loomed into my view. So much for the newly-found, refreshing feeling of a breath of distinctive architecture! 

But again, Moscow is generous with its architecture and offers something for everyone’s taste. Just as I turned the corner I came across the Museum of Russian Icons opposite a monastery with thick walls and a gate as is customary of the monasteries I’ve seen here. I made a note to myself to visit the museum another day, since I didn’t know about it, and headed to the monastery. This monastery on Goncharnaya Street, unfortunately, had strict, unbendable rooms – ‘women in pants, short skirts and no headscarf were strictly forbidden from entering’. I had to put the monastery as well on my list for later, together with the Icon Museum as my attire, as conservative as it seemed to me, was not conservative enough to be granted entry.

I left the monastery and the building I presumed to be the Radisson on my left, crossed the bridge over the other river in Moscow, the smaller Yauza, and went to a park called “The Yauza Gates”, which hosted an obelisk with a golden, two-headed eagle, the well-known Romanov symbol on top, and where Moscovites were lazily stretched out on the grass, in the shade under the trees. The benches around the monument were occupied mostly by senior citizens in light, colorful summer clothes. At the far end stood a group of young men in military fatigues - I had to resist the urge to approach them and ask whether their business in the park was to protect the frail-looking, senior citizens on the benches. Instead, I just did my little tour of the park, enjoyed the view of a tall belfry visible beyond the obelisk and continued on my mission. As I left the park, I was faced with the pastel blue belfry, the top of which I had spotted earlier, and another church which I walked past. Just further down there was another church under restoration. I paid my respects and walked on. As I was headed on my way, although I was clearly sporting tourist gear, I was approached by a lady and her companion collecting signatures for a petition against abortion. I smiled at them, shook my head and politely declined, preferring to keep my opinion to myself and walked on.

I was going to cross into Solyanka street as I’d planned when I’d looked at the map, but two big golden bulbs caught my eye, different from the ones I’d chosen to ignore, and I decided to make a detour. This was the Peter and Paul Church dating from 1700 as the plaque stated. Just as I made my entrance into the little alley from which you entered the church, I was greeted by a black cat that I took a picture of and then went in. The plaque on the wall commemorated the architects who’d done the deed. I would have commemorated it too. The church is built on a promontory only discernible once on the premises. Once you go up the steps, you come face to face with a marble gazebo and statues of the Madonna in the garden around the church. The vast view from the church is spectacular as it overlooks other roofs, balconies, parks, gardens and the famous Stalin building. The interior lived up to the exterior, if not more. I would have been highly impressed if I hadn’t already seen such opulence in palaces and churches all over Russia. It is certainly worth a visit, as it was clearly worth the small detour.

I headed back the way I came to the Peter and Paul church, admiring the architecture I never tired of, and finally crossed into Solyanka Street, my initial route, but not before I’d passed a couple of stretch limos – a QX56 and a Hummer. The wedding party had just come out onto the street and the groom was eagerly displaying his impatience to get on with married life, as the guests looked, laughed and cheered him on, especially the men. I did not make eye contact as I passed them so I cannot describe any of the guests, nor the wedding couple. Another party was going on in one of the limos which I saw through the open doors. They had probably been married at the Peter and Paul church, and I was too late to witness it.  I walked on along Solyanka to Slavyanskaya Square where the Kitay Gorod metro station is. I made a note of where to come back to. All that walking and only two metro stops! To the left of Slavyanskaya Square is Varvarka Street, finally, or so I thought at the time!

Together with different groups of Spanish and Italian tourists fervently reading from their guide books, I did justice to the little street with an interesting collection of buildings – churches that I didn’t go into, but photographed from the outside. There were also some very interesting views of the city from that point. Just beyond Gostiny Dvor -the Old Merchants’ Court -, was St Basil’s Church where I’d been just about a week ago. I'd finally accomplished my goal – to walk from my house to the Kremlin. It is taxing, but totally worth it, since you are rewarded with beautiful, interesting sights along the way. Having checked that off my list, I started walking back to the Kitay Gorod metro station.

As I headed towards there, I noticed a familiar building and realized that I’d seen it next to Biblio-Globus, my favorite bookstore in Moscow, meaning I was close by. I chose to leave Ilyinskiy Square and the park and monuments till after I paid a visit to the bookstore. I’d planned to go for some books I needed for the current classes I’m teaching and thought then was as good a time as any, so off I went. It wasn’t as crowded as I’d expected it to be on a Saturday. Most of the clients had probably gone away for the summer or to their dachas outside Moscow. 

It was certainly pleasant to walk around. I found some of the things I needed but chose to go back for them the next day. I managed to contain myself in Biblio-Globus very proudly. I walked back out onto the street not having purchased anything. I went past Lubyanka Square and the former KGB building, towards the Polytechnical Museum I’d left behind. That would also have to wait, probably for winter.

l admired and photographed that museum and many others, including the Russian Orthodox University with the usual Greek neo-classical façade. 

Just then, I saw a bookstore I decided to look into – the old-fashioned kind of quaint bookstores you stumble upon while walking along indiscriminate streets in European cities.  It was small, but well-stocked with no space to spare. Books which couldn't fit on the shelves were stacked unceremoniously on chairs and tables, and although it catered generally for Russian-speaking clientele, there was a small section with a few books in English. Nothing in that section caught my interest, especially considering that I had chosen not to continue reading “The Amber Room” by Steve Berry - I did not want to invest time in reading any more thrillers with gratuitous violence and unsophisticated language. I had enjoyed his other book, "The Romanov Prophecy", but that is where it stopped for me.

I saw a book by a Russian author I was interested in reading so I allowed myself this little treat.

I finally retraced my steps to the park. At the base of the first monument - a cone-like structure with lots of reliefs of heroes and the Orthodox cross on top - a few police officers were busy with a presumed culprit sporting a bandaged elbow, muttering in slurred speech, incapable of holding himself upright. May be a bit too much of the easily accessible, cheap vodka, or beer? Or maybe he was genuinely in distress.  I chose not to engage in photographing the monument as it would be difficult to avoid their presence and walked to the next one. According to the plaque, this square, Ilyinsky Square is one of the first of its kind in Moscow, created in 1887. It is the usual small neighborhood park in the middle of several surrounding buildings and streets, equipped with benches and a monument to provide some greenery for the neighborhood dwellers. It breaks the monotony of hard concrete, provides shade in the summer as well as oxygen, I presume.

Ilyinksy Square was my last tourist stop today. After that, I headed to the Kitay Gorod metro station in the same square, rode the train for two stops and walked home. After I’d taken my shoes off when I got inside, I wondered what had possessed me to inflict this punishment on myself, but immediately discarded the idea and answered my own question. It was no punishment; I hardly noticed the distance nor, felt any discomfort as I was walking. It was sheer joy to just be led from one beautiful building to another through the sheer sense of sight and to finally end up at Red Square. It was a great outing, and to think I almost stayed behind because it looked like rain. Instead I decided to face the rain and was rewarded with the most spectacular architectural meal Moscow could offer on a beautiful summer day.