Temple of Gregory of Neocaesarea
ooh Bolshaya Polyanka, 29/32c4, Moscow
Description:
The Church of St. Gregory of Neocaesarea in Derbitsy is one of the oldest churches in Moscow. It is an architectural monument of the 17th century.
Built originally in the 15th century by Grand Duke Vasily II, the temple was wooden. So the prince expressed gratitude to heaven for liberation from Tatar captivity. The wooden church stood until the end of the 17th century. Now its place is marked by a wooden chapel-monument.
At the end of the 17th century, the wooden church was supplanted by a majestic stone temple built at the expense of Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich. The best architects of that time built a new temple. In the architectural sense, it is a typical Moscow five-domed church with a tent bell tower. The facade is decorated with tiles with intricate vegetable ornamentation. The brightly painted church was so dazzling that it was often called simply Red, that is, beautiful.
The church of Gregory of Neocaesarea is known for the fact that here Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich married Natalia Naryshkina, a year later the baby Peter, the future great Tsar Peter the Great, was baptized here. His baptismal font is still kept here. The rector of the temple for a long time was the royal confessor, so the church itself was considered court.
In 1939, the temple was closed, looted and dilapidated. Church activity resumed here only in 1994.
Through the efforts of the parishioners and abbot, the temple regained its former splendor and is again often called "Red".
+7 (495) 959-00-11
www.ieronim-polyanka.ru
