According to legend, the Mother of God appeared to a ten-year-old girl three times and ordered her to take an icon hidden in the ground. In the indicated place they found an image of the Mother of God wrapped in a piece of cloth. It turned out to be miraculous, and Ivan IV allocated money for the construction of a monastery on the site of the appearance of the image.
The Kazan priest Hermogenes, when transferred to the patriarchal see in Moscow, took the image of the Kazan Mother of God with him. The list remains in Kazan. And in 1721, Peter I transferred the miraculous image to the Kazan Cathedral in St. Petersburg.
The Kazan Church on Red Square in Moscow was built at the expense of Prince Dmitry Pozharsky.
There were cannon barns at this place. But they burned down at the beginning of the 17th century. In 1625, a wooden church appeared, where Dmitry Pozharsky transferred the image of the Kazan Mother of God.
In 1632, the Kazan Church burned down. Then the sovereign allocated bricks from the palace being built for the restoration of the church. And in 1636, on the site of the burnt one, the stone Kazan Cathedral was built in gratitude for the deliverance of Russia from the Polish-Lithuanian invaders and in memory of the fallen Russian soldiers.
In the middle of the 17th century, Archpriest Avvakum served in the Kazan Cathedral on Red Square.
He did not accept Nikon's church reform, which split the Orthodox Church into Nikonians and Old Believers, and led the fight against innovations. The schismatics were excommunicated from the church, exiled to distant monasteries, and imprisoned. Avvakum himself was exiled with his family to Tobolsk, and then to Dauria and Mezen. In 1666 he was anathematized and exiled to the Pustozersky prison. There Avvakum spent 15 years in an earthen prison. Then “The Life of Archpriest Avvakum” appeared. Then the archpriest was burned alive.
April 26, 1755 became a historical day for the Kazan Cathedral - a solemn prayer service was held there in honor of the opening of Moscow University. The cathedral became the parish church of this educational institution. And in 1812, M.I. received the blessing here. Kutuzov, and the cathedral became the first monument to the Patriotic War in Moscow.
But in 1936, the Kazan Cathedral was destroyed, so there is not a single relic in the newly built church.
We can say that the Kazan Cathedral was saved by the architectural historian Pyotr Baranovsky. When the temples were destroyed, he desperately tried to save the ancient structures. Thanks to Baranovsky, the buildings in Kolomenskoye and the cathedral survived. The architect even went on a hunger strike and lay down at the foot of the temple, declaring that he would die with him. As a result, Baranovsky was exiled to Mariinsk, but St. Basil remained standing on Red Square.
The Kazan Cathedral could not be saved. By the beginning of the revolution, the temple had already lost its original appearance. Under the leadership of Baranovsky, they began to restore it in 1927, but in 1930 the reconstruction was frozen. Baranovsky was sent to build the first BAM tracks, and the church was demolished 6 years later. A temporary cafe and public toilet were installed in its place.
In the 1990s, the Kazan Cathedral was restored according to the exact measurements and sketches of Pyotr Baranovsky. And on November 4, 1993, on the day of the Kazan Icon of the Mother of God, the church was opened to visitors. At the same time, the Kazan Cathedral became the first example of the restoration of a temple that was completely destroyed during the Soviet period.
On the territory of the historical architectural museum-reserve in Kolomenskoye there is the Church of the Kazan Icon of the Mother of God, built in the 17th century. This beautiful ancient temple is a historical monument and is protected by the state. Here is one of those icons that is especially revered by Orthodox people living all over the world - this is the image of the Sovereign Mother of God.
Temple in Kolomenskoye - beginning
The history of the creation of the temple in Kolomenskoye dates back to the 17th century during the reign of Mikhail Romanov. According to information that has survived to this day, a wooden church was built in Kolomenskoye in the 30s of the 17th century. Her throne was consecrated in honor of one of the main shrines of Rus' - the icon of Our Lady of Kazan. One chapel is in honor of the early Christian saint Averky of Hierapolis, and the second is in honor of Demetrius of Thessalonica, the great martyr.
In 1645, Alexei Mikhailovich ascended the royal throne. During his reign, repairs and restoration of the Kolomna Church began. In 1648, the king’s first child was born, who was christened in honor of St. Demetrius of Thessalonica. In connection with this event, to the Kazan Church They built a stone chapel of the same name, and three years later they erected a bell tower, which has a hipped top.
Connection of the church with the royal palace
Towards the end of the 17th century, a palace was being built in Kolomenskoye for the Tsar, which was an architectural masterpiece of Russian architecture and admired with its beauty. The Church of the Icon of the Kazan Mother of God was connected to the royal palace by a covered passage. After that, she essentially became a brownie. The entire royal family prayed there. The temple and its chapels were completed four years later.
Numerous foreign ambassadors who came to Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich at his residence were amazed by the beauty of the erected buildings. What they admired most was not the temple itself, but the passage to the palace. It was 50 meters long and 3 meters wide. The floor of the passage was covered felt to retain heat and comfortable walking on it.
An example of Russian architecture
The Kazan temple was built according to the canons of Russian architecture of the 17th century. It is a two-story rectangular building. The church is located on a high basement; two porches with stairs approach it from the southern and northern sides. They lead to the top floor. The stairs on the second floor are connected by a covered walkway (gallery), which has access to the bell tower.
The facades of the church are decorated with small windows. The corners of the temple are decorated with double pilasters (false columns), which serve as a kind of basis for a wide cornice. The upper part of the building is also decorated with small windows and a decorative three-row cornice.
Upper tier and prayer thrones
The facade of the upper tier and the five towers on which the domes are installed are decorated with kokoshniks. There are two chapels adjacent to the church on the southern and northern sides. Each of them also has a tower with a dome. The bell tower was built in a traditional style. It consists of two quadrangles of different sizes. An octagonal tower with a domed top was built on top of them.
According to the chronicles, the Kolomna parish was previously decorated with beautiful icons in gold and silver frames, as well as icon cases carved from valuable wood. The temple had expensive church utensils, covers, shrouds and carpets. For the Tsar and his wife Maria Ilyinichna (and then another wife, Natalya Kirillovna), special throne places for prayer were created and richly decorated. Those close to royalty were allowed to visit the temple iconostases for this purpose, and the retinue was allowed to pray in the refectory.
Historical features
The Kazan Church in Kolomna has reached our time almost unchanged. The church itself with five domes, a hipped bell tower and its chapels have also been preserved. Under the cross of the central dome there is an inscription telling about the construction of the church on the very spot where a wooden temple was previously built in honor of the centenary of the conquest of Kazan. According to historical chronology, this version has a basis, because the Tatar capital was recaptured in 1552.
The wooden church that was previously located on this site was most likely the Kazan Church built in the 30s of the 17th century. It is mentioned in several historical documents. Some sources say that at one time in these places there was a camp of False Dmitry I. I., and it was he who built this temple. However, not all historians agree with this version.
Prophetic dream of Evdokia Adrianova
The “Sovereign” icon is the main shrine not only of the Kazan Church, but also one of the most highly revered miraculous images of the Blessed Virgin Mary in Orthodoxy. The veneration of the icon is associated with a new period in Russian history. As the legend says, one of the residents of the Bronnitsky district of Perervinskaya Sloboda, Evdokia Adrianova, repeatedly saw the same dream.
She dreamed of a snow-white temple, while she heard a demand to find a black icon and make it red. In the spring of 1917, in the village of Kolomenskoye, in the basement of the Ascension Church, an icon depicting the Mother of God was found. It had turned black from time and dampness. The icon depicted the Mother of God with the Child Christ sitting on her lap. In the hands of the Mother of God were the royal regalia - an orb and a scepter.
Icon "Sovereign"
At the same time, Tsar Nicholas I. I. signed the abdication of the throne not only for himself, but also for Tsarevich Alexei, transferring him to his brother Mikhail Alexandrovich, the Grand Duke. And people living in Kolomenskoye and neighboring towns began to venerate the icon. According to many Orthodox Christians, The Mother of God keeps the royal orb and scepter, symbolizing royal power and great Russia.
Historians attribute the image itself to the Constantinople, that is, Byzantine canon of icon painting. It is believed that it was written at the end of the 18th century. At the Moscow Alekseevsky Monastery there are art workshops in which the “Sovereign” Mother of God was restored. It turned out that the vestments of the Virgin Mary are depicted in red, as was said to Evdokia Adrianova in a dream.
During the Soviet era, the icon was kept for a long time in the storerooms of the Historical Museum in Moscow. In 1990, she was solemnly returned to the fold of the church. Today the original is in Kolomna in the Kazan Church.
Other shrines of the temple
In addition to the “Sovereign” icon, the temple contains:
Nowadays, the Kazan Church is still active and is open to everyone throughout the year. Just like several centuries ago, divine services are held there. In 1910, the walls of the church were painted with scenes from the lives of saints and their faces.
Opening hours
Temple opening hours:
- Monday - from 8 to 12 o'clock.
- Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday - from 8 to 16.
- Friday, Saturday - from 8 to 19.
- Sunday - from 7 to 19 (in summer - from 8 to 30).
Worship times:
- On weekdays at 8 o'clock the liturgy is held, at 17 o'clock the all-night prayer is read.
- On Sundays a late liturgy is added, starting at 9.40.
The temple is located at the address: Moscow, Kolomensky district, Andropov Avenue, 31.
The appearance of the church on Red Square in Moscow is due to the fact that in Rus' they began to venerate the icon of the Kazan Mother of God outside the diocese of Kazan. So, the list from the icon accompanied the second zemstvo militia, which was formed in Yaroslavl and sent to Moscow to fight the Polish invaders.
In 1796, in the “Guide to Historical Moscow” there was a mention that the very first temple of the icon of the Kazan Mother of God, at that time still made of wood, was erected in 1652. The guidebook says that the church was built at the expense of Prince Dmitry Pozharsky, who led the militia against the Polish-Lithuanian occupiers.
One of the most important temples in the capital
There is a widespread belief that the Church of Our Lady of Kazan was erected in honor of the expulsion of Polish invaders from Moscow. In earlier sources, preserved to this day, nothing is said about this temple, which allegedly burned down in 1634, about the reasons for the construction of the church. Tsar Mikhail Fedorovich allocated funds for the construction of a stone church to house the “Lubyanka” copy of the Kazan icon.
In 1636, the temple was consecrated by Patriarch Joasaph I. 11 years later, a new chapel was added to the church in honor of the Kazan wonderworkers Guria and Barsanuphius. In the temple architecture of the 17th century, traditionally, the quadruple bases of bell towers were built on the northwestern side of the church. The tented bell tower of the Kazan Cathedral was built according to these canons. Despite its small size, the church became one of the most important churches in Moscow. The rector of the cathedral occupied one of the leading positions among the Moscow clergy.
Further history of the cathedral
The history of the construction of the Kazan Cathedral is very complicated. At the end of the 60s of the 18th century, it was reconstructed at the expense of Princess Dolgorukova. During the renovation, due to the impossibility of restoration, the chapel of Saints Gurias and Barsanuphius was demolished.
After the reconstruction of the upper shopping rows, the view of the Kazan Cathedral from Red Square was practically blocked. The lower floor of the bell tower was equipped with benches. At the beginning of 1802, at the insistence of Metropolitan Platon, the old tented bell tower was dismantled. By 1805, a two-tier bell tower was built in a new location, which in 1865 was converted into a three-tier one.
The barbarity of the French soldiers
In 1865, the facades were decorated in the style of the temple classics, and the cathedral became similar to all refectory churches located in Russia. Metropolitan Leonty, who visited this cathedral, said that the temple is no different from a simple rural church.
During the Patriotic War of 1812, French troops occupied Moscow. As the famous playwright of that time A.A. Shakhovskoy testifies, French soldiers brought a dead horse into the altar of the Kazan Church. The corpse was placed in the very place where the throne, which was thrown away, was located. Archpriest Moshkov managed to hide the icon of Our Lady of Kazan. In July 1918, the main shrine of the Kazan Cathedral - a copy of the icon of the Mother of God, which was considered miraculous, was stolen.
Kazan Cathedral in the twentieth century
In the 30s of the twentieth century, the famous architect and restorer P. D. Baranovsky led the large-scale reconstruction and restoration of the cathedral. It is believed that after the work, the church regained its original appearance. But many historians are skeptical about this version, since there is very little documentary material left. The information that has survived to this day is very contradictory. For example, the tented bell tower, demolished in 1802, looks different in the surviving images.
Under the leadership of Baranovsky, ancient kokoshniks and supposed decorative wall decorations were restored . However, in 1936 the Kazan Cathedral was demolished. It became possible to restore it in the future only thanks to a successful coincidence of circumstances. Baranovsky, who learned about the upcoming demolition of the temple, ordered absolutely all external and internal measurements of the church and its chapel.
Re-creation of the temple
The Kazan Cathedral was recreated in the 90s of the twentieth century. The restoration was initiated by the Moscow branch of the All-Russian Society for the Protection of Historical and Cultural Monuments. The author of the architectural project was a student of P. D. Baranovsky - O. I. Zhurin. After completion of construction, artists from Bryansk and Palekh painted the cathedral in the canonical Orthodox manner.
On the day of celebration of the appearance of the Kazan Icon of the Mother of God the newly rebuilt temple was consecrated by Patriarch Alexy I. Today it is operational, and services are held in it. You can visit the church daily from 9-00 to 19-00. The restored temple of the icon of the Kazan Mother of God is revered not only by believers, but is also popular among tourists because of its amazing beauty.
In addition to the two described temples, on the territory of Moscow there are several churches dedicated to Our Lady of Kazan, among them are:
- in Izmailovo;
- in Uzkoy;
- in Orlov;
- in Losinoostrovskaya.
The Cathedral of the Kazan Icon of the Mother of God (Kazan Cathedral) in St. Petersburg was built in 1801-1811 by the architect A. N. Voronikhin to store the revered copy of the miraculous icon of the Mother of God of Kazan. After the Patriotic War of 1812, it acquired significance as a monument to Russian military glory. In 1813, commander M.I. Kutuzov was buried here and the keys to the captured cities, standards, banners, Davout’s marshal’s baton and other military trophies were placed, some of which are kept in the cathedral today. During construction, St. Peter's Cathedral in Rome was taken as a model. On the outside of the cathedral there are 182 columns made of Pudost stone, inside the temple there are 56 columns of the Corinthian order made of pink Finnish granite.
Photos are clickable, with geographic coordinates and linked to a Yandex map, 02.2014.
1. Modern view of the Kazan Cathedral from above 
2. The initial project of the Kazan Cathedral, not completed. It was planned to build two colonnades - northern and southern, only the northern one was implemented 
3. Panorama of the northern facade of the Kazan Cathedral 
4.
5. Pediment "All-Seeing Eye" 
6. Dome of the cathedral. The cross crowning the dome rises 71.6 m above ground level. The Kazan Cathedral is one of the tallest domed buildings. The dome is supported by four powerful pillars - pylons. The diameter of the dome exceeds 17 m. During its construction, Voronikhin, for the first time in the history of world construction practice, developed and used a metal structure 
7.
8.
9. Colonnade of the Kazan Cathedral, includes 96 columns 
10. In front of the cathedral in 1837, according to the design of the sculptor Orlovsky, monuments to Kutuzov and Barclay de Tolly were erected. During the Great Patriotic War, they were camouflaged and soldiers passing by them gave them a military salute. Near the monuments they swore an oath of allegiance to the Motherland. 
11. Bas-relief “The flow of water from a stone by Moses in the desert”, I.P. Martos 
12. Bas-relief “Appearance to Moses in the Burning Bush”, P. Scolari based on the model of I. Commander 
13. Monument to M.I. Kutuzov 
14. The facades of the cathedral are lined with gray Pudost stone. Pudost stone is calcareous tuff mined near the village of Pudost, Gatchina district, Leningrad region (the quarries were exhausted in the 1920s), its deposits date back to the late Pleistocene and were formed on the site of a small lake. Pudost stone is easily processed and changes color depending on the light and weather, taking on various shades of gray and yellowish-gray. The stone is interesting because the original viscosity was retained inside, while the outer part acquired the hardness of baked brick. For the cladding of the Kazan Cathedral, 12 thousand cubic meters of Pudost stone were required 
15. Mummers 
16. Capital of a column of the Kazan Cathedral 
17. A person compared to the columns of the Kazan Cathedral, there are 182 external columns in total. The columns are assembled from blocks of Pudost stone, and the joints between them are worn out. Due to the fragility of the stone, immediately after the creation of the columns it was covered with so-called Riga alabaster, but this did not help the preservation of the columns 
18. Bronze statue of St. Vladimir, the baptist of Rus', in his left hand he holds a sword, and in his right hand a cross, trampling on a pagan altar. Sculptor S.S. Pimenov, 1807, cast by Ekimov 
19. Bronze sculpture of St. Andrew the First-Called, sculptor V.I. Demut-Malinovsky, 1807, cast by Ekimov 
20. The two-meter base of the cathedral and its colonnades are made of huge blocks of Serdobol granite. Stairs leading to the colonnade were made from slabs of red-pink rapakivi granite 
21. Bronze statue of Alexander Nevsky, sculptor S. Pimenov, 1807, cast by Ekimov. At Alexander’s feet is a sword with a lion, the emblem of Sweden, and a Russian shield rests on it. 
22. Sculpture of John the Baptist, sculptor I.P. Martos, 1807, cast by Ekimov. All four statues took 1,400 pounds of bronze. 
23. Bas-relief "Adoration of the Magi" on the northern portico, F.G. Gordeev 
24. Each such column weighs 28 tons, height is about 14 meters 
25. Capital 
26. Column close up 
27. Cross on the dome 
28. Cathedral Doves 
29. Monument to Barclay de Tolly, on top is the high relief “Copper Serpent” by I.P. Prokofiev 
30. Bas-relief “Giving the tablets to Moses on Mount Sinai”, P. Scolari based on the Lactman model 
31. The carved portal of the northern doors of the temple is made of Ruskeala marble. The northern gates of the cathedral are cast in bronze, modeled after the famous “Gates of Heaven” of the 15th century in the Florentine Baptistery (Cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore in Florence, Ghiberti), V. Ekimov. This is a copy, but with the plots mixed up 
32. Bronze compositions on Old Testament subjects on the original in Florence, cast from left to right in pairs:
1 "The creation of Adam and Eve. Their fall into sin and expulsion from paradise."
2 "The sacrifice of Abel and his murder by Cain."
3 "The killing of the Egyptian by Moses and the exit of the Jews from Egypt."
4 "Abraham's sacrifice to God of the son of Jacob."
5 "Isaac's blessing upon Jacob."
6 "The sons of Jacob in Egypt buying grain from Joseph."
7 "The Jews in the Desert and Moses Legislating on Mount Sinai."
8 "Encircling the ark around the walls of Jericho, destroying Jericho."
9 "The defeat of the proud Nicanor, who threatened to destroy Jerusalem."
33. Inside the temple there are 56 columns of the Corinthian order made of pink Finnish granite with gilded capitals. The interior of the cathedral is divided by granite monolithic columns into three corridors - nave. The central nave is four times wider than the side naves and is covered with a semi-cylindrical vault. The side naves are covered with rectangular caissons. The ceiling is decorated with rosettes imitating painting in the form of a stylized flower. They are made of French alabaster, the only material, according to A.P. Aplaksin, “which hardly had anything foreign in it, except for the name; no other materials of non-Russian origin were used for the entire construction... were not used.” 
34.
35. Commemorative plaque with the inscription “Began 1801 by the permission of PAUL I” 
36. Memorial plaque with the inscription “The care of ALEXANDER I died in 1811” 
37. In 1812, honorary trophies were delivered to the Kazan Cathedral: French military banners and the personal staff of Napoleonic Marshal Davout. The Kazan Cathedral began to turn into Russia's first museum of military relics of 1812 on the initiative of Kutuzzov. At the same time, Russia was at war with Persia and 4 Persian banners taken near Lankaran were brought to the cathedral. At the beginning of the 20th century. In the inventory of the cathedral there were 41 French banners and standards, 11 Polish ones, 4 Italian ones, 47 German ones, as well as 5 military badges - 3 French and 2 Italian. Total - 107 banners and standards. Field Marshal M.I. Kutuzov was buried here on June 11, 1813. Above the grave there are 5 standards and one banner, which have survived to this day. Later, a painting by the artist Alekseev “The Miracle of the Kazan Icon of the Mother of God in Moscow” was placed above the grave. The painting depicts the liberation of Moscow by the militia under the leadership of K. Minin and Prince D. Pozharsky in October 1612 with the Kazan Icon of the Mother of God 
38. Kutuzov's grave 
39.
40. After the successful liberation by Russian troops under the command of M.B. Barclay de Tolly of Western Europe, from Napoleon, keys from French fortresses taken by Russian troops began to arrive in the cathedral. 97 keys were placed on the walls of the cathedral, most are now in Moscow, but 6 sets of keys are located above the grave of M.I. Kutuzov: from Bremen, Lubeck, Aven, Mons, Nancy and Gertrudenberg 
41. Banner and standards of the Napoleonic army, keys to European cities 
42.
43. Standard 
44. Standards of the Napoleonic army 
45. Keys to Mons 
46. Keys to Nancy 
47. Keys to Lubeck 
48. Keys to Aven 
49. Keys to Bremen 
50. Keys to Gertrudenberg 
51. Royal Doors 
The Kazan Cathedral on the corner of Red Square in Moscow has a difficult fate. It was completely demolished in 1936 and rebuilt 57 years later. Today it is a functioning temple where services are held. The main shrine of the cathedral, which believers from all over the country come to worship, is the Kazan Icon of the Mother of God, revered as miraculous, with its relic guardian. The rector of the temple is Archpriest Nikolai Inozemtsev.
Tourists most often visit the cathedral when visiting the main attractions of the capital - Red Square, Alexander Garden, St. Basil's Cathedral, State Historical Museum and other popular sites near the Moscow Kremlin.
Schedule of services of the Kazan Cathedral on Red Square
Those wishing to receive the Sacrament of Baptism can contact the ministers for a public conversation every Saturday at 15:00.
Religious events take place daily in the temple:
- 09:00 (weekdays) 07:00 and 10:00 (weekends) - liturgy,
- 17:00 - evening services (parastas, all-night vigil).
On the website of the Kazan Cathedral you can see a detailed schedule of events for the current month, as well as find out the names of the clergy who will conduct the rituals and their assistants.
Icon of the Moscow Kazan Cathedral
The Kazan Icon of the Mother of God is one of the most revered shrines not only in the Kazan Cathedral, but in Christianity in general. It is worth noting that the temple does not store the original icon, but a copy of it, but this does not detract from its significance. There is a copy in the Dmitrovsky chapel.
The first appearance of the icon of the Mother of God happened in 1579 in Kazan. Its location was shown by the girl Matrona, who had a prophetic dream. After its discovery, the icon was repeatedly moved to other churches in the country; many copies were made from it, practically indistinguishable from the original.
To avoid damage and theft, copies were often displayed in churches, and the original was carefully guarded. However, in 1904, the icon was stolen; the thief turned out to be the peasant Chaikin, who said that he burned the relic. Later, versions were put forward according to which the destruction of the Kazan Icon of the Mother of God was called into question. Until now, historians cannot come to a definite opinion whether the original of the Kazan Icon of the Mother of God has survived and where it may be located.
History of the temple
The first cathedral building, built in the 1620s, was made of wood. The construction of a new temple dedicated to the war of 1612, in which Russia won, was sponsored by Dmitry Pozharsky. The building was damaged in a fire and was rebuilt in the 1630s. Until 1765, on days of celebration of particularly significant events (military victories, discovery of an icon), religious processions were held before the Kazan Cathedral.
In subsequent years, the temple was rebuilt and repaired several times. The last restoration took place in 1925. Architect Pyotr Baranovsky wanted to return the building to its original appearance. The work lasted for 4 years, and when very little remained, the Moscow City Council decided to demolish the temple. The restoration stopped, the bell tower was destroyed in the same year, and the cathedral premises were used until 1936 as a warehouse for storing building materials for the metro station. After the demolition of the Kazan Cathedral, a pavilion in honor of the Third International was placed in its place.
In 1990, the Moscow authorities decided to rebuild the cathedral, and therefore began collecting donations. The shrine was restored using photographs and drawings preserved in the archives. Work on recreating the Cathedral of the Kazan Icon of the Mother of God ended in 1993.
Panorama of the temple from Red Square:
Architecture
The Cathedral of the Kazan Icon of the Mother of God is a typical example of temple architecture of the first half of the 17th century. This is a single-domed temple with two chapels. The northern and southern aisles are united by a gallery that surrounds the structure on three sides.
The exterior of the cathedral is decorated with mosaic icons in the Russian style. They depict the Mother of God, Jesus Christ, St. George the Victorious, the Patriarch of Moscow and other saints.
How to get there
The Kazan Cathedral is located in the center of Moscow on Nikolskaya Street. Getting to it is not difficult - several metro stations and public transport stops are within walking distance from the shrine. You can also take a taxi or go by car.
Metro
The metro is perhaps the most convenient transport in the capital. From the station closest to the cathedral, “Okhotny Ryad” (red line), walk only about 100 meters from exit No. 7. In addition, the Teatralnaya station (green line) is nearby, and a little further “Revolution Square” (blue line).
View of the cathedral from Nikolskaya street:
Public transport
300 meters away, near the Okhotny Ryad metro station, there are stops: Okhotny Ryad Metro and Manezhnaya Ploshchad. Buses and minibuses run here: No. M2 (to Rizhsky Station), M3, M10, M27, N1 (night to Sheremetyevo Airport), N2 (night), N11 (night to Vnukovo Airport), 101, 144, 904 .
A little further (on the opposite side of Red Square, near St. Basil's Cathedral) there is another bus stop - “Red Square”. Buses No. M5 and 158 depart from it.
Automobile
Considering that the cathedral is located right in the city center, traveling by car will not be the most convenient option. In addition to the fact that all parking is paid, finding a free space is very problematic. Therefore, if traveling by public transport is not suitable, it is better to use a taxi or transfer. There are many mobile applications for ordering a taxi in the capital - Yandex. Taxi, Vezet, Uber, Gett, Maxim and others.
Video about the Kazan Cathedral in Moscow:
Address: Moscow Red Square
First mention: 1625
Start of construction: 1990
Completion of construction: 1993
Author of the project: O. I. Zhurin, G. Ya. Mokeev
Shrines: Kazan Icon of the Mother of God
Coordinates: 55°45"19.5"N 37°37"09.0"E
The small cathedral has a special status among the temples that surround the Moscow Kremlin. It appeared thanks to Prince Dmitry Pozharsky, a national hero and one of the leaders of the people's struggle against the Poles who captured Moscow. In the 1930s, the Kazan Cathedral was completely destroyed, but 60 years later it was rebuilt.
The Cathedral against the backdrop of the State Historical Museum and St. Nicholas Tower
The history of the famous icon
In 1579, 27 years after Russia captured the Kazan Khanate, a large fire broke out in its capital. The fire was quickly spread by the wind, and the merciless flame destroyed part of the houses in Kazan. According to the surviving legend, it was then that the ten-year-old Matrona saw the Mother of God in a dream, and she asked her to find the icon on the ashes.
The girl hastened to tell the local priest Ermolai about the dream. When the fire was excavated, an image of the Mother of God was actually found in the indicated place. Later, a new convent was rebuilt at the site of the fire, and Matrona, taking the name Mavra, became its first novice.
Several copies or copies were made of the newly acquired image. The first of them was sent as a gift to the Russian sovereign Ivan IV the Terrible in 1579. Then icons appeared in other Russian cities. Everywhere they were preserved as shrines; separate churches were built and monasteries were founded in honor of the Kazan icons. The holiday of finding an Orthodox shrine is still celebrated by believers on July 8th.
History of construction
A historical guide to the city, published at the end of the 18th century, reported that the first temple erected in honor of the revered icon appeared near the Kremlin in 1625. It was built from wood with the money of Dmitry Mikhailovich Pozharsky.
View of the cathedral from Red Square
It is known that during the second people’s militia, formed in 1611, Pozharsky did not part with the list made from the famous icon. After the victory over the Polish-Lithuanian invaders and the liberation of the capital, he kept the treasured image in his parish church on Lubyanka. The new wooden cathedral was built by the prince specifically for the Kazan Icon. However, the church stood for only 9 years and burned down in a fire.
The place near Red Square was empty for long. Already in 1636, Tsar Mikhail Fedorovich allocated money, and a new stone temple was erected near the Moscow Kremlin. As was customary in church architecture, at the beginning of the 17th century, the bell tower was added to the northwest of the church building. The new church immediately acquired a high status, because it was consecrated by Moscow Patriarch Joasaph I himself.
History of the temple in the 17th-20th centuries
In 1647, a chapel dedicated to Saints Gurias and Barsanuphius was added to the Kazan Cathedral. The solemn ceremony of its consecration was attended by the son and successor of Mikhail Fedorovich - Russian sovereign Alexei Mikhailovich.
Despite the fact that the temple was small, it always played a large role in the spiritual life of the city. The Kazan Cathedral was revered along with the most famous churches in Moscow, and its rector was highly respected among the Moscow clergy.
Time passed, and in the 60s of the 18th century, at the expense of Princess M.A. Dolgorukova, the Kazan Cathedral was reconstructed. The dilapidated chapel was demolished, and around the bell tower many shops appeared, selling wax candles, apples and ruddy rolls. For a long time, Moscow merchants were sworn in in the stone church.
View of the cathedral from the State Historical Museum
Over time, the nearby Upper Trading Rows became so disorganized that they practically blocked the view of the temple from the Kremlin. At the very beginning of the 19th century, the tented bell tower was dismantled and a two-tier belfry was erected in its place according to a new model.
Like all of Moscow, the Kazan Cathedral underwent many trials during the invasion of French troops in 1812. Just before the arrival of enemies near the temple, Muscovites willingly bought popular prints and caricatures of the French and Napoleon himself. To prevent the enemy from getting the revered icon, the priest of the temple hid it in advance. However, when French troops entered the city, they did not fail to mock the Orthodox church. The soldiers threw the throne out of the altar and dragged the horse's corpse inside the church.
Another large-scale renovation of the cathedral was carried out in 1865. Architect Nikolai Ivanovich Kozlovsky prepared the project, the temple facades were rebuilt in classical traditions, and another tier was added to the bell tower. It is noteworthy that both parishioners and priests greatly regretted such changes. After reconstruction, the Kazan Cathedral lost its original appearance and became similar to many rural churches that stood in different parts of the country.
With the advent of Soviet power, church life changed. Divine services in the cathedral were not immediately banned. In the summer of 1918, Patriarch Tikhon, who preached here, told parishioners that the royal family had been shot by the Bolsheviks. And in the fall of the same year, the most priceless temple shrine, the famous Kazan Icon, disappeared without a trace.
View of the cathedral from the southeast and the Averkievsky chapel
In the mid-1920s, the famous restorer Pyotr Dmitrievich Baranovsky began a major restoration of the building. The work lasted for several years, as restorers tried to return the cathedral to its historical appearance. By 1929, they managed to decorate the walls and recreate the rows of ancient keel-shaped kokoshniks, but the unexpected happened. Baranovsky learned that the Moscow leadership had decided to demolish the cathedral. The Moscow authorities wanted to hold physical training parades and demonstrations of workers on Red Square and therefore did not want to see a single religious building nearby.
The architect was very upset, but managed to take careful measurements of all the architectural parts of the temple. The documents he compiled were used several decades later, during the restoration of the cathedral. In the early 1930s, services in the cathedral were banned. First, a canteen was opened inside the former church building, and then a marble warehouse was created, which was used for the construction of the Moscow metro.
In 1936, the cathedral was destroyed to the ground, and in its place a pavilion rose, built according to the design of Boris Mikhailovich Iofan. Then a summer cafe was built here, then the area was decorated with marble and a fountain was installed in the middle. After all this, a public toilet was built on the site of the Orthodox church.
Revival of the temple
The initiative to recreate the ancient temple was taken by employees of the city monuments protection society. Construction began in 1990 and took three years. The cathedral near the Kremlin became the first church in the territory of the former USSR to be restored to its historical form.
Cathedral dome and mosaic of Our Lady of Kazan
It is noteworthy that all work was carried out under the guidance of the talented architect Oleg Igorevich Zhurin, who studied with P. D. Baranovsky. The builders were lucky because old records, drawings and photographs of the cathedral were preserved. It was not possible to find photos of the wall paintings, so professional painters from Bryansk and Palekh painted the temple in the traditions of the 19th century.
The opening of the revived shrine was timed to coincide with the beginning of November. And now this temple is considered a symbol of the liberation of the capital from Polish-Lithuanian troops.
The architecture of the temple and its interior decoration
The Kazan Cathedral of the Icon of the Mother of God is a one-pillar church. It is surrounded by rows of picturesque kokoshniks, which make the one-domed church very elegant. In the northeast there is a chapel dedicated to Saint Averky of Hierapolis, and the northwestern corner is occupied by a slender hipped bell tower.
Inside the temple you can see a revered icon and relic. Everyone who has visited the cathedral notes the beauty of its interiors and the excellent performance of the church choir.
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