Category Archives: Merchant Moscow

And The Bells Kept Ringing…

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One afternoon after class, I went with an MGU student, Olga, to Beliy Gorod, or, White Town. This district encompasses the central region of Moscow that contains the Kremlin, Bolshoy Theatre, and other cultural giants.
We came upon a beautiful yellow church, large and filling the Bolshaya Nikitskaya Street.

The Greater Church of Christ’s Ascension was built in the beginning of the 19th century under Prince Potemkin. It was in this church that Alexander Pushkin married Natalia Goncharova. In 1931, the church was shut down and the iconastasis burned. The church was re-opened in 1990 for worship.
We lazily walked through the courtyard. As Olga explained the history of the church, a cat lounged in the sun, old women sat on the benches and fed birds, the breeze swept through the grass—in short, it was a beautiful day. And then the bells started ringing.
We thought nothing of it and continued walking at our same leisurely pace. But the bells kept ringing… and ringing… and ringing. Confused, I checked my watch: it was about 4:23pm, an arbitrary time for the bells to be tolling. Olga wondered if she had perhaps forgotten about a holiday. We looked around for any evidence of special processions. Nothing.
We stood in front of the church and listened for a while longer. There were no signs of stopping, so we continued down the sidewalk, the sound of bells fading away behind us.

Classicism, Modernity, and the Hiding Tchaikovsky

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In Белый город (read: Belyi gorod) a number of architectural styles came together during the area’s long history. As a result, all of the buildings around the area are unique, and I noticed a few interesting ones while I was strolling around. So naturally I had to snap a few pictures.
While I was walking along, I noticed the buildings that were the start of Moscow State University. These buildings now hold the journalism department of the university, among other things. The columns in particular scream classical architecture here.

Side of one of the older Moscow State University Buidlings

Side of one of the older Moscow State University buildings


A slightly better picture. Same architecture, of course.

A (slightly) better picture. Same architecture, of course.


Then I came upon the Ryabushinsky Mansion, which you can read more about here. The front fences have a natural shape to them, and the windows also have organic elements, which are indicators that this is a building in the Modern Style, which emphasized natural lines in architecture as opposed to the stark shapes of the classical era.
The Ryabushinsky Mansion

The Ryabushinsky Mansion


A close up of the fence and the window.

A close up of the fence


Finally, when I came upon the Moscow Conservatory, I knew (or so I thought) that it was also classical architecture. The elements, such as the classical columns and similarity to the old buildings of Moscow State University all seem to point to classicism, but it turns out that this building was constructed much later, making this building neoclassical.
The Moscow Conservatory

The Moscow Conservatory


However, there was a little more to this neighborhood than first meets the camera lens. In front of the conservatory there is a statue dedicated to Tchaikovsky. However, when I attempted to photograph the monument, suddenly a darkness descended to protect the monument. My photo turned out strangely dark.
The Hiding Tchaikovsky

The Hiding Tchaikovsky


I figured it was just a freak accident, so I try again. Same result. I give it another shot from a different angle. Still a darkness descended to shroud the composer’s statue from my camera’s gaze. After a couple attempts I was fairly certain that the statue had been cursed by some god who doesn’t like photo-taking tourists.
The Shroud.

The Shroud, which decided the building was free to be photographed, but not Tchaikovsky.


Despite my growing frustration, I persisted. Eventually, I succeeded. With further thought about the incident, I suspect that the shutter speed on my camera must have been too quick to catch enough light. The cursed monument has a better ring to it though, so I think I’m going to stick with that.
The Shroud Lifted

The Shroud Lifted!

Дом полярников (House of Polar Explorers)

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When I learned that we would be visiting a house entirely devoted to polar explorers, I was not sure that I had heard correctly. To me, the idea of a house built for explorers seemed a little strange. However, as Caroline Brooks explains in her history of Moscow, “[a] law passed shortly after the Revolution entitled intellectuals to more living space than other people” and special construction took place to ensure that professionals (such as polar explorers) had a place to live in Moscow (Brooks 228).
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The house, located between Nikitskie vorota and the Arbat for those who are interested in visiting, was built in 1936, making it a perfect example of interwar Soviet architecture. Apparently, the house was built for members of the Glavsevmorput (a wonderfully contracted word that is translated as the Chief Directorate of the Northern Sea Route). The organization was created in order to explore the arctic reaches of the Soviet Union.

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Georgy Ushakov, the first explorer (together with Nikolay Urvantsev) to explore Novaya Zemlya. Photo source: http://ria.ru/ocherki/20130521/938585693.html


One of the first people to live in the House was Arctic explorer Georgy Ushakov, a Hero of the Soviet Union who chose his apartment in the house based on its beautiful view of the Kremlin (for more information in Russian and to read an interview with his daughter about growing up in the House click here).
The house was recently recognized in the press last year when President Putin declared May 21 a national holiday, Day of the Polar Explorers. It has also been the cause of some controversy over restoration (as is the case with many old buildings in Moscow). For example, in the photo above you can see that the two balconied sections on either side of the house are no longer symmetrical. The house is a fascinating reminder of a time now past in which society was constructed and thought of in a completely different way.
Note: Time will tell whether or not Day of the Polar Explorers is widely celebrated this year.

Ryabushinsky Mansion / Gorky House

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One of the cool things about being in a big, old city like Moscow is the way in which neighborhoods are often layered with remnants of different historical eras. At one street intersection you can find the church in which Pushkin married Natalia Goncharova in 1831 (Greater Church of the Ascension) and the Ryabushinsky Mansion, built in 1900 for an influential merchant family and writer Maxim Gorky’s residence from 1931 to his death in 1936. Today the mansion functions as a Gorky museum, but visitors can still see the hidden chapel that was used by the Ryabushinsky family to practice Old Believer Christianity in private.
The Ryabushinsky Mansion is a striking example of style moderne or art nouveau architecture.

the walls that surround the house

the walls that surround the house


Style Moderne favors curving lines and water motifs, as well as images of flowers. This is evident in the exterior of the house, with the curved, wave-like grates of the fence and the floral mosaics that adorn the walls.
Ryabushinsky mosaic
I found the outside of the building to be beautiful, and not that out-of-the-ordinary. And then I went inside, and saw a curving, intricately carved limestone staircase topped with a jelly-fish-like lamp.

This particular room makes you feel like you could be underwater. The rest of the house is similar – with watery stained-glass and unusual details (from above you realize that the lamp is actually a turtle). When I later found out that Ryabushinsky backed modern artist Wassily Kandinsky, I was not surprised.
Caroline Brooke, Moscow: A Cultural History (New York: Oxford University Press, 2006)