Architectural Landmarks

When going out of the gate arch of the Tsar’s courtyard in Kolomenskoye (ancient summer residence of Grand Dukes of Moscow and Russian Tsars), one suddenly sees a high-water bed of the Moskva River, a wide river stretch with fields and gardens disappearing over the horizon, a steep slope running down and in the center of all that and over it— an unusual, unique church, rising to the sky. It seems that the church is held by a light net of white stones with diamond facing. It is the Church of the Ascension built in 1532, a masterpiece of Russian

In the 1670’s, in order to supply the palace in the Kolomenskoye country residence with water, a water tower was built. With the help of special mechanisms water was taken from a well and delivered to all residents. In the eastern wing of the palace one can find white stone pool with wells and tubes, the remnants of the water pumping system. At the same time the water tower served as a passage tower leading to the Ascension garden and the village of Dyakovo. In the first half of the 18th century, when St. Petersburg became the capital of the

  The refectory of the St. George the Victorious Church (built in the middle of the XIX century) standing at Ascension Square, and St. George the Victorious Bell Tower (XVI century) make up a united St. George the Victorious Church complex. According to legends, in the XIV century there was a wooden church standing on that very site that was built by order of Prince Dmitry Ivanovich Donskoy in memory of St. George the Victorious and the battle of Kulikovo (8 September, 1380). Results of the archeological excavations proved the existence of an ancient wooden church on this site. In

Palace Pavillion is the only building that remained of the palace of Alexander I built at the beginning of the 19th century. The young Emperor-to-be together with his grandmother Catherine the Great visited the Kolomenskoye estate very often. In 1825, according to the project of Eugraph Tyurin, a new palace for Alexander I was built on the place of the ramshackle Catherine’s palace, but the tsar died that year and had no chance to visit it. In the 1870’s, the derelict palace was deconstructed and only the Pavillion that served as a tea house or home theatre remained. On the

The Front Gate complex located at the Tsar’s Courtyard in Kolomenskoye was built in 1673 during the reign of Tsar Alexey Mikhailovich. It was the main entrance to the summer residence of the Tsar: it is through the Front Gate that distinguished guests, who arrived to Kolomenskoye by the ‘ambassadorial road’ coming from the Moskva River side, would enter the residence. Russian tsars used to welcome the distinguished guests showing them an ‘ingenious wonder’ – big mechanical lions made by foreign craftsman Peter Vysotsky. ‘On both sides of the gate one could see four wooden lions covered with fake fur

The Sitny Yard is one of the main buildings that make up a household complex in Kolomenskoye. The building has been preserved till our days and is located in the central part of the estate. For the first time the Sitny Yard was mentioned in a document written in the 1680s that stated the importance of holding repair works in the building. The very first graphic document representing the structure of the building dates back to the 1740s. The historical and architectural examination as well as restoration results allow scientists to presume that originally the Sitny Yard was a one-storeyed

The Cooking Chamber was one of the Sitny Yard structures located in the central part of the Kolomenskoye estate and executing household functions at the Tsar’s Courtyard in the XVII century. The Cooking Chamber was destroyed in the first quarter of the XIX century and with the help of complex researches it was reconstructed in 2006-2008. This household structure is a monument built during the reign of Tsar Alexey Mikhailovich and it is an embodiment of construction activity growth in the Kolomenskoye estate. The monument was more often referred to as the Brewery, which points at special functions that it

A wooden church of Our Lady of Kazan was built at the Tsar’s Courtyard in Kolomenskoye in the 1630s during the reign of Tsar Mikhail Feodorovich. In 1651, the wooden church was replaced with a brick one that has been preserved till our days. The church, which served as a family temple for royalties, is devoted to the Our Lady of Kazan icon, the most respected icon inRussia. According to beliefs of many Russian tsars from the Romanov dynasty, they managed to ascend the throne thanks to the protection of this icon. The church was connected to the woodenPalaceofTsar Alexey

The Fryazhsky Cellar located in the centre of the museum territory is a small structure that makes part of the Sitny Yard, a complex of household buildings. Besides the cellar, the Sitny Yard comprises the Steward’s Chamber and the Vinegar and Bread Chamber. The latter used to house ovens for bread baking as well as those for brewing ‘vinegars’, that is wine and kvass. One more building of this vast complex, the Cooking Chamber, has not been preserved. The Fryazhsky Cellar was part of the Storage facility where ice-houses were arranged. It is highly possible that the cellar received its