The golden-top Moscow is full of temples with high belfries, towers, but there is a church that stands out among the traditional examples of Moscow architecture. It is dedicated to the archangel Gabriel. Located on Chistye Prudy, away from hiking trails, it is known to Muscovites as the Menshikov Tower.
The temple in the Butcher's settlement
The first mention of the temple, consecrated in honor of the archangel Gabriel, is found in chronicles since 1551. Its location was Myasnitskaya Sloboda, according to the tradition of that time it was called the Church of the Archangel Gabriel in the Butchers. But there was another Moscow geographical definition that tied the temple to its location - the temple of Gabriel the Great at Pogany Ponds.
History says that the settlement was nicknamed Myasnitskaya for the occupation of the people who inhabited it. The butchers dumped all the waste from their business into the ponds, and the smell from them was very unpleasant. Until 1639, the church was built by stone, expanded and repaired by the cares of the rectors of the church and thanks to the numerous donations of wealthy lay people. Later, the name of the settlement changed, and the place began to be called the Gabriel settlement, named after the temple.
Menshikov begins and does not end
The favorite of Peter I, Alexander Menshikov, in 1699 acquired the estate in the Myasnitskaya Sloboda. Due to his active character, the desire to bless the parish and reinforcing his zeal with money, Prince Menshikov briskly set about equipping the Gabriel Church, of which he became a parishioner. The first donation went to repair the temple, and from 1701 to 1703 the church was greatly ennobled, but the case and fortune of Prince Menshikov gave impetus to new construction.
During this period, the king detached the prince with a military mission, which was marked by victory. In addition to honors, Menshikov brought from the campaign the famous, miraculous icon of the Mother of God of Polotsk. According to legend, the icon belonged to the brush of the Apostle Luke. For such a shrine, Prince Alexander Menshikov decided to make a magnificent church out of a simple church parish, the crown of which will become a miraculous image. And therefore, exactly one year after the repair, the Gabriel Church was completely destroyed and a new one was erected on its foundation.
Angel on a spire
Finished a new temple in 1707. He came out marvelous, such as had never happened in Moscow. Rumor had it that Menshikov wanted to “wipe his nose” with proud Muscovites because they did not like the Tsar’s favorite and remembered his “unkempt” origin, a poor past and a career that began with the sale of pies. As soon as the construction of the temple was completed, it was immediately called the "Menshikov Tower."
The church turned out to be high, about 81 meters high, which was three meters higher than the height of the Ivan the Great Bell Tower. This caused discontent of eminent citizens of the city. But ordinary people accepted the tower favorably and came to admire a new miracle. A special sign of the newly built Church of the Archangel Gabriel (Menshikov Tower) was a thirty-meter spire crowning the bell tower, on which a golden angel ascended to heaven.
The whole design of the temple was unique, especially for those years: numerous ornaments covered the walls of the church, one could see and marvel at the skillfully carved bouquets, vases, fruits. The external and internal decoration was executed in the spirit of Peter's Baroque, which will fully manifest itself in the new capital of St. Petersburg, but a little later.
Moscow wonder
The Menshikov Tower in Moscow was built on a grand scale and with great care. The main architect of the project and construction manager was Ivan Zarudny. Under his command were eminent Italian architects, sculptors, and stone carvers were skilled craftsmen from Kostroma and Yaroslavl artels.
Through the efforts of architects and the desire of His Grace the prince, the church came out airy, directed to the sky, it seemed that it was floating above the ground, the Menshikov Tower was wonderful. The architect Zarudny designed and built a temple, above which a six-step bell tower soared topped with a thirty-meter spire.
The upper two tiers were built of wood with through-windows, and on the penultimate one were hung fifty voiced, with the clear sound of bells. Wanting to make a splash, Menshikov wrote out a large clock from abroad. They were set lower than the bells. But the prince was not destined to finish what he had begun to the end. In 1710, according to the order of Peter I, the capital was transferred to St. Petersburg, and the favorite had to urgently leave Moscow. The Church of the Archangel Gabriel (Menshikov Tower) was never finished to the end.
Fire and desolation
In 1723, a fire occurred in the temple, lightning struck the spire directly. Flames erupted quickly and spread from the upper wooden tiers. Burnt oak mounts collapsed and fell inside the building along with all the bells. At that time, there were people in the church who saved valuable church utensils and icons, many were injured, and someone died from their wounds. The icon of the Mother of God of Polotsk remained intact, for which the laity thanked God and providence.
It is curious that the new church (Menshikov Tower) was not consecrated by that time, since the work was not completed, but the prince had more important things to do. For many years, the temple was dilapidated, the architect Zarudny wrote letters to the prince about the state of the church, indicating that the rafters were rotten, the clockwork did not work, and desolation was in the room.
Upon the death of Peter I, His Majesty Prince Menshikov fell into disgrace. During the illness, he demanded that a miraculous icon be brought to the Petersburg estate in the hope of imploring recovery. But later he was sent into exile, the trace of the icon was lost, and the Menshikov Tower in Moscow came to complete desolation.
Masonic signs
Fifty years later, Gavrila Izmailov, an influential Moscow nobleman and freemason (rumored), decided to restore the church. He made large donations, but they did not begin to restore the full appearance of the church. Two wooden upper tiers and a spire with an angel remained only in memory and designs. Only four tiers of stone were restored, now the Menshikov tower was crowned with a high gilded cone.
According to rumors that excited Moscow, secret meetings and services of Masons were held in the church. Indirect confirmation of this was the signs and symbols that appeared on the walls of the church, by order of the generous philanthropist Izmailov, belonging to the Masonic order. By this moment, many had already forgotten what kind of church it was, the Menshikov Tower - that is what its inhabitants called it. When the Freemasons were convicted of treason and many were imprisoned, meetings ceased, but symbols, inscriptions and signs appeared on the walls of the building for a long time.
Temple at the Post Office
Metropolitan Filaret ordered to bring down symbols that were inappropriate for Orthodoxy from the walls of the church in 1852. The temple was rebuilt with the money of the postal department and re-consecrated. The church came under the guardianship of the Moscow post office in 1821, and then the church of the Archangel Gabriel at the Post Office began to be called. Since 1792, the post office has been equipped in the former residence of Menshikov, and now the building of the Moscow Post Office is located almost on the site of the former palace of Alexander Menshikov.
Touch the story
The Church of the Archangel Gabriel on Chistye Prudy is a unique architectural monument, one of the first examples of Russian Baroque. When exploring the capital's sights, pay attention to the old church, better known as the Menshikov Tower in Moscow. The address of the monument of architecture and the current church: 15a Arkhangelsky Lane.