During Soviet times, Herzen Street existed in Moscow. And the population did not have any questions about its name. Everyone knew who Herzen was, and the fact that one of the central highways was named after him was perceived as something completely natural.
The return of the historical name
But 1993 came, and the street was renamed (along with hundreds of others). She returned the pre-revolutionary name - Big Nikitskaya. And immediately rained questions: they say, why Nikitsky, why Big? The first mention related to the toponym dates back to 1534, when the Nikitsky Church was erected near the Yamsky Dvor, which was the first administrative body of Moscow.
Who gave the name to the street
Later, in 1582, Nikita Zakharyin (his son became the patriarch Filaret, he himself is considered the founder of the Romanov family) on the site of the church Nikitsky monastery is erected, dedicated to the Orthodox saint, Nikita Gotsky. After she became a convent, in this form, and met in 1917. As time passed, another aisle was erected in the cathedral in honor of Nikita the Wonderworker (1833), and in 1877 a chapel in honor of Nikita the Great Martyr. The first written mention of Nikitskaya Street is dated 1619. It stretched along the Volotskaya (later Novgorod) road. It turns out that the street is named after St. Nikita, and it’s “big” because Malaya Nikitskaya runs parallel to it, which starts from the square of the gate bearing the same name. And its length is less than the length of the neighbor by almost 2 times.
Bright landmark of the capital
All subsequent years, Bolshaya Nikitskaya street was upset, now it is a landmark of the capital. There are even special excursions such as “Discover Moscow”, ordering which, you can get to know better Belokamennaya, its squares, streets and alleys. It should be noted that each house located on the street in question is of historical value.
She is also mentioned in fiction - in the novel-epic of Leo Tolstoy "War and Peace." One of the mansions (now number 55) is described as the Rostovs house. Bolshaya Nikitskaya is considered, and rightfully, the aristocratic street of the capital. In the mansions of the Russian nobility - and there are quite a few of them - there are embassies, representative offices and consulates of several countries. Most of the buildings are historical monuments of the state and belong to the Povarskaya - Bolshaya Nikitskaya reserve. The monastery itself is now gone, only a part of the wall remains from it.
Feudal estate
In feudal Russia there was a tax tax. The people who paid it were called draft. Since it was levied from the place and trade, this class included mainly commoners engaged in crafts, small trade and crafts. The draft people were divided into black settlements and black hundreds. At the time of the emergence of the street, its right side belonged to just such a black hundred called Novgorodskaya. Posad people built churches on these lands, which became the oldest in Moscow. There were also churches: the Ascension of the Lord "Small" and Nicholas the Wonderworker.
Street length
Bolshaya Nikitskaya Street begins on Manezhnaya Square, the numbering of houses goes from here. At the end, she goes to Kudrinskaya Square. The total length is 1.8 kilometers. Approximately in the center, at the intersection of the Big Nikitskaya and Boulevard Ring, are the Nikitsky Gate and the square of the same name, which in the 17th century divided the highway into two opposite sections - Volotskaya and Tsaritsinskaya streets.
The tragic fate of Russian churches
As noted, every building here can be talked about forever. The first story, of course, should be devoted to the object, which gave the name of the street itself. But it does not exist, it was demolished in 1933. Then many religious buildings were demolished, and the most beautiful ensemble, consisting of three temples and a chapel - an invaluable historical evidence of the time - ceased to exist. And on the site of the nunnery a new and probably very necessary building was erected for Moscow, whose address is Bolshaya Nikitskaya, 7.
What is on the site of the demolished monastery
This is the first draft electric substation in the capital built in 1935 according to the project of D.F. Fridman, providing operation of several central lines of the Moscow metro - Filevskaya, Arbatsko-Pokrovskaya, Zamoskvoretskaya and Sokolnicheskaya. The building, consisting of 4 floors, met all the then standards of strength. It was built solidly, for centuries. Heavy-duty materials and complex structures were used. The building has large windows that provide
natural light inside
. It looks very massive, which is facilitated by a large number of columns occupying almost the entire facade. Sculptures and bas-reliefs serve as decoration. All this splendor is made in the style of unreasonable classicism, which, as experts say, is laconic and dry in the decoration of the facade. The facility is located on the left side of the street.
Central stage for classical music
In the same piece of Moscow there is another pearl, whose address is Bolshaya Nikitskaya, 13. Tchaikovsky Conservatory, or rather its Big Hall (1737 seats), is the largest venue in the world where classical music is performed. He is known, first of all, for the international competitions held here by him. P.I. Tchaikovsky. The building was built from 1895 to 1901, was designed by V.P. Zagorsky - an academician, one of the authors of the monument to Alexander II the Liberator in the Kremlin. The grand opening took place on April 7, 1901, the orchestra was conducted by V.I.Safonov, director of the conservatory from 1889 to 1905. And by his order, the artist N.K. Bodarevsky executed 14 portraits of the great Russian and foreign composers, which adorned the walls of the Great Hall.
Strange politics
For some reason (maybe because these composers were Germans) in 1953, the portraits of Gluck, Mendelssohn, Haydn and Handel were replaced by images of Dargomyzhsky, Rimsky-Korsaki, Chopin and Mussorgsky. These great artists certainly deserve such an honor, but two of the four previously removed canvases were irretrievably lost.
In 1899, a magnificent organ was installed in the hall, authored by Aristide Cavaye-Coll, the largest French organ master and transformer of this instrument. There are few celebrities in the world who would not have performed on this illustrious stage, on which a bas-relief of N. G. Rubinstein towers.
In 1940, the XII USSR Chess Championship was held here. An unusually beautiful monument to P.I. Tchaikovsky by the great Vera Mukhina was erected in front of the entrance to the building of the conservatory in 1954.
Everything is back to square one
The entire conservative complex in 2010 underwent a large-scale restoration, the purpose of which is the complete restoration of the original interiors of both the hall itself and the educational buildings. During the war, "Holy Cecilia" - a stained glass window of very large sizes - was destroyed. Now it is fully restored. Despite the availability of e-mail, letters are sent to the Moscow Conservatory from all countries of the world. It is clear that an index is required for correspondence. Bolshaya Nikitskaya has many official institutions receiving a lot of letters. The mailing address, for example, of the Conservatory is as follows: 125009, Moscow, ul. Bolshaya Nikitskaya, d.13.
Main attraction
Of all the attractions of the street, there is one that cannot be said about. This is the Temple of the Great Ascension. Its construction was begun back in 1798, but the unfinished building completely burned down in 1812. The construction was completed in 1816, and in 1931 the great A. S. Pushkin married Natalia Goncharova in the refectory of this temple. Building number 36 is located on the right side of Bolshaya Nikitskaya Street. Moscow would have lost a lot in appearance if this church had not been preserved.
Great Theater Names
It is completely impossible to pass over the mansion where the V.V. Mayakovsky Theater is located - one of the most popular in the capital. In 1885-1886, a private theater was built on the site of the Zarubinikh-Efremovs estate that was freed from demolition and was intended for performances by foreign guest performers. When A.P. Chekhov fell seriously and terminally ill, in 1899 the play “The Seagull” was shown for him alone on the stage of this theater. And after the revolution, there was an exit theater, the artistic director of which was Meyerhold. It is also necessary to mention the buildings of the Zoological Museum and the Helikon-Opera located here.
St. Bolshaya Nikitskaya is gradually turning into an embassy. So, the consulate of Egypt and the embassies of Spain, Brazil and Myanmar have already settled here.