Kitay Gorod, the sights of which we will consider in the article, is a historical place in central Moscow. For the first time this name, unusual for a Russian city, is found in chronicles of the 16th century. There is an opinion that the name of this place is due to the fact that once there was something like Chinatown. However, this is not at all true. At the beginning of the 16th century, east of the Kremlin, there was a handicraft posad, and the famous Kitaygorod wall was erected here.
Name history
There is still much debate around the origin of the name China Town. Some historians, led by a well-known scholar of the history of Moscow V. Sytin, believe that the name is directly related to the Mongolian language and means the "middle" city between the Kremlin and the White City. This hypothesis is confirmed by the fact that the name "Kremlin" means "internal fortress."
According to other sources, the word “china” came to us from the Turkic language and means “fortress”, “fortified place”.
The most common and most plausible version is expressed by the famous historian - “wattle fence”, because it was on this principle that the fencing of that time was built, according to records in the annals of the ancient Muscovites.
China Town: Attractions
Within Kitay Gorod there are several famous historical and architectural monuments that attract many tourists all year round from all over the world. If you decide to visit this historic place in the capital of Russia, you should know where Kitay Gorod is located in Moscow. It is very easy to find it, as it is located very close to the Kremlin and the main square of the country.
Pokrovsky Cathedral
Kitay Gorod, whose attractions attract tourists from all over the world, is famous for Pokrovsky Cathedral. This Orthodox church, popularly known as St. Basil's Cathedral, is located on the main square of the capital. It was built in the middle of the 16th century by order of Ivan the Terrible. Until now, there is no exact information about the direct creators of this Orthodox shrine in Moscow. There are several versions, but none of them has been documented. Associated with this famous place is the legend that Ivan the Terrible ordered the builders of the temple to be deprived of their sight so that they could never recreate such beauty. At the end of the 16th century, the Church of St. Basil was attached to the temple. The beginning of the 20th century was marked by a remarkable event: Pokrovsky Cathedral was one of the first cultural monuments taken under state protection. Soon a museum was created in the temple.
Resurrection Gate
The passage gate, which is famous for the Kitay-Gorod wall, is also known. Since the time of construction, this gate has changed not only its name, but also its appearance. Initially, it was just a two-arch gate, but over time they were completed and turned into a tower with chambers. In the 20s of the 20th century, it was decided to demolish the Resurrection Gate, but already in the 90s they were completely restored.
Gostiny Dvor
The name Gostiny Dvor comes from the word "guest" and represents a whole complex for wholesale. This includes shopping arcades and storage areas. Merchants from all over the neighborhood gathered at Gostiny Dvor, paid cash contributions for the premises and sold their goods. All merchants had to stop in the yard.
Kitai-Gorod wall
Initially, this structure with a length of about 2.5 km was built as a defensive barrier from enemies. The famous wall survived several revolutions and the attack of the French army led by Napoleon. However, in the 30s of the last century it was almost completely destroyed by Soviet power. In place of the old wall, new buildings began to be built up. After the collapse of the USSR, the new leadership of the country decided to reconstruct the Kitay-Gorod wall, as a result of which several fragments were completely restored.
Trinity Church in Nikitniki
Until the 17th century, a wooden church stood on the site of a modern church, which completely burned out during a fire. In the middle of the 17th century, this church was built by Yaroslavl merchants and to this day is a model of the Moscow pattern. Since 1654, the church has kept a list of the Georgian Icon of the Mother of God, so people often hear another name for the temple - the Church of the Georgian Mother of God.
Kazan temple
On October 22, 1612, a battle with the Poles took place in Moscow. At the site of this historic event, the Kazan Temple was later built (Kitay-Gorod, intersection of Nikolskaya and Red Square). During the second militia, which managed to free the city, a miraculous image of the Kazan Icon of the Mother of God was delivered to Moscow, in whose honor the temple was named.
Printing yard
Opposite the Chizhov Compound in Kitay-Gorod is the Printing House - the birthplace of printing in Russia. The first books were released here in the middle of the 16th century. It was here that the Russian first printer Ivan Fedorov worked, who published the book The Apostle on March 1, 1564. The printing yard was not going through the best of times, when most of the building was damaged during the fire, but was restored. After the reconstruction of the Printing House, liturgical books were published here for a long time.
Fans to enjoy the extraordinary beauty of the memorable historical places of their homeland must definitely visit Kitai Gorod. The sights of this place are so numerous and diverse that it is impossible to talk about them in one article.